About Us
Learn more about the people behind your Wirral CVS, as well as the history of our organisation and how to contact us.
Our Team
Gareth Prytherch
Chief Executive Officer
Core
Gareth, our Chief Executive Officer, has extensive experience in third sector strategy, management and governance, with a strong track record of leading organisations that create meaningful social impact. He is committed to strengthening and representing the voice of the VCFSE sector across Wirral and the wider Liverpool City Region and is passionate about collaboration, partnership working, championing innovative approaches that enable organisations and communities to thrive.
The History of Wirral CVS
Coming Together as a Sector
The story of Wirral CVS began in January 2020, when a programme of engagement was launched with the endorsement of Wirral’s Health and Wellbeing Board. Workshops brought together organisations from across the VCFSE sector to explore the opportunities and challenges they faced and consider what a new relationship between the sector and public services should look like. The importance of this work became even clearer during the COVID-19 pandemic, as voluntary organisations, community groups, faith groups, social enterprises, volunteers and informal networks mobilised rapidly to support residents.
The sector’s collective response demonstrated its reach, agility, trusted relationships and detailed knowledge of local communities. It also highlighted the need for better co-ordination, stronger representation and more sustainable investment.
A working group was established and engagement continued through the Community of Practice, Sector Leaders Network and humanitarian, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and faith networks. This process led to the creation of Wirral’s first sector-led Community, Voluntary and Faith Sector Coming Together Plan.
The plan set out a shared ambition for a more equal relationship between the VCFSE sector and statutory partners. Its original priorities were:
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influence and voice;
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co-creation and working together;
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health creation; and
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volunteering.
It also identified the need for an independent and trusted sector-led organisation. This organisation would connect and support local organisations, strengthen the sector’s collective voice, encourage collaboration and help resources reach Wirral’s communities.
The Founding of Wirral CVS
Wirral CVS was founded in November 2021 to fulfil this role. It was formally registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 15th November 2021. The founding trustees recorded when the organisation was established were Bev Morgan, Jay Anderson and Sandra Gilbert. Sabra Ahmed joined the Board in December 2021.
We were created as a membership organisation so that we would remain accountable to the sector we exists to serve. Membership is free and open to VCFSE organisations that are based in, or deliver services in, Wirral and members elect the charity’s trustees and help shape our future strategy and direction.
The Community, Voluntary and Faith Sector Coming Together Plan was presented to Wirral’s Health and Wellbeing Board in December 2021, which provided both the mandate for the new organisation and the foundation for our early priorities, which include building the capacity of third-sector organisations and promoting co-operation between voluntary organisations, statutory bodies and other partners for the benefit of Wirral and its communities.
Establishing Our Organisation
In August 2022, Wirral CVS took on responsibility for local VCFSE infrastructure support. Karen Livesey served as Director during this formative period and represented Wirral CVS as we developed our relationships across the borough and the wider Liverpool City Region. In December 2022, Wirral CVS joined the VS6 Partnership and restored Wirral’s place within the partnership of infrastructure and support organisations representing the VCFSE sector across the Liverpool City Region.
Membership of VS6 created stronger routes for Wirral organisations to participate in regional partnerships, influence policy and benefit from collaborative funding and development opportunities. Recognition by the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action also established Wirral CVS within the national network of local infrastructure organisations.
From Strategy to Delivery
In May 2023, Wirral Council commissioned Wirral CVS to undertake a one-year pilot supporting delivery of the Coming Together Plan and Wirral’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Gareth Prytherch joined Wirral CVS as Chief Executive in 2023, leading the organisation into its next stage of development.
During the pilot, Wirral CVS began building its work around four connected areas:
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leadership and advocacy;
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partnerships and collaboration;
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capacity building; and
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volunteering.
The organisation supported the development of a VCFSE representation model, creating opportunities for sector leaders to contribute to strategic partnerships across health, care and other public services. We also strengthened the Community of Practice and Sector Leaders Network, supported renewed collaboration through the Community, Voluntary and Faith Forum and built relationships between local organisations, Wirral Council, NHS partners and organisations across the Liverpool City Region.
