Newsletter and Update No. 82 – 21 July 2023

Cath Witherington, CEO Introduction

Well despite the weather, Sandall Park’s Multicultural Festival went ahead and true to the billing – was a family funday and well attended.  Dryer weather may have brought more people out – but those that did come along had the opportunity to try new things – listen to a diverse range of music and percussion – and watch some amazing performances!  Well done and thanks to everyone involved.  There is a bit more about that event and other things happening around in this month’s edition of Diverse Doncaster.

I attended the 6th session of the Fairness and Wellbeing Commission at the end of July.  You can look at all the data and information about the Commission’s work on their website.  In earlier sessions we have focused on older people and people of working age.  This time we looked at issues facing young people.  It was great to hear from members of the Youth Council about their experiences, hopes and fears.  The big takeaway for me coming out of this session was the importance of mutual respect.  I have since found a powerful insight which resonates with the conversation at the Commission:

“Adults try to control and dominate instead of teaching and supervising. That’s where the problem begins…. Society says that we must respect adults. But, why does no one say that adults must respect young people too?…We need adults’ guidance, but we never want to be a doll in their hands. We have our own opinions to share, we have our own way of life.” 

Finally, I would like to close by thanking two of our team who are moving onto other roles. Hilary Karpinski and Jade Mitchell. Both have delivered some amazing work with Voluntary Action Doncaster and will be greatly missed.  I am sure those of you who have met them will join me in wishing them well in their future careers.  

Reports and Information

Walk n’ Wheels Project

Yorkshire Bike Shack is working with DMBC to help people with long term health conditions (mental & physical) and disabilities to become more active. There are a number of activities which include walking & cycling groups or one to one sessions for people who live in Balby initially. We have invested in some regular and adapted bikes for use around the local area. We are working with Flourish and Pedal Ready on this three year pilot project which will be expanding to Bentley and Wheatley as well.

If you want to know more – please take a look ar the dedicated web page 

Charity Commission research into public trust and confidence in charities

The Charity Commission’s latest research into public trust in charities has been published and finds that trust in charities has marginally increased at a time when trust in other institutions has flatlined or fallen. When compared to 10 other institutions, only trust in doctors is rated higher. Trust in charities however has not returned to previous highs.

The research also explores how trust varies among different parts of the public. Those who are less economically secure are much less inclined to trust larger, international, and professionalised charities than smaller, local, volunteer-run concerns. The trust in small charities derives primarily from a sense that more money reaches the end cause. A charity’s cause also plays a significant role in trust: only 14% of the public are inclined to trust a charity that serves a good cause that they are not particularly interested in more than a charity that serves a cause they care about.  Read the Charity Commission (CC) research in full.

Right Care, Right Person.

Please see this overview and briefing in relation to the right care, right person approach being taken by SY Police.  Any queries or incidents can be directed to  rcrp@southyorks.pnn.police.uk

Resolving Professional Differences

The Doncaster Safeguarding Children Partnership have developed a Resolving Professional Differences Protocol – head over to Doncaster Safeguarding Children Board Online Procedures (proceduresonline.com) to view the document or find an explanatory video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv4oiLuamJY.

Are you interested in evidence-based practice or research? 

Do you have lived experience of being an older adult or are you an advocate or stakeholder for older adults/older adult services within Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham or Sheffield? 

A group of multidisciplinary researchers from Sheffield Hallam University are running a project which will enable us to develop a ‘Levelling Up’ research agenda for older adults, designed and developed by older adults and their key stakeholders throughout the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield). We want to know your thoughts and views on what is important to older adults and also to expand the network of stakeholders working with, advocating for, and supporting older adults, or those with lived experience within the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA). 

Our first aim is to expand the network to provide a group of stakeholders and those with lived experience which is truly representative of older adults within SYMCA. We will also be hosting a patient and public involvement (PPI) engagement group for older adults to talk to us about key issues regarding levelling up (£25.00 gift voucher payment for contribution). 

