GROW Enhancing Community Support – 31/01/12 E-Bulletin

[Joanna Croston]

GROW Enhancing Community Support – 31/01/12 E-Bulletin

 

Welcome to the weekly GROW E-Bulletin

This bulletin gives you news, information and updates relevant to the voluntary & community sector both in general and local to you in Wiltshire. If you would also like to see updates local to Bath & North East Somerset please feel free to visit our DEVELOP B&NES website here.

 

Contents:

Wiltshire News & Updates

• Wiltshire Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Vision Statement
• Volunteer Centre Wiltshire Free Workshop
• Want to Know More About How to Stay Warm This Winter?
• Wiltshire Funding Information from Charities Information Bureau South & West
• Important Meeting for Over 55's
• Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Community Road show
• The Professionals’ Line
• Wiltshire Involvement Network
• Celebrate with Paws
• Free English Course for Women

 

General News & Updates Relevant to the Voluntary Sector

• ACEVO Launches Guide to Improving Equality and Diversity
• Managing Stress in 2012
• Parliamentary Outreach - Train the Trainer - Free!
• Safer Future Communities
• National Children's Bureau Upcoming Courses
• FREE Training from BVCS
• How to Effectively Set Goals
• Free Really Useful Resources
• Below the Radar and the Unintended Consequences of Voluntary Sector Reconfiguration
• Free Equality Act Training for VCS Advisers

 

Wiltshire News & Updates

 

Wiltshire Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Vision Statement

During the last Wiltshire Voluntary Sector Assembly, all those attending contributed to a Wiltshire wide Voluntary Sector Vision Statement session. It has now been finalised. Please see below the statement and for further information on the detail of this statement, please follow this link. ‘Many voices, many views, one vision’ The diversity and uniqueness of the VCS in Wiltshire, individually and collectively, should be respected by us all and we will be responsive and accountable to each other in the way we conduct our work.

 

Volunteer Centre Wiltshire Free Workshop

February 20^th – 26^th is National Student Volunteers Week. To help celebrate, Volunteer Centre Wiltshire is offering a free workshop to anyone interested in involving young people as volunteers. The workshop will take place on Thursday 23^rd February 2012, 10 – 12.30 at the Nursteed Centre, Devizes. Please contact Vanessa Wells on 0845 0345250 or email [e-mail] for more information and to book place. Visit www.volunteercentrewiltshire.org.uk to find out more.

 

 

Want to Know More About How to Stay Warm This Winter?

*Save money on your heating bills. For free or discounted loft and cavity wall insulation call 0800 512 012 for Wiltshire Council’s warm and well scheme or go to www.warmandwell.co.uk or ring 01722 434349 for Wiltshire Council’s home energy adviser. *Advice on how to make your home warmer and to access grants. Ridgeway Care & Repair (part of Aster Living) can offer you advice on how to make your home warmer, healthier and more energy efficient. Get information on heating or insulation grants that could be available to you. If you have low income or a health condition the work may even be free. Ridgeway can also help arrange private works with reputable trusted contractors. Call for more information on [phone], textphone 07720 700200 or email [e-mail]. *Benefit advice. For advice on help with benefits and paying your fuel bills, contact Wiltshire Citizens Advice on 0844 375 2775 or for mobiles 0300 456 8375.

 

Funding Information from Charities Information Bureau South & West

If you are looking for professional, up to date advice and information on funding, Charities Information Bureau South & West (CIB) is here to help. Our funding advisors can assist you to find the right funders and to make sure your application stands out from the rest. Groups we have worked with have successfully secured funding from the Big Lottery, Wiltshire Area Grants and many local and national charitable trusts. We also provide a range of funding services and training, most of which are free, to help your group or organisation successfully fundraise. To speak to one of our advisors, please call [phone] or email: [e-mail] Further information about us and our FREE funders database can be found at www.cibsouthandwest.org.uk Below are two examples of funders that have recently been updated on our database and may be of interest to you:

HEALTHY HEART UK - To support innovative projects designed to promote heart health and to prevent or reduce the risks of heart disease in specific groups or communities. The deadline is 28 February.

WILTSHIRE POLICE FUND  - To help local groups address crime and anti-social behaviour, and improve personal and community security. Deadline is 17 February.

