Information and advice for the third sector across Lancashire District – 3 Nov 21

Lancaster district community projects boosted by £80k Covid support
Individuals and organisations across the Lancaster district have raised more than £80,000 to support 45 projects run by charities and community groups during the Covid-19 pandemic. Click here to read the Lancaster Guardian article about these successful community projects supported by the Urgent Respond Fund and about the future of the grant.

Welcome to Trustees’ week! (1 – 5 November 2021)
Trustees’ week is an annual event dedicated to current trustees, new trustees, and potential trustees. Most charities are volunteer-led and many of these volunteers are trustees. Not only is this week a time for trustees to strengthen their knowledge and learn something new, but it’s also for others to show their appreciation for their boards.

The sacrifices, care, and leadership shown by trustees provide us with the space to grow and learn. Without these qualities, the communities and causes we care about would look very different.

Take this week as an opportunity to reflect on the role of your organisation’s trustees. Are there any gaps you need to fill? Any questions or concerns you need answering? Scroll down and browse through the trustee-related news and resources in this edition of the Bulletin, or get in touch with Mark ([email protected]) at our Volunteer Centre to advertise your trustee vacancies.

Application deadline for The Eric Wright Charitable Trust Fund (EWCT)
The EWCT fund is available to organisations with an annual income of less than £50,000. You do not need to be a registered charity to apply and organisations that have received awards from the fund are welcome to apply again. Application deadline for the first round is Friday, 5th November 2021.

Applying is easy – click here to find out more.

Urgent Response Fund (URF)
The URF is still open and available for charities and community groups in need of resources to effectively deliver projects/activities which support the basic health and wellbeing needs of vulnerable members of the community in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the lockdown and 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.

Thomas Wall Trust – Funding for developing skills from disadvantaged groups
The Thomas Wall Trust recognises that communication is underpinned by a set of key features and skills such as empathy, listening, emotional intelligence, confidence, and clarity, amongst others. The Trust offers grants up to £5,000 to specific projects or core activities that develop these critical life skills for people from disadvantaged groups.

Application deadline is 22nd January 2021. Click here to find out more or to start your application.

Matthew Good ‘Grants for Good’ – Making a positive difference to communities, people & the environment
The Matthew Good ‘grant for good’ invites local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises that have an average annual income of less than £50,000 to apply. Every three months, the grant shares £10,000 between 5 shortlisted projects that have a positive impact on communities, people or the environment. The next application deadline is 15th December 2021.

Click here to start your application. If you need help with completing the online application form, please email [email protected]

Lancaster District Street Aid – helping people stay off the streets
The Lancaster Street Aid initiative 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.

Any VCFSE organisation or public body can apply on behalf of a homeless or vulnerably housed person they work with. Maximum application value of £750. Applications are reviewed as submitted. If you would like to apply, click here for more information.

The Arnold Clark Community Fund
Grants of up to £1,000 are available for UK registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations who need financial assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fund aims to help UK charities and local community groups continue their important work which may be at risk due to the pandemic. Grants are awarded by a weekly draw during the winter campaign. Unsuccessful applications will be kept in the draw for the following week. The funding must be used for charitable or community purposes.

The current funding focus is on organisations that deal with or address the following categories:

• Food banks
• Toy banks
• Poverty relief
• Housing and accommodation

The deadline for applications is 31 December 2021. Click here to find out 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 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.

Click here to apply or find out more, or email [email protected]

Step Change – Resilience and wellbeing support by Francis C Scott Charitable Trust
As a local funder with around ninety active grants, FCSCT has 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 is the human effects of the crisis on charities, 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.

FCSCT is therefore encouraging eligible organisations (those who fit the existing FCSCT eligibility criteria, which can be found here) to apply for up to £4,000 as part of the 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, 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 is 29th November 2021 (funding 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.

We can help you find new volunteers. Register your voluntary roles online with us to reach the widest possible audience.

