Cordell Ray MBE

We are delighted to hear that Cordell Ray, Chair of our Trustees and CEO of CCP, has been awarded an MBE in the latest Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Cordell said, “This is undoubtedly a case of the award not being just for me but for the whole CCP team and the many businesses and organisations that enhance the work we do. I am immensely proud to be leading this organisation and of what we achieve, making a difference to peoples’ lives day in day out. I fully intend to use this honour as an excellent opportunity to further shine a light on what CCP does. I very much hope that this award will help make even more people aware of the vital work we do in the community and potentially result in more individuals and organisations wanting to support us. That really would be a tremendous outcome.”

David Owen stands down as Trustee

David Owen, CEO of GFirst, has been a trustee of the Alliance since its early days back in 2013. He has now resigned from that role to concentrate on other projects. Everyone at the Alliance thanks David for his knowledge and expertise willingly shared in our journey and wishes him well for the future.

Are you looking for volunteers?

The VCS Alliance has been working with County Council and District colleagues to build on the goodwill and capacity generated through the Help Hub volunteering initiative. We are now issuing a regular newsletter to encourage volunteers to continue to support their communities and VCS organisations.

If you have opportunities that you would like us to include, please send the following brief details:

• Your organisation name and location
• What the opportunity is and any special requirements eg car driver, must be physically fit.
• Where it is, if not in the area where you are located
• How much time is required and how frequently, for example weekly, monthly or ad hoc
• Contact details so that anyone interested can get in touch.

Please send to info@glosvcsalliance.org.uk by 5pm on 20 October for the next newsletter, scheduled for 23 October.

FUNDING

Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner – Commissioner’s Fund

The Commissioner’s Fund offers grants in support of new and innovative projects, providing they address at least one of the priorities in the Police and Crime Plan. This year, the emphasis will be on Covid related projects supporting new initiatives focused on regeneration.

These include:

• Schemes involving work with young people
• Initiatives in support of the elderly including care home residents
• Groups that encourage community cohesion and safety
• Projects that align with any of the Police and Crime Plan priorities

The Fund is open to voluntary and community sector organisations and community groups with a constitution operating in Gloucestershire.

You can apply for up to £1000. Projects will receive funding for one year only because of deferred PCC elections. Finance will become available from Easter Monday, April 2021.

The fund is open until 16 November. See more at https://www.gloucestershire-pcc.gov.uk/commissioners-fund-aid-for-projects-fighting-covid-effect/

GloW Community Grants

The Gloucestershire Suicide Prevention Partnership has launched the GloW Community Grants programme. It will invest in community led and based activities that address the things that contribute to our mental wellbeing and help improve our mental health, e.g. social connections and networks, physical health, and access to green spaces. It will focus on activities that promote good mental health and wellbeing, reduce isolation, and support the prevention of suicide and self harm in those most likely to be affected.

Applications are invited from community and voluntary groups, registered charities, Community Interest Companies, not for profit organisations, Town and Parish Councils, sports groups, clubs and associations and faith groups.

The programme will last for three years, with a yearly budget of £50,000 and individual funding awards of up to £5,000. The deadline for applications is 15 November 2020.

If you would like to discuss your idea or find out more, please contact the GloW Community Grants team at gloscommunitygrants@gloucestershire.gov.uk or take a look at https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/glowcommunitygrants.

TRAINING

Accessible buildings for people with dementia – online training

What is the impact of your building? Does it help or hinder someone with dementia when using the space?

This one-hour presentation from the Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire Dementia Action Alliance discusses the impact of both ageing and dementia on vision, hearing and mobility and how the design, furnishing and finishes can help enable someone to participate in activities.

You will have an opportunity to apply what you have learned in a virtual space. This session will be of interest to anyone who has contact with people living with dementia, especially those offering community activities.

Dates: 16 October 2020 at 2pm, 3 December 2020 at 12.30pm, 9 February 2021 at 10.30am. To book please email foddc.daa@fdean.gov.uk.

