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

VRU Communities of Practice St Helens

Do you have an idea to reduce violent crime within St Helens? This time sensitive opportunity of funding to boost capacity will be of interest. Merseyside Police has been allocated funding to combat the surge of violent crime throughout the region through their Merseyside Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). As a new initiative, Halton & St Helens VCA, with our colleagues at VS6, has been selected to administer the allocation of funds to St Helens based community organisations. This allocation of funding will be delivered in partnership with St Helens Community Safety Partnership, who have also received funding working within the same timescales.

If you consider your group or organisation can contribute to making Merseyside a safer place we are hosting an informal information session utilising an asset based action network model, scheduled to take place on 20th November 2pm to 4pm at the Beacon Building in St Helens.

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...

St Helens Madlove Takeover - Jonny Benjamin "The Stranger on the Bridge"

St Helens Madlove are delighted to welcome mental health campaigner and suicide survivor Jonny Benjamin MBE to St Helens for a special screening of his documentary The Stranger on the Bridge on  Thursday 28th November 5pm. Part of A Madlove Take Over, an arts festival for mental health. Jonny will be joined by fellow mental health campaigner Angela Samata for a Q&A after the film screening. The Stranger on the Bridge tells Jonny’s moving story. Having been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder shortly beforehand, he stood on London’s Waterloo Bridge in January 2008 and prepared to take his own life. That was until a stranger walking across the bridge saw him and talked Jonny down from the edge. Jonny was taken to hospital and didn’t see the stranger again but was determined to find him and thank him for what he did...

Project Coordinator Vacancy - Knowsley Disability Concern

'A Good Life' is an ambitious new project provided by Knowsley Disability Concern (KDC), in partnership with Knowsley Pensioners Advocacy & Information Service (KPAIS); Sight and Mind; and Tailored Advice Services in the Community (TASC). The project will provide wrap-around practical support for adults in Knowsley who are disadvantaged for any reason, be it poverty, disability, age or other circumstances which prevent them from having ‘a good life’.  They are seeking to appoint a full time Project Coordinator to lead the delivery of the service, manage referrals and organise a small team of experienced project workers employed by the partners...

Business Transformation Manager - Age Uk

Do you have an outstanding customer service ethic, confident, with exceptional retail, sales, hospitality or customer service experience and a proven track record of driving profits and efficiency? Age Uk are looking for an experienced, committed and dedicated Business Transformation Manager to take ownership and lead on the growth development, delivery, promotion and marketing of their innovative capacity taking them beyond their expectations. The Mansion House is a unique business based in St Helens, regionally incorporating events space, short term office lets, weddings, functions, banqueting and celebration events utilising a magnificent grade 2 listed Mansion House and Orangery, set in Victoria Park...

Job Opportunity - Umbrella Halton

An ESOL tutor is required to deliver English lessons to Asylum Seekers in Runcorn on  Thursday mornings between 10.00AM and 12.00 PM. The venue is Trinity Methodist Church, Main Street, Halton Village, Runcorn, WA7 4AT, rate of pay is £25 per hour...

Skills Up Sessions

Skills Up CIC is a new support service for clients with disabilities. Clients in the group can work on life skills, improving knowledge, developing skills and increasing independence in a range of active, creative and fun activities. They have been running sessions at Brookvale Community Centre in Runcorn, for a number of weeks now and have been able to see progress in clients' abilities and good levels of enjoyment - find them on Facebook to see what they have been doing. If you are interested in joining the sessions on a Monday or Friday (charged at the Direct Payment Agency Rate), or think they could help you, then get in touch...

Charity Commission News - Election Special

Now that the election has been confirmed for 12 December 2019, the Charity Commission are issuing a reminder to all charities of their particular responsibilities in the weeks ahead. The Commission is aware that the political context for this election is very different from that which people may have experienced in the past, which makes it all the more important that trustees read both guidance on campaigning and political activity and the particular guidance that applies during an election (PDF, 606KB). They've also published lessons learned during the last election in 2017. It is legitimate and healthy for charities to speak up for the causes they serve. But appearing to take a political position on either side could risk undermining public confidence in charity as something special...

