Council For Voluntary Service

What Council For Voluntary Service does

Brentwood Community and Voluntary Service (Brentwood CVS), legally registered as Brentwood Community and Voluntary Service (Charity No. 1199229) and operating since 1993, is a UK-registered charitable infrastructure organisation headquartered at Merrymeade House, Brentwood, Essex. Its primary function is to support the voluntary and community sector across Brentwood Borough through a portfolio of services: a Funding Advice Service that helps local groups secure grants; a Brentwood Volunteer Hub that recruits and matches volunteers via the Volunteer Essex platform; governance, training, and networking programmes for the sector's 100+ member organisations; and a physical Community and Wellbeing Hub delivering Community Cafe sessions, Winter Warmth, a Dementia Support Hub, Hospital Discharge Community Support, and a Health Inequalities Fund.

The organisation's revenue model is multi-stream and grant-dependent. Income derives from donations and fundraising, government and trust grants (Brentwood Borough Council, Essex Community Foundation, Postcode Places Trust), membership subscriptions (currently free of charge), room hire at Merrymeade House, and an emerging commercial wedding venue operated via a dedicated sub-brand (weddingsatmerrymeadehouse.com). Volunteer management routes through the external Volunteer Essex platform rather than proprietary technology, and the broader technology footprint is described as conventional charity-management tooling — website, email newsletters, and social media — with no proprietary platform or API.

Brentwood CVS is governed by a board of nine trustees (chaired by Sheila Murphy, with Vice Chair David Tee, Treasurer Matthew Howes, and Secretary Dee Trusdale) and operates with approximately seven paid staff (Director Diane Fairchild, Funding Officer Arsen Poghosyan, Coordinator Bex Foreman, plus Wedding Hosts) supported by 19+ active volunteers and a wider pool of occasional volunteers. The organisation sits inside an NHS-linked, council-linked, and police-linked local ecosystem through partnerships with NELFT, Essex Police, Essex Wellbeing Service, Active Essex, Triceratops Training, and NCVO, which together position CVS as a conduit between local VCS groups and statutory services.

Name

Council For Voluntary Service

Legal name

Brentwood Community and Voluntary Service

Website

https://brentwoodcvs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brentwood Community and Voluntary Service is a registered UK charity that provides funding advice, volunteer matching, training, governance support, and community wellbeing services to 100+ voluntary organisations and residents across the Brentwood Borough from its headquarters at Merrymeade House, Essex.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Support

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ)

Keywords

• Voluntary sector support
• Community infrastructure services
• Charity funding advice
• Volunteer matching services
• Community wellbeing hub

Headquarters

HQ city

Brentwood

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: As a registered charity (No. 1199229), the organisation relies on donations and fundraising activities from supporters and the public.
2. Government and Trust Funding: Financial support from Brentwood Borough Council, Essex Community Foundation, and Postcode Places Trust as shown in logo/support sections of the website.
3. Room Hire: Revenue generated from hiring out rooms at Merrymeade House, with discounted rates offered to Brentwood CVS members.
4. Venue Bookings for Weddings: Merrymeade House hosts weddings, generating revenue through venue bookings. Website: weddingsatmerrymeadehouse.com

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brentwood Community and Voluntary Service (Brentwood CVS) is a registered charity and local infrastructure organisation that supports voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) in Brentwood Borough through funding advice, volunteer recruitment, governance support, training, networking forums, and resource library access. It operates the Community and Wellbeing Hub at Merrymeade House, providing community café services, wellbeing sessions, hospital discharge support, and other community projects to local residents. Additional revenue is generated through room hire facilities and wedding venue bookings at Merrymeade House.

Product overview

Brentwood Community and Voluntary Service (Brentwood CVS) operates as a charitable infrastructure organisation rather than a technology product company. It offers a portfolio of community support services organised around several interconnected programmes: the Funding Advice Service provides funding support, bid writing, and governance assistance to local charities; the Brentwood Volunteer Hub serves as a centralised platform connecting individuals with regular, one-off, youth, and corporate volunteering opportunities; the Community and Wellbeing Hub at Merrymeade House delivers health, social, and support services including Community Cafe, wellbeing sessions, and specific initiatives like Winter Warmth and Ukrainian Social Hub; and the Membership programme offers organisations free access to training, networking, and discounted venue hire. Additional services include a Resource Library, room hire facilities, training courses, networking forums, and hospital discharge support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brentwood Volunteer Hub: A dedicated one-stop shop for everything needed to start volunteering, offering guidance to match individuals with perfect volunteering opportunities.
• Merrymeade House
• Funding Advice Service