YOUR VIEWS

Gloucestershire Community Foundation wants to hear from you

Gloucestershire Community Foundation (GCF) wants to better understand what support Gloucestershire charities and local community groups need right now and in the coming year. They have already heard that there is an interest in mentorship, fundraising training, core funding and community outreach. The more responses, the more GCF can be sure it designs an application process and funding that is right for Gloucestershire.

The survey will take 15 to 20 minutes to complete. You can find it at  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GlosCommFoundation.

GCF wants to hear from grant applicants and grant holders, as well as other Gloucestershire charities and community groups who have not been successful in applying or maybe haven’t yet heard of GCF.

Get involved in Gloucestershire

Get Involved in Gloucestershire is a new online participation space launched by One Gloucestershire. They want to continue involving local people in decisions about their NHS services.  In the current circumstances where there is a limit to the number of face to face engagement opportunities on offer you can share your views and ideas through this online participation space.

The information gathered will help inform the ways services are delivered and will influence the decisions local NHS organisations make.

It is completely free to register, although you can visit the site and contribute to discussions without registering.  The main benefit of registering is that you can talk about areas of health and care that interest you most. If you are registered you will be notified of any specific opportunities to get involved and the latest projects.

You can watch a short video promoting the site here. If you have any further questions about Get Involved in Gloucestershire, please email glccg.gig@nhs.net.

EU Project PROACTIVE Survey

Project PROACTIVE https://proactive-h2020.eu/ is part of the EU Horizon 2020 research initiative addressing Chemical Biological Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNe) preparedness and response, in particular the impact on vulnerable members of society. Covid-19 is categorised as a biological incident.

As part of the research, organisations responsible for looking after vulnerable people are invited to take part in a survey which should take no more than 15 minutes.  Vulnerable people might include someone not speaking the language used in an emergency, children and those traditionally deemed vulnerable.

You can find the survey at https://proactive.limequery.com/725689?newtest=Y&lang=en. The survey closes on 13 November 2020.  If you have any queries please contact Tony.godwin@cbrneltd.com.

SERVICES

Type 2 Diabetes Know Your Risk

Did you know that more than 200,000 people are diagnosed with Type2 diabetes every year with the risk of serious health complications and early death? Recent statistics published by NHS England show that 26% of those that have sadly died from Coronavirus, were also living with diabetes.

Modern life can make it hard to be healthy, with Type 2 diabetes adding to this challenge. Making small lifestyle changes can help you reduce your risk.

Find out your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by completing the Diabetes UK Questionnaire ‘Know Your Risk’.

Start your journey to lower your diabetes risk

Receive support to make sustainable changes to your lifestyle by referring yourself to your local free Healthier You – Diabetes Prevention Programme.

The service is run remotely through group telephone or video calls, or you can chose the 1:1 app/computer based service with a Health Coach. You will receive support with healthy eating and lifestyle, help with weight management and physical activity. This has been proven to reduce the risk of developing the disease and other long term conditions, such as cardiovascular disease.

To join or find out more about your local Healthier You Provider visit https://preventing-diabetes.co.uk/, call 0333 577 3010 or email info@preventing-diabetes.co.uk.

Dementia Friends session online

Scarlet House care home in Stroud is running online Dementia Friends sessions every month. The next dates are 12 November at 4pm and 10 December at 4pm and last for an hour. To book a place please email Katerina.pippi@careuk.com or call at 01453 769810.

VACANCIES

Gloucestershire Young Carers seeks Young Carers Key Worker
30 hours per week:  GYC Salary Scale Pt 26 – 29, £24,799 – £26,999 pro rata
Permanent contract subject to continued funding.

The successful candidate will be responsible, taking a whole family approach, for undertaking assessment visits with young carers and their families to identify their needs and develop a support plan. You will work directly with young carers to achieve positive outcomes delivering a minimum of two weekly term time respite/activity groups in various localities across the county (currently Cheltenham and Cotswolds) and contributing to well-being groups.  You will also be involved in organising and delivering a programme of activity breaks for young carers across the county and providing one to one support to young carers as appropriate.

