northumberland cva annual review€¦ · 4: northumberland cva annual review 2015-16 the chair’s...

Northumberland CVA

Annual Review 2015-16

2 : Northumberland CVA Annual Review 2015-16

Our Vision:Supporting Communities, Enabling People

Our Mission:To engage, stimulate and inspire the creation and development of

strong, sustainable and vibrant communities in

Northumberland and the surrounding areas

Our Guiding Values:People and communities are at the heart of what we do

We have a passion and reputation that means we can and do make a difference

We have a firm belief that everyone has something to offer and can make a valuable contribution

We have a conviction that the voluntary and community sector plays a crucial role in society and is firmly fixed at the heart of civil society

We believe that staff are our greatest asset

We endeavor to be a catalyst for positive change

We believe in a high quality of provision and delivery of services

We believe in making a difference by breaking cycles of disadvantage and marginalization within the community

Our Themes and Objectives:THEME: Group Development & Funding Advice

OBJECTIVE: Capacity building, engagement and development

Providing high quality support that is founded on sound knowledge and understanding of community needs, that strengthens and empowers voluntary and community groups at a local level.

THEME: Volunteering

OBJECTIVE: Employability & volunteering

Creating opportunities for individuals to engage with the labour market or make a valuable contribution to society through volunteering activities.

THEME: Community Development

OBJECTIVE: Partnership & collaboration

Working with other organisations and sectors to build a society that is stronger, where people are inspired to make a positive difference to their communities.

THEME: Voice & Influence

OBJECTIVE: Representation & influencing

Helping to shape and inform local planning and policy development that affects the VCSE sector.

Northumberland CVA Annual Review 2015-16 : 3

Our Staff Team:We have a dedicated team of staff members, listed below:

Carolyn FothergillDevelopment Officer - Projects

[email protected]

Marc JohnsonDevelopment Officer - Funding

[email protected]

Anne KiddDevelopment Officer - Volunteering

Anne retired on 31st March 2016 and the role has now been filled by Maureen Shepherd:

[email protected]

Lisa WackettProgrammes Co-ordinator

[email protected]

Karen CoxRe:Action Project Co-ordinator

[email protected]

Martin ConwayCommunity Development Officer

[email protected]

Ann AtkinsonAssembly Development Officer

[email protected]

Richard CarrFinance Manager

Richard left NCVA in April for pastures new and the role is as yet unfilled.

Simon BakerAdministrator

[email protected]

Jackie AuldInformation & Communications Officer

[email protected]

Contents:

Chair’s Report

Chief Executive’s Report

Group Development & Funding Support:

Firm Foundations

Volunteering:

Volunteering and Active Citizenship

Re:Action Project

Seeds to Success

Remploy

Grant Giving - Our Funds

Community Development:

Engaging & Supporting South East Northumberland

Voice & Influence:

Northumberland Voluntary & Community Sector Assembly

Back Office Services

Room Hire & Community Payroll Service

Accounts

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The Chair’s Report:

I hope as you browse through our Annual Review you will again see that, regardless of the problem of generating funding for our organisational core cost, our work still revolves around supporting many organisations and individuals in the county of Northumberland.

During this year we also saw the retirement of Anne Kidd, our Development Officer for Volunteering. Before this role, Anne was our Employability Manager and for many years operated our New Deal programme with great success. We wish Anne a happy retirement and thank her for all her hard work with us, as well as for the dedication, help and support she gave to all the very many people she came into contact with in the years she spent with our organisation.

Again, our reserves have subsidised our core cost. The trustees of Northumberland CVA felt that this was beneficial again because it helped to maintain a service that has contibuted to supporting many community groups that have had a successful impact our their communities. The trustees continue to seek solutions to make us financially viable. It is not an easy task and I hope that the powers to be will begin to realise the remendous work the voluntary sector makes to Society and offer sound financial support for core costs.

Our review demonstrates the work we have carried out with many groups and individuals over the year and also the scope of that work. However, it could never do full justice to some of the more difficult and complex work we need to carry out with some groups that often takes a long time to reach agreeable outcomes.

It has also been a very positive year for working with other voluntary organisations and taking a partnership approach for the benefit of the people of Northumberland.

Even though our Trustees Report records our thanks to our staff team and to funders, I would like to repeat that now and say a big thank you to all the staff and to the many who have supported us financially, Also to the many who have helped to play a part in our story this year, and finally to the board of trustees - my sincere thanks to them for their time and aupport to the organisation again this year.

