Voluntary Sector Briefing

Welcome to our second November newsletter!

Thank you to all members who attended our AGM and Conference on 17 and 18 November. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn from an exciting and diverse range of speakers, including the Right Honourable Lord David Blunkett. It was also a great chance to connect with our members and focus on the importance of working together to strengthen our communities.

We are looking forward to another chance to connect with members at our Festive Members Get Together! Do come along to join us for a mince pie or two on Monday, December 6th, at the Fleetville Community Centre in St Albans.

As you will see, this newsletter no longer contains the information to support individuals’. This is now available in our ‘Fantastic Friday Newsletter’ along with a range of other useful information. If you would like to sign up to receive this, please email memberservices@communities1st.org.uk

Throughout each month, Communities 1st offer a range of support to our member organisations, including our weekly Virtual Coffee Mornings and the quarterly Stronger Together Networks. If you need support or advice about completing a funding application, or about any other membership related matter, please email memberservices@communities1st.org.uk or phone Christine or Isobel on 01727 743018.

Best wishes,


Stephen Craker

Chief Executive

 

COMMUNITIES 1ST INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

 

If you want more information you can visit our website: www.communities1st.org.uk/Covid-19Updates or contact our Voluntary Sector support team on 01727 743018.

 

 

INFORMATION TO SUPPORT VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY SECTOR ORGANISATIONS

 

Able2Enable
Communities 1st has launched the Able2Enable project, across St Albans, Hertsmere, Welwyn Hatfield, Broxbourne and East Herts. We are looking for organisations to become Able2Enable Allies, organisations willing to work with us to host a supported volunteer. Volunteering should be accessible and open to everyone. Sometimes people need a bit of extra support to volunteer and overcome barriers such as a lack of confidence and motivation, difficulty communicating, problems completing application forms or anxiety about travelling to unfamiliar venues and meeting new people. Able2Enable works with these individuals to enable them to get into volunteering positions.

There are many benefits for organisations hosting a supported volunteer. We can offer you a committed volunteer to support your work, access to our ongoing support, training and guidance to make your workplace more accessible and inclusive to our volunteers, and support to ensure that our volunteer is able to take on the role. You will benefit by having a committed volunteer to support your work and the satisfaction of supporting your local community. Hosting a supported volunteer can also help make your organisation more diverse.

Attend one of our Able2Enable Allies session to learn more about the project and how to get involved.

Tuesday, November 30th, 10.30 am - 12.00 pm

 

Christmas Get Together
Communities 1st are holding a Christmas get together for our member organisations. Come along to meet colleagues from Communities 1st and our member organisations, and enjoy a mince pie or two! If you have specific dietary requirements, please email details to memberservices@communities1st.org.uk

  • Where: Fleetville Community Centre, Royal Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 4LQ
  • When: Monday 6th December 2021
  • Time: Drop in anytime between 4pm- 6pm

Please register here.

 

 

Weekly Coffee Mornings for Member Organisations
Our weekly Virtual Coffee Mornings for voluntary sector organisations take place every Wednesday at 10am via Zoom. Drop in to say hello, tell us what you are working on, what support you need and to connect with other local voluntary sector organisations.

The sessions are friendly, informal and constructive. You don’t have to come every week, come along whenever you are able to.

To register, visit www.communities1st.org.uk/calendar or for more information please email memberservices@communities1st.org.uk or phone Christine on 01727 743018

 

Safeguarding Guide - Charity Commission
The Charity Commission has issued a new 5 min guide to safeguarding. To assess all aspects of your safeguarding and how well you keep people safe from harm, just complete the CEF assessment.

  • Read the guide here.

 

Top 10 Virtual Fundraising Ideas - Charity Digital
With limited opportunities to hold face to face events, many organisations are struggling to hold fundraising events. You can learn more about virtual fundraising and get some ideas by checking the list compiled by Charity Digital. Check it here.

  • Sally Fort has created a quick and simple guide to managing and evaluating impact. You can download it here.

 

 

 

TRAINING AND WEBINARS

 

Vision for Volunteering is a collaboration across the voluntary and community sector, led by NAVCA, NCVO, Volunteering Matters, the Association of Volunteer Managers and Sport England, with the purpose to bring together people and organisations across England, collaborating and creating a long-term vision and shorter-term objectives, to change our communities for good.

The workshops of Vision for Volunteering focus on six different areas:

  • Employment and Skills,
  • Climate Emergency,
  • Health and Wellbeing,
  • Healthy Ageing,
  • Young People Leading Change,
  • Resilient Communities.

The workshops started earlier this month and will run until mid December. To learn more about the topics and to register, check the webpage here.

 

Upcoming Training with the National Academy for Social Prescribing
As part of the ongoing support provided to organisations to strengthen the offering of social prescribing and create strong networks within and across communities, the National Academy for Social Prescribing is hosting some interesting workshops in the upcoming months and all organisations in the East of England are welcome to join.

