One hundred representatives from local companies, public sector organisations and charities attended a networking event at Marshall of Cambridge on Tuesday 20 January evening to make new connections to benefit the local community.

The event was organised by the University and Marshall of Cambridge on behalf of Cambridge Business Community Action Network (CBCAN), a network of locally based businesses actively working to impact positively on the community.

Participants were asked to think widely about the resources and expertise that exist within their organisations that could benefit others from different sectors. Individuals were assigned to groups according to the nature of their organisation and asked to find people that met certain criteria, such as ‘having funding available for charitable projects’ or ‘working for an arts organisation’. The event provided an opportunity for representatives from organisations of different sectors to explore ways of working together for mutually beneficial gain.

Last year, Red2Green, a charity which works to provide work, leisure and educational opportunities for people with disabilities, made links with University of Cambridge Access Cambridge Archaeology which resulted in autistic service users participating in an archaeological dig in Great Shelford. The dig helped participants build team working and communications skills, while also learning about archaeology. The University Community Sports Scheme also received sponsorship and poster printing from Cambridge University Press.

Carolin Göhler, Chief Executive of the Cambridge Preservation Society, attended the event: “Thank you for an interesting and fun evening, enabling us all to share our enthusiasm for our varied local communities and projects.
Certainly we made some wonderful new connections and it is good to see the support the University and Marshall of Cambridge give to local charities, groups and individuals - all greatly appreciated!”

Penny Wilson, Head of Community Affairs at the University of Cambridge, says, “Cross-sector networking is a great way to engage with different organisations you might not normally meet in your daily work. Businesses often have resources to donate to community projects, whether it’s unwanted equipment, staff time for volunteering or simply offering advice. These kinds of small community contributions and partnerships can make a big difference to voluntary sector organisations”.
 

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