the echo Our vision: CARING, VIBRANT and STRONG communi�es where everyone can fulfil their poten�al.

Our mission: CONNECTING and INSPIRING people and organisa�ons to achieve posi�ve change,

while CHAMPIONING their value to partners and the wider community.

In this issue

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April 2015 Front Page Wrens Nest Open Hub

News Brierley Hill Civic Hall Diyya, Lye June Bowen Volunteers/Carers Week In a nutshell

Funding Biffa Award Neighbourhood Plans Aviva Community Fund Double O Charity Spirit of 2012 Pink Ribbon Fund Heritage Lottery Fund River Farm Foundation

News Social finance Part 5 of 7 Volunteers certificates

Volunteering Community Work Placements

Our Services What we can do for you

Open Hub opens minds and opportunities at Wrens Nest

People with great ideas for new community activities can often be put off by hurdles. Rooms cost money to hire, funders need groups to be established with plans and paperwork in place. All-in-all,

it’s easy to see why lots of great ideas never get off the ground and why rooms in community venues often lie empty and devoid of amazing activities that could be happening in them.

But what if the starting point were different? What if the focus was on what a community already has? Rooms and resources in a community centre; local talents, crafts and skills people can share and learn; creative ways of bringing people together that benefit both individuals and the community.

In Wrens Nest, Dudley CVS and residents are creating Open Hub, a platform to nurture local projects and enterprises. So far in 2015 Dudley CVS has helped design.

Weekly Stay and Play, co-designed with two local mums in just over an hour, launched three days later. Promoted through Facebook and word-of-mouth, eight families (thirteen kids) have been involved in the first five weeks.

Healthy cooking project, co-designed with five residents who wanted to test out Slimmers World recipes. A week later thirteen adults and four children cooked and ate their first meal together. Even more people have paid towards the ingredients for the second session.

Everyone is still learning and testing how to create these new ways of working. Dudley CVS is keen to share all the experiences from the Open Hub project and make the designs and resources available to all. For more information: Website: http://tinyurl.com/nlcuh96 Email: lorna@dudleycvs.org.uk

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NEWS

Small group goes from strength to strength A small group that Dudley CVS has given support to set-up, develop and become established, is going from strength to strength. Lye-based Diyya, supports women and their families by bringing them together, building their confidence and encouraging them to take advantage of opportunities to learn new things and develop skills. In the five or so years since setting up, Diyya has grown from three volunteers to a thirteen-strong team of passionate and hardworking women who want to make a difference in their community. Dudley CVS also supported Diyya with two successful applications to Awards for All, helped the group to develop procedures to keep people safe, and helped Diyya to make links with other organisations. One such organisation is Creative Support, a charity that encourages and enables people with learning disabilities, mental health issues and other needs to live independently and improve their quality of life. The first joint-activity organised by Diyya and Creative Support was a celebration of International Women’s Day on the 8th March. Dudley CVS has recently helped Diyya to link with the recently-formed Love Claycroft TRA in Lye and it is hoped this is the start of more joint-working that will bring more benefits to communities in Lye. For more on this and on our support to groups, visit: http://tinyurl.com/nljwvg8 or contact Becky smallgroups@dudleycvs.og.uk

Welcoming everyone to Brierley Hill Civic Hall On Tuesday 3rd March, Dudley CVS welcomed the community into Brierley Hill Civic Hall to gather people’s visions for building it into a vibrant hub for a variety of activities and events. An impressive range of people from all walks of life joined us, including:

Local residents; Colleges; Theatre and musical groups; Local businesses; Charities and voluntary groups working with older

people, people with disabilities, carers, faith communities, sport and fitness;

Schools; Police; Dudley Council staff and elected members.

Together they shared their enthusiasm and excitement for the range of activities that could happen at Brierley Hill Civic, how the space could be made more welcoming, the arrangements for hospitality and how the community could be involved in the running and promotion of the venue in the longer term. Dudley CVS would like to thank everyone that came and shared their ideas so generously. These ideas have formed part of a report which you can view at: http://tinyurl.com/ocq2ncj. You will also find a visual summary of this report as an insert in this edition of the Echo. You can still add your thoughts and learn more at the above link or use the #BrierleyHill hashtag on Twitter.

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In a nutshell...

