Please keep the responses coming. We really want to hear from as many organisations as possible.

We've extended the deadline for survey responses until Friday 15 October 2021, although we encourage you to reply as soon as possible. There are a number of key opportunities to present interim findings within the next few weeks, and we'd like your voice to be counted.

NCVS will use the anonymous data from your survey response to influence commissioning intentions as well as funding allocations, with the aim of strengthening the sector. The voluntary sector has a key role to play in delivery of services and our report can provide the evidence. We will be able to consider areas of growth, as well as gaps where further support is needed.

Please share the survey link with other groups you know
https://www.nottinghamcvs.co.uk/state-of-the-sector-2021

NCVS is here to help. If you're unable to complete online, or would like further support to complete the survey, please call us on 07564 041495.

Nott Alone is a website with local mental health advice and help for young people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, all in one place. If you are aged under 25, are a parent or carer, or a professional that supports young people, you can find information, advice and where to go to get help locally.

Nott Alone was designed by professionals, parents/carers and young people, to meet the needs of local people in Nottingham City and County. Key partners include Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Deadline: ongoing

y-notts gives one-off grants to young people from Nottinghamshire who have been prevented, by circumstances, from pursuing their education and training and reaching their full potential.

Grants are available to individuals, and to groups for a specific project. To qualify you should generally be aged 15 to 30 and live in Nottinghamshire. Special provisions, in exceptional circumstances, may be made for people outside of the prescribed age range.

See the y-notts website for more information.

Charities and community groups are invited to apply for up to £10,000 in match funding through a new £1.2million pot from the National Emergencies Trust (NET).

Crowdfunder and NET have teamed up to help voluntary and community organisations in the UK overcome the effects of the pandemic. This opportunity aims to support long-term sustainability and open up new avenues of income for local groups who are making a real difference to the people in their communities.

Applications for the fund are open until 22 October 2021 and successful applicants will be notified by 5 November 2021. If successful, applicants will each need to run a campaign to raise money from the crowd on Crowdfunder. The National Emergencies Trust will match any donations received pound for pound, up to a total of £10,000.

Government grants can be an important income stream for charities, but what do we know about who receives this funding? And what is the difference between a grant and a contract?

Charities are not the only ones seeking funding from government. In fact, they get just a small percentage of total grant funding. Also, funding pots are spread across multiple departments for different programmes, making it harder to identify who is receiving the funds.

In this article on the Civil Society website, Kirsty Weakley takes an in-depth look at the government's latest grants data and what it tells us about the sector's statutory funding.

Share your experience, give and receive advice and network with people who understand volunteers and volunteering at our next Leaders of Volunteers Network (LoVN) meeting.

The next session takes place online via Zoom on Wednesday 3 November 2021, from 10am to 12noon. To ensure you receive the Zoom link, register your place.

You can find out more about the network on the NCVS website. Any questions can be directed to davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk.
 

Green social prescribing is a way of connecting people to nature-based activities and green groups, projects and schemes in their local community for support with health and wellbeing. Often this will be through a referral from a Link Worker based at a GP practice or another primary care professional.

Our scheme in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, called GreenSpace, is all about improving people’s mental health. Green providers, social prescribers, voluntary organisations and community initiatives will help connect many more people with nature-based activities, helping everyone to feel better.

Walktober is a month-long campaign by Go Jauntly to encourage people to walk every day in October.

Go Jauntly is a free community-based walking app, and the month-long Walktober walking challenge is part of a new Challenges feature. All users need to do is treat themselves to a walk every day in October (10 minutes totally counts).

With autumn now upon us, nights drawing in and the weather getting chillier, it’s essential to get outside for a daily walk if you can. Whether it’s a short walk to school, a jaunt to your local pub or a lengthier hike, they all make a difference.

GreenSpace wants people to enjoy the associated mental and physical benefits of being outside and plans to work with Go Jauntly to develop local walks.

Tomorrow, Friday 1 October 2021, from 10am to 3pm
Old Market Square, Nottingham, free to attend

Would you like to hear what is available to support those aged 50+ to improve their health and wellbeing?

There will be over 30 stalls at this free event with information and advice on a wide range of services to support people as they grow older. All are welcome to drop by.

For more information, email healthandwellbeing@nottinghamcity.gov.uk.

Saturday 9 October 2021, 10am to 2.30pm
Online event, free to attend

If you are already volunteering for Diabetes UK, or are considering doing so, join in with their first online National Volunteer Conference. You will have the chance to meet and network with other volunteers from across the UK. Hear how your volunteering and support helps to reach more people touched by diabetes and create a world where diabetes can do no harm.
Register via Eventbrite

If you would like more information before signing up, please contact volunteerconference@diabetes.org.uk.

Join in with a range of events in Nottingham during the week 9-16 October 2021.

Thursday 7 October 2021, 10.30am to 1.45pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of children and young people and how to respond to concerns. 

Cost: £25 per participant

Our October course is fully booked!
Register now for next session on Thursday 6 January 2022, 10.30am to 1.45pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of adults and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Tuesday 19 October 2021, 10.30am to 3pm 

Delivered by registered Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA) Instructor Claire Henson, this introductory course will raise awareness of mental health issues and give initial guidance on how to support people who may be experiencing mental ill health.

The course is an excellent starting point for anyone who is working in the field of mental health or for an organisation that wants to raise staff and volunteer awareness of mental health issues.

Cost: £40 per participant (£25 course fee plus £15 resource pack) 

Tuesday 9 November 2021, 10.30am to 11.45am

An interactive online session for Trustees (or members of Management Committees) of organisations whose activities put them in contact with vulnerable adults or children.

