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Wansbeck CVS News

Last Update: 12:17, Wednesday 25 June 2008

Event Reminder

Just to remind you about the forthcoming Community Empowerment Network Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 16 July between 11-00am and 12-30pm and the Participatory Budgeting “What Would You Spend £60.000 On?” event on Wednesday 16 July between 1-00pm and 4-00pm.

If you wish to attend either of these events please complete the booking form below:

Event Booking Form

To find out more about Participatory Budgeting there are more details further down this webpage.

Wansbeck Centre For Voluntary Service Vacancies

Community Development Worker (Capacity Building)

37 hours week £23,749.00

Funded through Big Lottery Fund Fair Share, Wansbeck CVS in partnership with East Ashington Development Trust are seeking to recruit an experienced and dynamic Community Development Worker, to develop this exciting project in East Ashington. Experience of project management and capacity building is essential.

Community Engagement Assistant (Capacity Building)

16 hours week £7,150.00

The postholder will assist the community development worker in the planning and delivery of the East Ashington Fair Share Project capacity Building Project. Applications are particularly welcome from residents with relevant knowledge living in the East Ashington area.

Closing Date: Monday 14th July 4.00 p.m.

Application forms available in writing or by telephone to

Gillian Allsopp, Wansbeck CVS,

107 – 109 Station Road, Ashington, NE63 8RS

Telephone 01670 858688

Charity Number 1119404

Company Number 5980151 Registered in England

Does Your Group Need A Health Check?

Supported through the Investing in Communities Fund the Network Team based at Wansbeck CVS are offering free Health Checks for voluntary and community groups based in the Wansbeck area. Given the increasingly competitive nature of the sector, in relation to funding in particular, many major voluntary and community organizations are highlighting the importance of health checks as a means of working toward a secure future for community groups.

Health checks for groups are a commonly used tool for helping group's assess their current position, identify priorities and any development or support needs. Having a health check is an opportunity to review how your group is doing and make sure you have everything you need in place for a strong, well run organisation.

To find out more about Health Checks click on the link below, if you want to find out more contact the Network team on 01670 858 588 or e-mail network@wansbeckcvs.org.uk

Organisational Health Checks Overview

Celebrating Volunteers

Castle Morpeth & Wansbeck Volunteer Centre, part of Wansbeck CVS, recently held a glittering celebration event to mark the achievements of local volunteers as part of Volunteers' Week, a national campaign to highlight the importance of volunteers. The event, held on Wednesday 4th June at Longhirst Hall, brought together 200 volunteers from across Castle Morpeth and Wansbeck to wish them thanks for the difference they make to their local communities and give them the red carpet treatment.

Volunteers were met with a champagne reception, before being entertained by a table magician and disco. The night saw three awards given out to mark the achievements of volunteers, and all those attending the event received certificates of thanks.

The award for Young Volunteer of the Year, for volunteers under the age of 25, was presented to Jamie Prime, a volunteer with a number of local groups including Loud LoVe and Get Hooked On Fishing. Central Palz, a local palliative care unit,

scooped Volunteering Team of the Year, whilst Newbiggin Heritage Partnership's Richard Martin was clearly surprised to be recognised for his dedication on winning Volunteer of the Year.

Mark Robertson, Youth Volunteering Development Officer at the Volunteer Centre commented, ‘Local volunteers have a huge positive impact on our local community. This event, now in its eleventh year, is designed to recognise this impact and say a big ‘thank you' to all those who give up some of their time to support local charities and community groups.'

To find out more about Volunteering visit the Volunteer Centre section of this site by clicking on the link below:

Volunteer Centre

Participatory Budgeting: Can You Help To Make Our Neighbourhoods Great Places To Live?

We have £60,000 to help improve our area and a new way to allocate the money that puts the decision making on where it is spent in the hands of local people. This is called Participatory Budgeting.

Don't be put off by the name - the idea behind it is quite simple. Often called the People's or U-decide Fund, the process enables local groups and residents to discuss and decide some of the needs and priorities where they believe money should be spent in their area and put forward ideas and projects to meet those needs.

Later this year there is going to be a ‘Spending Decision' day in Wansbeck where local groups and residents can bid for money to spend in their area. Before this event takes place, we need your help to identify the needs and priorities where you think the money should be spent.

Join others at: Woodhorn Colliery Museum (Function Room 1) for: “What Would You Spend £60,000 On?”, which takes place on Wednesday 16 July 2008 from 12-30pm to 4-00pm (starting with lunch.)