Practical support expanded too, as Wirral CVS began helping organisations with governance, policies, organisational development, funding applications and strategic planning. It increasingly acted both as a source of direct assistance and as a convenor through which organisations could share knowledge, identify common challenges and develop collective responses.
In 2023, Wirral CVS contributed to the Cheshire and Merseyside State of the Sector research and shared findings specifically relating to Wirral. The research demonstrated the scale and value of local VCFSE activity while highlighting increasing demand, financial uncertainty and the need for more sustainable investment.
Consolidation and Growth
Following the pilot’s success, Wirral CVS received a three-year Public Health grant in 2024. This gave the organisation a stronger foundation from which to deliver the ambitions of the Coming Together Plan and support Wirral’s wider health, wellbeing and neighbourhood priorities.
During 2024, Wirral CVS expanded its organisational-development support, training and events. It helped local organisations access investment through programmes including the Step Up Fund, Community Green Grants and neighbourhood funding.
The organisation also strengthened VCFSE representation within health and care partnerships, supported work relating to adult social care, strategic workforce development, sustainability and winter pressures, and helped develop networks for volunteer managers and faith organisations.
By the end of 2024, membership had grown from 38 to 104 organisations. Wirral CVS’s weekly communications were reaching around 1,200 VCFSE and public-sector colleagues. The organisation had delivered more than 100 events, provided tailored support to 98 organisations and distributed more than £400,000 in grants to 46 organisations. This period also saw Wirral CVS facilitate a sector review of the Coming Together Plan. The review found that its priorities remained relevant, while also identifying the sector’s desire to move further and faster in putting them into practice.
Developing Volunteering on the Wirral
The Coming Together Plan identified volunteering as an essential part of Wirral’s community infrastructure. It called for a central organisation that could support people seeking to volunteer as well as organisations involving volunteers. Wirral CVS subsequently developed an online Volunteering Portal to connect residents with local opportunities and give volunteer-involving organisations tools to promote and manage their roles.
During 2025, the organisation expanded its volunteering team through the recruitment of a Volunteer Programme Manager and Volunteer Co-ordinator. It strengthened the Volunteer Managers Forum and worked with local organisations to develop a shared vision for volunteering in Wirral.
Following this in February 2026, Wirral CVS delivered FestiVol, a borough-wide celebration of volunteering. The event was co-produced with volunteer managers and organisations from across Wirral, reflecting the sector-led principles on which Wirral CVS was founded.
Expanding Capacity, Collaboration and Influence
Alongside volunteering, we continued to expand our wider infrastructure support, as a Faith Forum was established to strengthen relationships and coordination across Wirral’s faith sector. Regional capacity and resilience programmes brought new support and funding opportunities into the borough, while collaboration with neighbouring infrastructure organisations created opportunities for arts and cultural organisations.
Wirral CVS also supported community cancer-awareness programmes, social-value development, community asset transfers, neighbourhood health work and partnerships relating to youth services, adult social care, regeneration, sustainability and workforce development.
By the end of 2025, 208 organisations had received one-to-one support with issues including governance, incorporation, policies, funding and strategic planning. During the preceding year, Wirral CVS delivered 62 development events attended by 1,286 people. Our organisation also continued to distribute grants and help local groups secure external funding, enabling them to sustain services, strengthen their organisations and respond to changing community needs.
Wirral CVS Today
By early 2026, Wirral CVS had 131 full member organisations. Our communications and networks were reaching more than 2,400 people each week, and our volunteering infrastructure connected 779 active volunteers with 164 volunteer-involving organisations, while partnerships and forums provided spaces for organisations to build relationships, share learning and shape collective action.
Throughout our development, Wirral CVS has remained rooted in the principle on which it was founded: that Wirral’s VCFSE sector should design, lead and shape the infrastructure that supports it. Today, Wirral CVS connects organisations, develops leadership, strengthens the sector’s collective voice, supports collaboration, builds organisational capacity and creates an environment in which volunteering can thrive. Our history is therefore not simply the story of one organisation; it's the story of Wirral’s VCFSE sector coming together to build a stronger, more coordinated and more influential future.