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Tutor Colleen Thomas has over 30 years experience using computers and over 10 years teaching people how to use PCs. This has been in Adult Education at Hope Valley College, in small groups at community and day care centres and on a one-to-one basis privately at the individual’s own home. Colleen has taught courses for beginners on using WORD, EXCEL, ACCESS, PUBLISHER, POWER POINT, the Internet and email.

Free to High Peak voluntary and community groups without paid workers, £20 to voluntary and community groups in the High Peak with paid workers, £25 to voluntary and community groups outside the High Peak, £35 all others.

Further details at highpeakcvs.org.uk/training/events-detail.asp?ID=343 or Phone 01663 735350 to book a place.

Kinder Mountain Rescue Team Charity Ball

Kinder Mountain Rescue Team provides search and mountain rescue services in the Peak District. They are based in Hayfield in the High Peak and their area includes Kinder Scout and west towards Stockport and Manchester. They provide a 365 days a year, 24/7 search and mountain rescue service to walkers and climbers in the Dark Peak, as well as assisting the police with lowland search and rescue of vulnerable persons.

Although they provide 24 hours a day, 365-day a year professional search and rescue service, the Kinder Mountain Rescue Team is made up of unpaid volunteers and it receives no Government funding. Fundraising, through appeals and donations, is an important part of what they do, so that they can provide the best possible search and mountain rescue service. The running costs of the Mountain Rescue Team are around £14,000 per year. This money comes from general collections and donations. They have recently launched an appeal for funds for a new Team Headquarters Appeal. Currently they run from a garage in a pub car park, where there are no toilet facilities, washing or parking for Team Vehicles.

On Saturday 18 April 2009 they will be holding a Spring Ball at The Barceló Buxton Palace Hotel, Buxton. £35.00 each or corporate packages available. Black tie and ball gowns, three course dinner and music, raffle and auction. Tickets are available from Sally Barnett on 07742 811938 or Chinley Post Office. All proceeds on the night will go to the appeal.

The Mountain Rescue Team is asking companies if they can help with raffle prizes or auction items. If your company can help or would like to attend the Ball then please contact Sally to discuss.

New Courses from College of the Peak

College of the Peak is marking its move to Wirksworth with a series of new courses on Thursday evenings.

Choose from – knitting and crochet, rag rug making, feltmaking, wildflower walks, floristry, sustainable development – and many more. All at a discounted rate of 25% if you book before April 25. These courses are due to start on April 23 at Anthony Gell School, Wirksworth.

In addition there is a three day course in flower arranging for all occasions including making button holes and corsages, celebration flowers, table arranging and conditioning techniques for cut flowers. Course runs April 30, May 7 and May 14.

Other new courses include a willow workshop making obelisks and plant supports with Tony Allen.

In addition College of the Peak is now recruiting for its popular dry stone walling course, self build weekend and stone masonry courses.

For a full list of all courses visit www.collegeofthepeak.org.uk or phone: 01629 824765. You can also find information on the Derbyhsire County Council website at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/adulteducation.

LINk Co-ordinator at T3SC in Ashton

36 hours per week NJC Pay scale point 33 – 34 £27,573 - £28,353

Tameside 3rd Sector Coalition (T3SC) is working to build a strong, diverse and influential voluntary & community sector for Tameside.

T3SC host the LINk (Local Involvement Network) in Tameside. They are seeking to recruit a dynamic individual to lead the LINk team in developing and sustaining this new initiative.

Tameside LINk enables individuals and groups to engage with health and social care providers and influence service planning and delivery at a local level.

The successful applicant will be an experienced project manager with a background in community development/engagement. You will be an excellent communicator that can work effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders across the statutory and voluntary sector. Providing a strategic lead with practical delivery you will be committed to equal engagement for all sections of the community.

For an application pack contact Lilian at T3SC on 0161 339 4985 or download the pack and further information from the website www.t3sc.org.uk

Closing Date for applications: Friday 1 May 2009 12 noon
Must be available for interview on: 19 May 2009

Age Concern Vacancies in Chesterfield

Chief Officer /Care Line Co-ordinator
Salary: £13,800 + Pension 21 hours per week over 4 days

Age Concern Chesterfield & District is looking to recruit an enthusiastic and energetic person with good management, networking and communication skills to take forward the work of the Charity. Ability to work at a senior level is essential together with leadership and organisation management skills. Must have knowledge and experience in health and social care issues that affect Older People.

The post holder will also co-ordinate the Care Line Telephone Befriending Scheme managing a team of volunteers who make the regular calls, dealing with issues arising from the calls and ensuring that all aspects of the service run smoothly.

Closing date: 1 May 2009
Interview date: 12 May 2009

Advocacy, Information & Advice Co-ordinator
Salary: £10,800 + Pension 20 hours per week over 4 days

Age Concern Chesterfield & District is looking to recruit a motivated person with good management, networking and communication skills to provide Information and Advice on Older Peoples issues. Advocacy will also be provided for people who are unable to assist themselves usually when making complex decisions around future care.

Must have empathy with Older People and knowledge and experience in health and social care issues that affect them. Ability in maintaining records and managing information resources is also required.

Our registered office is in Chesterfield where the post is based though travel to other places will be required occasionally.

Closing date: 1 May 2009
Interview date: 13 May 2009

Our registered office is in Chesterfield where the posts are based, though travel to other places will be required occasionally.

For either application pack email: enquiries@ageconcernchesterfield.org.uk or contact at 21 Stephenson Place, Chesterfield S40 1XL.

