Beds-Spread October 2011

8/3/2019 Beds-Spread October 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/beds-spread-october-2011 1/8

BEDS-SPREAD

Your CVS serving the local Voluntary and Community Sector

Registered Charity: 1091423

October 2011

43 Bromham RoadBedfordMK40 2AA

Tel: 01234 354366Fax: 01234 347503

E-mail:[email protected]

Web:www.yourcvs.org

Bedford Borough CouncilBudget 2012 Consultation

Informal consultation meeting w ith thevoluntary and community sector

Friday 4th November 2012

9.45am to 12.30pmCVS Offices, 43 Brom ham Road, Bedford

Bedford Borough Council has to find £36min savings to balance their budgets over thenext four years (2012 - 2016). The Council iscurrently consulting on a series of proposalson how to find this unprecedented level of savings.

The Mayor of Bedford, David Hodgson ,has agreed to attend an informal meeting with

voluntary and community sectorrepresentatives to discuss the proposals andtheir impact on the sector and the people weserve.

Places are limited, so to book a place, pleasecontact Jan Warnier on 01234 354366 oremail [email protected]

Organisations attending are encouraged toconsider the proposals before attending themeeting. Details can be found on the Borough

Council’s website www.bedford.gov.uk/Budget2012

Are you looking foroffice space or meeting rooms?

CVS has taken over the running of 43 Bromham Road foruse as office and meeting space for local voluntary and

community groups. Based within walking distance of the towncentre, 43 Bromham Road is a 7,500 sq ft building thatalready hosts CVS, the Volunteer Centr e and two otherlocal charities. We have a number of offices of mixed sizesavailable on fully-serviced terms. Tenants also benefit from areception dealing with all incoming visitors and post, access tophotocopiers and other services, fast internet access and useof a modern phone system. If you want to work more closelywith other voluntary organisations and make your limitedresources stretch even further, then 43 Bromham Road isthe place to be!

Five meeting and training rooms are also available to hire. Therooms, which are all on the ground floor, can cater for up to40 people and are suitable for training courses, boardmeetings, drop-in events and meetings with clients. Multiplerooms can be used to provide breakout rooms if required.

For more information on office space and to arrange a visit,please contact Jan Warnier on 01234 354366 or email [email protected]

For meeting room information and bookings, please contact

Mandy Field on 01234 354366 or [email protected]



BEDS-SPREAD



PERSONALISATION

QUALITY STANDARDS

YMCA Bedfordshire - PQASSO Quality Mark Level 2

YMCA Bedfordshire are pleased to announce that following a site visit from a Charities EvaluationServices peer assessor, a recommendation has been made to award the PQASSO Quality Mark Level 2 to

YMCA . PQASSO was created 12 years ago by Charities Evaluation Services to help charities assess theirown performance and run more effectively. The award is accompanied by a Charity Commission-endorsedstamp of approval.

YMCA Bedfordshire Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Brian Par sons , responded to the news withgratitude and said “Congratulations are due to Sean Gillen, the Quality and Development Officer, for hiswork in preparing for the assessment for PQASSO accreditation.” He also praised the Association’s employees: “I would like to acknowledge the commitment and dedication of all the staff, many of whom weredirectly involved in the assessment, who helped to achieve this outstanding result.” Chief Executive Officer,Paul Hunt, adds: “The assessor was very impressed by the breadth of knowledge shown by staff and the professionalism shown during his visitswhich is a testament to the devotion of our current team.”

YMCA Bedfordshire is a Christian charity seeking to serve the communitythrough its extensive supported accommodation and resettlement work,recreational, educational, faith, schools and outreach work and personaldevelopment training and has been working with young people since 1991.

For further information contact the Quality & Developm ent Officer, SeanGillen on 01234 264105 or email [email protected]

Personalisation: Come and Join Us

In July this year CVS joined forces with Bedford Borough Council’s Adult Services to help form theBedford Borough Personalisation Joint W orking Group. To date this Working Group, which now has agrowing membership of 15 organisations from all three sectors, has developed its terms of reference and begunwork to ensure services continue to meet the needs of vulnerable adults whilst equally transforming theirorganisations to stay in business. Jon Bosw ell, Chair of the Working Group and Deputy Chief Executiveof the Bedfordshire Rural Community Charity said “It makes a lot of sense, especially in the currenteconomic climate, for all three sectors to join forces to help each other through these ‘quantum changes’.Without doubt, third sector organisations who currently deliver adult services using public authority block grantsor contracts are most likely to be at risk unless they react. We therefore encourage more charities and socialenterprises to join this active working group”.

