TEN Gloucestershire charities have come together for a training session with Amey, Gloucestershire County Council’s new highways partner, as part of a new initiative to raise the capabilities of the county’s voluntary groups.

Amey has been delivering highways services in the county since April.

As part of its commitment to invest in the communities it works in, the company has joined forces with the Gloucestershire Association for Voluntary and Community Action to deliver a series of two-hour classes.

The first class dealt with performance management, to help charities inspire more productivity, performance and loyalty from their employees.

It was delivered by Lisa Yates,human resources business partner for Amey, and such was the positive feedback that she has been asked to return.

Charities attending included Gloucestershire Young Carers, Emmaus Gloucestershire, the British Red Cross, the National Star Foundation and Third Sector Services taking part.

Communications and engagement manager for Amey, Lianne Butler, said: “We were really pleased with the turn out and got very good feedback from the session.

“These charitable organisations deliver essential services to the communities of Gloucestershire and we’re so pleased to have found a way of supporting them.”

Angela Gilbert, GAVCA’s support services manager said, ‘These master classes are a great demonstration of how a company like Amey can share its wealth of expertise and knowledge with voluntary groups. The master class series aims to equip organisations with the skills and knowledge to improve their effectiveness and we know that effective voluntary organisations really make a difference in their community.’

Amey is a leading UK public and regulated services provider with over 21,000 employees and operates over 320 contracts.

The next Amey master class is scheduled for August 18 and will be about professional bidding.

Any voluntary or community organisations interested in attending can email lianne.butler@amey.co.uk