Useful Information – July 2022
June 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
Inspiring Eden – Jobs Fair 1 July 2022
The Penrith Jobcentre team are seeking attendance from clients they are supporting but the event is open to all, including older workers who may have left the labour market and may like to return to work, college and school leavers, and the refugee community.
Locally based advice and guidance on careers and training will be available at the event. For more information, see the event flyer here.
Step Up Step Forward: Inclusive Arts and University Partnerships
Prism Arts and the University of Cumbria Institute of Arts (UOC) are delivering a Symposium event on Tuesday 5 July at the UOC Institute of Arts, Brampton Road Campus in Carlisle.
The voices of learning disabled and autistic artists are largely absent from higher education institutions making removing barriers to inclusive teaching and learning difficult to achieve. This day of active sharing, workshops and presentations will demonstrate how they can access learning opportunities and develop as artists in higher education settings.
Building Bridges: Co-Production and Working Together in the Asylum Sector
Taking place online on 6 July, this free conference will focus on themes of representation/perception of people seeking asylum, their public acceptance and portrayal.
This will allow us to look at the topics of co-production and learning from client experience; the impact of chronic loneliness through the asylum process; and language used when talking about asylum issues.
Find out more, and book your place here
Campaign for Learning Conference: Wellbeing for families, communities and you
The importance of supporting health and wellbeing for families is even more apparent with the disruption and isolation caused by the pandemic.
This event will look at how you can embed wellbeing in your offer: to support the families you work with, your colleagues and most importantly you.
6 and 7 July 2022, online – find out more here
Pride event in Caldew School – 7 July
Pride in North Cumbria (PiNC) are looking for relevant information stalls that will appeal to young people for this event. Contact Pam pinc-cumbria@hotmail.co.uk for more information.
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.
Learn My Way – free digital skills courses
Learn digital skills to stay safe and connected, with over 30 free courses ranging from using a keyboard to support with how to claim universal credit, created by Good Things Foundation.
E-learning to improve support for asylum seeker / refugee wellbeing
Solace have launched two new free e-learning courses aimed at those who want to improve their support for the emotional wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees. Enrollment details can be accessed via their website
CAfS recruiting Community Climate Champions
The team at Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) are currently recruiting a new team of Community Climate Champions. This represents a great opportunity for you to take advantage of free accredited Carbon Literacy training and develop your skills to enable you to put on events in your locality to increase knowledge of environmental issues and climate change.
You’ll be joining a team of volunteers across the county who are already running their own events including planting edible crops in community gardens, planning community energy and car share schemes, and campaigning for clear labelling on how supermarket goods have been transported.
Full details on this opportunity and how to apply, here Don’t delay! Applications close Wednesday 6 July.
Charity So Straight / Queer Trustees LGBTQIA+ Voluntary Sector Slack network
If you’re a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a voluntary sector employee or volunteer, Charity So Straight and Queer Trustees have created a new Slack workspace.
This is a safe space for all LGBTQIA+ people working or volunteering in the voluntary sector where you can share your experiences of challenges we face in the sector, including homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
My Community: tools, tips and ideas to make your community an even better place
My Community is a website for people and organisations who are passionate about their communities. Whether setting up a foodbank or planning finances, we all need a little help at times.
Importantly, these are resources you can trust. All the content on My Community has been curated, written, designed or hand-picked by leading voluntary sector organisations who truly understand what communities need to survive and thrive.
Third Sector Trends in Cumbria 2022 survey
A lot has happened since the 2019 survey, so it’s time to find out what’s changed in the last 3 years. Whether your organisation or group is big or small, flourishing, struggling or going on as normal, they need to hear from you.
The survey is open until the end of October, and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Take part in the survey here
Data First Aid
Struggling to make your volunteer or budgeting spreadsheets do what you want them to? Know you have great data but not sure how to make it visually appealing or tell the right story?
Pro Bono Economics can provide charities with pro bono support from a dedicated volunteer economist to help them with their ad hoc data needs. That might include data analysis or visualisation, spreadsheet tasks or short pieces of research.
Community Ownership Fund – Round 2 Launched
Round 2 of the Community Ownership Fund has opened. It covers the whole of the UK and will allocate £150M over four years to 2024/25. The aim of the Fund is to support communities wanting to purchase assets of community value such as pubs, halls, sports facilities and shops etc.
Directory of Social Change: Funds Online service
The Directory of Social Change offers a great service for finding grants, which organisations can access on a flexible subscription basis. Funds Online makes finding the right funder simple, efficient and puts all the information you need at your fingertips.
The service lists over 8000 sources of funding, including private and statutory grants, and enables you to track grant applications and the success of your team in securing funding.
Charities piloting four-day working week as part of ‘world’s largest ever trial’
Charities in the UK are allowing staff to work fewer hours each week over the next six months without a reduction in pay as part of the world’s largest ever trial of a four-day working week.