In addition to establishing its Terms of Reference this group has already shared details of the BedfordBorough Market Shaping Strategy, received updates about the Council’s and each other’s progress and isnow embarking on taking recently-developed audit tools and applying them to their organisations to help themplan, react and survive!

Those interested in accessing the audit tools or becoming members of this working group should contact IanCurtis on 01234 354366 or at [email protected]

Future progress about this working group will be regularly reported through ‘Beds-Spread’ and on the CVS website. For those wishing to know more about this vitally important ‘Transformation and Personalisati on’

Agenda please go to www.voluntaryworks.org.uk/cvsmidandnorthbeds/Personalisation.asp

CVS Quality Standards Services are



BEDS-SPREAD



UPCOMING CVS TRAININGData Protection and Confidentiality

Tuesday 8th November 2011

The objective of this workshop is to explain how the DataProtection Act and related legislation affects voluntary

organisations. As a result of attending the course participantswill be able to identify main risk areas for their ownorganisation and be able to identify personal data beingprocessed within their own organisation.The workshop will give participants theopportunity to explore the practicalimplications for their own organisations.

Emergency First Aid at Work Tuesday 17th January 2012

2 Places Remaining

The course is for you if you:

require a certificate in Emergency First Aid at Work

need to take charge in an emergency

are a small organisation and require a member of staff to

have basic life-saving skills

work in a low-risk area

are required to give support to

qualified First Aiders

Delegates are assessed throughoutthe workshop. On completion of the programme, you willreceive a certificate valid for three years.

Workshop Bookings

Cost for these w orkshops from £12 per delegate. All workshops areat CVS, 43 Bromham Road, Bedford

For bookings please contact Jan at CVS on 01234 354366 or email: [email protected]

These Training Work shops are supported by The Big Lottery Fund

Fit for Funding Workshops

These workshops will cover all the basics to get you to the stage where your organisation will be able to applyfor funding. We will go through all the documentation you will need, including your governing document,policies, budgeting, and explain the basics of outcomes and demonstrating need. There will also be theopportunity to go through examples of funding applications and guidance on the use of our resources area,including a demonstration of funderfinder and trustfunding.org.uk and an opportunity to participate in our ‘Who w ants to be a M il l ionaire?’ funding game. The next workshops are on:

Tuesday 1st November 2011 - 10am to 12noon Thursday 1st December 2011 - 7pm to 9pm

Demonstrat ing Need and Understanding Outcomes

This workshop will build on the skills you gained from the Fit for Funding workshop and willexplain how to identify and explain the need for your work, plus define aims, outcomes, targets and milestones.Through using practical examples and an interactive workshop we aim to make sense of some of the mostcommon problems groups have when making funding applications. The next workshop is on:

Tuesday 18th October 2011 - 7pm to 9pm

If you would like to attend one of the workshops please contact Mandy Field on 01234 354366 or [email protected]

Volunteers and the Law : Paym ents and Perks

Tuesday 22nd November 2011

After attending the course and reading the handoutsparticipants should understand the difference between an

employee and a ‘worker’, when a volunteer might be anemployee or worker, and the implications for employmentrights, minimum wage etc. In addition you will gain anunderstanding of the tax implications if volunteers are paidor receive taxable benefits and if volunteers who are charitytrustees, asylum seekers or on state benefits are paid orreceive certain perks or benefits as a volunteer.

FUNDING TRAINING

Volunteer Management

Wednesday 15th February 2012

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a better

understanding of the importance of being clear why andhow we use volunteers, know what is involved in properlymanaging/supporting volunteers and know which policiesand procedures need to be in place.



BEDS-SPREAD



FUNDING

The Bedford Charity Launches New Themed Programmes

The Bedford Charity (The Harpur Trust) is launching a brand new set of grants programmes based on therecommendations of an influential report which it co-funded.

The publication of ‘Sinking and Sw imming – understanding Britain’s unmet need s’ by leading think tank The Young Foundation coincided with the Charity’s five-year strategic planning process. This was anideal opportunity to incorporate its innovative recommendations into the Charity’s grant-making.

Rather than focusing on particular client groups, sectors or “issues”, the new themes look at common factorswhich play a part in need across all sectors of society. We hope they will be accessible to a wide variety of voluntary organisations operating in Bedford Borough. The new themes are:

Transitions – Every Bedford resident undergoes transitions from one phase of life to another. Some, likeleaving school will affect us all and others, like leaving prison, only affect a minority. But if transitions gowrong the impact can be devastating for individuals and be expensive and problematic for the rest of the

community. This programme will support projects which help people (individuals and communities) preparefor and negotiate significant life changes. Psycholog ical Fitness (Resilience) – Most of us know people who cope with life’s difficulties better than

others, using them to grow and become stronger. This programme will support initiatives which help peopledevelop a positive attitude to change, and help them avoid negative coping mechanisms such as alcohol.

