Barnsley CVS

What Barnsley CVS does

Barnsley CVS is a registered charity and Company Limited by Guarantee (Charity Number 1199489, Company Number 11319748) operating as the dedicated infrastructure support body for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector across the Barnsley borough in South Yorkshire, England. The organisation was formed in 2022 through the merger of Priory Campus (founded 1995) and Voluntary Action Barnsley (founded 1984), consolidating decades of local sector-building work into a single entity that provides volunteering brokerage (general, young people aged 13–25, and inclusion for refugees/asylum seekers/migrants), community accountancy and payroll bureau services for VCSE organisations with turnover under £1m, funding information and grant management on behalf of Barnsley Council, and convening of multiple sector networks including the Barnsley Youth Alliance, Leaders About Barnsley (The LAB), and the Start Well Group.

The organisation's technology footprint is conventional rather than proprietary: it resells QuickBooks licences to VCSE clients, uses JustGiving for donations, and runs Google Analytics on its website. There is no disclosed software product, API, or platform. Service delivery is human-mediated through approximately 10 staff and a Board of Trustees. Barnsley CVS distributes funding (including the Pathways to Work Community Fund of £500–£7,500 grants, the Unity and Inclusion Grant up to £10,000, and the Food Innovation and Poverty Action Fund up to £10,000), operates affordable room hire at 23 Queen's Road (two meeting rooms) and Redfearns Sports and Social Club (a 2,500 sq ft venue for up to 100 people), and delivers the Healthwatch Barnsley health and social care advocacy service under a contract running April 2025 to March 2029.

Revenue is derived from a mix of local authority grant funding (primarily from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council), the Healthwatch contract, fee-based accountancy and payroll services to ~80 VCSE clients, room hire, individual donations via JustGiving, and partnership arrangements. Membership is provided free of charge to VCSE groups operating in the borough, functioning as a relationship and distribution layer rather than a revenue line. The organisation reported £236,097 distributed to the voluntary sector in 2025/26 and 140+ volunteer roles advertised since June 2025.

Name

Barnsley CVS

Legal name

Barnsley CVS

Website

https://barnsleycvs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Barnsley CVS is a registered charity serving as the dedicated infrastructure support body for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector across the Barnsley borough, providing volunteer brokerage, community accountancy and payroll services, funding distribution, and sector network convening.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Barnsley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Community Accountancy and Payroll Services: Provides a full range of accountancy and payroll services to VCSE organisations, charities and CICs in the Barnsley area. Services include year-end accounts, Independent Examination, bookkeeping, and full payroll bureau services. Revenue is generated through service fees based on the size and complexity of the client organisation.
2. Room Hire: Hires out meeting rooms at Queens Road offices and Redfearns Sports and Social Club to generate income. Meeting rooms available at various price points for up to 100 people.
3. Funding Distribution: Manages grant programmes on behalf of funders including Barnsley Council. Distributes funding such as Pathways to Work Community Fund (£500-£7,500 grants) and other funding schemes to VCSE organisations.
4. Membership Services: Free membership available to VCSE groups in the Barnsley borough. While membership is free, it provides access to resources, networking, and support services that maintain the organisation's connection to the sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Barnsley CVS is a registered charity providing infrastructure support to the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector across the Barnsley Borough. It delivers volunteer recruitment and placement services, community accountancy and payroll bureau services for charities, managed grant/fund distribution on behalf of funders, and facilitates sector networks and partnerships. The organisation also hires meeting rooms at its Queen's Road headquarters and at Redfearns Sports and Social Club.

