Funding is available to support innovative and creative arts and culture projects in communities across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man which open up conversations about dying, death and bereavement in new and creative ways. Hospice UK’s Dying Matters Community Grants Programme 2022 will award funding to registered charities, CIOs and CICs for projects that reach new and diverse audiences, with a particular focus on inequalities and inclusion. Two types of funding are available: small workshop grants of up to £999 for activities such as one-off workshops of poetry, singing or art; and project grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 for larger scale community projects such as a theatre production, photography exhibition or community mural.
The deadline for applications is 5pm on the 21st February 2022.
Imkaan, the UK-based, umbrella women’s organisation dedicated to addressing violence against Black and Minoritised women and girls has announced a new fund for specialist Black and minoritised women and girls’ organisations who deliver frontline support addressing violence against women and girls. Framework 4 of Margin to Centre – A Fund for the Black and Minoritised Women and Girls’ sector will open to applications on the 10th January 2022 to re-dress inequality and support the frontline operational and long-term sustainability work of organisations working to end violence against women and girls in England and Scotland.
The fund is made available through contributions from the Tampon Tax Fund and the closing date for applications is the 31st March 2022.
While Christmas can be a very happy and enjoyable time of year, for some it can be a difficult period; mental health doesn’t get easier just because it’s the festive season.
Here we have put together a list of five ways that you can make the festive season less difficult for yourself and others facing mental health challenges.
Help the NHS to create their new website by completing this short survey.
“We’re looking to develop a new website to provide support and guidance for new and expecting parents, professionals supporting new parent and their carers with their Mental Health. The website will span across Greater Essex. Our aim is to find out what users would find most useful from this website.
We’ll use this information to design a better website for you. The survey shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes to complete.”
Looking for a new, flexible and rewarding career in 2022? National food and farming education charity, The Country Trust may have the role for you.
If you’re someone who is passionate about providing immersive, hands-on experiences for children to connect with the world of food and farming, they’d love to hear from you.
The Trust has ambitious plans for 2022 and beyond. In collaboration with farmers, teachers, and educators, they’re aiming to support more children than ever before through connecting them to the land that sustains us all.
The Trust is recruiting a range of roles including a Food and Farm Discovery Coordinator working across Essex.
Closing date: 6 January, 8am.
Find out more about all these roles and apply online:
The Art Ministry needs an experienced service delivery manager to help us meet the day to day demands on our charity and to take advantage of the opportunities and deal with the challenges that are ahead of us in the charitable sector.
We are a small Essex based charity helping the community engage in creative art and craft activities to maintain and improve their mental health and well-being. At the core of our service provision are weekly sessions for children and adults with additional needs, adults with physical, visual and/or mental issues.
We are looking for someone who can:
Co-ordinate the delivery of the Charity’s services, by making best use of the resources available, such as employees, volunteers, funding and premises
Ensure that the Charity’s services are focussed on meeting its desired outcomes
Represent the Charity in various public contexts and help develop and maintain relationships with key external partners and agencies
Support the continued expansion and development of the Charity’s services through effective partnership working and use of funds
Support the Charity’s strategic and annual operational plans to ensure that the services offered align with those plans
We are looking for someone who is:
Committed and highly self-motivated
Able to enthuse, inspire and motivate others in order to ensure that the objectives of the Charity are achieved
Able to work in a self-directed manner, and as part of a team, including the ability to develop and build good working relationships with stakeholders and partners
Able to network and communicate with a wide range of people and organisations
Highly professional in their approach to all tasks
Able to work under pressure, manage competing priorities, and ensure deadlines are met
Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office packages and other commonly used business/charity applications and who has excellent organisational, administrative time-management, written and verbal communication skills
Able to drive and who has access to a car for business use
How to apply:
Please visit our website and download and complete the relevant forms
People living in Essex, who have no means of transport, can now get help to attend pre-booked appointments.
People who are struggling to attend their booster jab appointment because of transport issues can now get help from Essex County Council.
The Essex Wellbeing Service is now able to organise transport for Essex residents who are finding it difficult to organise a way to attend their vaccine appointment. Transport will be provided by taxi service.
This service is free of charge and can also be used if you need transport to get to your first or second dose appointments.
Essex residents who would like help getting to their appointments can email [email protected] or call 0300 303 9988. The phone line is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 7pm and from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays. Callers’ needs will be verified, and they will be asked to provide their booking reference or a screenshot of their appointment confirmation.
