Member Feature: SAND Matters
Safe Ageing No Discrimination (SAND) is a community organisation whose goal is to improve the experiences and increase the expectations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) people as they age in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.
It formed in 2012, when a group of local people began discussing some of the issues which specifically affect LGBT+ people as they age; issues which are not typically recognised by the people who provide health, social care and other relevant support services in the county. SAND set about changing this - not to provide distinct LGBT+ services, but to influence existing service provision.
SAND is currently in the fourth year of a five-year project to encourage service providers across the county to ‘EMBRACE A Culture of Inclusion’. These service providers do this by signing up to SAND's Covenant, which includes five pledges, such as providing the best possible service to older and old LGBT+ people, learning what life might have been like for older and old LGBT+ people, and vocally and visually supporting groups working with and for older and old LGBT+ people.
Organisations which have signed up to SAND's Covenant include the VCSA, Shropshire Council, AgeUK STW, Citizens Advice Shropshire, Energize, Cruse Bereavement Services, Shropshire Partners in Care and many others.
This year, SAND is hoping to reach out to as many older and old LGBT+ people who live, work or play in the county to tell the story of the work it has been doing. To help with this, it has produced a 16-page booklet called SAND Matters. You can download it here, or request a hard copy by emailing James (james@lgbtsand.com) or call them on 01743 590023 and leave a message on their answerphone.
Perhaps you know someone who might benefit from learning about SAND's work? If you do, please spread the word by sharing this article and/or helping them to download or order the SAND Matters booklet.
If you would like to know more about SAND's work, visit lgbtsand.com, sign up to their monthly e-newsletter, or follow them on social media (@lgbtsand).
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 Members of the Oswestry Youth Sport Programme practise their boxing skills with Jack Lellow of the Brightstar boxing academy
Local Football Club Charity Helps Young People Stay on Track
Oswestry football club’s charity has been praised for its work in leading a project which brought together local organisations and agencies to help young people in need of extra support.
The New Saints FC Foundation recently won Government funding for the Oswestry Youth Sport Programme aimed at helping young people facing challenges in school and needing extra support and redirection.
The New Saints FC Foundation teamed up with the Marches School, the Brightstar boxing academy in Shifnal, Oswestry Town Council, Shropshire Council’s early help team, Oswestry Community kitchen OsNosh, and West Mercia Police to run a ten week programme of support for ten youngsters.
The programme included one-to-one mentoring, an outing to Manchester United FC, a talk by Olympian and Go Hard Go Home TV show star Adele Nicoll plus sport and fitness sessions to build team spirit, confidence and a sense of community.
The pilot course finished recently with a presentation event at The New Saints’ headquarters at Park Hall, near Oswestry when the course leaders paid tribute to the progress the young people had made.
Young people taking part were presented with awards by Ian Williams of The New Saints FC including a football signed by the team.
Read the full story here.
New Report from Carnegie UK: The Long Shadow of the Cost of Living Emergency
Carnegie UK Trust, a charity whose purpose is to promote better wellbeing in the UK, has just released a new report on the impacts of the Cost of Living crisis on wellbeing, using research conducted in early 2023.
Report Highlights:
The Long Shadow of the Cost of Living Emergency finds that as consequence of rising living costs:
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34% of people in the UK aren’t eating as healthily, while 16% have cut down on regular exercise.
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35% of people say the crisis has limited their ability to spend time with friends, while a 24% say the same about family.
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50% of people say that the cost of living emergency has limited their ability to participate in leisure activities (e.g. eating out or going to the cinema).
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56% of people in the UK think the Government is offering too little support to help people through the rising cost of living
The report ends with a call to action, including steps that can be taken in the short and longer term to tackle the problems caused by the crisis. Read the full report here.
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Cost of Living: Toolkit for Communicating about Payments
Many of the lowest-income households will get new Cost of Living Payments from the Government, as bills and food costs remain high this spring. The first payment of £301 will be made between now and Wednesday 17 May 2023.
The DWP has produced a Toolkit for partners. The toolkit contains social media assets, a downloadable poster, suggested newsletter copy and much more. The toolkit also sets out:
- What the different payments are
- When payments will be paid
- Eligibility for payments
- How you can support customers
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Shropshire HAF Spring Programme A Success
Over the school Easter holidays, hundreds of eligible children and young people from across Shropshire enjoyed being active and taking part in a range of fun activities as part of the Shropshire Holiday Activities and Food programme.
