This will be a discussion about the mental health of the 18-30 year old population, and the specific challenges and risks they face. This will also be an opportunity to discuss the compounded challenges faced by young people in already marginalised communities. The session will be an opportunity to learn more about the psychological wellbeing of this demographic, and how we as groups and individuals can affect positive change. The event is suitable for young people looking to learn more about mental health, parents and carers of young adults, or line managers/those with responsibility for young people within their organisations. The panel will consist of: Chair: Anastasia Vinnikova, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at the City Mental Health Alliance Panellist: Mike O’Hara, Director of Training at Start Within Panellist: Jessica Beynon, Former Head of Future Talent at the Bank of England Panellist: Stefan Lewis, Director and Founder of AleX Higgins Academy
KIDS Inspire, the specialist trauma recovery and mental health charity, is now welcoming referrals into their new trauma service. With a community of around 2000 Ukrainian guests in Essex, this specialist service will support families impacted by the war in Ukraine to recover from their experiences and rebuild their lives.
Those seeking safety in the UK are often deeply traumatised. Many of them have lived through dreadful experiences. All have lost their homes, their careers, and their communities and many will have made long and difficult journeys before they finally arrived here.
Over the next year the service will build on the support already given to local host families and professionals by the charity, which had highlighted a significant gap in mental health support for the Ukrainian guests, and indeed all survivors of war and conflict.
Referral is easy, and open to Ukrainian families, professionals working with them, and the 1,460 sponsors currently hosting a Ukrainian family in their Essex homes. Following assessment of need the service includes both individual and group therapy sessions, and where language may be a barrier, Kids Inspire’s creative therapists can work non-verbally and with translators.
Sue Bell OBE, Kids Inspire’s Clinical Director and CEO, commented: “Our focus is on helping the Ukrainian guests in Essex to heal from the impact of the trauma they have experienced. Our specialist team can provide tools to help individuals stabilise and move from responding with survival strategies of fight, flight, freeze, fawn, which will be having a negative impact on their lives. Those families engaging in support will feel better able to support their children’s emotional needs and the children will increase their capacity to manage adversity.”
This project is funded by Essex County Council specifically for Ukrainian guests in Essex on the ‘Homes for Ukraine Scheme’.
Services are available for referral now. Families, professionals and sponsors can call 01245 348707 or email clinicaladmin@kidsinspire.org.uk More information can be found on the Kids Inspire website, including a contact us form.
Every three months, we’ll share £15,000 between 5 shortlisted projects that have a positive impact on communities, people or the environment.
Since 2011, the Matthew Good Foundation has empowered employees of the John Good Group to support many good causes in the UK and around the world by nominating good causes for funding. However, in 2021, our tenth year, we wanted to extend our impact and allow small charities, community projects and social entrepreneurs to come straight to us.
To stay true to our ethos of donating funds to causes close to the hearts of our members, every three months, five shortlisted projects will be voted for by John Good Group employees. These five charities will all receive a share of £15,000 – the more votes a cause receives, the bigger the donation. Following the vote, the project that receives the most votes will receive a grant of £5,000, second place £3,500, third place £2,500 and fourth and fifth place will both receive £2,000.
Charities and projects are welcome to apply all year round, and your application will be considered in the next funding round. Funding will be awarded every three months, in April, July, October and January, with an application deadline of the 15th of the month before. Eg. for the April round, applications will close on the 15th March, for the October round, applications will close on 15th September.
Who can apply?
Your application must be on behalf of a local community group, charity, voluntary group or social enterprise that has a positive impact on communities, people or the environment and has an average income of less than £50,000 in the last 12 months.
We want to make it easy for very small charities or new community interest companies to apply, so organisations/groups do not need to be a registered charity, however, you will need to have a bank account in your organisation’s/project’s name such as a community bank account. We are not able to provide funding to personal bank accounts.
How to apply
We don’t want small charities to be intimidated by lengthy forms to complete – so we’ve kept the online application form straightforward. We’ll need your contact details, a brief outline of the organisation’s work, and how you’ll use the funds. We’ll also need a reference from someone not involved in the project, but with enough knowledge of what you do to support your application.
If you have any problems applying using the online form, please email info@matthewgoodfoundation.org.
The Strengthening Communities grant programme aims to support small, grass roots organisations who are embedded in the community, working within the most deprived areas of the UK. Through this grant programme we want to make sure that our funding reaches organisations that provide services which are widely accessible to the whole community and respond to, and address the needs of the people living in it.
We fund established organisations with a track record of delivering services directly to beneficiaries and want to fund work that enables:
People from across the community to participate in activities which improve connectedness, opportunities and wellbeing
People who are excluded, vulnerable or facing other forms of hardship to have access to community-based services that support positive lasting change
£20k – £70k per year (see FAQs for how much to apply for)
Length:
1-3 years (most grants are for 3 years)
Decision timescale:
Within 6 months
Deadlines:
none
Qualifying criteria
Please only apply for this grant if you meet the following criteria:
Organisation size:
£20k – £500k
Location of work:
UK only, both physically based and working within or immediately next to an area within the 10% most deprived areas in England and Scotland and within or immediately next to an area within the 15% most deprived areas in Northern Ireland and Wales
Funding covers:
Running costs
Organisation type:
Community-led charities and not for profit organisations
Essex County Council have published a Prior information notice regarding the long-anticipated forthcoming tender process for Voluntary Sector Infrastructure services. The notice can be seen here.