Products and services

• Funding Advice Service Provides one-to-one support, application assistance, document review, and bespoke workshops to help voluntary groups and charities secure funding. Targeted at voluntary and community organisations in Brentwood Borough seeking funding development support.
• Brentwood Volunteer Hub A one-stop platform connecting individuals with volunteer opportunities including regular, one-off, under 18's, and corporate volunteering options. Volunteer opportunities are listed on the Volunteer Essex website. Targeted at local residents and corporate groups wishing to volunteer in Brentwood Borough.
• Community and Wellbeing Hub at Merrymeade House A hub providing community projects including Winter Warmth campaign, Community Cafe, Wellbeing Sessions, and health support services. Targeted at local residents of Brentwood Borough seeking community engagement and wellbeing activities.
• Brentwood CVS Membership Free membership program offering funding support, 1-to-1 advice, governance support, training access, networking events, and discounted room hire. Targeted at voluntary and community organisations in Brentwood Borough.
• Training Courses In-house training events including Volunteer Management Peer Support sessions and Funding and Infrastructure Workshops covering governance, monitoring, and AI topics. Targeted at voluntary and community organisations seeking capacity building.
• Resource Library Online resource hub providing guidance on running a charity, volunteering best practices, safeguarding, and governance, with links to NCVO resources. Targeted at voluntary and community organisations and trustees.
• Room Hire at Merrymeade House Meeting and event space hire at Merrymeade House with parking, onsite catering, and configurable rooms in a country park setting. Open to organisations and individuals with discounted rates for Brentwood CVS members.
• Community Matters Networking Forums Networking events for voluntary and community organisations to share ideas, forge partnerships, and raise their profile with guest speakers and updates. Targeted at voluntary and community organisations in Brentwood Borough.
• Community Projects Various community support initiatives including Community Cafe, Weigh-In Sessions, Walk and Talk Group, Winter Warmth, Christmas Gift Appeal, and Ukrainian Social Hub. Targeted at local residents of Brentwood Borough.
• Hospital Discharge Community Support Support service for individuals discharged from hospital, accepting both professional and self referrals to provide community assistance. Targeted at patients being discharged from hospital and residents needing community support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 active member organisations served through network

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brentwood Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary local government partner providing strategic support and funding to Brentwood CVS. Brentwood CVS is supported by Brentwood Borough Council as shown in website support logos and collaboration on community projects including Hospital Discharge Community Support and Ukrainian Social Hub.
• Volunteer EssexcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCounty-wide volunteer matching platform where Brentwood CVS lists volunteer opportunities. The Brentwood Volunteer Hub uploads opportunities to the Volunteer Essex website where potential volunteers can search for roles by activities and interests.
• Active EssexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Active Essex to deliver high-quality training sessions designed to support and strengthen local charities and community groups. Training sessions delivered at Merrymeade House.
• Triceratops TrainingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining provider engaged by Brentwood CVS to deliver Funding and Infrastructure Workshops including Building Strong Boards, Monitoring & Evaluation, and AI sessions. Trainer David Page brings over 20 years of experience in fundraising, impact, governance and charity operations.
• NELFT (North East London NHS Foundation Trust)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS trust providing physiotherapist services at community support coffee mornings to local residents.
• Essex PoliceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Christmas Gift Appeal for Lonely Residents, working together with Brentwood CVS and Brentwood Borough Council to bring gifts to older residents without family or friends over the festive period.
• Essex Wellbeing ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering free weekly Community Weigh-In Sessions at Merrymeade House as an award-winning programme with proven success.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResource library provides links to NCVO guidance on running a charity, volunteering, safeguarding, and governance best practices.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Locality: National membership network supporting community-led organisations and local charities with advice, resources and policy advocacy. Comparable as a higher-tier infrastructure body serving similar VCO audiences with training, funding support and convening services.
• NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): Membership body representing local voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations across England. Directly comparable as the national network of which local CVS bodies like Brentwood CVS are member organisations.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): UK-wide umbrella body for the voluntary sector providing governance, policy and resource support to charities. Comparable to Brentwood CVS as a national-level infrastructure organisation whose resource library and guidance content Brentwood CVS explicitly links to.

Others

• Volunteer Essex: County-wide volunteer matching platform and infrastructure partner that Brentwood CVS uses to list volunteer opportunities. Adjacent ecosystem participant that both enables and partially substitutes for parts of the Brentwood Volunteer Hub offering.

Direct peers

• Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service: Local CVS providing funding advice, volunteer matching, training and networking to voluntary organisations in Cambridge. Highly comparable as a borough-level CVS with the same 'Council for Voluntary Service' naming convention and service portfolio.
• Community Matters Yorkshire: Regional voluntary sector infrastructure body providing training, networking forums and support to community organisations. Comparable to Brentwood CVS's networking forum and training services for grassroots VCOs.
• Hampshire CVS: County-level voluntary sector support organisation providing funding advice, training and networking. Comparable to Brentwood CVS in core mission and service mix, operating across a wider but adjacent Essex-region geography.
• Voluntary Action Sheffield: Voluntary sector infrastructure organisation serving Sheffield with funding advice, training, volunteering and networking services. Directly comparable in mission, service mix and member-based operating model to Brentwood CVS.
• Voluntary Action Westminster: Voluntary sector infrastructure body supporting charities and community groups in Westminster. Directly comparable in operating model, service offering and member-network approach to Brentwood CVS.
• Bolton CVS: Local CVS supporting voluntary and community groups in Bolton with funding, governance, volunteering and training services. Direct peer offering an identical suite of infrastructure services at a similar borough scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-for-voluntary-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Council For Voluntary Service