The Business
A registered charity that supports the voluntary sector in Peterborough.
With more than 500 members, PCVS has been supporting Peterborough’s charities and volunteering groups for over 40 years.
‘A charity that came from the community’
We recently spoke with Jonathan Jelley MBE JP, Acting Voluntary CEO about who PCVS are, what they do to create a positive impact and how they are settling into the Allia community.
The challenge - What inspired the business?
PCVS was formed in 1980, when local voluntary groups around Peterborough wanting to help create a positive impact for their local community decided to join together to form one voice.
Charities and volunteers play a vital role in improving the lives of thousands of people in Peterborough. Our expert support helps these incredible organisations run more effectively and make a bigger impact to local communities.
Our team deliver support to groups and charities wanting to set up new initiatives but may not know where to begin—offering in-house experts, direct payment services, training programmes, 1-to-1s, networking events, and much more to help make local lives better.
The Impact - What positive impact have you created?
PCVS’ most recent focus has been around health in the local community. Peterborough has a lot of health inequalities, and the cost of living crisis has unfortunately left many people in difficult positions and has pushed them into poverty when they weren’t before. PCVS has created a campaign called the Poverty Truth Commission, to spread awareness of the many people affected by daily poverty in the local area. This involves the help of Community Empowers – individuals who face the direct experience of poverty and share their knowledge about what is truly needed to make a positive change in Peterborough.
We launched this campaign in late November 2023, which started the act of connecting community groups with Civic Commissioners and Business leaders and having regular meetups with Community Empowers to discuss the changes that need to be made in Peterborough.
Our growing relationship with Allia has given our staff the right environment to be the best versions of themselves and has allowed us to build valuable relationships with the Allia team, and Peterborough tenants. The centre team are professional and cheerful, allowing us to feel a part of the Allia family.
Do we feel like part of the family? Absolutely. We feel a part of something more.
Allia Future Business Centre is a modern, clean and professional environment. If there is a worry, we get responses, if there is an issue, it gets fixed.”
Jonathan Jelley, Acting CEO of PCVS
