Voluntary Organisations
VSI Alliance news : Local business offering voluntary help this summer
VSI Alliance wish to share that a local business has approached them and are interested in offering some time over the summer to support a local charity or not for profit group.
The company wishes to help with any aspect of manual work needed, from gardening to decorating or another project if you have one in mind, ideally over the weekends in the summer.
They could prefer to donate this time to an organisation based or operating in Sowerby Bridge or the Upper Valley area.
If you would like to know more, please email Charlie at charlie.johnston@vsialliance.org.uk
easyfundraising Free funding webinar – Tuesday May 3rd
Funding website easyfundraising helps third sector organisations generate additional unrestricted income, simply by shopping online. It is free to use and is trusted by 170,000 community groups charities and voluntary organisations around the UK.
Come along to a free webinar on Tuesday 3rd May, 12.30 – 1.15 pm, with easyfundraising’s Community Fundraising Manager Becky Coleman, who will demonstrate the platform, share tips and advice on getting started and getting your wider community involved in your fundraising efforts, as well as answering any questions you have.
It will be a friendly session and is open to any member of your team. This is an easy and effective way to boost your funds so do come along to find out how!
You can register here.
(https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcemqrz0sHNGWu7DEXDfeOqA1OI_4Z3Wo)
You can find out more about how easyfundraising works here (https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/community/)
If you would like to know more about easyfundraising, get in touch with Becky who would be happy to talk to you in more detail about what easyfundraising can do for your organisation and how it works.
Contact Becky at becky@easyfundraising.org.uk
Become an Engagement Champion to benefit your organisation
In a nutshell, the Engagement Champions programme is about capturing the views of local people and communities, especially those who are seldom heard, specifically in relation to health.Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations are so well placed in communities to engage with residents.This is where you come in!Delivered by VSI Alliance on behalf of NHS Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group, the Engagement Champions programme supports reps from VCSE organisations to undertake training and become an accredited ‘Engagement Champion’ and give your service users and communities a voice when it comes to health services and proposals.
Here are some of the other benefits of becoming an Engagement Champion!
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The Engagement Champions Training TimetableAll session are held online via Zoom. Attendees need to be able to commit to attending all 4 sessions.
| Training Session 1How the NHS Works | Tuesday 26th April 2022 | 10am – 12:30 pm |
| Training Session 2Legal and statutory obligations for engagement | Tuesday 3rd May 2022 | 10am – 12:30 pm |
| Training Session 3Engagement Methods & approaches | Tuesday 17th May 2022 | 10am – 12:30 pm |
| Training Session 4Equalities, Safeguarding and Evaluation and Certificates | Tuesday 7th June 2022 | 10am– 12:30 pm |
Ready to be an Engagement Champion? Email us!
More information about the programme
The NHS has a legal duty to involve local communities/communities of interest when health changes are being considered and the training provides the knowledge and skills needed to carry out engagement and consultation work on behalf of the NHS locally. The training is free and once trained, volunteers will be able to give their organisation the opportunity to be approved providers of engagement for the NHS locally with the potential to carry out paid work.
The training is spread over 4 sessions (currently delivered on Zoom). The training provides an understanding of how the NHS works and why the NHS is required to involve local communities in changes to services. It covers methods and approaches to engagement and consultation which can be useful skills for your own personal development and benefit your organisation and also key information about equalities and safeguarding. Participants are asked to complete a practical task asking service users to complete a survey.
QA Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work discount for VAC organisations
Did you know that an estimated 555,000 workers in Britain sustained an injury at work in 2017/18?
The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require all employers to make arrangements to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. This includes carrying out a risk assessment, appointing a suitable amount of first aiders and providing appropriate first aid training. However, having the correct first aid provision in the workplace is not just a legal requirement, it is incredibly important for the safety of all members of staff!
The QA Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF) qualification is designed for individuals who wish to act as an emergency first aider in their workplace. Upon successful completion of this qualification, candidates will be equipped with the essential skills needed to give safe, prompt and effective first aid in emergency situations.
What’s more, as a regulated qualification, employers can book this course for their employees and rest assured that they have fulfilled their legal responsibilities for providing quality first aid training, without having to undertake any lengthy due diligence checks.
£75 – FULL PRICE
£60 – 20% DISCOUNT FOR VAC MEMBERS
£45 – 40% DISCOUNT FOR VAC + MEMBERS
(Voluntary organisations dashboard)
200 hours of construction work for Community and Voluntary Organisations
William Birch and Sons Ltd are currently giving Halifax Police Station a full refurbishment to modernise the building.
As part of the tender process, William Birch and Sons Ltd offer an element of social value and are providing 200 hours of resource that can be utilised in any way that benefits the community of our Calderdale district.
Third Sector organisations are invited to apply if they have a project that needs help by Friday 8th April 2022
The type of work that William Birch Ltd are able to provide person hours for are:-
- Groundworks / Flagging
- External Painting
- External Pointing
- Brickwork
- Joinery
- Internal Decoration
Please note that any materials required must be provided by the bidding organisation.
To find out more, read the proposed Cover Letter
If you would like to apply, Download the Application Form here (Word Document)
When complete, please email your application to partnershipfunding@westyorkshire.police.uk with a subject heading of William Birch Social Value and your organisation’s name.
The application must be submitted by midnight on Friday 8th April 2022
Cash boost for cultural projects from the Calderdale Cultural Fund
For more information about the Calderdale Cultural Fund and to apply, visit https://calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/community-and-living/grants/grants-voluntary-organisations/cultural-fund
More people will be able to benefit from the joy of Calderdale’s distinctive culture, thanks to the launch of a new Council grant for voluntary organisations to fund cultural projects.
