Information & Advice for the third sector across Lancaster District – 18 Oct 21

This week: Join us at our AGM 2021
If you are yet to register to attend the 2020 AGM, there is still time to register. Join us to learn about our work over the last year, find out more about the new LDCVS business plan, and have your say on the issues that affect you in our open forum.

Our AGM is open to all, but voting rights are restricted to LDCVS members. Become a member now by signing up here.

Date: Thursday 21st October 2021
Time: 3.10 pm (doors open 3pm) – 4.30 pm.
To attend: click here to register

LDCVS re-opens The Eric Wright Charitable Trust (EWCT)
Lancaster District CVS is pleased to announce the launch of this year’s Eric Wright Charitable Trust Fund (EWCT).
All smaller local organisations working within the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector are encouraged to apply for financial help in providing activities that will make a positive difference to the lives and wellbeing of people of any age.
The grant is available to organisations with an annual income of less than £50,000 (you do not need to be a registered charity to apply). Organisations that have received awards from the fund are welcome to apply again.
Submission deadline is 5th November 2021
Click here to start your application.
Email Sharon [email protected] or telephone 01524 555900 for more information about the grant.

Lloyds Bank Foundation Funding
Lloyds Bank Foundation is funding small and local charities that are helping people overcome complex social issues across England and Wales. This grant supports charities with an annual income of £25,000 to £1 million with a proven track record of helping people on a journey of positive change through in-depth, holistic and person-centred support. The funding offers unrestricted financial aid, including around core costs, and tailored development support to help your charity be more effective. Applications are open all year round.
Click here to read the eligibility criteria and to apply.

Urgent Response Fund (URF)
The URF is available for charities and community groups in need of resources to effectively deliver projects/activities to support the basic health and wellbeing needs of vulnerable members of the community in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the lockdown and from March 2021 to the gradual easing of restrictions.
No minimum or maximum award amount. Applications are reviewed monthly.
Click here to find out how to start your URF application.

Together for Our Planet by The National Community Fund
The National Lottery funding is offering funding to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change. Projects should reflect the applicant’s community needs and can cover areas in; food, transport, energy, waste & consumption, and the natural environment. The grant is offering funding from £1,000 to £10,000.
Applicants do not need to be an expert in the areas of interest. Application deadline is 18th November 2021 (5 pm).
Click here to find out if you are eligible and how to apply.

Connect Fund
The Connect Fund was established as the social investment infrastructure fund. Its objective is to improve the social investment (SI) market in England by supporting and strengthening the infrastructure, so it can better meet the needs of charities and social enterprises.
The Connect Fund currently has four programme areas – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Post Covid-19 Recovery; Peer Networks and Challenge Funds. The Fund does not provide grants and/or social investment to frontline charities or social enterprises for direct service delivery unless the proposal is directly linked to improving the social investment market in England. The average grant size varies across the different funding strands. The grant is available until March 2024.
Click here to apply or find out more. Download the application guidance note here.
For further information, email [email protected]

Marketors Charity Grants Programme
The Marketors are launching a Charity Marketing Grants Programme, offering an opportunity to all smaller charities to apply for grants for marketing campaigns that will have a real impact in support of their cause. These grants are for funding marketing campaigns and are not available for staff costs, capital investment, hardware or infrastructure work or SEO/PPC activity.
Five charities will be selected, with a top grant of £10,000 and 4 grants of £2,500. The grant is for registered charities with an annual turnover that is less than £100,000. Application deadline is 10th January 2022.
Click here to find out more or to start your application.

Step Change – Resilience and wellbeing support
None of us needs reminding what a hard time the past 18 months have been, but as we adapt to living with Covid and something like everyday life resumes, the stresses and strains of life under lockdown, at a time of global crisis leave their mark. As a local funder with around ninety active grants, we have a lot of conversations with community organisations and charities who have been weathering the storm in all sorts of different ways. One of the concerns raised consistently amongst those we listen to, is the human effects of the crisis on them, their organisations, and their teams – at all levels. Some experience tension and challenges bringing teams back together after periods of furlough, for others there is anxiety about returning to an office environment or directly delivering programmes with groups of people. And for senior leaders and Trustees, the strain of navigating their organisations through 18 months of heightened levels of uncertainty and dynamic change. All these factors risk the health and sustainability of our vital community organisations.
We are therefore encouraging eligible organisations (those who fit the existing FCSCT eligibility criteria, which can be found at www.fcsct.org.uk to apply for up to £4,000 as part of our existing Step Change programme, specifically to help address these needs. Organisations should determine their own solutions, which may include but are not limited to – team and/or board development events, coaching or mentoring for key staff, structured well-being programmes for staff and volunteers.
Click here to start your application.
For guidance and advice about what other solutions would be considered and to direct you to local facilitators who may be able to provide support, please get in touch with the team at FCSCT by calling 01539 742608, or emailing Helen or Kevin on: [email protected] or [email protected]

