The third wave of Nottingham Trent University’s VCSE Barometer - the independent quarterly nationwide 'temperature check' of the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector - has launched this week. The theme of this quarter’s survey is Volunteering.

The Barometer survey is run by the VCSE Data and Insights National Observatory at NTU in partnership with Pro Bono Economics. It is supported by Lloyds Bank Foundation, and is backed by all the major national and regional infrastructure organisations.

NCVS encourages you to take part. Whether you’ve filled in earlier waves of this survey, or this is your first time, your voice and experiences matter. Your involvement is important and has real-time impact because data is turned around quickly, to provide timely intelligence to policy-makers and government.

In February, data was provided to Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) within hours of the closure of the Wave 2 survey, and the information formed part of the picture that contributed to the decision to include an allocation of £100 million to the VCSE sector in the Spring Budget.

This time, the survey asks: what has been your experience of retaining, supporting and recruiting volunteers over the last year? Just 20 minutes is all you’ll need to make your voice heard about the highs, the lows and everything in between.

The survey is open until Tuesday 23 May 2023.

A new model and priorities for voluntary and community grant funding from Nottingham City Council

Two engagement workshops have already taken place, and we'd like to thank you for your participation.

You can still register to attend next week's engagement workshop on Thursday 17 May 2023, from 6pm to 8pm at Queens Walk Community Centre.
Please register here.
You are welcome to turn up on the day, but it helps to know in advance who we are expecting to join us.

The online survey remains open until Friday 19 May 2023.
Please complete the survey here.

Make sure you have your say.

We are deeply saddened to be sharing the news that Leslie McDonald, the Chief Executive Officer at Nottingham Counselling Service (NCS), has passed away.

Leslie had been CEO at Nottingham Counselling Service for 17 years and led the charity with wisdom, skill and perseverance. Many of you will know him through his wider work within the community and with NCVS. He was committed to, and passionate about, the local voluntary sector and cared deeply about empowering and providing services to the most vulnerable in our society.

He will very much be missed by all those that knew him and had the opportunity to work with him. You can read more about Leslie and his work on the NCS website.

Caring Roadshows, co-ordinated by Trevor Clower, take place across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. There is now a brand new website, with all the information you need to visit a local event between May and August.

Caring Roadshows are for people who want to obtain information about the range of support services available locally for carers and those they care for.

Equation has a new Chief Executive Officer, Anthea Tainton. Anthea has already been part of Equation for nearly 13 years and brings a wealth of experience.

Deadline to submit expressions of interest: 11.59pm Friday 19 May 2023

Unrestricted grants of £20,000 to £25,000 for up to four years are available to charitable organisations that support children that have had adverse childhood experiences. This includes abuse, neglect, domestic abuse, parental or caregiver separation and more.

Eligible applicants must be registered charities or charitable incorporated organisations that have an income under £2 million but above £200,000.

After submitting an expression of interest by the deadline above, selected charities will be invited to apply on 5 June 2023. Applicants will be informed of decisions on 1 October 2023.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on 25 May 2023.
Please note: organisations that are not registered with the scheme must do so 10 working days before the relevant deadline ends.

The Ofgem Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme is open for its fourth round of funding. A total of £5 million of grants are available to charities and community groups that support households most at risk from cold homes and high energy bills across England, Scotland and Wales.

There are 1,239 organisations registered with the Energy Redress Scheme that can apply to the open rounds. Organisations that are not registered with the scheme must do so 10 working days before the relevant deadline ends.

Four funds are available offering between £20,000 to £200,000 to organisations that support energy consumers in vulnerable situations.

Applications are invited for projects which groups will begin to deliver in the third quarter of 2023.

There are two stages to the application process. Summary expressions of interest are invited via an online form, to ensure projects meet the strategic aims of the programme. Community groups can apply for either £1,000, £2,500 or £5,000. Any organisation with an annual turnover of more than £250,000 will need to be willing to match fund as part of their application.

Projects must focus on young people aged between 15 and 24 and meet the requirement to support young people as they continue to build out of the pandemic. initiatives should fit into one or more of the following funding themes.

• Diversionary Activities - initiatives that specifically focus on engaging with young people, providing them support and deterring anti-social behaviour.
  
