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It’s February, the days are getting slightly longer, snow drops and even daffodils can be spotted around Berkshire and Spring is getting nearer! All positives.

On the flip side this month we also have the impact of rising inflation and the effect on household budgets as the energy crisis hits with surging fuel bills. There is help available though. As our readers may be aware CCB have been delivering a project helping low income families in Berkshire with advice and support for over 10 years, read more about this ever more important souce of help in this months edition. We also have a report of our recent Village Halls Week launch success, how ‘Levelling Up’ must include rural communities, as well as the usual community and funding news. Please read on for more….

‘Levelling up’ must not leave rural communities behind

by Phillip Vincent, Action with Communities in Rural England

Our national body, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) says the government must fully consider how it’s plans for levelling up will address disadvantage faced by rural communities.

The government announced cursory details of its centre-piece policy commitment to levelling-up. But ACRE says that far from instilling confidence, the white paper leaves more questions than it answers.

Jeremy Leggett, ACRE’s Policy Adviser said: “It is not clear whether the government’s 12 missions of levelling-up will counter the long-standing disadvantages faced by rural communities.

Whilst we await further details, we have questions about whether the policy proposals will be subject to a comprehensive rural proofing exercise and if additional resources and investment will be made available to non-metropolitan areas in the remaining term of this administration”

To read the rest of this article please click here

Support available for families in Berkshire suffering due to rising energy bills

This month’s news that “more than one in four UK households will be in fuel poverty once Ofgem’s latest energy price cap rise comes into effect” will no doubt cause alarm to households across West Berkshire.

We want people to know that help is available. We have been running a project tackling fuel poverty for 10 years and can provide expertise in supporting low-income families that are struggling with their energy bills.

Helen Dean runs the Family Fuel & Water Poverty project in Berkshire and provides support and advice to low-income families to save money on their bills.

Helen says; “The increase in the price cap is devastating for families, particularly those on low incomes when they are already struggling to pay their bills. The worry this causes should not be underestimated, affecting families’ mental health, with some families having to choose between heating and eating.”

Helen works throughout Berkshire providing bespoke telephone advice, and attending targeted groups for young families. Through the project, she also provides training to practitioners who then cascade the information and advice to the vulnerable families they support.

Tim Parry, Chief Executive of CCB said; “With the announcement that energy bills will rise by almost £700 a year for a typical household we believe that more families in the region are likely to be pushed into fuel poverty so we are expecting to receive an increase in demand for this service. Our project can provide real support and results to families in need in the area”

Like Lisa from West Berks, who saved £260 per year after receiving telephone advice from Helen. Lisa said “I thought I was ok sorting out my bills before but I was unaware of how much I could save by tweaking just a few simple things. The advice from Helen was brilliant and she made it easy to understand instead of just having lots of information thrown at you to work out. Having the advice eased my mind to know that I could be saving instead of worrying so much.”

In the past five months, Helen has supported 65 families through telephone advice, saving a total of £9,351.

We would like to raise awareness of the service we provide and families on a low income can be referred or contact Helen directly on helen.dean@ccberks.org.uk or visit our ‘Energy Advice’ page to find useful tips.

To hear Helen addressing the subject of rising cost of living and energy bills directly check out the recent Phil Kennedy show on BBC Radio Berkshire;

(Fast forward to 2:08:31 to hear Helen.)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bhvhyh

“Energy and water bills – essential advice and awareness for practitioners supporting those on low-incomes”

Online training for practitioners operating in borough of Bracknell Forest delivered via Zoom Tuesday March 22nd 2022 10.30am – 12pm FREE

Delivered and facilitated by Helen Dean and Gemma Pearce from Connecting Communities in Berkshire (CCB). Helen delivers CCB’s Family Fuel and Water Poverty Project and is a subject matter expert.

This session will provide training, advice and useful information to practitioners that work with low income and vulnerable individuals, including families, those with long-term health conditions and the elderly.

Learners will know and understand the definition of fuel poverty, and how to advise and support the clients they work with to save money on their bills through a variety of ways.

This includes:

• Discounts available to those on low incomes – Warm Home Discount, Thames Water Discounts

• Funding for insulation and boiler improvements for low-income households

• Reducing costs by reducing energy usage

• The Priority Services Register for those with health conditions/vulnerability

• Dealing with debt, and trust funds for grants for debt

• Comparing costs and switching to get the best deal

• Useful sources of information

“This training was fantastic. I had no idea so much was available to assist people who face challenges fuelling their homes, and how to access grants and organisations. Thank you! Infinitely useful and so important.” Hannah, Support Worker at Alana House, Domestic Abuse Charity

“Full of useful information, really helpful for the work we do” Family Support Worker, Slough Early Help Team

You need to register in advance to join this training session:

Booking Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvcuGgrTwpGd1TV3JIpaeHl4LLpXDDur00

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Huge congrats from us to Mandy and Debbie at MOVEability who recently won a Get Berkshire Active (GBA) Physical Activity hero award.

MOVEability have been key at running our seated exercise classes in Hermitage Village Hall as part of our Activating Village Halls Project, funded by GBA. To read more about why they won the award please click here. Well deserved Mandy & Debbie, as there’s no doubt these classes are having a positive impact on both mind and body of those that attend them!

#VillageHallsWeek is in its fifth year and took place from Monday 24th January to Sunday 30th January 2022. The week helped raise awareness of the contribution village halls make to rural communities as well as inspire volunteers who run them to get more creative and improve their offer to their community. To read the rest of this article please click here.

Lord Benyon, Minister for Rural Affairs said:

“I was delighted to visit the Victory Room, Bucklebury, to mark the launch of Village Halls week – an initiative which celebrates the important role village halls play in bringing rural communities closer together.”

