Useful Information – August 2022
July 29, 2022
Events, charity news, surveys, feedback, reports, services and much more – in one handy place!
If you’ve seen something you think we should be sharing, let us know! Email us: info@cumbriacvs.org.uk
We Move: Race Equality & Migrants Rights Summit – 2-4 September 2022
Organised by the Runnymede Trust, this in-person event in Leeds will bring together academics, corporations, policymakers, trade unionists, civil society, journalists, students and the general public to explore how we harness the opportunities for positive change, address the threats to, and maintain the recent momentum for, racial equality.
You can find out more about the summit here, and register your interest here.
Living With and Beyond Cancer – Cancer Recovery walk
The last Bindi’s Bimble walk of the season will be 20 August ’22. Bindi is waiting for you to join her!
Contact Janem@cumbriacvs.org.uk for full details of the walk and how to join.
Butterfly and Moth Walk, 2 August, Walney Island
Want to help nature and native butterflies and have fun? Join Low Carbon Barrow’s butterfly ID walk, 10.15am-11.30am, starting at community growing space Allotment Soup, Mill Lane, Walney Island, LA14 3XX.
Experienced and enthusiastic ecologist, Martin Wain, Butterfly Conservation’s engagement officer for Morecambe Bay, will guide explorers on a butterfly voyage of discovery, teaching them all about local butterflies and day-flying moths, their life cycles and ways people can help them thrive.
Free – Booking essential. Contact rachel.lightbird@art-gene.co.uk
Health Research – the what, the why and the how
Thurs 22 September, Preston.
Research can make a real difference to the lives of local communities- but where do you even start with getting involved?
With the new Integrated Care Systems (ICS) now in place, it is even more vital that the VCFSE sector is at the heart of health and social care research. Come along to this free session delivered by the CoREN (Community Research and Engagement Network) to find out more about the what, the why and the how of applied health research.
For further details and to register your interest click here (NB: Only open to groups in South Cumbria)
Discounts for Lakeland Outdoor Activities
The Kepplewray Centre in Cumbria provides great subsidies to get disadvantaged young people back into the great outdoors, plus anyone living with a disability or other barriers to inclusion!
Thanks to our fund-raising, Kepplewray’s new Participation Inclusion Fund provides huge subsidies to qualifying individuals and groups for fantastic residential and day outdoor activities.
Young West Cumbrians called to join Youth Panel
Cumbria Community Foundation is looking for young people living in West Cumbria aged between 16-25 who are passionate about their community and making a difference, to join the 2022 #CanDo Youth Advisory Panel.
#CanDo encourages community organisations to apply for funding for community projects, led by young people. Those applications are then considered by a youth committee, putting the decisions firmly in the hands of the next generation.
Fairer South Lakeland Community Fund
The Fund is aimed at supporting projects that help alleviate poverty and promote resilience among our communities.
The long-term aim of the project must be to tackle poverty, they may aim to: give more extra-curricular opportunities to children from poorer households; work with local food hubs to expand their reach or update facilities; increase transport connections in rural communities; or help vulnerable people into work.
Find out more and apply here – applications open until 19 August 2022.
Host an event for Great Big Green Week!
Community groups can be awarded up to £300 to host community events during Great Big Green Week, 24 September – 2 October 2022.
This week is coordinated by The Climate Coalition as a way of raising awareness of climate change and getting more people involved in taking action. They have made resources available for events which are targeted at geographic areas or communities of interest which haven’t previously been supported to promote awareness on climate change.
Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) can provide up to £300 of funding for venue hire, publicity materials, speaker expenses, film hire, other activities and equipment. Find out more here
NCVO report warns of volunteer burnout due to Covid
Volunteers are at risk of burnout due to the pressures of the pandemic, according to a report from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), published today.