Sharon McGlynn, Dudley CVS Carer Coordinator at Russells Hall Hospital, and Eileen Fielding, Dudley Volunteer Centre Manager, are joining forces to host a promotional event to raise awareness of both Carers Week and Volunteers’ Week this summer. The event will be held on 6th June in Stafford Street, Dudley and will serve to promote Volunteers’ Week (1st to 7th June) and Carers’ Week (8th to 14th June). It will be a Fun Day with all the usual ‘village fete’ type event with something for all ages to enjoy. There will be opportunities for voluntary groups to host a stall. If you would like to host a stall contact Sharon McGlynn before 30th April. Mobile: 07435 754386 E-mail: sharon.mcglynn@dgh.nhs.uk or carers@dudleycvs.org.uk

Royal Mail postage stamps prices went up on March 30th. Here are the main new ones: Letters up to and including 100g

1st class: 63p (up 1p)

2nd class: 54p (up 1p)

Large letters up to and including 100g

1st class: 95p (up 2p)

2nd class: 74p (up 1p)

For details of all sizes and services go to:www.royalmail.com/prices-2015

June Gets Just Reward Congratulations from all at Dudley CVS’s to our very own champion volunteer, June Bowen, who has recently been presented with West Midlands Police Community Hero award. For more than fifty years June has given thousands of hours of her time as a Scout leader in Brierley Hill and she continues to attend weekly Scout meetings, together with special events and camps. And despite being two or three decades older than some of her clients, fit-as-a-fiddle June also leads an over 55s exercise group that gets ‘older’ people out of their arm-chairs to take part in a weekly workout at St. Michael’s Church. June keeps her own brain and body stimulated by being a volunteer at Dudley CVS, something she has been doing two days per week for the last 22 years. “I worked at Dudley CVS for many years and I loved my job,” said June, “when I reached retirement age, I just carried on helping out as a volunteer.” Andy Gray, Chief Officer at Dudley CVS said, “June’s six decades of volunteering has seen her help thousands of young people to become better citizens and older people to be more active. Her enthusiasm to help out with all sorts of work at Dudley CVS is amazing. June thoroughly deserves her title as Community Hero and it shows that volunteering keeps you young.” Do you know anyone who has been volunteering locally for as long as June? Tell us their story. Contact Brendan McKeown at Dudley CVS. E-mail: support@dudleycvs.org.uk

The Dudley branch of Cruse Bereavement is

looking for a Treasurer or bookkeeper to help

keep its financial records. If you think you

may fit the bill, please contact

dudleywolves@cruse.org.uk or call Mildred

Weir, Chairperson, on 01384 480930.

Andy Gray and June Bowen

with her West Midlands

Police Community

Hero Award.

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FUNDING

Applications to the Biffa Award main and small grants can be made at any time. Main grants are £10,000-£50,000 and small grants are up to £10,000. From 1st April there will be changes to the eligibility criteria for both funding schemes as follows: 1. Distance from a Biffa operation now 7

miles for Cultural Facilities, Recreation and Community Buildings themes and 15 miles for the Rebuilding Biodiversity scheme;

2. Only organisations with income below £100,000 and project costs below £15,000 can apply for a small grant.

For more information, call 01636 670000. E-mail: biffa-award@rswt.org Website: www.biffa-award.org/home

River Farm Foundation The River Farm Foundation is a relatively new funder. The foundation aims to increase the number of grants it makes to organisations to provide better and more appropriate levels of support to children, homeless people and other disadvantaged groups. Trustees currently meet twice a year and accept applications at any time. For more information, contact M. D. Willcox (Trustee):Tel: 01508 480100 E-mail: info@willcoxlewis.co.uk Address: The Old Coach House, Sunnyside, Bergh Apton, Norwich NR15 1DD

Double “O” Charity’s primary objective is to support the following: • Relief of poverty; • Preservation of health; • Advancement of education. The Trust does not make many grants, but the average amount is around £13,500. Applications can be made at any time by writing to the Trustees at the address below. For more information, contact: Tel: 020 8940 8171 Address: c/o 4 Friars Lane, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1NL

Aviva Community Fund Aviva's 2015 Community Fund offers awards up to £25,000 for projects in one of the following four categories: • Health, disability and well-being; • Supporting young people; • Supporting the older generation; • Community support. The deadline for applications is 24th April 2015. During May there will be a public vote where applicants will gather support from their communities. The applications that receive the most votes will go through to the final to be judged. There are 4 funding categories up to £1,000 (200 awards), £5,000 (24 awards), £10,000 (20 awards) and £25,000 (4 awards) and projects should be completed or well under way by 31st December. For more information: E-mail: communityfund@aviva.co.uk Website: www.aviva.co.uk/community-fund/

