NCVS e-bulletin - Thursday 11 July 2024

The Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS) e-bulletin will be back in a fortnight. The deadline for contributions and comments is Monday 22 July 2024. Email communications@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Did you know we keep an archive of past NCVS e-bulletins? View the archive here.

We are excited to announce that NCVS is moving to a new location! Our new address will be:

Dryden Enterprise Centre, Nottingham Trent University, Dryden Street, NG1 4FQ

Loxley House has been a great host, but we now feel it's time to stretch our wings in a new environment. We work closely with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) on a number of projects, so it is a natural progression to base ourselves in their wonderful building. The building integrates eco-friendly materials and technologies, and when the weather's nice, we have a lovely balcony to work on.

Business will still be run as usual leading up to and after the move. We’ll let you all know when we’ve fully moved and settled. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate walk-ins, but never say never!

Nottingham City of Literature’s Big City Reads campaign returns until Sunday, 11 August 2024! They are distributing 2,000 free books across the city and in communities where young people have limited access to books.

The campaign features four compelling Young Adult titles, chosen from a longlist of 56 books by Nottingham City of Literature’s Young Ambassadors and Youth Advisory Board. These titles resonate with teen and young adult audiences, focusing on themes of 'belonging', acceptance, inclusion, and identity.

This year’s selected books aim to create a city-wide shared reading experience, offering readers opportunities to explore important themes.

Big City Reads seeks to empower and inspire young minds through uplifting stories while promoting reading as a practice that enhances wellbeing.

Follow them on Facebook, X (formally known as Twitter), or Instagram to find clues on where to find your free books. 

The deadline for applications is Thursday 21 November 2024, 12 noon. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.

Thanks to further funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, Consortium and its Community Partners are delighted to deliver the second round of the LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund. A total pot of £500,000 is available through small grants of between £100 and £25,000 for organisational running costs, projects, and organisational and leadership development.

The funding is ring-fenced specifically for intersectional LGBT+ organisations that are led by and for LGBT+ people and are working with targeted under-represented and under-resourced communities.

Funding is awarded on a rolling basis, with the next deadline for applications being Sunday 15 September 2024.

The Matthew Good Foundation has grants available to support small organisations. Grants for Good, funded by the John Good Group, provides unrestricted funding to small and growing local charities, voluntary groups, and social enterprises that significantly impact communities, people, or the environment. The funds can be utilised for any of your organisation’s expenses, including core running costs.

Shortlisted projects will be subject to an employee vote by the John Good Group, with the following amounts awarded:

• First place - £5,000
• Second place - £3,500
• Third place - £2,500
• Fourth place - £2,000

This is a rolling programme and there are no deadlines.

The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation has small grants of between £2,000 and £10,000 to be used for core costs, salaries, running costs, and project costs. You can apply for a maximum of 50% of the total cost of the project. They do not fund capital projects.

They will prioritise projects that address the challenges of local communities, with a preference for front-line organisations working directly with people in need. They are unlikely to support campaigning, organisational development, capacity building, or new work that is a marked shift away from your usual business, unless they consider this work to be logical.

Please note that they do not fund Community Interest Companies (CICs).

We're regularly updating the funding news on our website, so click the button below and find the fund for you!

Tuesday 6 August 2024 from 10am to 12 noon
In person at Base 51, 4a Peachey Street, NG1 4AN

The Leaders of Volunteers Network (LoVN) is a lively forum for sharing news, information and good practice among the hundreds of people who lead, support, manage or have any interest in volunteers and volunteering.

For some time now, we have alternated between online and face-to-face network meetings, with the in-person sessions known as LoVN Extra.

However, we are only able to hold LoVN Extra sessions when a member of the network makes a kind offer of a venue. For quite a few weeks, Dave, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer, was concerned that we wouldn’t have a LoVN Extra between our online session in June and the next online session in September. However, our good friends at Base 51 came through with an offer of space in their wonderful new home on Peachey Street, opposite Victoria Centre.

Thanks to Amy and Jo at Base 51, we would like to invite you to LoVN Extra on Tuesday 6 August 2024 from 10am to 12 noon at Base 51, 4a Peachey Street, NG1 4AN.

