London Met hosts Islington’s annual VCFSE Conference News

The conference focused on Evidence, Impact, and Social Value for Islington’s Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise sector

Date: 19 May 2025

Last week, London Met hosted Voluntary Action Islington’s (VAI) annual Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Conference.

The event brought together key partners to support the sustainability of Islington’s VCFSE sector, with a focus on evidence, impact, and social value.

Held at the University’s Great Hall at its Holloway campus, the conference featured workshops, keynote speakers, and collaborative strategy sessions. The event was coordinated by the London Met Lab: Empowering London in partnership with Voluntary Action Islington.  

The conference included participation from VAI’s VCFSE Advisory Group, Islington Council, London Metropolitan University, and academics from Sheffield Hallam and Nottingham Trent Universities.

Navinder Kaur, CEO of Voluntary Action Islington, commented: “Huge thanks to London Metropolitan University for hosting our annual Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise Sector (VCFSE) conference and for taking a lead role in helping to develop the new Islington Council/VCFSE strategy.”

London Met’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Julie Hall, opened the event, followed by London Met Lab Director Sophie Cloutterbuck and VAI CEO Navinder Kaur’s presentation on London Met and VAI’s partnership work on the new VCFSE strategy and the launch of the VCFSE Leaders’ Collaborative. Professor Chris Dayson and Dr Ellen Bennett from Sheffield Hallam, along with Dr Beth Patmore from Nottingham Trent University, also led workshop sessions to define and capture the impact and social value of the VCFSE sector.

Navinder Kaur added: “Huge thanks also to colleagues from Sheffield Hallam University for their thought-provoking session on social value; Victoria Lawson for warmly embracing the VCFSE and highlighting some of its key achievements over the year; and to LBI Evidence Islington for the start of their work to build greater community research capacity within the VCFSE. We also launched the Islington VCFSE Leaders Collaborative, and we are looking forward to coming together again in the Great Hall on the 12^th June.”

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