Cost: £15 per participant

Thursday 18 November 2021, 10.30am to 1.45pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Lead Person.

Before registering for this Designated Lead course, participants should ensure they have attended the NCVS Introduction to Safeguarding Children and Young People course (or alternate refresher training) within the last three years.

Cost: £25 per participant

Tuesday 12 October 2021, 10am to 11.15am

For organisations and community groups who are new to applying for funding, or for those in need of a refresher. Relevant for groups applying for COVID-19 funding and recovery support as well as other general funding.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 20 October 2021, 10.30am to 12.30pm

Do you manage a space, office or building? This new two-hour online session will take your Fire Wardens and/or Fire Marshall through the basics. As a result, they will be better equipped to carry out these very important roles.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 2 November 2021, 6pm to 8pm

This two-hour online session covers the basic information for all trustees, whether you are new to the role or long-established.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 4 November 2021, 11am to 1pm

Are you acting as secretary or note taker, or do you need to record meetings? Learn how to take effective minutes and make your task easier. This two-hour online session replaces our previous face-to-face three-hour course and will take you through the process of producing a 'minute'.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 8 December 2021, 10am to 12noon

What is the right structure for your organisation? This new two-hour online session will explain your options and provide you with some useful tips to help you through the process of registration and beyond.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 6 October 2021, 10am to 11am

This one-hour online session looks at methods that have proved to be effective in volunteer leadership, including the best ways to plan, involve, support and retain volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 27 October 2021, 10am to 11am

In this one-hour online session, we will identify some of the barriers that potential volunteers face to becoming involved in your organisation and share ideas to remove these barriers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 10 November 2021, 10am to 12.15pm

A two-hour online course (with short break included) for Leaders of Volunteers to start to develop an understanding of some of the legal requirements that relate to your volunteering programme.

Cost: £20 per participant

The PDU aims to promote and facilitate collaborative learning and the sharing of good practice among professionals and volunteers from all sectors, in Nottingham and neighbouring areas, who work with people experiencing multiple disadvantage (understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues).

Contact our coordinator Filipa Santos for more information by sending an email to enquiries@pdunottingham.org

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

Are you looking for group training to help tackle hate crime and hostility? Nottingham social enterprise, Communities Inc, is offering free one-day training until the end of April 2022.

The Stand by Me UK project empowers people to tackle hate and assist victims through safe bystander interventions. Stand by Me makes a difference as it provides practical ways of responding to hate. It empowers bystanders to act and make their communities safer. It also shows that helping victims can be safe.

Communities Inc is looking to book sessions beginning in mid-October. Sessions need to be for a minimum of 10 people and up to a maximum of 24 to make it work. Any room hire and refreshment costs can be covered and you will be provided with a flyer to help promote the training.

Does Stand by Me UK sound like something you’d like to bring to your community or organisation? If you would like to book, discuss availability, timescales or ask additional questions, please email training@communitiesinc.org.uk.

A new initiative to encourage more members of the public to take up sign language as an extra language and skill, is now available locally.

Signs4Life is a deaf equality, diversity & disability training consultancy. The Signs4Life scheme is to help people to communicate and engage with children and adults who may be hard of hearing.

Online courses via Zoom start in November. Course fees apply, but programmes are subsidised and start at £60 for six-week Beginners BSL (British Sign Language).

With many events continuing online, there are opportunities to join these sessions remotely. We've picked out two opportunities to book your free place this October.

Open to young people aged 14 to 25 living in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Application deadline: Friday 8 October 2021

Please help to share this information if you work with young people.

The peer led project MH:2K enables young people to become volunteers and train to become Citizen Researchers to engage and hold conversations with their peers around Mental Health, to raise awareness and to hear the voices of young people.

MH:2K is delivered by Leaders Unlocked in association with the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council. The project is an integral part of the ongoing work to improve children’s emotional and mental health in the region.

The project is looking to recruit up to 24 participants aged 14-25 years who are currently living in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Further details about the opportunity can be found on the NCVS website.

An application form will need to be completed and returned to the project officer, Olivia Hayes. For those under 18, a consent form also needs to be signed by a parent / guardian / carer. Email olivia@leaders-unlocked.org for full details.

A new initiative is set to launch nationally to support trainers working in the voluntary sector through one shared learning platform to help sell your courses, reach more people and save costs.

Good Ideas Ltd is launching the platform with a free event to help organisations assess if they could benefit. The event is specifically for Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), senior leaders and trainers working in the voluntary sector.

Do you:

• want to deliver some or all of your training online?
• need training and support in moving your training online?
• want to save time, resources and costs in sharing a dedicated online learning platform?
• already have your own learning platform but are concerned about ongoing costs?
• have your own learning platform but would like to market and deliver your training programmes on a shared platform too?

To learn more, sign up to attend the event, online via Zoom, on Friday 8 October 2021 from 10am to 11.30am.

If that time doesn’t work for you (or you’d like to discuss having your own learning platform), you can email hello@goodideas.institute.

Could you benefit from a team of business experts to help move your charity or social enterprise forwards?

Pilotlight has opened a new programme of support for charities in England and Wales coming out of the pandemic. The programme is free, runs for 10 months, and offers the chance for the leader of a charity or social enterprise to benefit from the expertise and knowledge of professionals from a variety of prominent UK businesses, the public and charity sectors.

Apply before Friday 15 October 2021 to start working with Pilotlight by mid-November. See the eligibility criteria on their website, which suggests work is most successful with organisations that have a turnover of between £100,000 and £5million. Shorter programmes, with rolling applications, are also available.

An online information session will be held on Tuesday 12 October for those thinking of applying.