• We'll be hearing from Base 51 about their volunteer programme and the work that they do.
  
  
• We'll share your news, celebrations and updates.
  
  
• We'll have a discussion about volunteer induction and onboarding. Please bring some information to share about how you do this, and I'll share my own ideas.
  
  
• We've now completed our series of discussions about the Vision for Volunteering, so we are going to start a new series of discussions about policies that relate to volunteering.
  
  
• I'd also like your ideas about what resources you would like to be able to download from the NCVS website (and stay tuned for more about this).
  
  
• I bet there'll also be coffee and maybe even the odd biscuit.

In every issue of the NCVS e-bulletin, which you can see in this archive, you will find details of training for leaders of volunteers.

Dave would like to take the opportunity to provide feedback on his experience from a previous session.

There were nine of us, with a range of skills and experiences. In addition to my lovingly prepared presentation, I really enjoyed the session because of the great questions that came up and the ways everyone contributed. In particular, I am still buzzing that organisations were swapping contact details to continue their conversations after the session had finished.

Let’s make our next training session just as exciting. Take a look at what is on offer and book your place in any (or all) of them.

Not just fun, but great value
Unlike LoVN, which is free, we have to make a (very) small charge for training. We charge £10 for a one-hour session and £20 for a two-hour session.

Contrast this with training from other providers, where even the smallest organisation could be paying £38 for a three-hour course. A large organisation could be facing a bill of £210 for the same session.

Get in touch at davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk or 07564 040767.

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, was one of seven government Green Social Prescribing Test and Learn sites.

While the National Test and Learn may have ended, NCVS continues to embed green social prescribing into health systems to make nature-based/outdoor activities an intervention of choice to support people to improve and maintain their mental and physical health and wellbeing.

The latest GreenSpace bulletin is available to read. We had a few tech issues with this month's bulletin, so when you click to read the latest bulletin, it will open as a pdf and may look a little different.

You can view it in your web browser now. If you would like to receive future issues directly to your inbox, please email greenspace@nottinghamcvs.co.uk with a request to be added to the mailing list. 

If you wish to share any events or stories happening in your organisation, or relating to green social prescribing or nature-based activities, please get in touch with the GreenSpace team. The deadline for submissions for the next bulletin is Monday 22 July 2024.

Saturday 13 July 2024, 12 noon to 5pm
Canalhouse Pub, Canal Street, NG1 7EH

Join Megan and Tinks at the Nottingham Narrow Boat Project's 50th anniversary celebrations!

Experience willow weaving, free boat rides, live music, and plenty of family-friendly canalside fun. Did we mention the barbecue?

Contact the team at enquiries@meganandtinks.org.uk or on 0115 8370225.

Saturday 20 July 2024, 1pm to 7pm
Forest Recreation Ground, Gregory Boulevard, NG7 6HB

Join African Corner Notts for the very first African Festival Nottingham! The festival is free to attend and aims to unite the African community in the East Midlands and share their rich traditions with people from across the globe.

With:

• African cultural bands
• Dancing groups
• Afro Beats corner
• Traditional foods
• Arts and culture
• Children's activities

And more!

For more information, email info.afn@gaindiaspora.co.uk or phone 07946 303384 or 07706 655327.

Wednesday 24 July 2024, 3pm to 5pm
Radford Care Group, 25 Prospect Street, NG7 5OE

Nottingham Climate Assembly and Age Friendly Nottingham would like to hear the views of all those aged 50 and over regarding climate change. Particularly how individuals, groups and organisations can work together in order to help Nottingham achieve its target of being carbon neutral by 2028.

Email healthandwellbeing@nottinghamcity.gov.uk to find out more and register.

Friday 26 July 2024, 10am to 2pm
Motorpoint Arena, Bolero Square, NG1 1LA

Join the movement! The Black Leaders in Sport Network (BLISN) will be bringing together practitioners, leaders, funders and community organisations, the event aims to explore equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within the sport, physical activity and youth sector. This is a free to attend event, so get registering!

More event listings on our website

Head over to the dedicated 'External Events and Training' page on our website to view more events and training opportunities from Nottingham's Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.