Isolation - Modern British society is increasingly individualistic, and many people live on their own, lonelyand isolated, particularly when they are older. Some groups of people, such as people with learningdisabilities or homeless people, can feel cut off from the wider community and feel they lack social andemotional support. This programme will support projects which aim to reduce the loneliness and lack of social networks experienced by Bedford’s more vulnerable residents.

The new themed programmes will replace four of the existing themes, but the

continued presence of our responsive or general grants programme means that allapplications benefiting residents of the Borough of Bedford and meeting one of theCharity’s general objects of education relief and recreation can still be considered.

Community Action Against Crime: Innovation FundThe Community Action Against Crime: Innovation Fund will encourage effective partnerships to geteverybody working together to tackle crime. It will be used to encourage voluntary and community groups towork with their community safety partnership to tackle local crime problems, including through co-design andco-delivery of initiatives to cut crime. Applications from grassroots community activists who are not traditionalrecipients of government grants are encouraged. Community action against crime: Innovation fund is fundedby the Home Office and delivered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF). The deadline for

applications is 1st December 2011. The Small Grants Programme provides grants of between £1000 and£15,000. For eligibility details and how to apply visit www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/crime-innovation-fund

Big Lottery Fund - Consultation

The Government is seeking views on a number of proposed policy changes for the Big Lottery Fund (BLF).The consultation document sets out the Government's view that the BLF is restricted in its ability to distributefunds and proposes a series of new policy directions for the Fund. Proposed directions include "primarily"funding projects delivered by voluntary and community sector organisations. A summary of views expressedwill be published in January 2012 in conjunction with the overall Government response to the consultation. Thedeadline for responses is 18th November 2011. Visit http://t inyurl .com/3bvkxw2 to download theconsultation documents.



BEDS-SPREAD



FUNDING

Localgiving.com in Beds and Luton

Localgiving.com is a new website that allows donors to make gifts to organisations which operate locally andcarry out charitable activities. All donations made in this way are unrestricted.

The programme is managed locally by the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation. All qualifyingprivate donations will receive Gift Aid – even if you are not a registered charity . Any small, locally-basedcommunity group carrying out charitable work can join up after suitable vetting by the CommunityFoundation . Indeed if you have received a grant from the Foundation in the past two years, this is a verysimple process. Other groups will need additional vetting, at an extra cost (namely £40). In terms of coststhere is an annual fee of £60, a 6% charge on each gift and a 1.4 to 2% fee for credit charge use. For moreinformation contact Bedfordshire and Lu ton Comm unity Foundation, The Smith y, The Village, OldWarden , Beds, SG18 9HQ. Tel: 01767-626459. E-mail: [email protected] . Web site:www.blcf.org.uk/grants. Localgiving.com Website: www.localgiving.com

Other sites for your charity to consider include:

Bmycharity (www.bmycharity.com ), BT MyDonate (www.btplc.com/mydonate/index.aspx), Justgiving (www.justgiving.com), My Charity Page(www.mycharitypage.com), MyGift (www.mygift.org.uk ) and Virgin MoneyGiving (www.virginmoneygiving.com). You will find that most of these sites either charge an initial set-upfee or take a percentage of the Gift Aid collected as an administration fee.

You could also consider accepting Donations by Text:

Vodafone have set up JustTextGiving , that allows charities to collect donations by text.It’s free to set up and use, so every penny goes to your cause. To set up the scheme foryour charity you need to obtain a unique code by calling 0800 952 3013 or by visitingwww.justtextgiving.co.uk

Buy a Share in Your Local Community

The Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation aim to improve the quality of life for the people of Bedfordshire and Luton and now offer a unique opportunity for individuals and businesses to support localcommunity groups and charities by buying a share in their local community.

Each share costs £100, and the money is invested as follows:

65% goes directly to local groups 25% is invested in a central fund that can be accessed by local groups in the

future (the Foundation adds a further 12.5% to this fund, too) 10% is used by the Foundation to help groups make funding applications and

become well-managed organisations

You can buy as many shares as you like and request that your money goes towards any type of project andany local area that you have a particular interest in. All donations can be Gift Aided - so each share can beworth £137.50 from an individual, and £112.50 from a business - £100 of which can be offset againstCorporation Tax.

