Dame Suzi Leather, the current Chair of the Charity Commission, will be in New Mills on Saturday 8 September 2007 at 2.30 pm at the New Mills Volunteer Centre to discuss her work and answer questions. The meeting is open to voluntary and community groups active in the High Peak. If you wish to attend please contact Tom Levitt’s office on 01298 71111.

The Charity Commission is the regulatory body for all charitable organisations and Suzi Leather will be discussing its role and in particular the current changes being made to the regulation of charities under the new Charities Act which was passed in November 2006.

There are many positive improvements in the new Act which will be phased in over the next few months. Definitions of what can be interpreted as charitable activity have been modernised and broadened but there is still much public debate about what constitutes “public benefit”. A registered charity is now required by law to demonstrate public benefit if it is to qualify for tax relief.

This is the third of a series of meetings organised by Tom Levitt MP. The previous ones have been well attended and very useful meetings where our MP has been able to invite key national and regional figures who exercise an influence over the voluntary and community sector.

The first was with the then Third Sector minister Ed Milliband. As a consequence of a lot of debate around the allocation of Lottery Funds locally Mick McGrath, the Director of the East Midlands Big Lottery attended the second meeting. One useful point that emerged is that it is now possible to get feedback on why a grant was not successful. The advice is to contact the grant officer who did the assessment and ask for feedback.

Government Report on Third Sector

The Government has published its “Third Sector strategy for Communities and Local Government” which is out for discussion until 20th September 2007. The publication is available free of charge from communities and Local Government Publications, PO BOX 236, Wetherby, LS23 7NB. Telephone 0870 1226 236 or it can be downloaded from www.communities.gov.uk

Survey Finds High Level of Elder Abuse

Comic Relief, in partnership with the Department of Health, has undertaken a survey on elder abuse and its results were published recently. In the report “UK Study of Abuse and Neglect of Older People”.

The study found 342,000 people had been the victims of some form of abuse, ranging from financial fraud to emotional abuse and even assault. It found 105,000 people who had suffered 10 or more separate instances of neglect. Alarmingly, the study excludes care home residents and dementia sufferers living in the community - both particularly vulnerable groups.

The report will be of interest to all groups who work with older people.

The full report is published by the National Centre for Social Research. See http://www.comicrelief.com/docs/elder-abuse/ComicRelief-ElderAbuse-Full.pdf
For further info email info@natcen.ac.uk

Lunchtime Charity Law Updates in Derby

Freeth Cartwright solicitors will be giving a charity law update over lunchtime (12:30-2:30pm) at their Derby office on Monday 3 September, to be repeated at the same time on Monday 24 September.

The update will cover the recent Charities Act and provisions of the Companies Act 2006 which are likely to be of practical importance to corporate charities.

Charities attending will be encouraged to raise common concerns or to ask any pressing legal questions they may have.

The event is free of charge and a light buffet lunch will be served. Limited parking at Freeths' offices is also available.

For more details please contact Penny Southby / Robert Nieri on 0115 9369369.

TUPE … or not TUPE: that is the question

Derby CVS are running a training session about TUPE (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations) on Wednesday 19 September 2007 9.30am - 1.00pm at their offices in Derby. Designed for organisations planning to tender with local authorities and PCTs, it will cover: Overview of TUPE; Tendering for a public sector contract; Merging with another organisation; Role of Transferor and Transferee; Duty to consult; Risk Warranty and Indemnity.

£25.00 - members of Derby CVS / £50.00 - non members.

To book, contact Angie Baines, Derby CVS, 4 Charnwood Street, Derby, Tel: 01332 346266

Peaks and Dales Advocacy’s Creative Exhibition

Calling all artists – writers, sculptors, painters, craftsmen and women ………

Advocacy isn’t just about speaking up for yourself it’s about celebrating who you are.

If you’d like to show off your work speak to Peter or Sheila on 01298 79539 and whether you exhibit or not … …

Go and see for yourself at Buxton Methodist Church (on the Market Place, Buxton) Monday 24th – Saturday 29th September, open 10.00 am – 4.00 pm.

