Connect with Your Community at The Voluntary Aid Club Liverpool
Join us and give back to your local community with like minded people
Welcome to VAC Liverpool
Our Story
The Voluntary Aid Club Liverpool was founded in June 1920 by a group of men, interested in providing charitable support in the Merseyside area initially to finance the Liverpool Council of Voluntary Aid which in 1933 changed its name to the Liverpool Council of Social Service.
There came into existence a unique organisation that has proved of inestimable value to the many voluntary societies in Liverpool and on Merseyside.
Whilst times have moved on, with the club now welcoming male and female members and the beneficiaries of funding having a much wider scope, that drive to contribute to the local community remains unchanged.
VAC Liverpool gives its members a unique opportunity to engage with local charities in the Merseyside area and network with people who care about their local area and the people who live in it.
VAC Liverpool has distributed nearly a million pounds to local organisations since 1920. For details of our more recent grants, please see below.
Apply for Funding
We are always interested to hear from local charities who would like our support.
Grant amounts are decided by members at the twice yearly dinners but the average grant amount is £3,000 per charity.
Four charities are put forward at each dinner.
If a charity is selected to be put forward, it will be visited by a member who will advocate on its behalf at the dinner.
If you are interested in being considered then please get in touch
Dinners
We hold two dinners a year, one in the spring and the second in the autumn.
The dinners are open to members only and are held in Merseyside.
At each dinner four members make representations on behalf of a local charity. After the dinner the members present vote to allocate funding from the available pot to each charity.
The dinners provide an excellent chance to learn about charities in the local area and network with like minded individuals.
The dinners cost an average of £70-£75
Membership
How to become a member of VAC Liverpool
Membership of VAC Liverpool is by invitation only and we have a limit on the number of members.
Whilst membership is free, it is a condition of membership that each member donates £300 per year for charitable distribution at the dinners.
If you are interested in becoming a member, please get in touch and a member of the committee will contact you for a chat
Committee Members
Mark Feeny - Chair
Mark is the founder and Chair of Early Music as Education which currently provides music lessons to over 200 children in the Merseyside area and delivers concerts in local venues via their youth orchestra. Mark also serves on the board of Gairloch Aid and Mobility Support which provides aids and support to enable elderly and disabled people to live independently in this remote part of Scotland.
Mark is still a practising solicitor and in his spare time enjoys walking his dogs, playing an occasional game of golf and suffering annually at Goodison Park.
David Owen
Nigel Lanceley - Treasurer
A Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Nigel has been a member of the VAC for 50 years and Treasurer since 2018. He has been involved in a number of Charities in the Merseyside area and currently chairs a grant making charity in Liverpool.
Elspeth Christie - secretary
Elspeth is a solicitor, specialising in construction and engineering. She is also a trustee of the PH Holt Foundation.
In her spare time she is a season ticket holder at Liverpool Football Club and sings in the Philharmonic Choir.
David Wareing
David practiced as a solicitor in Liverpool for 45 years. He is currently Chair of the Community Foundation for Lancashire and Merseyside.
David enjoys cycling and long distance walking. He is a member of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and a season ticket holder at Everton Football Club.
Andrew Lovelady
Andrew is a retired accountant. Past President of the Liverpool Society of Chartered Accountants. Past Committee member on many organisations in Merseyside including LCVS, Professional Liverpool and the Chamber of Commerce. Methodist Local Preacher
Massimo Gozzelino
Massimo is a medical doctor working as a NHS GP in Bootle for 20 years.
He is also the chairman of the Liverpool-based charity Rainbow For Africa UK, focused on medicine in low resource settings and healthcare delivery to vulnerable populations.
In his spare time he is a keen runner and music passionate
Janet Pickavance
Janet worked at law firm Brabners for 30 years before retiring as Chief Executive Officer in 2018.
She has since been treasurer/trustee for several charities in the Liverpool City Region.