You can now check out more than books at our Libraries as we pilot the Essex Library of Things.
We now have a catalogue of items ranging from a drum set to a pressure washer available to reserve and borrow free of charge.
All you need is to be over 18 and have a Library card. You can then reserve the item and collect from one of five libraries or the mobile library service.
All items in the ‘Library of Things’ are free of charge during the pilot and include:
• DIY and gardening tools (such as a drill, pressure washer, leaf blower)
• Household appliances (such as a bread making machine, sewing machine and stand mixer)
• Musical instruments (including a drum kit, guitar and keyboards)
• Camping and sports equipment (such as a tent, gazebo and outdoor games)
Bookings will be reviewed and where appropriate, stock will be increased if there is high demand.
Items can be reserved online on the Love Essex website and collected from Chelmsford, Witham, Great Parndon, Laindon and Clacton libraries. There is also an option to use the mobile library service for collection.
Not only will the Library of Things help residents who might not have the means to rent or buy themselves, it also reduces waste.
This pilot is a collaboration between the BLUEPRINT to a Circular Economy Project and the Essex Library Services.
The Essex Lottery is an online lottery created by Essex County Council to support local causes across the county. More than 300 good causes are now receiving funding from the Essex Lottery and more are invited to join.
Since the Essex Lottery launched in 2017 over £321,888 has been donated to good causes in the county. This is thanks to the thousands of players who buy a weekly £1 ticket – with 60p of every ticket they purchase going to good causes.
Over the last eighteen months, many good causes and organisations have struggled to raise funds to keep them afloat as many of the traditional fundraising routes were unable to go-ahead.
Essex County Council wants to make organisations, charities and good causes aware of this opportunity and potential new income stream they may be able to benefit from.
Cllr Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader of Essex County Council and Cabinet Member for Community, Equality, Partnerships and Performance, said: “For many charities, the last 18 months have proved difficult when it comes to funding-raising.
“However, more residents than ever are making the choice to buy a weekly Essex Lottery ticket and support charities and good causes within Essex. By allowing them to tap into the tremendous goodwill of the people of Essex, such organisations can really benefit and boost their funds.
“As a good cause it’s easy to sign up with no fees or contracts involved, it really is a win-win situation for all involved.”
A common misconception is that you need to be a charity to benefit from the lottery. If your organisation has a formal constitution and provides community activities or services within Essex, which are of benefit to local residents, then you can join.
Your group could be a charity or a not-for-profit organisation based around local arts, sports clubs, scouts and brownie groups, education and school PTA’s, animal welfare, children and elderly groups. All are welcome.
It’s free for all causes to join and it is quick and easy to register.
Each ticket costs players £1 a week and you receive 50p from every ticket your supporters buy via your dedicated page on the Essex Lottery website and a further 10p from the ticket sale is donated to other good causes in Essex. The draw takes place every Saturday at 8 pm.
To play the Essex Lottery, or apply for Essex Lottery funding visit: essex.lottery.co.uk or call the Essex Lottery support team on 0300 302 32 32.
The past year has created unimaginable change to our everyday lives which has hugely impacted every single one of us. Remote working, furlough and mass redundancies are just a few of the challenges that people have been facing at work throughout the pandemic.
But how can businesses support their staff in navigating these changes? BSI has created a brand new framework with practical guidance on how to support psychological health in the workplace which is here to help you.
It includes:
How to identify the psychosocial hazards that can affect workers, such as home working
What to do to minimize the risks associated with them
How to raise awareness and develop competence in the management of psychosocial risks
Information on what is important for the recovery and return to work of affected workers
Join BSI’s Global Head of Health, Safety and Well-being, Kate Field as she chairs this session on well-being and the workplace, featuring Mental Health at Work at Mind’s National Lead, Andrew Berrie and Jonathan Gawthrop, Executive Director of Wellbeing, Sustainability & Assurance for EMCOR UK – as we discuss what practical steps businesses can take to protect the psychological health of their workforce.
