DEVELOP E-Bulletin

The top section of this bulletin gives you news, information and updates relevant to the voluntary & community sector in general, if you would like to view news and information from your local area please either scroll down to the bottom or click on the relevant link:

Many of you will know us as DEVELOP, we are a charity setup to support voluntary and community organisations, DEVELOP previously worked throughout Bath & North East Somerset and North Wiltshire, now DEVELOP is also providing a service across the whole of Wiltshire, this service is know as GROW: GROW Enhancing Community Support (GROW) is charitable service that has been newly commissioned by Wiltshire Council. GROW offers support & information to voluntary organisations and community groups across Wiltshire. Our services are designed to help voluntary organisations deliver services more effectively and support your long-term development and sustainability. Most of our services are FREE to local groups. GROW is a partnership between two local charities: DEVELOP Enhancing Community Support & Voluntary Action Kennet, funded by Wiltshire Council for the benefit of Wiltshire communities. For our B&NES groups, you'll continue to know us as DEVELOP, for all our Wiltshire groups we hope you'll get to know us as GROW, still providing the same great range of services to the voluntary and community sector! Check out our websites for more information www.developecs.org.uk or www.growwiltshire.org.uk, if you love new style websites be one of the first to check out the new site we're developing to combine DEVELOP and GROW into one web presence: www.developecs.ning.com, come and say hi to our team online!

Grow has put together an exciting selection of training courses and hot topics in response to the requests we have received from you over the past couple of months! Places on these courses are limited so click on a link to book now for Business Planning, and Promoting your organisation effectively.

Skinners' Company Lady Neville Charity
The Lady Neville Charity offers one-off grants of up to £1,000 to small registered charities and not-for-profit organisations. The priority areas are disability, local heritage, local community, and performing and visual arts. Next deadline: 15 September.

New Guide to UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Commission seeks assurance from Government that the treaty will be fully implemented. A new guide to the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons (UNCRDP) has been published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The Commission's guide will help disabled people to know what their rights are and how to use them. It will help people to challenge injustices and improve services for themselves and others and will help organisations understand what their responsibilities are. The Convention, which was signed by the UK Government last year, sets out disabled peoples basic rights in one place. It covers health, education, employment, access to justice, personal security, independent living and access to information. The UN convention also describes what the Government has agreed to do to make these rights real. It has until next July to report back to the UN on its progress on this agreement. The Commission's guide also sets out how organisations can report to the UN. Mike Smith, Chair of the Commission's Disability Committee, said: 'The UK signed up to this treaty just over a year ago and we will continue to work with the government to make sure that it is implemented fully'. 'The Convention is not just a paper "declaration" without any teeth. It requires government to take action to remove barriers and give disabled people real freedom, dignity and equality. We can use it in lots of different ways to make sure our rights are respected and to get a better deal'. 'Our role is to ensure Britain makes rapid progress towards making the Convention rights a reality for disabled people. You and your organisation can get involved in telling people about these rights. The more people who know what the Convention says, the more likely it is that disabled people will be treated fairly.' The guide can be viewed online and copies of the guide downloaded. Printed copies of the guide can also be ordered via the Commission's helpline, Telephone: 08456 046 610 or Textphone: 08456 046 620.

Community Sector Trading - Free Course on Trading to Create New Income Streams

The Development Trusts Association is now accepting expressions of interest to participate on our Community Sector Trading course starting in October. Community Sector Trading is a free course that offers practical learning based on real experience of the ‘nuts and bolts’ of running a business in the community. It is delivered through a mix of face-to-face and live online sessions that aim to help participants understand how voluntary and community organisations can develop their trading activities. Community Sector Trading is funded by CapacityBuilders’ Income Generation strand led by ACEVO. More information can be found on the website: www.communityst.co.uk.

NCVO has re-vamped and re-branded the enterprise course and will be running the sparkly new workshop on 16th September, here at NCVO. It’s called Grow Your Own…Income and is aimed at organisations that have a trading idea but don’t know what to do next. I’ve been involved with the re-vamp and can testify that the day should be fun as well as informative, getting you through all the legal jargon and technical know-how with games and activities. And the day is accompanied by a free copy of our publication ‘The Good Guide to Trading’. Find out more about the day and book here.

NCVO has launched a new online tool helping organisations to work out which legal form is right for them. Especially relevant for those who are thinking of starting up a new initiative such as a trading arm, the website is really easy to use. http://www.getlegal.org.uk/. SFP, in partnership with Hempsons Solicitors, have also produced a new tool helping those who are thinking of starting trading to choose the right legal form. Unlike Get Legal (above) it is a paper-based tool that you can print out from our website and use with the groups you are supporting. Download the tool from the SFP Tools Page or get the PDF directly Trading: Choosing the Right Legal Form (PDF 605kb).

Tax-effective Giving
The Institute of Fundraising's new look Tax-effective Giving microsite offers comprehensive information about all forms of tax-effective giving. It is aimed at everyone involved in charitable giving: charities, fundraisers and donors alike.

Leche Trust
The Leche Trust offers grants for any object or purpose which is recognised as charitable, in particular for education and academic research and the preservation of rural England. Next deadline: 20 December.

Communities Assets Enterprise 2010 - Inspiring places: the art of the possible

This year’s Development Trusts Association National Conference is on 12-14 September 2010, The Quad and Assembly Rooms, Derby. www.dta.org.uk/conference. The event will showcase community enterprise best practice found in communities across the UK and internationally. The DTA conference is the largest community enterprise event in the calendar, attracting 500 delegates from the fields of community enterprise, social enterprise the wider third sector, local and national government, academia and the private sector. Once again, an exciting line-up of plenary speakers, workshops, visits to local community enterprises, networking opportunities and much more is planned. For more information, please visit www.dta.org.uk/conference or contact our bookings team on 01633 411 732 or by email at: dta@eesolutons.co.uk.

Grow is a partnership between DEVELOP & VAK promoting and supporting the development of a thriving voluntary & community sector www.growwiltshire.org.uk

Develop Enhancing Community Support Limited is a Company Limited By Guarantee registered in England and Wales 01986363. Registered Office is the Chippenham address above. Registered Charity 1096008.

Develop Enhancing Community Support is a member of the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA).

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