High Peak Borough Council has been reviewing the Funding Strategy and Policy over recent months and as part of this process High Peak CVS has been seeking the views of voluntary and community organisations and other stakeholders. We would value your views on the draft Strategy and Policy and if you have any comments please contact Nigel at the CVS on 01663 736423 or via email. A hard copy version is available on request.

The draft funding policy for voluntary and community groups will be discussed at a special meeting on Tue 28 Nov at 7.30 pm at High Peak CVS.

The Strategy and Policy has not been before the Full Executive yet and is still subject to change and development. It will go for decision in February 2007 together with the results of the public consultation exercise.

Draft Community Fund Policy - Key Aspects

The High Peak Community Fund is a grant aid scheme available to voluntary organisations and community groups. Funding should be used to provide services, facilities and activities that improve the quality of life for the residents of the High Peak, in line with HPBC Corporate Priorities.

The key aim of the Fund is to assist in the development, promotion and co-ordination of sporting, artistic, cultural, community, environmental, educational and development initiatives within the Borough.

The fund will be made up of three distinct parts:

One-off grants on an annual basis to Voluntary Sector organisations wishing to undertake projects and also grants to new groups starting up. This is referred to as the Small Grants Pot and will be open for bids in two rounds each year, allocated to each Area Forum.

Longer term funding for Strategic Partner organisations helping to fulfil the strategic aims of the council under a Service Level Agreement.

Three year agreements to fund Voluntary and Community Sector organisations that require certainty of funding for core activities and longer term planning.

High Peak CVS Training Programme

IT, Accessibility and your Organisation Awareness Event
Tuesday 28 Nov 2006 at Derby CVS, 4 Charnwood Street, Derby

Disability Discrimination Act Presentation
Informal Networking
Introduction to Accessibility Champions
Low cost no cost solutions
Workstation Assessment:
Posture & Position Demo
Ask the Experts Session

To book a place please contact Nicola Dinsdale 01663 736432.

Promoting Public Health Course

Promoting Public Health is very community oriented course based on the social model rather than medical model of health. It is an Open University course and generally requires 12-15 hours of study per week for 9 months from February to early October. The level of study is equivalent to the final year of a degree and carries 60 CATS. The course costs £600 but there are 50% subsidies available. There are still some places left - contact Julie.Hirst@derbyshirecountypct.nhs.uk.

Training in Working with Young People

High Peak Nightstop are holding a short training session on working with young people. It will cover how young people perceive 'helping adults' and communicating with young people. The training is aimed at Nightstop volunteers, but there are a few additional places available for those interested, particularly if they are volunteers.

The training will be on Dec 6 at the Railway Pub, Market Street, Whaley Bridge from 6.30 to 9pm. There will be some refreshments provided. Contact Sarah Gabriel on 01298 73924, s.gabriel.hpnightstop@virgin.net

Free Tickets for 3rd Sector Delivering 4 Community Conference

5 free places are available for organisations that would not ordinarily be able to attend the 3rd sector Conference on Thur 28 Nov at East Midlands Conference Centre. Conference information is available at www.delivering4community.com . Anyone wishing to take up this opportunity should contact Ron Pusey direct on 01625 628007. Places will be available until close of play Thursday (today).

36 Wooden Chairs - FREE

36 wooden chairs are available free to anyone who can make use of them. The back, seat and legs are wood, joined with metal. They are stackable and interlock together to make a row if necessary. A new home needs to be found by the beginning of December. The chairs need to be collected from Dukinfield.

For further details please contact Jackie on 01663 736436 or 735350 or by email Jackie@highpeakcvs.org.uk.

Funding and Finance

BBC Children in Need Grants

Financial assistance is available to support projects aimed at helping children in difficult circumstances - applications for projects taking place in Summer 2007 must be submitted by 30 November 2006.

Applications should clearly demonstrate how the project will change the lives of children and young people for the better. Where possible it should take into account their views and involve them in decisions which affect them. Further information from BBC Children in Need.

Funding for Local Environment Projects

The Conservation Foundation and O2 have launched a new award scheme, 'It’s Your Community', to help provide funding for projects designed to improve local environments throughout the UK. Awards of up to £1000 are available to local groups and individuals for the hire of tools or equipment, and to purchase plants, paint, signs, materials etc. See http://www.conservationfoundation.co.uk/ActLocalAwards.php.

Funding Opportunities for Sport

The Foundation for Sport and the Arts aims to fund a wide range of activities where there is clear beneficial impact across the community, especially ones which encourage active participation by young people.

The Lords Taverners exists to give young people “a sporting chance.” Most of its funding goes to youth cricket, but it also helps to purchase specally adapted minibuses and to provide sport and recreation for young people with special needs.

Sportsmatch can match commercial business sponsorship for a grass roots sporting event or activity. Any not-for-profit group can apply e.g. sports club, school/college, charity, governing body of sport, local authority, voluntary groups etc. They can match money from any profit-distributing business e.g. a bank, restaurant, estate agent, supermarket etc. The minimum matching award is £1000. Sponsorship can be in cash or in kind (in kind for sporting equipment only). Projects being sponsored should be aiming to include one or more of the following elements: increased participation at the grass roots and/or improved skills, new activities or extend/enhance existing activities, provide links to the local community and ensure long term benefits. Their priority groups are women and girls, ethnic minorities, disability groups, schools, areas of recreational deprivation and youth.

Promoting Social Enterprise

The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, launched the government’s ‘Social Enterprise Action Plan' on Social Enterprise Day (16th November). The plan aims to raise awareness of what social enterprises can achieve and encourage more people to make a difference, either by involvement or investment. It includes 31 short case studies of both enterprises and support bodies alongside a raft of government action points - download from http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/social_enterprise/action_plan/.

