News

This is where we’ll post third sector news and important updates that are useful for your organisation.

Supporting local communities this winter

Are you a UK registered charity or local community group? We’re here to help!

The Arnold Clark Community Fund is open to all UK registered charities and local community groups who fall into these categories. The fund is also open to community interest companies, charitable incorporated organisations and social enterprises.

Successful applicants will receive up to £1,000.

Why we’ve re-launched the Arnold Clark Community Fund

In March 2020, Arnold Clark launched their first ever Community Fund in order to provide financial help to community groups and charities that had been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. We are pleased to announce that, so far, we have been able to help 9,500 organisations from a wide range of backgrounds.

Following on from this success, and as we move into winter, we understand a number of organisations are still in need of financial aid. However, on this occasion, we have decided to focus on the following categories: poverty relief, food banks, toy banks, housing and accommodation.

We aim to open the Arnold Clark Community Fund back up to a wider range of categories at the beginning of 2022.

Apply here. 

Author: Alliance Admin
Posted:
Categories: News

Friends of the Elderly provides grants to older people living on low incomes

Who are our grants for?

Friends of the Elderly provides small grants (normally up to £400) to older people who meet all of the following criteria::

  • Resident in England and Wales
  • Of/over state pension age
  • Who are living on low incomes and with little savings
  • Who do not fit the criteria for other funders

How can you apply?

A Referral Agent/Professional must make a grant application on an older person’s behalf, we do not accept applications from individual members of the public.

Referral Agents can register and apply online here: GRANTS APPLICATION LOGIN BUTTON

PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ OUR GUIDANCE NOTES BELOW BOTH BEFORE AND DURING COMPLETING YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION

More information, including who can be a Referral Agent can be found here:

 

Friends of the Elderly offer small grants of up to £400 to people of state pension age on low incomes and with little savings. Information about how professionals can apply for a grant for their clients can be found here:

Author: Alliance Admin
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Categories: News

Communications and Engagement Manager – Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex

Location of Role: Kelvedon/Remote

Advert Closing Date: 09/12/2021

Salary Range: £43,860.00 to £47,058.00 (pro-rata for part-time vacancies) 

Part/Full Time: Full Time

Contract Type: Secondment/Fixed-term

Working Pattern: Mon-Fri with occasional evening/weekends

Weekend/Evening Working: Yes

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Communications and Engagement Manager to join our team at the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex. We want an experienced communications and engagement professional who is looking to broaden their experience working within a dynamic, fast paced environment.

The successful candidate will be required to deliver effective communications activities and campaigns, within a complex multi stakeholder environment, to a range of audiences.

They should be able to demonstrate significant experience working in a communications, marketing or sponsorship environment and with senior leaders, developing and delivering integrated communication and engagement plans.

This opportunity would suit a highly-motivated and dynamic individual who can bring a wealth of experience and skills to our team and is passionate about making a positive contribution to our communities. With significant experience and expertise working in communications, marketing or a similar field, educated to degree level or equivalent.

The role is for nine months and open on a fixed term or secondment basis. It is currently home based with office working only required when necessary.

Successful applicants for this role will be defined as an;

Home based Agile Worker

Works predominately (80% or more) at home only working in the office when required to do so.

Or

Blended Agile Worker

Blended agile working with no designated team area. Works a blend of home and police site working.

The role will offer flexibility in terms of place of work, including some home working. The extent of flexibility will be agreed through individual assessment with the line manager to assess operational requirements and individual’s suitability for home working. In the event that home working is agreed for the successful candidate, there will be a requirement to regularly attend the contractual workplace.

For more details got to the Essex Police Recruitment Website.

Author: Alliance Admin
Posted:
Categories: News

Identifying & Addressing Fuel Poverty: Practical, frontline worker training

An interactive session for anyone who works with low income families or individuals, to help identify, understand and address fuel poverty.

About this event

With increased domestic fuel costs, and unprecedented volatility in the energy market, people on low incomes, including pensioners, people with disabilities and families, face profound challenges keeping their homes warm, dry and conducive to health.

As a frontline worker or a volunteer you may spot the signs but feel powerless to address your service users underlying situation.

But there are things you can do. This is not only, if at all, about encouraging people to switch supplier. That can bring benefits but too often, fuel-poor consumers don’t have ready access to the full benefits of the competitive energy market.

Nudging the people you help towards changes in the way they use energy and conserve it AND making sure they can access the high-quality, intensive energy advice the Citizens Advice service in Essex offers is the way to go. Our services seek to tackle some of the underlying causes of fuel poverty – not just “hard to heat” homes, but also low incomes, issues with benefits and debt.