Neighbourhood Planning A new £22.5M grants programme to support communities looking to develop neighbourhood plans has recently been launched by Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Communities that form a Neighbourhood Planning group can apply for up to £8,000 to write their plans, pay for events to engage the local community, print leaflets and obtain specialist planning expertise. Technical assistance and expert advice to support new neighbourhood plans is also available. Applications can be submitted at any time. For more information, contact Locality: Tel: 0845 458 8336 E-mail: info@locality.org.uk Website: http://tinyurl.com/n2ym6yv

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FUNDING

The River Farm Foundation is a relatively new funder. The foundation aims to increase the number of grants it makes to organisations to provide better and more appropriate levels of support to children, homeless people and other disadvantaged groups. Trustees currently meet twice a year and accept applications at any time. For more information, contact M. D. Willcox (Trustee):

Address: The Old Coach House, Sunnyside, Bergh Apton, Norwich NR15 1DD

Spirit of 2012 is an

independent trust, established with a £47M endowment from the Big Lottery Fund, to ensure the spirit that radiated from the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games is continued. The Spirit of Achievement Challenge Fund aims to increase the participation of disabled people in arts and cultural activities. Grants of £100,000 to £250,000, to be spent over 2/3 years, are available for projects providing: • Opportunities for disabled and non-

disabled people (particularly families) to participate in activities together;

• Opportunities for these people to volunteer together to deliver activities and enable them to access training so that they have improved skills that both ensures a high quality volunteering experience and boosts employability;

• Regular/sustained opportunities for participation (not one-off activities).

All applications must address a clearly identified/evidenced need, reflect current public health priorities, include the views of potential beneficiaries and articulate a clear vision of how the project will impact beyond the life of Spirit’s funding. The deadline for submission of applications is 20th April 2015. For more information, call 020 3701 7440 E-mail: Info@spiritof2012trust.org.uk Website: www.spiritof2012trust.org.uk/challenge-fund

The Pink Ribbon Foundation makes grants to registered charities supporting people who are suffering from, or who have been affected by breast cancer or who work to advance the understanding of breast cancer, its early detection and treatment. Applications are welcome from organisations providing general services as long as they detail how many (and what proportion) of the total number benefiting from the charity's work are affected by breast cancer. One of the essential criteria when considering requests is the support/encouragement given to volunteers. Grants are provided annually, normally mid/late July and the 2015 closing date is 29th May. For more information, call 01689 858877. E-mail: enquiries@pinkribbonfoundation.org.uk Website: www.pinkribbonfoundation.org.uk/grants

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)

The Our Heritage programme is for any type of project related to national, regional or local heritage in the UK with grants of £10,000 to £100,000 available. HLF will fund projects that make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities. It is recommended that potential applicants send a project enquiry form in the first instance and the local HLF office will be in touch within 10 working days. Applications can be submitted at any time with assessment completed within eight weeks. For more information, call 020 7591 6042 E-mail: enquire@hlf.org.uk Website: www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/our-heritage

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Social Finance: Part 5 of 7 Social Impact Bonds – delivered by Social Finance

Public services exist to meet acute need, however in these times of austerity and funding cuts alternative sources of finance are necessary. One way to address need is to have preventative services (as delivered by many charities/social organisations). However, support for these organisations is dwindling as funding for delivery of intervention activities is viewed as non-essential.

In 2010 a model separating payment for delivery of an intervention from the outcome or success of that intervention was introduced by Social Finance through the launch of the Social Impact Bond (SIB). This bond scheme couples the understanding of the financial costs of a social issue with the value of the work in preventing escalation of the same social issue. By assessing and understanding the financial value of preventing or improving a social issue, the level of investment required to cover the cost of delivery of the interventions can be calculated taking into account the risks to the investors if the interventions weren’t successful.

SIBs raise investment to alleviate social problems, funding interventions addressing the unmet needs of vulnerable people. Investors in a SIB will pay for a set of interventions to improve a social outcome of financial interest to a government commissioner. If the social outcome improves the commissioner will repay the investors’ initial investment plus a return for the financial risk taken. However if the social outcomes don’t improve then the investor could lose their investment.

The main objective of a SIB is to align public sector funding more directly with improved social outcomes, increasing the amount of funding available to fund prevention/early interventions. Social Finance partner with Government, the social sector and the financial community to find better solutions to society’s most difficult problems. The Peterborough Social Impact Bond has enabled a reduction in reoffending by 8.4% and Investors are on course for payment in 2016.

