Policy Pulse Newsletter

A new report published by Remember A Charity studied legacy donations, and has found a substantial growth in donations made to arts charities. The top 1000 charities for legacy income in the last year received 5% growth on average, but that was doubled when it came to arts charities. You can read about these and other trends

If you live in Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire County Council would love to hear from you. 

They would like to hear what's important to you by taking part in their Annual Residents' Survey 2024. Your responses will help shape how they do things in the future.

Stephanie Peacock, whose role as minister also encompasses Sport, Media and Youth, will be responsible for leading on the Civil Society agenda. The appointment has been eagerly awaited by the charity and voluntary sector amid talk of the need to "reset" the relationship between the government and civil society.

Herts Ability thrives on supporting people in gaining, regaining or remaining independent. They have been doing this for over 60 years.

Their services revolve around all things driving, travel and transport. Herts Ability has an expert team assessing driving ability and, where possible, helping drivers remain on the road safely. They have outreach centres in Watford, Harlow, Luton and East London, as well as their main centre in Welwyn Garden City.

Where driving is not a safe option or the individual doesn’t wish to travel by driving a car, their Hubs Mobility Advice Service is on hand to offer free advice on local, national and international travel. They also offer free scooter assessments at their main centre in Welwyn Garden City.

As a charitable organisation, Herts Ability will never overcharge or oversell products to its clients. Many of our services are free of charge, and those that are chargeable are always kept to a minimum.

Communities 1st membership renewal has now been sent out. You should have received an email inviting you to renew your membership with Communities 1st. Please check your emails and renew at your earliest convenience.

Did you know that membership of Communities 1st entitles you to a host of member benefits including access to funding support, free promotion of your volunteer vacancies and discounted training. If you have any queries please get in touch with us on memberservices@communities1st.org.uk For full list of membership benefits please click the button below.

Communities 1st and St Albans City and District Council are pleased to present a guide to services for older people living in St Albans City and District. It includes services that are provided by local statutory, voluntary and charitable organisations that help improve and enhance local residents' quality of life.

The guide comprises three sections:

Local organisations and how they can help you, for example with benefits, bereavement, equipment hire, finance, pets, transport and more!

What's On guides for each area (St Albans community, London Colney, Harpenden, Redbourn, Wheathampstead).

Useful information on the local councils, health services, emergency services, and other support.

If you would like copies of this to distribute to your service users you can request them using the button below. 

Healthwatch Hertfordshire want to speak to Hertfordshire Residents about their views and experiences of online GP services and bookings. You can make a difference to health and social care by completing this survey.

Open call for Art Submissions from local Young People across Hertfordshire!

Mind Hertfordshire Network are running a Community
Art Exhibition at our Bishops
Stortford Wellbeing Centre, with
the theme of “Healing Nature”.
This theme is open to interpretation, so
have fun with it! 

The deadline for submissions is 6th September.

St Albans City & District Council are excited to announce the launch of their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Survey, and they need your valuable input! As a member of their district, your insight and experiences are essential in helping them create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone. By contributing you will directly impact the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy.

Please take a few moments to complete the survey by 23 September 2024.

The Hertfordshire Directory is the Council’s key online tool supporting their commitment to make it easier for people to find the help they need as soon as they need it. The Directory brings together services, groups, and providers across the county that offer support and advice in a range of areas, and the Council wants to turn it into the go-to place to find information that can support residents to live life to the full.

You can find more information and link to the directory below. 

St Albans City and District Council are hosting a free to attend Vision Loss Awareness Session. This session aims to raise awareness for sight loss and the challenges faced by those living with vision loss. Herts Vision Loss, a charity who aims to support the county’s estimated population of 38,900 people with sight loss, will be leading this session.

Date: Thursday 22nd August                Time: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM                Location: St. Albans Civic Centre

To book onto this session please contact equality@stalbans.gov.uk.

Tickets for the Third Sector Awards are now available. Celebrate the remarkable achievements of individuals and organisations in the voluntary sector. For more information and to purchase tickets,

This interactive and engaging one-day course will explore the challenges of recruiting, retaining and managing volunteers. It is ideal for staff who have this responsibility as their role. If you have not already achieved 6 Point Promise accreditation this is an ideal opportunity to get started!

Herts Voluntary Organisations: £70
Statutory & Non-Herts Organisations: £400

Date: Wednesday 25 September 2024 Location: Ver House, Park Industrial Estate, Frogmore, AL2 2WH
Time: 10am - 1pm: Recruiting & Retaining    Volunteers 2pm - 5pm: Volunteer Management. 

We are offering Communities 1st members access to an extensive programme of e-learning. Training is available from the following categories:

• Digital Skills
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity
• Essential Skills
• Food and Hygiene
• Health & Safety
• Leadership & Management
• Mental Health & Wellbeing
• Personal Development
• Policy & Legislation
• All training is available now.

£125 gives access to 25 people per organisation to any of the courses.

£200 gives access to any of the courses to 50 people per organisation.

If you would like to take up this excellent offer but are not currently a member of Communities 1st, please contact memberservices@communities1st.org.uk.

Please email Juli Riley, Head of Engagement and Skills, Communities 1st for further information Juli.Riley@communities1st.org.uk.

Do you have staff or volunteers who do not have a GSCE grade C/4 level Maths? We can offer courses free of charge to improve the number confidence of your workforce. A wide range of short learning sessions including Excel, Managing Personal Finances and Presenting Data, can all be accessed online in your own time. If you, your staff or volunteers are interested please email training@communities1st.org.uk for more information, or call us for a chat on 01727 649950.

Para Dance UK aims to develop and promote dance as an inclusive leisure activity across the country for those who would otherwise be excluded. Para Dance UK offers and runs courses online for people who want to provide their own inclusive dance classes.

A limited number of fully funded courses (worth £650) are available to those who live or work in Hertfordshire. (A deposit is required) Once you complete the IDT course, you can run your own dance sessions and will receive six-months of Affiliate Membership for free. Benefits include support to develop your professional practice, and guidance to set up groups and run sessions within your community under Para Dance UK's ethos and ethics, insurance cover and access to CPD courses.

Volunteer mentor training course
Do you have some spare time to
give back to your community?

As a trained volunteer mentor, you
will help support struggling families
in your local community by visiting
them in their own homes for 2-3
hours a week.

Home-Start Herts will provide you
with FREE e-learning training -
with two in-person sessions - to
provide you with all the skills and
information you will need

The next training will take place in Bishop Stortford. You can find details below.

Date: 25th September and 23rd October
Location: Bishop’s Stortford Library,
The Causeway, Bishop’s Stortford,
CM23 2EJ
Time: 9.45am to 3.00pm

To book onto this session please contact admin@home-startherts.org.uk

Hours: 20 hours per week 
Salary: £25,350 pro rata 
Location: St Teresa’s Church, 291 Shenley Rd, Borehamwood, Herts, WD6 1TG 

Register here!

Hours: 22.5 hours per week (0.6 of full-time employment)
Salary: £42,000 – £45,000 per annum (based on full time employment)
Location: Watford, with flexibility to occasionally work from home

Hours: 37.5 hours per week but will consider part-time of 30hrs.
Salary: £28,000 – £30,000 per annum Location: Working from Watford, Stevenage, Hatfield and Ware – Base to be negotiated based on home location (Expectation to travel across sites where necessary – mileage and expenses to be paid when away from home base)