Community Action Northumberland | CANNY News February 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 x 2hr sessions when groups will have 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 – with Blyth Valley CVA.

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.

Appointments will be limited to TWO people per group.

Tea/Coffee will be available all day. A free buffet lunch will be provided at 1pmand a free afternoon buffet at 4pm.

A FLYER for the event can be accessed here

A PROGRAMME for the day – with details of which funders are attending which sessions … can be accessed here

A FUNDERS DIRECTORYcan be accessed here

Please read this carefully before you book your appointments – it gives details of which funders support which type of projects. Remember that your organisation / project may not be eligible for all funders. So this information will help you choose the right funders for your project.

BOOKING FORMS : when completed, should be returned to Blyth Valley CVA – details on the form. You can access the form here

A PROJECT SUMMARY FORM – which you must bring with you to the event to show to the funders can be accessed here

If you need any further information at this stage 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.

The website map link to show the location of Choppington Welfare Centre can be accessed here ….

New website for CAN

The CAN website has been completely redesigned and can be visited at www.ca-north.org.uk, please take some time to explore our new site. We will be adding to the site and developing the content over the coming months and years.

Some of the new features we have added include an online forum which provides a great opportunity for information exchange, discussion and debate. To take part in the forum all you have to do is register using the link on the top menu bar.

This email newsletter has been sent out through the website which gives you the opportunity to subscribe and unsubscribe as you wish.

Alongside the CAN website is a site dedicated to the Northumberland Association of Local Councils (NALC), this area is managed and updated by NALC.

If you have any comments or suggestion please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing Marc Johnson

Quarter Century

A message from CAN’s Director:

Thank-you all so very much for last week’s extravaganza, to mark my first 25 years in the job.

It was a delight, and a complete surprise, and I was deeply touched by the good-wishes, both from all of those who were able to make it to the Town Hall, and from those who posted and emailed their messages.

I was thrilled to see so many ‘old faces’, from among the communities, staff, trustees and fellow- organisations with whom I have worked over the last 25 years.

Thank-you to those who contributed generously to my gift, and to all those who toiled behind the scenes to make the day such an enjoyable event.

I really had no idea that all of this was being planned: I must keep my eyes more-widely open in future!

Dave

Spring Meeting

CAN’s Spring Meeting will be held on Wednesday 11th May from 2pm in Ponteland Memorial Hall.

Office to let at CAN HQ

The office is on the first floor of Tower Buildings, our HQ in Morpeth. It is available to interested voluntary organisations from Tuesday 3 May.

The size is 10` 3” x 11` 8” - approx 119 sq ft (3.56m x 3.13m - approx 11.14 m²): sufficient room for one or two people together with their desks and other furniture.

Charged on a break-even basis, the offices in Tower Buildings are occupied by voluntary organisations which are happy to work together and share communal facilities such as the meeting-room, waiting room, WCs and kitchen.

Annual charges are approximately £1600 per annum (rent and services).

Contact Carol Megson on 01670 517178 or carolmegson@ca-north.org.uk

New guide helps rural communities generate energy and cash

With the continued rise in energy costs and the increase in the proportion of households classed as being in ‘fuel poverty’ coming from rural areas and the added effect of being ‘off-mains-gas’, many rural communities are becoming increasingly aware of the opportunities that renewable energy can offer.

However the huge range of organisations, resources and information available nationally and locally on renewable energy can be confusing.

A new guide, titled "Get Generating" produced by ACRE (Action for Communities in Rural England) in partnership with the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), the CRC and the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is now available to assist groups in considering their options when thinking about developing a renewable energy scheme.

Download a copy of the guide at:-www.acre.org.uk/Resources/ACRE/Documents/Renewable%20Energy%20Guide.pdf

Procurement, Tenders and Contracts

Is your organisation interested in exploring opportunities to diversify or supplement your income streams through public service delivery? Are you wondering how to win public sector tenders?

Come to North East Enterprise Partnership’s free workshops, delivered by Community Ventures Ltd, and find out how the procurement process works, how to win tenders and how to successfully deliver contracts.

