|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to Connecting Communities in Berkshire monthly e-bulletin full of community training opportunities, funding and Berkshire based news.
|
|
Energy Advice & Awareness - supporting  practitioners & volunteers in West Berks to offer vital advice & guidance to cut the cost of bills this winter
Free Webinar Tuesday 24th November 10am – 12pm
All you need to know to advise and signpost your low-income client group to save money on their bills.
Savings can be considerable:
• Getting the best deal by switching – average £200
• Claiming the Warm Home Discount - £140
• Claiming Thames Water Help – typically £200
• Reducing energy usage at home £10- £50
• Total of above- £540 per year
This course will run through all the ways that those on low-incomes can cut the cost of their bills, the criteria for claiming the discounts available, and grants for home insulation and boilers in West Berkshire. You will also learn about the Priority Services Register that gives extra help for the most vulnerable, and trust finds to help with debt.
To book your place please click here to register - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/125020753439
Thank you to West Berks Adult Community Learning Team for supporting this training
|
|
 Keeping Village Halls safe and informed about Covid-19 Rules & Regulations
Wednesday 21st October, 10.30am - 12.00pm
Connecting Communities in Berkshire have organised this webinar for Trustees/Volunteers that run Community Buildings/Village Halls in West Berkshire. Places are limited and booked on a first come, first saved basis with priority being given to halls operating within West Berkshire. To book your place please click on link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/120374490341
This training will cover:
• Management Committee concerns about the safety of activities that regular hirers want to start providing
• Hygiene requirements
• Shared responsibly & working with Hirers
• Flexibility through the expected ‘phases’ and ‘changes’ during the Pandemic
• Latest government updates regarding hirers and what is/isn’t allowed in community buildings
• Facilitate Frequently Asked Questions session and a chance for volunteers/trustees to share knowledge and experiences
Free to CBAS members, £15 to CCB members and £25 to non members. Thanks to support from West Berkshire Adult Community Learning team for this learning opportunity.
|
|
New course from Volunteer Centre West Berks; Zoom Bid Writing Course
Thursday 19th November 2020, 10.30am – 12.00pm
Sara Hanson, Volunteer Sector Support Officer is an experienced bid writer and evaluator, and has designed this course to challenge you and give you the tools you need to be able to move forward in your bid writing.
This course is designed for people with no to limited experience with Bid Writing and will go over completing forms online, providing you with hints and tips on preparing and completing them and the language to use. Sources of funding opportunities, the criteria to meet, the jargon used and the reasons applications fail will also be covered.
Cost: £10
Please fill in the details on the booking page and VCWB will get back to you with details on payment.
|
|
Community Organisers Berkshire
 Community organising is the work of bringing people together to take action around their common concerns and overcome social injustice. Community organisers reach out and listen, connect and motivate people to build their collective power.
CCB has been working in partnership with Community Organisers Ltd to bring active citizens in Berkshire new opportunities to develop their skills and share their stories. The principles and techniques of community organising fit well with our ethos of community empowerment and engagement, and the principles of community organising greatly improve people's abilities to engage with their communities, listen to their ideas and concerns, and take action on what really matters to them.
To learn more about community organising, please see https://www.corganisers.org.uk/what-is-community-organising/
With support from Community Organisers, CCB has formed Community Organisers Berkshire, to:
• Bring people together from all parts of Berkshire to share stories and learn from each other
• Promote the opportunity to get more involved in bringing about positive change within our communities
• Give people added confidence and new skills, through following the Community Organising Framework, to reach out into their communities, listen to those seldom listened to and take action on what matters most to people
• Create a critical mass of local organisers who are accessible to agencies willing and able to listen to their concerns, offer them support and facilitate change based on their feedback
We would like to encourage anyone involved with community-led projects to find out more about Community Organisers and to join as a member, which can be done here: https://www.corganisers.org.uk/get-started/join-the-movement/
To find out more about Community Organisers Berkshire and to get involved, please contact Tim Parry at tim.parry@ccberks.org.uk
TRAINING COURSES CURRENTLY BEING DELIVERED BY COMMUNITY ORGANISERS
Listening Skills for Community Organising 
Develop practical listening skills and tactics
26th October - 1.30 to 4pm (part one)
28th October - 1.30 to 4pm (part two)
30th October - 1.30 to 4pm (part three)
To find out more & book a place click here
Building Power through Community Organising
Explore the different types and effects of power, look at the ways that people can build power together
10th November - 1pm to 4.30pm (part one)
13th November - 1pm to 4.30pm (part two)
To find out more & book a place click here
Action for Change through Community Organising
Look at how you can make change for good through collective action
30th November - 9.30am to 12 noon (part one)
2nd December - 9.30am to 12 noon (part two)
4th December - 9.30am to 12 noon (part three)
To find out more & book a place click here
|
|
 Community Loneliness Survey
The threat posed by the Coronavirus puts us all in an unprecedented position and ensures that the issue of social isolation is in the forefront of everyone’s minds. Whilst in the short-term we may need to restrict contact with friends and neighbours, particularly those more vulnerable to the virus, it is important to consider how to ensure that we live in well-connected communities in the longer-term.