Shropshire Council worked in partnership with local schools, voluntary and community organisations and childcare providers to run the HAF programme at 57 locations from across the county.
“The sessions have been invaluable to me. As a single parent the sessions allow me to continue to work. It’s local, I can walk them round, it’s a familiar setting and they love their time there. It’s like a total weight is lifted knowing these sessions are available”. Parent.
To see all the fantastic activities children and young people got up to, over the holidays check out the Shropshire HAF Spring/Easter 2023 film!
A full report for Spring 2023 will be produced once monitoring and evaluation returns have been finalised. Shropshire Council wants to thank everyone who supported the programme.
The next HAF programme will be running in the school summer holidays. Details of the programme including how to book onto activity, will be available approx. 4 weeks before the end of summer term.
If you are an organisation that is interested in hosting HAF activities, subscribe to the HAF activity providers newsletter for the most up to date information and dates. For more information about the programme, visit their page on the Shropshire Council website.
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Interested in having your organisation's stories of success featured in our newsletter, website or social media? We want to hear from you! Contact: VCSAssembly@shropshire.gov.uk
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Health Needs Assessment for Shrewsbury: Shropshire Councils Public Health Community Wellbeing Outreach Team is collecting the views and wishes of all Shropshire residents regarding their current and future health and wellbeing needs. They feel it’s very important to make sure community voice is heard when decisions are made about where funding is allocated across Shropshire. Right now, they are surveying Shrewsbury residents only. Please help spread the word about this research. Closing date TBD
Healthwatch Shropshire: Healthwatch Shropshire wants to know about people’s experience of making complaints about their NHS or social care services, not only if people achieved the outcome they sought through the complaint but also their experience of making the complaint, did they feel supported, did they have the information they needed, how they were treated and if they felt listened to. Closing date TBD
Prepayment Meter Experiences Survey: Ofgem and Citizens Advice are launching a national evidence-call to ask energy customers to share their experiences of moving to a prepayment meter (PPM). The eight-week partnership is a key part of Ofgem’s comprehensive market review of prepayment meters and remote switching, to ensure suppliers are meeting their legal obligations in protecting customers. It is calling for the experiences of customers who either have had PPMs installed to recover unpaid bills or those actively choose to use pay-as-you-go to manage their budgets. Closing 4th May
Pay and Equalities Survey 2023: ACEVO, CAF, ACOSVO and Chief Officers 3rd Sector have teamed up to run a really important annual CEO Pay and Equalities Survey. By filling it out, you will play a part in creating a fuller picture of the sectors pay and reward for CEOs. It's a crucial survey that will help to provide a deeper understanding of the current diversity and equality at senior levels. Closing 10th May
Shrewsbury Public Spaces Protection Order: In accordance with the provisions of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 Shropshire Council is seeking your views and comments on an extension and possible amendment to the ‘Shrewsbury Town Centre Public Spaces Protection Order (No. 1) 2017’ (‘the Shrewsbury PSPO’). The proposal is to enable the Order to continue for a further three years. The current Order will expire on the 31st July unless extended by Shropshire Council. Prohibitions covered by the current order include: (a) urinating/defecating; (b) leaving personal belongings; (c) a wider enabling provision to require a person to stop drinking alcohol and/or hand over alcohol if causing anti-social behaviour; and (d) a wider enabling provision to require a person to leave an area and not to return for 48 hours if causing anti-social behaviour.
Proposed amendments are designed to extend the persons able to enforce the PSPO and a wider range of prohibitions to cover other forms of anti-social behaviour. Please find below a link to the details and attached document which also includes details of the current Order and associated data.
Shropshire Council would welcome any comments you wish to make particularly in response to the questions posed within the consultation covering the proposed extension period, impact of the existing PSPO, and need for amendments. Closing 14th May
Please respond in writing, including the nature of your interest (i.e. VCS group/ organisation, resident etc.) via post or email.
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Last Chance to Get Involved in The Big Help Out
With the nation encouraged into service and giving on Monday 8th May, you won’t want to miss an opportunity to share your vision with your community. Organise a volunteering event, attract new volunteers and showcase your charity’s impact.
Get more information and resources on the NCVO website.