Rodney JamesChair

VCS Recommissioning Survey

Quotes from responses to a survey carried out by

Northumberland County Council on recommissioning Northumberland CVA to

deliver VCS Support Services

“There have been several restructurings of the services in Northumberland over the years and from my experience, the staffing team seem to have settled and become productive in a short space of time. To disrupt this would be costly and inefficient”.

“An excellent organisation, who has worked well in developing this work. They thoroughly deserve the opportunity to continue what they have started, and re-commissioning this would only mean progress would be lost, even if they were to win the contract again. Great to see good sense being shown in the Council's rationale”.

“Since CVA Northumberland took on responsibility for county-wide VCS infrastructure, we have seen a marked improvement in the quality, consistency, coherence and reach of support services to the VCS in Northumberland and our own ability to communicate with VCOs from across the county. Without squeezing out localised infrastructure 'offers' from the likes of Berwick Voluntary Forum. A change of provider, or even the rumour / possibility of one would not, in our view, be supportable”.

“They provide a most valuable service and 2 years gives time to work up a meaningful programme with continuity in staffing It would be foolish to re-commission and have to start from scratch.”

The Chief Executive’s Report:

The start of this financial year saw our organisation change its operating name from Wansbeck Centre for Voluntary Service to Northumberland Community Voluntary Action. The board had discussed for many years the need to have a name that better reflected the services we now carry out throughout Northumberland and, in line with the name of our national organisation, Northumberland CVA was born.

We were delighted at the end of this financial year to learn that our commission from Northumberland County Council to deliver support services to voluntary and community organisations was to be extended for another two years.

This decision followed an extensive survey of organisations in Northumberland that had used our services over the past year. 80% of respondents said they were fully satisfied with the services they had received from us (20% said that the question was not appropriate) and 79% strongly agreed or agreed that our service was effective and met their needs (20% said the question was not appropriate). We were thrilled the survey had elicited such a positive response, with only 1% saying that the services provided did not meet their needs.

On the opposite page, you can read some of the quotes from respondents to the survey.

Our Funding Service continues to be in huge demand, and responses to our invitations to the Funding Fairs we organised over this year have far outweighed our ability to be able to accommodate everyone. Consequently, we have tried, wherever possible to give advice and support on identifying suitable funders to those who missed out on a place.

We have worked closely this year with the Community Foundation to deliver a number of “Time to Talk” events throughout the County that has attracted much interest.

I am gratified by the growth and development of Northumberland VCS Assembly. Last year I spoke about the investment Northumberland County Council had made into the future of the Assembly, which clearly showed their commitment to developing a strong and fruitful partnership, and I am particularly proud that the Voluntary and Community Sector has identified the value of the VCS Assembly and democratically elected its own Executive Board in August 2015. The board now meets regularly to review any issues that affect the sector


and gives the VCS Assembly a collective voice. The partnership between the Assembly and Northumberland County Council has been further recognised with the development of the VCS Cabinet Advisory Group, which brings together elected members from Northumberland County Council and from the Assembly Executive Board. The recent signing of the Statement of Intent has strengthened this partnership and we look forward to working together on an agreed workplan and to being recognised for our value at Board level.

The need for the work Northumberland CVA does, and the problems that many of our members and volunteers face, does not reduce. We now need to deliver our services differently using modern technology and social media to reach communities in some of the more rural areas. We know that there are still organisations and communities out there we may not have reached, but we continue to work to the best of our ability to ensure that our services are of good quality and accessible to all who need them across the county.

We have been awarded our NAVCA quality standard for the third time running. Externally audited, Northumberland CVA achieved excellence across the whole of the performance standards and was congratulated on how well it has extended its services to cover the whole of Northumberland.

No report would be complete without thanks to the brilliant staff team. Its members have worked tirelessly throughout the year. A long standing member of staff, Anne Kidd, retired on 31st March and my grateful thanks go out to Anne for her dedication and commitment to this organisation, not least the help and support she and her team gave to so many unemployed people, moving them into employment.

The year ahead provides more challenges but I am sure we will rise to them and embrace the opportunities as they arise.

Anne LyallChief Executive Officer


Directly supported Northumberlandgroups to raise over £450,000 in funding

and helped to raise more than £2.6 million throughindirect support

Provided 14 training coursesacross the county

167 individuals from VCS groups accessed FREE orsubsidised training opportunities

s part of the 'Ageing Well' agenda

Advised and supported a total of206 community groups in 2015-2016

n Berwick, Hexham, Haltwhistle, Morpeth, Blyth andAshington

Hosted 2 Funding Fairs

Offered 1:1 group development andfunding advice at 5 support days

in Ancroft and Blyth80 community groups accessed tailored advice from

13 different funders

2 in the West, 1 in the North and 2 in South EastNorthumberland

Firm Foundations does exactly what is says on the tin. This part of the commissioned service helps voluntary and community sector organisations to get their foundations in place, so they operate safely, legally and efficiently, and are able to maximise their impact on the people and communities they serve.