Regional Responses to the 'Thriving Third Sector'

Research has been carried out for One East Midlands by Kerrie Fletcher, Third Sector Support for Derbyshire (3D). The aim of this research was to provide an overview of the experience of the third sector in the East Midlands, in negotiating Local Area Agreements and beginning work with partners to address National Indicator 7.

Read the full article at www.oneeastmidlands.org.uk/news.php?readmore=199

Simplifying Health and Safety Regulations

Changes to regulations administered by the Health and Safety Executive from 6 April include:

a new, easier to read version of the law poster that employers must display (the existing poster and leaflet can be used until 5 April 2014 as long as they are readable and have up-to-date addresses of the enforcing authority and the Employment Medical Advisory Service); and
reducing the number of forms that employers must complete.

Employers will no longer have to register the factories, offices and shops in which their employees work with the relevant health and safety authority, www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd219-notification.htm More in the press release at www.hse.gov.uk/press/2009/e09029.htm or how to obtain the poster at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/lawposter.htm

Employment Practice Advice from NCVO

The Workforce, Human Resources and Employment section of NCVO's website has been updated, covering Employment Practice advice, sample HR policies and job descriptions, and more – www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/askncvo/hr/

Gift Aid and Tax Legislation for Charities

HM Revenue and Customs has updated the web list of statutory references relating to charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs, covering tax exemptions, Gift Aid and other giving, www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/legislation.htm

The specimen Gift Aid Declaration Forms have been amended in respect of the requirement that donors must pay sufficient amounts of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax. A4 version (pdf, 88KB) at www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/appendix_b1.pdf or A5 (pdf, 116KB) at www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/appendix_b3.pdf

How Volunteer Managers Make a Difference

The Association of Volunteer Managers would like to be able to show the actual difference that having a volunteer manager in place makes, to tackle the perception of some organisations that such jobs are a luxury. As an initial step it has posed two questions for volunteer managers on its website. Answer online or by email.

Examining the Dividend Cap on Community Interest Companies

Four years into the Community Interest Companies (CICs) legal model for social enterprises, the Regulator has launched a review of the 'dividend cap', which limits the return that investors can receive. Background in the news item or go direct to www.cicregulator.gov.uk/consultationintro.shtml. Respond by 19 June.

Discussing the Future of Sector Funding

Information on The Funding Commission, set up by NCVO to look at what sector funding might look like in ten years time, has been updated with notes from a recent roundtable discussion on the subject. Find this and how to give your own input (the first consultation phase runs to 13 May) at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/policy/index.asp?id=12706

Fundraising Healthcheck Tool

The Fundraising Healthcheck online diagnostic tool to help organisations understand the impact of the recession on their fundraising portfolio is now open to all, not just members of the Institute of Fundraising, www.fundraisinghealthcheck.org Reports give a prognosis for each area of your fundraising, based on past experience and current trends, and practical advice and guidance on how to survive and thrive during the economic downturn. A video explaining its creation and use is on UK Fundraising.

Mapping the Women's Voluntary and Community Sector

'Not just bread, but roses, too' is the fourth report from the Why Women? campaign to raise awareness of the women's voluntary and community sector, and the many challenges facing women's organisations.

See www.wrc.org.uk/what_we_do/campaigns/why_women/default.aspx or download (pdf, 2.65MB, 54pp) (Source: Clinks light lunch)

Community Engagement Strategies

Urban Forum, along with NAVCA and the Improvement and Development Agency for local government, has published 'Developing Your Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy: A Practical Guide For LSPs', providing "essential information that local authorities and LSP partners need to develop a joined-up approach to community engagement". Can be downloaded (pdf, 730KB) from Urban Forum.

Activism, Volunteering and Citizenship

A Seminar Series 'Activism, Volunteering and Citizenship' running from May to next February is co-hosted by Northumbria, Newcastle and Edinburgh Universities and supported by ESRC. "(Taking) as its overarching theme, 'emerging' and 'abandoned' citizens, focusing attention on the ways different forms and practices of activism, volunteering and citizenship are enabled and constrained by neoliberalism in different sectoral and geographical contexts.” See Northumbria University info. (Source: VSSN list)

Awards For All 2009/10 New Arrangements

Awards For All is a UK wide lottery Big Lottery Fund grant scheme for local communities. There are different schemes in each of the four countries. Awards For All England makes grants of between £300 and £10,000 to organisations wanting to run projects that aim to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need. These outcomes set out what they want to achieve. Therefore, they want to fund projects that meet one or more of the following outcomes: People have better chances in life – with better access to training and development to improve their life skills; Stronger communities – with more active citizens working together to tackle their problems; Improved rural and urban environments – which communities are better able to access and enjoy; Healthier and more active people and communities. You must show how your project meets at least one of them to be considered for a grant.

Applications can be made at any time. Decision-making is continuous. There are no funding rounds or application windows. Applications can be made online, using a writeable PDF document that can be emailed to us. This is available from Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk or applications can be made on an offline application form and sent through the post. The Big Lottery Fund aims to contact applicants within six weeks to let them know if they have been successful.

If you are not sure whether your project is something they can fund, please look at their website www.awardsforall.org.uk for more information or call their advice line Tel: 0845 6 10 20 30

Applicants need to consider the main purpose of their project. If the main purpose of the project is to make a difference to local communities and the lives of people most in need, the project is likely to be eligible for Awards For All funding. For more information please visit Website: www.awardsforall.org.uk or ring their BIG advice line on 0845 4 10 20 30.

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