In this FREE course, delivered by Citizens Advice energy experts, you’ll learn:

  • What is fuel poverty
  • What are the causes and effects
  • Who is most vulnerable
  • Practical steps your service user can take
  • Grants and schemes available to improve energy efficiency
  • The vital role income maximisation plays and how we help
  • Other ways Citizens Advice can help and how to refer

Register for an event date. 

Author: Alliance Admin
Posted:
Categories: News

Essential financial support for social enterprises recovering from COVID-19

The fund is open for applications now. It provides grants to help social enterprises rebuild from COVID-19. It is established in partnership by The National Lottery Community Fund and five social enterprise support agencies.

  • Social enterprises in England

    Your social enterprise must have been incorporated for at least a year. Most of your beneficiaries should be in England.

  • Reliant on trading for impact

    Your annual income was between £20,000 and £1.8 million pre-COVID-19 or in your last financial year. Your social enterprise on should be substantially reliant income from trading (e.g. sales and contracts) to deliver social impact. If your trading has been affected by COVID-19, you should have a clear plan for growing or returning to substantial trading income.

  • Our priorities

    We want to reach the most marginalised communities and to promote inclusion. We want to support social enterprises that are helping communities affected by COVID-19 to recover, and to help social enterprises themselves to recover and rebuild their trading.

    Apply here. 

Author: Alliance Admin
Posted:
Categories: News

Suicide Prevention Fund 2021 to 2022

Applications open on 2 December for grants from the new £4 million fund to support suicide prevention voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across 2021 to 2022.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has made available £4 million for a grant fund to support suicide prevention VCSE organisations across 2021 to 2022. A portion of the grant fund will be ring-fenced specifically to help support small community-led and user-led groups and organisations.

Application process

The application portal for the grant fund will open on 2 December and will close on 6 January 2022. The grant fund is being administered by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on behalf of DHSC.

Further guidance and support on the application process will be available through a webinar shortly.

You can register your interest to get updates on the grant fund and webinar.

This page will be updated on 2 December with a link to the application portal, and key documents including the application guidance. This guidance will provide full details of the fund, eligibility criteria and application process.

 

Apply here. 

Author: Alliance Admin
Posted:
Categories: News

Do you know someone who would benefit from joining The Essex Alliance community?

We know that you’re already part of the conversation, but do you know someone who would benefit from joining The Essex Alliance community?

 

The Alliance exists to amplify and coordinate the voice of the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector and strengthen our relationship with other areas in Essex.

If you know someone who might be interested in being part of this ambition, please forward them this news article so they can sign up today to receive a free weekly newsletter and they can get involved and join the conversation.

 

Sign up here

 

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Thank you from The Essex Alliance Steering Group co-chairs,

Alison Wilson and Simon Prestney

Author: Alliance Admin
Posted:
Categories: News

Landfill Communities Fund – Get up to £100k

When applying for funding from Enovert Community Trust, it is important to demonstrate how your proposal will benefit your community.

Your application will be more effective if you can outline who will be using your facility, how many members of the community will frequent it, and if you can demonstrate a real need for it in the local area. Letters of support are helpful, as is succinct information about your project, which will enable the Trustees to gauge its impact. To be eligible for funding from the Trust, your organisation must comply with the following guidelines:

  • Non-profit distributing You don’t need to be a charity, but any surplus you make must be used to further your organisation’s objects. Surplus must not be used to pay dividends or other rewards.
  • Available to the general public: Your facility must be available to the general public as much as possible, and no less than four evenings or two days a week, or for more than 104 days in any one year.
  • Located within 10 miles of a landfill site or waste management facility operated by Enovert Management Limited in Kingswinford, Gloucestershire, Southend-On-Sea, South Gloucestershire, Walsall, Colchester or Weston-super-Mare.

Enovert’s Greatness Landfill Site in Sevenoaks is now closed and as a result the Trust has closed to new applications from the Sevenoaks area. Its last funding round for Sevenoaks was 10 September 2021 for a meeting on 19 October 2021.

Apply for funding here. 

Author: Alliance Admin
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Categories: News

West Essex Depression & Anxiety Focus Group

If you’re aged 60+ and from Epping, Harlow or Uttlesford, have your say about West Essex based NHS services.

Thursday 16 December 2021 at 11am – 12:30pm

To find out more and book your place email: [email protected]

 

Author: Alliance Admin
Posted:
Categories: News