Welcome to the weekly bulletin for the voluntary and community sector of
Milton Keynes.

The spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is a concern for all of us and Community Action:MK is taking the matter seriously. We will post regular reminders on practical things we can all do as individuals to help reduce the risk of catching and spreading this virus. Read more

A recent report by Deloitte has found that the cost of poor mental health to UK employers has increased by 16% since 2016. It pays to support mental health at work. Read the full report here

Looking forard to seeing you at our Spring Networking Event!
Thurs 19 March, 2pm-5pm, MK College Woughton Campus

Don't miss this opportunity to network across the sector and feed into Milton Keynes Strategy for 2050. Register now

20 March 2020, 10:00-11:00
This webinar will provide straightforward explanations, clear practical guidance, and practical tools to assist small charities with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) compliance.
Read more

As you will know, we are looking for letters of application to be submitted on Thursday 12th March 2020 to Paula Williams at Community Action:MK (paula@communityactionmk.org). Read more about the application and interview process here.

Community Action: MK will be arranging a session for groups about the BBC Children in Need grants programme on Thursday 23rd April. More details to come soon. Find out about the grants here.
 

MK Waste Recovery Park and Education Centre Visit
Thu, 9 April 2020, 10:00 – 12:00
Community Action: MK have organised a visit for members of the community to learn more about MK Waste Recovery Park and Education Centre.
Register here

Save the date: Tackling violence against women and girls in MK
Wed 1 April 2020, 17:30-20:00
More details to follow soon
Join Community Action: MK and other organisations to understand the level of violence in MK, map organisations working in this area and to create an action plan. 

Research shows over half of loan shark victims supported during 2019 were parents with an average of two children per family. The gender split was 45% female and 55% male. 
Read more in the 2019 Victim Report from Stop Loan Sharks

Milton Keynes International Festival takes place this July and will again present events across Milton Keynes. The Festival is looking for 10 local community groups to be part of a special event by internationally renowned company Kinetika. Read more

New Services:
Mental Health Workshops, Assemblies & More for Young People
Mental Health & Wellbeing Training for Professionals
Read more from YiS

Children Heard and Seen support children, young people and their families who are experiencing parental imprisonment. Each year it is estimated that 312,000 children each year are impacted by parental imprisonment, as the prison population continues to rise, so does the number of children impacted. 
Read more

March 18th aims to highlight the issues surrounding Child Exploitation; encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children or children exploiting and abusing their peers. 
Read more

Thinking about your experience of Mental Health Services, and your discharge from them, could you help to make the discharge process better for the future?
Take the survey from HealthWatch Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes Council is now consulting on the Draft Road Safety, Cycling & Walking and Smarter Travel Position Paper. Alongside the Position Paper we are also consulting on the updated Redway Design Manual. View the documents here.  Submit comments via the online survey. Closes 29 March 2020. 

MK Council have now published the Strategy for 2050 and would love to hear your views. Click below to read the draft Strategy for 2050 and learn more about the future we want to see for Milton Keynes. Your comments should be shared before Friday 17th April 2020. Read more

We would like to highlight a consultation on a new Community Led Regeneration and Estate Renewal Strategy for Milton Keynes which aims to involve local people in improving their estates and building healthy and sustainable neighbourhoods. Closes 24 April 2020.   Find out more

The British Red Cross are looking for volunteers to join the team in Milton Keynes supporting refugees and asylum seekers to access help. There are an array of different opportunities. Find out more

Power to Change, which was launched in 2015 through an endowment from The National Lottery Community Fund to support community businesses, has four funding opportunities open for applications:
Community Business Bright Ideas Fund
Community Shares Booster programme
Homes in Community Hands

Grants to help young people support each other during bereavement. The #iwill fund is to award several grants of up to £10,000 to projects across the UK that deliver peer support and/or youth-led advocacy to help young people experiencing bereavement. Read more

Community Fund are currently seeking two talented and passionate individuals to work as part of our team as Funding Officers in West Anglia. The roles would be responsible for building positive relationships with a range of organisations in order to embed grant making in our local area.  Read more

March 12th 7pm – 10.30pm, MK 11 Music Venue Kiln Farm
Tickets include food, entertainment, speakers and wonderful companionship. Just £15 must be bought in advance from MK 11. Read more
 

19 March 2020, 12:30 - 14:30, Elfield Nature Park
Prices from £10.00
Learn the age old skill of whittling. Whittling is the process of using a knife to carve shapes out of raw wood. Adults only session, suitable for beginners. Read more

Disability Hate Crime
Monday 23rd March, 11.00-13.00, John Lewis Community Room, The Centre MK
A Community Conversation for people with disabilities who have experienced a hate crime due to disability and the Chief Prosecutor, Jaswant Narwal. Please Contact Amanda on 07561/509821 or email pandora_inc_cic@outlook.com