EBC and Tyne and Wear Infrastructure Consortium

EBC is proud to be a member of the Tyne and Wear Infrastructure Consortium (TWIC).

EBC's membership demonstrates our commitment to:

• The third sector as a whole.
• Partnership and consortia working.
• The communities in which we work.
• The people who benefit from the work of EBC and other third sector organisations.

An overview of the TWIC

The TWIC was created to support the infrastructure needs of the third sector across Tyne and Wear.  If you work for a third sector 'infrastructure' organisation (i.e. you don't deliver front line services yourself, but you support groups) TWIC can:

• Represent your interests to public services.
• Help you get funding.
• Help you to provide a better quality and more efficent service.
• Help you to communicate with the rest of the third sector across Tyne and Wear.
• Help you to communicate and influence other important people across Tyne and Wear and the Nortrh East.

The aim of Tyne and Wear Infrastructure Consortium (TWIC) is to come up with solutions for a stronger third sector across Tyne and Wear embedding three key core priorities into all its work:

• Quality
• Reach
• Influence

What do we mean by 'infrastructure'?

By infrastructure we don't mean roads or buildings.  We mean all the support that voluntary and community groups, charities, social enterprises, co-operatives and mutuals (i.e. the third sector) need to operate effectively. 

This support might be funding advice, governance, help with finances, training or more specialist support such as mediation or public relations.

The Consortium is a partnership of organisations and indiviiduals who have come together to co-ordinate this infrastructure support.

Quality: by working together, we can make sure that the support offered to the third sector is of the  same high quality across Tyne and Wear.

Reach: we need a Consortium in order to reach into the sector and represent it to the 'powers that be'.

Influence: it's becoming more and more important that the third sector is able to influence the public sector about opportunities for deliverying services - this is something else the Consortium can do.

Benefits of Partnership Working

Through its membership of the TWIC EBC has been able to extend the range of work offered across Tyne and Wear through a partnership approach.

EBC is one of several TWIC members now deliverying work thanks to funding from the Big Lottery's BASIS 2 funding stream.   To find out more visit our special BASIS 2 page.

Joining us

If your main purpose is to support infrastructure across Tyne and Wear, you can become a member of the TWIC Forum.

Members are invited to TWIC's AGM and are invited to join the TWIC internet site to get involved in projects and consultations.

A partnership approach with other sectors

If you are a public sector commissioner or strategist, TWIC can:

• Help you understand the sector and what it does.
• Help you to work with the sector to deliver services.
• Help you to deliver your objectives and meet your targets.
• Help you to communicate with a variety of third sector organisations across Tyne andWear, both big and small.
• Put you in touch with people who can represent the sector at your meetings and events.

Public sector representatives who want to build a relationship with the sector can become associate members of TWIC.

Want to know more?

To find out more contact Lynne Craggs, TWIC's Development Worker.

Phone:(0191) 200 8560

Email: lynne.craggs@voda.org.uk

Address: c/o VODA, The Shiremoor Centre, Earsdon Road, Shiremoor, NE27 0HJ

Web links:

www.tynewearic.org.uk  

www.voda.org.uk/TWIC.html

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