Comic Relief Community Fund for England Invites 2021 Applications
This grant is for local community groups who are driving change by drawing on the expertise of people with lived experience of the issues being tackled. Not-for-profit organisations across England can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to be used for projects that fit with one of Comic Relief’s four strategic themes:
   • Children Survive and Thrive – ensuring every child has the best start in life.
   • Fighting for Gender Justice – tackling gender-based violence, inequality and        exploitation.
   • A Safe Place to Be – supporting those who have been displaced to access  secure housing and feel settled in their new homes.     
    • Mental Health Matters – helping people experiencing poor mental health to access appropriate support and live free from stigma and discrimination.

Funding will be split as follows:
    • £1,000 for capacity building activities including those which strengthen       operations, improve governance and help to better understand beneficiary needs.
    • £9,000 to deliver projects which align with the programme’s strategic  themes.
Application deadline: 29th November 2021 but the fund may close earlier if enough applications are received.
Organisations must have an annual turnover of less than £250,000 to apply.
Click here to find out more or to start your application.

Lancaster District Street Aid – helping people stay off the streets
The Street Aid initiative has been launched by Lancaster City Council in partnership with Lancaster BID, Lancaster and Morecambe Area Police and Lancaster District CVS. Street Aid helps people who are, or have been, on the streets to apply for a grant to help them get off, and stay off, the streets.
Types of support that can be applied for via the scheme include access to housing, furniture and other home essentials, education/training courses, clothing for job interviews, transport to interview/place of work, and help with searching for a job.
Maximum application value of £750. Applications are reviewed as submitted.
Click here to find out how to apply for the Lancaster Street Aid. 

Do you need volunteers? We are here to help!

The Lancaster District Volunteer Centre provides support services for organisations, helping them to recruit, train and retain quality volunteers.

To register with us, visit our website by clicking here to start the quick, simple process. Our Volunteer Centre manager, Mark, will contact you to discuss your volunteer requirements, whether straightforward recruitment and promotion of roles, or training, or anything else related to volunteer engagement.

If you would like to ask questions or just a chat, you can contact Mark by email at [email protected] or telephone 01524 555900.

Community Learning Network
The Lancaster District Community Learning Network is a network of community education providers and community development organisations that are passionate about developing the skills of people living and working in our communities. We aim to provide educational pathways by offering a wide range of courses that can lead to people gaining new skills that are valuable in all areas of life and work. We are working to provide community-led, community-based opportunities and your support in helping us to understand your community needs would be most welcomed. You can find out more about the Community Learning Network vision and goals by visiting our website here
We would like to invite you and your community to complete our 10 minutes survey so that we can find out more about the skills and interests you would like to discover. We would very much appreciate this survey being shared with your community residents, people that use your services and people looking to learn and develop their skills and confidence. You can complete the survey by clicking here.
Email [email protected] for paper copies of this survey.
We are in the process of arranging information briefings, personal invitations, presentations and we very much look forward to discussing this network with you soon. In the meantime, please do share across your networks and your communities.

Tax Relief Information from the Charity Excellence Framework – Are You Losing Out on Guaranteed Funding?
Each year charities fail to claim £600m in Gift Aid and you can claim up to 4 years retrospectively. This Charity Excellence resource gives you what you need to claim the different types, with links to everything you need.
If you haven’t yet registered with HMRC, this CEF resource shows you how to do that.
Gift Aid is just one of many tax reliefs you can claim and you can find resources by visiting here.

‘Our Services of the Future’ for Foundation Trust Members by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT).
An online talk about ‘Our Services of the Future’ will be hosted by UHMBT. Speakers will include Suzanne Hargreaves, Associate Director of Strategy and Transformation for UHMBT, Dr Wendy Craig, Consultant General Surgeon, Cross-Bay Clinical Lead for General Surgery and Theatre Transformation for UHMBT and Dr Sarah Hauxwell, Clinical Director of the Core Clinical Care Group and Lead Cancer Clinician for UHMBT.
Date: 26th October 2021
Time: 6pm
Location: Online via Microsoft Teams
Click here to find out how to register.