Grand Opening: 12 Noon Monday 24th September.

Sourcing Government Funding

The Government Funding web site, managed by Directory of Social Change to provide information on central sources of money for the sector, has made a number of updates. These include reflecting the new Department for Children, Schools and Families taking over from Department of Education and Skills, plus the addition of funding programmes from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. http://www.governmentfunding.org.uk.

From Charity to Third Sector Enterprise

Derbyshire Dales CVS invite you to two free seminars which will provide inspiration, information and impetuous to help you to move your organisation from being grant dependant to achieving a sustainable funding mix

The speakers at these seminars all have first hand experience of the challenges, constraints and benefits of moving towards sustainable funding. Successful organisations will provide inspiration whilst not overlooking the problems and experienced practitioners will focus on how to start to transform your organisation.

Seminar 1:Tuesday October 30th – The Vision
Seminar 2: Tuesday December 4th – The Reality

Both taking place at the Agricultural Business Centre, Bakewell, 9.30am to 4pm. FREE to members of third sector organisations in the Rural Action Zone (Derbyshire Dales, High Peak and Staffordshire Moorlands). If you are outside the area or from a statutory
organisation there would be a fee of £12 to cover refreshments

To reserve a place and receive a detailed programme, email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk or phone Janet on 01629 812154

Your Chance to Improve Your IT Skills

Digital Umbrella, the IT services wing of High Peak CVS, has planned an extensive programme of training sessions through the autumn, including:

Start to surf
Start to Surf is the perfect, jargon-free introduction to the Internet for complete beginners
Introduction to Microsoft Excel
Learn the basics of Excel and how to create simple spreadsheets
Microsoft Word for beginners
This one day course is aimed at first time or inexperienced users of this word processing package
What you need to know before you buy a new PC
If you are considering purchasing a computer and don’t understand all the computer lingo, this workshop is for you.
Access for databases
Learn the basics of Access and how to create a simple database
Using Mail Merge for large mail out and labels
This session is useful for anyone who has to perform mass mail outs to groups of people
Get Creative with Microsoft Publisher
Would you like to produce posters, flyers or greetings cards? This session will give you the basic skills to create professional looking documents using Microsoft Publisher

Digital Umbrella will also be offering ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) delivered flexibly from September – and we are now taking bookings.

More information from Nicola (nicola@highpeakcvs.org.uk or telephone 01663 735 350). A full list of Digital Umbrella and CVS courses can be found at http://www.highpeakcvs.org/training/events.asp

Working Safely from Home

Workplace Law Network has a brief news item looking at issues around health and safety for those working from home, covering some typical hazards. http://www.workplacelaw.net/display.php?resource_id=8919&a_id=1317.

FUNDING UPDATE

Age Concern Grants - Barclays Programme

The Barclays grants programme is open to most voluntary organisations in England who have an income or turnover of less than £50,000 per annum.The scheme offers Grants of up to £150 towards new or expanding services or activities which directly benefit older people. Application deadlines are approximately monthly throughout the year

Age Concern Grants - Bright Ideas

The Bright Ideas grants programme is open to most voluntary organisations in England who have an income or turnover of less than £200,000 per annum. The scheme offers grants of up to £2,000 towards new or expanding services or activities which directly benefit older people.Again, application deadlines are approximately monthly throughout the year.

Full details for both schemes are available from the Age Concern website below or contact: The Grants Unit, Age Concern England, Astral House,
1268 London Road, London SW16 4ER Tel. 020 8765 7738 Fax. 020 8679 9154 Website: http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/grant_giving.asp

Sport Relief 2006-2008

Half of the money raised from Sport Relief 2006 will be spent on projects in the UK. In the UK, Sport Relief aims to support projects that use sport and exercise to strengthen communities and provide opportunities for people who are excluded or disadvantaged. This money is being distributed in two ways.

The Community Foundations Programme
Over the next two years, up to £4million of Sport Relief money is being distributed through Community Foundations focusing on community groups that are using sport and exercise to: increase access to sport and exercise for people who face social exclusion and isolation; help people who are experiencing difficulties in their lives to regain their confidence and self esteem.

