Bulletin Contents - 18 June 2007

Hope Valley Area Forum

Sharing Personal Information

Smoking Ban Reminder

Working Together to Improve Sector Governance

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's Enterprise and Independence Programme

"Starting Out" ICT Knowledgebase Guides

On Common Ground: The Kinder Trespass Community Play

Communities & Local Government - 3rd Sector Strategy Launch

Hope Valley Area Forum

The next forum takes place on Thursday, 21 June 7-9pm at Hope Valley College.
It is entitled 'Communities Doing it for Themselves' and the programme includes:
a keynote speech from Jim Dixon (Peak Park Authority);
Practical Community Work (Rachel Billings, Groundwork Trust);
and short presentations on
Village Planning in Derbyshire (Helen Bovey, ICARUS) and
Effective Lobbying for Community Groups (Joe Dugdale, DRCC).

There will be light refreshments. To attend, contact Adele.Metcalfe@peakdistrict.gov.uk

Sharing Personal Information

The Information Commissioner's Office has produced a document to explain its general approach to sharing of personal information between organisations. Aimed primarily at public bodies, much will be relevant to voluntary organisations too. Go to www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection_guide.aspx, or download the pdf (32kb) direct.

Smoking Ban Reminder

Don't forget that with the workplace smoking ban coming in across England from 1st July that No Smoking signs at all entrances are required, not just the public/front door.
See more on the requirements, options and resources at
smokefreeengland.co.uk/resources/guidance-and-signage.html

Working Together to Improve Sector Governance

The Governance Hub Partnership Programme works with umbrella organisations and federated charities to support and develop a significant improvement in the quality of governance within the sector at a national, regional and local level. The closing date for the latest round of the small grants programme is 23rd August. www.governancehub.org.uk/Home/Working%20with%20the%20Hub.shtml.

Funding: The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's Enterprise and Independence Programme

The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's Enterprise and Independence programme aims to enable people and communities facing disadvantage to improve their lives and prioritises those at greatest need. Applications should be in one of the following priority areas:

Enterprising Communities
They want to enable people and organisations to be more enterprising and to develop new ways of tackling the needs of those at greatest disadvantage

Financial Independence
They want to support work which improves access to financial services for individuals, voluntary and community organisations and businesses which are unable to use traditional sources of finance

There is no maximum grant size. In 2005 they made 531 grants across their four programmes. The average grant size was £52,795.They expect to make annual grants up to £29 million across their four programme areas. They do not set deadlines for applications and you can apply for a grant at any time. Trustees meet four times a year and you do not need to time your application to coincide with these meetings. They do not publish the dates of Trustees' meetings.

More information www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/programmes/sd.html 

"Starting Out" ICT Knowledgebase Guides

The ICT Hub’s growing Knowledgebase of ICT articles, guides and fact sheets has recently been expanded with a section specifically targeted at small groups or those working with small groups. The articles cover the very basics of ICT and are written assuming no prior knowledge of computers.

The link to these guides are at www.icthubknowledgebase.org.uk/startingout.

On Common Ground: The Kinder Trespass Community Play

On Common Ground is a celebration of the struggle of ordinary people to gain access to the countryside we take for granted.

Using music, multimedia, and jump-cuts through time and space, the performance - devised with the New Mills Community - explores the history of the struggle and takes one into a future of imagined consequences.

Central to the show is the remarkable story of the Kinder Trespass, when a large group of young ramblers from Manchester and Sheffield defied police and local landowners to roam across the High Peaks of Derbyshire.

This year is the 75th anniversary of the trespass. It gives an opportunity to mark the achievement of these men and women - the right to roam and the creation of the first National Park in England.

The telling of this epic story takes place at 7.30 pm Friday 29 and Saturday 30 June at Arts Theatre, Jodrell Street, New Mills. Suitable for everyone aged 8 and over. Adults £5 Concessions £1  Booking advised. Tickets  01663 742364 or from local venues: New Mills Heritage Centre, Derbyshire Building Society, and The Organic Shop. Further Information from High Peak Community Arts 01663 744516

Visit www.kindertrespass.com for the full story of the trespass and the characters involved.

Communities & Local Government - 3rd Sector Strategy Launch

The Department for Communities and Local Government  (CLG) has launched a consultation on their third sector strategy. The consultation document outlines proposals for improving CLG's engagement with the third sector. They are especially keen to receive responses from third sector organisations and local government.

The full consultation paper is on the CLG website and responses are invited until 20 September 2007 - www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1511102

Please note that there will be consultation events running across the regions during the period July to September 2007. Government Office East Midlands intends to run an event in September prior to the closing date of the consultation. More details to follow.