Thrive april may 2010

Supporting Voluntary & Community Action April & May 2010

Inside Voscur’s MagazineA Millionaire comes to town

Election Special – four candidates speak about their vision for the voluntary sector

What makes a good leader?

Making Bristol accessible to all

Bristol Children’s Trust and the role of the voluntary sector

Befriending opportunities with Time2Share

African Initiatives

Update on Big Lottery funding

Bristol e-procurement – are you signed up?

Lower your ICT power usage

Training and learning opportunities

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Charity no. 1018963

TACT is a well respected fostering and adoption agency. TACT will offer you excellent training with 24hr support and a break from caring when you need it.

TACT pay between £322 & £574 per week per child as well as additional allowances for birthdays, festivals and holidays.

Although fostering can be challenging it can also be very rewarding. If you believe you have the capacity and commitment to support vulnerable children and young people between 10-16 years old, then we would like to hear from you. To make a difference give us a ring now on: 0117 927 7725 or email [email protected]

www.tactcare.org.uk

Shape a life. Be a foster carer.

Issue 10 April / May 2010 www.voscur.org 3

Charity no. 1018963

TACT is a well respected fostering and adoption agency. TACT will offer you excellent training with 24hr support and a break from caring when you need it.

TACT pay between £322 & £574 per week per child as well as additional allowances for birthdays, festivals and holidays.

Although fostering can be challenging it can also be very rewarding. If you believe you have the capacity and commitment to support vulnerable children and young people between 10-16 years old, then we would like to hear from you. To make a difference give us a ring now on: 0117 927 7725 or email [email protected]

www.tactcare.org.uk

Shape a life. Be a foster carer. Contents

Thrive! is available on disc. Please contact the

office if you would like to receive your Thrive!

this way. The newsletter is also available online

as a pdf at www.voscur.org/magazine

Why not advertise?

Special discounts for Voscur members. Deadlines for June/July edition of Thrive!: Monday 3 May for ads and Monday 24 May for flyers. Details of prices at www.voscur.org/magazine or phone Polly Stewart on 0117 909 9949

Disclaimer: some of the views expressed in this publication are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily represent those of Voscur. Publications, events and services mentioned in Thrive! are not necessarily endorsed by Voscur.

Welcome

4 Editorial

5–6 Voscur News

7-8 Sector NewsThird Sector Commissioning Select CommitteeBristol Partnership – draft Third Sector Strategy

9-13 Election SpecialAdeela Shafi, ConservativePaul Smith, LabourGlenn Vowles, GreenPaul Harrod, Liberal Democrat

14 Voscur New members

15 Vox PopsFollow your leader

16–17 Leadership What makes a good leader?

18–19 Voscur Training and Learning

20-21 Have Your SayDi Robinson, New Service Director for Communities and NeighbourhoodsCommunity Buildings Network

22–23 Equalities – AccessBristol Physical Access Chain

24–25 Children and Young PeopleBristol Children’s Trust and the Role of the Voluntary and Community SectorProfile – Time2Share

26–27 Secret Millionaire Bristol projects given record amounts

28–29 How to – Funding and FinanceUpdate on Big Lottery FundingBristol e-Procurement System – have you signed up?Bristol City Council Development Fund

30 How to – Green ICTGet it down! How to lower your power usage

31 How to – Green Page10:10 Taking action on climate change

32 Volunteering BristolGetting people with extra support needs into volunteering

33 Voscur Member ProfileGo Global with African Initiatives

34 Public Benefit ReportingA brief guide

35 Constitution CornerKeep up to date on Charitable Incorporated Organisation status

36 DiaryVoscur Training and Events in May and June

www.voscur.org April / May 2010 Issue 104

I have been working with Marvin

Rees (the Bristol Partnership

Director) since January, to

co-ordinate a series of events

under the banner of the Bristol

Partnership’s 20:20 week.

My motivation for getting involved

was to ensure that the voluntary

and community sector was at the

heart of the events programme,

contributing to and leading

different events in different

parts of the city. I hope that if

you haven’t been involved in

organising an event, you’ve been

able to get along to one.

It did feel a little odd, being a

member of the Bristol Partnership

and helping to organise an events

programme which was about

launching the partnership’s 10

year plan, when we don’t know

whether Voscur will be here next

year or not to help deliver it.

Like many of you, I am leading an

organisation with an uncertain

future. The most important piece

of our funding jig-saw, the City

Council investment, is secure until

30 September 2010. The services

that we provide are under review

and the Council is looking at

different ways of providing the

kind of support that we offer. I am

cautiously optimistic that we will

be here in one form or another,

but we will have to wait and see.

It was heartening to be asked at

a meeting recently what Voscur

members can do to support us,

and many of you have contacted

us to send messages of support

during the infrastructure review.

So thank you all very much – we

do appreciate it.

Unfortunately, we are going

through this at the same time

as many of our member groups

are facing uncertain futures. We

will continue to provide whatever

support we can to our members,

and if we can’t help you we

probably know someone who can.

Anyway, during stressful times, it’s

important to keep fit, so as part

of the 20:20 week, I asked the

Cycling City team to help me with

a route to work. I used to cycle

everywhere, but have become

fearful of cycling lately, and

want to rebuild my confidence.

I certainly need to improve my

fitness and reduce my carbon

footprint, so I hope that the next

time you see me, I will be able to

tell you that I have arrived by bike!

Wendy Stephenson

Chief Executive Equalities Article

Training

Resources

Event

Key to symbols

Dear members and friends

Editorial

Wendy Stephenson


Voscur News

Job Seekers Delight – Recruiters get it RightThe Voscur website jobs section

is the most popular part of

our website with over 70,000

unique visitors a year.

We host adverts for Voscur

members and other local and

national organisations and

companies. An average of 60 new

jobs are advertised every month.

Jobs on Voscur’s website were

viewed 22,000 times by 7,000

people in February 2010. Our

top job in February for a

Development Worker post at

WECIL (West of England Centre

for Inclusive Living) was viewed by

1000 job hunters.

50% of visitors to our jobs section

are from outside Bristol, giving

advertised posts a national reach.

New jobs are highlighted in our

weekly ebulletin distributed to

Bristol’s Voluntary &

Community sector.

Voscur website jobs

page: www.voscur.org/

view/jobs

To subscribe to the ebulletin visit:

www.voscur.org/ebulletin

Voscur welcomes new Compact Liaison Officer

Date for your diary – Voscur’s Annual Conference

We’re pleased to announce that

Mark Hubbard will be joining

Voscur as the new Compact

Liaison Officer from the

beginning of April.

Mark Hubbard has worked in the

voluntary and statutory sectors

for many years. He has worked

for small, local community

groups as well as regional and

national charities and for several

local authorities. He has had

different roles – mostly under

the headings of marketing,

fundraising, strategic planning

and project management.

Mark says, “I am very excited

about joining the team at Voscur

and working with public sector

commissioners in these times of

change. I am looking forward to

working with Bristol’s charities

and community groups to

support their partnership

working and involvement in

commissioning processes.”

Whilst Mark settles into his new

role, if you have any enquiries

on issues relating to the Bristol

Compact please call the Voscur

office or visit the Voscur website:

www.voscur.org/compact

Make sure you have the date

for this year’s Voscur AGM and

annual event – Wednesday 20

October – in your diary.

To highlight that 2010 is the

European Year for Combating

Poverty and Social Exclusion, the

theme of this year’s annual event

will be around how the Voluntary

Community and Social Enterprise

Sector in Bristol is tackling

poverty. We will be showcasing

the work of our members – so

look out for more details in the

June / July edition of Thrive!

in Voscur’s weekly ebulletin and

on the Voscur website:

www.voscur.org

Mark Hubbard


Voscur News

Many Voices, Many Ears

Asset Transfer Consultation

Have you read something in

Thrive you want to ask Voscur

about, seen something in the

weekly ebulletin, read an item

on the website or just got

something you want to ask us?

Who do you call? How do you

contact us?

Of course you can phone

us on 0117 909 9949, our

knowledgeable admin team

who answer the phones will be

able to help or get you through

to someone on the team who

can. You can also contact any

Voscur staff member directly by

email. Visit: www.voscur.org/

contact#staffteam

We’re making increasing use of

Social Media so you can engage

with us better online if that’s

what you prefer:

You can follow us on Twitter:

twitter.com/voscur

Become a fan of Voscur on Facebook:

bit.ly/a2PKDG

Suscribe to our YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/voscur

Or comment on Voscur Media:

www.slideshare.net/voscur

To discuss how to use these or

other IT issues you can ask any

questions on our ICT Forum:

www.voscur.org/forum/342

or phone the Voscur office:

0117 909 9949

As Thrive! goes to press, Bristol

City Council has announced the

launch of he consultation on

its Community Asset Transfer

policy. This consultation will run

until Wednesday 9 June 2010.

