The East Midlands ESF Community Learning and Skills Grants programme was launched on Wednesday 15 June. The grants programme is designed to assist small not-for-profit groups based in, and run by, people from the community they support. 

 

The aim of providing small grants is to give voluntary and community groups an opportunity to access funding to provide activities that help engage and progress people that are considered 'hard to reach'. Projects should provide an opportunity for people to engage with learning, to develop their confidence and skills and be more able to take advantage of  opportunities that help them progress towards the labour market.

 

For this first application round a total of £96,000 of funding is available across the region. Groups can apply for up to £10,000, with an expected average grant being £5,760.  

 

Community Action Derby is working with Enable to support and promote this funding opportunity in Derby and Derbyshire and will be holding an information and question and answer session to help voluntary and community groups through the application process.

 

The session will be held on Wednesday 29 June - next Wednesday - from 10:00 to 11:30 am at Community Action, 4 Charnwood Street, Derby DE1 2GT.  If you would like to come along please email Liz Gumbley or call 01332 227738, so that we have an idea of numbers of people attending.   

 

For more information about the ESF Community Learning and Skills Grants programme visit the Enable website. 

Want to keep up to date with events, training, fun days, workshops - in fact anything that's happening in the voluntary and community sector?  Then visit the Community Action website!

  

The interactive Voluntary Sector Calendar is packed with events and training - you can add your organisation's events too!  We hope that the Voluntary Sector Calendar will become the place to go to find out about what's going on and when.  It will also be useful as a planning aid and hopefully prevent large events being scheduled for the same day.  To get started click here.    

   

The Government appears to be consulting on scrapping the Equality Act and having its provisions subsumed into other pieces of legislation.

 

If anything, the Equality Act could be made better. For instance the duty to reduce socio-economic disadvantage, the provisions on dual discrimination and the provision to make caste a protected characteristic could be implemented as originally intended. Even before they have been used, the government is looking to review the provisions on third party harassment with a view to repealing them.

 

As there now is no other legislation that underpins our right to live and work free of discrimination this is a worrying development.

 

To view the consultation and register your views visit the Red Tape Challenge website. 

Do you have any services or resources that you would like to share with other voluntary and community groups? Spare furniture or equipment? Training or advice?  Or is there something you need? Or would like to swap?

 

We have created a Community Classifieds section on our website as one-stop shop to offer and request support and services, resources and equipment.

 

As the community classifieds section grows we will have sections for 'we want', 'we've got' and 'let's swap'. So, if you have anything you would like to share, swap or give away email Jayne Williams or call 01332 227749. 

 

We look forward to matching up groups and services! 

The BT Community Connections Awards have reopened for a second round of applications for 2011.

 

This awards scheme provides successful applicants with IT equipment and a year's worth of broadband internet access.  Groups and organisations that apply have to be able to demonstrate how they help their local community learn about the internet.  The scheme is keen to target areas of deprivation which otherwise receive little or no funding for IT.

 

For more information visit the BT website. 

Derwent Stepping Stones is an organisation passionate about the community and the needs of local families.  They provide childcare in their nursery, support and advice for people going into work, and individual empowerment and fulfilment through their training department.  They also run a catering service, Inspired Catering, who provide an internal and external catering service for the local community. 

 

In addition, Derwent Stepping Stones offer the following FREE services: 

 

·         Get crafty

·         Job shop

·         Careers advice

·         Online basics

·         Careers workshops

·         Venture volunteering project

 

For more information on accessing the services call Sarah Groom on 01332 372245 or visit the Derwent Stepping Stones website.

 

The Institute of Fundraising has teamed up with BT to produce a guide to fundraising using social media.  'Networked for Good: How to use social media to give your fundraising a boost' explains how to use blogs, Facebook and Twitter for fundraising.  Click to read the guide.  

Do you have a community project that needs completing, but not the time or volunteers to do it?

 

Help is at hand!  The 'Summer of a Lifetime' team are looking for four projects for two teams of young people to complete during August as part of the 'Summer of a Lifetime' programme.

    

The projects can be anything from painting, clearing and tidying an area, supporting an event to environmental projects and everything in between. The programme is looking for two one-day projects and two projects of 30 hours.  So if you have a project for the team or would like more information please email Thom Kellogg or call 01332 227736/ 07792 733639.  For more information about the programme visit the Summer of a Lifetime website. 

 

Are you organising summer fetes, autumn fairs, Christmas fairs, spring fairs etc?  Do you intend to sell raffle tickets in advance of the event?  If so Derby City Council want to remind you that you need a Small Society Lottery Registration in place to ensure you are not breaking the law under the Gambling Act 2005.

 

If you organise events such as plays, film evenings, live music, recorded music, performances of dance, indoor sporting events or facilities for making music and performances of dance and the premises does not have a licence from DCC then you will need to apply for a Temporary Event Notice.  This also applies If you wish to sell alcohol at any event you are organising.

 

For more information and application forms please email the Licensing Team or call 01332 641930/641965.

 

The training is provided through Walking for Health and will teach participants how to plan and lead a health walk confidently and safely.  Successful participants will receive a certificate which will enable them to volunteer on accredited schemes.

 

For more information or to book a place email Caron Kirkham or call 01332 345966.

Derby city is launching its fourth call for funding applications for the European Regional Development Fund Priority Axis 2 or ERDF PA2 funding in Derby.  Derby has been given an additional allocation of £6.6m as part of the East Midlands European Regional Development Competitiveness Programme 2007-2013, managed by the East Midlands Development Agency. After the first three rounds around £6m has already been given to projects.

 

The aim of Derby's fund is to help areas with high levels of deprivation and low levels of economic and enterprise activity.  The deadline for completed expression of interest forms is 12:00 pm on Friday 15 July.

 

For more information together with an expression of interest form visit the ERDF website.  If you need more help and advice on how to complete a successful expression of interest form please email Michelle Nally or call 01332 256903. 

It's time for the next Volunteer Co-ordinators Forum!  The forum will be held on Wednesday 13 July from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at Oddfellows, 32 Charnwood Street in Derby .  The main topic will be the Volunteering Strategy for the city which we are currently working on with a number of partners.

 

The strategy will feed into the Derby Plan which sets out the priorities that Derby City and Neighbourhoods Partnership will work towards to improve life in Derby.  It is important that volunteer-involving organisations have the opportunity to shape the strategy and the action plans that will feed into it so please do all you can to make it on the day.  In addition to the strategy we'll also be doing our usual round up of information sharing and networking.

 

If you would like to come along please email Simon Hancox or call 01332 346266.  

 



Jayne Williams
Community Action Derby