Pictured above: Louise Harris from Fenns standing with Sajid Hashmi from VAST, Leanne Martin seated

Charities and Voluntary organisations across Stoke-on-Trent are getting a New Year business boost thanks to local company Fenns Office Supplies and Voluntary Action Stoke-on-Trent (VAST) who have joined forces in a new venture aimed at helping members of VAST save money.

The two organisations have set up a bespoke online stationery and office supplies buying scheme which will give the 879 small charities and voluntary organizations in Stoke-on-Trent large discounts on stationery and office supplies to help them save money and reduce their running costs. Most of these small organisations don't have the buying power of large companies when it comes to purchasing office supplies so the new scheme with Fenns and VAST will give them just that.

With most charities seeing a reduction in donations saving money in other ways has become paramount and could be the difference between staying open or closing. In Stoke-on-Trent alone these charities and voluntary organisations employ about 7,000 full-time workers and well over 15,000 volunteers. That's a huge number of people helping the local community and contributing to the local economy.

Louise Harris, Director of Fenns comments:  "We believe the bespoke online solution we have provided to VAST will directly benefit all of the voluntary and community organisations in Stoke on Trent. We recognize that the great work the VAST organizations provide are very much part of the fabric of the community and we are delighted to help support them. Sometimes the work they do is obvious, but a lot of it happens 'behind the scenes.

Quite often, people don't realise how much help a charity gave them until its services are cut back or withdrawn altogether. But that's just what happens in the grip of a recession, when times are tough. Our offering will allow them to save time & money when purchasing Office Stationery & Supplies, provide accountability, control & efficiency and allow the savings generated to be put back in to the local community. The savings we are offering will be significant and we intend to extend our offering into the other categories we offer such as Office Furniture & Print as 2010 progresses."

Sajid Hashmi, Chief Executive of Voluntary Action Stoke-on-Trent added: "The recession is having an adverse affect on Voluntary and Community organisations who are facing reductions in their income. Whilst we may not be able to assist with an immediate impact in terms of their income, we can help them reduce their running costs. For this reason we are negotiating with several suppliers favourable terms for our members. Fenns has been very cooperative in this and the partnership has enabled us to secure discounts of up to 55% for our members, providing a large saving on basic running costs.

This will be of huge benefit to smaller organisations that can now enjoy the purchasing power of a large group and save on administrations costs thus freeing up funds for front line service delivery."

For charities and voluntary organisations across Stoke-on-Trent requiring more information about the new scheme please contact Fenns on 01782 344040 or email vast@fenns.co.uk