The Council is seeking your

comments and suggestions on

the draft policy that will ultimately

lead to an agreed, transparent

process for transferring the

management and/or ownership of

a council-owned property to Third

Sector (Voluntary Community and

Social Enterprise) organisations.

Voscur will be working with

partners to arrange an

information event on the

Community Asset Transfer policy

– look out for more details on the

Voscur website: www.voscur.org/

news/communityassettransfer

Malcolm X Centre, St Pauls – one of Bristol’s pilot asset transfer projects.


Third Sector Commissioning Select Committee

What is a Select Committee?

The aims of a Select Committee

are to: ensure that the Council

is meeting the needs of local

people, improve performance

and achieve best value, check

whether desired results are

being achieved, seek out errors

in policy, implementation and

procedures, enable action to be

taken when things go wrong,

and enhance councillors’ and

public involvement in the

scrutiny process.

How will this Committee achieve this?

The learning from all of the

sessions of the Committee will

be put together into a report

that will inform the Council’s

commissioning practice.

The Committee commissioned a

survey so that local third sector

organisations could share their

experiences of commissioning

(good and bad). The results were

presented to the committee on

31 March 2010 and will form part

of the final report.

National Good Practice

At its meeting in February, Pauline

Cimantas from the National

Association of Voluntary and

Community Action’s (NAVCA)

tender support project gave a

presentation on examples of good

practice from around the country.

This meeting also looked at

examples of good practice in

Croydon, where commissioning

has achieved beacon status in

this area.

The Select Committee is due to

run until April 2010, and meetings

are open to the public.

To find out more and see papers

from the meetings visit:

tinyurl.com/ycz2usg

Bristol City Council has set up a Select Committee that is looking at how the

Council commissions services from voluntary, community and social enterprise

organisations in Bristol. Councillor Helen Holland (leader of the Labour group)

chairs this committee which started meeting in December 2009 and is made up of

councillors from all parties.

Sector News

Commissioners need to:

• Communicate their intentions

and plans

• Think about how

commissioning affects

third sector organisations

(particularly medium-sized

organisations)

• Use grants and contracts

appropriately

• Use competitive tendering

appropriately

• Think about other ways of

securing value for money

• And particularly relevant in

the current climate – are

they encouraging competition

and collaboration (at the

same time)? What impact will

that have?

Key points that Pauline raised were:

Next Meetings, both to be held

at 10am at The Council House,

College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR:

Monday 12 April

Thursday 29 April


Sector News

Draft Third Sector Strategy – Your Views Invited

The draft strategy talks about the

benefits of a strategy and the

challenges for the third sector.

It describes the local context,

the drivers for change and talks

about the value of the sector.

What should be in the strategy?

The document lists the strategic

priorities as:

• Achieve mutual understanding

and awareness within and

across the public sector and the

third sector.

• Support the third sector to

access and participate in

commissioning and increase its

role in public service delivery.

• Support the effective

representation and participation

of the third sector in cross-

sector and neighbourhood

partnerships.

• Ensure that the Compact is

championed and complied with

by all partners and that there

are high levels of awareness of

the Compact across all sectors.

• Ensure that the sector

has access to high quality

infrastructure services.

• Ensure that the Council’s

Enabling Commissioning

Transformation Programme

recognises the added value and

social benefits the third sector

brings to local communities.

• Ensure that the third sector

is engaged throughout the

commissioning cycle, including

early involvement in community

needs analysis, consultation and

service design.

• Implement Full Cost Recovery in

commissioning processes.

• Ensure that the council

complies fully with the Compact

and that their staff champion

the Compact throughout

partnership working – including

three-year funding agreements

being developed as standard.

• Ensure that communication

with the Third sector is open

and transparent and that

public sector partners provide

information, for example,

about commissioning that is

easily accessible on the web

and through BePS (Bristol

e-procurements Service).

• Promote the independence of

the sector and the right of the

sector to challenge partners

and act as a ‘critical friend’

without any implied or real

threat to funding.

• Develop an Asset Transfer Policy

that sets out the conditions

under which asset transfer

will happen for the benefit of

communities.

• Promote opportunities for

volunteering and increase

awareness of the benefits

of volunteering to local

communities.

If you agree with these, or

have more ideas, then please

make your comments on the

strategy by visiting: tinyurl.com/

Br3rdSSSurvey

The Bristol Partnership is seeking your views on its draft third sector strategy.

You can read the strategy in full here: tinyurl.com/Br3rdSS and comment on it here:

tinyurl.com/Br3rdSSSurvey until 10 May 2010.


Election Special

The X Factor

Each of the prospective

parliamentary candidates was

invited to write 400 words for

Thrive! with the option of up to

800 words on the Voscur website.

See each of the candidates’

contributions in full at:

www.voscur.org/haveyoursay/

election2010

Who’s my candidate?

At the time of going to press,

the date of the general election

has not been announced. When

it is available, and once the

deadlines for local and for general

election candidate’s nominations

has closed, full details of all the

candidates will be available on

the Bristol City Council website at

www.bristol.gov.uk/elections

A pre-election manifesto for the third sector

NAVCA have launched a pre-

election manifesto calling on the

public sector to support voluntary

groups amid expected spending

cuts. It calls for five policy pledges

from the next government:

Commit all local public bodies

to fund local infrastructure so

it can support communities

in influencing public decision-

making.

To read the full NAVCA pre-

election manifesto ‘Strong

Independent Roots’ visit:

tinyurl.com/ykgaoy3

No vote, No voice

Local elections will take place

in Bristol on Thursday 6 May,

and a General Election must also

take place before the end of

June 2010.

To be eligible to vote, your name

must be on the electoral register.

The deadline for your name to be

added to the electoral register

in time to vote in the May local

elections is 20 April 2010 (your

name would be added by

28 April 2010).

To find out more about

registering to vote call Bristol

City Council electoral services on

(0117) 922 3790 or visit:

www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/

content/Council-Democracy/

Democracy-Elections/register-to-

vote.en

Before June 2010 the Prime Minister will be required to call a general election. In

anticipation, Voscur asked four new Bristol prospective parliamentary candidates from the

leading parties for their views on the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector

(VCSE) in Bristol, and if elected, what they would do to ensure the local VCSE thrives?


A voluntary organisation is more

often than not the first port of

call for vulnerable individuals

and families, and it is only if

these organisations are able to

appropriately, signpost or work

with that person, that there is

any chance of an issue being

dealt with.

For this reason it is vital that

the Third Sector is appropriately

funded and listened to. All too

often it is the government that

dictates what is best funded in

the voluntary sector, usually at the

expense of the service user and

of the organisation providing that

service. The number of times I

have seen voluntary organisations

having to alter their service to fit

the funding criteria is countless.

It is demoralising and skews the

actual needs of the community

to reflect what the government

thinks a community needs. That

has to be wrong.

The Conservative Party has long

recognised the value of the Third

Sector, which, in its simplest

form is the community pulling

together to deal with issues

relevant and local to them. To

cut the bureaucratic burden on

smaller charities and ensure less

money is wasted on red tape,

the Conservatives would reform

the Gift Aid system of tax-free

charitable giving.

To help more needy groups benefit

from voluntary sector expertise,

we would let voluntary groups

play a major role in running local

services like Sure Start.

To encourage more people to

dedicate time to charity work,

we would lead by example in

Government, giving all central

government employees an annual

volunteering leave entitlement.

And to ensure voluntary groups

get the funding they need, we

would scrap the rules which

prevent them from making a profit

when working for the Government,

creating a level playing field

between voluntary sector and

private providers.

As someone who is committed

to the work of the voluntary

sector and the role of volunteers

I have signed the ‘Support the

Volunteering Pledge’.

Tel: 0117 9736812

Email: [email protected]

Election Special - Conservative

The First Sector (commonly known as the Third Sector)

As somebody who has always had close links with the voluntary

sector, both as a volunteer and as a Management Committee

Member in various posts, I am only too familiar with both the value

of the Third Sector as well as the challenges it faces.

Adeela ShafiProspective Conservative Party Candidate


Election Special - Labour

Having run two national charities,

both of which were involved

in supporting other charitable

organisations, I understand

the frustration with short term

initiatives and the ease with which,

when under pressure Government

departments and local authorities

cut funding to the sector.