  
• Environmental - initiatives could include but are not limited to: encouraging young people to engage with the outdoors, initiatives that support the environment and involve youth groups.
  
  
• Employability - initiatives that directly or indirectly equip young people with skills, experience or qualifications that will support them gaining access to employment.
  
  
• Wellbeing - initiatives that positively impact or provide support to young people through: physical activity, mental health and/ or social interaction.

As part of Lloyds Bank Foundation's commitment under their 2022–2026 strategy, a dedicated funding programme for d/Deaf and Disabled People's organisations will open soon, in summer 2023.

You can sign up to receive an email notification telling you when the funding programme is live.

We’re hearing lots of great news from Leaders of Volunteers about imaginative ways they will be celebrating the 39th year of Volunteers' Week with their teams. From tea and cakes, to launching micro-volunteering events designed to attract new volunteers, to presentation of certificates, to long-service awards, Leaders of Volunteers are buzzing with ideas to Celebrate and Inspire.

Every volunteer is invited to come along to the Arboretum on Waverley Street in Nottingham on Saturday 3 June for the city’s celebration event. Even if your organisation isn’t able to have a stall, everyone is welcome. There will be art and craft activities, free children’s books, environmental activities and more.

However, if you would like a stall for your organisation, to promote your work with display photos, leaflets and publicity material, to offer an activity for the public and to provide a meeting point for your own volunteer team, time is running out. There’s no shortage of space, but if you would like us to provide a gazebo, table and chairs, we need to know. More than a dozen organisations have already booked their stall, with new bookings coming in every day.

Book your place for the biggest and best volunteer celebration in Nottingham in several years. Fill in and return this stall booking form today.
(Clicking this link automatically downloads a Word document.)

If you have any questions about the event, please contact our Volunteering Development Officer, Dave Thomas at 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 one of seven government Green Social Prescribing Test and Learn sites. It's 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.

Thursday 11 May 2023, 6pm to 8pm 
Nottinghamshire Hospice, 384 Woodborough Road, Nottingham NG3 4JF
Free to attend, no need to book

This event is being held as part of Dying Matters Awareness Week.

Take part in an evening of conversation about death, dying and funerals. You’ll find a friendly, supportive environment to talk about the many aspects of death and dying we don’t normally have the opportunity to discuss with others. There’ll be plenty of tea, coffee and cakes to enjoy.

A Death Café is not a form of bereavement support or grief counselling, and you shouldn’t attend if you don’t feel able to discuss death comfortably and openly. If you have any questions about the Death Café, please contact Kate Martin, Palliative Care Practice Lead: kate.martin@nottshospice.org.

Friday 12 May 2023, 1pm to 4pm
Indian Community Centre Association (ICCA), 99 Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1QZ
Free to attend, just drop in

Bestwood and Sherwood Community Hub invites all to this new drop-in event at the Indian Community Centre Association (ICCA). There is no need to book.

There will be information about Hygiene Bank, free food vouchers, carers support, maternity support, health checks, weight management support, access to financial advice, smoking support, plus free children's books.

Friday 12 May 2023 (first film screens at 4pm)
Broadway, 14-18 Broad Street, Nottingham NG1 3AL
Tickets are free, but booking is required

Storyville, the BBC’s landmark international feature documentary strand is hosting its own series of films, Storyville Live, at the Eurovision cultural festival in Liverpool this month. A selection of these documentaries will be shown at Broadway Cinema on Friday 12 May.

Through three films, the themes of loss, hope and resistance are interwoven, showing the people of Ukraine coming together through unimaginable hardships.

Check out the screening times and book here.

Saturday 20 May 2023, 10am to 4pm
Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, Nottingham NG8 2AE
Free event (car parking charges apply)

See Nottinghamshire police officers, firefighters, and other supporting agencies showcase their skills and demonstrations. There will be a variety of stalls, displays and emergency vehicles to explore, including the underwater search unit, drone unit, search and rescue teams, and many more.

Families can look forward to participating in various activities throughout the day, such as a throw line challenge utilised by search and rescue teams, as well as learning fundamental Basic Life Support (BLS) skills.

