OVER a chicken dinner, hard-working volunteers congratulated themselves on 75 years of service to the community.

Voluntary Action Swindon (VAS) welcomed dozens of charity representatives to its annual meeting at the Pilgrim Centre yesterday.

When Swindon MPs Michael Wills and Anne Snelgrove were forced to pull out owing to commitments in Parliament, local broadcaster Shirley Ludford stepped in to speak about community radio.

She welcomed members from groups including Swindon Climate Action Network, Affected By Cancer and Swindon Black History Group.

There were, of course, many more, and chairwoman Helen Thompson said it had been a great chance for people to network.

She said: "Last year we held our meeting at the University of Bath campus in Marlowe Avenue, which was much bigger.

"But I preferred the atmosphere here, because it was friendly and compact so people felt more approachable.

"There were plenty of people meeting new groups for the first time, which can only make the voluntary scene in Swindon stronger."

During a presentation by chief executive Chris Lau, the audience heard that new Government funding rules would force groups to be more professional.

Trustee Mike Bell said: "The commissioning rules are due to change, which means that local authority groups are to take over the running of services rather than just handing out grants.

"So that means it could be open to private firms to tender their services too, and that will expose voluntary groups to new pressures.

"As a voluntary community we have to work together to meet this challenge, by looking at our future strategy far more clearly."

VAS should be able to cope. It was formed out of a crisis in 1932 when there was little support for the needy.

An emergency meeting was held in the Town Hall to discuss how Swindon could help the growing number of unemployed people in the town.

The charity opened in Regent Street with the ethos: Those in distress needn't carry the burden alone'.

It acts as a support network, giving advice, training and providing premises for a large number of charities.

Nazma Ramruttun, chairwoman of Swindon Asian Women's Association, said that the day had proved very useful.

She said: "When you come here looking for help it is very informal.

"There are no strict business meetings, just a warm and friendly approach from people who have a wealth of experience."