I favour simplification of VAT

and other tax systems affecting

the sector and longer term

funding with a clearer link to

outputs and less focus on

overbearing monitoring systems.

The government has devolved

too many services to expensive

and bureaucratic QUANGOs;

I strongly support passing

more of this funding to third

sector organisations (and local

Government).

Under Labour, the voluntary

and community sectors have

experienced unprecedented

growth. I would hope this

would continue but would

want to preserve the creativity

and flexibility of the sector to

undertake work which adapts to

meet real needs in imaginative

and flexible ways. I would also

support funding for infrastructure

organisations with the capacity to

lead and develop the sector.

I am excited by the expansion of

genuine social enterprises and

having taken my organisation

through the Social Enterprise Mark,

I would be promoting the vital role

of this part of the sector.


Website:

bristolwestlabourparty.org.uk

Blog: bristolwestpaul.

wordpress.com

Twitter: bristolwestpaul

Paul SmithProspective Labour Party Candidate

I have worked in the voluntary sector for 20 years and value its

ability to innovate, trailblaze and reach people in a way the private

and statutory sectors do not manage. It has also become a spiritual

home for me due to these qualities.


VCSEs compete against vastly

better-resourced competitors,

often on an unequal playing

field. Risk taking and innovation

is a key characteristic of many

VCSEs, putting them at the

cutting edge: building civil society;

strengthening democracy;

discussing and acting on issues;

contributing to the economy;

helping people transition into jobs;

creating jobs; developing skills;

researching, developing; linking

communities.

Our policies commit us to: reverse

centralisation and empower local

authorities and VCSEs to help each

other much more. Greens want

quality education and training

programmes which increase

sector capacity at all levels. We

would provide sustainable funding

to VCSEs and redesign the banking

system with more emphasis

on local communities and re-

circulating money throughout the

local economy.

We would lay the basis for a

cultural shift in favour of VCSEs

through a charter for volunteers

and carers, outlining the statutory

right to time off for education,

public service and voluntary

work. Greens would introduce a

minimum income level beneath

which no-one could fall, but

upon which people could live –

a Citizen’s Income – financially

underpinning volunteering.

We would ensure Government

policy across all departments

recognises the contribution of

volunteers, and fosters a culture

which promotes and supports

volunteering as a key part of

community life.

All elected Greens pressurise

statutory authorities to abide by

Compact guidelines. We want the

divisive past few decades reversed

so that there is no artificial

separation between large and

smaller VCSEs and no sacrifice of

distinctiveness to compete

for contracts.

Good funding, effective capacity

building, full cost recovery is

what VCSEs need. Full and proper

participation in decision-making

and proper use of the sector’s

expertise in shaping communities

and meeting needs is vital to the

sustainable society Greens aim for.

Website: http://

vowlesthegreen.blogspot.com

Glenn VowlesProspective Green Party Candidate for Bristol East

Green policies on the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE)Fighting for equality, sustainability, democracy, local community,

self-reliance and cooperation is inherent in being Green. We want:

fairness for all; to meet needs and provide plentiful opportunities

now and in the long term; openness and accountability; strong

and empowered local communities and economies; all people and

sectors working together.

Election Special - Green Party


Election Special - Liberal Democrat

Today I am a board member of

the Bristol Enterprise

Development Fund which has a

long history of supporting new

community organisations.

Nearly ten years ago I was on

the first steering group of the

Government’s Social Enterprise

Unit. So I have first-hand

knowledge of this Government’s

support to the sector.

However that has not been

accompanied by any commitment

to localism, nor any real innovation

in the way public services are

delivered or Councils are allowed

to operate.

In reality, this Government has

been more wedded to central

control from Whitehall than any

in living memory.

If VCSE organisations are to thrive

they need to have the freedom to

develop, to take risks and to invest

in new opportunities. They are

not just an outsourced arm of

the State.

Part of the answer lies in opening

up procurement rules – so that

Councils can contract with a local

social enterprise rather than having

always to go with the lowest cost

private sector alternative.

It also lies with giving Councils and

elected councillors, greater powers

to invest in and regenerate our

towns and cities. This would mean

that VCSEs can be integral parts

of a wider strategy for localised

public service delivery rather than

just having to seek out funding

opportunities from yet more arms-

length Government agencies few

may have even heard of.

I helped set up Aspire in 1999.

Since then the opportunities for

social enterprises have grown

exponentially. Yet they are still

kept in their box by a

Government machine that rules

from the centre and does not

trust in local autonomy.

It is time to build on what has been

achieved in the past decade, but

also to set VCSEs free – and with it

bring a revival of local Government

and greater democratic

accountability.


Paul HarrodProspective Liberal Democrat Candidate for Bristol East

The voluntary, community and social enterprise sector is one of the jewels in Bristol’s crown.I am the co-founder of Aspire, a social enterprise that creates full-

time employment for ex-homeless people, and which is still going

strong today. We could have picked no better city to begin such an

ambitious project than Bristol!


New Voscur Members

Alive! (Alive Activities Limited):

Provides activity workshops for

people living in residential care

– older people, those living with

degenerative illnesses, physical

disabilities, learning difficulties or

more serious mental disorders.

To find out more visit:

www.aliveactivites.org

Bangladesh Association: General

advice agency which is open to

all. Main users are Bangladeshis

and advice is provided in Bangla,

Sylheti and English.


www.bangladesh-association.

org/association

Tel: 0117 951 1491

Address: 539 Stapleton Road,

Eastville, Bristol BS5 6PE

Bristol Hospital Education

Service: Provides education for

children who are too ill to attend

mainstream school.


www.bristol-cyps.org.

uk/schools/contacts/

bristolhospitaleducationservice

Bristol City Council – Arts,

Festival and Events Team:

Supports and organises events

across Bristol. Runs workshops

and other activities. Also provides

advice and funding to young

artists and Key Arts Providers in

Bristol, e.g. the Watershed.


www.bristol.gov.uk/arts

Tel: 0117 922 2000

Envision: An award-winning

national youth education and

empowerment charity which

works with 16-19 year olds in

schools and colleges to help them

realise their own capacity to make

a difference.


www.envision.org.uk

Tel: 0121 722 7685

Peacemakers, Prayer Patrols:

Aims to eliminate street crimes

through the Prayer Patrols.

Engages local residents,

empowering them through

training to identify the needs and

to be part of the solution. Also run

awareness sessions with schools

and work alongside the Police and

other community projects.

To find out more email: info@

prayerpatrol.org.uk or phone the

24 hour helpline: 07939 025724

What If – Youth Theatre:

Provides accessible community

arts facilities for teenagers

in Oldland Common and the

surrounding areas.

To find out more contact

Ben Searle, email:

[email protected]

Tel: 07910 668258

REalliance CIC: A partnership

of four networks: Community

Recycling Network UK, Furniture

Reuse Network, Community

Composting Network and London

Community Resource Network.

Provides development support,

guidance and information and

represents community sustainable

resource management groups.


www.realliance.org.uk

Tel: 0117 9071727

The Travel Foundation: The

leading resource for the travel

industry on sustainable tourism.

An independent charity, funding

and managing projects around the

world, showcasing best practice.


www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk

Tel: 0117 927 3049

The W.A.S.P.S. Estate

Improvements Committee:

A voluntary community group set

up to “work to improve the quality

of life, and the environment for

all residents of: Whitehall Road

and Avenue, Alder Drive, Sycamore

Close, Plummers Hill, St George.”

Represents about 100 elderly/

disabled residents of the new

pre-fab estate.

To find out more email:

[email protected]

Tel: 07706 678921

Who’s Joined Voscur Recently?


Vox Pops

Follow your leaderWith both a general and local election coming up Bristolians will be helping to choose

the people who will be leading our city and country.

During March, we asked three Third Sector leaders to tell us:

What makes a good leader?

As Chair of

Voscur, I think

the important

qualities

of a good

leader are to understand

and be committed to the

work of the voluntary and

community sector; including

the values, independence and

distinctiveness of the work we

all do.

I also think we need to work

even better and more closely

together and to do this we

need honesty and clarity. I

think leadership also involves

us all being brave, venturing

from our comfort zones to

ensure that the sector plays an

important and necessary role

alongside the people of Bristol.

www.bartonhillsettlement .org.uk

Joanna Holmes

Chair of Voscur’s Board of

Directors and Chief Executive,

Barton Hill Settlement

Kevin Curley

identified the

steps that a

new leader of

a voluntary or

community sector organisation

could take in order to be

effective in their work:

A good leader should invest

in their trustees so that they

understand the vision and are

there to give support. They

need to get to know their

members, users and funders

and build the confidence of

members by keeping them up

to date with developments

and ask for their feedback. Put

income generation into place,

being aware that it can take 12

months to bring a return.

www.navca.org.uk

Kevin Curley

Chief Executive, NAVCA

(National Association for

Voluntary and Community

Action)

I think you

have to believe

in your mission

and share your

passion; have

a clear long term direction

but be open to new ideas.