During the year, a total of 206 groups have accessed Firm Foundation services through a range of different mechanisms including advice surgeries, training courses, funding fairs and individual one-to-one advice via meetings, telephone and email.

One of the main areas of support requested through Firm Foundations is advice on funding; the queries are usually around identifying potential sources of funding and advice on completing applications. Groups that have benefitted from our Funding Advice Service have secured in excess of £450,000 to develop projects and programmes they have identified.

A further £2.6m has been secured by organisations that have received support from Northumberland CVA other than through our funding advice service, this is where groups are confident to apply for funding but have been supported in other ways, such as governance advice or development of policies.

In a year that has seen serious governance failings in high-profile national organisations splashed across the news, we must stress that the vast majority of organisations at every level, whether small community

based groups or larger charities, are generally well managed. Over the year, Northumberland CVA organised a wide range of training courses to support groups with governance, management and good practice. Twelve sessions were delivered on topics such as: an introduction to governance, change management and marketing & publicity.

Alongside our training course, we have provided advice to groups on an individual basis, reviewing governing documents, advising on financial procedures and giving general advice, guidance and support. An ongoing feature of this work is our development of a range of new training courses that we are able to tailor to the individual needs of a group and will form part of our new offer of support in the coming year.

This year we organised two Funding Fairs to give groups the opportunity to talk about their projects face-to-face with potential funders. The fairs were well attended, with a total of 13 different funders offering advice to 80 different community groups across both events. In order to give community groups from across the county an opportunity to attend, these events were held in Ancroft in the North of the county in July and Blyth in the South West in November.

In addition to our Funding Fairs, we worked closely with the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland to organise two ‘Time-to-Talk’ sessions, which allowed participants to learn more about the Community Foundation’s funding streams. The first session was in Belford in November, the second in Blyth in February.

All of these events, both our Funding Fairs and the ‘Time to Talk’ sessions, were fully booked with a waiting list in operation. , due to late cancellations we were able to offer most of the people who wanted to attend a place. Where we weren’t able to offer a place at an event we have made sure they are aware of the support we can offer and have provided support by email, telephone and in person.

Firm Foundations

Group Development & Funding Support


Greatly increased our use ofsocial mediaTwitter 572 followers : Facebook 124 page likes

Delivered up-to-date andrelevant fortnightly e-news andinformation to over 880 contacts

Developed our website Over 15,800 visitsMore than 60,900 page views

Over the year we have greatly improved our use and our reach of social media.

FUNDRAISING CASE STUDYTill Valley Archaeological Society

Often, the groups that access our funding advice service are smaller groups, without full-time staff, and they are looking for support to apply for small amounts. Maureen Charlton of Till Valley Archaeology Society booked to attend our Ancroft Funding Fair in July 2015.

After talking about their funding needs with Jon Goodwin of the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, the Society submitted an application for various pieces of equipment and succeeded in securing £1,100, although they still needed an additional £500.

After receiving advice from Marc Johnson, Development Officer - Funding they successfully secured this amount from the Sir James Knott Trust.

Ancroft Funding FairJuly 2015

94% of attendees would recommend our Funding Fairs to others

QUOTES FROM ANCROFT FUNDING FAIR EVALUATION

"Very interesting event. Great for people unsure of what is available in the way

of funding."Alfreda Hindmarsh, Wooler Parish Council

"My first funding event and I found it really worthwhile."

Andy Render, NCYP

Image: Copyright TillVAS


agreed or strongly agreed that the course

gave them knowledge to strengthen their

organisation

agreed or strongly agreed that the course

was a good use of their time and provided

them with a better understanding of skills

needed for their organisation

Ashington, November 2016Governance for Trustees course

"Valuable and informative."MIchael Nicholson

"Excellent content and presentation.