Workshop 1 – Introduction to Procurement, 4th April 2011,

Workshop 2 – Winning Tenders, 18th April 2011,

Workshop 3 - Delivering Contracts, 9th May 2011

They are all at VODA, the Shiremoor Centre, North Tyneside. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis, so early bookings are advised. To book your place please email harmitage@nesep.co.uk to access a booking form.

Job Vacancy

THE MEA TRUST

MEA HOUSE, ELLISON PLACE, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE NE1 8XS

Recruitment of new Director

(part time 24 hrs with package to £20k)

The Director will work with the Board and staff and contractors for the benefit of MEA tenants and the wider community from the charitable, voluntary and community sectors. The postholder will help the Trustees to develop a business plan which will manage MEA House to full capacity and promote the charity’s Objects.

The Application Form, Job Description, Person Specification and background information is available on the website: www.meahouse.org.uk

Please note: Your hard copy application should be received by 3.00pm on Wednesday 16 March.

FLOODING AND NORTHUMBERLAND

The Environmental Law Foundation invites you to a free public information event

The Environmental Law Foundation is holding an event to explore what local communities can do to protect themselves from flooding. We have invited speakers to present on local efforts to combat the adverse effects of flooding and to talk about the links between planning and flooding.

THIS IS A FREE NON-POLITICAL EVENT !!!

Date: Thursday 10 March 2011 Time: 6.30 pm to 7.45 pm

Venue: Corn Exchange, Morpeth Town Hall, NE61 1LZ

10 minute walk from Morpeth train station

• If you would like to attend, please Contact: Peter Wiggins, 020 7404 1136 or scp@elflaw.org

This event is brought to you by the Equality & Human Rights Commission and the Sustainable Communities Project funded by the Communities and Local Government through the Empowerment Fund.

Your Chance to Decide on Priorities

The Policy and Representation Partnership was set up in 2009 with the aim of helping the Voluntary and Community Sector to influence public policy.

Each year 6 policy topics are chosen. As it approaches its third and final year, the partnership would like your help to decide which topics it should focus on. A list of potential priorities have been developed and a survey has been designed which asks you to narrow down the suggestions to give the Partnership a clear picture of what you think are the main issues are affecting the VCS.

Information gathered from this will be used to agree the policy themes and then gather expressions of interest from VCS organisations to deliver projects which will influence policy around the chosen topics.

It will only take a few minutes to complete so please take the time to complete the survey.

Deadline for completion of survey is Friday 25 March 2011. For more information contact natalie.maidment@vonne.org.uk

Funding Information North East

Funding Information North East has published the latest edition of its popular North East Guide to Grants for Voluntary Organisations (2011-2012). The Guide contains details of over £55 million available from more than 90 Trusts and Foundations making grants in the North East of England.

The guide includes funders’ grant-making policies, procedures and examples of recent grants, as well as advice on how to successfully raise money from Trusts and Foundations

Thanks to support from the Northern Rock Foundation FINE can offer the guide to smaller organisations at half the usual price.

The North East Guide to Grants for Voluntary Organisations costs £9.00 for organisations with an income/turnover less than £50,000 and £18.00 for larger organisations. For orders contact FINE on 0191 4771253, enquiries@fine.org.uk or go online at www.fine.org.uk

Bright Spots Northumberland

Taking Part Workshops is a charitable company set up to develop the link between arts and health. They have been running workshops in Wallsend since 2008 for people who feel stressed or depressed to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the community.

They are currently looking for groups that provide participatory group activities across Northumberland. To take part in this programme please get in touch. These is a very basic criteria to get involved, which is that activities have to be currently running and likely to be running consistently for the next few months, unless they are term-based.

To help raise awareness in the community they are holding 4 information days. The first two were held in Morpeth and Hexham in early February.

Information Days

Berwick: The Maltings Wed 2nd Mar 11-1

Alnwick: The Alnwick Garden Thurs 10th Mar 12-2

Please join us for information about the project as well as refreshments

If you are part of, or know of a group who would like to be part of Bright Spots, then please contact Victoria Smyth on 0191 262 1808 or takingpartworkshops@nhs.net or visit www.takingpartworkshops.org.uk

You can also link to ezines from CVABV and Wansbeck CVS via their logos

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