You are invited to the Lancaster Music Festival 2021 (14 – 17th October)
Lancaster Music Festival is an annual event that celebrates the wonderful diversity and quality of musicians and performers in the local area whilst also inviting acts from all over the globe. There will be over 30 venues, 250+ acts, 14 busk stops, 2 shop-front jukeboxes, 2 secret venues, 25 participation events, 3 musical theatre shows and an art exhibition.
For more information and listings, click here.

Resource Booklet Training – Young People under 25 by ‘We are with you’
Do you work with young people under 25? ‘We are with you’ has created a resource workbook/screening tool to support professionals working with anyone under 25 in Lancashire.
All participants will receive a copy of the resources booklet before the training, any questions can then be added to the event. The booklet can be used by all professionals to support young people. Book your FREE place via the link below.
Date: 28th October 2021
Time: 10am – 12noon
Location: Online- Click here to register for the training.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]

How to host a hybrid meeting by Charity Digital
Explore how charities can successfully hold meetings catering for both virtual and in-person attendees as the world of work goes hybrid. Find answers to questions such as, how often should people come into the office? How should the office timetable be managed? Is everyone feeling included?
Click here to find out more and access other online training events by Charity Digital.

Temporary Manager at ACE (Achieve Change & Engagement)
Ace is looking to recruit a vibrant, efficient, forward-looking manager for two days a week, initially for 6 months, whilst looking for funding to increase and extend this role. The main purpose of this post is to support the directors to develop and improve ACE and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of day-to-day operations. ACE is a small charity in North Lancashire that supports young people to improve their emotional health and build resilience.

Salary: £26,970 to £31,886 pro-rata depending on qualifications and experience.
Closing date: 22nd October (5 pm)
Interview date: evenings of 26th and 27th October
If you would like to discuss the job before applying or request for an application form, contact Sally Temple, Operations Director email [email protected]
Completed application forms should be emailed to [email protected]

Project Officer at Lancashire BME Network (LBN)
Lancashire BME Network is currently looking for a Project Officer to develop and deliver a variety of projects. The work aims to address inequalities and create access to opportunities for those whose ethnicity and culture can be a barrier to engagement and participation.
LBN is a registered charity that works primarily (but not exclusively) with Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities & individuals, empowering them to make positive changes through the delivery of a variety of interventions.

Salary: £22,911
Hours of work: 37 hours per week
Term: 12 months with the possibility of an extension subject to funding.
Location: Based in Blackburn with travel across Lancashire
Closing date: 1st November 2021 (5 pm)
Interview date: 9th November 2021
Click here to download the application form.
If you need more information call 01254 392974 or email [email protected]

Admin Worker at Preston Violence Services
Preston Violence Services is seeking an Admin Worker. The successful applicant will work from home, in the office which is located at Harbour House, Port Way and engage in some community work.

Salary: £9,880 per annum (£18,278 pro-rata)
Hours of work: 20 hours per week
Closing date: 7th November 2021 (6 pm)
Start date: As soon as possible
Please note: This job is open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1).
To obtain an application pack please email [email protected] or telephone 01772 201601

Finance & Operations, Senior Manager at More Music
More Music is seeking a finance and operations senior manager to join the team to lead on finance, supporting the Executive Director. The successful applicant should have relevant understanding of complex funding and finance in the charitable arts sector including dealing with multiple revenue streams.

Salary: £26-£33,000 (pro-rata)
Hours of work: 21 hours per week
Closing date: 29th October 2021
Interview date: from 8th November 2021
Visit here to start your application.
Completed applications should be sent by email to [email protected].
Call 01524 831997 to find out more about the role and More Music.

Children & Young People’s Therapist at CancerCare
CancerCare is looking to recruit a new therapist to work with primary aged children affected by cancer or bereavement. The post is based at the new centre at 34 Northumberland Street and the successful candidate would need to be able to provide cover on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Thursday afternoon and evening.
CancerCare employs therapists in a self-employed capacity so candidates need to have their own insurance, enhanced DBS check, clinical supervision and professional membership with BACP (or equivalent).
Click here to find out more.
For more details email [email protected]

Youth Worker/Case Worker at CancerCare
CancerCare is looking to expand its Re-Fresh young people’s support group with a new Youth Worker/Case Worker.
The successful candidate will be an integral part of the youth services provision co-delivering with another youth worker. The Re-fresh peer support group currently meets two nights each week and enjoys a full programme of off-site activities during the school holidays. The group is made up of young people aged 12-17 years, all of whom are experiencing a cancer diagnosis or bereavement within their family or friendship group.

