We work with two local trusted organisations, Rother Voluntary Action and Southern Housing (formally Optivo).
Rother Voluntary Action
RVA is a community led organisation, they can help develop an idea, or to expand an existing one. They focus on local needs that reduce health inequalities and contribute to community wellbeing
They support new and existing voluntary & community groups and social enterprise organisations with training programmes, guidance about legal structures, governance issues, policies and procedures and identifying potential funding sources and develop funding bids.
Southern Housing
Southern Housing (formally Optivo) is one of the largest housing providers in the UK and a member of the G15 group of London’s largest housing associations. There are over 45,000 homes across London, the South East and the Midlands, giving 90,000 people somewhere affordable to call their own.
Southern Housing is one of the main social landlords for Sidley and they host the Heart of Sidley project officer and team assistant.
Local Trust / Big Local
Local Trust was established in 2012 to deliver Big Local, a National Lottery Community Fund-funded programme which committed £1m each to 150 neighbourhoods across England, Sidley being one of them.
Their aims are to demonstrate the value of long term, unconditional, resident-led funding through their work supporting local communities to make their areas better places to live, and to draw on the learning to promote a wider transformation in the way policy makers, funders and others engage with communities and place.
Jim Boot - Big Local Representative
Jim is our Big Local rep and attends every HOS meeting. He assists the Heart of Sidley partnership in setting priorities and reporting back to the Big Local.
