THIRTY years of working to improve life for disadvantaged people in the Malvern Hills area was celebrated by a unique organisation this week.

Milling around the back room at its Belle Vue Terrace base, founder members, councillors, volunteers and those who have benefited from Community Action's help chatted companionably over sausage rolls and wine on Monday.

Community Action (CA), or the Council of Community Service, as it was originally called, was officially formed by a handful of people at a meeting in Priory Lodge Hall in 1972.

It started out offering a Citizens' Advice Bureau, which split off into a separate organisation three years later. Since then it has diversified and now offers a range of services to disadvantaged people through its core of eight staff, with volunteers chipping in as receptionists, drivers, escorts, resource centre support and on its executive committee.

Operations have blossomed from its humble beginnings. Since April 1999, 1,073 people have taken 6,549 trips with around 40 drivers covering 117,000 miles under its car service scheme, providing lifts for people with mobility problems.

Over the same period its Shoparound project has helped 1,309 clients go on 192 trips and outings, assisted by 850 drivers and escorts. A ring 'n' ride pilot transport scheme also started earlier this year for the Upton-upon-Severn area.

Seven thousand items of unwanted furniture have also been refurbished and delivered to more than 1,700 homes in the district over the past ten years.

CA estimates the average house has more than 40 different essential household fixtures. The majority of people referred to it under the scheme do not have a single one, which, especially where children are involved, can seriously damage self-esteem.

An important element of CA's work is its volunteer recruitment and allocation scheme, which has seen more than 230 volunteers given work in organisations from Malvern Special Families and Special Needs Swimming Club to the Borrowers' Toy Library and the RSPCA.

Non-profit making organisations can call in to its offices to take advantage of the word processing and computer facilities free of charge and can even get help from trained volunteers.

The organisation helps more than 40 other organisations channel their search for funds by organising an annual charity fair at Malvern Theatres.

Despite this array of admirable achievements - or perhaps even because of their success and concomitant raising of expectations - CA is involved in a never-ending struggle for funds: lack of resources has forced the furniture redistribution project into suspension.

Co-ordinator Mike McKnight describes the constant round of approaches to charitable bodies and other organisations in search of money as a "full-time job".

The volunteer drivers' service has experienced a 25 per cent increase in demand over the past year.

"The drivers are the backbone of the service," said Jane Dawson, who leads the project. "Without them the passengers would find it virtually impossible to get to their appointments."

Mr McKnight says carrying out such responsibilities should not be so dependent on people's goodwill.

"Central government has made a lot of noise about supporting the voluntary sector but that's all it is," he said. "We have to struggle to get funds and a lot of my time is spent doing that. It's very frustrating."

He says fellow workers at the organisation cram a week's work into half the hours but, with more resources at his disposal, he could spend more time helping people and less writing "begging letters". "We could all do a lot more," he said, "but it's rewarding in that we know that we are helping the public in improving the quality of life of people who need their quality of life improved."

Jeanette Davy, one of the organisation's founder members, said she found it "scary" that 30 years had passed since she sat on the committee that established CA, but added that she was proud of its achievements.

"It's great - 30 years and still going strong," she said. What I'm proud of is that it has actually provided what it set out to, which is a support service for small charitable organisations."

Alternative methods of raising money, such as car boot sales, are being considered and the organisation can always do with more volunteers to help with its work. More information is available on 01684 580638.