For more information e-mail: info@socialfinance.org.uk

Website: www.socialfinance.org.uk

Volunteer Certificates - show them your appreciation Dudley CVS is once again producing free-of-charge 'Valued Volunteer Certificates' to local voluntary and community groups in time for Volunteers’ Week (June 1st to 7th). The certificates have been designed in-house by Dale Pickin in Dudley CVS admin. If you work with volunteers anywhere in Dudley borough and you would like to show how much you appreciate the work they do for you and the community, then all you have to is contact Dudley CVS. Contact Dale to say how many certificates you require and arrange a time to collect them from our offices in Albion Street, Brierley Hill. Call Dale on 01384 573381 or e-mail: dale@dudleycvs.org.uk Dale Pickin is

waiting for your call

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VOLUNTEERING

The Community Work Placements (CWP) scheme introduced by the Government last year has been the subject of much discussion within both the voluntary sector and the wider community.

CWP is aimed at benefit claimants whose primary barrier to work is a lack of work experience or motivation, and who may have spent a great deal of time away from a structured work environment. CWP aims to equip jobseekers with a valuable period of experience in a work-based environment, enabling them to develop the disciplines and skills associated with sustained employment, as well as to move them into employment. Voluntary sector organisations can have role to play in helping achieve these objectives.

But what are the implications for voluntary organisations?

Dudley Volunteer Centre manager, Eileen Fielding, met with Usman Ajaz at the local branch of Seetec, which provides Government funded Welfare to Work and skills training programmes.

Eileen: What’s involved if a group joins the programme, is there a contract? Usman: The organisation would have a service level agreement with Seetec and would ensure participants are insured. Eileen: What would the group’s commitment be with respect to time, obligations etc? Usman: Placements are for 30 hours a week for 26 weeks. If the person is not right for the organisation, they can be removed. The group would provide ongoing support and supervision. Completion of weekly electronic timesheet. Eileen: What support do you offer to the group, such as training? Usman: A full induction programme and ongoing support from Seetec. Eileen: What support do you offer to the participants e.g. expenses etc.? Usman: Clients’ travel expenses are reimbursed by Seetec (the host organisation is not responsible for these) and any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is required. Eileen: What’s in it for the group? What benefits are there to getting involved? For example, funding? Usman: £300 is payable at the end of the placement (23rd week) providing it proceeds satisfactorily Eileen: There has been a perception that organisations are legally required to take participants? Can you enlighten us more about this? Usman: There is no legal obligation to take a placement.

For more information about Community Work Placements contact Usman Ajaz

on 07834 518627 or e-mail: usman.ajaz@seetec.co.uk

How can we help?

DUDLEY CVS works with all community and voluntary groups, however small or large the organisation. We work with a range of partners, putting us at the forefront of voluntary and community sector representation.

KEEP UP TO DATE Visit our website www.dudleycvs.org.uk to find out about new developments affecting the voluntary sector, locally and nationally. BECOME A MEMBER Membership is free to any voluntary and community organisation operating in Dudley. Sign up today and start enjoying a range of services and support. SOURCING FUNDING If your group is considering options for funding, Dudley CVS can help you identify sources of funding and assist in developing funding applications.

SPECIALIST HELP Dudley CVS offers support tailored to suit your specific needs. Our Core Service Officers have years of experience available to local organisations. Help is wide ranging and includes, among other services: community engagement; enterprise development; asset management; business planning; legal structures and conflict resolution. GROUP DEVELOPMENT Established larger organisations can sign up to our Building Blocks organisational development toolkit. New, emerging and developing small groups can receive expert one-to-one guidance through our Route Map programme.

CHILDREN’S SERVICES Dudley CVS has officers dedicated to the needs of children and young people, families and those organisations and professionals working with children in Dudley VOLUNTEERING Dudley CVS Volunteer Centre provides all the expertise that would-be volunteers and volunteer managers might need. Guidance and training on managing, legislation recruitment and retaining volunteers is available all year round. We can also match up those seeking to volunteer to those groups looking to recruit volunteers. HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE With health services under review, our assigned support officers are in much demand by both services providers and service users.

PUBLICITY Our marketing and communications officers can help local groups to raise their profile and maximise their promotional needs. Advice on producing newsletters, leaflets promotional materials and media relations.

ADMIN SUPPORT Voluntary groups requiring ad hoc or regular support with learning basic computer skills, printing, mailings, book-keeping, payroll etc. can use Dudley CVS admin services at very competitive rates. CAN’T SEE WHAT YOU NEED? Call the number below.

For additional information about all CVS services contact: Telephone: 01384 573381 E-mail: info@dudleycvs.org.uk

Dudley CVS is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee

Place of registration: England Company number: 1998105 Charity number: 517766