The Women's Organisation Are Recruiting

The Women’s Organisation are recruiting! They're on the lookout for Conference and Facilities Support Officer (permanent) and a Temporary Engagement and Marketing Executive (3-month fixed term)...

Double Award Success For Willowbrook Hospice Gardening Team

Willowbrook Hospice has scooped two prestigious North West in Bloom awards for the high standards of its grounds and gardens.  As well as achieving the Outstanding in the Hospice category, the Prescot based hospice gardens were also presented with the Best Hospice Award 2019. ‘North West in Bloom’ is part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s national ‘Britain in Bloom Awards’. The awards encourage local communities to improve their environment through the imaginative use of trees, flowers and landscaping and also take into consideration the support of the local community...

Christmas Volunteers Needed - Hope Centre

The Hope Centre in St Helens are looking for Christmas volunteers! If you'd like to help out in the homeless centre any day between 23rd December - 31st December please contact...

Safeguarding Vulnerable People (Children, Young People & Adults at Risk)

This session aims to provide delegates with a knowledge and basic awareness of Safeguarding vulnerable groups and the action that should be taken if there is a cause for concern. Promoting a safeguarding culture within the organisation and an increased awareness of the local authority policies and procedures relating to safeguarding vulnerable groups both children, young people and adults at risk...

St Helens VCSE Forum November Meeting Cancelled 

Due to unforeseen circumstances the next meeting of the St Helens VCSE Forum on 25th November is cancelled apologies for any inconvenience.  The following meeting will be on 27th January 2020, 10am to 12 noon at the Beacon Building details to follow in the New Year...

Free - TIME TO CHANGE Training For Staff Who Work With Young People Age 11 Plus

Time to Change is providing FREE training to staff who work with young people in Halton aged 11 plus about starting the conversation around mental health and tackling stigma. Young people in Halton have told us mental health stigma stops them from speaking out about their worries and ultimately getting help. This training is available as part of the Time to Change Halton hub work which aims to change how we all think and act about mental health eliminating mental health stigma in Halton...

Community Development Project Officer - Halton Borough Council

The Community Development service supports community groups and initiatives to improve outcomes for Halton residents. The team works alongside community groups, other Council services, partner organisations and funders to realise activity and deliver projects that bring communities together building resilience. Halton Borough Council are seeking a Community Development Officer who is a self-starter with experience of working with a range of partners and securing funding. You will need to work on your own, as part of a team, with a range of stakeholders and be prepared to work some evenings and weekends...

VCA Membership

Halton and St Helens VCA are pleased to welcome our new and re-registered affiliated, non-affiliated and associate members.  We all look forward to working with you.

If you'd like to find out about your membership status, click on the link below which will take you to our current list of Affiliated and Associate members, or call Lynne Daffern or Debbie Morris on 01928 592405 / 01744 457100  for more information. 

https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/vca-membership-list

Don't Forget...

Developing a Fundraising Strategy - 25th November

Halton & St Helens VCA are proud to work in partnership with the External Funding Team at Halton Borough Council and are please to facilitate the opportunity for them to deliver this extreamly useful course for our members. This course will help you to develop the basic elements or your fundraising strategy, including: organisational analysis, developing a clear case for support, identifying & targeting funders, presenting  & evaluating your strategy. Complements Business Plan session. This course is FREE for VCA Members that are  voluntary and community organisation based in HALTON, for groups outside this area there will be a £50 charge which includes membership to VCA...

New Start Up Workshop - 3rd December

Information workshop for anyone thinking about starting a new community group, CIC, charity...
This 2 hour workshop will help anyone thinking about starting up a new community group, charity or community business such as a CIC. We will explore the various legal structures, governing documents, financial requirements, essential policies and possible next steps. Individuals wanting to chat with a member of staff about setting up will be required to attend this workshop first...

Now You Have Your Grant Training - 9th December

Halton & St Helens VCA are proud to work in partnership with the External Funding Team at Halton Borough Council and are please to facilitate the opportunity for them to deliver this extreamly useful course for our members. This course will offer a basic introduction to the responsibilities of grant management for those who have not received external funding before, or who are relatively new to managing grant funding...

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

Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action