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Welcome to the latest edition of the Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community Action E-Bulletin.

The Great Get Together

We will be joining in the Great Get Together to mark the anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox MP. Please come and join us.  Our event will be held on Thursday 15th June 11am to 1.00 pm at St Maries, Lugsdale Road, Widnes WA8 6DB. The event is open to all and people are invited to come along, and spend time with colleagues and friends doing things that unite us. Eating together, having fun and a bit of healthy competition...

Volunteer Opportunity of the Month St Helens

Supported by a network of volunteers, Contact the Elderly organises monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of older people, aged 75 and over, who live alone, offering a regular and vital friendship link every month. They are looking for volunteers in St Helens for Volunteer Driver and Volunteer Host...

What Would An Effective Mental Health Service Look Like?

University of Liverpool are looking to work with a group of local organisations, GPs and other healthcare professionals and researchers over the duration of the project to understand your work, what you do, what works well, and how things might work even better in the mental wellbeing economy. This is their first event, so the specific objectives simply are: To meet each other; To share examples of success stories; To seek ways of working together from here, and hopefully provide you with opportunities to network…

Willowbrook Moonlight Walk

Local people are being encouraged to put their best feet forward by registering for the 2017 Moonlight Walk which takes place on Saturday 10 June. Every year hundreds of people take part in the event walking through the streets of St Helens and Knowsley with flashing pink bunny ears, cowboy hats, tutus etc…all to help raise funds for Willowbrook Hospice. Diane Humphreys, Senior Fundraiser at Willowbrook says: “The Moonlight Walk is a fantastic event for all the family! Although a lot of participants walk to remember their loved ones, many just to walk for fun and to soak up the atmosphere as they help raise vital funds to support the hospice. “As it’s Willowbrook’s 20th anniversary we’ve decided to include a special ‘colour splash’ as part of the walk…so prepare to get messy as our team of volunteers cover you from head to toe in multi coloured powder! But don’t worry if you don’t want to take part in the ‘Colour Splash’ – there is a ‘Non Colour Splash Zone’...

Creative Adult Learning To Ifmprove Mental Health in Halton

If you are affected by stress, sleeping problems, adjusting to changes in your life; find it hard to get out, feel anxious or sad a lot of the time, then the Halton Adult Learning Team would like to invite you to contribute to an important research project looking at the effects that attending short informal courses can have on mood and wellbeing. In return for your valuable contributions which include using touch screen technologies to record your own mood and wellbeing, you will be...

Heart of Glass George Street Promenade Performance Seek Volunteers

Heart of Glass and Situations have fantastic volunteering opportunities for the upcoming REFRAIN promenade performances taking place in St Helens Town Centre on 20th and 21st May. Volunteers are required to help deliver the performances. Roles will include stewarding, greeting and leading audiences on an exciting exploration of the George Street area of St Helens. Over the weekend of 20th & 21st of May, indoor and outdoor venues will be brought to life by a unique choral experience, performed by local male singers...

Ransomware Cyber Attack

This information has been sent on behalf of Action Fraud (National Fraud Intelligence Bureau). Following the ransomware cyber attack on Friday 12 May which affected the NHS and is believed to have affected other organisations globally, the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has issued an alert urging both individuals and businesses to follow protection advice immediately and in the coming days. Ransomware is a form of malicious software (Malware) that enables cyber criminals to remotely lock down files on your computer or mobile device. Criminals will use ransomware to extort money from you (a ransom), before they restore access to your files. There are many ways that ransomware can infect your device, whether it be a link to a malicious website in an unsolicited email, or through a security vulnerability in a piece of software you use....

Sounds Of Mind - Help Raise Funds For Mental Health Choir With Tesco Tokens

St Helens Mind is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative. Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to local community projects. St Helens Mind has been shortlisted, along with two other groups, to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant. St Helens Mind is seeking funds for a singing project...

