Halton & St Helens VCA e.bulletin

Your Fortnightly New & Information Bulletin from Halton & St Helens VCA

Welcome to the latest VCA E-Bulletin

Every fortnight we bring you the latest, news, events and information from the VCFSE sector and partners across Halton, St Helens and the wider area. If you would like to feature in our next e-bulletin please click our link below and submit your story..

Submission for Ebulletin

Free Health & Wellbeing Training for VCFSE Organisations in Halton and St Helens

An opportunity for VCFSE organisations to access training on the complexities associated with weight and health will be available as a two-hour, face-to-face course for VCFSE organisations based in Halton and St Helens. The course has been developed by public health nutrition experts at Food Active and is being delivered in partnership with Halton & St Helens VCA.

“Why weight to talk?” is designed to help practitioners from third sector organisations consider the broad range of factors – often outside of the control of an individual – that contribute to our health and wellbeing.

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Actually She Can - Pay It Forward Places Application

Join us for a unique opportunity to invest in yourself and future female talent at our personal development conference in Runcorn on 27th February 2025. A unique opportunity of personal growth and professional development, with 13 professional speakers, authors and coaches.

Come along to learn, to network, to be inspired and go away with a clear plan of action that will help carry you through the year ahead.

Do you live in Halton and want to attend Actually she can in February, but can't cover the cost? Then the Pay it Forward tickets might be for you!

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Launch of Kind to Your Mind Website

Kind to Your Mind is a website which can help support the mental health and wellbeing of people living and working in Cheshire and Merseyside.

We all need to be kind to ourselves. Stress, anxiety, and other daily challenges to mental health and wellbeing are now hallmarks of modern life. That’s why the Champs Public Health Collaborative and the NHS have been working hard to share a range of local services and resources designed to help community members feel more resilient, more positive, and more themselves.

Kind to Your Mind was created to connect people who are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing with tips, advice and support in all forms, from apps and online courses, to crisis intervention.

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Sam's Diamonds Valentine's Day Event

Looking for the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Why not treat yourself and your loved ones to a delicious evening filled with warmth, laughter, and fantastic food, all in aid of Sam’s Diamonds Cancer Support.

Whether you’re celebrating love, friendship, or self-care, this is an evening not to be missed!

Date: Tuesday 11th February

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Early Help Conference

St Helens Council are delighted to invite you to save the date for the Early Help Conference as part of the St Helens Family Help Transformation journey.

This is a unique opportunity for professionals across the partnership including Children’s Services, Health, Education, Police, and the Voluntary Sector to come together, engage and shape the future of Family Help in St Helens.

Date: Wednesday, 5 March 2025

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The Autism Wellbeing Project CIC - February 2025 Newsletter

The Autism Wellbeing Project are a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting autistic adults in Halton and the surrounding areas.

As a Community Interest Company (CIC), their primary goal is to provide comprehensive support services tailored to the unique needs of each individual.

Catch up on their February News!

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Save The Date - Meet The Funders

Come and speak to funders face-to-face, find out what they have to offer, discuss your ideas and network with your peers.

Date: Friday 16th May 2025,

Venue: Assembly Hall, St Helens Town Hall

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Cervical Screening Bus - St Helens

Is your cervical screening test due or overdue? The NHS Living Well Bus will be at Chester Lane Library, St Helens on 17th February and 17th March offering Cervical Smears.

No appointment needed, simply turn up and drop-in 10 am and 4pm.

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Have Your Say On A Name For New Partnership

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are joining forces and working as one to improve healthcare services for our communities. Between them they provide services to people living in Halton, St Helens, Knowsley and Warrington, as well as Community Dental Services in Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

They now want to start thinking about options for a partnership name to reflect their direction of travel. They would like to seek your views and make sure they get this right as they continue with their integration plans.

To help gather views, they have created a short survey. All suggestions are welcome and valued.

The survey will close at midnight on Sunday 9 February.

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Setting Up a Community Organisation and other Legal Structures

This 2 hour introductory 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.

When: 13th February, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location: 2nd Floor Beacon Building, College Street, St Helens

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How To Raise Funds To Keep Your Community Active

Are you part of a not for profit organisation committed to keeping the community physically active? Interested in finding out more about crowdfunding for your project?

Crowdfunder UK, in partnership with Sport England, are giving community groups and organisations along with sports clubs the skills and support they need to run a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Crowdfunder is running a series of FREE online workshops to show how crowdfunding can be an effective way to raise funds.

When: Wednesday, 12 February 2025, 12:00–13:00

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Halton Borough Council Programmes Office Team

Halton Borough Council Programmes Office Team are looking to support Halton’s Community Sector with a series of training workshops to support them in all aspects of sourcing, managing and monitoring funding.

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Open 360 Digital Hub Sessions For 2025

Connecting People and Communities through Digital Project. Open 360 are currently recruiting for their four funded twelve week courses running throughout 2025.

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Cultivate: Creating Culture 2026 Together

Join Creative Culture's for an engaging evening as they prepare for Halton's Cultural Year in 2026. This event is an opportunity for local creatives from Halton and the LCR, organisations, and community members to connect, share ideas, and explore how arts and culture can thrive in Halton.

Date: Thursday, 27th February 2025
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Doors open at 5.30pm)
Location: Norton Priory Museum & Gardens

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Merseyflow Timebank

Community organisations in Halton are being encouraged to sign up for the charitable Time Bank scheme led by Merseylink and Merseyflow for free-of-charge expert help during 2025. The Time Bank initiative aims to assist key organisations, including schools, colleges, charities, and community groups, by allowing Halton communities to benefit from the skills and expertise of the Merseylink and Merseyflow teams.

Meseyflow's Time Bank initiative is open to apply until Friday 28 March

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New Memberships and Renewals

The following organisations gained board approval at the last meeting:

Affiliated members – Paid up members entitled to full benefits (£10)

Wargrave Big Local
Birchfield Ward Community Association
St Helens Concert Band
Newton Community Centre
Windmill Hill Events Network (W.H.E.N}
The Hope Centre - St Helens
Hough Green Park Pensioners Club

Non Affiliated members - Free (but only includes access to up to date information on current news, issues and events)

Educate Your Plate
Halton Community Transport
The Earlestown Cycle Project
LOOSE
ZERO Fashion CIC
Youth Federation Ltd

Associate members - Individuals and Public Sector Bodies who would like to support and be more involved in the work of VCA (£10)

Elsie Hayford – Impacting Health Hub

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Have you heard about The Community Lottery – for local good causes?

Charities, community organisations, social business and community groups of all shapes and sizes can sign up, free of charge and get a slice of the ticket proceeds.

A generous 60% of the ticket proceeds from the the Community Lottery will go to charities, voluntary organisations and other not-for-profit groups with the remainder being put towards prizes, operating costs and VAT.

If you are involved with a local good cause that would like to find out more about fundraising with the Community Lottery, simply scan the QR code on the picture or access the "find out more" button below.

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VCA Activities Directory

Do you know about our Activities Directory? There is always something going on in Halton and St Helens and this is the best place to find out what’s what.

If you have any community events that you would like to add to the directory, the link below, will take you to our community events webform:

https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/add-edit-activity

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Registered Office: St Maries, Lugsdale Road, Widnes, WA8 6DB