We are particularly interested in recruiting organisations, stakeholders, and PPI groups which represent underserved communities within the older adult population (e.g., ethnic and minority backgrounds, LGBTQ+, mental health issues). 

Please do get in contact if you are interested in being part of this network and disseminate this invitation to any other contacts you may have who you think would be interested.  

To register you interest or ask any questions, please complete the form here or contact Charlotte charlotte.jackson@shu.ac.uk 

ONS Cost of Living latest insights 

The annual inflation rate slowed to 7.3% in the year to June 2023, down from 7.9% in May and a peak of 9.6% in October 2022.

However, wages are still failing to keep pace with inflation, with real terms total pay falling 1.2% in March to May 2023.

And in response to the rising cost of living, almost half (47%) of adults in Great Britain are buying less food.

Read the latest cost of living insights

Measuring National Well-being

Our new UK Measures of National Well-being dashboard is a visual overview of how people in the UK are faring across 10 domains of national well-being.  It brings together the latest data on how people in the UK are doing as individuals, communities, and a nation.

Explore the dashboard

Events

The Phoenix Way is an exciting, national collaborative partnership created during the Covid-19 pandemic as a response to the structural inequalities which Black and racially minoritised communities and community-led organisations face in relation to influencing and accessing grant funding in the UK. The Phoenix Way now launches into a 3-year phase of regional networks and funding across England. The Yorkshire and Humber region is coordinated by a team based at the Impact Hub Bradford. 

Introductory events will be held across Yorkshire and Humber, where we’ll introduce the team and share further information and updates on the programme. The event also offers opportunities for learning and networking to help us shape the programme’s support and future funding opportunities.  

An in-person event will be held on Monday, 7th August, at Voluntary Action Sheffield for grassroots Black and minoritised community-led VCSE groups and organisations in South Yorkshire. You can book your place on eventbrite 

Domestic and Sexual Abuse Event for professionals – Monday 4th September 2023

We are doing it all over again!  Last year we held a domestic and sexual abuse event for practitioners and it was so popular we are doing it again.  We are holding it a little earlier in the year this time so that you have the chance to collect resources to help you with any events you want to run in October and November for domestic abuse awareness month, International Men’s Day (19th November) and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls (25th November).

Confirmed agencies/services having a stand so far are:

• City of Doncaster Council – domestic abuse services
• City of Doncaster Council – stronger families and wellbeing service
• St. Leger – Homelessness and Housing Options
• Victim Support – Non Domestic Abuse Stalking
• South Yorkshire Police
• South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit
• Cranstoun
• Phoenix WoMen’s Aid
• Doncaster Pause
• Sign Health Domestic Abuse Service
• Suicide Prevention
• DRASACS
• Children’s SARC
• Changing Lives – Amber
• Changing Lives – Netreach
• Crown Prosecution Service
• Listening Ear – Suicide Prevention
• Children’s SARC
• Riverside – Safe Accommodation
• Hospital Health Domestic Abuse workers – DBTH
• Learning Disabilities – City of Doncaster Council and RDaSH
• Healthwatch
• School nursing
• People Focus Group (PFG)

Practitioners will have the opportunity to find out more about the services available in Doncaster, pick up information and resources and spend time networking with colleagues. 

If you would like to have a stand at the event please contact karen.shooter@doncaster.gov.uk

If you would like to attend the event please register via Eventbrite on the link below.  You can pop into the Mary Woollett Centre, Danum Road, on 4th September – anytime between 9.30am and 3.30pm. 

Armed Forces and Veteran Forum 

The Armed Forces and Veteran Forum – meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month, 19:00 – 20:00. It is an opportunity to see what is happening to support the Armed Forces Community in Doncaster and an opportunity to discuss what could be improved.  The next one is on the 17th August at the Linney Centre.  For further details, take a look at this poster. 