Also taking place this year is the annual National Police Dogs Trials.

Wednesday 24 May 2023, 9.30am to 12 noon
National Ice Centre, Bolero Square, Belward Street, Nottingham
Free to attend

Find out what Active Notts and The Renewal Trust have learned from their research into levels of activity of children and young people in and around Nottingham, the challenges they face, and their motivations around being physically active.

This work has taken place at a number of school, after school, community and event settings and has involved speaking directly to young people and their families, using various methods of gathering insight.

Places are limited, so please register your interest by Wednesday 17 May.

Tuesday 20 June 2023, 11am to 12.15pm
Online via Zoom, free to attend

A practice-based presentation and question and answer session with Nina Kelly and Sanjiv Lingayah from Reframing Race.

Reframing Race is a non-profit research-based initiative, hosted by Voice4Change England, that exists to change the public conversation on racism in order to build an anti-racist future.

It draws on Reframing Race’s recent groundbreaking evidence-based study of attitudes towards 'race' and racism, which included 20,000 people in England and Scotland. It will offer practical guidance on language, phrasing, metaphors and big ideas that advocates can use to change the conversation on racism and build public support for anti-racist efforts.

The event will help on the issue that advocates for race equity face daily: how to influence the public, decision makers and funders towards supporting serious solutions on race equity.

Monday 19 to Friday 23 June 2023
Events are held online via Zoom, free to attend

Each year, WorkPride welcomes thousands of virtual attendees from around the globe to network, share best practices, and learn strategies to help create workspaces that are inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

WorkPride is sponsored by myGwork, a business community for LGBT+ professionals, students, inclusive employers and anyone who believes in workplace equality.

It's a free virtual Pride Conference spotlighting important topics and ways to become a more inclusive workplace as well as a true champion of the LGBTQIA+ community.
A key focus of WorkPride this year is allyship and authenticity. Building a supportive workplace which enables people to be authentic about their experiences is vital to personal and business development.

Wednesday 12 July 2023, 10am to 12.30pm

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

Wednesday 26 July 2023, 10am to 12.30pm

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

Wednesday 31 May 2023, 10am to 12.30pm

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

Cost: £25 per participant

Thursday 18 May 2023, 10.30am to 12 noon

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

Wednesday 5 July 2023, 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

Tuesday 16 May 2023, 1pm to 3.15pm

A new interactive hands-on workshop for organisations and community groups who want to practice their skills and would welcome constructive feedback to further develop their skills in writing successful funding applications.
Cost: £20 per participant

Monday 12 June 2023, 6pm to 8pm

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

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 16 May 2023, 10:30am to 12:30pm

This two-hour online session is intended for trustees who have completed our 'Being a Trustee' course, who want to further develop their involvement and awareness of trustee duties and improve their personal skill set.

Cost: £20 per participant

Monday 22 May 2023, 6pm to 8pm

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 21 June 2023, 10.30am to 12.30pm

This new two-hour online session will explain the basics of health and safety, then take you through the process of carrying out a risk assessment in an organisational environment.

Cost: £20 per participant

Monday 3 July 2023, 6pm to 8pm

What is the right structure for your organisation? This 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

Tuesday 6 June 2023, 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

Thursday 29 June 2023, 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 14 June 2023, 10am to 11am

This one-hour online session aims to share some ideas about how best to deal with the inevitable disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts that arise from time to time among a team of volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 5 July 2023, 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 24 May 2023, 10am to 12 noon

For some time, we’ve been asked about training that goes beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers. In this new two-hour online session, we’ll explore some of the real-life issues that you are facing.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 5 September 2023, 10am to 12 noon

A two-hour online course 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

Thursday 20 July 2023, 10am to 11am

A one-hour online session to help your volunteer role descriptions stand out, ensuring you attract enthusiastic volunteers.

Cost: £10 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 Katie Hall, our PDU Programme Manager, for more information: enquiries@pdunottingham.org

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

Wednesday 7 June 2023
Morning Session: Introduction to Gambling Related Harms 10am-1pm
Afternoon Session: Credit and Illegal Money Lending 2pm- 4pm
Cleaves Hall Conference Centre, 6 Castle Gate, Nottingham NG1 7AS, with option to attend online instead

This full-day workshop is an opportunity to develop a broad understanding of gambling related harms, credit and illegal money lending, delivered by experts in this field. We are offering a hybrid option to access this event as we want as many people as possible to benefit from this training opportunity.

