About TWICS

What Does TWICS have to offer?

TWICS provides affordable and accessible training to enable people to overcome their barriers to learning and develop ‘community work’ skills with the opportunity to have their training accredited and gain qualifications. This allows people to not just to get engaged in their local community but to also get paid employment.

How does TWICS deliver its courses to people who need them?

TWICS has a team of committed staff, and a bank of freelance, expert trainers of the highest quality and are very experienced in their field.

TWICS has an active network and has established contacts with other groups and organisations in Southampton to facilitate learning and personal progression.

We have expertise in community arts and crafts, community development work and community development work training with an established national reputation.

What we do

At the heart of everything we do is our commitment to help people develop new skills and knowledge so they can make a positive contribution to their communities.

We achieve this by working in partnership with others in both the voluntary and statutory sectors.

What is TWICS core objective?

TWICS core objective is to provide high quality, tailor-made courses to meet the needs and interests of individuals, groups and local communities. It can deliver this training in a venue of your choice, making people feel comfortable with their surroundings.

Our principal aims are to:

  • Deliver high-quality training that is enjoyable, involves everyone and starts from people’s own experiences.
  • Offer accreditation for learning where appropriate.
  • Improve the quality of community involvement through training.
  • Provide information and advice on training and accreditation relevant to groups and individuals in their communities.
  • Support community networks.
  • Work with statutory and voluntary organisations which have an interest and involvement in training.

Meet the Team

Iane Chambers - Manager TWICS

Iane Chambers

Iane manages the TWICS staff and takes the lead in grant applications and in tendering for new work. She liaises with other organisations in the city like the Clinical Commissioning group and Southampton City Council to ensure that TWICS’ work has a strategic fit to identify priorities for Southampton.

Iane is a qualified teacher and teaches the Award in Community Development.

Barbara Hancock - Community Development Work Lead

Barbara Hancock

  • Community Development Work Volunteer

Barbara used to be a long standing paid member of the TWICS team. After retirement she continued to work with TWICS as a volunteers. She is involved in the Estate Regeneration Programme in Townhill Park and supports our Community Development Worker Beccy in her work with Avenue St. Andrews Community Work. Barbara has also recently become one of our Trustees.

Pippa Grey

  • Community Development Gardener

Pippa works part time (usually Mondays) as our Community Development Gardener. She is working with groups of local people across Townhill Park and Harefield to grow both attractive and edible plants in community spaces.  She’s also got skills in arts and crafts, running workshops to make Christmas Wreaths and Easter Baskets.  A new project is how large grass verges can be turned into Pollinator Hotspots and she is working to identify possible areas, and to experiment to see what kind of planting and management works best.

Beccy Gange

I’m Beccy and I am the Community Development Worker for the project ”Joining Hands – Church and Community” based at Andrew St Andrews Church

My role involves supporting and facilitating a variety of projects within the church and working with the local community to identify and address local support needs. In partnership with charity groups and the church, I contribute to the best working practice and fund-raising aspects of these projects.

Part of my responsibility is to expand, develop and support the roles of volunteers helping to deliver vital services for Andrew St Andrews mission in the community.