Do you help someone in their day-to-day life? Perhaps with their shopping, getting out and about, keeping on top of their bills or medication? Or perhaps you keep them company if they can’t get out much, or help them with personal care or housework?
It could be a member of your family that you help, or a friend or neighbour. You may help them occasionally, or it may be that most of your time is spent looking after them because they are unable to take care of themselves. You may receive some kind of payment for helping them, or like many in our community, you do what you do simply because you care.
We have launched an exciting new project called Carers Voices and would really like to hear from you about your experiences. We want to know what you feel works well, or not so well, for you and the person you are helping. We are working in partnership with Essex County Council and other agencies to make sure that your voice is heard and used to ensure that services and support are developed to meet the needs of the many people in Essex, like you, who care about others.
There will be a range of ways to share your thoughts, from joining group discussions to responding to surveys and polls. However you choose to contribute, we value your input as an Expert by Experience in helping to make the changes and have the impact that is needed.
We would be delighted to have a chat at a time that works for you. Please get in touch by telephoning 0300 500 1895 or email us at carersvoices@healthwatchessex.org.uk
Community360 is seeking expressions of interest for up to £1500 from local community groups and organisations who can deliver projects in the rural areas and parishes. If you would like to organise meaningful activities for people with dementia and their carers, please complete this form. Projects can run over several months or may take place at intervals. For example, funding can be used to organise a one-off event such as a summer party, or a series of engaging, seasonal activities.
We want to hear your ideas! Please complete the form below to register your interest by 31st of January 2024.
Part-time Support Youth Worker. £12.00 an hour, 12 hours a week. Afternoon and evening work.
To promote the personal, educational, creative, and social developments of young people, helping them reach their full potential. Helping to create a safe and supportive environment where young people learn and grow. More information https://www.canveyislandyouthproject.org.uk/youth-worker-intern/
Youth Worker Intern, Full Time, £20,930.00. Your role will be to promote the personal, educational, creative, and social developments of young people, helping them reach their full potential. Helping to create a safe and supportive environment where young people learn and grow. This role, you will be part of the Jack Petchey Internship Programme with 30 other interns from different youth organisations in London and Essex. More Information https://www.canveyislandyouthproject.org.uk/youth-worker-intern/
A part-time Fundraiser. The successful candidate will earn £30,628.00 per annum pro rata (actual salary £16,120.00, 20 hours a week) Ensure CYP Yellow Doors sustainability and growth by unlocking a diverse array of funding channels, ensuring ample resources to drive our charity forward and create lasting positive change for children and young people. More Information https://www.canveyislandyouthproject.org.uk/fundraiser/
The Berkeley Foundation is offering homelessness charities access to a further £300,000 of funding to strengthen their operations through its Resilience Fund for 2024.
Up to six organisations working in London, the South East or Birmingham will be awarded up to £60,000 each over two years, to help them build resilience for the future.
This year the organisational development grants will be available for charities and CICs working with young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, and facing discrimination.
The Resilience Fund was first launched in 2021 in response to the financial pressures and operational demands faced by many small and medium sized charities as the UK emerged from the pandemic. The funds can be invested in strengthening a charity’s foundations and ensuring they can meet their long-term goals to tackle homelessness, with The Berkeley Foundation committing to investing £300,000 in the programme each year, for three years.
The fund also comes with wraparound support to help small to medium sized charities and community interest companies to build their organisational resilience. As well as the grant, successful applicants will have access to the Foundation’s bespoke learning programme, and pro bono support from the wider Berkeley Group.
Community360 (C360) provides transport services in Colchester, Maldon and Chelmsford for people in the local community who have limited mobility, and for those who would otherwise be socially and geographically excluded.
The charity has seen an increase in people wanting to access the service and urgently needs to recruit more volunteer drivers. C360 is desperately seeking volunteers to help transport older, disabled and/or isolated individuals to and from appointments. Tracy Rudling, CEO of Community360 said: “This is where you come in. We need your help.
Time is a gift that we all have, and never did we see that more prolific than through the times of Covid where we all stood up and gave just a little bit more of ourselves and our precious time to support others that needed us. Oh, and what a difference we made and how rewarding it was to give our time whether it was an hour each day or just once a week.”
She added: “Sadly, the number of volunteer drivers at C360 has declined since the pandemic, but our service is still very much in demand.
There continues to be increased pressure on our system, and people with complex health and mobility issues are relying on our type of service more than ever. Add to this an aging population living in rural areas with no transport, you can understand the pressure our service is coming under.
Traditionally volunteer drivers are usually retired people, or part-time workers. But we would also love to hear from younger people involved in their communities who want to make a difference. Volunteering can help build your own confidence as well as making a difference to the lives of others and the community they live in.
For many individuals, especially those in rural or low-density communities who lack other means of transport, volunteer transportation programmes act as a lifeline to access medical care, see friends, family and loved ones, to go shopping, plus other services important to their health and wellbeing. They allow older adults and people with mobility limitations, the opportunity to access places and retain their independence, preventing isolation and maintaining their health. This is why community transport services are so important.
