Carntogher Volunteers helped to celebrate the event as they play a key role in our on going success. Carntogher Community Association is actively involving volunteers in the Magherafelt area following its award of funding through the Community Volunteering Scheme Grants Programme. The 2006 - 2009 Community Volunteering Scheme (CVS) is a grant programme funded by the Voluntary and Community Unit (VCU) in the Department for Social Development (DSD) and administered by the Volunteer Development Agency. £2.2 million over 2006 - 2009 was awarded to 28 successful grant projects - six regional grant projects and 22 local grant projects - from a total of 135 applications in this three year programme. Claire Doherty, the Volunteer Co-ordinator at Carntogher says, “The Association has been involving volunteers for many years now and securing the CVS grant has meant that we can continue to involve existing and new volunteers in our projects. Today marks the celebration of the first year of business for An Carn Siopa – another successful project driven by Carntogher volunteers. The support from the local community and further afield has been great and we wanted to thank all our volunteers and customers (old and new) for their support over the last year.” The objective of the Community Volunteering Scheme is to encourage and support volunteering, create and enhance opportunities for volunteers that will encourage learning and good practice, and promote a positive image of volunteering and community participation. CVS funded projects, such as Carntogher Community Association, promote active citizenship and diversity and make volunteering more inclusive by increasing activity within groups under-represented in the volunteering population, such as people unemployed or not in paid work, 16-25 year olds, people over 50, people with disabilities and members of minority ethnic communities. The Programme also aims to increase the number of people volunteering, particularly those new to volunteer activity, supports the development of good practice and ensures a wide range of volunteering opportunities that enhance learning for volunteers, and other benefits, and supports projects that benefit individuals and communities experiencing disadvantage and contributes to New Targeting Social Need.