And don't forget to check out their Volunteers Week (1-7 June) website
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Talking Trustee-ing with Debra
Online on Tuesday 16 May 17.00 – 18.00
Come and hang out with other trustees and share how you’re feeling, get tips on how to govern best in these difficult times and basically just offload some of your stress!
Free online session with Directory of Social Change CEO Debra Allcock Tyler.
Book your free place here.
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Carers Recipe Competition
Shropshire Council's Carers Team is running a recipe competition for carers.
Please download the details of their cooking competition to win a signed copy of Phil Vickery's cook book - Phil will be judging all entries.
Closing date is 28th May 2023. Entries should be emailed to
shropshire.carers@shropshire.gov.uk or you can phone 01743 341995.
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Living Well Sessions
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Cancer Survivorship Team are involved with embedding and improving resources and support services for people affected by cancer throughout their treatment and beyond as part of the Living With and Beyond Cancer Programme. It aims to enable and empower patients by increasing their knowledge about services that are available to them in order to support them to live well with cancer throughout their treatment and beyond.
As part of this offer, the team would like your organisation to help circulate information about their Living Well Sessions.
The Living Well Sessions are:
- Free to attend
- Face-to-face sessions are held at different community venues throughout Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin to make them more accessible
- For anybody affected by cancer: the person living with cancer, family, friends or anybody else supporting someone living with and beyond cancer
- Available for you to attend as many times as you wish pre, during and post treatment
- Designed to offer support, advice and tips as to how to safely self-manage four topics away from the hospital setting
- Learn about local and national services that you may benefit from
- Provide an opportunity for you to share your experiences and learn from others
- Ask non-clinical questions around the four topics
Please click here to download the latest Living Well Sessions flyer, with dates and information.
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Mental Health Courses for VCS Organisations
Remember to check out the list of mental health training courses offered through the Shropshire in Partnership Mental Health Project.
Courses for VCS organisations include:
Suicide First Aid
Resilience and Stress Management
and Managing Stress and Burnout.
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Community Connector Network Meetings
South East 17th May 10am-12pm
For more details and to book a space please contact: lesley.jewell@community-resource.org.uk
South West: Ludlow 9th May 10am
South West: Bishops Castle 10th May 3pm
For more details and to book a space please contact: CDO@handstogetherludlow.org.uk
Shrewsbury 4th May 10am-12pm, Online
For more details and to book a space please contact: natalie.jackson@community-resource.org.uk
North 10th May 10am-12pm, Online
For more details and to book a space please contact: L.woolcock@qube-oca.org.uk
First Aid and Safeguarding Adults Training
Shropshire Partners in Care is a not-for-profit organisation supporting over 250 independent adult social care providers across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. Established in 2003, they exist to represent, upskill and champion our local adult social care providers and their staff. They offer quality and reasonably priced First Aid training at their offices in Annscroft, Shrewsbury, primarily to Members, but also to non-Members such as schools and community groups. All First Aid Training is nationally accredited by The First Aid Industry Body (FAIB). Safeguarding Adults Awareness training is aimed at all staff and volunteers working in social care, health, housing, charities and other areas of the independent sector.
In May 2023 they have spaces available on the following courses:
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Course Name
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Course Date
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Venue
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Price per Person
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1 Day Emergency First Aid
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3rd May
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SPiC Office
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£77
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Adult Safeguarding - Promoting a Positive Safeguarding Culture
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10th May
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Online - Zoom
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£50
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Safeguarding Adults Awareness
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11th May
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SPiC Office
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£50
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1 Day Emergency First Aid
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17th May
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SPiC Office
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£77
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1 Day Emergency First Aid in Ludlow, Market Drayton or Telford
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18th May
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Spiro Clinic, Ludlow
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£88
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1 Day Emergency First Aid in Ludlow, Market Drayton or Telford
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19th May
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The Hub on the Hill, Telford
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£88
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Should you be interested in booking a place on any of these courses, please contact Non-Member Bookings on 01743 860011 or email info@spic.co.uk.
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Shropshire Charity Network
18th May 2023 online meeting
At their May event they will be talking about fraud and offering thoughts and advice on how to minimise your charity's risk.
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Dementia Support Information Day
Thursday 18th May, 10am - 3pm
Shrewsbury Town Football Club
This is an event for people affected by dementia across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. There will be a multitude of organisations in one location, so you can find everything you need to know about dementia in one place.
Find out more here.