The object is to create the

trust and the space for your

collaborators to co-author

the future and share in the

achievement.

www.watershed.co.uk

Dick Penny

Chair of the Bristol Partnership

and Director of the Watershed

Media Centre


Leadership

Leadership

The role of a leader in a voluntary

or community sector organisation

is a tough one. It may be the Chair

of your management committee

that you look to for leadership,

or the chair may delegate the

leadership role to the paid

manager or director. The health of

your organisation will owe much

to the knowledge and skills of the

people in these roles.

What sort of knowledge contributes to the effective leadership of your organisation?

You need knowledge of the

group’s environment, in particular

the opportunities and threats

that the group is likely to face.

You will need an understanding of

the organisation’s strengths and

weaknesses, a knowledge of what

has worked well in the past and in

what circumstances.

Much of this knowledge will be

acquired through experience, and,

if your budget allows, through

management training.

There are some activities that

you can do in the shorter term,

such as environmental scanning

and networking which can

enhance your knowledge in ways

that will help you contribute to

the leadership of your group.

Knowledge alone is not enough

to be able to persuade – you

have to be able to communicate

knowledge skilfully. The art

of communication is another

important leadership skill.

As well as persuasion, you may

influence through being a role

model. This is another aspect of

leadership, particularly in terms

of establishing shared values

and standards of performance,

behaviour and interpersonal

relationships.

Leadership in difficult times

Any group will face anxieties,

conflict and tensions at different

times. As the recession begins to

bite, budget cuts have to be faced

and with increased demands on

our services, the role of the leader

is particularly important.

Another important leadership

skill is to help the group deal with

conflict and tensions and so keep

up the morale and commitment

of the group.

As a leader you will be a focus for

the expectations of the group

that you lead. When things are

going well, this is great, but when

things go wrong, the experience

may be uncomfortable. It is

common for a group to blame

its leader(s) if things go wrong.

You will need to be able to take

criticism and absorb some of

the anxieties and tensions of the

group without overreacting. If you

can realise that this is a natural

and inevitable process, then you

will be better prepared.

The leader’s behaviour is

important in maintaining cohesion

and morale. If you can keep a

sense of proportion about the

problems facing the group, and

maintain your own sense of

When the best leader’s work is done the people say, “We did it ourselves”

Lao Tzu


enthusiasm and humour you will

help the group cope positively

with its problems. Acknowledging

the anxieties and fears which will

arise from time to time, without

giving in to the attitude that

the situation is hopeless, will

help the group to see that every

problem also has new creative

opportunities.

The strategic function of

leadership is also important in

maintaining morale. A group

that has a clear sense of where

it is going and what it is trying to

achieve, and that believes this to

be important, is more likely to be

happy and motivated than a group

that does not.

The above article has been

adapted from the Open Business

School Voluntary Sector

Management Programme.

Voscur Summer Training – Focus on LeadershipOur summer training programme

aims to help local voluntary

and community sector leaders,

whether you are a manager of

staff or volunteers, or a volunteer

yourself on a trustee board.

There are courses in roles and

responsibilities of trustees, dealing

with difficult issues in volunteer

management, staff contracts and

handbooks, time management,

and understanding collaboration.

See over the page for more

information.

Leadership

Keep up to date

with sector news by

subscribing to:

Voscur: www.voscur.org/

ebulletin

Third Sector: www.thirdsector.

co.uk/bulletins

NCVO Foresight Drivers:

www.3s4.org.uk/drivers

And Thrive! of course.

Jargon buster:

Environmental scanning =

identifying and keeping up

to date with environmental

changes that could be relevant

to the strategy or tactics of your

group or organisation.


Voscur Training and Learning

Welcome to Voscur LearningLeading in the voluntary and community sector means that we need a range of skills – most of us don’t

have specialists to deal with human resources issues, or help us to think strategically. This term our

course programme aims to address some of the practical challenges of leadership. We are currently

planning sessions on supervision, and disciplinary and grievance procedures, so please check our

e-bulletin and website for more information. To find out more about any of the courses listed below or

to book on to any course please go to www.voscur.org/training

Voscur recognises that you may need courses tailored for your organisation. We can run in

house courses on many topics. Contact Sophie Bayley on 0117 909 9949 for details.

How to deal with difficult issues in volunteer management FULL

Thursday 1 April, 9:30am-1pm

The Greenway Centre, Doncaster Road, Southmead, Bristol, BS10 5PY

This session will help you to support your

volunteers and think about how to use effective

communication, problem solving and setting

boundaries to help you identity and manage

difficult issues in your role.

Trainers: Sophie Bayley – Voscur and Jenny Idle

– Volunteering Bristol

Trustee Series 1: Why am I on the committee? FULL

Wednesday 21 April, 6:30pm-9:30pm

Barton Hill Settlement, 41-43 Ducie Road, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX

This course will give anyone who has the role of

a trustee a basic overview of their legal duties

and responsibilities and is ideal if you have just

become a trustee or just want to brush up on

your skills.

Trainers: Sophie Bayley – Voscur and Graham

Partridge – Avon and bristol Law Centre

Time Management for Volunteer Managers

Friday 23 April, 9:30am-3:30pm

Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4EA

Volunteer managers often have difficulties with

balancing many tasks. This session will give you

hints and tips to help you manage your time

more effectively.

Trainer: Sophie Bayley – Voscur

Employment Practice Network Event: Staff contracts and handbooks (Voscur in partnership with NCVO)Wednesday 28 April, 2pm-5pm


Are you puzzled about staff contracts? What’s

the difference in status between an employee,

a worker and a consultant – what about

volunteers? Understand the documents you

need in place at work, with this whistle-stop

tour of staff contracts, agreements and

handbooks. To book on this course please go

to www.ncvo-vol.org.uk or call Emma Allford

on 020 7520 2496.

Trainer: Cornhill HR

NEW

– L

OW

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FR

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Voscur Training and Learning

Trustee Series 2: Good Governance – How to be a better TrusteeWednesday 28 April, 6:30pm-9:30pm


This session complements ‘Why am I on the

committee?’ and looks in greater detail at how

Trustees can be more effective in their role. The

session covers governance, skills of trustees, risk

and liabilities and effective meetings.

Trainers: Sophie Bayley – Voscur and Graham

Partridge – Avon and Bristol Law Centre

Financial Management for the Non-Financially MindedThursday 6 May, 9:30am-3:30pm

Withywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, Bristol, BS13 8QA

This practical course looks at example

accounts of voluntary organisations. It will help

participants to make sense of their year end

accounts, communicate more effectively with

their auditor or independent examiner, and to

know what questions to ask. The course will

also help participants to present accounting

information to others and to use financial

information more effectively.

Trainer: Chris Hickey – Phoenix Associates

Improving Diversity in your Volunteer workforceWednesday 12 May, 9:30am-3:30pm

Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4EA

This is for people who manage volunteers and

would like to diversify their volunteer workforce.

It will cover equalities and socially excluded

communities; looking at who you are reaching;

equalities Communities in Bristol; legislation

supporting equalities volunteers and the

benefits of a diverse team.

Trainers: Sophie Bayley and Ruth Pitter –

Voscur

Understanding Collaboration and your responsibilities – a session for TrusteesThursday 27 May, 10am-12:30pm


Voscur, in partnership with NCVO. Working in

collaboration with other voluntary organisations

can make your organisation more effective,

efficient and resilient. This session for people on

the board of voluntary, community and social

enterprise sector organisations will cover drivers

for collaboration; duties and responsibilities; and

different models of collaboration.

Trainer: NCVO’s Collaborative Working Team

First Aid in the WorkplaceWednesday 23 June, 9:30am-4pm

Venue to be confirmed

This accredited one day course will give you a

basic introduction to First Aid. By the end of

the course, candidates will be able to

demonstrate the essential knowledge and skills

needed when dealing with First Aid emergencies

in the workplace.

Trainer: Brian Hibbert - BHTS Ltd

ACCR

EDIT

EDN

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Have Your Say

My new role as Service Director for

Communities and Neighbourhoods

will start at the end of March. I am

really looking forward to getting

back to Bristol and working in

my home city on an agenda so

close to my heart. I have spent

11 years of my public sector

career supporting and developing

community and neighbourhood

working in one way or another.

