This is a place where you can find out about opportunities that are available to your organisation. From funding streams to events and training, The Essex Alliance will keep you informed.
£500 micro-grants are available to help fund waste-reducing projects across Essex.
Calling all waste-reduction enthusiasts! Essex County Council’s Love Essex team is offering £500 micro-grants to support innovative projects and ideas that reduce household waste.
Since 2019, the council has supported 157 community projects through the Love Essex Fund. The micro-grants are intended to help organisations, individuals, and schools with both new and existing projects. This year, up to £20,000 is available to support projects that encourage residents to reuse and repair items.
Last year, funding was awarded to more than 30 projects, including:
repair cafés
refill shops
textiles and toy redistribution groups
bike, furniture, and electronics repair organisations
clothes swap events
Councillor Peter Schwier, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling, said:
“I am delighted to announce that the Love Essex Fund has returned for 2025. In line with the Waste Strategy for Essex, we have committed to support activities that promote repair and sharing of pre-loved items.
This is the perfect opportunity for us to help the fantastic community projects that reduce waste and encourage reuse and repair in our area.”
To apply for a micro-grant, visit the Love Essex Fund webpage. Applicants will need to provide a brief description of the project and a breakdown of how they plan to spend the micro-grant.
Don’t miss out! Applications close on 9 February 2025.
A unique opportunity has become available supporting the administration of a well established local charity. Home-Start Harwich is looking for a special person who shows empathy for the needs of families and has experience of administration, book keeping, finance, spreadsheets, database recording, Microsoft (including Excel) and general office duties.
The successful candidate must be an excellent communicator, work well as part of a team and have good time management skills. Based in our main office, Bathside, Harwich, the role includes working closely with the manager and is 28 hours per week worked over 5 days from Monday to Friday.
If you think this role could be for you, get in contact today to find out more or check out www.homestartharwich.org.uk or go to the Home-Start Harwich Facebook page.
The closing date for applications is 27th January 2025, with interviews taking place on 3rd February 2025.
Email for more information and an information pack: [email protected] or call 01255 556230
Heads2Minds are delivering a Mental Health First Aid Refresher Training Course.
As a MHFAider, you will need to take the MHFA Refresher course every three years to ensure your continued membership of the Association of Mental Health First Aiders®, which provides ongoing development and support plus confidence to fulfil your role.
Date: 4th February 2025
Time: 9:30 – 14:00
Cost: £125pp (RRP £225)
Venue: Online via Zoom
You will receive a new workbook, lanyard, crisis card and support app.
To book or get in contact, call 07908616149 or email [email protected].
Course Fee: £90, but £50 to affiliated organisation to CVST. You will receive a workbook, manual, certificate, crisis card and lanyard to take away with you. You will also be affiliated to the Association of Mental Health First Aiders®.
Nearest parking is at Carnarvon Road, CO15 6QE. Refreshments will be provided, please bring your own lunch.
Maldon and District CVS are looking for a dynamic Project Lead to oversee the development and operation of the Universal Standard Support Offer (USSO) online portal. This exciting initiative will empower the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) across Essex by providing access to information and tools for governance, financial management, and resilience. The post holder will lead the collaborative creation of a user-friendly, inclusive, and AI-enabled platform that makes a real difference. If you’re a strategic thinker with a flair for project management and stakeholder engagement, we want to hear from you!
Further to a previous market engagement event Essex County Council would like to invite prospective providers to engage in a soft market test. This test has been designed to establish the potential level of interest from organisations to deliver a Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) – Resource and Funding Maximisation service and to invite feedback on the proposed structure of this service to inform the Council’s commissioning intentions.
Active Essex Foundation are excited to announce that they have been funded by Essex County Council Public Health Team to deliver a Transition Age Mental Health & Physical Activity Project over the next 3 years. A webinar to launch this work was held on Monday 2nd December 2024. Click Here to watch the webinar recording.
If you are a voluntary or community-based organisation, using or keen to start using movement, physical activity and sport to support young adults (17-25 years) with low levels of emotional wellbeing in your local area, there are funding opportunities (up to £10,000 grants) to partner with us and be involved in the delivery across the 12 Essex County Council districts. Visit our project page on Active Essex Foundation website for further information on the funding criteria and how to apply – Click Here
Closing date for applications is 31st January 2025 with a view to commence delivery from April 2025 onwards.
Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions regarding this exciting new project.
Are you a current or former member of the Armed Forces?
On behalf of Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, we are launching a project on the Armed Forces Community and their experiences of accessing and using NHS services in West Essex.
We want to hear from:
Veterans, service leavers or non-mobilised reservists
Serving personnel and reservists
Partners, parents, children and carers of those in the Armed Forces
We want to learn about:
Any experiences of using GP practices, dentists, pharmacies, opticians, mental health services, hospitals and community services.
How can the NHS better engage with the Armed Forces Community?
What are the key issues with existing NHS services?
What ideas and suggestions do you have?
Conversations will be in person or via email/telephone/video call.
Any information you provide is anonymous and strictly confidential.
This survey is being carried out by Essex County Council as part of a wider partnership of organisations planning for future pharmaceutical services.
Summary
We are inviting you to take part in a survey about pharmaceutical services (provided by pharmacies, dispensing doctors, internet pharmacies and dispensing appliance contractors) in the Essex area. The results from this survey will help us to understand how local people use the services, how they rate their experience, and what they would like in the future. These views will contribute towards the production of a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for Essex and assist in determining what services are required to meet the needs of the local population.
The current Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment covering the Essex area is available on Essex Open Data.
If you would like more information about the survey, alternative formats (such as a paper copy, translation or an easy read copy) or have questions on how to complete the questionnaire, you can contact [email protected]
Why your views matter
Completion of the survey is voluntary and if you choose not to take part it will not affect the care you receive from the NHS or your pharmacy/GP in any way.
Your answers will be kept completely confidential and won’t be collated with any information that makes you identifiable. It is voluntary to disclose this information. If you choose not to answer the ‘About you’ questions, it will not affect your participation.
Your answers will only be used to tell us about your experience of pharmaceutical services, and to help us to improve these services.
Your views are important to us so please spare a few minutes to complete the survey, it should take no longer than 5-7 minutes to complete.
The results of this survey will be available on Essex Open Data where the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment will be published in October 2025.
Essex County Council fully complies with information legislation. If you would like the full details of how we use personal data, and the rights you have about its use, please go to www.essex.gov.uk/privacy-community (Research & Citizen Insight) or call 03457 43043.