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King’s Award for Voluntary Service Briefing Sessions
The King's Award for Voluntary Service celebrates the outstanding work of local volunteer groups across the UK. Groups do not have to be a registered charity and any voluntary
organisation with three or more volunteers can be nominated. The award is the equivalent to an MBE and the highest award given to local voluntary groups in the UK, giving Royal recognition to the work they do.
The Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire has been delighted to see so many voluntary groups in the county being awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service and would like to support even more organisations across Shropshire win this award which following the Accession of King Charles III, has now become The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
To help and encourage voluntary organisations understand the award and the nomination process the Shropshire Lieutenancy will be holding three briefing sessions:
Thursday 11th May 2023 at 4pm – 5pm
Shrewsbury Room, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6ND
Tuesday 16th May 2023 at 10.30am – 11.30am
The Baptist Church, Water Lane, Newport, TF10 7LD
Tuesday 13th June 2023 at 7pm - 8pm
Via Zoom
They recommend attendance in person at one of the workshops (Newport or Shrewsbury) as this provides an opportunity for members of the Shropshire KAVS panel to look in more detail at the individual volunteer group’s eligibility; the zoom session is added to assist employed trustees who are unable to attend during the working day.
What the recipients say:
Joe Lockley, Director of Bright Star Boxing Academy said,
“Winning this award is absolutely amazing for all of the staff and volunteers at Bright Star, it’s great to see the impact we’re having is recognised nationally. ”
For further information and/or to book a place please email: shelley.davies@shropshire.gov.uk
Information can also be found on the KAVS website.
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Menopause Meet Up
Book here for 22 May 23
The Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System Health and Wellbeing Team would like to invite you to join them at their next Menopause Meet up, bringing women together to share their experiences of the menopause. Each event is held virtually via Teams and is an informal peer support group where people are free to contribute to the conversation or simply listen while others talk about their experiences.
If you work in Health or Social Care, whether through the NHS, Local Authority, voluntary sector or in a care home, this is for you and they would love to see you there.
You are welcome whether you’ve joined the group before, or are new to all things menopause. The topic at the May group is The Beginners Guide to Menopause so will be particularly relevant to you if you are just starting to go through perimenopause or menopause.
Offering support and information throughout this session will be Kate Trifunovic, Specialist Occupational Health Nurse, and Dr Melanie Thompson, GP Partner and Clinical Lead for Health & Wellbeing for STW ICS. Menopause Meet ups are here across the ICS in order to help women open up and feel more confident speaking about their experiences. They also help to banish any unhelpful myths, raise awareness of this important topic, and positively impact on your wellbeing.
See you there
Juliet
Juliet Doman, Health and Wellbeing Manager, STW ICS - Juliet.doman@nhs.net
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Third Sector Fundraising Summit
6-7 June 2023
Free Online Tickets
Join the Third Sector Fundraising Summit to understand how fundraising has had to evolve over the past year, and gain an overview of the current state of the landscape.
Find out what you can do to stand out in a saturated market and continue to provide a good service on stretched budgets. Explore how putting a spotlight on strong leadership, strategy and clear communication will help you and your organisation feel unified and connected to your donors.
Join in-person or virtually on 6-7 June and gain the insights and tools you need to boost your fundraising strategy. Online tickets are free and sessions are both live and recorded.
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Looking for Local Health-Related Events and Information?
Looking for health-related events and meetings local to your area? The VCSA recommends subscribing to the Community Connectors newsletter for all of the latest local event information, including classes, clubs and social groups that are related to health and wellbeing. You can subscribe by emailing l.woolcock@qube-oca.org.uk
Download the Community Connectors Leaflet for more information on what they are and how you can get involved in social prescribing in Shropshire.
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Trustee Needed: The 4 All Foundation
The 4 All Foundation are looking for a Treasurer to lead on the financial governance, working with the Chair to deliver the charity objectives and strategy.
The Trustee Board meets quarterly, either online or face to face. The board works closely with the Senior Management Team. 4 All Foundation is a charitable organisation delivering local and accessible opportunities throughout our communities in Shropshire.
The Foundation's vision is to help our communities develop and achieve through foundation programmes. Through the power of their community programmes, the 4 All Foundation provides practical and educational opportunities that aims to motivate and inspire individuals within our communities.
The foundation is specifically seeking someone who can take on a Treasurer role, reviewing financial and budget information as provided by the Senior Management Team
This role is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references. For further information, please email info@4allfoundation.co.uk
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Shropshire Food Poverty Alliance is recruiting!