The Lancaster District Volunteer Centre provides support services for all not-for-profit organisations, helping them to recruit, train and retain quality volunteers.

The registration process is quick and easy. Our Volunteer Centre manager, Mark, will contact you to discuss your volunteer requirements, whether straightforward recruitment and promotion of roles, training, or anything else related to volunteer engagement.

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

Community Learning Network – help us to help you by completing the survey
Our Community Learning Network survey is still available. The 10 minutes survey will help us to 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 or email [email protected] for paper copies.

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.

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.

Lancaster District VCFSE Leadership Forum
The next meeting will take place on Thursday 11th November, 9.30am – 11am

This forum provides a strategic network for Voluntary, Community, Faith, organisations, Not-for-Profit and Social Enterprise leaders in the Lancaster District.

The forum is guided by the principles of:

• Shared values
• Open dialogue
• Investment for the future
• Creative, innovative and cooperative joint working
• Outcomes focused activities

If you would like to join this network and be added to the distribution list, please email [email protected]

Morecambe Inter-Agency Forum (MIG)
MIG is an informal gathering of representatives (paid and unpaid) from voluntary and statutory organisations who deliver services to the community. It provides an informal network open to all organisations and agencies working in the community sector, and its is a great forum for information sharing and offers an opportunity to develop joint initiatives.

MIG sessions are normally held every two months at different locations in Morecambe but for time being, this is being held online.

The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 24th November, 12.30 – 2.30. Please email [email protected] for more information or to be added to the mailing list.

Children Young People Multi-Agency Forum
The CYPMAF provides a valuable opportunity for people working with children and young people in the district to share information ideas and keep n touch with other organisations.

This forum is open to anyone working with children, young people and families. The next meeting is taking place on Wednesday 1st December, 9.30am – 11am online (for now).

If you wish to attend or be added to the mailing list, please email [email protected]

Budget and Spending Review
During last week’s Budget and Spending Review, the Chancellor announced changes to the Universal Credit taper rate and Work Allowances. Click here to read a fact sheet which details these changes.

You can also read Jay Kennedy’s, Director of Policy and Research at DSC, analysis of the autumn budget 2021 here and below are a few other key measures to note.

• The government is providing targeted additional support for groups that may need extra help to get into work and progress. This includes workers who have left the furlough scheme and are making a Universal Credit claim who will be prioritised through the Job Finding Support scheme, and older workers who will benefit from additional support to return to, or remain in work.
• Over the winter, the £500m Household Support Fund will help vulnerable households with the cost of food, clothing and utilities – Local Authorities in England will be allocated up to £421m of this funding with 50% ring-fenced for households with children. The additional funding will be allocated to the devolved administrations in the usual way.
• The National Living Wage will be increased from £8.90 per hour to £9.50 per hour for over 23s
• People aged 21-22 who are on the National Minimum Wage will have their pay increased to £9.18 an hour, and those on an Apprentice Rate will have their pay increased to £4.81 an hour
• The personal tax allowance will be raised to £12,570 from April 2022

VSNW’s Festival of North West Thinking
Following the success of the 2020 Festival of North West Thinking, the invitation for the 2021 VSNW’s Festival of North West Thinking (including VSNW’s AGM) is now open.

The festival will host a variety of events, workshops and keynote speakers. The event is also bringing together various leaders in the sector, those with lived experience, drawn from across the UK with a focus on the North West.

Please register your attendance now to secure your place.

Date: 9th November 2021
Time: 10 am to 4 pm.

Thriving Communities webinar: Global Social Prescribing Alliance
Join the next webinar in the Thriving Communities series to hear international perspectives on social prescribing from a number of community groups involved with NASP’s Global Social Prescribing Alliance.

Date: 9th November 2021
Time: 3 pm to 4 pm.
Location: online.

Click here to register and read more about Thriving Communities and the Global Social Prescribing Alliance.

Mental Health in the Workplace – Is your organisation looking to support your employees with mental health training?
The mental health crisis is growing, and the need for training and awareness in the workplace has never been greater.

