FOCUS ON

The Volcast Podcast
West Dunbartonshire CVS recently launched its own podcast covering important issues across the Third Sector, Volunteering and Climate Action. The ‘Volcast Podcast’ has released 9 episodes so far that cover Youth Volunteering, Volunteer Walk Leader, Climate Action Hub, NatureScot and the latest conversation with RNIB. You can easily listen to the podcasts on the WDCVS Podcast page on the website, and if you would like to get involved in future discussions or have an idea of a subject you would like covered, contact info@wdcvs.com

Before you complete your annual return, check your charity trustee details
You must now have your charity trustee details recorded in OSCR Online before you can complete an online annual return. To avoid problems when it’s time to submit your return, make sure your charity trustee information is kept up to date throughout the year. Log in to OSCR Online and check: – All current trustees are listed
– Their details are accurate
– New trustees have been added
– Trustees who have left are recorded correctly
From 9 March 2026, charity trustees’ first and last names are displayed on the Scottish Charity Register, unless an exemption has been approved. Other charity trustee information collected by OSCR remains confidential.

Scottish Household Survey 2025
The latest Scottish Household Survey results for 2025 show an increase in overall volunteer participation, with 27% of adults in Scotland volunteering with a group, club or organisation in the last year – an estimated 1.25 million formal volunteers. The data reveals inclusion gaps remain persistent. Adults in Scotland’s least deprived communities now volunteer at double the rate of those in the most deprived communities. There also remains a worrying participation gap between disabled and non-disabled adults despite some improvements, remaining significantly higher than it was pre-pandemic (5 percentage points). The full blog on the findings can be read here.

Understanding Grief Through a Neurodivergent Lens
Grief is deeply personal, and there is no single way to experience, process, or express loss. For neurodivergent people — including autistic people and people with ADHD — grief may be experienced and communicated in ways that differ from traditional expectations. Cruse Scotland’s Grief and Neurodiversity training session explores these differences, drawing on the experiences and insights of neurodivergent people themselves. The session offers an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how neurodivergent adults may experience grief and what this can mean for those supporting them. Visit www.crusescotland.org.uk/training for further information or contact their team at training@crusescotland.org.uk

Community repair projects
In West Dunbartonshire organisations such as Good Globe in Faifley, Dalmuir Old Kilpatrick Church and Home from Home in Dumbarton are already established and benefitting their communities with their repair and re-use projects. Remember if you need a support surgery, whether it’s for funding or governance, just get in touch. Community repair projects across Scotland fixed more than 13,000 items last year, new figures show. The work, delivered by 63 projects in Circular Communities Scotland’s Share and Repair Network, helped keep household goods in use and out of landfill. Learn more about Circular Communities Scotland here

Council Election Priorities Survey
With Scottish local council elections taking place in 2027, Inclusion Scotland is inviting disabled people across Scotland to take part in their Council Election Priorities Survey. The survey will help them to create their Manifesto for Inclusion and set out the changes disabled people want to see from local councils across Scotland. Closing date to participate is November 13th. Complete the survey here: https://inclusionscotland.tfaforms.net/33