Are you passionate about making a difference, making society fairer and working for an organisation that values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination?
Citizens Advice Shropshire are recruiting a coordinator for the Shropshire Food Poverty Alliance. This is a varied and exciting role with a mixture of community development and policy work, offering the post-holder opportunities for professional development.
They encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.
Shropshire Food Poverty Alliance Coordinator
Salary: £25,668 (pay award pending)
Contract: Full time 37 hours per week, 12 month fixed term.
Location: The successful applicant would be based in Shrewsbury office and must be able to work flexibly across the county when required.
Start: As soon as possible
Post may be subject to a DBS check.
SFPA is hosted by Citizens Advice Shropshire and further details and application form (no CVs) are available from their website.
Closing date: 5pm Wednesday 17th May 2023
Interviews: Wednesday 24th May 2023
(If interview date isn't convenient another may be arranged, depending on availability)
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Community Wellbeing Outreach Officers
Shropshire Council are recruiting two full time (37 hours per week) and one part time (18.5 hours per week) Community Wellbeing Outreach Officers to drive forward their ambition of supporting communities to be healthier and happier.
The post holders will play a key role in providing outreach support to local communities in Shropshire, building networks, and working with key stakeholders to ensure good access to local services and support. The post holders will need a range of skills to support individuals and communities, and to link into service planning.
For more information and to apply, visit the Shropshire Council Careers website.
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ART-efact – Oswestry’s Artist Residency 2023
Oswestry’s Cultural Consortium is delighted to announce an exciting new artist-in-residence program, ART-efact, that will be the centrepiece of Oswestry’s 2023 creative programme “Summer of Art”.
Four local artists will be selected to participate in ART-efact from June 2023 through to September 2023. The artists will have a unique opportunity to have paid time to work intimately with the collections and archives at Oswestry Town Museum or Oswestry Town Council.
They will work with local people to develop a body of work and ideas that brings alive Oswestry’s history, heritage and culture. ART-efact will culminate in an iconic group exhibition for the 2023 Heritage Open Days programme, themed “Creativity Unwrapped”.
During the residency, artists will have the opportunity to work in a supportive and collaborative environment with facilitator Holly Maries. They will also share their work with members of local cultural partners Qube and Designs in Mind, helping to improve access to Oswestry’s culture and improving community wellbeing.
Artists are expected to work the equivalent of 15 days over the course of the three months project in return for a fee of £2,835, with an additional material stipend of £500 for a Heritage Open Day Festival exhibition in September 2023.
How do I apply?
To apply for the ART-efact residency, artists should submit a CV, address, six images of their work, and a cover letter providing details about their practice, why they would like the opportunity to work with Oswestry Town Council archives or the Oswestry Town Museum (specifying which resource you would prefer to work with) and how it will benefit your own development.
Please also indicate if there is a particular subject matter you would like to research as a part of the residency, eg geology, social and industrial, decorative and ceramic, historical/heritage, LGBTQ, military, or a specified other.
We encourage applications from all communities and creative disciplines. Please send applications to artefactoswestry@gmail.com by end of Sunday 7 May 2023. Applicants must be 18 or over.
The funding for ART-efact has been provided by Arts Council England and Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ).
Social Media and Facebook links:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091440258847
Instagram: artefactoswestry
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Do you have a job or volunteer opportunity you would like us to promote? Please send your information to VCSAssembly@shropshire.gov.uk and we will include it in our next newsletter!
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Resilience and Sustainability Grants
Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin have been awarded funding to support non-profit clubs, groups and organisations delivering physical activities to improve resilience and sustainability.
For more information, email: communityhelp@energizestw.org.uk
You can also visit the Energize website to find out more about their other funding opportunities.
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Next Deadline for DCMS Youth Investment Fund Refurbishment Grants
Now open for its second round, the Refurbishment Grants stream offers grants of £10,000 to £150,000 for the renovation and expansion of youth facilities in England.
The lead organisation, responsible for managing the grant, must be one of the following:
- Local authority
- Registered or exempt charity
- Community Interest Company
- Community Benefit Society
- Uniformed Group
- Sports club
The building must be in an area identified as high priority based on a combination of youth need and low provision. An eligibility checker can be found on the Social Investment Business website.