Find more details about the workshops on "End of Life Matters" and "Dementia Action" below.

 

End of Life Matters – Death, Dying, Loss Awareness and the Compassionate Neighbours Approach
This month, we have an incredible webinar session planned for you delivered by the Compassionate Communities Coordinator at Peace Hospice Care. For those of us that work in the community we often find ourselves faced with difficult conversations around death, dying and the loss of a loved one. This session will give you foundation knowledge and the confidence to have these conversations more effectively.

It is our hope that by the end of the session you will:

  • feel more confident supporting someone who is facing death, dying or loss,
  • have a better understanding of the needs of people with palliative conditions,
  • recognise the role of a hospice and how you can work more closely with them,
  • be able to reflect on your own beliefs, fears and wishes around death, dying and loss,
  • be armed with self-care tools to help build your own resilience and overall wellbeing.

Find out about the compassionate neighbour’s approach and how your organisation can get involved in making the final chapter in people’s lives more positive.

  • Monday, December 6th, 2.00-4.00 pm

Register here.

 

Dementia Action in the East of England
Let’s help to make the East of England more dementia friendly! In partnership with The Alzheimers Society and Dementia Adventure we’re offering all of our Learning Together organisations the opportunity to learn more about what it’s like to live with dementia and turn that understanding into action. This session is open to anyone in your organisation. It’s the perfect opportunity to add to your skillset and enable your organisation to become an agent of change in our community. Those that wish to become Dementia Friends will have the opportunity to do so but we will go much further in this session than a regular information session. We will have experts on hand to help us explore ways in which our organisations can go one step further to make society more supportive for those living with dementia and the people that care for them. Will you help us become a dementia friendly region?

  • Wednesday, January 12th, 1.30-3.00 pm

Register here.

 

 

MEMBER NEWS AND OTHER INFORMATION

 

St Albans and District Council Community Project Fund is now open for applications

SADC Community Project Fund Advice Surgeries

In past funding rounds, organisations who attend a Funding Advice Surgery have a significantly higher success rate, book your session below:

 

 

Funding for the Festive Period
Funding is available for community groups and charitable organisations to support people over the festive period.

Activities may include:

  • Chatting and reminiscing with people who are living alone or older.
  • Activities such as board games, picture games, colouring sheets, quizzes, wordsearch on printed sheets.
  • Sharing of videos and photos via devices such as mobile phones, tablets etc.
  • Going for a walk or visiting the local shops, a green space, park etc.
  • Catch-up and wellbeing check phone calls/video calls in between visits.
  • Delivery of care/gift bags/packages such as cakes, Christmas gifts, activity packs, goody hampers/ Christmas box – anything to create a bit of festive sparkle.

This funding can be used for anything over the festive period to help keep everyone connected. The funding can also be used for travel costs to collect others for a club/group, travel costs to collect items for service users and dropping them off.

Please email Tracy Webber, Tracy.Webber@hertfordshire.gov.uk for more details and to apply, by 1st December.

 

New Services Available at Healthy Hubs
Hertsmere's Healthy Hubs have announced NEW services are available, including the collection of lateral flow testing kits and sexual health testing kits. 

Lateral flow tests are to be used when COVID-19 symptoms are not present. As around 1 in 3 people do not show symptoms when positive for the virus, it is important that lateral flow tests are used regularly to identify hidden cases.

The sexual health kits test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and condoms are also available to collect from the hubs for free. It is important to take care of our health and break the stigma around sexual health.

Collect your testing kits at any of Hertsmere's five Healthy Hubs:

  • 1. The Community Hub, 5 Leeming Road, Borehamwood, WD6 4EE
  • 2. 96 Shenley Road, Borehamwood, WD6 1EB
  • 3. Wyllyotts Centre, Potters Bar, En6 2HN
  • 4. Bushey Grove Leisure Centre, Aldenham Road, Bushey, WD23 2TD
  • 5. The Radlett Centre, Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, WD7 8HL

A Healthy Hub is a one stop shop providing information, advice, and support to improve the health and wellbeing of our community.

The hubs provide free lifestyle support for individuals and their families covering mental health, physical activity, weight management, smoking cessation, health MOTs and nutritional advice.

For any other information or to get free health advice today please visit the Healthy Hubs website here.

 

 

VACANCIES

 

Youth Talk are Hiring
Youth Talk are in recruiting mode. They have two great opportunities to join the Youth Talk team and help them make a difference to the lives of local young people.

 

Operations Manager (£32,500 pa) 

Due to the forthcoming departure of their operations manager, Youth Talk are now looking for an experienced and organised manager to take responsibility for the efficient and safe day to day operational running of their service and office. More information here.

 

Community Fundraiser (6 months fixed contract, £24,000 pa pro rata for the duration of the contract) 

Youth Talk are looking for an energetic and enthusiastic Community Fundraiser to join their team – initially on a six-month basis with potential to extend as the organisation learns more about future fundraising requirements. More information here.