Be a part of the difference the Foundation makes every year, offering direct support to over 14,000 local

people and indirect benefit to a further 80,000, by downloading an application from the Foundation’s websiteat www.blcf.org.uk



BEDS-SPREAD



SNIPPETS

Increase in the Minimum W age

From 1st October 2011 the national minimum wage goes up from £5.93 per hour to £6.08 for workers aged 21

and over, from £4.92 to £4.98 for 18-20 year-olds, and from £3.64 to £3.68 for 16 and 17 year-olds who areabove school leaving age and are not apprentices.

Let’s Talk Together Meetings

The Let’s Talk Together meetings take place in Central Bedfordshire and are aimed at giving members of the community and local groups the opportunity to meet and talk with Councillors, and representatives from key

organisations such as police, health, education, community safety, environment, business and volunteering toname but a few. If you attend this meeting please drop in between 7pm and 7.45pm and visit the ‘Volunteeringand Advice’ Stall where you will be able to search for local volunteering opportunities. It’s an opportunity not tobe missed if you live in the following areas:

Sandy & Biggleswade - Thursday 20th October 2011 at Potton Sports andSocial Club, The Hollow, Biggleswade, Potton, SG19 2LU - 7pm to 9pm

Shefford, Stotfold & Arlesey - Tuesday 25th October 2011 at St. Mary'sChurch Hall, Church Road, Stotfold, SG5 4NE - 7pm to 9pm

Ampthil l & Flitwick - Tuesday 15th November 2011 at Clophill Village Hall,Kiln Lane, Clophill, MK45 4DA - 7pm to 9pm

For more information visit www.centraltogether.org.uk/lets-talk-together/lets-talk-together-meetings

New CRB Guides

The Home Office have two new CRB guides:

'An applicant's guide to completing the CRB application form' - provides general rules for applicants,from how to record current and previous names and address history through to returning the completedform to the Countersignatory. Available to download from http:/ / tinyurl.com/ 5rsgadu

The 'Countersignatory 's guide to completing the CRB application form' - is designed for theorganisations that countersign the application. This guide supports the applicant's guidance and provides

general rules about checking an applicant's identity, the level of check to apply for and checking and signingthe form. This guidance is designed to reduce common errors. Available to download from http://tinyurl.com/6bk94pm

Central Bedfordshire Third Sector Assembly

Please note that Voluntary and Comm unity Action have taken the decision to cancel the November meetingof the Central Bedfordshire Third Sector Assembly.

Official launch and re-branding of Age Concern Bedfordshire

You are cordially invited to the official launch and re-branding of Age Concern Bedfordsh ire to Age UK Bedfordsh ire

Thursday 10th November 2011 - Time: 12.00 noon - 2.00pm

This event will be held at the Harpur Suite in Bedford. Refreshments and buffet lunch will be provided. Pleaselet us know if you will be attending by emailing [email protected]



BEDS-SPREAD



SPOTLIGHT

The ReUse Centre

These are exciting times for The ReUse Centre. Since changing our name from Furniture Link (Bedford) ayear ago, we have expanded our operations in Gadsby Street and at 82 High Street to include both pre-loved

and new furniture, as well as electrical goods and other items for the home.

We have a wide range of customers and are serving an increasing number of disadvantaged people on benefitor suffering hardship. By collecting donated furniture and other goods, we have prevented over 500 tonnes of re-usable items going as waste to landfill; that’s the same weight as 410 average family cars.

The demand for our services is growing. We already have some wonderfully dedicated staff and volunteers butwe need more volunteers in all parts of the organisation to match that growing demand.

If you like serving customers, then you could help in our showrooms or on the phone. If you enjoy using theinternet, you could look after our eBay shop. If you like being out and about, you couldbe part of one of our van crews. Or if you just want to help makes things run

smoothly, you could join our admin team or our warehouse team.

E-mail [email protected] or pop in for a volunteer application form andbecome part of our exciting future. Website: www.thereusecentre.org.uk

Lendwithcare.org - a New M icrofinance Lending Initiative

Lendwithcare.org is an innovative scheme and it's about encouraging people in the UK to lend small sums of their own money directly to entrepreneurs running their own enterprises in some of the world's poorestcountries. CARE International UK and the Co-operative have teamed up to make this initiative a reality.

