Training Opportunities
Suicide prevention
Suicide is one of the most common and preventable deaths, yet many people do not know how to support someone who is at risk of suicide. These suicide prevention courses aim to give learners the knowledge and skills needed to prevent deaths from suicide, in workplaces, their personal lives or community settings.
You will learn:
– how to identify the signs someone is at risk of suicide
– how to talk about suicide in a safe and confident way
– how to develop a safety plan with someone who is having suicidal thoughts
– where to signpost someone at risk of suicide for further support
Learners who can show the required awareness of Suicide First Aid will receive a certificate and can apply to be Orange Button holders.
The cost of the session is £2 to go towards the cost of the venue.
Trauma-informed practice
The Trauma Informed practice training is a full-day session designed to help professionals and practitioners understand how trauma affects the brain, body, and behaviour and how this understanding can transform the way we support individuals, communities, and our teams.
The learning outcomes include:
- To begin to understand the transformation to becoming trauma-informed
• To begin to explore how trauma affects our body, brain and behaviour
• To be able to recognise how trauma may present in people we work alongside
• To consider how a trauma-informed approach impacts on individuals and communities
• To begin to think about changes we can make to our working practices, services organisations
There is a video available online to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlkPcsEPbag
The cost of the training is £10 to cover the cost of the venue.
Top tips for writing a funding bid
(for beginners)
This online session is designed for people who have little or no experience of writing funding applications and would benefit from some basic pointers that would help them to write successful applications for small funding pots e.g. £500 to £5,000 grants.
It will be particularly useful for small, grassroots community organisations such as sports clubs, uniformed services, church/faith groups, arts and or youth group projects. Advice given will help with applications for grant funds such The Lancaster Community Fund or Eric Wright Charitable Trust as well as other small funding pots available.
The session will be delivered by Sharon Phillips, LDCVS Development Support Officer.
At the end of the training, you will understand:
- how much detail to give to increase your chances of a successful funding application
- how to structure your answers to application questions
- how to present your budget and costings for a small funding request
The cost of the session is £5.
Workshop: Writing a compelling funding application (advanced)
This workshop is designed for people who already have some experience of writing funding applications and would benefit from a practical session to finesse their content for larger funding applications or to develop a project Case for Support document.
During the morning there will be an opportunity to explore the types of questions you will need to respond to for larger funding applications and how best to provide clear, concise responses that provide the detail a funder is looking for. There will also be some focus on costings and getting your budget right.
You’ll be asked to bring examples of previous application questions you have completed, whether successful or unsuccessful and to share these with other attendees for the purpose of a peer-to-peer critique exercise (nb – please ensure you do not share anything of a confidential or sensitive nature).
This session will be particularly useful for anyone considering making funding applications for over £10,000 or more.
The session will be delivered by Sharon Phillips, LDCVS Development Support Officer.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the training, you will:
• understand how to use key words in your response to ensure you address the funder’s priorities
• be aware of the importance of using clear, concise text that answers the questions posed
• know how to develop a full cost recovery budget for your project
• be able to create an effective Case for Support document
The cost of the session is £15.
Really harness the power of social media
If you’re a charity or community group, you know you need to get noticed. You want to attract volunteers, raise donations, invite supporters into your world and show the impact of your work.
And social media can help you do all of this but only if you’re using it with clarity and intention, rather than just posting and hoping for the best.
If you suspect you’re not quite fully harnessing the power of social media, join us for a day of focused, practical training.
Led by Jo Doughty from Always Being Social – a social media trainer with over 25 years’ experience in marketing, including working with charities such as Cancer Research UK – this day will help you to use social media with confidence and purpose.
Morning session: A clear, confidence-building introduction to Facebook and Instagram. You’ll learn how they work, what to post, and which features can help grow your visibility and audience.
Afternoon session: A hands-on, creative workshop showing you how to craft Instagram Stories and Reels that bring your organisation’s work to life, inspire action, and build support.
Ideal for charity leaders, communications teams, trustees or anyone ready to strengthen their organisation’s presence on social media.
You can book just the morning if you’re just getting started, just the afternoon if you’re already pretty confident, or the whole day to build confidence and deepen your skills.
The cost is £30 for either session, or £50 for the whole day.
Designated Safeguarding Lead training
This course will enable you to gain an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Officer role and develop competence and confidence in the role.
The course will enable you to respond to the challenges of safeguarding children, families and adults in 2025.
- Identify the Designated Safeguarding Officer’s roles and responsibilities
- Identify legislation, statutory guidance, policies and procedures which enable the DSO to manage safeguarding and allegations
- Identify the key elements of the Pan-Lancashire procedural frameworks for safeguarding children and families and understand how to apply these in practice
- Identify effective responses to emerging concerns, including extra familial harm
- Identify the escalation process to help manage cases appropriately within local authority thresholds
- Define key aspects of developing a safeguarding culture in education (allegations / safer recruitment)
- The effective assessment management of risks
Facilitator James Upton has worked in safeguarding since 1996 and now owns his own training and consultancy business (Motivational Interviewing and Safeguarding Training Ltd). James has worked as a Children’s Social Worker, Adults and Childrens Substance Misuse Worker, University Lecturer and Youth Worker across roles in Health and Social Care.
