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This trial / temporary post will require you to work as a Personal Assistant to a lady in the Buxton area. You would be required to assist her with her paid employment using her car to drive her to and from various places of work in the High Peak district. A clean driving license would be essential. You would need to load and unload tables, display stands and boxes to and from her car and set them up or take down at various events she attends as part of her work. You may also be required to assist in serving drinks at the events. >> More Details

Vacancy - Experienced Advice Worker at High Peak CAB

(working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support)

2.5 days per week
Salary: £22,122 pro-rata (pay award pending) + 5% pension contribution + 25 days holiday.

High Peak CAB need an experienced, generalist advice worker to work with people who have been diagnosed with cancer. The successful candidate will be an experienced advice worker with a good all-round knowledge, and will be used to working under some pressure, to tight deadlines.

The post will involve travel around a wide rural area, but will be based in Buxton.

Previous applicants need not apply.

Closing date: 27th June (5pm)
Interviews: 7th July

Application packs from: Gail Clayton on 01298 214550 or write to Gail Clayton, High Peak CAB, 26 SpringGardens, Buxton, SK17 6DE

Promoting Physical Activity in the Workplace

Newly published from National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is 'Promoting physical activity in the workplace' guidance for employers and professionals in any size organisation who have a direct or indirect role in improving health at work. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/index.jsp?action=byID&o=11981

Making the Most of Photo Sharing

Flickr for Good is a charity donation programme managed in the UK by Charity Technology Exchange, giving photo storage, sharing and organisation facilities. There are a total of 10,000 one year Flickr Professional accounts being made available internationally, which don't have the various restrictions of the basic account. Some examples of uses are at www.flickr.com/good or to apply go to CTX: www.ctxchange.org/about_ctx/donor_partners/flickr/

Training for Carers

The Expert Patients Programme CIC is conducting research to build up an accurate picture of training currently available to carers, as part of the Department of Health scheme to develop an expert carers' programme. An online survey is at www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=IrLlFj4_2b0HgJifD_2fxpopUQ_3d_3d

Proposal to Create a Community Allowance

The CREATE Consortium wants a change to the benefits system, to enable community organisations to pay people to do work that strengthens their neighbourhood without it affecting any of their benefits. The Community Allowance would help tackle the benefits trap and be a regeneration tool too. The Consortium aims to run pilots in each English region, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. More at www.communityallowance.org – including a chance to back the idea. Note that the site requires cookies to work properly.

Benefits of Conservation Volunteering

Environments for Learning, an accreditation scheme for environmental volunteers based on the European Qualification Framework, launches in September. Developed by conservation charity BTCV and six partners across Europe, it will recognise skills and knowledge that volunteers learn informally through volunteering. Third Sector news item at www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/810962/ (registration required).

Also from BTCV is a new report that demonstrates that every pound invested in a volunteering project gave a social return of £4. 'Inspiring People, Improving Places – The positive impact and behavioural change achieved through environmental volunteering with BTCV' is in pdf, 1.14MB, from www2.btcv.org.uk/BehaviourChange.pdf

Credit Checking for Charity Contracts

Plaza Publishing's Charity News Alert reports that online charity database GuideStar is working with credit checking agency Experian to develop a charity-friendly measure of financial strength for use in due diligence exercises around public sector contract bidding. News item at www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=1905

Creating Access to Nature

Natural England's Lottery funded 'Access to Nature' grant programme aims to provide lasting change to disadvantaged communities and is open to organisations and networks who want to help broaden access to the natural world for young people, older people, Black and Minority Ethnic groups, and people with disabilities. Amounts between £50,000 and £500,000 will be awarded on a national and regional basis. www.naturalengland.org.uk/accesstonature

Designing Accessibility for ICT Systems

The RNIB Scientific Research Unit's web site Tiresias (www.tiresias.org) provides guidelines on accessibility issues for all types of disabilities, for designers of information and communication technology systems.

CharityAssured – Charity Insurance

Need insurance for your charity? One of the key responsibilities of running a charity is to ensure you have adequate protection for your assets and against your potential liabilities. That’s why arranging appropriate insurance is essential. At Aon CharityAssured we understand the diversity of the sector and our extensive knowledge ensures we “guide you in the right direction”, whatever your insurance needs.

Their wide range of product options include: Public liability; Employers’ liability; Contents (including all risks); Buildings; Trustees indemnity; Professional indemnity; Minibus; Legal expenses.

If you want specialist protection for your charity, then phone Aon CharityAssured today for your free, no obligation insurance quote.

Telephone: 08457 402 003
Website: www.charities.aon.co.uk

Art and the City – Funds from Art

Thinking about organising an event or auction? Concerned about where to obtain prizes/lots without risk? Look at Art and the City website: www.artandthecity.co.uk

They can work with you by providing original contemporary works of art, with no financial commitment. Offering you a without risk opportunity. Art and the City has successfully raised monies for charities. Each work of art has a reserve price. Your charity receives 100% of the proceeds over and above the reserve price. All artists are established in their own right.

Visit the website www.artandthecity.co.uk to view the latest works. For further information on how we can assist you please contact Gavin Rosenthal on 07958 537982 or email gavinrosenthal@artandthecity.co.uk

National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning

The National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning is designed to help commissioners of services commission services from the Voluntary and Community Sector, including children's services, health and social care services, and education and training, to be more aware of how to understand the sector in order to commission services more intelligently.

This is good news for the VCS because there has been a wholesale move away from funding for organisations (core costs) and towards payment for commissioned services. The Programme aims to help commissioners to understand and work with the VCS in order to better harness their contribution to delivering public services.

The executive summary of the programme so far includes research into the views of commissioners regarding the VCS. There is much positive data about commissioners' recognition of the unique contribution of the VCS, but the research also shows that commissioners are generally less confident in the sector's ability to deliver public services, with 51% thinking that VCOs 'often don't have the resources or the capacity to successfully manage public sector contracts'.