Do you live with a life limiting illness or have you cared for someone at the end of life and would like to work with local health and social care services to improve the services available for people towards the end of life?
We’re eager to hear from interested people who have experience of such services and invite you to be part of our Patient Participation Group to support this work. This could involve joining a focus group or an online network of people keen to support end of life care.
Young people aged between 12-16 who has a mental health condition
Anyone over the aged 16 who has a mental health condition.
Women with children under 3
People who care or support someone with a mental health condition
About this Research
This is an exciting opportunity for you to take part in research which aims to better understand the experiences of people with mental health conditions and what good support could looks like for you. What you tell us will be used to help inform our all-age approach to mental health support and mental health strategy.
How can you get involved?
Every voice is important to us – please complete our survey and share your views. This also includes a chance to join our ground-breaking online research about mental health support. We are unable to talk to everyone who wants to take part, but if you do become part of our online research project then a voucher will be offered as a thank you for your time. We are particularly interested in talking to people with mental health conditions and their support or families.
Please complete our survey – It closes on Friday 1st October 2021 …Don’t delay!
As we recover from the COVID 19 Pandemic we want to continue to support the health and wellbeing of all residents and communities throughout Uttlesford.
To support local groups and organisations to meet the health needs of Uttlesford residents the Health & Wellbeing Board are providing grants up to the value of £2000 to provide local health improvement services and programmes. These projects should be both accessible and engaging and be centred on the Uttlesford Health and Wellbeing priorities.
We have made the decision to close Virgin Money Giving (VMG) later this year. A subsidiary of Virgin Money, VMG was created 12 years ago when Virgin Money began its sponsorship of the London Marathon. This year the sponsorship comes to an end. As a result VMG will stop operating on 30 November 2021 following the race in October.
VMG was launched with the ambition to provide charities and fundraisers with a not-for-profit alternative to other fund-raising websites. We’re incredibly proud to have delivered on this ambition, helping over 20,000 charities and more than a million fundraisers raise in excess of £900 million.
A report into data maturity in the charity sector has found that only one in 20 organisations has leadership that is prioritising the use of data to support their organisation and mission.
It has also emerged that a fifth of charities are still at the “emerging stage” in their use of data, although a third are in more advanced stages of data development.
The findings have been published by consultancy Data Orchard and are based on 572 respondents from more than 200 charities.
Data Orchard found that “only one in twenty organisations has leadership that prioritises data as a vital resource and understands how to use it to improve what the organisation does”.
Just under two thirds (63%) of charities have warned that their “leadership is not convinced about the value of data”.
Only a small minority (3%) of charity leaders are using past, present and forward-looking data to use decision making.
Meanwhile 8% of charity workers said their leadership “don’t use data for decision making at all” and only 28% say they have people with data analytics expertise within their leadership.
In addition, only around a quarter (24%) say their leaders are investing enough in data resources, for example people, skills, training and tools.
On the 22nd September at 16.00 arranged by Citizens Advice Essex in partnership with FRP.
Charities, small and large, will face unprecedented challenges in the coming years. If you’re a charity trustee, what are the warning signs that there could be trouble ahead for your charity?
This timely webinar, provided by experts in charity restructuring and insolvency, examines the lessons to be learnt from charities that have experienced distress and some of the root causes that could have averted crisis if addressed earlier.
East of England Learning Together Programme Registration Form
Thank you for your interest in joining the FREE East of England Learning Together programme for Autumn – Winter 2021/22.
The closing date for applications is Friday, September 24th, 2021.
This regional programme is open to voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations across the East of England region interested or involved in social prescribing. Places are limited to two people per organisation.
By completing this form you agree to be contacted via email by the following Thriving Communities partners in relation to social prescribing and Learning Together programme:
The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP),
East of England Regional Thriving Communities programme team at Communities 1st, and any approved training partners
Thriving Communities programme partners: Sport England, Natural England, Arts Council England, the Money and Pensions Service, Historic England, NHS England & Improvement, NHS Charities Together.