Time Well Spent: Impact of Covid-19 On the Volunteer Experience found that health was a major barrier to volunteering during the pandemic, which led to a shift to online activities. Read more here
A Question of Sport? Inquiry into the cultural value of sport to the North
The Northern Culture APPG is holding a major Inquiry into the role sporting activity plays in terms of shaping the region’s cultural identity, value and economy.
We are calling for written evidence from all those with a stake in rebalancing and levelling up the North’s cultural value through sport in the North’s cities, towns and communities. We want to receive evidence from all those organisations who are supporting, creating and investing in cultural opportunities to maximise the North’s growth potential.
Find out more here – deadline for submissions is 0900 on Monday 5 September.
Northern Cancer Voices
Northern Cancer Voices are a group of volunteers, patients, carers, and health professionals with an interest in ensuring the best possible quality of care and support for cancer patients and their family and friends.
Their survey on Patient Carer, or Volunteer experience is available on line and they are waiting to hear your views to help improve cancer services across the North East and North Cumbria. Click Here to leave your comments
Call out to unpaid carers – We need your views
Exciting opportunity for unpaid carers to help shape hospital discharge experiences for themselves and the person they care for. Click here for more information.
Third Sector Trends in Cumbria 2022 survey
You’ll probably have seen about this study by now. 4,445 voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises have joined so far.
We really need you to take part so that we can build a picture of what is happening locally, what has changed since 2013, 2016 and 2019 and what you think is going to happen next. It’s quick, interesting, easy to do.
The survey is open until the end of October, and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Take part in the survey here
Results of 2021 Census in England and Wales
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released the first results from Census 2021.
Phase one includes estimates of the number of people and households in England and Wales. It shows the number of people by sex and age at local authority level, rounded to the nearest 100. On Census Day, 21 March 2021, the size of the usual resident population in England and Wales was 59,597,300; this was the largest population ever recorded through a census in England and Wales.
The population grew in each of the nine regions of England with an increase of 5.2% in the North West region from 2011. There were more people than ever before in the older age groups.
Charities Against Hate – online hate experience survey
Charities Against Hate was set up in 2020 to try to tackle the scourge of online hate. Since then, they have put pressure on social media platforms and provided support to the charity sector. And they need your help.
Will you take this survey on experiences of online hate? By doing so, you’ll be helping to shape the support they provide to the sector in the future. The survey should only take 5-10 minutes to complete.
Voluntary sector professionals’ views on how women who are vulnerable migrants access maternal health services
Bea Skene, a Newcastle University student, would like to invite you to take part in a project exploring what helps or hinders women from vulnerable migrants groups from accessing maternity services when they need it.
Vulnerable migrants include asylum seekers, refugees, unaccompanied children, people who have been trafficked, undocumented migrants, and low paid migrant workers.
More information, and details of how to take part, here
School clothing grants receive £500k boost in response to cost-of-living crisis
Cumbria County Council’s cabinet has approved a significant increase to school clothing grants in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
£500,000 worth of additional funding has been allocated to the school clothing grant fund as part of a new £2m cost of living reserve fund. This means that eligible parents will now receive a clothing grant worth £50 for each primary school child, up from £25, and £100 for each secondary school child, up from £35.
Applying online for free school meals and school clothing grants is quick and simple – the whole process takes around five minutes.
Banking services failing to meet many charities’ needs, report reveals
A growing number of charities are struggling to find banking services that meet their needs, a new report has found.
Charities reported that in-person banking services have become increasingly inaccessible and unavailable, forcing some to keep cash at home or use their personal accounts.
Smaller charities in particular reported no longer being able to access their bank branches because of recent closures, while organisations also felt online banking services were unsuitable.
Read the full article on Civil Society’s website
Helping Ukrainian students in schools and colleges
The Department for Education has published guidance and resources to help education staff support Ukrainian pupils. This information provides schools and colleges with links to further information and resources to support their Ukrainian pupils and students.
This information is for: school and college leaders, school and college staff, and governing bodies in all maintained schools, FE colleges, academies and free schools.