These grants are available up to £10,000 and, in Derbyshire, are being distributed by the Derbyshire Community Foundation: http://www.derbyshirecommunityfoundation.co.uk

The UnLtd Sport Relief Awards programme
These grants will support young people aged between 11 and 21 to set up projects that use sport and recreational activities to tackle conflict in their local area and improve community relations. These grants are available up to £5,000 and are being distributed by UnLtd on behalf of Sport Relief. For more information and to apply for a grant, contact UnLtd on 0845 850 1122

Website: http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/sport-relief/

It’s Your Community

It’s Your Community is a New Award Scheme sponsored by O2 to enable people to make a difference in their local environments.

‘Think Global, Act Local’ – that’s the call that is frequently made to people all over the world. The Conservation Foundation and O2 have launched a new award scheme to help provide funding for projects designed to improve local environments throughout the UK.

Applications are welcome from anywhere in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. You can apply for up to £1000. Awards should be for the benefit of the community, or to build community spirit.

There are a number of “It's Your Community” categories:

Community Places - Improving the places communities share. Reinvigorating community, amenity and recreation areas, for example, installing new equipment for a playground, repairing a pavilion roof, erecting a community noticeboard
Community People - Helping bring people together - Creating a sense of ownership and social responsibility, for example, promoting personal safety awareness to young people, supporting a self-help group for elderly people
Community Pride - Tackling issues head on and restoring a sense of pride - Clearing letter and rubbish, removing graffiti
Community Landscape - Improving communities' natural environments - Creating community gardens, planting trees, improving public access to riverbanks...

Although these four groups cover the programme's main interests, they're open to new, ground-breaking suggestions outside these main areas.

Application is only via the new dedicated Website: http://www.itsyourcommunity.co.uk/

Healthy Hearts Grants

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Grants support innovative projects deigned to promote heart health and to prevent or reduce the risks of heart disease in specific groups or communities.

They have funded more than £280,000 worth of grants around the UK and focus on innovative, original projects that are based around heart health.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available to community groups, voluntary organisations and researchers who are spreading the healthy heart message.
Government or local authority funded institutions are not supported, however, community and voluntary groups aided by public money may apply.

Applications are only accepted during January and February for the May round of grants and July and August for grants awarded in November, each year.

Contact the lifestyle team Tel: 0113 297 6206 Email: lifestyle@heartresearch.org.uk for more information.
Heart Research UK, Suite 12D, Joseph's Well, Leeds, LS3 1AB Website: http://www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy_heart_grants.htm

Co-operative Foundation – Community Support Programme

The Co-operative Foundation is an independent charitable trust set up in 2000.
The Foundation is solely funded by United Co-operatives which has trading interests within the North West, South Cumbria, Yorkshire, North Midlands, Northern Ireland and North Wales.

United Co-operatives has donated nearly £7 million to the Foundation to be invested to generate income to support the Foundation’s grant making programme. The Foundation is in its early years as a grant making body and has limited income to satisfy the growing number of applications it receives.

The Co-operative Foundation is keen to support community and voluntary sector activity through grants to local groups and organisations across its trading area. It is particular interested in locally led and run groups which can demonstrate evidence of co-operative values and principles: self-help, equality, democracy, concern for the community.
In support of this community-led approach the Foundation has one focussed grant-making programme, the Community Support Programme, for community based groups.
Grants range between the values of £500 and £30,000 for one-year projects - for either part or total funding, covering capital and / or revenue costs

This programme was developed to help groups who want to make a difference in their own communities, through grass roots community activity. The community can be geographically-based, such as a village, town or housing estate, or could be a community of people brought together to address a specific issue.

Remaining closing dates for receipt of applications this year are: 7 September 2007; and 1 December 2007.
The Charity Manager, THE CO-OPERATIVE FOUNDATION, United Co-operatives, Sandbrook Park, Sandbrook Way, Rochdale OL11 1RY Tel: 01706 202032 Email: foundation@coop.co.uk

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