The link below will take you to a survey form, responses to which will help us with this project. The form asks how easy is it to find and access activities in your community, and seeks your ideas on what you’d like to see taking place. You don’t have to give us any personal details, just your reflections and ideas.
https://ccberks.wufoo.com/forms/community-loneliness-survey/
Please get in touch if you have any questions about the project or are interested in getting involved. Thank you. Tim Parry: tim.parry@ccberks.org.uk
|
|
Extent of rural economic and social benefits from village and community halls revealed
Village and community halls in England offer extensive economic and social benefits to rural communities, a report from CCB’s national body ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) has revealed.
Just before lockdown 2,109 halls took part, including many halls in Berkshire, in the National Village Halls Survey 2020 which provides a detailed snapshot of the operations and management of community buildings across the country.
The survey found that village halls make a significant contribution to the economy.
At least 10,000 individuals earn a living connected to the use of these community buildings, from Pilates and Yoga teachers to people running dog training classes. A further 4,500 people are employed as cleaners, caretakers and managers.
Nearly half of all halls serve as a venue for private parties, and a quarter host weddings; events which provide commercial opportunities for local businesses.
One in ten are also home to community businesses; enterprises which are owned and run by residents for local community benefit, such as shops, cafes, and post offices.
Additionally, 70% of respondents had undertaken improvement work, extensions, or new halls in the last five years, contributing well over £46 million to the UK economy. Local builders were often used.
Village halls also offer extensive social and cultural benefits, ACRE’s research found.
Those living in rural areas are at heightened risk of social isolation, which can lead to poor health, loss of independence and lower quality of life, according to the Local Government Association.
This makes the work of village halls particularly important. An astonishing 60% of respondents stated that their halls are the only meeting place for their community, with activities such as coffee mornings and luncheon clubs helping to address loneliness among vulnerable groups.
Volunteers also play an important function in maintaining the buildings, carrying out small repairs, maintenance and checks within 94% of respondent halls. Two out of five have volunteer caretakers or handypersons. This involvement generates considerable wellbeing benefit for those who take part. To read the rest of this article and download the full report please click here.
|
|
 CCB's Annual General Meeting & Safeguarding Training
Thursday 5th November, 11am
This year like many other charities and voluntary organisations we are running our Annual General Meeting via Zoom due to the current Covid 19 situation.
Despite the difficult and challenging times Connecting Communities in Berkshire has remained operational and has been busy delivering our projects and training sessions online. If you would like to join us on Zoom to hear a brief description of our work please contact Gemma.Pearce@ccberks.org.uk to register your interest in attending.
Immediately following the very brief AGM we will be holding a FREE members only training session which may be of particular interest if you are involved with running a community building, village hall or a parish council building. By registering for the AGM you will automatically be registered for the training event following it which we envisage lasting no longer than 30 minutes.
FREE, Members Only - Safeguarding for Village Halls Training will cover how:
• Safeguarding is EVERYONE’S business
• What you need to know as a Trustee
• Safeguard yourselves - your hirers - your hall users
|
|
What is the VCS Emergencies Partnership?
In September, CCB joined a coalition of front-line charities working across the Thames Valley to improve the provision of support during emergencies
The Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Emergencies Partnership exists to respond to requests for help with preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies. If local support structures such as councils for voluntary service, local resilience forums and local authority hubs cannot provide the support a local community or organisation needs, requests for help that can’t be addressed locally can be escalated and the VCS Emergencies Partnership can step in to facilitate provision of that support. Further information on this initiative will be made available in the coming weeks.
|
|
How one Village Hall in Cookham Dean, Berkshire has managed to become an invaluable asset to their community whilst adhering to covid 19 regulations
Here at CCB we were thrilled to hear from Chair of Cookham Dean Village Hall, Finbar Murphy, who wanted to share with us his good news story about how their trustees had worked with community initiatives to ensure that the village hall remained a community hub even managing to adhere to Covid 19 regulations! We know how important community buildings and village halls are to their local community often providing the space to run events and providing community gatherings that help combat loneliness and isolation. Please read on to hear from Finbar in his own words;
In October 2019 the lead tenant at Cookham Dean Village Hall (Noah’s Ark Nursery) was obliged to close down. It was a sad ending particularly as it had been a central part of village life for nearly forty years. It also had a significant impact on the financial viability of the hall, which is funded entirely by community donations and hall rental fees.
