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Cobus Consulting have been working with the group for the past year following their loss of funding in 2008.    Cobus Consulting have supported the directors of the charity review their strategic aims, appraise the future options open to them and conduct an in depth community consultation.

Now Cobus Consulting will be working with the group to hold a Community Safety Conference, review their governance and produce a Business Plan for the next three years.

Well done to everyone involved!

For more information on this news item, please see the Big Lottery Fund’s news item.

In June they were awarded the Scottish Governments inaugural Community Service award for their work with individuals involved in the Criminal Justice System.

Following this success GESH approached Cobus Consulting for support to submit a tender to deliver Community Service Order placements across Glasgow.  Not only did GESH win this two year contract but they beat off stiff competition from national organisations, city-wide agencies and well regarded local organisations.

And as the winter months started to draw in Cobus Consulting supported GESH to access funding for a new mini-bus.  “The funding for the bus came in just at the right time! “,  said Maureen Ferrie, Chair of the charity.  “We have a number of older and frail members who depend on our café and other services to help them live an independent life.  Without the bus or our volunteers they wouldn’t have made it through the snow and ice and would have spent most of the winter stuck at home”.

Cobus Consulting and GESH will now spend 2011 working together to build on this success and make 2011 as successful as 2010.

Keep your eyes peeled for more information over the coming weeks and months.

For more information on the work of GESH and their recent achievements please visit:

 GESH’s website
 Pages 22 and 23 of the Glasgow Magazine
 Evening Times Article (December 2010)
 Evening Times Article (November 2010)
 Scottish Government’s Community Service Awards

Cobus Consulting have been working with Drumchapel Caravan Project over the past few months providing fundraising support to their group of committed volunteers.  We are pleased to announce that we have supported the group attract 100% of their required funding.

Thanks to a grant of £20,861 from Glasgow Housing Association the Caravan Project will be able to continue to deliver this much needed service for the 26th year.

“All the families we help live on a very low income” says Margaret Nisbet, chair of the Caravan Project, “For them, a holiday is not a luxury; it is an essential break to help them cope with difficult circumstances.  For many it’s their first ever holiday.”

The project will provide a holiday to over 60 families this year, all of whom have been identified or referred to the project by welfare agencies such as social workers, voluntary and charitable organisations and self-support groups.

Congratulations on your funding!

GNH were unable to continue to meet the needs of local villagers due to poor condition of their existing facility.

Cobus Consulting worked with the group to identify how best to meet the needs of villagers, carry out an options appraisal and prepare a financially and environmentally sustainable business case for the development of a new facility.

This study supported an application to the Big Lottery Fund, and GNH were awarded £148,500 towards the development of the project.

Details on the Glenboig Neighbourhood House project can be found on the Big Lottery Fund’s website

Not only did we support GESH to submit their tender, but we enabled them to beat stiff competition from local organisations, national charities and At Arms Length Organisations by producing the highest scoring tender submitted in the whole of Glasgow.

Since then we have supported GESH to implement the necessary organisational arrangements to ensure the smooth running of the Community Payback Scheme.

In addition to overcoming the number of challenges groups face in the difficult funding environment, Heart of Scotstoun faced additional issues such as the lack of understanding of their innovative governance model – an Industrial Provident Society for Community Benefit.

Following the conclusion of their five year funding programme Cobus Consulting were invited to assist the group identify and attract new funding sources.

Following the success of this piece of work Cobus Consulting have been appointed to support the group attract more long term funding streams.

Cobus Consulting has worked with the group to identify new strategic priorities, carry out a community consultation and develop a new business plan for the next three years.

The group is now in the process of identifying and attracting new funding sources to enable them to develop and deliver a range of new and existing services.