Guidance – Move to the UK if you’re coming from Ukraine
Government guidance has been updated for individuals to help them check what they need to do before travelling to the UK and what to do after they arrive.
Resources to help support children and young people arriving from Ukraine
This updated guidance from gov.uk includes supporting wellbeing and ‘encouraging reading’ and links to the two dual language books, One Thought & One Koala, that Michelle Russell, Clerk for Burgh By Sands Parish Council helped to create.
Fundraising Regulator: Many charities ignoring requests to stop communications
The Fundraising Regulator has identified a “significant number” of charities which are not acting on requests to stop direct marketing communications.
These charities are already set up on the Fundraising Preference Service (FPS) charity portal, yet are failing to stop the communication. Read the full article from Civil Society here
Charities trialling four-day week report wellbeing and productivity gains
Charities taking part in a six-month trial of a four-day working week have reported positive initial findings, with one organisation reporting an increase in productivity despite a reduction in hours.
‘Cost-of-giving crisis’ – are charity donations dropping?
Most of us are feeling the pinch of higher bills and food prices, but is this translating into fewer donations?
It’s tough to see the bright side; fuel, food and bills are increasing and people across the country will be looking for ways to save money as a result. This poses a difficult question to charities: Will charitable donations be one of the first expenses people cut? Read the full article here
Nearly one third of charities working fully remotely, research suggests
Just under a third of charities that responded to a recent survey said their staff now work fully remotely.
nfpResearch, a market research agency, surveyed more than 100 charities to understand how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed their working patterns. It found that less than one in 20 charity staff go to their office five days a week. Read the full article here
Public trusts charities more than police, Commission’s research finds
Members of the public now trust charities more than police, according to research conducted on behalf of the Charity Commission.
The Commission’s latest annual report found trust in public institutions overall dipped from 2021 to 2022, with charities’ rating falling by 0.2 points to 6.2 out of 10. Read the full article here
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
The first elections to the two new unitary authorities which will run services from April 2023 took place on 5 May.
Those councillors elected in the new authority areas of Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness have formed the Shadow Authorities that will make decisions on how the new authorities are to operate from 1 April 1, 2023.
Until that date the current six district councils and Cumbria County Council will continue to run all local authority services.
An LGR Programme Board, covering the seven existing authorities, is leading the preparatory work to establish the two new unitary authorities.
Catch up on the latest developments on the LGR website here
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
Every day, millions of people across the UK are making a difference by volunteering.
Each year, outstanding examples of this work are celebrated through the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS). Created in 2002 for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, QAVS awards have been shining a light on the fantastic work of voluntary groups for many years.
Equivalent to an MBE, QAVS are the highest awards given to local voluntary groups in the UK, and they are awarded for life.
Anyone nominating a group based in Cumbria is encouraged to contact Cumbria Lieutenancy by emailing: lieutenancy@cumbria.gov.uk as they may be able to provide advice and support to the nomination. More info from the Lord-Lieutenant here. Nominations for the 2023 awards close 15 September 2022.
You can find out more, and nominate a group, here
Bringing people together to share Covid experiences
A new project led by Cumbria County Council will help people across Cumbria to come together and have a “place to talk” about their experiences of living through the Covid-19 pandemic and to share their hopes for the future.
If you’re part of a club or a group in Cumbria and you think that other members would like to share and listen to each other’s stories of the pandemic, then this project is for you.
Free guide launched to help charities recruit young trustees
Our Bright Future, a partnership led by the Wildlife Trusts, has published a free guide to help charities recruit young trustees to their boards.
Its Young Trustees Advice Pack contains a range of resources, including case studies and templates, to guide charities that wish to recruit and induct young people as trustees. Find out more here.
Disclaimer
The information above is provided in good faith. Whilst every care is taken to ensure that it is correct, Cumbria CVS cannot accept liability for any omissions or inaccuracies and does not take responsibility for the quality for any services or products mentioned.