Thank you."Helen Birkett, Blyth Town Team

I think this course would be useful

for all trustees."Gordon Cameron, Rothbury Recreation Club


VolunteeringVolunteering and Active Citizenship

Hosted 4 volunteer recruitment fairsIn Hexham, Alnwick, Berwick and Blyth250 potential volunteers accessed a huge range of

volunteering opportunities from across the county

Supported 7 'Step into Spring' & 'WinterWarmer' eventsin Alnwick, Hexham, Ponteland, Blyth, Corbridge, Ashington and Belfordas part of the 'Ageing Well' agenda

Delivered 1:1 volunteering supportto 35 groups

in Berwick, Hexham, Haltwhistle, Morpeth, Blyth andAshington

Supported 96 individuals

Posted 276 volunteeropportunities online

with additional needs to accessvolunteering opportunities

During this second year of the commission, Northumberland CVA has hosted four of its own volunteer fairs across the county that allowed over 250 potential volunteers to chat to representatives of a huge range of volunteer-involving organisations about the potential roles on offer.

The team also supported seven ‘Stepping into Spring’ and ‘Winter Warmer’ events in support of the Ageing Well agenda to help older people become more involved with groups or volunteering. We have worked in partnership with Alnwick Town Council to organise the Alnwick recruitment fair and provide volunteer co-ordinators local groups with recruitment training to increase their capacity and we have been involved with an Alnwick Time Exchange working party to look at the possibility of developing active citizenship in the town.

We have attended a Third Sector Day at HMP Northumberland to speak to a group of prisoners who are interested in undertaking volunteering as part of their rehabilitation. We have contributed to a World Café event in Berwick, hosted by NCC Public Health Team, that gave the people of Berwick a forum to discuss the needs of the town and how they can be involved in to make Berwick a healthier, more inclusive place to live.

We have also made presentations to Ashington Academy’s 6th form, to Northumberland College and to various support and employability groups, including Escape Family Support and Work Programme providers, to raise awareness of the benefits of volunteering as a route into employment.

In addition, and although volunteer brokerage is not funded under the commission, this year has necessitated the introduction of an appointment system to help cope with the rising demand from individuals in need of additional support to help them identify and access volunteer opportunities, as well as from JCP and mental health teams looking to place customers who have additional needs.

Anne Kidd with organisations setting up their stalls at the Hexham volunteer fair

Ponteland Stepping Into Spring event


Re:Action Project The Re:Action Project has two elements: an Assisted Shopping Scheme and a Digital Inclusion programme - both designed to support older people in South East Northumberland to maintain their independence within their local community.

Declining health and mobility problems often mean that older people are no longer able to drive or use public transport to get to the shops themselves. The Re:Action Assisted Shopping Scheme has supported sixty older people with varying abilities in the past twelve months to feel less socially isolated and to keep their connections strong.

The Scheme uses accessible minibuses and a team of volunteers to take older people out to popular shopping areas, with support from a team of volunteers who help them to also access other essential services, such as the bank, post office or library. Ten Volunteers have increased their practical skills and knowledge through their volunteering and three have gained employment - one in Health and Social Care - using their volunteering experience to strengthen their applications.

This year, twenty-five people have improved their

knowledge of new technologies by attending our six-week Digital Inclusion programmes and our one to one Facebook sessions.

For this element of the Re:Action Project, we have recruited three new volunteers to help support beneficiaries to gain a better understanding of new technologies through accessing the sessions.

s part of the 'Ageing Well' agendan Berwick, Hexham, Haltwhistle, Morpeth, Blyth andAshington

130 individuals have been involvedwith the project in the past 12 months

60 older people with varyingabilities are less socially isolated

10 volunteers

have been spent helping improve the wellbeingof older people in SE Northumberland

1,500 hours of volunteer time

3 volunteers gained employment

have increased theirpractical skills and knowledge

using their volunteeringas experience for their CV

3 new Digital Inclusionvolunteers recruited

25 people learned aboutnew technologies

in four 6week Digital Inclusion programmes

SERVICE USER CASE STUDY - Betty

Betty is 95 and lives in East Sleekburn. There are no longer any buses running in her area, making it very difficult for her to access shops and social activities, and so has used the shopping service for a number of years to allow her to get outand about and to socialise with others who take part in the shopping trips.Betty uses the service to access the bank, post her letters and buy her fresh vegetables and cream cakes. She said:

“Without this service I would be very isolated and lonely, I look forward to my Thursday shopping trips it’s the only time I get out, I have a wonderful kind volunteer who walks around with me helping me buy my shopping and we have lovely chats over a cup of coffee. I am so grateful to all the volunteers for their kindness and help on the trips”

VOLUNTEER CASE STUDY - Alan

Alan lives in Newbiggin by the Sea and has volunteered with the Re:Action Supported Shopping Scheme for over 6 years. He has used his volunteering experience as an opportunity to meet people and to help him gain confidence. Alan said:

“I really enjoy helping to make a difference to the people we support. It is so rewarding; without us, many of them would not get out.”