Project 6 Activities

Follow the links to see the schedules of activities for week commencing 7th August and 14th August

Bhayani Law Charity Leaders Forums

Let’s Talk Trustees: In Person event – Tuesday 5th September, 5pm-7pm

Tickets are £20pp + VAT and include your place in the workshop, food, tea & coffee and all proceeds are being donated to our hosts for the evening – The Burton Street Foundation. For more information on the work that they do visit: https://burtonstreet.org.uk/

The evening’s format will follow:

5:00 pm to 5:45 pm – arrival, buffet, and networking

5:45 pm to 6:45 pm – Let’s Talk Trustees Interactive Workshop

6:45 pm to 7:00 pm – networking and event close

Let’s Talk Trustees: Online event – Tuesday 12th September 12pm-1 pm

For the first time we’re taking our Charity Leaders Forum online for those who can’t attend the in person session. Tickets for this will be £10pp +VAT and include the cost of the workshop.

Booking – It is essential that you book your ticket to these events. To book on to either of these events visit the booking page here  For any questions about the event please contact the team via email at charity@bhayanilaw.co.uk

Family activities this summer at The Point 

This summer, head to The Point for a range of exciting, free activities for families. From a fantastic new exhibition to art and music sessions, there is something for everyone to enjoy. The Point is also open on Saturdays throughout the summer holidays. 

In partnership with Danum Gallery, Library and Museum, The Point is hosting the International LEGO® brick art exhibition ‘Brick by Brick’ this summer. Both city centre venues will be displaying different artworks by 18 artists, designers and photographers from around the world who use LEGO® bricks as their medium or inspiration. Explore the exhibition, build your own LEGO® creations and see if you can find all of the letters in The Point’s LEGO® Safari.

Inspired by the exhibition, there will be weekly Art Club sessions for young people aged 5 – 11 years and their families. These sessions will explore everything from pixelating famous art works to making music with LEGO® bricks. Available places are limited, but don’t worry – more Art Club sessions will be coming in September.

If your young person prefers music to visual art, there is a session for them too. On Wednesday 23rd August, why not try out a taster session of First Verse, a songwriting group for young musicians aged 10 – 16 years? No musical experience is needed to take part, just enthusiasm and an interest in making your own music. This session is free to attend, but places are limited so be sure to book on early through The Point’s website.

For more information and to book a place for Art Club or First Verse, visit www.thepoint.org.uk

Brick by Brick is a 20-21 Visual Arts Centre Touring Exhibition. Entrance is free. See it on display at The Point and Danum Gallery, Library and Museum from 1 July – 2 September 2023.

Funded SME internships in 2024: sign up to the mailing list for updates

University of Sheffield funded internship scheme for local SMEs to continue next year. If you would like to be added to the mailing list for this, please submit the most appropriate email address and your organisation name to this form and we will be in touch as soon as more information is available. You can view details of this year’s scheme here in the meantime. 

Training Opportunities

Empowering Parents Empowering Communities Co Ordinator, EPEC,  for Doncaster. 

EPEC is a successful and unique parenting approach for local parents/carers, led by local parents/carers.

Do you know of any volunteers or team members who may like to expand their knowledge and confidence through completing the 10-12 week training course to become a Parent Group Leader( PGL) and go on to deliver a 9 week ‘Being A Parent’ course to other parents?

The training is given over 10-12 weeks 9:30 – 2:30 one day a week and volunteers are offered support with Childcare vouchers, travel costs and their lunch is provided. They will then go on to deliver a 9 week programme, for 2 hours one day a week, with another 2 PGL’s where full supervision is provided.

The 2 courses delivered by the Parent Group Leaders are ‘Being A parent’ for parents with children aged 2yrs – 11yrs and ‘Baby and Us’ for parents of babies from Birth to 8/9 months  Anyone who would like to know more can contact Jane.Pearson@doncaster.gov.uk who will be happy to explain further about EPEC.

