Communities First Support Service
The Communities First Support Service is a new service that is supporting the Communities First programme in its new cluster phase, and is managed and delivered by WCVA under contract to the Welsh Government.
The support service is jointly co-ordinated by Megan Evans and Russell Todd, and can be contacted through Welsh or English via WCVA's Communities First helpline on 0800 587 8898 or by emailing [email protected].
For further information click here Communities First Support Service
Communities First is a community focussed programme that supports the Welsh Government’s Tackling Poverty agenda. The programme builds on the achievements of Communities First since its launch in 2001 and preserves the best of the current programme.
It supports the most disadvantaged people in our most deprived areas with the aim of contributing to alleviating persistent poverty.
Communities First Delivery Teams funded by the Welsh Government will work with residents, community organisations, business and other key agencies in these areas, called Clusters, and will focus on actions leading to the long term sustainability and wellbeing of communities. Involving local people in all aspects of this work is an essential feature of the programme.
Communities First aims to contribute, alongside other programmes, to narrowing the education/skills, economic and health gaps between our most deprived and more affluent areas.
The Programme has three strategic objectives helping to achieve these outcomes:
- Prosperous Communities
- Learning Communities
- Healthier Communities
All 52 Clusters were approved by the end of January 2013, with funding totalling around £75 million up to March 2015. The programme is also supported by training and support contracts.
Details of the new clusters 
Communities First Clusters July 2013.xls