This year sees a continuation of the Seeds to Success project’s partnership with the Seaton Hirst Allotment Society.

The Seeds to Success horticultural project has been successfully delivered since November 2012. The project enables local people to gain practical horticultural work experience. It brings together people with mixed abilities and from a wide range of backgrounds who may have no previous work or volunteering experience, who may be long term unemployed or have physical or mental disabilities.

Participants meet weekly on a voluntary basis under the eye of an experienced horticultural supervisor to develop horticultural skills as well as skills in wood working. As a bonus, Seeds to Success allows volunteers to develop team working and communication skills, and often lasting friendships.

Since the beginning of the project, we have assisted over 80 volunteers to develop new skills and 7 of these have secured employment.

Volunteers have been able to develop additional skills by learning how to plant up hanging baskets and how to construct a range of wooden products, including bird tables and planters. Donations made by Northumberland CVA staff for the baskets and for the vegetables grown have allowed the project to purchase additional seeds and tools for the project.

In work continued from last year, volunteers on the Seeds to Success project have also learnt about leading a healthier lifestyle by having the opportunity to cook healthy

balanced meals from the produce they have grown.

As well as offering horticultural skills and experience, Prommes Co-ordinator, Lisa Wackett, who is qualified to Level 3 in Information Advice and Guidance, has run additional training to prepare the volunteers for the introduction of Universal Credit, ensuring that they are able use the internet, access emails, look at money management and cost-saving measures online as well as carry out their routine job search activities. Volunteers on the project have said that without this support they would not be prepared or ready for the changes.

In June 2015, Northumberland CVA scooped an award for Outstanding Provision of NOCN Learning for the work Seeds to Success carried out the previous year with younger clients aged 14 – 25 who were not in employment, education or training (NEETS), basing its approach on the perspective of “Sowing Seeds to Success”.

Seeds to Success

VOLUNTEER CASE STUDY - Mick Grant

Despite having previous horticultural experience, Mick has been unable to secure employment. As a volunteer on the Seeds to Success project, he has used this existing experience to help develop the horticultural skills of his fellow volunteers – thereby enhancing his own CV in the process. Mick has taken a lead on supporting volunteers to make the hanging baskets and has also embraced the concept of healthy eating; preparing and cooking meals for the other volunteers to enjoy. Mick said:

“The allotment gives me a purpose. It allows me to help others and to socialise in an informal and friendly environment. I have made some good friends and I enjoy coming. I am updating my skills and experience as well as helping others develop theirs.”

Mick is third from the left

Above: Lisa Wackett and Liz Moody accepting the Award for Outstanding ProvisionBelow: Anne Lyall and members of Seeds accepting XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Voice and InfluenceNorthumberland VCS AssemblyThe role of the Assembly is to engage with, coordinate and champion the views of the voluntary and community sector and we have spent this year doing just that.

Following consultation with members in the previous year, we relaunched the Assembly at an event in May 2015 at Linden Hall. 72 members attended the relaunch. The theme of the event was ‘Challenges and Solutions to the Sustainability of the Sector’. Lyn Cole, Deputy Director England for The Big Lottery, was the keynote speaker and the event featured workshops to discover what participants wanted from Northumberland VCS Assembly going forward.

Also during the spring of 2015, we launched a new Assembly website that keeps members informed and up to date with Assembly activities, the outcomes of meetings and events and current news of interest to the sector.

By June 2015, the Assembly was in a position to have a democratically elected Executive Committee to replace the existing Steering Group that had been inherited from the previous commission. Nominations were invited from the Assembly and twelve members were elected to represent the themes of Infrastructure, Employability and Welfare, Children and Young People, Social Enterprise and Cooperative, Trustees, and Health and Social Care, as well as the four geographical areas of Northumberland. As holders of the commission as well as a member of the Assembly, Northumberland CVA took one of the positions on the Committee.

The inaugural meeting of the Northumberland VCS

Assembly Executive Committee was held in late August 2015 and since then has pushed for Assembly representation on the Health and Well-Being Board. This work has now moved a step closer following discussions with the Leader of the Council and Chair of the Board, although engagement with the CCG has proved difficult to achieve despite the Executive Committee’s best efforts.

Regular network meetings have now been established across the county to provide a mechanism for VCS organisations to get together, share what they are doing, collaborate and gain a greater awareness of the context within which they work. Fourteen network meetings have been held across the county: four in the west, four in the north, three in the south east and three in the centre of the county. Two of these meetings focused on particular themes: one on health and social care and the other on devolution.