Funding Opportunities

£76M Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund 

This fund will support organisations across England to deliver critical frontline services. Organisations will be able to apply for funding to maintain or expand critical cost of living services from now until the end of March 2024.

Applications will be for amounts between £10,000 and £75,000. The funding is ONLY open to frontline organisations running critical services in communities, in at least one of the follow areas:

• food and emergency supplies – food and other ‘banks’
• emergency shelter – homelessness services
• safe spaces – domestic abuse services and youth services
• warmth – warm spaces / hubs
• financial and housing advice.

Applicants MUST be able to demonstrate both increased costs and increased demand. 

The fund is part of the £100M for charities announced in the Spring Budget. It will be administered by the National Lottery Community Fund. More information . 

The application window is now open and will close at 12 noon on Monday 16 October 2023.

The Neighbourhood Planning Grants and Support Programme

Town and parish councils, neighbourhood forums and prospective neighbourhood forums preparing a neighbourhood development plan or neighbourhood development order in England may apply for the following:

• A basic grant of between £1,000 and £10,000 for groups writing a neighbourhood plan or neighbourhood development order.
• An additional grant of up to £8,000 is available for groups facing more complex issues, giving a maximum total amount of £18,000.
• Specific packages of technical support where needed.

All grants must be spent before 31 March 2024.

Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any time before March 2024. Full details here

Home Office Community Engagement Fund

Grants of £5,000 – £10,000 for grassroots and community groups to engage communities and raise awareness of and address any misinformation about the Windrush Compensation and Windrush Schemes, with a focus on non-Caribbean communities.

Some nationality groups, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana and India, despite possibly having been impacted, are not coming forward for compensation to the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

The funding is intended to:

• Raise awareness of and address any misinformation about the Windrush Compensation and Windrush Documentation Schemes with a focus on non-Caribbean communities and encourage them to apply to these schemes.
• Build on the insights and learning taken from existing work on Windrush to understand:
  • why individuals are not applying for the Windrush Compensation Scheme and/or the Windrush Scheme.
  • how to encourage eligible individuals to apply to these schemes.

Applications will be accepted up to 30th August 2023, and funds must be spent by March 2024. Full details here

Energy Grant

Northern Powergrid Foundation, a charitable organisation funded with nearly £8m of grant from Northern Powergrid, has been established and open to new grant applications at this time from communities across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire accepted in due course.

The Foundation’s mission is to be a force for good in the communities it serves. The Foundation aims to support local communities and partners across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire who are most affected by changes in the economy, environment and society because of the shifting energy landscape. This will be achieved by supporting projects focused on helping to tackle energy resilience during emergency events, vulnerability, fuel poverty, levelling the rural divide, innovation, social support, and community collaboration. 

The Foundation is proud to have funded over 40 unique and exciting energy resilience projects so far for communities within Northumberland and County Durham (totalling £560,000). These projects have largely been for the creation or the expansion of community hubs with energy resilience pieces of kit such as generators, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps. 

Ahead of the official launch of the Foundation we are looking to support more than 15 projects totalling £300,000 with particular focus on (but not limited to) projects within the Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire regions. Applications will be accepted until August 31, 2023, however the window may close early if volumes are high. The applications are then assessed by the Board of Trustees with funding being received later in the year.

You know your local communities best and we are keen to work in conjunction with you to spread awareness of the funds available to those that need it the most.

