Elaine has been involved in the voluntary sector in Sheffield for more than 20 years since working with a local group to set up and run a charity delivering childcare and play activities for children. From there, she moved into various paid roles within the sector, including as the manager of a charity, accountable to a board of trustees, as well as a trustee of a local and a regional charity.
Elaine’s role at VAS allows her to put her experience of the huge rewards and challenges of working in the sector to good use. She finds great satisfaction when developing and supporting an array of amazing groups across the city to make a real difference. This, and the face-to-face work with people that her job involves, is something she loves.
As VCS Support Officer, Liz works with local groups, helping them to find the support and information they need to develop and be resilient.
Her work in Lunch Club Referrals involves matching people with clubs, and dealing with referrals from all over Sheffield.
Liz has worked for VAS since 2009 drawn by its values of cooperation, support, diversity, and creativity, that symbolise the third sector.
Patrick has worked with VAS since 2007 and has been involved with the Lunch Club Referrals Service since it started in 2014. He has learned a lot from the conversations he has had with older people in Sheffield, and feels privileged to work alongside Lunch Club organisers in the city, who give freely of their time to make life better for the people they support.
Being the chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence Co-production Steering Group, he strives to uphold the co-production principles of accessibility, diversity, equality, and reciprocity (or getting something back for putting something in) in his day-to-day working life.
Patrick also works as an Influence and Participation Coach with national Mind and has been actively involved in mental health survivor groups since 1989.