We are looking for an experienced professional with proven ability in communicating sensitively with children, young people and their families and in organising group activities.  You will hold a relevant qualification (Level 3) within Youth Work/Education/Social Care/Health. You will have excellent organisational skills and be proficient in the use of IT.  You will need to be available for regular evening and occasional weekend work.

For further information please call Karen James 07592 794504 or Laura Ritchings on 07773 331889. For an application pack please visit http://www.glosyoungcarers.org.uk/about-us/working-for-gyc/. We do not accept application by CVs.

Closing date: 10am on 19 October. Interviews on 27 October.

Healthwatch Gloucestershire Youth Engagement Officer
Part time (25 hours per week). Salary £21,119 pro rata. 18-month fixed term contract or secondment opportunity

Do you have experience of working with children and young people and do you understand the challenges that they face?  Are you passionate about empowering young people to have their voices heard? If so, you could be part of an exciting new project.

At Healthwatch Gloucestershire, we want to ensure that children and young people from across the county are listened to and heard by the people who buy, plan and run health and social care services in Gloucestershire.  We are looking for a dynamic, experienced Youth Engagement Officer to lead an exciting new Young Listeners project.

You will lead the project and recruit, train and support a team of 10 young listeners who will in turn engage with other children and young people from across Gloucestershire offering a peer to peer engagement approach.  It will be a varied and interesting job and no two days will be the same.

You will need a can-do attitude, be enthusiastic and a ‘people person’. You will also need to be a team player who enjoys being part of and contributing to a small and dynamic team.

Alternatively, if you work as a consultant and are interested in this opportunity, please get in touch with us to express an interest or have a chat to find out more.

For more information about this post and to download an application form please visit: https://www.healthwatchgloucestershire.co.uk/about/vacancies/ or telephone 01452 504989.

Closing date: Midnight 1 November 2020. Interview date: 6 November (via Zoom)

GENERAL NEWS

Updated Charity Commission Covid-19 guidance

The Charity Commission has updated its Covid-19 guidance for the charity sector. The updated sections refer to AGMs and holding meetings online.

Charitable companies and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) can hold AGMs and other members’ meetings online – this has been made possible by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020. The section in the Act on holding meetings online has been extended from 30 September to 30 December 2020. For other types of meetings, or for any other type of charity, trustees need to check if their charity’s governing document allows them to hold meetings online or by telephone.

This temporary amendment also applies to exempt charities that are community benefit or friendly societies. It was extended from 30 September to 30 December 2020 but may be extended again if the government thinks this is needed.

For more information on the updated guidance click here.

Peer Support: Working with the VCSE

New resources published by Health and Wellbeing Alliance partners, the Association of Mental Health Providers, National Survivor User Network and Mind, offer support for groups or organisations that are providing peer support throughout the pandemic. The resources outline best practice, tips, and information about remote support, including the move back to face to face. There are five pre-COVID case studies of peer support providers in different settings (including Gloucestershire’s Suicide Crisis) and a briefing outlining how voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations can meaningfully contribute to the provision of peer support in mental health.

You can access the resources here and the briefing here.

Creating start-ups and initiatives within organisations that deliver sustainable social impact

The University of Gloucestershire is taking part in Ingenuity, a national programme running until March 2021 looking to invest in the next generation of impact-driven start-ups that will transform society and the environment.

The programme is a competitive process leading to grants, investments and partnerships with leading UK companies. If your idea will help to drive change in our county and make Gloucestershire a better place, you can apply whether you pre-start or an existing start-up.

The programme is a great way to develop your idea with national professionals and experts and enhance your business skills. The programme offers a range of national and regional talks and workshops planned to help to rebuild a better society, economy and environment post-Covid.

If you’re interested, find out more and apply here: https://ingenuityimpact.org/westofengland . Applications are open until 12 November 2020.

If you have any questions about the programme, please contact Jessica MacDonald by emailing ingenuity@glos.ac.uk.

Information supplied by GFirstLEP

14 October 2020