E-Bulletin

Welcome to the CVS North Wiltshire e-bulletin. To view the latest e-bulletin online click here.

Last chance to book your place on next weeks Voluntary Sector Forum. It's in Chippenham on Tuesday 15th May, 10am – 12noon at CVS North Wiltshire, 3-4 New Road (top floor), Chippenham. We will be hearing from guest speakers Sue REDMOND, Director of Community Services, who will give an update on her department’s work, and David ASHMORE, Chair of the North Wiltshire Partnership (LSP), who will talk about the work of the Partnership. If you would like to book your place please email beth@cvsnw.org.uk.

A new facility is being opened to support countless unsung helpers who dedicate their time and effort to serving their local communities. The Wellbeing Centre, based at the Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) in Chippenham, has been set up to give something back to those who give so freely to others. A small group of complementary health practitioners is offering low-cost treatments, or therapies, to people involved in voluntary and community work, whether as volunteers, committee members or paid workers. The Centre is being launched with a free open evening on Thursday, May 17, from 6.30 to 8.30 pm, at 3-4 New Road, Chippenham. The theme of the open evening is Emotional Rescue in First Aid and Crisis Situations. There will be short talks, videos and demonstrations of homeopathy and a self-help technique for stress release, called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Participants will also be given the opportunity for one-to-one discussions with practitioners. Light refreshments will be served. Click here to view the full story. To book your place at the launch, or find out more about the Wellbeing Centre, call Jess Wilks on 07712 797621 or Karen Scott on 07887 601844, visit the website www.wellbeing-centre.org.uk or email Karen@cvsnw.org.uk.

2007 Guidance from the Charity Commission on preparing accounts and annual reports are now available. The guidance includes information on preparing the accounts and annual report including legal requirements of the report. Specific reporting requirements for different types of charity. What determines the need for an audit or other external scrutiny? And publications providing further help with preparing accounts. Click here to download the guidance.

Doorway, the project for homeless and other adults with complex needs, has just published its latest newsletter which describes the work of the project on behalf of some of the most needy people in our community. To obtain a copy, please call Margaret Cleverley 01249 445385 or email info@doorwayproject.org.uk. Do you have a computer desk that could be donated to Doorway? They need a desk to accommodate a new worker and it should meet relevant health & safety guidelines. Please call 01249 445385 and speak to Margaret or Fiona.

The Charity Commission are currently consulting on draft guidance on public benefit. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has consistently called for a public benefit test that people can be confident in and can relate to. It must also work in practice for charities themselves. Therefore it is really important that charities take part in this consultation so that we get this right. We have produced a briefing, which summarises the legal position and the principles underpinning the public benefit requirement. For more information on NCVO’s work in this area please email belinda.pratten@ncvo-vol.org.uk.

The latest version of the CWLN newsletter is available to download here, it contains a variety of news updates, links to information, event promotion and funding news for the Children’s Voluntary Sector in the South West. This ‘edition’ has a mixture of events information and details of funding opportunities. For those who are interested, I’ve also included the NCVYS’ Strategic Information Service Bulletin’ for April.

"The V Spot" Official Newsletter of the Vulval Health Foundation

The Vulval Health Foundation promotes the wellbeing of women who experience any vulval condition. Click here to download the latest newsletter.

Springboard Sponsored Walk

Would you like to enjoy a lovely morning in the grounds of Bowood House on Sunday 10^th June and help raise funds for pre-school children with special needs? If you would like to help, 12 Marshals are needed for the Springboard 30^th Anniversary Sponsored Walk through the beautiful private woodland surrounding Bowood House. Marshals would be sitting in pairs at each station along the walk between 9am and 1pm to make sure that walkers keep to the path. Refreshments will be provided. If you would like to volunteer for the Springboard Sponsored Walk please contact Susan Mockler on 01666 577526 or e-mail susanmockler@aol.com.

Evaluation Trust Bursary Scheme for Small Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Organisations

The Evaluation Trust has launched a new Bursary Scheme funded by an Improving Reach grant from Capacity Builders. The Evaluation Trust promotes and delivers participatory evaluation as a tool for learning, organisational development and delivering effective outcomes to a wide range of voluntary and community sector organisations and organisations that fund and support the voluntary sector. We offer a customised service using consultants with local knowledge and ensure that our approach meets the specific needs of the organisation. Our models and methods are participatory and inclusive in that we place the needs and experiences of users at the heart of an organisation and work with all parts of an organisation, the users, management group, members, staff and volunteers. The new Bursary Scheme enables access to a range of services that will help your organisation to understand and use tools for evaluating effectiveness, to plan and manage change and to build reflection and learning into your work. The fund is aimed primarily at less well resourced groups and organisations in the South West and Bursaries will be awarded to: Black & minority ethnic groups, Refugee and migrant groups, Faith based groups and isolated rural groups. Click here for further information.

Effective Approaches to Managing Volunteers in your Organisation

A study day aimed at all those involved in working with or managing volunteers in their organisation. By the end of the course participants will have had the opportunity to: gain a greater understanding of an organisational model used to manage volunteers, explore approaches to the recruitment and selection, induction process and on-going training, and support mechanisms for volunteers, examine in depth key issues that can arise when working and/or managing volunteers and share and discuss experiences of working with volunteers with colleagues. The course takes place on Tuesday 10th July at Dorothy House. Click here for more details.

Wiltshire Pathways News Alert - Partnership Meeting 3rd July

Tuesday, 3^rd July 10.00am – 4pm in Devizes. Priorities for the Plan – a special Partnership Meeting. This is YOUR chance to be part of identifying what are the priority needs to which the Children and Young People’s Plan should respond. A new Children and Young People’s Plan for Wiltshire is being developed to come into effect in April 2008 and this is the first step. What issues affecting children & young people in Wiltshire concern you most? How do they affect outcomes for children & young people? Are there things that could be done to make a difference? And do they need to be done together under the Children & Young People’s Trust Board? And what is the balance between the effort and resources required and the likely impact on outcomes? You can have your say in exploring these issues by coming to this special day-long Partnership Meeting. If you would like a place at this Partnership Meeting, please let us know emailing tamsinstone@wiltshire.gov.uk. Places are limited. Further details will be sent to you once your place is reserved.

Office Space in Devizes?

Due to expansion, SWAN Advocacy urgently requires an office to rent in central Devizes for one year, initially. We need space for two desks, office equipment and preferably, though not exclusively, client meeting space. If necessary we will consider an office outside central Devizes. If you have a spare office or know of an organisation who may be interested in letting a room, please contact Jane Tait or Sam Blair on 01722 341851 or email us at mail@swanadvocacy.org.uk for further information.

The Fundraising Programme

The Fundraising Programme is the most comprehensive, in-depth, high quality training in its field and has helped thousands of organisations raise millions of pounds. Covering every aspect and type of fundraising, it represents a small investment which will increase your chances of raising funds. Below is a selection of forthcoming courses – there are many more. To view the current programme click here.

Wiltshire Primary Care Trust – Board Meeting in Public

Wiltshire Primary Care Trust’s Board will meet in public at 10am on Tuesday 15 May 2007. The meeting will take place in the conference room at: Wiltshire PCT Trust Headquarters, Southgate House, Devizes. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Questions from the public are welcome and should be submitted by midday on Monday 14 May 2007 to pat.cridland@wiltshire-pct.nhs.uk. To minimise postage costs, the agenda and board papers are available to view or for download from: http://www.wiltshirepct.nhs.uk (Click on ‘Boardroom’ on the left-hand menu.)