This role offers the opportunity

to build on the successful work

already happening across many of

Bristol’s communities and support

the delivery of some really exciting

developments.

Prior to this job I have been

working in Gloucester, most

recently as the lead for the

Customer Experience strand of a

large transformation programme

for Gloucestershire County

Council, and for the previous four

years as Neighbourhood Manager

for a Pathfinder programme in

Gloucester City.

Some people may know that

my first public sector job was

as a Community Development

worker, for Bristol City Council,

based in Knowle West – my first

real introduction to working

with communities on their issues

and priorities within their own

neighbourhoods – I was hooked!

From that point I worked

for Bristol in community or

neighbourhood related roles

for seven years, before being

appointed in Gloucester. I have

also worked in the voluntary and

community sector for four years

and a wide variety of private

sector roles before that.

I have been working with key

colleagues over the past couple

of months to get up to speed as

much as possible before starting

in Bristol, but I imagine my first

couple of months will be very

much focussed on getting to grips

with all the new responsibilities

of the new role, including getting

out to see the new Partnerships

in action, meeting local

councillors, communities and

community organisations to hear

about what is working well and

what isn’t so far.

An Opportunity to Build on Successful WorkWe asked Di Robinson, the new Service Director for Communities and Neighbourhoods

to tell us a little about herself and the opportunities of her new role

Di Robinson


Have Your Say

At the fourth meeting of the

Community Buildings Network

in February, two proposals were

discussed to help develop this

informal network into a clearer

and more organised body that

could help influence both practical

and policy issues relating to

community buildings in Bristol.

The first suggestion was for the

creation of a formal federation.

A number of existing community

organisations currently running

venues could create a Community

Buildings federation. By

establishing a new organisation

with its own trustees and staff, a

federation could work together

and be more coordinated. A

federation could take a lead

on issues such as negotiating

contracts for a group of buildings,

advising on HR issues and

coordinating responses to policy

such at the councils expected

Asset Transfer Policy.

The second suggestion is to

formalise the Community Buildings

Network (CBN). This could be led

by an infrastructure organisation

such as Voscur, or one or

more of the existing voluntary,

community or social enterprise

organisations that specialise in

supporting community buildings.

Formalising the network would

also require individual members to

sign up to being part of the CBN,

leading to the CBN having a more

representative role.

More than 35 people attended

the last meeting of the network

and there was strong support

to proceed with formalising the

CBN. Support for a federation

was not dismissed but it was felt

it may not be the right time to

proceed with this idea. Voscur will

be working with the Development

Trust Association, Ethical Property

Foundation and others to

develop details for a formalised

Community Buildings network,

and proposals will be presented

and discussed at the next meeting

in June.

Laying Firm Foundations for a Community Buildings NetworkOver the past year, Voscur has worked with John Bos, Bristol City Council’s Community

Buildings Manager to establish a regular network meeting for those involved in running

community buildings (large and small) across Bristol.

Find out more:

Community Buildings

Network meeting on

Thursday 17 June at

The Beechwood Club,

Beechwood Road, Fishponds,

Bristol, BS16 3TR

Visit: www.voscur.org/

networks/communitybuildings

Or contact: Matthew Symonds,

[email protected] or Tel:

0117 909 9949

Community Buildings come in all shapes and sizes. Young Bristol building on Harbourside.


Equalities - Access

Bristol Physical Access Chain

Bristol Physical Access Chain

(BPAC) is an independent advisory

body to Bristol City Council. All

its members are disabled people

who live or work in Bristol and are

voluntarily giving their time to the

work of the group. The emphasis

is on independent since this is

essential to maintain meaningful

two-way dialogue.

So what do BPAC advise on?

Their purpose is to ensure as

much as possible, that best

practice is used to deliver services

in buildings and places which are

fully accessible to disabled and

elderly people.

Over the 11 years of BPAC’s

existence they have been involved

in many of the schemes which

have changed the face of Bristol

today. Members have always

taken the view that they should

endeavour to offer solutions

rather than criticise without

trying for resolution of the issues.

Experience has shown that this

approach helps to deliver better

services but also builds trust in

the skills of the group and

increases their reputation as a

positive force.

Typically today BPAC have groups working on:

• Planning applications for public

buildings and sites

• Public toilets

• Taxi provision and accessibility

• Paths and Parks

• Public transport

• Training and advice for students

and schools

Using skills learned from training

in up to date research standards,

BPAC advise architects and

developers, as well as Bristol

City Council, to determine

achievable levels of access in

city wide schemes.

BPAC have liaised on the design

and operation of such schemes

as Cabot Circus, ss Great Britain,

the City Museum and Art Gallery

and new swimming pools and

leisure centres. They are currently

fully involved with advising the

Primary Care Trust on the new

hospital design for South Bristol

and the changes mooted for the

M Shed (new museum of Bristol)

development as well as many

other projects.

Risks – shared use pathways

However, as in life generally,

there are circumstances where

people cannot agree on the right

course of action and so it has

been with BPAC. There have been

times where schemes brought to

their attention have raised their

hackles. This is where they show

that they are not just a nodding

dog but one that can bark and

bite too if necessary.

A common area where BPAC’s

opinion differs from many

proposals is around the creation

of shared use pathways. Members

have made it clear that shared use

is to be considered only where

the alternative, segregated lanes

or paths, cannot be achieved.

This has now become a national

debate and BPAC has made sure

that minimum standards need

to be agreed and to be taken

seriously. It is their view that there

are very real risks for mobility and

sensory impaired people as well as

some older people.

Lobbying and publicity

BPAC can use their right to lobby

at a local or national level on these

issues and have featured in news

articles throughout the years

as well as speaking on radio and

writing to councillors and MPs to

make their case.

Challenging poor design

The main role of this organisation

is to bring areas of concern

relating to streets, spaces,

“Not just a nodding dog but one that can bark and bite too if necessary”


Equalities - Access

buildings the council owns or has

influence over and services that

are used by disabled or elderly

people, to the attention of those

best placed to make necessary

changes. This is not always easy

and sometimes requires diplomacy

though more often tenacity. BPAC

challenge departments within

the council directly and ask them

to meet with them and account

for perceived failings. They will

combine with other disability

organisations to campaign for

better services and to correct

poor design or mistakes. They ask

for consultation to be meaningful

and the results to reflect the

desires and concerns of those

consulted.

Successful formula

Members come from all walks of

life and use their combined life

skills to strengthen the whole

group. This is a successful formula

which will continue to be built on

to ensure that the council and

other statutory and commercial

concerns designing the living

environment take disabled

people’s views seriously when

designing the living environment.

Contact:

Eamon McClelland

Strategic Access Officer,

Bristol City Council

Tel: 0117 922 2315

Email: eamon.mcclelland@

bristol.gov.uk

Blaise Castle Estate signage. This sign is meant to be tactile as well as visual and needs to be easily reached from a wheelchair.

Celebrating the launch of the website identifying travel modes for disabled people in Bristol and beyond. BPAC were instrumental in advising on this. Visit: www.gettingaboutgreaterbristol.org

BPAC helped to design the new entrance to the City Museum which has been a great success

Job Shop car park: alternative uses for disabled parking bays when they are not occupied!


Children and Young People

Bristol Children’s Trust and the Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector

These presentations, including the

role of VCS representatives can

be viewed at: www.voscur.org/

meetingsebulletin#previous

The following is a summary of the

presentation by Alison Jackson.

Bristol Children & Young People’s Trust

The Children and Young People’s

Trust is a partnership, led by

the Local Authority, that brings

together key agencies to improve

all Children and Young People’s

well-being through integrated

planning and delivery of services.

The Trust’s priorities include

narrowing the gap in outcomes,

focusing on prevention and early

intervention, involving children,

young people and parents, and

planning and commissioning

services. These priorities will

inform the Bristol Children &

Young People’s Plan.

The Trust will be responsible for

writing the Children & Young

People’s Plan for 2011-2014.

Meanwhile, the Trust is completing

a ‘light-touch’ review of the

existing Plan for April 2010-2011.

The Trust Board includes senior

representatives of all key partners

including the voluntary and

community sector (VCS). VCS

representatives’ reports can be

viewed at: www.voscur.org/

networks/children/reps

The Trust Executive Group

supports the Board by ensuring

the Board’s priorities are

implemented and advising the

Board on planning, commissioning

and performance. The Trust has

three Workstream Groups:

• Prevention and Early

Intervention

• 14 – 19

• Raising Attainment

There are other strategic

partnerships that feed information

into the Trust. These all have VCS

representatives. There are also

ten locality partnerships which

develop a better picture of local

need and bring partners together

to plan and deliver local priorities

in response to the Children &

Young People’s Plan. They also aim

to maintain a relationship with

Neighbourhood Partnerships.

