Agenda item

The Committee received a presentation from Saffron Johnson, new CEO of the Watford and Three Rivers Trust (W3RT), who had commenced work as CEO in January 2026.

The slides used in the presentation can be found here: Presentation - Watford and Three Rivers Trust .

The presentation covered the purpose, values and vision of the W3RT; its history; an overview of the projects undertaken and support offered within the umbrella of W3RT and the organisation’s impact in the community; an assessment of the workstreams carried out in the preceding year; an overview of the charity hub, wellbeing services, Three Rivers CVS, the Chamber of Commerce, Watford Cycle Hub, and Herts Hospital and Community Navigation Service; future rebranding; and future challenges.

Members noted that the organisation had been supporting residents of Watford and Three Rivers for 50 years, having developed out of the Watford CVS.  It now operated projects across both Watford and Three Rivers as well as the wider Hertfordshire area.  Remaining agile had been key to its success, for example merging with the Chamber of Commerce and continuing to take on new projects.  It provided a wide variety of services and operated using a number of different funding streams.

In relation to the Charity Hub at Warner Brothers Studio in Leavesden, Members heard that this had been developed following an offer by Warner Brothers of the use of a space at the studio.  The hub provided a co-working facility of 32 desks and meeting rooms for a variety of charities at a low cost.

Members also heard about the wellbeing strand of W3RT, which included a community cars project (providing lifts to doctor or hospital appointments for example, or to collect prescriptions); Getting Together social clubs; digital inclusion projects; befriending; volunteers; Lifeline (offering social clubs, wellbeing activities and volunteer opportunities) and Dig Deep (an allotment project at South Oxhey).

Saffron Johnson also described the role of Three Rivers CVS, which supported community organisations in the district as well as those wishing to establish a charity or CIC.  Advice and guidance was available, as well as events to allow organisations to connect; training; information sharing through a bi-weekly newsletter; and it also co-ordinated the distribution of grants issued across the Three Rivers Sustainability Fund and the Connecting Three Rivers Fund.  Instances of support had risen from 348 in 2024/25 to 593 in 2025/26, which in addition to evidencing Three Rivers CVS’s success in reaching out to community organisations also indicated a growing need for its services.

In relation to the Chamber of Commerce, members heard about its work to connect commerce and community and to raise the awareness of charities as businesses themselves.  Workstreams included networking events, business awards and initiatives to commit businesses to providing volunteering opportunities for their staff.

In relation to the Watford Cycle Hub, members heard that this had recently been acquired by W3RT following the retirement of the previous owners who had established and operated it as a community-focused space which promoted the benefits of cycling.  The acquisition meant that the Hub’s continued use as a benefit to the community would be preserved and, additionally, offered opportunities for services to be enhanced and expanded.  It was noted that whilst it was located in Watford, its services were widely used by residents of Rickmansworth and Croxley Green.

In terms of county-wide projects, it was noted that W3RT was the host organisation for HCNS (Herts Hospital and Community Navigation Service).  This was a partnership, involving a number of other organisations, which supported a number of projects.  This included hospital discharges and preventing re-admissions, as well as targeted projects to support specific communities or issues. 

With regards to the future, Saffron Johnson highlighted that the organisation was due to be refreshed and rebranded in order to help with facing the challenges posed by Local Government reorganisation (LGR) and to increase funding opportunities.  The rebranding was expected to focus on what the organisation did, rather than the Watford and Three Rivers location.  Challenges which would be faced in the future were highlighted as the future of funding, LGR and the challenge of new unitary authorities, NHS ICB relationships, W3RT finance (finance was currently provided by Watford Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council and Hertfordshire County Council), and the need for genuine alliance with independent voluntary organisations.

Members were welcomed to visit the Charity Hub at Warner Brothers, Dig Deep at South Oxhey or the Watford Cycle Hub, and were encouraged to raise visibility of the Trust’s work and services.

In response to a question as to why the armed forces project within HCNS had ended, members heard that whilst it had been very successful, funding had only been provided to deliver it for a specific period of time, which had now ended.  Decisions on whether funding for individual projects would be continued following their commissioned period lay with the commissioners.  Sources of funding to enable the armed forces project to be delivered again in the future were being sought.  

Saffron Johnson was thanked for her presentation, and for the important work of W3RT.