Applicants must be working with children and young people, where the majority are aged 11 to 19 years. Where young people have a special educational need, funding may be granted up to the age of 25 years.
Funding can cover a mixture of capital, revenue and contingency costs. The revenue funding can make up 20% of the grant request and can cover delivery of the capital project and expansion of positive activities for young people.
Refurbishment Grants are for projects which do not require planning permission.
The deadline to apply is 12 May 2023. For more information and to apply, visit the Youth Investment Fund website.
Nationwide Building Society Now Accepting Applications
The Community Grants programme 2023 is now open, providing two-year grants of £10,000 to £60,000 in total to organisations working in the UK housing sector.
The funding is for local housing projects that will strengthen communities to support the most vulnerable by:
- Preventing people from losing their home.
- Helping people into a home.
- Supporting people to thrive within the home environment.
Applications are accepted from registered charitable organisations with a housing focus. To be eligible in 2023, charities must:
- Have been running for at least three years and provide evidence of three years of annual accounts.
- Have a £25,000 minimum average income over three years.
To make funding decisions, the UK is divided up into regions and applications are reviewed, discussed, and voted on by a regional Community Board made up of Nationwide members and colleagues who live and work in each region. There is a cap on applications to manage volumes and to preserve a success rate of approximately one in four. This means 25% of those who apply within each region will receive funding.
The grants can support a variety of costs associated with project development and delivery, capacity-building, small-scale capital costs and core costs (up to 20% of the amount requested).
The deadline to apply is 1pm on 26 May 2023. For more information and to apply, visit the Nationwide Building Society Community Grants website.
Green Spaces Community Fund Deadline Approaching
The Green Spaces Community Fund will provide £500,000 to support communities to enhance their local environments and encourage more people to make the most of their green spaces.
In this funding round, registered charities and eligible non-profit companies can apply for up to £10,000; unregistered community organisations can apply for up to £2,000. You can find out more about the fund on the Local Giving website, including a funding guide and the application questions - helping you make the best application possible.
They are accepting applications to the fund until 12th May 2023 when it closes.
Energy Redress Scheme Opens for Main and Small Project Grants
Registered charities in Great Britain can now apply for Energy Saving Trust’s Main and Small Project Grants Funds, which aim to:
- Support energy consumers in vulnerable situations.
- Deliver benefits to the types of consumers that were negatively impacted by the specific issues that triggered redress payments.
Funding is divided as follows:
- The Small Project Fund contains £500,000 in total and offers grants of between £20,000 and £49,999.
- The Main Project Fund contains £3 million in total and offers grants of between £50,000 and £300,000.
Organisations must be registered with the Energy Redress Scheme ahead of applying, which allows the Trust to check whether they are eligible.
Examples of the kind of activities that can be funded through the Energy Redress Scheme include:
- Engaging vulnerable customers with energy issues and referring them for support
- Delivering energy advice that does not duplicate existing advice services
- Installation of energy saving or renewable energy measures that cannot be funded elsewhere and/or are innovative or are being used in innovative ways
- In-home safety advice and measures related to energy systems
- Training and education on energy that is targeted at supporting vulnerable customers.
Grants can be used for capital or revenue funding and can provide up to 100% of the project cost. Projects lasting up to two years can be funded.
The deadline to apply is 5pm on 25 May 2023. For more information and to apply, visit the Energy Saving Trust website.
Energy Saving Trust's Carbon Emissions Reduction and Innovation Funds Now Open
The Carbon Emissions Reduction Fund and Innovation Fund make up part of Energy Saving Trust’s Energy Redress Scheme, and have the following aims:
- To support initiatives principally aimed at reducing the climate change impact associated with energy use, which relate to Ofgem’s regulated areas of energy generation, distribution, supply and use.
- To support projects that will develop innovative products or services to benefit households.
Applications are accepted from registered charities, Community Interest Companies, Community Benefit Societies and Cooperative Societies in England, Scotland and Wales that are registered with the Energy Redress Scheme and have passed the due diligence process.
The Carbon Emissions Reduction funding is for projects that:
- Can demonstrate measurable and lasting reductions in the carbon intensity of energy end use and accelerate the transition to net zero carbon dioxide emissions.
- Have a realistic prospect of delivering broadly replicable benefits to existing and/or future energy consumers.
The Innovation funding is for projects that:
- Support development of innovative energy products or services to benefit households.