 

Important Meeting for Over 55's

Melksham Senior's 55+ Forum will be hosting a special meeting on the 16th February, to which the public is invited to hear from the Leader of the Council how Wiltshire Council's propose to improve support for older people, Maggie Rea, Director of Public Health will be present to advise us on changes to Local Health services and the changing role of Public Health. The meeting will be chaired by Brian Warwick, Co-Chair AGE Equality. The venue is the United Church, High Street Melksham, opposite Lloyds Bank. Coffee/Tea will be served from 0945am with a proposed start time of 1015 am, we expect the meeting to finish around 1230. The Leader of Wiltshire Council Jane Scott OBE and Maggie Rea, the Director of Public Health will be the key speakers. There will also be short presentations from NHS Wiltshire, Nick Crane WSUN re HealthWatch and Helen Lines from Community 1st, along with Dot Kronda (Wiltshire Council) who will provide an update on the proposed local Health and Wellbeing Board. There will be an opportunity to ask questions of this panel on the relative subjects, including council services and the proposal for monitoring health standards at a local level. For more information and to book contact [e-mail]

 

Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Community Road Show

Questions about Dementia? We are here to help. Tesco Salisbury, Bourne Centre 2^nd & 3^rd February 10am – 4pm. Visit us to receive free information about dementia and support in your area. To find out more please call 0845 678 7678 or visit www.alzheimers.org.uk/roadshow

 

The Professionals’ Line

The Professionals’ Line is run by Wiltshire Advice Partnership and more information can be found on the website at: www.wiltshireadvicepartnership.org.uk. The Professionals’ Line is a telephone and email advice service provided by experienced advisors. You can access the Professional’s Line on behalf of your service users, if: * You are a volunteer or paid staff member providing advice as part of your service to people in Wiltshire. *You need help to give advice on Debt, Housing, Employment or Welfare Benefits matters or to refer your service user to an appropriate specialist. The Professionals’ Line is available between: Monday – Thursday, 9.00am - 1.00pm, 0845 071 2333. Alternatively you can leave an answer phone message or email an enquiry to [e-mail] at any time and we will call you back. The Professionals’ Line is not a frontline service for members of the public, so our telephone number and email address must not be passed on to your service users.

 

Wiltshire Involvement Network

We are here to help you! If your organisation or membership are concerned about or have experiences of: *Ambulance response times *Hospital discharge *Help to Live at Home *Any other issues would you share your views? Contact the Wiltshire Involvement Network and we will investigate. Contact Lucie Woodruff – WIN Officer on 01380 871800 or write to us at The Wiltshire Involvement Network, Independent Living Centre, St Georges Road, Semington BA14 6JQ www.wiltshireinvolvementnetwork.org.uk. Next public meeting to be held Thursday 9th February 2012 10.30am -12.30pm - Devizes Sports Club London Road, Devizes SN10 2DL.

 

Celebrate with Paws

Paws is a participatory arts workshop scheme offered by Wiltshire Council with projects designed and run by professional artists, to local community groups. This unique season entitled, 'Celebrate with Paws' is designed to help Wiltshire communities celebrate the two major events coming this summer including the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic Games. The workshops on offer over April to September this year vary from putting your 2012 in motion with an animation project, making your own commemorative plate or mug or even creating a textile tea party. You can work as a group to make bunting, flags and banners for your celebratory events and there are activities to get your talent on the stage such as drama, dance and music. This year we also introduce creative writing for the stage and the option to celebrate British humour through literature. All these great projects are provided by professional, local artists. Each paws project runs for a minimum of 8 hours spread over 2 to 4 visits. The workshops cost the groups £35, plus materials and Wiltshire Council pays the artist fees. Some of the groups who have benefited from this scheme include: youth groups; local arts groups; after school clubs; playgroups; holiday schemes; older people's clubs; disability groups; WI's; uniformed groups and community associations. We are now welcoming applications from community groups for April to September 2012 so please visit the website for further information www.participatoryartswiltshire.co.uk. The deadline for applications is the 9 March 2012.

 

Free English Course for Women

English for speakers of other languages. Starts Thursday 23^rd February for 10 weeks, Little Folly Children’s Centre, Bemerton Heath, Salisbury. Free Crèche. For more information call 01722 414301.

 

General News & Updates Relevant to the Voluntary Sector

 

ACEVO Launches Guide to Improving Equality and Diversity

ACEVO has launched a new guide offering practical advice on how equality and diversity can be mainstreamed in third sector organisations.  It has been designed to help third sector organisations tailor action on diversity to their particular organisation.  Read more and download here.

