Welcome to Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire SCIO 

VAER is the ‘Centre for Collective Impact’ based in East Renfrewshire.

Our vision in an East Renfrewshire where people can work together to shape their communities. This can only be achieved by valuing the uniqueness of every individual and their contribution; whilst creating the conditions for participation.

Get to know the fantastic people in team VA – both out in the community and behind the scenes.

We’re a member of TSI Network, a body of 32 Third Sector Interfaces across Scotland that promote and support the third sector.
Visit the TSI Scotland website 

East Renfrewshire phoneline for local people, groups and organisations looking for support, signposting and community information.
Visit The Community Hub website

Here at Voluntary Action community participation is at the heart of everything we do. This includes promoting local opportunities to get involved, giving residents a voice, and creating spaces for communities to come together.

We are always open to testing, learning and improving. We can all work together to explore new ideas that can make East Ren a better place to live.

Facilitation
We build safe environments for local people, groups and organisations; creating solutions to locals issues by working together.

Engagement
We encourage East Ren wide conversations, supporting local people to share their stories and experiences and influence planning, design and delivery of local services.

Participation
We support local people in finding their way to get involved in the community. This can be anything from joining a group, volunteering or taking part in local conversations.

Meet Our Team

Board Members

Anne Marie Kennedy- Chair
Moira Duncan- Treasurer
Ruth Gallagher- CEO/Trustee
Alan Fairlie- Trustee
Heather Henderson- Trustee
Helen Dollin- Trustee
Jennifer Dickson- Trustee
Maryam Imran- Trustee

Staff Team

Ruth Gallagher – Chief Officer
Alan Campbell – Deputy Chief Officer
Linda McCullagh – Assets Manager
Claire Ramsay – Collaborations Manager
Maria Hendry – Participation Manager
Paulina Litynska – Engagement Manager

Jada McGlone – Talking Points Lead
Denise Smith – Youth Volunteer Lead
Paul Haw – Youth Volunteering Lead
Anna Kerr – Thrive Under 5 Lead
Debbie Carroll – Thrive Under 5 Lead
Polina Riabukha – Climate Hub Lead
Thomas Mooney – Health Improvement Lead

Erica Carmichael – Volunteer Coordinator (Kindness Collaborative)
Sacha Thompson – Volunteer Coordinator (Kindness Collaborative)
Dianne Moir – Volunteer Coordinator (Multiply)
Emma Campbell – Community Development Coordinator
Kirsteen Brodie – Volunteer Support (Healthy Walks)

Julie Kirkwood – Finance & Admin Lead
Gemma Wood – Admin Support
Sylwia Trzaska – Communications Support

Liudmyla Kostiuk – The Community Hub Volunteer Support
Lisa Marshall – Call Handler
Margaret Douglas – Call Handler