Salary: £12,111.84 (FTE £25,233)
Hours of work: 18 hours/week (inc. evenings, Wed & Thu)
Closing date: Midnight, 24th October 2021
Click here to find out more about the role and start your application.
For more information, email [email protected]

World Mental Health Day Family Hour Video
Sunday 10th October was World Mental Health Day and the video below focuses on eating disorders. This is an incredibly important topic, considering the increase in demand for our eating disorder services. It has also been noticed that more young people are struggling with body image issues and disordered eating.
We encourage you to watch and share the webinar video and share it with colleagues and in particular, young people.
Click here to watch the webinar.

New Mid-Week Hangout for young people at More Music
If you know of a young person who is struggling with social isolation or anxiety, accessing mental health support or on a waiting list for services, they could benefit from the range of sessions More Music offer. Having a safe and supported space for socializing, creativity and self-expression are of the utmost importance for young people’s personal, social and emotional development.
Weekly activities: Music, chatting, learning about the music industry & more.
Day of the week: Wednesdays from 4 to 7 pm
Location: 13-17 Devonshire Road, Morecambe, Lancashire. LA£ 1QT.
Click here to view the list of all activities.
Email [email protected] or [email protected] to sign up.

Mental Health Resources at Work
Mental Health at Work has created a toolkit for small organisations. The toolkit empowers employees to look after themselves and gives leaders the tools to support them too:
This toolkit contains:
• a handbook filled with advice and tips for small business owners and the self-employed
• a free and confidential mobile app for employees
• two practical tools to help you to start implementing change straight away.
Click here to access the toolkit.

Lancashire and South Cumbria Health Equity Commission (HEC) – Complete the survey here
The Lancashire and South Cumbria Health Equity Commission (HEC) recently concluded the launch of the new HEC. Attendance and participation at the event were the biggest seen as a system-wide event across Lancashire and South Cumbria. Visit here to watch the full recording.
The focus is understanding what system partners want the Health Equity Commission to do and where the future focus should lie to make a step-change in health equalities for people in the region.
Interested individuals and organisations can join the special workshops on Housing and one on Children & Young People in October. Email [email protected] to participate.
You can also contribute your ideas, views and concerns about health equity in your area by clicking here to complete the questionnaire.

Lancashire Community Finance – complete survey here
Lancashire Community Finance is a not-for-profit organisation that helps local people to improve their financial wellbeing. They provide money and debt advice, financial education, employability support, and affordable loans to people & businesses excluded from mainstream finance.
They just opened their annual financial survey to understand the issues faced by residents today and their outlook for the months ahead. The survey results will also illustrate how the picture has changed for people and families since the last survey at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete, click here to complete the survey.

New Hospitals Programme update
The NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria continues to work together to develop a case for investment in local hospital facilities. The New Hospitals Programme aims to address significant problems with our ageing hospitals in Preston (Royal Preston Hospital) and Lancaster (Royal Lancaster Infirmary). There is also a need to invest in Furness General Hospital’s infrastructure in the context of its strategic importance and geographically remote location.

Click here to read more in the New Hospitals Programme Case for Change report.

You are encouraged to share your feedback on the long list of proposals for new hospital facilities through the New Hospitals Programme’s online longlist survey, which will be open until 20 October 2021.

COVID-19 communications toolkit
Please click here for the latest version of the COVID- 19 communications toolkit for you, your communities and your networks.
This week’s key messages are:
  • A new £500 million fund has been launched to help vulnerable families.
  • Children aged 12 to 15 are being offered one jab of the vaccine.
  • The vaccine booster programme has started for those people at greatest risk.

Our organisational development team provide support on fundraising, governance, policies & procedures, safeguarding, DBS checks, monitoring and evaluation, media & marketing and setting up new community groups. If your organisation needs support whether it be listening ear, all aspects of volunteering support, payroll, independent examinations of accounts or funding guidance and support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team:
Free one-to-one development support, contact [email protected]

Volunteering and Upskilling your workforce, contact [email protected]
Payroll, bookkeeping and independent examinations, contact [email protected]
Or call 01524 555900 or email [email protected]