Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO)

Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) aims to improve the lives of people living on Orkney Mainland and outer Isles. We do this by supporting and developing the Third Sector in Orkney, by listening to their needs and working collaboratively with them.

Our main activities involve furthering community participation through supporting and promoting the development and sustainability of local third sector activity, for example, volunteering, community groups, charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.

We work in partnership with the local third sector, public sector and community planning partners and have a lead role in The Orkney Partnership and Integration Joint Board, amongst others to address poverty and inequalities and to create opportunities for everyone in Orkney.

VAO is also a third sector interface (TSI). TSIs provide a single point of access for support and advice for the third sector within local areas. There is a TSI in each local authority area in Scotland. One of the TSI’s roles is to represent the third sector in community planning.