In October 2015, a second Assembly event, this time at Kirkley Hall, focused on volunteering and was attended by 35 members. Peter Walls, Chief Executive Officer, Gentoo Group and Business in the Community’s, the Prince of Wales Ambassador for the North East, was the keynote speaker and talked about ‘The Value of Volunteering to Businesses and the Communities they serve’. Both events generated valuable information and were well received, with positive feedback being given by delegates.

The relationship between the Assembly and Northumberland County Council has also been developed this year and representatives from the Assembly Executive Committee now meet regularly with County Councillors as the VCS Cabinet Advisory

Assembly Launch event - May 2015 at Linden Hall


Northumberland CVA has continued to support Wansbeck Golden Age forum over the past 12 months, helping them to develop and to look at the future work of the Forum.

With the support of Northumberland CVA’s Development Officer for Funding, the forum has secured a number of funding pots, including a major grant from the People Health trust that will enable the forum to increase its membership and activities within Ashington and Newbiggin areas over the next two years.

Funding from the People’s Health Trust has also allowed a member of the Northumberland CVA team to be employed one day per week from February 2016 to help develop the forum.

Tom Roll said “ It has been a pleasure to work with the staff at Northumberland CVA abd they have been a god send helping us to secure this funding and

develop the services we offer, I am looking forward to seeing what we achieve over the next two years”

Group (previously the VCS Liaison Group). Being able to hold these meetings at the premises of VCS organisations has served to raise awareness amongst councillors of the voluntary and community sector. The VCS has contributed reports to the group on subjects including the future work programme of the group, activities of Northumberland CVA in delivering the first year of the commission as well as on the importance of volunteering.

Since January 2016, the Assembly has also had representation on the multi-agency Refugee and Asylum Seekers working group, led by Northumberland County Council, and has provided the group with information on the potential support available from the Northumberland voluntary and community sector to support asylum seekers and refugees ahead of a decision on whether to accept

Hosted 2 Northumberland VCSAssembly-wide events

at Linden Hall and Kirkley Hall

Increased Assemblymembership by more than

Facilitated 13Area Network meetings4 in the North, 3 in the West, 3 in Central and3 in the South East

Organised 2 themed meetings 1 on Health & Social Care1 on Devolution

68%

Wansbeck Golden Age Forum

Peter Wall of Gentoo speaking at Kirkley Hall event on volunteering


Community Development - ESSENNorthumberland CVA is the lead partner in Engaging and Supporting South East Northumberland (ESSEN), a community-led local development commission. Your Back Yard and North East Social Enterprise Partnership (NESEP) are the other partners.

The publication of ESSEN’s ‘New Horizons Action Plan’ at the end of the previous years’ work offered a basis on which to build the partnership’s work in 2016.

Following discussions with Northumberland County Council, the partnership looked at where we could prioritise the available resources to bring alive some of the project ideas that people had shared with us. It was agreed we should look at:

• Supporting the development of arts and culture

• Supporting community centres/ community assets to work together

• How tourism ideas and projects might be developed

Arts and CultureKaren from NESEP was tasked to provide business support and development to Headway Arts in Blyth.

This involved working with the staff team to develop a business plan that would help them strengthen as a charity but also support them to take forward their concept of an arts hub in the Town.

Community Assets Working TogetherWith support from Your Back Yard, Northumberland CVA held an open workshop in June at the Buffalo Community Centre in Blyth. People talked about the idea of working in partnership and how this might benefit them. Guest Speakers included Ore Catapult who talked about the potential for community energy initiatives, and national charity, Locality, who are experienced in supporting groups to run and develop successful community assets.

This resulted in a further workshop in November at Seaton Sluice Community Centre. Guest speakers include Christine Nicholls from Community Action Northumberland. She is working on the ‘Warm Up North’ initiative with British Gas, looking at tackling fuel poverty in Northumberland. Christine was on a Countywide campaign to sign up groups to act as ‘Warm Hubs’ on behalf of their local communities.

Trustees from Seaton Sluice talked about their journey in acquiring the centre as a ‘community asset’, wholly owned and run as a facility for the benefit of the local community.

Adrian Hinchcliffe, a former trustee of the West Northumberland Village Halls Consortium talked about the benefits community facilities in other parts of the county have gained from working together to save on running costs and support each other. This model was proposed as a possibility for community centres and facilities in South East Northumberland to pursue.

Tourism: ‘Developing the Visitor Offer’The main feeling to spin out of the June meeting at the Buffalo Centre was an interest from a number of participants in developing the possibilities for a tourism ioffer that were discussed and the groundswell of suggestions put forward for projects, particularly since the North Sea Regatta Festival was due to come to Blyth in August 2016.