To find out more or to reserve your place at the event contact Wansbeck CVS on 01670 858 688 or e-mail network@wansbeckcvs.org.uk

To find out more about Participatory Budgeting or to find out more about the event click on the appropriate links below:

Participatory Budgeting – An Overview

Participatory Budgeting – Event Flyer

Participatory Budgeting – Booking Form

Participatory Budgeting is part of the Investing in Communities Programme

Wansbeck CVS Summer 2008 Newsletter Now Available

The new edition of the Wansbeck CVS Newsletter is now available. Included in the new edition are features on the following:

• loud loVe Double Celebration - ‘loud loVe' recently had cause for a double celebration.
• Wansbeck CVS AGM - This years CVS Annual General Meeting took place on 28 February 2008 at Longhirst Hall.           
• Funding Update- All the latest funding news including details on the Northern Rock Foundation.                 
• Create - The music initiative Create is now hosted by Wansbeck CVS.
• Volunteer Centre - The latest news from the Volunteer Centre, including this years Volunteers' Week and the launch of a new youth participation fund.     
• Sustainable Communities Project Overview - During the last two years project staff have worked with voluntary and community groups in Wansbeck.         
• CVS Snips - Including Carers Together's new contact details and “Fit for Purpose, Fit for the Future”.             
• Taking Positive Steps Forward - Congratulations to I.T. programme participants.     
• Wansbeck Older Persons Forum   - The forum is looking for new members.
• Women's Centre Saved From Threat Of Closure - It's business as usual at WHAC, after the organisation received last minute funding from Wansbeck Initiative     
• Image Makes in a Spin - Newbiggin by the Sea has a new logo.

You can obtain a copy of the newsletter by contacting Wansbeck CVS, alternatively it is available in a pdf format by clicking on the link below.

Wansbeck CVS Summer 2008 Newsletter

Wansbeck CVS Funding Fair

Wansbeck CVS presents an afternoon that will bring you up to date with all the latest funding opportunities available. Wansbeck CVS have organised this fair which will see presentations from important funders in the North East of England. There will be opportunities to ask questions and meet each funder for one to one advice.

Funders present at the event will include:

• The SITA Trust
• The Hospital of God at Greatham
• The Coalfields Regeneration Trust
• The Community Foundation
• The Key Fund

The event will take place on Tuesday 15 July 2008 between 1.30pm and 4.30pm at Trinity Church Hall in Ashington.

To find out more about the event click on the link below:

Wansbeck CVS Funding Fair

Youth Participation Fund Launch

‘eVolve – Young People Volunteering', part of the Volunteer Centre is launching a one-year fund aimed at encouraging participation by under 25s. The fund will give out a number of grants up to £1500 for any organisation or youth group in the Wansbeck area, with the aim being to widen participation and volunteering within them.

The funding can be used for any activity or equipment that could be used to increase membership, participation or volunteering i.e. you could use the money to buy DJ equipment as long as the aim will be to enable more people to access it, or to train more people within the group how to use it. Applications should be submitted by the young people who are members of the group. The Volunteer Centre is currently looking for a number of young people under the age of 25 to act as a Grants Panel in order to decide the outcome of applications.

For further information about becoming a member of the Grants Panel or about the Fund itself, please contact Mark Robertson, Youth Volunteering Development Officer at Wansbeck CVS on email: v.centre@wansbeckcvs.org.uk tel: 01670 858688 or join us at www.myspace.com/thevolunteercentre.

Create

The Create music is initiative now hosted by Wansbeck Council for Voluntary Service. The Create project came about as a means of providing valuable vocational training for young people in Wansbeck. It was originally funded by Wansbeck District Council and Wansbeck Initiative. In 2008-09, the project is hosted by Wansbeck CVS and funded through the Working Neighbourhoods Fund.

To find out more about create click on the link below:

Create

Fit for Purpose, Fit for the Future - Strengthening Volunteering Infrastructure in Northumberland 2008 – 2014

“Fit for Purpose, Fit for the Future” is a new report documenting the steps towards the threshold of creating a single entity for Volunteering Support in Northumberland. It has been produced by Anne Lyall the Senior Executive Officer at Wansbeck CVS.

To view or download a copy of the report in a pdf format click on the link below:

Fit for Purpose, Fit for the Future

Carers Together: We're on the Move!

Carers Together has been superseded by the new Countywide generic carer organisation, Carers Northumberland. Services to carers in this area will remain the same and will be expanded into Tyne Valley in the near future.

Their new contact details are as follows:

Cari Hook

Carers Northumberland

Pegswood Community Project

Longhirst Road

Pegswood

Morpeth

NE61 6XG

Tel: 0844 8007354 or 01670 518204

carihook@carersnorthumberland.org.uk

Useful Local Links (Please note some links may open a new browser window, you may then be redirected to this browser):

Community Group www.communitygroup.co.uk/home.htm

Equality North East www.equality-ne.co.uk

Government Office for the North East www.go-ne.gov.uk

NE Equality & Diversity Forum  www.equal-diverse-ne.org

One North East www.onenortheast.co.uk
Vonne www.vonne.co.uk
Wansbeck District Council www.wansbeck.gov.uk
Wansbeck Online www.wansbeckonline.com

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