The pilot scheme will see employees receive 100% of their pay for 80% of their usual hours but commit to delivering 100% of their normal productivity.
More than 70 companies and organisations and 3,300 workers across over 30 sectors are taking part in the six-month pilot.
Regulator proposes up to 16 extra questions as part of annual return changes
The Charity Commission has launched a 12-week consultation into potential changes to the annual return, which could require charities to answer 16 additional questions each year.
As part of the proposals, the Commission is looking to update the questions charities will need to answer from next year onwards as well as adding new ones. Read the full article here.
SLDC launches community fund to help alleviate poverty in South Lakeland
South Lakeland District Council has launched a £25,000 fund aimed at supporting projects that help alleviate poverty.
SLDC is encouraging town and parish councils, community and voluntary groups and local charities to apply to the first round of the new Fairer South Lakeland Community Fund as soon as possible.
Civil society should be ‘embedded across government’, says minister
The charities minister has said that civil society should be “embedded in every single part of the government”.
Speaking at an all-party parliamentary group in the Houses of Parliament recently, Nigel Huddleston described himself as the “lead” minister for civil society, arguing that all government departments should be focused on the sector. Read the full article here.
Neighbourly – connecting charities with businesses
Neighbourly is a community investment and engagement platform that connects 20,000 local charities and good causes across the UK and Ireland with local businesses that want to give back to their community.
Through their three giving streams: food and product surplus, volunteer help or financial grants, the platform is free to use for charities, schools and good causes. Their focus is on helping small, local charities and causes receive tailored and targeted support to help build strong communities.
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.
County Council approves £2m Cost of Living fund to help those most in need
Cumbria County Council’s cabinet has approved £2m worth of additional funding in response to the cost-of-living crisis to support individuals and families experiencing financial difficultly.
The new Cost of Living Reserve fund will be used to support initiatives including increasing school clothing grants, free school meals for eligible children during summer holidays and Direct Community Support.
More details and other news from the County Council in their newsletter, here
Right To Remain Toolkit
The Right to Remain Toolkit is a step-by-step guide to the UK asylum and immigration system.
Free to use, it’s for people who want to learn more about the legal process, or a particular part of the legal process. You might be making an application or are thinking about it; you might be helping someone else to do so.
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
Charities will face ‘test of leadership and resolve’ in coming months, warns regulator
The chief executive of the Charity Commission has warned that the sector will face a “test of leadership and resolve” as they emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at Wales Council for Voluntary Action’s online “gofod3” event recently, Helen Stephenson said charities currently operate in one of the “toughest economic climates in a generation” and may face “significant financial pressures” in the coming months. Read the full article here
Rethinking volunteering in rural areas
Jeremy Hughes and Dr Allison Smith discuss how larger charities and those in rural areas could collaborate better on volunteering, in this article from Civil Society.
National Lottery Community Fund vacancy
The National Lottery Community Fund is looking for a Funding Officer for Cumbria. The role is critical to the work of the fund, and you will be part of a team of two working across Cumbria to support applicants in forming their applications to the fund.
£25,282 + generous benefits, full time, 37 hours per week.
Four-fifths of VCS leaders worried about Covid-related staff burnout, report finds
The majority of project leaders at voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations fear that pandemic-induced pressures have caused staff burnout, according to a new report.
People’s Health Trust surveyed VCS organisations between April 2020 and February 2022 on how the pandemic has affected their workforce’s mental health. Read the full article here
Action Learning for Cumbria Social Enterprises
Would you like to be part of an exclusive peer group of like-minded Cumbrian organisations?
This free 6 month programme is delivered on behalf of Cumbria LEP. The programme will cover 6-7 action learning sets and will be held online, with sessions of around 2 to 2.5 hours. The sessions will be facilitated by experienced professionals and include an additional 3.5 hours 1-2-1 support. More information here
National Citizen Service (NCS) Enterprise Challenge
Over the summer months, groups of 16-17 year olds join the programme, consisting of a week in an outdoor centre and a week doing a social action (often supporting the work of a charity chosen by the group).
They undertake a half day Enterprise Challenge, set by an employer who attends the session, introducing the topic, supporting students throughout and “judging” their results. In previous years the businesses have often been charities who go on to “win” the support of the group (fundraising or raising awareness).
6 July, 1.30-4.30pm @ Dukes House Wood, Hexham – Carlisle and West cohorts
20 July, 1.30-5pm @ Cumbria Outdoors, Keswick – south lakes cohort
11 August, 1.30-5pm @ Cumbria Outdoors, Keswick – south lakes cohort
For more information contact Vicky Ritson @ Inspira (M:07812224429 E: vicky.ritson@inspira.org.uk
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.
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.