June 2015 - Workshop on

at Headway Arts, Blyth

July 2015 - Strategy Day on

January 2016 - Public Meeting

at the Buffalo Centre, Blyth

at Heritage Centre, Blyth Quayside

November 2015 - Workshop on

February 2016 - Tall Ships-themed

Partnership Working

'Developing the Visitor Offer'

on planning for Tall Ships Regatta

community centres working together

at Seaton Sluice Community Centre

Volunteer Recruitment Fairat Arch Workspace, Commissioner's Quay, Blyth


A further workshop was arranged to take place in July and Active Northumberland were invited to speak about the Tall Ships. A series of calls went out to groups in Northumberland who might be interested in tourism projects and activities.

Following a very positive session in July, a core group of interested organisations committed to establishing an informal consortium that eventually became known as ‘Sea Hear Participate’. Taking a lead from members of the consortium, we agreed a number of themes into which ideas could be grouped:

• Arts and Culture

• Wellbeing and Support

• Volunteer Training

• Social Enterprise

• Community Village

• Community Transport

Through the spirit of partnership we also agreed that some of the consortium members would act as ‘theme leads’, with Headway Arts, Escape Family Support, BRIC, Blyth Development Trust and Briardale Community Centre taking on these lead roles and arranging their own planning sessions as people focused on activities within their own themes. Your Back Yard played a crucial role in collating ideas and costs into potential grant funding applications.

The partners also maintained contact with other groups in Blyth who were developing their own plans and events for the festival, including Blyth Tall Ship Project and Blyth Battery, and supported community groups in both Seaton Sluice and Newbiggin as they started formulating their own ideas for fringe festivals to ensure there would be events and attractions for visitors along the Northumberland Coast to complement everything going on in Blyth.

We also worked with the Blyth Tall Ship Project, the Coble and Keelboat Society and Active Northumberland to draw up a list of regional groups and individuals who might be interested in getting involved. Then, on a cold night in January 2016 we held a public meeting in the Blyth Tall Ship Heritage

Accolades for ESSEN and Northumberland CVA in planning Tall Ships VCS offer

“You know the real value is that whenever we at St Cuthberts are thinking about community events and wondering how to start etc., you are the people who always offer advice, contacts, or a lead. I’ve never had a "don't know" reply from Northumberland CVA.”Roy Hugman, St Cuthbert’s, Blyth

“Northumberland CVA, and particularly Martin, have created excellent idea sharing and co-working facilitation. The contacts and partnership developed during the Tall Ships planning will have long term benefits. Martin’s style is ‘can-do’, calm and encouraging, which is very useful when supporting groups who can often be in competition with each other.”Alison Thomas, Seaton Sluice Community Association

“The time has flown by and we have really enjoyed working alongside other local organisations and Northumberland CVA. Meetings have always been well organised and focused - quite an achievement given the large number of attendees and topics to cover. Martin and team have always been helpful and welcoming, and have prioritised and been supportive of the ideas we have suggested.”Jennie Bell, ESCAPE Family Support

“On behalf of the Blyth Development Trust, can I praise the work and commitment of Northumberland CVA in supporting our charity in the planning of the Tall Ship Regatta, especially in terms of the use of your networks, funding expertise, and sheer motivation! Without these accesses there would be very few charities represented at this event, which enables them to promote themselves, recruit potential volunteers, and in some cases add an income. As a charity ourselves, it is important that we connect with our peers and other charities and Northumberland CVA has been an important conduit for that, well done!”Karen Walker, The Blyth Development Trust


Grant giving - Our Funds

This fund was set up following the closure of Learning Choices Northumberland Ltd: a charity that supported unemployed individuals to help them improve levels of qualifications, gain further work related experience to


60 applications for support

for offshore exams and driving lessonsLargest grant £1,000

Smallest grant only £30

and only 9 were unsuccessful

for an Asbestos Removal course

31 grants given for workclothes and tools

32 people received help with travel to work costs

or driving lessons

Learning Choices Legacy Fund assist them back into employment or progress further in their existing jobs/careers.

The charity also provided careers advice as well as financial help to purchase vital work specific equipment or clothing and so, when the company closed, the small amount of reserves that remained unspent was passed to Northumberland CVA to administer a small grants fund to continue to support local people to move into work.

