Description

Admin History:

The Yorkshire and Humber Regional Forum was set up in 1997, in part due to the greater significance given to English regions in government economic planning. Established to advocate for and support the voluntary and community sector (VCS), the Forum enabled the VCS to take advantage of regional programmes, structures and funding. The Forum was registered as a charity in 1998 and in 1999 employed its first three staff members with support from the National Lottery.

From 1999, the charity developed various specialist areas including providing technical support for accessing European funding, Black and Minority Ethnic VCS, policy development relating to VCS, and health and social care in Yorkshire, as well as establishing partnerships with other organisations, such as Rural Action Yorkshire.

In 2008, the charity became a company limited by guarantee and was reregistered under the name Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Forum Limited. In February 2011 a new trading name, Involve Yorkshire & Humber (IYH), was adopted and new branding developed. Involve described itself as a "social business," with the vision of acting as a link between national policy and local delivery and promoting social action and change. It aimed to support the VCS contribution to policy and practice; provide high quality information and research; and to expand connections within the VCS and other sectors.

Throughout 2015, Involve's funding situation was a cause for concern, following changes to regional structures and reductions in funds and activities throughout the voluntary sector over the preceding several years. The company underwent a review in spring/summer 2015, and despite initial optimism, in early November the decision was taken to close the company by the end of the year.

Description:

The collection is made up of a relatively small number of paper records and a larger amount of born-digital records. The paper records cover 1997-2015 and largely consist of material published by Yorkshire and Humber Regional Forum and Involve, along with press cuttings. The publications include Involve annual reviews; conference publications; reports; development plans; business plans; and leaflets.

The press cuttings are divided into a number of files covering 2009-2012. They include press coverage related to Involve; articles written by the organisation's chief executive, Judy Robinson; and press coverage of the volunteer and charity sector in Yorkshire and the north more generally. They are mainly from local and regional newspapers, including the Yorkshire Post and York Press, but national publications also appear, mainly The Guardian.

The digital records are more comprehensive and cover: campaigns including Adult Learners' Week; business development; business and operational planning; the records of the Chief Executive; the review and closure of Involve in 2015; communications and marketing activities, including annual reviews and conference publications; Involve's work in health and social care; general policy and research files; Involve's rural work; and general administrative records.