Join this webinar organized by Learning Curve Group to discuss the mental health crisis, the steps employers can take to be more inclusive, and the free training available to businesses to support their staff.

Date: 11 November 2021
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm.

Click here to register.

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.

Wednesdays from 4 to 7 pm
13-17 Devonshire Road, Morecambe, Lancashire. LA3 1QT.

Click here to view the full list activities.

Email [email protected] or [email protected] to sign up.

Register for a free 30-minute session on Digital Trustees
Ross McCulloch, founder of Third Sector Lab, is offering a free 30-minute session to help your board to understand what digital trustees can bring to a charity board, figure out what type of expertise you need, and recruit digital trustees.

Click here to register.

Contextual Safeguarding: Addressing Extremism, Exploitation & Youth Violence by Connect Futures.
This online training aims to up-skill employees in contextual and complex safeguarding to address extremism, violence and exploitation. Sessions are interactive with practical information, tools and knowledge sharing.

Next training date: 9th November, 5 pm – 7 pm.

Other dates and times are available until February 2022.

Click here to register to attend or find more about the training.

Want to learn how to support community businesses? 80 free training spots on New Economy Programme
Power to Change is partnering with Stir to Action to offer 80 free training places on the 2021/2022 New Economy Programme, a learning and action platform to support community business. Power to Change aspires to diversify our reach, particularly with people from communities experiencing inequity. The free training is available to the following people:

• Minority ethnic communities
• Young adults (aged between 18-35)
• Those living in areas of deprivation (IMD 1-3, check your postcode here.)

Visit here to find out how to apply for the fully-funded training.

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.

Development Worker needed – Lancaster District Food Poverty Alliance (LDFPA)
LDFPA is seeking a Development Worker to work towards addressing issues outlined within the LDFPA Action Plan. The post holder will report to and work alongside the Alliance Coordinator and be overseen by the LDFPA core group. The successful candidate will have a passion for engaging with communities in food insecurity and issues of poverty.

Salary: £22,500 (£27,500 per annum pro-rata)
Hours of work: 28 hours per week (0.8 FTE)
Closing date: 15th November 2021

Click here to download the application pack and apply.

Rossendale Youth Works – Employability Officer – Active Lancashire
Active Lancashire is looking to recruit an Employability Officer to support the Rossendale Youth Works project. The project aims to support young people ages 18-24 who are currently out of work and claiming universal credit. The successful candidate will be required to facilitate the initial assessment stage by engaging with young people and introducing them to the support available through the project.

Salary: £22,183 – £23,541
Hours of work: Monday to Friday – 37 hours per week.
Location: Based at Rossendale Borough Council, Futures Park, Rossendale.
Closing date: 12th November 2021

Visit here to find out more about the role or start your application.

Personal Assistant Officer  at Active Lancashire

Salary: £19,312 – £21,748
Hours of work: 37 hours per week (permanent).
Location: Office based (Leyland) with remote working from home and possibly some occasional travel across the county of Lancashire.
Closing date: 4th November at 5 pm

Click here to start your application

Charity Retail Shop Manager at Active Lancashire

Salary: £19,312 – £21, 748 (SCP 5-11)
Hours of work: Full-Time, 37 hours per week (Fixed Term for a 12- month period, starting in November 2021).
Location: Active Seconds Retail Community Hub, Unit 26, Accrington Arndale BB5 1EX with travel occasionally to the main office in Leyland and other parts of the County.
Closing date: 19th November 2021

Click here to start your application

Young Persons Worker needed in Lancashire – ‘We Are With You’
With You in Lancashire is We Are With You’s largest young person’s substance misuse service, delivering interventions to young people up to the age of 25. The organisation is looking for candidates who are passionate about supporting Children and Young People, as well as developing themselves professionally. Applicants will need to be resilient, outcome-focused and committed.