We desperately need more people to come forward and volunteer. Without our volunteer drivers, we are struggling to provide the overprescribed services to our local communities.”
Mrs Poole who lives in Chelmsford has used the community transport service since her husband had to move into a care home. She said: “I cannot walk far and when my husband moved into care, I lost a lot of confidence and thought I would not be able to get out. Thanks to the wonderful community car drivers they have shown me I can still get out and they even take me to visit my husband twice a week which is a real-life line.”
Another user of the service said: “On a Friday, after I have done my shopping, I go to the park for half an hour. This is something that my husband and I used to do together when we went into town. This is now my 30 minutes a week that I can sit and remember him, it’s my 30 minutes with my husband. Without community transport, I wouldn’t be able to do this, and I can’t describe how much it means to me.”
David Gillespie has volunteered for 14 years with C360, and it not only keeps him active and connected but he gets a real sense of reward from putting something back into the community.
“I really wanted to help those who were isolated and as I enjoyed driving this was the perfect role for me!” Said David. “For those who cannot use traditional forms of transport and for those who would otherwise be house bound, it is rewarding and satisfying that my help gives them an opportunity to get ‘out and about’. Community360’s infrastructure, support and training are excellent, and I would both encourage and recommend volunteering as it is the most worthwhile and enjoyable activity.”
Volunteer drivers use their own vehicles to collect clients, take them to their appointments and return them safely back home again. Drivers will need to be friendly and reliable, hold a valid driving licence, MOT and Insurance and need to have a DBS check which we will arrange. Out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed and you will receive training and ongoing support. We contribute 45p per mile to use your vehicle.
Our volunteers’ range in age and there is no huge commitment of time – even just a couple of hours a week or fortnight can still make a real difference. All our drivers thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to make a real difference by providing a little extra support, some patience and a friendly chat.
Community360 are hosting a Volunteer Open Day at the One Colchester Hub on Wednesday 10th January, 10:30am – 2:30pm, where public interested in volunteering can meet other volunteer drivers. The address: 4-6 Long Wyre Street. Colchester CO1 1LH.
Throughout 2023 we’ve been refreshing our funds and installing new digital systems. We want to make sure that what we offer is the best way to support social organisations and address today’s social issues.
Our new fund will open in early 2024. We have £10 million of philanthropic capital to lend or grant. We’re aiming to increase the size of the fund to £20 million.
This will be available for charities and social enterprises operating across the UK, including those with international projects. The fund will be open for applications on an ongoing basis and is cause-universal. We want to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, unrestricted finance.
Get in touch today to register your interest and be the first to hear when our new fund opens for applications.
Since our inception in 2012, Big Picture has produced hundreds of films for charities of all sizes, in every sector. To welcome in 2024, we are offering TEN COMPLETELY FREE CHARITY FILMS to UK Registered Charities that apply during the month of January. There really is NO CATCH to this offer, we will work with you to plan, storyboard, film and edit a broadcast quality film, all we ask is that our travel expenses are covered (which is usually minimal).
For any charities interested in this offer, which closes on 31st January 2024, we ask you to complete a short, online application form:
All applications will be acknowledged and following the closing date all applications will be reviewed by our trustees. From experience we expect to receive many more than 10 applications, and all charities that have applied will be notified by 9th February.
For more information about Big Picture please visit our website, where you can see examples of our work and see how we have been helping UK charities for almost 14 years:
LA promotional pack for the Community Ownership Fund (COF) Round 3 Window 3 which opened in December, the fund is open to incorporated voluntary and community organisations as well as the new addition of Parish and town councils that came with R3.
The re-launch brings about new features and an improved user experience, meaning it has never been easier to find activities, groups and services in your area. The Essex Map is a real asset for organisations within the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise sector, as well as the statutory and local government. It provides the opportunity to put a voice out there for services and activities that support the needs of the local community and helps them to thrive. If you feel something is missing that supports the wider Essex community, please add it on to the Essex Map.
New features of the Essex Map include:
A Franchise Option – if your organisation covers multiple locations, you can now set up a ‘franchise’. This is an option for when you set up a new listing or edit an old one. Please contact us if you need help with this.
Set Up a List – within your account, you can now set up a list. Simply click on a listing you like, on the top right hand side there is a blue button that says “save to list”. You can choose if you’d like your list to be public or private.
Verified Tick – to receive a verified tick, you will need to claim your own listing. Please contact us if you need help with this.
Last Updated – you can now see when the listing you are viewing was ‘last updated’ at the bottom right hand side of the page.
‘New’ Badge – if the listing is new, it will have a ‘new’ button show up for a few days.
If you need support with any of these new features, or help navigating the new Essex Map, we will be hosting drop in sessions online with a member of the Map team who will be able to answer any questions and help you with your query.