VCS representation and

involvement is essential to ensure

that local priorities are identified

and there are improved outcomes

for children and young people.

Alison Jackson from Bristol City Council spoke about the Children’s Trust arrangements

and Dom Wood from 1625 Independent People spoke of his experience as a Voluntary and

Community Sector representative, at the January Joint Children and Young People’s Network

Details of VCS

representatives,

including those on the

Locality Partnership Executive

Boards can be accessed at:

www.voscur.org/networks/

children/reps

Asma Ahmed

Children and Young People’s

Organisations Network worker.

[email protected]

0117 909 9949


Children and Young People

Fun and Friendship – befriend a local disabled child or young person

Time2Share, a small local charity,

was set up in 1972 to support

disabled children and their families

through a befriending scheme and

youth groups. For the befriending

scheme, local people are linked

with one disabled child who has

similar interests to them, and then

they meet up each week for a

couple of hours.

They visit regularly and spend

time doing something which

the child chooses to do. Current

activities include cycling, going

to the cinema, going for a walk,

visiting theme parks, going out

for a meal and going shopping.

The scheme is very flexible and

many parents say they appreciate

having someone around with

extra energy! It gives children

an opportunity to have an

independent social life and a sense

that they have someone who

comes to spend time just with

them. It also gives parents/carers

a chance to have a short break

and catch up with other things.

There are currently young people

living near you who are looking

for someone to befriend them.

For example, we are looking for

two friends or a couple to take

two brothers out in Bedminster.

Or perhaps you could share an

interest in all things Japanese with

a teenage boy in Avonmouth?

Time2Share covers travel expenses

and the families cover the cost of

activities (with some support from

Time2Share). The scheme is very

flexible and can fit around work

commitments. Friends or families

can also get involved together,

and it can work very well if families

or couples take a disabled child

out with them on trips out. They

also need help with other areas of

their work, such as youth groups

and babysitting.

Although more disabled children now attend mainstream schools they may still struggle

socially and need support to go out independently.

You can contact

Time2Share by visiting:

time2share.org.uk or

Tel: 0117 941 5868. The

Bristol Area Coordinator

is Jenny Lyus. You can

find out more and apply on

www.time2share.org.uk


Secret Millionaire

Hartcliffe and Withywood Teenage Parents ProjectChristmas 2009 at the Hartcliffe

and Withywood Teenage Parents

Project - redundancy notices were

being given out and the project

was on the verge of closing. The

day Dawn Gibbins knocked at their

door was a pivotal moment in

the organisation’s fortunes. Her

donation of £100,000 has saved

the project and given it a new

lease of life.

Deana Stone, Manager, said:

“What is really great is that

Dawn chose us because she was

impressed with our good practice

and sensed the enthusiasm and

positive spirit of the teenage

parents who volunteer at the

project. Despite the climate at

the time – the project was due to

close – there was no negativity;

people were still energised and

worked together. We are like a big

family. We envisage 2010 will be a

fantastic year.”

Teenage parents have ownership

of the service, from the day-to-

day running of the centre

through to decisions made at

trustee level. Dawn’s donation

will allow them to continue

delivering services for the next

year, as well as to set up a satellite

scheme in Easton. They are going

to roll out a best practice package

to other communities so that

teenage parents across the city

can benefit.

The organisation was both

shocked and exhilarated to find

out that the woman they thought

had come as a volunteer emerged

as a millionaire and a benefactor.

Deana added her gratitude to

Voscur for signposting Channel

4 to the project as a potential

participant in a programme that

Voscur thought was about the

voluntary sector in the recession.

Crisis Centre MinistriesDawn also volunteered at the

Wild Goose Café, one of the

services operated by Crisis Centre

Ministries, a Christian charity

which has provided services to

homeless and vulnerable people in

Bristol for 25 years. They operate

a person-centred approach to

give service users the support

they need to change their lives

when they are ready. Along with

the café, the charity also offer

a drop-in centre, counselling,

help people into rehab and

offers resettlement support

to people who have secured

accommodation.

Alan Goddard, Drop-in Centre

Manager, said “Dawn worked in

the café and outreach service,

in order to get information

about what it is like to be

homeless. Dawn worked closely

with the Assistant Manager, Lisa,

as the programme was focused

on women.”

At the end of the eight days,

Dawn surprised the staff at the

café with a cheque for £130,000,

the largest donation ever given

out on The Secret Millionaire.

Alan continued “Dawn asked

that £100,000 be spent on a

Secret MillionaireThe money awarded to three Bristol projects

recently is the highest ever given in Channel 4’s

‘The Secret Millionaire’

Left to right: One25 caseworker, Karen, with Dawn and Director, Gill Nowland


Secret Millionaire

new building, which we have

recently purchased. She also

gave us £20,000 for further

fundraising activities to help raise

the additional funds needed to

refurbish the new building. £5,000

was to refurbish the current

café and kitchen, which we did

in three weeks, without having

to close. The remaining £5,000 is

being managed on behalf of an

individual client, to help her find

and furnish a flat and enrol on

college courses.”

One25One25 supports women trapped

in street sex work, offering a

drop-in centre, activities,

outreach service, one-to-one

support and a residential mother-

and-baby safe house. These

services help the women to build

new lives away from violence,

poverty and addiction.

Dawn volunteered with One25’s

outreach service, accompanying

staff in their van which drives

around the streets of Bristol

at night distributing food and

condoms to street sex workers.

Gill Nowland, the Acting Director,

said “Working with Dawn was a

privilege as she was genuinely

interested and compassionate

from the start. She was

complimentary and positive about

the services we provide.”

Dawn presented One25 with a

cheque for £25,000. £5,000 was

to improve security of the

outreach service to protect the

workers, and the rest of the

money was to set up a trust fund

to support women in recovery.

Gill continues, “This money is

being used to pay for activities

such as driving lessons, singing

lessons and acting classes –

designed to prevent relapse which

often comes through boredom

and low self-esteem. These

activities will encourage them to

reach their potential.”

None of the groups involved

(including Voscur) were aware that

Dawn was a secret millionaire. All

were under the impression that

Channel 4 was making

a programme about women

volunteering in the recession.

For further information,

and to make donations

to any of the charities

involved, please visit their

websites:

www.teenageparents.org.uk

www.crisis-centre.org.uk

www.one25.org.uk

The Wild Goose CafeDawn with Deana Stone (left) and others at The Hartcliffe and Withywood Teenage Parents’ Project

“Dawn was...impressed with

our good practice and sensed

the enthusiasm and positive

spirit of the teenage parents

who volunteer at the project”

Deana Stone,

Hartcliffe and Withywood

Teenage Parents’ Project


How to – Funding and Finance

Reaching Communities will

continue to offer funding of

between £10,000 and £500,000,

and will also continue to fund for

up to five years. However, a major

difference to the programme will

be the introduction of a simple

application process as well as a

quicker decision-making process

for projects requesting under

£40,000. In particular this should

benefit smaller community groups

who have less time and resources

to undertake complicated

application processes. BIG has also

stated that applicants will receive

more support throughout the

application process.

Reaching Communities will

continue to operate a two-stage

application process. The original

outline proposal form will be

available to download from the

website until 13 April and must be

submitted by 30 April. Applicants

invited to proceed to the next

stage will have 6 months in which

to submit their full application.

From 14 April, the new and

improved outline proposal form

will be available to download.

Applicants will be told within 20

working days of BIG’s receipt of

this form whether they are invited

to submit a full application.

Applicants not invited to submit a

full application will be given more

detailed feedback on why their

outline proposal was rejected,

highlighting the areas which need

improving to increase their chance

of going forward.

Applicants will be able to submit a

new application whenever they are

ready. Those applicants which are

invited to submit a full application

will need to do so within four

months, and BIG has stated that

they will take less time to make

decisions on full applications.

BIG has also made a change to the

Awards for All application process,

in that it is no longer necessary

to supply a referee. Awards for

All can provide funding of up to

£10,000 to new projects.

BIG has announced that a new

funding stream for community

buildings will be launched later in

Update on Big Lottery Funding

Following its Big Thinking consultation last year, the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) has

announced some changes to its ever-popular Reaching Communities programme.

This programme funds a wide range of voluntary, community and social enterprise

sector (VCSE) organisations delivering projects which make a difference to the lives

of communities and individuals in need

the year. More information on this

programme will be available from

BIG’s website and e-bulletins as it

becomes available.

