Community Action Northumberland | CANNY News Jan 2011

Community and Voluntary Action Blyth Valley (CVABV) and Wansbeck Centre for Voluntary Service (WCVS) – CAN is helping to organise a first ever joint funding event for voluntary and community sector organisations /groups across the whole of Northumberland.

Groups will have the opportunity – as at our previous Meet The Funders events – to discuss projects, for which they are seeking funding, with a wide range of funders on a one-to-one basis.

The day will be split into 3 sessions consisting of a series of one-to-one 15-minute appointments with funders.

We will also be holding two workshops:-

¨ ‘Understanding Outcomes’ and an overview of Big Lottery Funding – hosted by the Big Lottery

¨ ‘What makes a good funding application’ - delivered by the Community Foundation for Tyne & Wear and Northumberland

There will also be an informal ‘market place’ of organisations relevant to VCS groups.

Appointments with funders will be made BY BOOKING ONLY. As we expect a good attendance at this event we will have to operate on a ‘first-come-first-served’ basis in order to give as many groups as possible a fair chance to talk to as many funders as possible (maximum of 4 appointments per group)

Appointments with funders will have to be limited to TWO people per group and participation at the Workshops will be limited to ONE person per group.

The timetable for the day will be:-

11am – 1pm One-to-one appointments with funders

2pm - 4pm One-to-one appointments with funders

5pm - 7pm One-to-one appointments with funders

The workshops will run between:-

~ 1 hour workshop at a time to be agreed between 11am - 1pm:

‘What makes a good funding application’

~ 1½ hour workshop at a time to be agreed between 2pm – 4pm

‘Understanding Outcomes’ and an Overview of Big Lottery Funding’

~ 1 hour workshop at a time to be agreed between 5 pm – 7pm

‘What makes a good funding application’

A free buffet lunch at 1pm will be provided for groups who have attended the 11am – 1pm session and for groups prior coming for the 2pm - 4pm session.

Similarly, a free afternoon buffet at 4pm will be provided for groups who are coming for the 5 - 7pm session.

BOOKING FORMS; information about each funder; and material for the event itself will be sent out during w/c 21^st February.

If you need any further information at this stage (but please bear in mind that the final details have not yet been agreed as we are still in discussions with funders) you can ring Melanie Hall (Community Development Officer – West) on 01434 607871 or email her at melaniehall@ca-north.org.uk.

Don’t worry if you can’t make this event as CAN will be holding its own ‘Meet The Funders’ event in the north of the county (Alnwick area) and in the west (Tynedale area) later in the year.

Further details will be sent out in mid/late February and will also appear on our website later.

SO MAKE A DATE IN YOUR DIARY NOW ….!!

Calling all Community and Voluntary Groups

The perennial chore of producing the year end accounts for the annual meeting has been banished for ever! No more searching for the treasurer under a mountain of paper! The BOSS Project’s ‘Easy Accounts’ training has already set free two dozen community group treasurers who have mastered (in less than an hour!) a simple computer programme which produces the annual statement of accounts in 30 seconds! Unbelievable? Read on!

Peter Bryan, the BOSS Project co-ordinator, boasts that ‘Anyone can do this!’ – absolutely no accountancy skills required as long as you know the difference between ‘income’ and ‘expenditure’. The programme does demand diligence – you have to input each transaction on a screen form which resembles a bank paying in slip. That is all you have to do – the programme does the rest: periodic reports for committee, comparison of actual income and expenditure with your planned budget, who paid what when and a host of other useful detail which will satisfy the fussiest of auditors.

Not only is this accounts programme very easy to use, it will deliver everything that charity law requires in record keeping and annual accounts. And your auditor / independent examiner will just love it – checking your accounts will be a doddle! There might even be a race for the job!

Well, you might say, if it is that good it will probably cost more than we can afford. And you would be wrong! The programme, a sample set of accounts for you to practise with and a user guide specially written for community groups is free to those attending a Boss Project ‘Easy Accounts’ Training Workshop. Workshops lasts 2½ hours and participants have the use of a laptop for hands on experience of the programme. There is a £10 booking fee per person. For details of a Workshop near you contact Louise Currie from CAN – louisecurrie@ca-north.org.uk or phone 01670 517178.

We have already run two successful training events for Treasurers of community buildings/village halls with the assistance and co-operation of North Northumberland Village Halls Consortium and West Northumberland Community Buildings Consortium, in Chatton Village Hall and Newton and Bywell Community Hall respectively.

COMMA Bites the Dust

Following the Spending Review settlement, in October, the Government has decided to discontinue the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) from the end of this financial year. This means that the COMMA fund, which is part of the ALSF programme is now closed. CAN helped to deliver the programme in Northumberland securing £54,151 for 6 projects in communities affected by aggregates extraction or transportation.

The Jubilee People’s Millions

Got a great idea for a project to inspire your community?

Want to involve local people working together to tackle a problem?

Know what you want to do but need some money to make it happen?

The Jubilee People’s Millions – where 60 Lottery grants are available to community groups each worth up to £60,000 - could be the answer!

You have ONLY 4 weeks left to enter - find out how here

The funded projects will inspire, involve or improve the local communities they live in. Finalists will be showcased on ITV regional news this summer when the public will vote for the projects they want to receive the Lottery funding.

The Bellingham Fund

The Community Foundation covering Tyne & Wear and Northumberland manages this fund - given anonymously in 1991- to support charitable organisations in the North Tyne Valley.

Awards are only made once a year from the fund and this year’s closing date is

9^th FEBRUARY 2011.

So if you are a charity or voluntary & community group and have a project which will benefit the local community – then you can apply for funding: the average award is £500. If the project costs a lot more than this the Community Foundation can refer your project – if appropriate – to another of the Foundation’s funds.

Your project must benefit people in the North Tyne area – covering settlements anywhere from Bellingham up the river to Kielder.

You can download the application form from the Community Foundation website – and either complete it and submit it on line (please make reference to THE BELLINGHAM FUND somewhere in your application) or print off the form from the website and complete it by hand. The envelope you then post the application form in should be marked up ‘THE BELLINGHAM FUND’ followed by the rest of the address.

APPLICATION DETAILS/FORMS etc can be accessed at: http://www.communityfoundation.org.uk/apply

Access to Funding Portals

VCS groups and organisations based in the county can now access a funding portal www.grantnet.com All you have to do is register, select the categories most suitable for your needs and details of the funding sources will appear. This is a very valuable tool and has been provided by Northumberland County Council which plans to continue access to its original portal: www.grants4.info/northumberland

For those who want even more choice, you can also try www.fundingcentral.org.uk

All three are free to users.

The Equality Act

This brings together nine separate pieces of legislation into one single Act simplifying the law and strengthening it in important ways to help tackle discrimination and inequality. Implementation of the majority of the Equality Act began on 1 October 2010 and affects us all. There are a number of useful guides many of which are designed for the sector. Good starting points are:

Event: Transition into adulthood for young and disabled people

Last chance to book for this event where you can learn more about the issues and contribute to the debate. 11.00am – 3.00pm Thursday 20 January, St James, Alnwick. Click here for booking form and programme.

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