Grants of up to £20,000 will be made available to organisations through the Foundation, with a focus on supporting energy resilience during emergency events. The funding priorities are:

1. Energy Resilience during emergency events – enhancing community facilities, services and communication and providing support to households in Northern Powergrid’s[1] regions during prolonged periods without power.
2. Vulnerability – protecting the welfare of vulnerable people in the communities served by Northern Powergrid particularly during extended power cuts by enhancing their resilience and supporting them to prepare for emergency situations.
3. Fuel Poverty – helping to prevent and relieve those in fuel poverty through educational advice and support programmes.
4. Levelling the rural divide – supporting communities who are particularly remote or isolated and have experienced power cuts due to poor weather in the past.
5. Innovation – using innovative or transformational solutions to improve energy resilience for households in Northern Powergrid’s regions.
6. Social support – supplementing the services provided by the emergency services in response to periods of prolonged power loss. 
7. Collaboration – supporting communities or groups who work together to tackle issues to improve energy resilience.
8. Charities – supporting existing charitable organisations or groups whose remit is to enhance energy resilience across Northern Powergrid’s regions.

Communities are invited to apply and read our material online at northernpowergridfoundation.com. Please share the news of funds being available with organisations in your region that need support for projects that match one or more of the Foundation’s priorities. Any additional questions please forward to thenorthernpowergridfoundation@northernpowergrid.com.

Volunteering Opportunities

Please see what current volunteering opportunities are available on our website.  

Active Fusion

… is looking for a new Trustee to join their board. You can find more information about this opportunity on their website

The Sand House Charity

… is looking for additional volunteers to assist with occasional pop-up sand art sessions.  The Sand House Charity runs family-friendly sand art sessions as often as we can. We have all the equipment that we need and we have venues to act as hosts but we need more volunteers to help oversee the sessions. Do you have any spare time to help us out? Our existing volunteers have been successfully running the sand art sessions since 2017 and enjoy helping out with this fun activity. They report how much they enjoy engaging with children and their parents. We always receive such a positive response from the public and so our volunteers find it very rewarding taking part. 

Here is a brief Q&A about the role.

Q: When are the sand art sessions held?

A: Some weekday mornings and afternoons, usually during school holiday periods (although not usually in summertime).

Q: Do I need any experience in sand art?

A: No this isn’t necessary but any artistic skills are always welcome.

Q: What are the main skills I need for this role?

A: Being able to engage with children and parents at the sand tables, give them simple pointers about how they might make small sand carvings, and to introduce them to the key facts about the Sand House. It would be helpful if you have prior experience of communicating with children. even in an informal context. You would also help to keep the area around the tables tidy and make sure that sand is not thrown. (Parents/guardians are required to stay with their children). Good mobility is needed

as you could be standing for quite long periods.

Q: Do I need a DBS certificate?

A: Yes, but we can make the arrangements and pay for it.

For further information, please email info@thesandhouse.org.uk or feel free to phone Richard Bell on 07777 688438 for an informal chat.

Have Your Say in Doncaster’s Healthcare Research and Be a Voice For Change! 

Join Community Voices at Doncaster Hospital, a Patient and Public Involvement Group dedicated to allowing people within the Doncaster community a voice when it comes to the research taking place within their healthcare services. We welcome volunteers from all walks of life to attend 8 meetings a year and provide feedback on proposed research. There is no experience needed – we offer full training and support. Be part of shaping your community’s healthcare! Contact us at dbth.communityvoices@nhs.net to seize this opportunity.  

Job Opportunities

Please see this week’s Advance Vacancy Bulletin  with a range of roles based within Doncaster.

Jobs at EN:Able communities CIO

Business Development Manager

https://www.efficiencynorth.org/about-us/careers/business-development-manager

Project Manager

https://www.efficiencynorth.org/about-us/careers/project-manager

Darts – Front of House & Facility Manager 

Darts is looking for someone to join their team as a Front of House and Facility Manager working to the CEO.  This is a full time position – the full details and how to apply can be found on their website.

City of Doncaster Council is hiring and we want to hear from you!

The Council currently has over 80+ vacancies across our site, in a range of different roles throughout the borough, so there really is something for everyone.

Contribute to our Next Newsletter!

If you have an article, job opportunity or funding opportunity you would like to see included in the next edition of this newsletter, please send it to us at info@voluntaryactiondoncaster.org.uk by 1pm on Wednesday 16/08/2023.