In 2024, Calderdale will celebrate its 50th birthday. As part of this, there will be a Year of Culture in 2024, where organisations and individuals will come together for a major events programme that recognises the importance of culture to the local economy and communities.
In the run up to the Year of Culture, the Council is inviting the local voluntary sector to apply for a share of the Calderdale Cultural Fund 2022 – 2025.
Voluntary organisations can apply for between £5000 and £25,000 a year, for up to three years, to deliver their cultural projects. The deadline for grant applications is Wednesday 23 March 2022.
Cllr Jenny Lynn, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, said:
“Culture plays a huge part in making Calderdale vibrant and distinctive, transforming people’s lives and recovering from the pandemic. We know that every one of our neighbourhoods in Calderdale has stories to tell and talents to showcase. That’s what we want to celebrate in our Year of Culture, and we want everyone to be involved. We want to open up cultural events and activities to all our diverse communities, and this is the aim of our new Calderdale Cultural Fund.”
Cllr Scott Patient, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Resilience, added:
“The Calderdale Cultural Fund recognises the important role of voluntary organisations in enriching people’s lives through culture and the arts. It will also help the sector to get back on its feet after being one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. We want as many organisations as possible to apply for a grant so we can all continue to work together to help build back our cultural sector, towns, tourism and local people’s shared experiences, which are a significant part of Calderdale’s story.”
The aim of the grants is to make culture more accessible to the wider community, to deliver the new Cultural Strategy for Calderdale and to help achieve the Vision2024 for Calderdale, by harnessing the talent of the local cultural sector to build resilience and help people live a larger life.
The Council is looking to support projects that help achieve the cultural objectives from the Cultural Strategy for Calderdale:
- A larger creative life
Each and every person has the opportunity for culture and creativity to be woven into the fabric of their lives – whatever their age – to delight and inspire happier, healthier lives.
- Creative citizens
Every community is empowered to grow and sustain its own cultural capacity, bringing to life the unique identity of each place and community.
- A resilient valley
The cultural sector inspires creative and regenerative actions to build a sustainable future.
- Distinctively Calderdale
Businesses and visitors are attracted by the vibrancy of the cultural offer, strong sense of identity and creative possibilities.
- A thriving cultural scene
The sector – its people and organisations – is invested in so that it flourishes and plays a unique, dynamic and effective role in wider society.
For more information about the Calderdale Cultural Fund and to apply, visit https://calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/community-and-living/grants/grants-voluntary-organisations/cultural-fund
Vision Calderdale 2024
In the year 2024, Calderdale will celebrate its 50th birthday. Where do we want to be by 2024? Join the conversation by following #VisionCdale2024 on social media and visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/vision
How to tap into unrestricted funding for your community organisation in 2022
You are invited to a free funding online workshop by easyfundraising on Tuesday 1st of February from 12:30 to 1pm.
Come along to this informal session to find out how your voluntary group, CIC, social enterprise, church, school, sports club or charity can benefit from unrestricted funding in 2022.
Community Fundraising Manager Becky Coleman will talk through how your volunteers, staff and supporters can use the easyfundraising platform to raise donations for your organisation when they shop with thousands of leading retailers. Becky will demonstrate how it works, show you how to get started and answer any questions you might have.
easyfundraisign is free to use and is trusted by 170,000 good causes around the UK.
Please do feel free to pass this on to anyone else you know who might like to come along.
When: Tuesday 1st February 2022
Time: 12.30 – 1.00pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Register at: http://efraising.org/1vY4Fny7kh
If you would like to get started with easyfundraising ahead of this session, you can do that here: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/community
VSI Alliance VCSE Winter Directory 2021/22
The VSI Alliance are producing a Calderdale Winter Directory of all the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector support and services available to individuals over the Winter months. This may be promoting part of your regular service delivery or it may be Winter specific work the VCSE are providing.As examples, the Winter Directory is aiming to include information on Mental Health Support, Wellbeing Sessions, Physical Activity, Food Support Services, Social Groups etc.The directory has a very tight turnaround to collate the information so apologies for the short deadline for information. To include your organisation or specific service, please complete the Microsoft Form via the link below by 1pm on Thursday 16th December 2021.
https://forms.office.com/r/6Ur17PEX94
If you wish to discuss further, please email emma.worsley@cvac.org.uk
Calderdale VSI Alliance Specialist Support Grants – Closing 31st March 2022
Grants of up to £2,000 are now available for voluntary organisations in Calderdale for technical professional support to address a skills or knowledge gap in the organisation or address an immediate need for technical input to advance a project or service.
This fund cannot be used for ongoing revenue, staff costs, core activities, events, or capital work.Organisations wishing to apply to the fund should contact Cassandra Walker: cassandra.walker@locality.org.uk or 07955 364192 to discuss their project.
If eligible, you will be issued an application form.
Start your Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing journey for FREE!
[Excerpt article Full Information here]
Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing is not just a standard self-assessment process: Tiered over 3 levels, it caters and is suitable for smaller groups and larger organisations. Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing is an evidence-based approach which allows VCSE organisations opportunities for reflection and evaluation of their service delivery, highlighting the impact these services make on people’s lives as well as the role played as part of the wider Health & Care System.
We are delighted to showcase the investment to subsidise Calderdale VCSE sector organisations of all sizes to sign up and undertake the Quality4Health+Wellbeing Accreditation at no charge to them. This full subsidy will be available until the end of year (31st Dec 2021). You will be supported in your quality journey by a dedicated team and through the VSI Alliance networks and developments be routed into a range of emerging and interesting opportunities. We recognise this is particularly important for organisations looking to secure their footing for a positive future following the turbulence of Covid-19.
Sign up by 31st Decemmber 2021
For more information, please email info@quality4healthwellbeing.org.uk
Calderdale Lower Valley blog 