As well as providing support for work clothes and travel costs, the fund has been able to help pay for vital training to allow some applicants to take up a job offer. Training funded includes a lifeguarding course, SIA training and an Asbestos Removal course. Grants have also gone to support website development and business start up costs, as well as support for one applicant to go to college. In total, £9,815 has been given in grants.

Vantage Fund

The Vantage Fund was set up in memory of our former chief executive, Sheila McGuckin, with the aim of helping to improve the Wansbeck area and tackle some of it’s problems by supporting local people and community groups who are best placed to help these often hard to reach communities, a cause that Sheila herself originally came up with.

Unfortunately, due to staff shortage, we have not been able to develop the Vantage Fund this year and no grants have been made from this small pot of funds.

Centre on Blyth Quayside, with over 50 people turning up to hear more about the planned Regatta. From this work, many groups have linked directly into Active Northumberland to support the main festival, or are participating in water based activities. The exercise also proved useful for networking and we have continued to provide regular updates and link people together since then.

Our own Volunteer Development Officer worked with Active Northumberland to promote the myriad of volunteering opportunities that would be available as part of the festival on our website and at a Tall Ships themed Volunteer Recruitment Fair that took place in February at the new Arch Workspace in Blyth. Over 120 people came along to the event to see what opportunities were available, and around 60 of these were specifically interested in the roles with Active Northumberland.

Beyond April we will continue to support partnership working with VCS groups and establishing relationships to aid working together in the future, on community events and projects.


During the 2014/15 financial year our finance team has been working on reducing costs to the organisation by negotiating more preferential supplier contracts and gaining better “value for money” by reducing outgoings throughout the facility.

Financial ServicesWe have continued the work with 3 organisations on their payroll structure and preparing for the imminent automatic pensions enrolment as per the new Government regulations. Wansbeck CVS enrolment date is 1 January 2017.

We have provided year end services for 7 medium sized organisations and one large Community Centre during the year, ensuring good financial practice and procedures are being encouraged and giving advice and guidance when required. We have also provided general financial information to numerous community groups including one-to-one sessions, cheque handling facilities totalling £12,125 and generally promoting good practice.

We have recently embarked on a publicity campaign

to promote Financial Services to organisations further afield within Northumberland. If you are interested in finding our more about our Community Payroll Service, please contact us. See page 18 for details.

Room BookingsRoom bookings have continued to do well with a several well established groups using the conference room on a regular basis. During this year we have refurbished a room at the front room of the building to be used as a meeting room and major refurbishment of other parts of the building, including the Conference Room, is planned for the coming year.

During the year we earned £10,443 from room lettings and room hire.

Reception and Administration ServicesThe administrative services we have delivered this year have consisted mainly of mail–outs and photocopying. Our reception service continues to provide signposting

Back Office Services

£75,390

£269,331

2016 Income

Unrestricted

Restricted

£78,977

£254,510

2015 Income

Unrestricted

Restricted

18: Northumberland CVA Annual Review 2015-16

Accounts

9%

62% 1%

23%

1% 2% 2%

2016 Unrestricted expenditure

Premises running costs

Salaries & NI

Staff related costs

Office running costs

Volunteer expenses

Accountancy / auditfees

Depreciation/Loss

7%

63% 1%

4%

5%

2% 12%

0% 4%

0% 2%

2016 Restricted expenditure Premises runningcostsSalaries & NI

Staff related costs

Office running costs

Management charges

Volunteer expenses

Project running costs

Accountancy / auditfeesGrants made - grant-giving trustsAdmin costs - grantfundingHeating systemimprovement

£0

£5,000

£10,000

£15,000

£20,000

£25,000

£30,000

£35,000

£40,000

2016 2015 2014

Deficit

Are you looking for affordable and accessible room hire facilities in Northumberland?Located on Station Road in Ashington, Northumberland CVA offers an ideal venue for businesses and organisations to hold conferences, training courses, meetings and workshops.

With a personal service and a professional environment, our Conference Room combines a high standard of facilities, with adaptable room layouts to meet your requirements.

And because all revenue from room hire goes towards our work with charities and voluntary groups in Northumberland, you’ll not only get a great venue for your event - you’ll be helping the community too.

Room HireConference and Training facilities in South East Northumberland


Address:107 & 109 Station Road Ashington Northumberland NE63 8RS

Tel:01670 858 688

Email:[email protected]

Websites:www.northumberlandcva.org.ukvcsassemblynorthumberland.co.uk

Opening hours:9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday–Thursday Closed to the public on Friday Registered Company No: 5980151Registered in England

Registered Charity Number: 1119404

northumberland cva annual review€¦ · 4: northumberland cva annual review 2015-16 the chair’s...

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