The Programme will operate over four years to bring commissioners and the sector closer in understanding. For the eight Principles of Good Commissioning that arose from the research, go to: www.idea.gov.uk/idk/aio/6617745
For the Executive Summary of the full report, go to:
www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=6583598

BIG – Young People’s Fund 2 Local Grants

The Big Lottery Fund launched YPF 2 Local Grants on 19th May 2008. Grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 will be available.

You will have about four months after the launch date to send us your outline proposal form. This will give us a strong indication whether your project is one that we would consider funding.

All projects that receive money from the Big Lottery Fund need to begin their project within six months of their grant offer letter which should be sent out in April 2009.

Only one application from each organisation, or an independent branch of a larger organisation, is allowed under this programme. You may be a partner in more than one application. They will consider the capacity of organisations involved in multiple applications as part of the assessment process, so you should be sure that you can manage all the work that you have agreed to be involved in before you or your partners apply.

Applications from branches will be considered separately to those made by other branches.

Full details on the BIG Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Kelloggs Active Living Fund

The fund will give small grants to fund projects and activities that directly lead to people taking part in sustained physical activity. The aim of the fund is to help remove the ‘barriers’ which stop people being active.

Most health and exercise professionals agree that children ‘learn’ their physical activity habits mostly from their parents. While schools and other organisations clearly play a valuable role in promoting the benefits of exercise, the best role models for a child are their immediate family. Therefore the Kellogg’s Active Living Fund is very keen to fund activities that enable adults and children to exercise together.

Applications can be considered for projects engaging with young people up to 25 years of age. However priority will be given to applications requesting support for family units – children and adults undertaking physical activity together. They are particularly looking for projects that are innovative in their approach to involve children or young people and their families.

They do not prioritise larger, more sophisticated organisations that have a track record of attracting funding, particularly when such groups have a turnover of more than £50,000 a year and the maximum grant request that will be considered is £1,000.

Your application will be considered by a panel of Kellogg’s staff that meet every two months and you should receive a decision on your application within approximately 10 weeks of submitting your application. Please note that the panel’s decision is final and there is no right of appeal.

The Active Living Community Fund is being administered by The Community Foundation for Greater Manchester. All correspondence will be with The Community Foundation.

For any queries in relation to this application or if you would like help or support in completing your application form please contact Louise Daly on 0161 214 0940 or email kelloggs@communityfoundation.co.uk
Website: www.kelloggs.co.uk/company/corporateresponsibility/activelivingfund/

Traditional Building Skills at College of the Peak

Feeling inspired by those eco self build programmes on the telly? Why not try one of College of the Peak’s courses and find out how to do it for yourself?

Derbyshire County Council Adult Community Education’s College of the Peak has joined forces with Haddon Hall and the National Stone Centre to run a variety of courses from stone masonry to straw bale building over the next two months.

Most of the courses are designed to help people wanting to do their DIY using traditional skills, local authority officers looking for some practical experience and builders seeking to extend their knowledge.

If you’ve already done our taster courses why not try the two-day follow on courses in lime renders and mortars, where you will get the chance to work on a live site or have a go at building an arch on the stone masonry course.

Courses include:

Stone Masonry (two day taster) – Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June;
Lime renders and mortars (one day taster) – Saturday 2 July;
Stone Masonry (two day follow on) – Thursday 10 and Friday 11 July;
Building with Straw – facts not fairytales (one day taster) - Saturday 12 July;
Lime Renders and Mortars (two day follow on) – Thursday 17 and Friday 18 July.

All one day courses cost £55, while the two day courses are £110. Some discounts may be available.

Or perhaps you would like to sign up for our Lantra and Dry Stone Walling Association accredited dry stone walling programme – Walls for the Future. There are still places available on our summer Level One course which starts on Monday 14 July.

For full details of all these courses – and more - ring: 01629 815749; email: collegeofthepeak@btconnect.com or visit our website at: www.collegeofthepeak.org.uk.

Victims of Discrimination Get New Service

Derbyshire based legal charity, Chesterfield Law Centre, have been successful in receiving funding from the new formed Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to expand its FREE, service to people who have been discriminated against when accessing goods or services to cover residents of the whole of the East Midlands region. Now anyone who believes they have been discriminated against on the grounds of their gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, faith or belief when accessing goods or services can get help.

Many people find that shops, banks or other service providers are not accessible to them because of, for example, poor attitudinal and cultural barriers. This behaviour can offend or may even prevent people using those services and might mean that they receive a lower standard of service, or no service at all. The new ‘human rights’ based service means that Chesterfield Law Centre now provides legal support to everyone who finds themselves the victim of discrimination when accessing services.

Tony Ashwell, the project worker, started at Chesterfield Law Centre as a disability discrimination worker in May 2006 and since then he has assisted over 100 disabled people living in East Midlands by removing barriers that prevent them from using services. He is very excited at the extent of the new project
“There are many areas in life where people are discriminated against. It’s wrong and unlawful and now that we can assist them, people no longer have to put up with lower standards!” said Tony.

Sometimes small changes are all that is necessary, for instance hotels and B&Bs must allow double rooms to same-sex couples if requested, pubs and restaurants cannot ban travellers from entering and using their premises. Other small changes could be service providers installing loop systems for hard of hearing people, removing steps or creating ramps to assist disabled people entering buildings or training staff on measures to avoid discrimination.

People living in East Midlands who have problems using a service as a result of discrimination can get support and advice on their rights by contacting Tony Ashwell, Equality and Human Rights Adviser at Chesterfield Law Centre on 01246 550674 or email him at clc@chesterfieldlawcentre.org.uk

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