In April 2009 Islington Voluntary Action Centre The Islington Volunteer Centre and Islington Volunteer Centre merged to become Voluntary Action Islington, offering had started in the early 1990s as a more stable, unified and one-stop support an independent project sourcing service to all of the local voluntary sector volunteering opportunities initially for against a background of austerity. people who used English as a second New premises were found at 200A Pentonville language. It matched people with Road near King’s Cross station, VAI’s current suitable volunteering roles in local location, shared with other voluntary groups. charities. From these early beginnings it These were made available as part of a section became part of a national network, under 106 planning agreement between the Borough the National Association of Volunteer as planning authority and the developer of Bureaux and from the late 1990s was the new building. It resolved the long running based at Manor Gardens. The NAVB location problem created by the Council’s morphed into Volunteering England by decision to sell the previous offices. This new 2004, causing a name change to Islington Resource Centre allowed VAI to continue to Volunteer Centre. By then it had four provide help, free of charge, to local charities main projects: helping ethnic minorities, and provided a home and a meeting hub for disabled people, people with experience voluntary organisations. of addiction and ex-offenders to engage in mainstream volunteering. IVC also ran the Borough’s main volunteer brokerage service, putting residents in touch with charities that needed their help, as well as a Best Practice service to support organisations to engage and manage volunteers. Today this remains the only nationally accredited volunteer centre 32 Celebrating 50 Years of Service