Product overview

Barnsley CVS operates as a local charity providing infrastructure support to the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in Barnsley. The organisation offers a portfolio of interconnected services centred on three core pillars: volunteering support (including specialist services for young people and inclusion), capacity building through community accountancy/payroll services and funding management, and partnerships/networks facilitation including Barnsley Youth Alliance and Healthwatch Barnsley. Additional services include meeting room hire at two venues, a jobs board, newsletters, and community information resources. Membership is free for VCSE groups and provides access to resources, funding information, training discounts, and network participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 80 VCSE organisations with accountancy and payroll services in 2025/26
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Healthwatch BarnsleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025The contract to deliver the Healthwatch Barnsley service has been awarded to Barnsley CVS for the period April 2025 to March 2029. Healthwatch Barnsley is the local health and social care champion for Penistone to Goldthorpe, with powers to make NHS leaders listen to feedback and improve standards of care.
• Barnsley Youth AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarnsley Youth Alliance is a group of youth work organisations from across the Barnsley borough working together with shared passion for supporting young people. Alliance members include YMCA Barnsley, Barnsley FC Community Trust, Chilypep, The Youth Association, Byouth, and Exodus.
• Barnsley Refugee Advice Project (BRAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking in partnership with Barnsley CVS and Refugee Council to support refugees, asylum seekers and the migrant community in Barnsley through advice, advocacy, awareness raising, community development, promoting volunteering, ESOL, and capacity building.
• Refugee CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Barnsley CVS and Barnsley Refugee Advice Project (BRAP) to support refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Barnsley area.
• Start Well GroupsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership group supporting VCSE organisations working with children and young people aged 0-18 years (25 for SEND) in Barnsley. Meets bi-monthly. Current Chairs: Andrea Battye (YMCA), Lesley Pollard (Chilypep), Chrissy Sykes (MBIMB).
• YMCA BarnsleysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Barnsley Youth Alliance, a youth work organisation in Barnsley borough.
• Barnsley FC Community TrustsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Barnsley Youth Alliance, delivering youth work in the Barnsley borough.
• ChilypepsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Barnsley Youth Alliance, youth work organisation in Barnsley.
• The Youth AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Barnsley Youth Alliance, youth work organisation serving Barnsley.
• Byouth (Barnsley Metropolitan Council Youth Services)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Barnsley Youth Alliance, local authority youth services for Barnsley.
• Exodus ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Barnsley Youth Alliance, youth work organisation in Barnsley.
• South Yorkshire's Community Foundation (SYCF)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted anniversary awards event for Barnsley charities; recognition of Barnsley CVS member winning community award.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Locality: National membership network supporting community organisations, charities and social enterprises with advice, training and policy advocacy. Comparable to the wider category of infrastructure support that Barnsley CVS delivers, but at national scale.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): National umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, providing policy representation, research, training and infrastructure support. Broader incumbent that shapes the funding and policy environment in which local CVS bodies like Barnsley CVS operate.
• Groundwork UK: Federation of Groundwork trusts operating locally across the UK to deliver community-based environmental and social programmes. Adjacent infrastructure-style organisation with comparable funder relationships (local authorities, charitable trusts) and similar reliance on grant income.
• NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): Membership body representing local VCSE infrastructure organisations (CVSs, Volunteer Centres and Volunteer Action groups) across England. Directly comparable sector but operating as the national umbrella rather than a local delivery body.

Direct peers

• Wakefield District CVS: Council for Voluntary Service serving the Wakefield district with volunteering, funding, accountancy-style support and VCSE networks. Direct single-borough peer with an analogous operating model to Barnsley CVS.
• Voluntary Action Leeds: VCSE infrastructure body supporting the voluntary and community sector across Leeds with similar services (volunteering, funding advice, networks, training). Directly comparable local CVS-style organisation covering a single West Yorkshire metropolitan borough.
• Charity Finance Group: UK membership body supporting charity finance professionals with training, resources and networking. Closely comparable to the Community Accountancy and Payroll services Barnsley CVS delivers to local VCSE organisations, but at national scale.
• Doncaster Community Trust / Doncaster VCSE: Local VCSE infrastructure support organisation for Doncaster, providing funding information, volunteering, training and sector networking. Functions as a near-identical peer covering an adjacent South Yorkshire borough with similar demographics.
• Voluntary Action Sheffield: Local VCSE infrastructure organisation serving the Sheffield voluntary and community sector with volunteering, funding, networks and capacity-building services. Closest direct peer to Barnsley CVS, operating the same infrastructure-support model in a neighbouring South Yorkshire borough.
• Rotherham Voluntary Action / RVVSG: Voluntary and community sector infrastructure body for Rotherham offering volunteer brokerage, funding support and member networks. Comparable peer given geographic proximity and overlapping South Yorkshire funder ecosystem (e.g. shared personnel references).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Barnsley_CVS
• Facebookfacebook.com/BarnsleyCVS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barnsleycvs
• Instagraminstagram.com/barnsleycvs
• TikToktiktok.com/@barnsleycvs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barnsley CVS