Salary: £24,145 – £26,092
Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week
Location: Preston, Lancaster or Burnley
Closing date: 7th November 2021
Interview date: 16th & 18th November 2021

Click here to download the application pack, or for more information email [email protected] – please quote the job reference number (REQ00863) in all correspondence.

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

Deputy Night Shelter Coordinator at Christ Church, Lancaster
Christ Church, Lancaster is looking for a Deputy Night Shelter Co-ordinator. The successful candidate will work with existing coordinators and a team of over forty volunteers to ensure
that the Winter Shelter runs safely and smoothly, offering a warm, supportive and
encouraging welcome to guests. The team is seeking an experienced, mature person who can communicate clearly and effectively, and handle difficult situations well.

Role: Permanent, seasonal contract working 1st October-31st March each year, with 2 weeks’ break over Christmas.

Salary: £500 per month of the season
Hours of work: 50 hours per month
Closing Date: 16th November 2021
Interview date: 22nd November 2021
Start date: 1st January 2022

For more details, please contact Rev. Carol Backhouse, 01524 942105, [email protected] or Jan Norbury (Night Shelter Lead Co-ordinator) on 07547 717060, [email protected]

Mental health crisis lines – here for you and your loved ones
If you or a loved one is struggling to cope with mental health, you can contact the mental health crisis lines for help. The helpline is staffed by trained mental health professionals who are able to provide assessment and referrals to appropriate services – ring it if you need to access services or for advice about someone who needs treatment/support.

Click here to find your nearest line.

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.

A public health model for mentally healthier integrated care systems
Better together: A public health model for mentally healthier integrated care systems outlines how integrated care systems can adopt a public health model to use their budgets, powers and influence to support better mental health outcomes for all.

Involving all NHS bodies and local authorities in 42 areas covering the whole of England, integrated care systems have an increasingly important role to play in organising health and care and addressing the wider factors that influence people’s health.

Click here to read more and to find out how to join the conversation.

Trustees’ Week, encouraging different perspectives
This year’s theme is encouraging different perspectives. The Charity Commission want charities to think about the ideas, perspectives, skills and experiences they need on their board in order to thrive and inspire trust.

The Governance App
The Governance App from Directory of Social Change (DSC) is a new, free and easy way for your board of trustees to review and improve their governance, together.

5 Easy Reading Guides
Cover the core syllabus of what trustees need to know using these 5-minute guides, in English and Welsh, they explain the basics of:

• financial oversight
• achieving a charity’s purposes
• good decision making
• addressing conflicts of interest
• what to file with the Commission and what support is available

Principle 6 – Charity Governance Code
Is your board adhering to Principle 6 of the Charity Governance Code? Do you have a clear and effective approach to supporting equality, diversity, and inclusion?

Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership – Digital Volunteer Passport (complete survey here)
Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership are currently developing a Digital Volunteer Passport (DVP) to support the portability of volunteer recruitment and training information across sectors and organisations within Lancashire and South Cumbria.

It is expected that the DVP will reduce duplication, costs and recruitment processing time. The DVP will also help to standardise and safeguard the process.

To establish a baseline of the potential impact of the DVP, they are running a short survey of all voluntary service organisations.

Impact of COVID-19 on charities
The Charity Commission recently published their research into the impact of COVID on charities.

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.

Gift Aid is just one of many tax reliefs you can claim – find further resources here.

Digital tool for Universal Credit Users
The process for claiming universal credit can be lengthy and complicated. That’s why Catalyst collaborated with several charities to work out how they could provide remote support for online Universal Credit claims. If you’re an organisation that works with those trying to claim Universal Credit, do have a look.

Supporting people with learning difficulties with digital passports
University Hospital of Morecambe Bay (UHMBT) has launched digital passports to support patients who have learning difficulties. A hospital passport provides important information about patients care and communications needs, including personal details, the type of medication they are taking, and any pre-existing health conditions.

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

New guidelines to help reduce health inequalities in people experiencing homelessness
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) have jointly published new guidelines to increase the access people experiencing homelessness have to health and social care services.

Lancaster District CVS – We are here to help
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]