Cllr John Spence, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care said: “We don’t want anyone to be left behind in receiving their Covid-19 booster jab.
“If getting to an appointment is an issue because someone doesn’t have access to transport for whatever reason, please don’t hesitate to call or email the Essex Wellbeing Service.
“Book your appointment and contact them, it’s so important that everyone is protected.”
Alternatively, in some areas of Essex there are Community Transport routes which residents without transport can contact directly. These are also for pre-booked appointments.
Community360 for the Colchester or Maldon area: 01206 216600.
Epping Forest Community Transport: 01992 579556.
Braintree Community Transport: 01376 557883.
Tendring Community Transport: 01255 436962 or 07948 055888.
Successful fundraisers tend to rely on one core element: emotion. If you make people cackle, if you make them chuckle, if you even make them cry, the chances are they will reach for their wallets to help you. If fundraisers can just make people feel things, the more money they are likely to raise.
In today’s podcast, we are talking about fundraising ideas. We will discuss, among many other things, what makes a good virtual fundraiser and what makes a good physical fundraiser. We will talk about the importance of hybrid and also throw out some of our favourite fundraising ideas.
Charity Digital Content Editor, Ioan Marc Jones, is joined by three esteemed colleague, Laura Stanley (Content Lead), Lisa Chomette (Business Development Manager), and Stewart Barber (Client Account Specialist) to discuss their thoughts on fundraising ideas.
The pandemic has had a huge knock-on effect on charity events. From fundraising to awareness raising, events are vital for not-for-profit organisations. Many charities rely on event fundraising to grow their income, so not being able to hold physical
gatherings has been a real blow for the sector.
For the past 18 months, charities have turned their hands to virtual events to increase fundraising income. They’ve shown great skill and ability to run these well.
Now that life in the UK has returned to an “improved normal”, how will event teams run events next year and beyond? Will they stick with virtual, move back to physical, or combine the best of both worlds?
The hybrid model
There are lot of benefits to hosting events online, including being able to reach broader audiences and cost savings. For example, when you run events virtually, you save on things like venue fees, photography, and merchandise.
On the flip side, we know there are lots of benefits to holding physical events. One of the biggest advantages is they give delegates the chance to network with others and feel a part of something. This social element is harder to achieve virtually.
So, is it possible to merge the two? Hybrid events – combining virtual and live elements – can bring together the benefits of both types of events.
YourStory says hybrid events combine a small group of people at one location with lots of others joining in remotely. It says: “Hybrid events are made for the COVID-19 era. They bring together the charm of physical presence as well as the convenience of remote participation.”
Hybrid events also give people choice about whether to attend virtually or in person. This is particularly helpful for people who may have health concerns and don’t yet feel comfortable returning to physical events.
Making physical events safe
It’s important charities think about how they can host physical events safely. Delegates will want to know there are protocols in place to keep everyone safe. This includes everything from providing hand sanitiser at registration desks to reducing occupancy numbers in venues.
Open Audience says there are lots of health and safety protocols and different groups of people to consider. It says: “There is the audience, the speakers and the technology crew. For example, in physical meetings the AV team normally stand by to attach the mic to the speaker. Does the tech person leave the mic on the table, and explain how to attach and use the mic?”
Using advanced technology
Event venues will need to be more tech savvy. EventsCase says that having a larger online audience means you need the latest technology in networking, cyber-security, online conferencing, audio components, and cloud-based technology.
You need to think carefully about how you engage your physical and online audiences. It’s important that virtual audiences can interact in the same way as those attending in-person.
Hybrid events will also need online audiences to be able to interact with live audiences. You could use mobile apps to connect the two groups and help people network, or live polling and Q&As with audiences able to submit questions.
Managing content for a virtual audience
An article in Forbes, which featured interviews with events professionals, says when running hybrid events, you need to think about the content you share with your virtual audience.
Events specialist Dahlia El Gazzar says: “Hybrid doesn’t mean you only broadcast the face-to-face content, because often that content doesn’t translate well to the online audience. You need to consider their online experience and have exclusive content for the online audience.”
Plan your events
It’s important to plan a hybrid event carefully. As part of your planning, you need a strategy and goals. The goal for all hybrid events is to engage as many attendees as possible, no matter how they are taking part.
You should also think about your event programme as it will need more consideration as you balance the needs of two audiences. Marketing is also important so think about creating a website for your event or adding dedicated event pages to your existing website. You also need to send out emails to potential delegates.