Our talks will be delivered in person but available to watch live online. The chat box will be monitored throughout the session with online participants also encouraged to participate in group discussions.

We highly recommend that people attend both the morning and afternoon sessions to get the most out of the workshop.

Lunch is provided, with vegan and gluten free options available.

Email enquiries@pdunottingham.org now to register your interest for this event and to receive further sign up details.

The full day workshop in June kick starts a further Gambling Related Harms learning series that will be delivered via the PDU as monthly one-hour online workshops.

These will deep dive on topics that begin to be explored in the day workshop. You can register for these events now at the links below:

• Cost of Living - Wednesday 5 July 2023, 10am to 11am
  
  
• Screening - Wednesday 2 August 2023, 10am to 11am
  
  
• Affected Others/Women - Wednesday 6 September 2023, 10am to 11am
  
  
• Cultural responsivity - Wednesday 4 October 2023, 10am to 11am

We welcome individuals with lived experience of Severe Multiple Disadvantage (SMD) to attend, as well as professionals and volunteers from all sectors.

Though attendance is free, advance booking is essential.

Download our events poster to share within your networks.

Equation's expert training is for anyone who wants to develop their professional skills in responding to domestic abuse and sexual violence. Whatever your role, Equation can help you in spotting the signs, taking the right action, and supporting those affected.

Many sessions are funded for workers/volunteers in Nottingham City (and some for County workers) so that there is no charge to participants.

View the full range of courses at https://equation.org.uk/training/.

Wednesday 28 June 2023, 9.30am to 5pm
Online
Conference fees are £230 per person but please ask if the early bird rate discount may still be available for community groups.

This is the NSPCC's leading child safeguarding event. You can join online on the day. Or catch up on demand, with all sessions available for four weeks after the event.

How can we better protect children during the current cost of living crisis? How Safe brings together child protection experts to share the latest research and innovations. Hear from thought leaders, innovators and professionals on the frontline. Engage with practitioners and peers in safeguarding, health, education, charity sectors and beyond.

Email howsafe@nspcc.org.uk with any questions.

The Race Equality Foundation is a national charity that looks at tackling racial inequality in public services and aims to improve the lives of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

The Race Equality Foundation is working on two projects led by the Association of Young People’s Health to better understand the experiences of young Black, Asian and minority ethnic people who have either Type 1 Diabetes or Epilepsy.

Nottingham is one of the areas in which they are interested in hearing from young people about their experiences living with these conditions. They want to speak with young people aged 10 to 25 years. Researchers are also interested to hear separately from families about their experience in supporting young people with either of these conditions.

The research will take place via individual interview or within a focus group with others who have the same condition. Young people will receive a thank you voucher.

If you can help to share this opportunity, or bring young people together in a focus group, please contact Tracey Bignall at Race Equality Foundation for more information. Email: tracey@racefound.org.uk or call 07793 239567.

The Housing Strategy and Partnerships team at Nottingham City Council is supporting Steve Iafrati, Assistant Professor in Social Policy at the University of Nottingham, in a research project and they are asking for your input.

Steve has secured funding to undertake a research project focusing on households in need of housing which have been moved from their local areas and placed into Nottingham city. Areas such as South East and London are having a particular issue with placing people in area and are using out of area placements.

Steve or his researcher would like to speak with households that have been placed out of area to speak with them about their experiences. This might be recent or not so recent placements. They would be very grateful to any organisation that could act as a gatekeeper to put them in contact with such households.

They are also keen to talk with agencies, service providers and other organisations that have experience of working with such households in any capacity. This might be about evidence they possess or about what they have seen or addressed as part of their functions.

It is hoped that the findings will be useful to other households who may find
themselves moving to other parts of the country, or even globally, for a range of reasons. The findings will be anonymised and presented to a range of interested parties on completion.

Please email steve.iafrati@nottingham.ac.uk if you can help, or would like further information.