“Defra works alongside Action with Communities in Rural England and its network of councils, to support the growth and upkeep of these vital institutions for the communities they represent”.

If you were unable to join on the day but would like to view a recording of the event you can find them on the links below.

Link to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACREnational

Link to You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUGcU7HyX2fe71sh5rW9n8Q

Wokingham Borough: Give Your Views On Tackling Climate Change

Let’s Talk Climate is a community deliberative process, bringing together groups of people to discuss the challenges and opportunities around tackling climate change and form recommendations for the council, with the help of independent facilitators. The Council has dedicated one of these groups for representatives of charities and community and voluntary organisations to have these conversation amongst your peers. Please sign up to find out more about taking part in this group. You will be asked to meet a couple of times in March to ensure there is enough time to learn and discuss the issues and solutions surrounding climate change, here in Wokingham borough. If you do take part and attend the sessions, your organisation will receive a £50 donation as a thank you for your time.

What's good for the planet is good for business

Low Carbon Workspaces and Buckinghamshire Business First have developed a step-by-step roadmap to help businesses get on the road to net-zero.

It is impossible to set goals and targets for your net-zero journey without first understanding your starting position. That’s why their easy guide takes businesses from collating energy data, to calculating carbon footprints, to setting long-term strategic goals using recognised frameworks.

Along the way, links to useful resources, tools and funding opportunities are provided to make the journey as easy as possible.

Download your free Journey to Net-Zero Guide here.

Free street party workshops

Street parties are a fun and safe way for people to meet their neighbours, especially for those who rarely get out, and it’s not as difficult or expensive as you may think to put one on in your neighbourhood.

Reading Voluntary Action (RVA) is delivering a series of free online workshops for anyone interested in running a street party in 2022.

The Little Book of Cyber Scams

The growth and evolution of digital spaces has naturally unlocked potential for criminal abuse, and cyber crime is rapidly expanding and evolving. To help protect individuals and small organisations, The Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales has released the Little Book of Cyber Scams. The user-friendly booklet highlights the latest cyber scams, and outlines key techniques used by criminals.

The post office network continues to provide vital access to essential face-to-face services at a time when many other providers are deserting the high street and moving to online only.

Their latest research shows

• Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) people visit a post office every week, while nearly half (45%) visit at least once a month

• But across Britain almost 1,300 post offices are temporarily closed

• 1 in 3 rural post offices are now part-time outreach services, open for an average of only 5.5 hours a week

• The report confirms that increasing temporary post office closures and part-time outreaches make it significantly harder for people and small businesses to access services.

When post offices close people are forced to take on the additional costs and inconvenience of travelling further – something that can be particularly challenging in rural areas and for those who face barriers to travelling long distances.

And although for some people outreaches may be better than nothing, many find the service inadequate. Provision is too infrequent, opening hours inconvenient, queues too long, and vital services missing.

Urgent action is needed to reverse this trend to ensure that the post office network really is convenient and easily accessible to everyone. Citizens Advice will continue to work with stakeholders to develop workable solutions and push for their implementation.

Click on link to view a really good video highlighting the current struggle some rural communities are experiencing when their post office closes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I0b9BwVJyPUlUpi2GHB9XgQreee_7Twi/view

Online on Sunday 20th February at 10am until 12noon

Activity Alliance believe that inclusive coaching is just good coaching. The Inclusive Activity Programme is a unique development opportunity for sports coaches, community leaders and health and care professionals. In this new GBA workshop, you can learn about the key principles of delivering inclusive activities and how to ensure that your sessions are fun and enjoyable for everyone. This session will help you to better support disabled people to be more active through our important ten principles, understand how your sessions can be inclusive, create and adapt your own activities using STEP and the Activity Inclusion Model, and explore where you can find more info for yourself and the people you support. Click here to book your space.

This training is for halls or community buildings within Wokingham Borough to book your place please click here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/225194220977

Awards for All Jubilee Activities - Awards for All programme is now accepting applications that celebrate the Platinum Jubilee

Sport England Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Activity Fund - Grants of £300 – £10,000 can support projects that bring a community together and provide opportunities for people who may be less physically active. They will prioritise disadvantaged communities – there’s a postcode checker to see if you fit that.

Youth Investment Fund - Grants of £5,000 – £50,000 for small-scale capital projects which create or expand youth provision services in left-behind areas across England will open shortly, administered by Children in Need.

Arts Council England Grassroots Music Project Fund - Grants of £1,000 – £40,000 for up to three years are available to grassroots music venues and promoters in England to present live music programming, and for activities that put them in a better position to deliver their work in the long term.

Alec Dickson Trust - The Trust is passionate about volunteering and about young people making a difference.

Barclays Community Football Fund - Grants are available to community groups in the UK to a make playing football more accessible at the grassroots level

Greene King IPA – Proud to Pitch In - Grants are available for grassroots sports clubs to deliver activities within local communities across the UK.

National Heritage Memorial Fund- Funding for charities, not-for-profit organisations and public bodies to help with the cost of acquiring historic land, buildings, works of fine and decorative art and other objects of interest which are important to national heritage.

KFC Foundation Community Grants Programme - Grants are available to support grassroots organisations providing safe social spaces, mentoring, work, or social skills for young people aged 11 to 25 years old in the UK.

RHS Flourish Fund - Grants for voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations across the UK that are helping people acquire horticultural skills, with particular focus on promoting diversity and inclusion in horticulture.

Poundland Foundation - Grants are available for local charities and organisations across the UK working to make a difference in their communities.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund – Barclays 100x100UK Covid-19 Community Relief - Funding for farming and rural communities to cope with the impact of Covid-19, to expand on new services that have emerged to support the local community during this time and to build future resilience.