Tell It Like It Is - Call to Clarify Financial Reserves

The Charity Commission is calling on charities to get their act together on reserves policies. Its headline from recent research into charities’ reserves management is "£3.6 billion is being held by charities without being accounted for by a reserves policy". While there have been improvements since the Commission's last report on the subject in 2002, 28% of charities holding reserves still had no policy in place for their management, representing some 10% of charities’ total annual expenditure.

"A policy can help a charity ensure service delivery if funding is disrupted, and explain to supporters and funders alike why the charity holds money in reserve instead of spending it." - from 'Tell It Like It Is: The extent of charity reserves and reserves policies'

'Don't let charities bid for services' - Amicus

Trade union Amicus has urged the Treasury to bar voluntary and private sector organisations from bidding for public sector contracts. The union met Stephen Timms, the chief secretary to the Treasury, to try to persuade him to abandon procurement processes that allow charities to bid. It claims the competition leads to a deterioration in services for users and in conditions for staff. The union wants a more collaborative approach - "If all stakeholders met to decide what the service is, what the cost is and how they are going to deliver it, that gives greater consideration to the actual service rather than placing the emphasis on the procurement process."

National VCS

National Centre for Diversity Launches ‘Investors in Diversity’

The National Centre for Diversity has launched the new standard ‘Investors in Diversity’. The standard is aimed at assisting organisations to develop a truly inclusive organisational culture in which diversity is genuinely valued. It will also allow organisations to measure their progress and receive recognition for their achievements.

Organisations are able to register online to become an accredited ‘Investor in Diversity’. For more information, visit the Investors in Diversity website: www.investorindiversity.co.uk

Company Law Changes

The Companies Act 2006 has received Royal Assent. It will simplify various requirements on companies, including the 'limited by guarantee' form commonly used by voluntary organisations, for example abolishing the need for a company secretary. It also brings together, in clearer and simpler language, existing company law, although that on community interest companies is an exception. All parts of the Act will be in force by October 2008.

Valuing the Arts

Arts Council England, in its 60th year, is running an “Arts debate” - a large-scale programme of research, public consultation and debate to explore what people value about the arts.

It will be developing a series of online debates over the next few months. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/artsdebate/.

Strategic Planning

‘Picture This’ is a practical guide for anyone in a leadership role interested in getting their organisation involved in strategic thinking and implementation. It looks at scenario planning, “a process of developing a view of alternative futures in order to craft a resilient strategy”.
Download from /www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/publications/publication.asp?id=3534.

Governance A to Z Cards Pack

The A-Z of Good Governance pack of 26 cards includes simple, illustrated explanations of some of the terms used in governance. The cards also include questions or exercises aimed at helping organisations reflect on how their board operates. It can be downloaded for free from the Governance Hub website or bought in print for £5 (0800 652 4886, governance.hub@ncvo-vol.org.uk).

Tools of the Trade Conferences

Two one-day conferences in the new year will showcase the practical resources and initiatives developed by the Volunteering Hub. These include: Introduction to using the National Occupational; Standards for Managing Volunteers; The Investing in Volunteers toolkit; Launch of the Excellence in Volunteer Management training programme; Details of the new funding model for Volunteer Centres; The online Good Practice Bank; Launch of the ultimate toolkit for Volunteer Centre managers. Further details from Volunteering England.

ChangeUp: Vision into Action - Destination 2014

At an event in London on 7th Dec Capacitybuilders will launch their consultation on the document ‘Destination 2014’, setting out how they intend to deliver on the ChangeUp vision of 2014 for a transformed voluntary and community sector and how they will work with the sector to draw up the strategy to achieve this vision.

The consultation on the document ‘Destination 2014’ will run until the end of March 2007. Regional consultation events have been organised in the new year for ChangeUp Consortia, other infrastructure organisations and other organisations with an interest in capacity building to feed in their views. These events will also provide information and an excellent networking opportunity for local, sub regional and regional consortia members and interested infrastructure agencies. The East Midlands event will be on Feb 6th at a venue yet to be decided. Further details on the ChangeUp Portal.

Events

New Directions for Women

Sat 25 November at Palace Hotel Buxton

Organised by the Women’s Enterprise Project, and sponsored by East Midlands Development Agency. There will be speakers and training sessions and lots of information, all devised to be relevant to rural women who are self employed or in business, or considering one of those options. Sue Scholes is the Women’s Enterprise Project Co-ordinator, and you can contact her for more information, on 01629 814881 or 07970 440131.

Friendly Foodie Get-together in Hope - an Amethyst Event

Wed 29 November 12.15 to 3.15pm at Loxley Hall, Hope, Hope Valley

BUFFET LUNCH and TWO TALKS

FREE to participants, costs covered by Amethyst’s funders, Lankelly Chase Foundation and LEADER+ Access Project. Creche for children under 5 years old.

GROWING VEGETABLES, SALADS AND HERBS: PLAN NOW FOR SPRING
Vanessa Swetman will talk about what to do during the winter, including how to choose seeds. You don’t need a lot of space – a small patch or a few pots can be productive [and pretty].

FED UP OF FRIED BREAKFASTS?
Jo Elliott will talk about tasty alternatives to the traditional breakfast fry-up. Ideal for people running a B+B or café who want to offer options to their customers, or anyone looking for new ideas to make at home.

To book a place return the slip below to: Bookings, Amethyst Project, Unit 7, Eccles House, Eccles Lane, Hope, Hope Valley, S33 6RW. >>Flyer and Booking Slip

Further Events on High Peak CVS Website

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Bulletin Contents - 23 November 2006