For immediate release: 23 June 2006
Volunteering England, the national volunteering development agency, is strengthening its team with three new appointments.
Jane Ferguson is appointed Director of Corporate Services and Business Development. She joins with a wealth of experience from the commercial sector, which includes her most recent position as Finance Director for Charis Grants Ltd and previous role as Senior Management Accountant at Del Monte.
Jane said: “I am excited to work at Volunteering England, to use my commercial sector skills to develop strong, co-ordinated support services and to further build on its culture of business development and enterprise.”
Gina Aylward, the new Investing in Volunteers (IiV) Manager, joins from South West Forum where she was the ChangeUp Support Programme Co-ordinator for the South West region. Prior to that, she was Community Empowerment Fund Co-ordinator with West Cornwall Community Network (WCCN), which involved managing a team providing training, networking and information to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in West Cornwall and supporting engagement and participation in the Local Strategic Partnership.
Gina said: “I’m looking forward to taking IiV into its next stage of development from the strong foundation established to date, particularly in promoting IiV with volunteer involving organisations regionally and sub regionally as well as those working England and UK-wide.”
Cat Dean is appointed Volunteering England’s first ever full-time Press and PR Officer. She previously worked as a press officer at Radio Times, prior to which she was a freelance journalist, specialising in the charity, financial and retail sectors. Reporting to Head of Communications and Marketing, Sonya Roberts, Cat will be responsible for raising the media profile of Volunteering England as well as internal communications.
Cat said: “With volunteering higher on the political and agenda than ever, I’m keen to ensure that Volunteering England’s voice is represented across all media and to bring its valuable work to a wider audience.”
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Notes to Editors
For more information and to arrange interviews, email cat.dean@volunteeringengland.org or call Cat Dean on 020 7520 8932. For out of hours press enquiries, contact 07952 128057.
Volunteering England’s aims are to increase the quality, quantity, contribution and accessibility of volunteering throughout England; secure and support an England-wide network of quality volunteer development agencies, promoting and enabling volunteering and community involvement; undertake research, policy and development activity; and provide grants, support and advice to sustain and develop volunteering. It understands the term volunteering to include formal activity undertaken through public, private and voluntary organisations as well as informal community participation.
