We are pleased to announce the exciting news that, following an extraordinary general meeting of the Welwyn Hatfield CVS (WHCVS) held on Thursday 19 December, the merger between WHCVS and Communities 1st has been officially approved. While both Trustee Boards made the decision to merge in November, the merger could only proceed once approved by our CVS members in the General Meeting.

The name of the combined organisation will be Communities 1st.
Having worked closely together since 2020 when we joined forces to support our communities during the pandemic, we are excited about the opportunities that this merger will offer our members, volunteers, local residents and customers. We aim to implement the merger as smoothly as possible ensuring we continue to meet all our commitments without any interruption and continue to serve our local communities and make a positive impact.
In the short-term, the range and quality of services you get from us will stay the same and, in fact, we will work hard to increase them in the future. The merger will allow us to expand our services across more areas and offer more options thanks to a bigger and more diverse audience. This will help us better meet our users’ needs and provide a wider, more coordinated range of services. By working with different client groups, we can gather better evidence for policy advocacy.
Combining our resources and back-office functions will make us more efficient and allow us to deliver a wider range of services more effectively than the two separate organisations provided prior to the merger.
[Left to right: Our CEO Carmen Dillon and Communities 1st CEO Stephen Craker]
We will keep you updated on our progress on a regular basis through our newsletters, social media and website.
As we look to the future, we are filled with optimism and excitement about the new possibilities this partnership will bring. Thank you for your continued support and trust in us.
We are proud to be part of this community and look forward to our next chapter together.