If you would like to submit an event to feature on this page, please fill in our online event submission form. Events will be approved for publication on the NCVS website at our discretion, taking into account our aims and mission.

Our full Training and Development programme is available to view on our website. All courses take place online via Zoom.

We have new sessions and new dates for 2024/2025. Book now.

Wednesday 9 October 2024, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities in safeguarding adults and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Thursday 1 August 2024, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children and young people and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Tuesday 27 August 2024, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the role and responsibilities of a Designated Safeguarding Lead Person for an organisation working with vulnerable children and young people.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 14 August 2024, 10.30am to 11.45am

This online training explains your safeguarding responsibilities as a trustee for an organisation working with vulnerable adults or children and young people.

Cost: £15 per participant

Tuesday 10 September 2024, 10.30am to 12.30pm

This online training covers the basic information that all trustees should know.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 5 February 2025, 10.30am to 12.30pm

This online training takes you through the basics of being a Fire Warden/Fire Marshal and will prepare you to carry out this very important role.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 25 February 2025, 10.30am to 12.30pm

Learn the basics of taking effective minutes in this online training – and make note taking easy.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 21 January 2025, 6pm to 8pm

This online training will teach you the basics of health and safety, and explain the process of carrying out a risk assessment in your organisation.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 23 July 2024, 10am to 11am

Identify barriers to volunteering and develop ideas to minimise and remove them during this training, to ensure your organisation isn’t missing out on great volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 28 August 2024, 10am to 12 noon

This online training, previously called “How to be a Better Leader of Volunteers”, takes you beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers and will explore some of the real-life issues that you’re facing as a Leader of Volunteers.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 5 September 2025, 10am to 12 noon

This online training takes you beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers and will challenge you to consider the difference that volunteers make to your organisation.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 25 July 2024, 10am to 12 noon

In any group of volunteers, there’ll be occasional disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts. Although these are hopefully rare events, this updated, online training will prepare you for when they occur.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 2 October 2024, 10am to 11am

Start your journey into the exciting and rewarding world of volunteer leadership with this online training that explores the volunteer journey from start to finish.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 7 August 2024, 10am to 12 noon

Although the law has little to say about volunteers and volunteering, what it does say is important. This online training will help you develop an understanding of some of the legal requirements that relate to your volunteering programme.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 1 October 2024, 10am to 11am

Are your volunteer opportunities struggling to attract people, or people with the right interests and skills for your organisation? This online training will teach you how to enhance your volunteer role descriptions and make them stand out.

Cost: £10 per participant

The Practice Development Unit (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 severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD). This is understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues.

Contact our PDU Team if you need more information: pdu@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

Did you know the PDU hosts a comprehensive e-learning suite among other training opportunities? Check out this fortnight's PDU highlight below.

Wednesday 11 September 2024, 10am to 12 noon
Online via Zoom

An online forum for professionals, volunteers and people with lived experience of severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD) who are passionate about employability, skills led recovery and resettlement, or new to this area and curious to learn more.

The theme for this session is 'Disclosing convictions and health conditions'.

Wednesday 23 October 2024, 10am to 12 noon
Online via Zoom

An online forum for professionals, volunteers and people with lived experience who are passionate or curious about co-production, to come together to learn and share expertise.

The theme for this session is 'How to support people to get involved'.

The PDU is excited to announce the start of training local trainers to deliver two grief support programmes developed by The Loss Foundation. Funded by Framework, Nottingham Changing Futures, and Nottingham City Council’s Covid Recovery Fund, this training aims to boost knowledge and confidence in handling grief among service users and the workforce.

Various organisations in the Nottingham City SMD Partnership will collaborate with the PDU over the next year to deliver these sessions. This project marks the first city-wide multi-agency initiative to address grief related to SMD.

With support from Framework's psychology team, the PDU will begin rolling out the training in the coming months. Stay tuned for details on how to sign up for these free sessions!

Qdos Training is offering fully funded and accredited care courses for organisations in Nottingham. Funded through the Adult Education Scheme, these Level 2 and Level 3 Certificate and Diploma courses cover a variety of topics, including end-of-life care, preparing to work in adult social care, working with individuals with learning disabilities, and much more.

If you are interested in participating in any of these courses, please contact the team at enquiries@qdostraining.com or call 0116 2044170.