- Help to reduce the environmental impact of energy use (or have minimal negative impact where the scheme is delivering significant social benefit).
Each fund has a pot of £750,000 and offers grants of £20,000 to £200,000 for projects lasting up to two years.
The deadline to apply is 25 May 2023 at 5pm. For more information and to apply, visit the Energy Saving Trust website.
Scops Arts Trust Reopens for Applications in 2023
Scops Art Trust is offering grants of up to £30,000 to registered charities, and other constituted, not-for-profit organisations, to deliver projects and activities that give people of all ages a better quality of life by enabling them to understand, participate in, and enjoy the arts, particularly the performing arts (music, drama, opera, and dance).
In 2023, the Trust is especially interested in supporting performing arts projects aimed at adults and projects which will benefit all ages across the generations. It is also keen to hear from organisations planning smaller regional festivals in areas where there is little arts provision, due to socio-economic circumstances or geographically remote locations.
While the Trust will continue to consider applications for music education projects for children and young people, priority will be given to projects this year that focus on adults and whole communities.
Most grants will be awarded for specific projects, but the Trust will also contribute towards the core costs of smaller organisations where a grant could make an impact.
Priority will be given to small-to-medium-sized organisations. Both one-off and multi-year grants will be considered.
There is a two-stage application process, wherein groups must complete an eligibility check before being invited to submit a Stage 1 application. Selected applicants will then be invited to complete a Stage 2 online application form.
The deadline for applications is 28 April 2023 (noon). For more information and to apply, visit the Scops Art Trust website.
Apply for Free Funding for Apprenticeships
Shropshire Council are offering small and medium sized businesses and other, non-levy paying organisations (such as VCSE organisations) the chance to apply for free training through apprenticeships.
It means that the council can help you to cover the cost of apprenticeship training, enabling you to take on and train new staff or boost the skills of your existing staff.
Applications are open until 5pm 24 December 2024 (as long as funds are still available).
This funding is available through a transfer process from the council's unused levies. Detailed guidance can be found on transferring unused apprenticeship funds to other employers on the Gov.uk website. Please read this guidance before you apply for the funding.
To apply, please download the application form, complete and return to apprenticeshiplevy@shropshire.gov.uk. Someone will confirm receipt of your application form within 5 working days.
Find out more by visiting the Upskill Shropshire page of the Shropshire Council website.
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Call for UK Shared Prosperity Funding Now Open
A new window for applications for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund opened this week. It will be for activity that delivers between July 2023 and March 2025.
This will focuses on 2 priorities: Supporting local businesses, and Community and Place
Under the Supporting Local Business priority, the council is seeking applications for projects from intermediary organisations to deliver support to businesses, for example through business support initiatives or grant programmes, i.e. one to many. It is not a call that will support individual grant requests from businesses for their own benefit.
Under the Community and Place priority, the council is once again seeking applications from intermediary organisations to deliver support, services, amenities or facilities to local communities. This could include community and place initiatives or grant programmes i.e. one to many.
Projects under this priority must deliver a positive impact on their community and the call will support applications that can clearly demonstrate this.
All projects under both calls must start within six months of 1st July 2023 and all outputs and outcomes must be delivered by 31st March 2025.
The minimum bid thresholds are £100,000 and £60,000 for activity relating to Supporting Local Business and Community & Place respectively.
Organisations have until Friday 12 May 2023 at 5pm to apply.
All prospective applicants are encouraged to refer to further details on how to apply, particularly the eligibility criteria. All the necessary documentation is available on the Invest in Shropshire website.
Cllr Dean Carroll, portfolio holder for Growth, Regeneration and Housing said:
“We are extremely excited to be able to offer Shropshire’s UKSPF funds through this open call for proposals and we are looking forward to being able support a range of projects and programmes that will have a true positive impact to all communities within the county”.
Further opportunities for applying for UKSPF funds will be announced in due course, including details on how the People and Skills elements of the funds will be delivered.
If you have any queries or wish to speak with a member of the team in more detail, please email ukspf@shropshire.gov.uk
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Don't forget to check out the VCSA's latest funding roundup, which is now available to view on our website, or you can click here to download a copy now.
Don't forget to check out our list of grants with rolling deadlines as well!
Don't see something on this list that should be here? Please contact us and let us know.
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To share your news with Shropshire Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly members and our partners email: VCSAssembly@shropshire.gov.uk
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