Community Anchors are trusted, established and community-based, set up locally by the community themselves. Many have local volunteers who also access some of the services and wide range of activities on offer.
Community Anchors meet the needs of their local community by delivering activities, services and a host base for other groups and services including Citizens Advice and Leeds Credit Union. This means that local residents can easily access all sorts of support in one place - from accessing food pantries to finding friendship.
Community Anchors are dynamic, evolving and responsive to the changing circumstances and needs of communities.
The latest development of the Wakefield CAN was informed by the Wakefield Community Anchor Report by Locality funded by Wakefield Council, VSC Emergencies Partnership and British Red Cross.
Since this, CAN has been supporting local Anchors across Wakefield District to be the best they can be through peer support, information sharing, collaboration and businesses development support.
At the CAN Conference – Livin’ La Vida Local – in September 2024, the Network presented the CAN Profile Overview Report for 2024 that includes details about:
Working with the ICB is a key partnership for the CAN, linking into the Health & Social Care Partnership and Wakefield Council Public Health, and recognises the role of CAN as an integral part of the system to reduce health inequalities and empower residents in finding the support they need.
You don’t have to be a Community Anchor to work with the CAN. We encourage partnership working with the Anchors, who can offer strong local connections and a wide range of services.
Find contact detail for Wakefield District’s Community Anchors and get in touch!