James is also an Associate trainer for the NSPCC and Alcohol Change UK and is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). His approach to training is Trauma informed.
The cost of the session is £40 for LDCVS members and £65 for non-members.
Previous opportunities
| Opportunity | Date | Location |
| Suicide Prevention | 23-October-25 | More Music, Morecambe |
| Mentoring NCFE Level 1 | 13-October-25 & 20-October-2025 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Hoarding Awareness | 7-October-25 | Online |
| Advocacy: Giving People a Voice | 1-October-25 | Online |
| PREVENT: Safeguarding Against Radicalisation | 30-September-25 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Designated Safeguarding Lead | 29-September-25 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Suicide Prevention | 17-September-25 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| 3D Printing | 16-September-25 | Online |
| Emergency First Aid at Work | 10-September-25 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Mental Health Awareness | 19-August-25 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Public Speaking & Pitching Your Charity | 13-June-25 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| ASIST Suicide Prevention | 3-June-25 | Christ Church, Lancaster |
| Designated Safeguarding Lead | 23-May-25 | Christ Church, Lancaster |
| Mental Health First Aid | 13-May-25 & 14-May-25 | Torrisholme Methodist Church |
| Getting the most out of Social Media | 08-May-25 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Emergency First Aid at Work Level 3 | 01-May-25 | Warton Village Hall, Carnforth |
| Volunteer Management Workshop | 18-Mar-25 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Emergency First Aid at Work Level 3 | 04-Mar-25 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Writing a Compelling Funding Application | 19-Feb-25 | Alexandra Barracks, Lancaster |
| Multiple Sclerosis Awareness | 13-Feb-25 | Online |
| Top tips for writing a funding application | 28-Jan-25 | Online |
| Disability Inclusion | 21-Jan-25 | Christ Church, Lancaster |
| Morecambe Town Council Grants Top Tips & Q&A | 09-Jan-25 | Online |
| Stress Management and Resilience | 09-Jan-25 | The Link, Morecambe |
| Communicating Your Impact | 04-Dec-24 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Youth Mental Health First Aid |
02-Dec-24 & 03-Dec-24 |
St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Emergency First Aid at Work Level 3 | 14-Nov-24 | Commodore Club, Morecambe |
| Getting Your Head Around Finance | 13-Nov-24 | Christ Church, Lancaster |
| Mental Health First Aid | 07-Nov-24 & 08-Nov-24 | Christ Church, Lancaster |
| Lancashire Lifesavers First Aid | 17-Oct-24 | Stanley Road Baptist Church, Morecambe |
| Coaching & Mentoring | 01-Oct-24 | Online |
| Understanding GDPR | 26-Sep-24 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| LGBT+ Awareness | 18-Sep-24 | Out in the Bay, Morecambe |
| Working with volunteers with disabilities | 17-Sep-24 | Online |
| Introduction to Project Management | 17-Sep-24 | Lancaster & Morecambe College |
| Visual Impairment Awareness | 30-Aug-24 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Multiple Sclerosis Awareness | 17-Jul-24 | Online |
| Designated Safeguarding Lead Training | 12-Jul-24 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Mental Health First Aid | 27-Jun-24 & 28-Jun-24 | Christ Church, Lancaster |
| Supporting and engaging with people in recovery | 25-Jun-24 | Online |
| Social Investment | 04-Jun-24 | The Storey, Lancaster |
| Risk Management & Insurance | 09-May-24 | Online |
| Farming Related Stress | 18-Apr-24 | Cockerham Village Hall |
| Writing a Compelling Funding Application | 27-Mar-24 | Christ Church, Lancaster |
| Designated Safeguarding Lead Training | 22-Mar-24 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Youth Mental Health First Aid | 18-Mar-24 & 19-Mar-24 | Lancaster University |
| Top tips for writing a funding application | 12-Mar-24 | Online |
| Mental Health First Aid | 4-Mar-24 & 5-Mar-24 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Designated Safeguarding Lead Training | 30-Jan-24 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| It’s a Man’s Life | 12-Dec-23 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Introduction to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion | 06-Dec-23 | Lancaster University |
| Suicide Prevention | 05-Dec-23 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Writing a Compelling Funding Application | 30-Nov-23 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Top tips for writing a funding application | 29-Nov-23 | Online |
| Supporting Autism & Neuroinclusion in the Workplace | 29-Nov-23 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Food Safety in Catering Level 2 | 1-Nov-23 & 2-Nov-23 | Commodore Club, Morecambe |
| Suicide Prevention | 17-Oct-23 | The Cornerstone, Lancaster |
| Mental Health First Aid | 16-Oct-23 | St Thomas Church, Lancaster |
| Essential Lifesaving Skills | 21-Sep-23, 28-Sep-23 & 05-Oct-23 | Commodore Club, Morecambe |