Halton Healthy New Town Programme Manager

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic Programme Manager to lead the management and delivery of Halton Healthy New Town (HHNT) programme. As Programme Manager of this exciting initiative, you will have the opportunity to hold a key role which will include development of a health and well-being campus, incorporating leisure and well-being services co-located with mental health, acute care, GPs, therapies etc. You will also support the development of a master plan, focused on providing additional housing, developing commercial opportunities and maximizing the use of NHS land. You will across multiple organisations in the management and delivery of the programme, including Halton Borough Council, Warrington and Halton Hopsitals NHS Trust, Halton Clinical Commissioning Group, Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust and North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Trust....

St Helens LSCB Sexual Abuse Conferences

Delivered by Steve Bore, Social Work Consultant/Specialist. St Helens LSCB has commissioned ‘Steve Bore Specialist Services Ltd’ to deliver 2x 1-day conferences and would like to invite you to attend. This training is for all professionals working with local children and families...

The Reader - Shared Reading Information Workshop

The Reader, is a charitable social enterprise based in Liverpool who are pioneering the movement of Shared Reading. This collaborative community- led project works in partnership with organisations, local communities, staff and volunteers enabling them to support people who would like to bring Shared Reading to their communities and provide opportunities for people to gather together, read and share their thoughts and responses. Their aim is to significantly increase the number of groups delivered across communities and in doing so support wellbeing, reduce isolation and improve resilience. Shared Reading North West covers St Helens, Sefton, Liverpool, Wirral, Wigan, Halton and Warrington...

St Helens Council-Scrutiny Work Programme 2017/18

Every year St Helens Council's Scrutiny Commission agrees a work programme which sets out the areas of work they are to undertake during the next 12 months. These focus on performance of council services, services provided by partners and other areas of local concern. Getting the work programme right is crucial for effective scrutiny and they need to make sure that the right topics - those which will make a demonstrable difference and improve things for the public.  They want to make sure that over the next year the work reflects those issues that matter most to people in St Helens...

Are You Looking For Somewhere To Meet?

Why not come along to Foundry Community Café? They're open every Friday 9:30am – 3pm and are fully accessible. They serve hot and cold drinks, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea at sensible prices. Free Wi-Fi available.  You can sit in the main café area, or in a specified meeting area that they can set up for you in a quieter area, if you let them know in advance...

Footsteps 2000 Ltd - Counselling Provision and Supporting Grandparents Service

Footsteps 2000 Ltd is a charity based in the YMCA in St Helens that supports families affected by a loved one’s substance misuse. Recently Footsteps has received funding from the Tudor Trust to enable us to provide support for grandparents who are providing care formally or informally to grandchildren affected by parental substance misuse. It was recognised by the Tudor Trust that St Helens and Warrington, where Footsteps is also based, has a genuine need for a specialist service such as this. This funding will enable Footsteps to provide grandparents in this situation with information and support to help them increase in resilience and improve their safety and wellbeing, ultimately regaining control over their own lives and building on their strengths and coping skills whilst providing care to their grandchildren...

Don't Forget...

Volunteer Week - Events

Have you got 1-7 June in your diary? The annual Volunteers Week is a great opportunity for you to be part of the national campaign to thank your volunteers and celebrate the massive difference they make.  Halton Volunteer Centre are running a number of events...

More FREE Training for VCA Members

Are you a member of Halton & St Helens VCA? Would your staff and volunteers benefit from free training? We have added some new training sessions to our programme including Creating and Managing Effective Meetings and Developing a Business Plan.. So why not take a look and book your place today...

Cheshire Victim Services Directory

Halton & St Helens VCA, working with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire have compiled a directory and on-line resource for Victims Services in Cheshire in the voluntary and community sector. The directory is for anyone who has been affected by crime in Cheshire, the website will help to find the advice and support needed. This information is provided to anyone who may need support regardless of whether a crime has been reported or when it happened...

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If you have any comments you would like to tell us about this e-bulletin, please send an email to ldaffern@haltonsthelensvca.org.uk or if you have any news/events you would like us to publicise, please complete our News/Events webform: https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/vca-newsevents-template

Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action