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...

Project Administrator - One Halton

One Halton Transformation Programme are looking for someone who is highly motivated, innovative and experienced in project/programme support along with significant administrative experience to work with them to deliver a challenging but exciting programme of change. The post holder will be required to provide a comprehensive administrative and project support service to the One Halton Programme Management Office, including proactively providing general administrative and secretarial services to the One Halton Board and associated meetings...


Three Volunteer Opportunities In St Helens

There are many ways you can volunteer but here are 3 opportunities that need volunteers and can offer different challenges.  The Staying Home Project: With your help we will seek to improve the lives of older people who find themselves unable to manage in their current environment. Independent Visitor: Independent Visitors are adult volunteers who befriend children and young people who are looked after by St Helens Council. Social Group Volunteer: The Aspergers Social group, which is a charitable group run by trustees to provide a social group for teenagers with ASD and Aspergers, help them make friends and socialise in a safe environment. or more information about any of these roles or the many other volunteer opportunities we have, please contact us...


Volunteer Co-ordinators Forum Halton

The Next Volunteer Managers/Co-ordinators Forum will be on Tuesday 30 April 2019 - 11.30am-2pm, at St Marie's, Lugsdale Road, Widnes. The Forum meets six monthly to share information, discuss issues, monitoring and anything else to do with volunteering. The meetings are informal and enjoyable. We hope you will feel able to participate. Should you feel it would be helpful or appropriate for your role as a Volunteer Manager/Co-ordinator, please come along on the above date. Lunch is not provided, so please bring along your own. Tea and coffee will be provided...


Womens First Fund

Smallwood Trust are inviting applications for projects that demonstrate good practice in achieving outcomes for women on low incomes by building their skills, confidence and aspirations to enable them to enter into employment. The fund is open to charities, social enterprises and other non-profit organisations who have projects that support their mission of enabling women to become financially resilient. Please note, they are looking to fund existing projects that show evidence of good practice...


Interchange Project Invitation

Interchange is a registered charity that connects Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs) for the purpose of research, policy review and work-based learning research projects. Interchange staff will work with you and your organisation to create and/or develop one or more of your research or policy review ideas.  Working together they will produce a research or policy review project brief. They will then provide a Student with the opportunity to work with a VCO and carry out a piece of work that will assist your organisation with areas to include...


Have Your Say On The New St Helens Borough Local Plan

St.Helens Council is preparing a new Local Plan. This Plan will set how much new development for housing, employment and other uses should take place in the Borough. It will identify where new development should take place and set out the policies for assessing planning applications. They have prepared the next stage of the new Local Plan,known as the Submission Draft.  They are holding a number of local drop in sessions in neighbourhoods across St Helens. These sessions are open to all and will give you an opportunity to ask questions about the Local Plan and how to make your comments...


Small Charities: Transform Your Fundraising

The FSI's popular small charity training is back in Liverpool this 17th April, with support from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Explore 3 different courses covering topics including developing a case for support, fundraising strategy and corporate relationships. The Liverpool event will offer 60 delegate training places so that all small charities, wherever they are, can access the skills they need to become self-sustaining. This training day is part of the Small Local Charities and Community Groups Training Programme. Training sessions cover a wide range of fundraising techniques and back office skills delivered by experienced and knowledgeable trainers...


Go Bananaz At Charity Bingo For Hospice

Willowbrook Hospice Fundraising Team is excited to announce the return of Bananaz Bingo – a wild night of partying, music and dancing … with a bit of bingo thrown in! Bingo-goers are welcomed to join in the fun at Rainhill Ex Services Club on 8 March, starting from 7pm, with tickets only £15 which includes bingo books, pens and a glass of prosecco. Bananaz Bingo is becoming a regular feature on the Willowbrook Fundraising Calendar. Bananaz is a great night out for anyone who ‘up for a laugh. There’ll be music and dancing as well as the traditional elements of bingo with a chance to win some fabulous prizes...


Child Bereavement UK - Snowdrop Walk

Free event on Sunday 17th February 2019. 11am-3pm. Norton Priory Museum & Gardens, Tudor Road, Runcorn. The Snowdrop Walk is a special day to remember the babies and children who have died and the children who are bereaved each year. Norton Priory have very kindly opened the stunning Walled Garden, exclusively for Child Bereavement UK.  It will be available for you to explore at your leisure with the addition of a children’s Treasure Hunt where they receive a fun-filled goody bag at the end. Snowdrops are available for purchase on the day and charity staff and volunteers will be on hand to help with the planting at a dedicated area within Norton Priory. Refreshments will be available from the traditional Straw Bale building...