For further information

please visit www.

biglotteryfund.

org.uk/southwest.htm,

telephone 08454 102030,

or email generalenquiries@

biglotteryfund.org.uk


Capacitybuilders is offering

volunteer managers the

opportunity to apply for a skills

development bursary up to £1950.

Each bursary will fully fund an

approved skills development

package, delivered regionally by

experienced training providers

and aligned to the national

occupational standards in

volunteer management.

There are a limited number

of bursaries available, so early

application is advised.

To find out more please visit

www.capacitybuilders.org.uk/

vmpskills

Volunteer Manager courses

are also run by Voscur and

Volunteering Bristol. See the

centre pages, visit www.voscur.

org/training to find out more,

or Tel: 0117 909 9949

How to – Funding and Finance

the BePS system. Hywel continues,

“Voluntary and community

sector groups need to register

with the BePS system and sign

up to receive email alerts about

funding opportunities that they

are interested in. BePS is a good

way of empowering voluntary and

community groups to become

aware of opportunities available

to them.”

In partnership with the Black

Development Agency, Voscur will

be organising training on the BePS

system in neighbourhoods across

the city. All upcoming training will

be publicised through Thrive! and

other regular publicity, including

our website and e-bulletin.

You can register on BePS at

procurement.bristol.gov.uk

The Bristol e-Procurement System

(BePS) is the online system

used by Bristol City Council

(BCC) to advertise and manage

opportunities to tender to deliver

public service contracts. Some

BCC departments, such as Children

and Young People’s Services,

have already been commissioning

the Voluntary, Community and

Social Enterprise sector to deliver

contracts, and in the future this is

going to increase.

The Community Development

Investment and Grants Team will

also start using the system soon.

Hywel Caddy, Investment and

Grants Manager, said “Once we’ve

finalised our funding agreements

for the 2010-2011 financial year

they will be sent out through BePS

and all the grants monitoring

will also need to be submitted

through this system, so it’s really

important that voluntary and

community groups sign up to

the system.”

The Investment and Grants

Team has fully committed its

funding for the next financial

year so there won’t be a grants

round. However, in future all

opportunities for investment from

them will be advertised through

This popular fund, managed by

Quartet Community Foundation

on behalf of Bristol City Council

will be open again for applications,

as of 1 April 2010. This Fund

supports local community

activities, and is also for the

purpose of assisting organisational

development and to strengthen

the capacity of organisations.

This year, there have been some

changes to the eligibility criteria,

and groups are advised to check

Quartet’s website carefully

before applying.

Visit: www.quartetcf.org.uk

Support and inspire your Volunteers and enhance the impact of your organisation

Bristol e-Procurement System – have you signed up yet?

Bristol City Council Development Fund


How to – Green your ICT

Get it down! – Lower your power usage

These, and many other strategies

and ideas for greening your ICT

use can be found in the Green ICT

database Voscur has been training

members to use in our Green ICT

Surgeries. You can find discussions

and more on the Voscur ICT

forums, add your ideas yourself

or email Sean: [email protected]

to arrange a free visit to help you

address your IT energy wastage.

In the last issue of Thrive! we

looked at the energy waste in

the Voluntary Sector and what

resources were available for

planning how to tackle it. This

issue we’re looking at some of the

many practical activities that could

be used as standalone projects to

get your power usage down, or as

part of a wider Green ICT strategy

for your group.

• PecoBOO detects when you’re

looking, and when you’re not

looking. Using a webcam and

a face detecting program,

PecoBOO can tell when you

turn away from your computer

display, so turns it off for you.

When you return, PecoBOO

turns the display back on

instantly. PecoBOO helps you

save energy and help contribute

to making IT that little bit more

sustainable. www.pecoboo.

co.uk

• Buy desktops with Intel Atom

processors – from as little

as £99 drawing only 65W of

energy (a light bulb’s worth!).

Unfortunately they don’t run

the Windows operating system,

but here’s your chance to try

out Ubuntu www.ubuntu.com

(also a computer operating

system).

• Replace your Desktops with

Laptops wholesale – Laptops

draw between 55%-80% less

power than Desktop machines,

only one power supply is

needed plus they are designed

to be energy efficient for

mobile working. By using

effective power management

users can push savings all the

way to the upper limit

• Use Skype (or other VoIP

solutions) as your phone

connection. No longer have a

powered phone on your desk

and reduce physical face to

face meetings (travel time

and transport cost savings)

replacing them with Virtual

face-to-face ones.

• Share documents online –

Google docs provides powerful

collaborative working tools. It

can host documents of all types

and now stores documents

in their original formats

(read and download only) for

sharing with work colleagues

or making fully public. This

allows even the smallest

organisation to have a powerful

distribution mechanism for their

publications without having to

purchase expensive web hosting

space or learn how to use FTP

software – docs.google.com

Jargon Buster:

VoIP (Voice Over Internet

Protocol) – Technology used

to make telephone calls via the

Internet.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) –

For transferring files between

two computers over a network.

Bright Star – Docked Laptop


How to – Green Page

10:10 Taking action on climate change

In the past, few environmental

campaigns in the UK have

successfully united diverse

organisations in a national drive

to reduce the country’s

greenhouse gas emissions. 10:10

is confident they can succeed

where others have failed.

10:10 is a mass movement

that is signing up people and

organisations from every corner

of British life. From councils and

hospitals to faith groups and scout

troops, organisations across the

country are deciding to get on

board at the start of the journey

to a low-carbon society.

By signing up to 10:10 you commit

your organisation to support the

national drive to reduce Britain’s

emissions steeply in 2010. That

means urging your members, your

staff, your clients and suppliers –

everyone you work with – to sign

up to cut their own emissions

by 10%; helping to distribute the

10:10 campaign logo; and doing

everything you can to reduce your

own operational emissions.

What exactly do you have to do if you sign the 10:10 pledge?

Your organisation’s carbon

footprint can be measured in

different ways, but for 10:10

purposes, there are four key areas:

• electricity

• on-site fuel use (gas, for

most of us)

• road transport

• air travel

These are the four areas you’ll

be asked to report your progress

on at the end of your 10:10 year.

In addition, joining 10:10 means

trying to find ways to reduce

your other, harder to measure

emissions not covered above,

and doing what you can to

encourage staff, members and

clients to get involved.

Bristol based organisations who

have already signed up to the

10:10 pledge include the Centre

for Sustainable Energy, Forum for

the Future, NHS Bristol, University

of Bristol Students Union and

Bristol City Council.

Matthew Symonds

[email protected]

Tel: 0117 909 9949

Find out more about

the 10:10 campaign at

www.1010uk.org

Find out how Voscur can help

you reduce your ICT carbon

footprint at www.voscur.org/

ict/greencomputing


Getting people with extra support needs into volunteering

Management programme. It’s

about working with organisations

to look at how they can best

support their volunteers – with a

particular focus on volunteers with

additional support needs. There’s

a big demand from referral

organisations to get people with

additional support needs into

volunteering. I’m the link between

the people making referrals

and organisations recruiting

volunteers. I want to get the

message across that volunteering

can be for everybody.

What do you mean by additional support needs?

We’re interpreting it broadly.

It could be disabled people,

mental health issues, low levels

of English or literacy, people in

recovery – a range of things.

What are the issues that these people face?

People face a lot of stigma, and

there’s a feeling that providing

them with extra support is

going to be time consuming.

So for many small organisations

with scant resources, it’s

understandable that recruiting

volunteers with additional support

needs is off-putting.

But I’d challenge this. Investing

time in supporting any volunteer

is important; volunteers with

additional needs are no different.

Research shows that given

the right help, volunteers with

additional support needs will stay

with an organisation for longer. In

a world where organisations can

have problems holding on to their

volunteers, this is really important.

If you are interested in finding out

more about the project please

contact me on 0117 989 7734 or

email piers@bristolvolunteers.

org.uk.

Contact –

Volunteering Bristol

Tel: 0117 989 7733

Email: info@bristolvolunteers.

org.uk Or visit: www.

bristolvolunteers.org.uk

Royal Oak House, Royal Oak

Avenue, Bristol BS1 4BG

Volunteering Bristol

Piers Cardiff, the new Volunteer Support Adviser at Volunteering Bristol, explains what

attracted him to the role and how he hopes to change attitudes towards volunteers

with additional support needs

Piers, you’ve just started a new role at Volunteering Bristol. It’s a bit different from your previous job – what attracted you to it?