On the upside it meant that a significant portion of the hall schedule was now open, and the hall committee were free to look at new uses for our treasured community resource
One of these ideas was a local producers market, providing a platform for local producers to sell direct to locals. A metre market – “fresh produce metres from your door”
We were in the planning stages when the Covid-19 situation refocussed everyone’s attention. We initially shelved the idea, but then found it was something that we could do to help several local produce suppliers who had lost their traditional customer base of restaurants and public houses.
Like all good community initiatives we started with one stall selling locally baked sour dough loaves, and with some great support from our community have grown that in eight weeks to over twelve producers offering Bread, Vegetables, Cheese, Sweet and Savoury Baked Goods Beer, Coffee, Beer, Flowers, Jams, Honey, Granola and even Dog Biscuits!, all sourced locally in and around our village. We have now added a small coffee garden thanks to the generous support of the local Woman’s Institute, so we can enjoy a socially distanced coffee and chat. To read the rest if this article please click here.
|
|
 Is your home or community building on heating oil? Be Prepared for the Colder months by reading this handy guide
We don’t know yet what kind of winter Berkshire will experience in winter 2020-21 but the colder months can cause a range of issues for heating oil users and we wanted to share with you some top tips that will help you feel more confident this winter.
Do you need a top up?
With winter being the prime time for heating suppliers, ordering your oil before that rush can save you some pennies. If you will need a top up soon buying your heating oil before the lower temperatures creep in could save you money. Marion at OFPS who manages the CCB Oil Club always recommends buying your oil early in the winter if you can and not to wait until the temperature drops before checking if the tank needs topping up as traditionally prices always rise when demand is greatest. Over the summer months CCB Oil Club members saved over £650 on orders compared to normal prices. Our club is open to anyone on heating oil to join from within Berkshire, saving you money, reducing oil tank deliveries and helping to support a local charity please click here for more details on the club.
Check your heating oil tank for damages
Don’t forget to give your tank a once over as with changeable temperatures in the autumn and winter seasons, any damages that your oil tank may have can worsen due to the weather. Look out for cracks, rusting, tank bulging, distortion, loose/damaged caps and filling points and if you do notice any issues try to get them fixed before leaks and other expensive problems can occur.
Get a boiler service
Your boiler is vital to keep your home warm in the winter, with boiler working less in the summer preparing it for the extra work in the winter reduces the risk of a breakdown. It is recommended that those who have a oil- fired boilers should service it twice a year. To read the rest of this article please click here.
|
|
 Call for Government to level-up rural areas to support England’s economic recovery from COVID-19
by Paul Dixon, Rural Evidence Manager, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)
A coalition of thirteen leading rural organisations is urging the Government to commit to more equitable funding in rural areas to support England’s economic recovery from COVID-19.
The Rural Coalition has published Rebuilding Rural: Growing Back Better, setting out its priorities for a successful recovery by seizing the potential social and economic opportunities across rural England.
Rural areas are home to 9.3 million people – more than Greater London – but they have long faced the challenges of sparsity, remoteness, poor connectivity and a history of unequal funding and patchy service delivery. Some communities which are heavily dependent on tourism and seasonal work are now at risk of being left further behind. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed weaknesses in the narrow economic base of some of these areas, but also highlighted the opportunities rural economies can make to the recovery. Now, this potential needs to be unlocked through a programme of investment.
To read more please click here..
|
|
Funding Opportunities October 2020
With thanks to the Berkshire CVS’s for the information contained in this article – Reading Voluntary Action, Wokingham & Bracknell Involve, Slough CVS and West Berkshire Volunteer Centre.
Food for Life Get Togethers – Small Grants
Small grants are available to not-for-profit organisations in specified areas of the UK for community events and gatherings that enable people of different generations to get together through good food. Click here for further information: https://www.foodforlife.org.uk/get-togethers/get-involved/small-grants
BAME Healthy Communities Surviving COVID-19 Fund
Grants are available for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) led voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations across the UK to help them support their communities during and beyond the coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis, building wellbeing, resilience, and capacity. Click here for further information: https://www.ahpn.org.uk/grants
Berkshire Community Foundation Vital for Berkshire Coronavirus Fund – open for applications until 30 October
The Vital for Berkshire Coronavirus fund is now open for applications until 5pm on Friday 30 October
Funds allocated to Berkshire through the National Emergencies Trust Appeal for Coronavirus, together with the support they have received for their Vital for Berkshire – Coronavirus Appeal, are available for grants to be allocated to local charities, community and voluntary groups working to help people affected by the crisis in Berkshire. Further details here.