A selection of upcoming training which is fully funded and free to attend for Nottingham City workers and volunteers.

How Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse use Technology
Online via Microsoft Teams
Learn how perpetrators use everyday technology in their abuse and the impact on the survivor at different stages of a relationship: before leaving, during escape, and in life apart. Discover various tools to help protect survivors from tech abuse and recognise the signs.

• Thursday 8 August 2024, 9.30am to 12.30pm - register here

Non-Domestic Abuse Stalking Awareness
Online
For those supporting someone experiencing stalking outside the context of domestic abuse, this session is designed for anyone who may encounter individuals facing such situations in their line of work.

• Thursday 8 August 2024, 9.30am to 12 noon - register here
• Thursday 22 August 2024, 9.30am to 12 noon - register here

Safe Space Pledge
Online via Microsoft Teams
The Safe Space Pledge training is aimed at workers and volunteers in Nottingham’s night-time economy and hospitality industry. This training aims to provide businesses and employees with awareness of how to respond to incidents of violence and abuse to women and girls in venues or on the street.

• Monday 19 August 2024, 5.30pm to 7pm - register here

Out of the 50 free places generously offered to the city, only 19 have been taken up so far. These training sessions are available only until the end of September. This is a significant opportunity for Nottingham, which ranks fourth worst in the country for adult numeracy. Improving numeracy skills will have a huge impact on people's job prospects and their ability to manage money and financial issues.

Participants can become champions in their workplace or community. Various short sessions are available, tailored to different workplaces and communities, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your needs.

If you are a VCSE organisation in Nottingham City or a VCSE organisation recruiting to a job role which covers the Nottingham City area, you can submit a job advert for our website. Adverts remain on our website until the closing date. We feature new adverts once in the e-bulletin, where possible, depending on the volume of new adverts received.

There are lots more job listings on our website. You can view all the job vacancies available by clicking on the 'More Vacancies' button at the bottom of this section.

In February 2023, the UK established its first-ever National Centre for Accessible Transport (NCAT), funded by the Motability Foundation. Over the next seven years, the Centre will shape the future of the transport sector, ensuring that all future travel systems prioritise accessibility for disabled people.

The research panel created by NCAT, known as the Community for Accessible Transport (CAT), has grown to 1,160 members. This includes over a thousand disabled individuals or their family members and carers, as well as non-disabled professionals in the transport and disability sectors.

NCAT functions as an 'evidence centre' with a mission to understand, document, and analyse the current transport landscape. By engaging with disabled people to hear about their transport experiences and consulting with industry professionals, NCAT aims to identify what works and what doesn’t, and find opportunities for improvement moving forward.

The survey is open to responses until Wednesday 24 July 2024

The VCSE Barometer Survey provides insights into real-time trends, changes, and challenges within the UK voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. Findings are shared quarterly with national policy and decision-makers, local infrastructure organisations, and the VCSE sector itself.

Wave 7 focuses on the evolving nature of VCSE service delivery and includes a brief set of questions about the Big Help Out and Volunteers’ Week 2024.

The Barometer Survey is a quick 'temperature check' of what's currently happening in the VCSE sector. It takes just 15 to 20 minutes to complete—less if you have participated before.

• The survey consists of three sections:
• Information about your organisation or group.
• Your experiences over the last three months and your expectations for the next three.
• A topical theme addressing an emerging or current issue.

General VCSE sector resources and reports

• What do people think about Esmée Fairbairn Foundation 2024 - Esmée Fairborn Foundation commissioned nfpResearch to survey successful and unsuccessful applicants about their experience of the Foundation, their findings can be read in this report.
  
  
• Skills Based Volunteering: A Win, Win, Win - Lloyds Bank Foundation has looked into the benefits of skills based volunteering, specifically the wins for the charity, the volunteer and the business. Read their findings in this report. 
  
  
• Are funders afraid of supporting smaller charities? - Chloe Knott, manager of the UK Veterans Hearing Foundation (UKVHF), spoke at a recent conference, sharing that funders are 'afraid to allocate funding to small charities' as they perceive them to be more likely to close. Read an overview of these findings on the Civil Society Media website.

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