Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action

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

Pride of St Helens Business Awards - Community Impact Nominees

The NEW Pride of St Helens Business Awards in association with Invest in St Helens, is an evening of celebration and glamour for the leading organisations who invest in St Helens 2018. Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action are proud to be the Sponsor Of The Community Impact Award!

The nominees for this award are Apex Trust, Co-op Lea Green Distribution Centre and Groundwork.  We have 2 short films below to introduce Apex Trust and Co-op Lea Green Distribution Centre and we're hoping to get one from Groundwork this week.

Everyone at VCA would like to send all 3 nominees congratulations on being nominated and good luck for the award night!


Christmas Carol Concert & Singalong at St Marie’s

What could be more magical than gathering in a warm St Marie’s on a brisk December evening to join family & friends (both old & new) in singing some Christmas carols? We think it’s the perfect way to start the Christmas season. The St Marie’s Heritage Group are delighted to welcome back the wonderful Parish Choir of St Wilfrid who will be leading attendees in a Christmas Carol singalong on the night. The choir will be choosing their favourite traditional Carols and we will provide copies of the words for anyone who always worries about forgetting the next line. The choir will be positioned in front of the beautiful St Marie’s Altar and attendees will sit facing them on the pews and other chairs. We think that when we all sing together, it will all sound magnificent...


Trustee Volunteer Opportunity

Trustee Week is here again (12th - 16th November) and to celebrate the great work trustees do supporting our local charities and voluntary organisations we would like to highlight a new role for a local organisation. Peter Street Centre Ltd is seeking voluntary Directors ideally with a background in one or more of the following areas: existing Board Director experience, building maintenance, human resources, health and safety, marketing, education. These are exciting opportunities for people who are passionate about their community, the charity sector and providing community benefit. The Board needs to continue to operate the Centre sustainably by encouraging user groups to benefit from the facilities provided. It is therefore vital to have a range of characters and backgrounds, as well as specific skills sets...


World AIDS Day Fundraising Campaign Volunteers Needed

Sahir House, the HIV support service in Merseyside are looking for helpers with its annual World AIDS Day fundraising campaign. Sahir House provides vital support to people living with HIV who are often marginalised and vulnerable due to the fear and stigma that still surrounds the virus. Whilst lifesaving medication enables people to live a near normal life span and supress the virus to untransmittable levels, the prejudice is still causes distress and barriers for those living with HIV. Raising awareness and much needed funds is crucial to providing Sahir House support and reduces those barriers and continue to empower people living with HIV to live more independent lives...


Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Information

We have been in exploratory conversations with Halton Borough Council about ensuring that the Apprenticeship Levy isn’t lost to the Borough. We are interested in gauging the interest (although we can't make any guarantees). Within our sector these apprenticeships are likely to be current workforce roles that could be converted into apprenticeships. From April 2018  every employer who pays into an Apprenticeship levy fund will be able to transfer up to 10% of its funds to other employers to support apprenticeships in their business...
 


The Reader Organisation

The Reader is a national charity which is working to bring the human benefits of sharing literature to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. They bring people together in small groups, to read good quality literature aloud and stop every so often to talk about what they have read. They would define 'good quality literature' as writing which captures and gives language to some of the deepest areas of human experience, in its joys, challenges and complexities. They are currently working in partnership with Torus Housing to help bring Shared Reading to older people living in sheltered accommodation schemes across St. Helens in order to reduce social isolation and improve general wellbeing. In order to expand their reach they are offering excellent training and volunteer opportunities to anyone who wants to get involved... 


Development Support Worker - Crownway Community Centre

Crownway Community Centre are looking for someone who has the skills, knowledge and experience required to fulfil this demanding but rewarding role in a busy, thriving community centre. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to motivate, influence and form effective working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders. You will need to have a good understanding of issues impacting on local neighbourhoods and isolated communities, with the drive and determination to make a difference. The role will include all aspects of marketing and publicity including the effective use of social media and web-based activities, monitoring and evaluation, fundraising and general administration and reception duties...


Funding Bulletins from Halton Borough Council – November

Our colleagues from Halton Borough Council’s External Funding Team have prepared some Funding Bulletins containing valuable information for voluntary organisations looking for grants to get projects off the ground. The Monthly funding bulletins offering information on funding opportunities in the following areas: Arts, Community & Voluntary, Environment & Heritage, European, Faith, Health, Schools, Sports and Youth...


Memorial Service For Those Bereaved By Suicide

If you have been bereaved or affected by suicide, please join Amparo for a Memorial and Reflection Service at the Lady Chapel in Chester Cathedral on Tuesday 20th November, 7pm to 9pm, to remember family and friends. Please bring along a framed photograph of your loved one which can be displayed on the evening. This event is free, but please book a place... 