One of the things that attracted

me was the opportunity to work

in a more hands-on role. My last

job was with the charity VSO in

London, co-ordinating training for

volunteers going overseas. It was

great, but I always felt one step

removed from things. Now I’m

working directly with volunteers

and a really diverse range of

organisations.

What’s the new project all about?

The project is funded by

Capacitybuilders’ Volunteer

Piers Cardiff


Member Profile

Go Global with African Initiatives!Funded by the youth volunteering charity V and the Big Lottery, African Initiatives

has been training groups of young volunteers aged 16-25 to put on three Community

Action Days exploring local and global issues

Project Co-ordinator, Claire

Faithorn says, “The idea of the

project is to give young people the

opportunity to create an event

themselves and to inspire others

on the issues they care about. We

wanted to give young people a

volunteering experience in which

they were supported but ultimately

one where they led the project and

called the shots”.

A diverse group of young people

has been involved with the project

from different areas of Bristol

and with different motivations.

However, all the volunteers

have shared the desire to make

a positive contribution to the

community. Go Global volunteer,

Bilan Jama from Eastville says, “I

wanted to get involved as I think

it’s important to not only be a

responsible member of the local

community but of the international

community as well. It’s important

to be aware of what’s happening

in the world and share that

knowledge with others.”

Twenty-two volunteers have so

far received training in planning

and facilitating fun and effective

workshops. The first of the

action days was held at Easton

Community Centre in February

and offered activities ranging

from “The World in Easton Trail”,

to “Refugee Realities?” a drama

workshop about refugee and

asylum seeker issues. Local MP

Kerry McCarthy attended the event

and later received messages from

the community about local and

global concerns such as racism,

transport and safety on the

streets.

After the third community day

the project will move on to focus

on action days in schools before

offering more opportunities

for whole communities later

in the year. Go Global is one of

several Global Education projects

run by African Initiatives. The

organisation’s UK programmes

are dedicated to raising

awareness of development issues,

interdependence, sustainability and

promoting positive images of the

developing world.

For more information

on how to get involved

in Go Global, or any of

the other projects run by African

Initiatives visit:

www.african-initiatives.org.uk

or contact Claire Faithorn,

Tel: 0117 916 6452 or Email:

[email protected]


Public benefit is central to the work of all charities

What is public benefit?

According to the Charity

Commission, there must be

an identifiable benefit to the

public, or a section of the public.

Different charitable aims will

involve different sorts of benefits.

How should organisations report on public benefit?

Since early in 2008, charity

trustees have a new requirement

to report on their charity’s public

benefit in their Trustees’ Annual

Report.

How is this different from how you have reported in the past?

This will affect how you present

information in your report but

will not necessarily change the

content.

Smaller Charities

Trustees of smaller charities

need to continue to explain

their charity’s activities and

achievements during the year,

but set them in the context of

the charity’s aims to explain how

they have been carried out for the

public benefit.

All charities must confirm that the

trustees have paid due regard to

the Charity Commission’s guidance

on public benefit in deciding

what activities the charity should

undertake.

Larger Charities

For trustees of larger charities,

the public benefit reporting

requirement is the same as for

smaller charities, except they

are required to provide a fuller

explanation in their Trustees’

Annual Report of the significant

activities undertaken in order to

carry out the charity’s aims for the

public benefit, as well as their aims

and strategies.

They are required to explain the

charity’s achievements measured

by reference to the charity’s aims

and to the objectives set by the

trustees.

All Charities

Within that general framework, it

is for charity trustees to decide

how best to report on their

charity’s public benefit, based

upon what they think is

appropriate in their particular

charity’s circumstances.

Will the Charity Commission let me know if we don’t do it correctly?

The Charity Commission states

that trustees are legally obliged

to report on public benefit.

However, it does not currently

have the capacity to oversee

that organisations are doing this

correctly.

How can I get further help?

This information has been taken

from the Charity Commission’s

guidance Charities and Public

Benefit which provides more

information and has clear

examples of how organisations

have reported on public benefit.

Visit the Charity Commission’s

website:

www.charity-commission.gov.

uk/publicbenefit.asp

Tel: 0845 3000 218

Sophie Bayley

[email protected]

For an organisation to be recognised or registered as a charity in England and Wales, it

is required to demonstrate that its aims are for the public benefit.

However, many organisations are still unclear about how to show and report on this.

Public Benefit reporting


Constitutions Corner

Keep up to date with CIOs (Charitable Incorporated Organisations)

So what is happening now?

It is still planned to have two main

types of CIO: the “Foundation”

model (for charities with a small,

stand-alone governing body)

and an “Association” model for

charities with a wider membership.

Model constitutions for each type

will be published by the Charity

Commission, and groups will have

to stick strictly to the models

offered, or “as near to that as

circumstances permit”. This means

less scope for flexibility than

with a company structure or an

unincorporated association.

It is currently proposed that all

Trustees (management committee

members) will need to be at least

16 years old, but there will be

no minimum age for ordinary

members, nor will ordinary

members have to provide a

financial guarantee.

The key point is that the Trustees

of a CIO will not also be Company

Directors, and will therefore not

be subject to company law, as in

the Companies Act 2006. They

will, however, have wider general

duties than do ‘ordinary’

charity trustees.

One big difference with

companies is that the members

of a CIO will have “duties” to the

charity rather than the individual

legal “rights” that company

members have – for example,

to recall a Board member, or to

appoint a proxy to vote for them.

Another difference will be that

membership lists will not be open

to public scrutiny.

In theory, organisations will

be able to convert existing

incorporated forms into a CIO

with no loss of continuity of legal

personality, but unincorporated

charities will still need to convert

through setting up a new,

separate CIO.

However, the capacity of the

Charity Commission for this new

work will be limited, and it may be

that only NEW organisations will

be able to register as CIOs, at least

for a while.

CIOs will need new secondary

legislation, and, with the general

election due, we may not see the

first CIOs registered until well

into 2011.

So, the advice remains: if you have

a pressing reason to incorporate

your organisation, do NOT wait

until the CIO “bus” finally arrives!

Many readers will be aware that the Charities Act 2006 offered the prospect of new

ways for a charity to have its own legal identity – that of the Charitable Incorporated

Organisation (CIO). This would allow trustees to be protected from liability (by

incorporation), whilst remedying the current situation of incorporated charities having

to answer to, and report to, two different regulators.

Graham Partridge

Community Groups

Legal Advice Worker, Avon &

Bristol Law Centre

Tel: 0117 924 8662


Voscur Ltd. The CREATE Centre Smeaton Road Bristol BS1 6XN

Tel: 0117 909 9949Fax: 0117 933 0501Email: [email protected]: www.voscur.org

Company limited by Guarantee registered in England no. 3918210

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Voscur Diary — April / May 2010

AprilThursday 1 April How to deal with difficult issues in volunteer management

The Greenway Centre, Doncaster Road, Southmead, Bristol, BS10 5PY (9:30am-1pm)

Thursday 15 April Voscur Assembly, in partnership with Clinks. For VCSE and Statutory organisations involved in criminal justice.St Nicholas of Torentino, Stapleton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0RE (10am-1pm)

Wednesday 21 April Trustee Series 1: Why am I on the Committee? FULL

Barton Hill Settlement, 41-43 Ducie Road, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX (6:30pm-9:30pm)

Friday 23 April Time Management for Volunteer ManagersWindmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4EA (9:30am-3:30pm)

Wednesday 28 April Teenage Pregnancy Beyond 2010 – an opportunity to influence national and local strategy. Joint Children and Young People’s Network meeting.The Vassall Centre, Gill Avenue, Bristol, BS16 2QQ

Wednesday 28 April Trustee Series 2: Good Governance – How to be a better trusteeBarton Hill Settlement, 41-43 Ducie Road, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX (6:30pm-9:30pm)

Wednesday 28 April Employment Practice Network Event: Staff contracts and handbooksBarton Hill Settlement, 41-43 Ducie Road, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX (2pm-5pm)

MayThursday 6 May Financial Management for the Non-Financially Minded

Withywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, Bristol, BS13 8QA (9:30am-3:30pm)

Wednesday 12 May Improving Diversity in your Volunteer WorkforceWindmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4EA (9:30am-3:30pm)

Thursday 27 May Understanding Collaboration and your role – a session for TrusteesBarton Hill Settlement, 41-43 Ducie Road, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX (10am-12:30pm)

Thursday 27 May Neighbourhood Partnership Residents ForumVenue to be confirmed (6pm-9pm)

For full details of the above training and events visit: www.voscur.org or phone the Voscur office on: 0117 909 9949

Thrive april may 2010

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