Thinking About Volunteers or Volunteering?

Taking volunteers into your organisation can make a massive difference not only to you but to your service users and the volunteers.  Don’t take our word for it, read what a volunteer and a volunteer involving organisation think: The Volunteer: I enjoyed working at the playscheme. It was fun watching and playing with the children. I found it very enjoyable. The children were all well-mannered and polite. The playscheme staff were so kind and friendly, they all made me feel very welcome. The Organisation: Just emailing to say we were delighted to receive 2 responses to our 'advert' for our Summer Playscheme at Chain Lane Community Centre. One of the respondents gained employment and so wasn't able to join us, but one volunteer joined us and was an excellent addition to our staff team. She has asked to join us again next year - and offered her services for other volunteering at the Centre. This really demonstrates the value of recruiting through the Volunteer Centre in St Helens...


Runcorn Sea Cadets Looking For Volunteers

Runcorn Sea Cadets are looking for enthusiastic and passionate volunteers to organise activities for young people and become Sea Cadet Volunteer Instructors. As a volunteer, you really can make a huge positive difference to the lives of young people from our region. Sea Cadets Volunteers come from all walks of life and no previous experience or qualifications are necessary as full training will be given...


Aged Veterans Support Service at Shelter Merseyside

Have you served in the armed forces? In any capacity? Worried about housing, benefits? Or feeling isolated? The Merseyside Aged Veterans partnership helps older veterans in Merseyside who are struggling with a range of different issues. Shelter offer practical support on: Housing issues, such as poor living conditions, problems with renting or eviction, or home adaptations. Financial issues, including making sure you are receiving the benefits you’re entitled to. Isolation and loneliness, through activities and events...



Time to Talk Day 2019

Children’s Mental Health Week and Time to Talk (TTT) Day are held each year in February. TTT is an annual awareness raising event promoted by Time to Change. This year's theme for Children’s Mental Health Week is about being Healthy: Inside and Out, and the Time to Change theme for Time to Talk Day is all about bringing together the right ingredients to have a conversation about mental health. Whether that’s tea, biscuits and close friends or a room full of people challenging mental health stigma, we want you to get talking. With the above in mind, the Healthy Living Team in St Helens is holding a week long campaign at a local primary school. This will incorporate training and promotion of mental health related topics and messages such as Basic Mental Health Awareness and 5 Ways to Wellbeing to children, parents and staff, with a coffee afternoon to encourage social interaction – an important factor in reducing mental ill health and improving well-being...


Brexit Business Survey: Brexit Impact And Preparation Local Insights

As the Government has increased its planning for a "no deal" Brexit, growth hubs around the country are seeking insights from local businesses to inform a cross-departmental intelligence gathering commission. The Liverpoool City Region Growth Hub are encouraging businesses to provide their insights via the Brexit preparation local insights survey. The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. It is an opportunity for businesses to feedback their thoughts to the Government via a cross-party unit comprising the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. As a reminder, the official advice to businesses for a potential “no deal” Brexit can be found on the gov.uk website, with any new guidance and assets to be published in a dedicated Brexit section. The BBC have also published a Brexit Checklist to help businesses consider the changes that Brexit may bring to your firm, and to help business planning at both operational and Board levels...


Funding Bulletins from Halton Borough Council – February

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...


Opportunity For Charities To Become Authorised Advisors To EU Citizens Applying To Settle In The UK

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) has launched a new scheme for charities and other organisations to apply more quickly to become registered advisors to EU citizens when they apply to settle in the UK. The scheme is aimed at smaller, community-based charities and other organisations, including faith-based and local advice groups. Successful applicants will be able to provide basic ‘level 1’ advice (solely on EU settlement), without needing to complete the written exam, which is usually part of the application process. The streamlined process will allow applications to be considered more quickly, with decisions expected 4 to 6 weeks after receipt. It is a criminal offence for a person to provide immigration advice or services in the UK unless their organisation is regulated by the OISC or meets certain other specific criteria...
 



Youth Aspergers Social Group-Volunteer Required

St Helens Youth Aspergers Social Group is a registered charity that helps and supports Autistic teenagers. The main goal for this role is to help organise activies, to provide peer support and get involved with the teenagers whist they play games and activies.  Also attend occasional social trips to the bowling ally and laser tag ect.  They ask that the volunteer gives 2 hours of their time fortnightly 7-9pm on a Tuesday at The P.E.R.T.H Centre Thatto Heath, St Helens...



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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