Rather than making just a one-off donation, people are actually encouraged to lend money to theentrepreneurs. That then gets repaid back to the lender using the income from their business. To get started just go to the website www.lendwithcare.org and on there you can view profiles of entrepreneurs from allover the world, from Togo and Benin in West Africa to the Phil ippines and Cambodia in Asia. You can seeall of their different businesses and choose which one you would like to support. You can lend anything from£15 up to the full amount required and you can choose to support one or more entrepreneurs. Then you areable to follow the progress of the entrepreneur’s growing business and see how their new source of income ishelping to improve so many different aspects of their lives. The loan is then repaid to the lender over an agreedschedule, usually about 6-12 months. When the repaid loan is credited to the lender's account, they can chooseto withdraw the money, they can donate it to CARE or they can actuallyrecycle into another loan and continue to support entrepreneur after

entrepreneur.

Family Groups Bedford

Family Groups Bedford are now able to provide ‘Emergency First Aid at Work ’ training for local groups ata cost of £55 per person. This includes a six-hour training course, three-year accredited certificate and a firstaid booklet. Discounted rates are available for groups. Family Groups Bedford is a local charity with twoqualified first aid instructors who deliver HSC accredited ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’ . Income received from their courses supports their work withlocal families. Courses can be provided at their premises at the Raleigh Centre, Ampthill Road, Bedford. For more information contact Family Groups

Bedford on 01234 316801 or at [email protected] . Website:www.familygroups.org.uk



BEDS-SPREAD



CVS operations are funded by:

Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshir e Council, The Bedford Charity and The Big Lottery Fund

Please note: Every care is taken to provide accurate information, however CVS accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in, or complaints arising from, i tems in thispublication. Inclusion of information in this newsletter does not imply endorsement by CVS. Please feel free to replicate any articles, as long as you credit CVS.

SPOTLIGHT

Faith Woodlands Communities - Maulden Wood ProjectFaith Woodlands Communities is a new project that aims to increase awareness of nature and spiritualideas. The project is a partnership initiative between Bedford Council of Faiths, Luton Council of Faiths,The Forestry Commi ssion, The Greensand Trust and Grassroots . The project aims to explore the

positive attitudes to the environment that are shared by different faiths. It aims to help everyone to enjoy thecountryside and learn more about ecology, traditions, awareness and spirituality. There are real mental andphysical benefits from being outdoors in peaceful, relaxing green spaces. Many people feel a spiritualconnection with nature, either through the teachings of their faith, or as part of their lifestyle. The project isopen to all.

The Faith W oodlands Communities Project takes place in Maulden Woods, which is an area of ancientwoodland located off the A6 near Maulden and Clophill. The area has been provided by The ForestryCommission as a spiritual and educational space. The Woods has an attractive marked path through thewoods to the meditation area, a labyrinth and a picnic area.

To celebrate the first year of operation Faith Woodland’s Communities are having a Harvest Celebration

on Sunday 16th October 2011 between 2pm and 5.30pm. You should meet at A6 lay-by one mile north of Clophill. For more information about the event ring 07787774167 or email [email protected] or visitwww.faithwoodlands.org.uk

Bedford Creative Arts - Artist Led Walks for your GroupThe Excursionist - Artist Jo Roberts is mapping the Midland Road past and present, leading doodle walkswith local residents and visitors who want to explore this part of Bedford in a new way. People are invited tobring their experiences of Midland Road to share with others through walking and doodling. Doodle walks willtake place on the following dates and times: Saturday 15th October from 1 - 4pm, Wednesday 19th Octoberfrom 1 - 4pm and Saturday 22nd October from 1 - 4pm

Echo Location - Join artist Kathy Hinde in developing an interactive sound map of Bedford through takingpart in a number of listening walks. Record the sounds you hear, some familiar, some unusual, on our simple-to-use digital mini-recorders. No experience necessary. Your recordings will form part of a new online artwork and installation. Listening walks will take place on the following dates and times: Wednesday 9th Novemberfrom 1 - 4pm and Saturday 12th November from 1 - 4pm

Artist walks for groups: We seek to make our programme accessible for all members of society andrecognise that for some people a bespoke walk may be a comfortable first step into taking part. To this end weare happy to offer, on negotiation, tailored walks for local organisations who feel that their clients or memberswould benefit from working with us. Organisations we haveworked with in the past have included MIND, Beds GardenCarers and Sight Concern Bedfordshire. If you feel thiswould be of interest please call or email us.

Venue: Bedford Creative Arts, 104 M idland Road, Bedford.Please note: dress according to the weather, with comfortablefootwear and bring water. To book [email protected] outlining which walk you would like to attend or call us on 01234 818670. Childrenover 12 are welcome if supervised by an adult.

Beds-Spread October 2011

Documents

Transcript of Beds-Spread October 2011