A day of celebration

HUNDREDS of volunteers, members, friends and invited guests enjoyed an afternoon of celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of Community Voluntary Services Tendring (CVST).

Teams, projects and groups from across CVST showcased their work with fun activities and games for guests to enjoy.

There were also demonstrations from Melt Foot Therapy, Fitsteps, SingAlongPen and Seated Yoga.

Sharon Alexander, CVST chief officer, said: “It was a wonderful celebration of everything CVST does with more than 350 invitees attending.

“The staff, supported by volunteers, offered a glimpse of the amazing work they do every day and provided activities such as games, food tasting, colouring and wordsearches.

“The celebration was a rare opportunity for CVST to show the breadth of support it provides to the community and voluntary sector all in one place.

“We were so pleased to see the joy on the faces of our guests as they explored the tables and watched the demonstrations, or even took their turn at the selfie station.

“This was the first event to mark our milestone year, and we look forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary with other activities throughout 2023.”

Tables at the event included the resilience project, cultural awareness, social prescribing, lunch club, volunteering, Kennedy Way Community Garden, allotments, training and member services, craft groups, dementia and friendship cafes, physical activities and more.

A new CVST history exhibition made its debut at the event, with 18 boards telling the story of the organisation from its launch in 1973.

It is hoped the exhibition will be put on display at different locations throughout the year.

CVST chair Brenda Ellis BEM, said: “What an amazing, vibrant event.

“I would like to give my profound thanks to the volunteers, staff, and my fellow trustees, who came together to ensure our 50th anniversary party was such an outstanding success.”

Further celebratory events will include tree planting, a thank you to volunteers, and more.