New Housing Legal Advice Service For Halton & St Helens

Merseyside Law Centre has secured Legal Aid Agency Contracts to provide specialist Housing Advice in Halton, St Helens and Warrington. In the last few years many advice centres and legal services have closed due to cuts in funding. Many areas across the country have become ‘Advice Deserts’. In an effort to redress this Merseyside Law Centre has successfully bid for Legal Aid Agency contracts to extend their service to provide a specialist Housing Advice in Halton,  St Helens and Warrington. Legal Aid is available for Housing issues including possession, eviction, homelessness, unlawful eviction, anti-social behaviour and serious disrepair. Legal Aid can fund legal advice and representation, including representation in Court, to help stop possession action or to help to retain or obtain a home.  Legal Aid is available to those on low incomes and/or in receipt of benefits...


Mind Halton - Mental Elf Fun Run

Mind Halton is challenging Halton to meet up at Runcorn Hill Park on Sunday 16 December to get moving and connect with other elf elders and elflets and help celebrate the first ever Halton Mental Elf Fun Run. The event is about having fun, so whether you want to run, skip or jog Mind Halton really appreciate your help in raising vital funds that help them continue doing what they do, which is supporting local people. Whether you come by yourself or part of a group the team of elves will make sure you have a great time...


Volunteer with Newton Family Community Centre

Newton Family Community Centre have 3 new volunteer opportunities: Club 426 is an after school club (term time only) that is for children aged 5-13 years old on a Thursday 3.30pm-6.30pm. Family Fun Time is a stay and play for under 5’s. Its is on Tuesdays 12.30-3pm (term time only) for children aged 0-5 years. Volunteer in the Coffee Bar -To help run a coffee bar and provide a friendly atmosphere for centre users, tutors and members of the public...


RLRS Winterfestival

RLRS Winterfestival 2018 1st and 2nd December, join in at the visitors centre Algernon Street, Runcorn, WA7 1ER for great food and drink, winter market's music,entertainment and a whole lot more for all the family, including santas grotto.  Open Saturday 11 am - 9 pm and  Sunday 11 am - 8pm...


MIND-Physical Activity Advisory Group

Mind are looking to set up an advisory group for physical activity with people who have lived experience of mental health issues to improve sport and physical activity provision. Since 2014, Mind has delivered the successful "Get Set to Go" programme, which has been co-designed and co-delivered by people with lived experience of mental health problems. In this next phase of the programme, the Physical Activity team at Mind want to bring together an advisory group of 12 people with lived experience to influence the Get Set to Go programme and Mind’s wider sport and physical activity work at a national level...


Free Quilts

Windmill Hill Primary School in Halton, have quite a few quilts that they no longer need. They are all in excellent condition and are free to good homes...


Over The Rainbow

Over the Rainbow is a part social, part support group for young people aged 13-25 years who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans, questioning or unsure of their sexuality or gender identity. They run a closed confidential youth group based in St Helens. At Over the Rainbow, you will find a group of likeminded young people that you can socialise with safely. When you access you will receive an induction including an explanation of how the group works and what it can offer. You will be asked if there are any particular issues you may want support with, and if you are receiving any support elsewhere. Young people will be informed about the venue and planned activities they may take part in. Over the Rainbow social support group takes place on the 1st Wednesday of the month...


Halton Carers Centre Mental Health Support Groups

Halton Carers Centre are now delivering a Carers Mental Health Support Group in Widnes in the evening which may benefit people who work in the day or cannot get across to attend the Runcorn Group. The group is for any unpaid carers who are caring for someone with a mental illness. The group will meet at Halton Stadium on the second Wednesday of the month 6-8pm. Runcorn Group will meet the last Wednesday of the month 1-3pm at Halton Carers Centre 62-64 Church Street (from January 2019). So if you care for someone with Depression, Bi Polar, Anxiety, Psychosis, Panic Attacks, Schizophrenia, OCD etc Halton Carers Centre, Halton Borough Council and NWBH NHS Trust are here to support you at this new group...


Don't Forget...

VCSE Connect

Information about the voluntary, community, charitable sector still remains one of the key issues raised by professionals and clinicians when you ask the question “What could the voluntary sector do?” or “How can I refer this person to something more appropriate?”

As the gateway into the sector, Halton & St Helens VCA holds lots of information and data about local voluntary action.  We have produced that in great detail, in “Here to Help”, provided a search facility on our website, share information with key organisations and have many different ways of sharing what groups do, but still people say they don’t know what groups exist, what they do and how they get to them or refer to them.  So Halton & St Helens VCA has been working on an extension to our database which will display information about groups in an easy format, tell you what they do and when, allow clinicians and other key professionals to log-in directly and make a referral directly to the group (as long as they have agreed to receive referrals).  This means for the first time there will be a single place where referrals to the local voluntary and community sector can be made.

If you would like your organisation to be included in the VCSE Connect directory...


Please feel free to forward this email onto any other organisations/individuals who you feel would be interested. Apologies if you receive this email more than once.

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

 

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Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community Action, incorporating Volunteer Centre Halton and Volunteer Centre St Helens, is Registered in England & Wales as a Registered Charity No. 1106001 and a Company Limited by Guarantee No. 2539153.

St Maries
Lugsdale Lane
Widnes, WA8 6DB

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