 

Managing Stress in 2012

How to combat stress in the workplace for a healthy 2012 http://bit.ly/wUBoF1

 

Parliamentary Outreach - Train the Trainer - Free!

On the 14 and 15 February the Parliamentary Outreach team will be delivering a two day ‘Training the Trainer’ workshop in Bristol. The programme is based around a training resource which has been designed so that organisations are able themselves to deliver training and information about Parliament and how people can engage effectively. The resource consists of the following 11 modules and each module includes a session plan, presentation and group exercises. The modules are designed so that they can be delivered either in sequence or stand alone. This resource is completely free of charge.  However, we do ask that organisations sign a user agreement whereby they provide us with regular feedback as to how they are using the resource. If you would be interested in attending this training and accessing the resource please contact Naomi Kent, Parliamentary Outreach Officer - South West of England for an application form [e-mail]

 

Safer Future Communities

Safer Future Communities aims to support frontline voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in preparation for the arrival of Police and Crime Commissioners in November 2012.  The ambition of Safer Future Communities is to build a strong, vibrant and influential VCSE network in each of the PCC areas in England and Wales to ensure their knowledge of local needs is recognised in developing local policing plans.  To read more and to view the SFC Policy Briefings, SFC Events and SFC Opportunities click here. Participation Works is a partnership of six national children and young people’s agencies that enables organisations to effectively involve children and young people in the development, delivery and evaluation of services that affect their lives. We offer  training and consultancy; a national network of participation workers (the Participation Works Network for England); and an online Gateway that offers a wide selection of information, the latest news and supporting resources on participation.

 

National Children's Bureau Upcoming Courses

*How to improve local services through youth inspection - This practical one day course supports practitioners in developing and running inspection schemes. It covers the purpose and impact of youth inspection, and focuses on the five stages of running an effective youth inspection scheme. *How to use creative methods for participation -  This new, innovative one-day course is based on the popular How To Guide on the same topic. At the end of the training day participants will have developed knowledge in this specific area of participation, ideas and exercises to use with children and young people and the confidence to incorporate the training in their work. *Building a culture of participation - This course explores how an organisation’s culture can be established to support children and young people’s active and meaningful participation. The course is based on developing participants’ skills and knowledge in participation, involving self and organisational analysis as well as action planning. For further information on any of our resources or training please visit www.participationworks.org.uk, or email us at [e-mail]

 

FREE Training from BVCS

London 8th February - Improving outcomes through extra-curricular activities for schools and all voluntary and community organisations. Free training and support to help you improve the quality of your extra-curricular activities and see the difference they can make. Read more

 

How to Effectively Set Goals

It’s that time of year again, when people will be in the process of setting goals for 2012 against a background of uncertain conditions and changing contexts. See: http://bit.ly/z9sehq

 

Free Really Useful Resources

Looking for funding?  Need a clear direction?  If you need a Business Plan but are not sure how to put one together click onto this link Community Matters for a FREE resource.

 

Below the Radar and the Unintended Consequences of Voluntary Sector Reconfiguration
In partnership with the Third Sector Research Centre, Big Lottery Fund is holding an online discussion on 1 February from 2pm to 4pm. The panel will include the Big Lottery Fund, Community Development Foundation, Trust for London, and Barrow Cadbury Trust, along with Third Sector Research Centre. The online discussion will take place on the Beyond the Radar website. Further details about the discussion and the speakers can be found on the discussion page

 

Free Equality Act Training for VCS Advisers
The Commission is working with AdviceUK to offer the advice sector the very best training on advising on discrimination issues. Aimed at front-line advice and information workers, the training focuses on four key issues: reasonable adjustments; flexible working; harassment; and pregnancy and maternity. Follow the link to find out about a training day near you and to register online.
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This week’s E-bulletin Editor Jo Croston

 

GROW - The Support Service for Voluntary and Community Groups in Wiltshire

 

Visit our website at www.growwiltshire.org.uk

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GROWWILTSHIRE

 

GROW is a service of DEVELOP Enhancing Community Support

 

Head Office: 3-4 New Road, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 1EJ. Tel: [phone]

 

Develop Enhancing Community Support Limited is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales 01986363. Registered Office is the Chippenham address above. Registered Charity 1096008. Develop Enhancing Community Support is a member of the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA). www.developecs.org.uk

 

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