Berkshire Better Health Fund 2020 – grants of £1,000 to £5,000 available
Sport England are providing Get Berkshire Active (GBA) with funding through the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF) to distribute to community organisations who support the following priority groups to be active:
- people with disabilities
- people with long-term conditions
- BAME communities
- lower socio-economic groups.
For further details please click here.
Asda Foundation Getting Schools Back on Track – applications deadline 15 November 2020
The Getting Schools Back on Track grant has been designed to help ease the pressures that have been placed on all families during the pandemic. Getting children back to school in September is a priority not only for learning needs but to also enable parents to go back to work. Further info please click here.
Comic Relief Covid-19 Community Grant – open until end of December 2020
Grants of up to £4,000 are available for local grassroots organisations with ‘lived experience’ to respond to the current local need as a response to the Covid-19 emergency, and it may also assist charities through short term organisational recovery.
More details here.
ESFA Community Training Grants
The grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 are available in Thames Valley Berkshire for projects supporting unemployed and economically inactive people on their journey towards employment. More details here.
The Louis Baylis Charitable Trust
The Trust distributes grants worth a total of more than £100,000 to more than 100 recipients each year and has a policy of distributing the majority of the grants to local organisations and charities, the balance going to regional and national organisations
The majority of applications for grants from the Trust are received by post from local and national charities and organisations that are aware of the Trust. More details here.
British Science Week 2021 Community Grants
The community grant scheme is available to support British Science Week (5-14 March 2021) activities.
This scheme offers £500 to £2,000 grants for community groups that work directly with audiences who are traditionally under-represented and currently not engaged in science activity. Read more here.
Free Supplies For Your Charity & Beneficiaries
Giving World helps charities access brand new life-essentials for free. With the impact of the coronavirus measures on community organisations and their vulnerable beneficiaries, we are reaching out to confirm that we continue to operate, partnering with businesses and charities such as yourselves to get goods to where they are needed most. Further details here.
Up to £10,000 grants available for rural community projects from The Prince’s Countryside Fund
Projects from across the UK which are working to create resilient rural communities are invited to apply for grant funding of up to £10,000 from The Prince’s Countryside Fund.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery locally-focussed, legally-constituted not-for-profit organisations can apply for one year of grant funding from the Fund. Projects must be completed by 31st March 2022.
Projects from all across the UK are invited to apply for this funding. Applications can be made by taking a short eligibility quiz and completing an application form at http://www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grants.
The Green Influencers Scheme
The programme aims to engage and inspire young people of 10-14 to take part in environmental learning and action. The scheme will fund 40 Green Mentor posts in Host Organisations until January 2023 to recruit and support environmental social action projects. Social action includes campaigning, fundraising and volunteering, to make a positive difference in their communities and develop their own skills and knowledge. Further details here,
Further funding opportunites can be found here.
|
|
Community Champion Awards
West Berkshire Council is calling upon local residents to nominate deserving individuals and groups for the Community Champion Awards 2020. Volunteer Centre West Berkshire and Greenham Trust have joined the Council to launch the scheme and are each supporting an award. Nominations can be made online by visiting https://info.westberks.gov.uk/communitychampion and are due by Friday, 20 November 2020. Paper nomination forms can be obtained by calling 01635 519458.
The Community Champion awards will honour those individuals and community groups who have gone above and beyond to support residents throughout West Berkshire this year. To recognise the fantastic contributions by locals throughout the pandemic, four new Covid-specific awards have been added to the usual roster of honours. All of the awards will be judged by an independent panel.
The Community Champion Award categories for 2020 are:
The Pat Eastop MBE Junior Citizen of the Year
Volunteer of the Year – supported by Volunteer Centre West Berkshire
Community Group of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award (non Covid response)
Covid Response Pat Eastop MBE Junior Citizen of the Year Award
Covid Response Volunteer of the Year
Covid Response Community Group of the Year - supported by Greenham Trust
The 'Big Thank You' Award - created to recognise those people who may not meet the criteria of one of the awards above or who would appreciate more low key recognition
The winners will be presented with their award at a virtual ceremony to be held in January 2021. Their details will also be recorded in an exclusive book called the "Roll of Civic Awards" which will be available for future generations to review.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