Essex County Council are holding an online Market Engagement event on the 18th of July, 2023 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. They advise that the Council will finalise the scope of this forthcoming procurement opportunity following the conclusion of the market engagement stage.
Maldon & District CVS are holding a Funding Fair on Tuesday 4th July 1-3.30pm at Maldon Town Hall. This is for voluntary and community groups working in the Maldon District. To book a place visit https://lnkd.in/eCURbPuJ
A project supporting those on low incomes with the transition to net zero is moving forward. Net zero is the target to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity to zero.
The Smart Heat and Intelligent Energy in Low-Income Districts (SHIELD) project is looking at new approaches for installing energy efficient technologies. These technologies include solar panels, wind generation storage and electric vehicles.
This stage of the multi-phase project has secured £82,163 in funding from Ofgem. This is via its Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). The fund supports finding new ways to help disadvantaged, fuel poor or off the gas grid residents reduce their carbon emissions.
SHIELD partners are developing a bid for further funding to run technology trials. Find out more about the SHIELD project.
We’re inviting organisations in Essex to bid for funding to help create resilient and vibrant communities.
The Essex Community Initiatives Fund (CIF) 2023 to 2024 is now open for applications. Essex Association of Local Councils will administer the fund on our behalf.
There are two levels of grant. The main CIF with an allocation of £300,000 and grants up to £10,000 towards projects that benefit the wider community. The Micro Grant Community Chest Fund with an allocation of £50,000 and grants of up to £1,000 to help communities connect.
Town and parish councils, community groups, social enterprises and individuals in the Essex County Council area are invited to apply.
Projects should have community backing and show that they meet a real community need.
Projects could be to:
create, buy or develop new community assets
enhance existing community assets
enhance or develop initiatives that strengthen a community, including cultural initiatives
Community Initiative Fund projects
Examples of projects the CIF has funded since 2019 include:
children’s play areas
upgrades to sports facilities
improvements to community buildings such as new heating systems or accessible toilets
a new minibus
staff costs for projects or maintenance
restoring a nature reserve
IT systems or support
cultural events and activities
The deadline for applications to the main CIF is 18 August 2023.
Your FREE digital referral and signposting platform
Mid and South Essex ICB has funded the rollout of this digital referral and signposting platform after Essex Frontline’s proven success across West Essex over many years.
We are already meeting and speaking with a number of wonderful services across Mid and South Essex, most of which have begun, or have already completed, their setup on Frontline.
The Frontline admin team can help set up your service and make the process super simple. So why not come along to a drop-in and see for yourself how Frontline can benefit your service and users?
If you’d like to add your service to Essex Frontline or want to know more, contact our friendly Frontline team at info@frontlinereferrals.org.uk or call 01799 618855.
A special event to recognise and celebrate the work of Colchester’s community volunteers took place yesterday at Colchester Castle.
The occasion, co-hosted by Colchester City Council (CCC) and Community360 (C360), brought together some of the dedicated organisations and selfless volunteers who offer their assistance to the most vulnerable members of the community.
As well as stalls and activities showcasing the work of more than 150 local volunteer groups, attendees heard guest speakers from CCC and C360 share their experiences and insights and enjoyed two performances by Harmonize Choir.
The new mayor of Colchester, Cllr John Jowers, whose theme for the year is Volunteers – the heart of our communities, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the many volunteers and unsung heroes who tirelessly support communities across Colchester. Rachel Walton from AFiUK Colchester paid a moving tribute to the Laurence Walker, who died in March having devoted his life to promoting racial equality and diversity.
Cllr Natalie Sommers, Portfolio Holder for Communities, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the countless volunteers who tirelessly support our local communities day in and day out.
“Their unwavering commitment and selflessness are a testament to the power of community spirit and the importance of coming together to support those most in need.
“We are deeply appreciative of their willingness to step forward and lend a helping hand when and where it is needed the most, which was particularly evident during the challenging times of the pandemic. We are fortunate to have them as part of our community and this event was one small way to thank them.
“I hope that, by recognising and celebrating those whose volunteering makes a difference, others will feel inspired to follow. Their efforts serve as a constant reminder of the importance of giving back to the community.”
Tracy Rudling, CEO of C360 and Chair of One Colchester, said: “This type of event has been organised by C360 and its valued partners for almost 30 years now, and it never fails to inspire, humble, and make me so proud of what we achieve in Colchester, together. Volunteers are at the core of what we do, they are dedicated, hardworking and go above and beyond to help us reach out and touch the lives of our people every day in every way. I am always amazed how they continue to show commitment, expertise and immense kindness in so many different ways and I know how grateful colleagues and the organisations we support are for their ongoing support. Our volunteers are the bedrock, eyes and ears of all that we do and the impact of their contribution is unmeasurable.
This event gave us an opportunity to put the spotlight on the valuable work of our unsung heroes, to say thank you and to let them know just how much they are appreciated.”
Volunteers Week is an annual celebration to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to communities. It is supported and celebrated by small grassroots organisations as well as larger, household-name charities.