Lincoln, North Kesteven & West Lindsey

Urban Challenge started way back in 1993 as a Lincoln-based initiative to get regeneration money into communities and community projects.

We became a registered charity and company limited by guarantee in 1998 and shifted the focus of our work to supporting communities to take action for themselves. This proved really successful in setting up access centres, which we established through our funding and have been sustained as independent, locally managed centres.

In 2000, we got involved in a new venture which filled an urgent need in the city – we opened a volunteer centre.

Combining our roles as a volunteering development agency and as a local support and development organisation (servicing the community and voluntary sector), we expanded across West Lincolnshire in 2007.

Delivering in three local districts under the names of VCS Lincoln, VCS North Kesteven and VCS West Lindsey, Urban Challenge continues to provide help, support, advice and direct services to individuals and to the voluntary and community sector.

Our Board of Directors is responsible for the governance of the organisation, we have a small corporate management team and three district based offices from which our services are delivered.

Urban Challenge’s Mission is to enable the development of stable, thriving communities with the capacity to plan and manage lasting improvements to their quality of life

Our aims are:

• To develop the capacity and skills of socially and economically deprived communities in Lincolnshire, making them better able to identify and meet their own needs and so participate more fully in society

• To engage in social regeneration activities to improve the quality of life for people living within Lincolnshire through:
• Capacity building - equipping people with the skills and   knowledge to take an active role in regeneration issues and  enhance their own personal development
• Community economic development - helping individuals and groups regenerate their community through developing sustainable enterprises

• To reduce crime and the fear of crime in Lincoln through:
• Working to the Lincoln Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy
• Working with partners to initiate, co-ordinate and monitor crime reduction projects
• To promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community including the  relief of poverty, advancement of education and such other purposes as the trustees shall think fit

• To promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community including the  relief of poverty, advancement of education and such other purposes as the trustees shall think fit

Urban Challenge acts as a catalyst, attracting resources for our key areas of work:

• Working with local communities to identify and agree solutions to problems of urban deprivation and community safety
• Investing in targeted local community regeneration and community safety initiatives
• Enabling individuals and groups to acquire the skills and capacity for sustainable development
• Co-ordinating the work of partner organisations to maximise the benefits to the community