The London Voluntary Services Council (LVSC) are repeating their survey of the effects of the recession on the voluntary and community sector in London.

According to their website:

Last year’s survey found a strong increase in demand for charitable services and a great deal of fear and uncertainty as to how the capital’s voluntary and community groups would cope.

LVSC and its partners used this information to raise the profile of your work with government and other funders in the region, including London Councils, the Mayor, Government Office and London Funders.

Since publication of our July report many of its findings and predications, including psychological affects and other examples of social fallout, have been borne out by facts on the ground.

This year we revisit the original survey themes - but we will also begin to map how widely-anticipated reductions in public expenditure will affect London’s charities and their ability to support Londoners.

Click here to access the survey and to see the findings of last year's survey.

The survey closes at the end of February and the results will be released in March.

The Hardship Fund for voluntary organisations - that deliver services in health and social care, education and training,  information and guidance, and housing support - but that are themselves facing financial difficulties has opened for applications.

The fund, worth a total of £16.7m will offer grants of between £50,000 and £250,000. Organisations need to have a turnover of at least £200,000 to qualify.

We recently carried out a survey into the impact of the recession on voluntary and community groups within Lewisham.

Unfortunately, as with many surveys, the number of responses was too small to provide a representative sample. Needless to say our thanks go out to all those organisations who took the time to respond!

Here are some of the highlights from what you told us.