E-Bulletin

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

The Wellbeing Centre at 3-4 New Road, Chippenham is being launched with a free open evening on Thursday May 17^th from 6.30 to 8.30 pm. The Centre is a brand new project of CVS North Wilts, which aims to promote health and wellbeing in the voluntary and community sector through affordable complementary treatments and therapies. The theme of the open evening is ‘Emotional Rescue in First Aid and Crisis Situations’. There will be short talks, videos and demonstrations of homeopathic treatments and a self-help technique for stress release, called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Participants will also be offered the opportunity for a one-to-one discussion with practitioners. Light refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome, although numbers are limited for space and catering purposes, so please call Karen Scott by May 16^th on 01249 654089 if you would like to attend, or wish to find out more about the evening. The Wellbeing Centre now has a website: www.wellbeing-centre.org.uk.

The Doorway Project in Chippenham will be holding an Introduction to Volunteering day on Tuesday May 22^nd for anybody interested in volunteering for the project. We run a drop-in for homeless and marginalised adults twice a week and want to recruit cooks, cleaners and people to befriend our guests. To findout more about the project or to book a place at the Introduction to Volunteering day, please call 01249 445385 or email info@doorwayproject.org.uk.

The Doorway Project has a few places available to other voluntary organisations for our Active Listening Training Day to be held on Tuesday June 5^th at the Salvation Army Hall in Chippenham. The course is suitable for any staff or volunteers who wish to improve their listening skills and is presented in an informal and friendly way, by David Thompson who has many years’ experience in training and counselling. The cost of the day is £25 which includes a light lunch. For more information, please call Margaret Cleverley, Doorway Manager on 01249 445385 or email info@doorway.org.uk.

Do you need help with sourcing funders? Or advice on completing application forms? Our next Funding Advice Open Day will be on Tuesday 15th May. Mary Waters will be available all day to answer your questions. You can drop in on the day or call us on 01249 654089 to book a slot.

Voluntary Sector Forum - 15th May

The next Voluntary Sector Forum is to be held 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. The VSF is a place for the voluntary and community sector to have a stronger voice within the district. The VSF is where representatives from different voluntary and community organisations can meet to discuss the issues that affect the sector and network. As the voice of the voluntary and community sector, it feeds into the North Wiltshire Partnership and provides a concerted response when the views of the sector are sought. If you would like to book your place please email beth@cvsnw.org.uk.

Three New Non-executive Directors for Wiltshire Primary Care Trust

Three new non-executive directors have been appointed to the board of Wiltshire Primary Care Trust. Peter Lucas, Christine Reid and Elisabeth Woods have been appointed to serve as non-executives by the Appointments Commission with effect from 1 April 2007. The appointments have been made in accordance with the OPCA Code of Practice. The three join existing non-executive directors John Holden, Roger Newton, Brian Stables and David Stevens to bring a wide range of skills and experience to the PCT. Click here for the full press release.

New Director of Public Health for Wiltshire

Maggie Rae is to take up the post of Joint Director of Public Health at Wiltshire Primary Care Trust and Wiltshire County Council. Maggie is currently Head of Health Inequality and Local Delivery at the Department of Health. Maggie’s appointment, which followed a competitive recruitment process, comes at an exciting point in the development of public health services in Wiltshire. As Joint Director of Public Health, accountable to both the PCT and the County Council, Maggie will work closely with the Council’s Director of Children and Education and Director of Community Services. She will be responsible for promoting health and well-being for the people of Wiltshire, tackling health inequalities in the county and improving the quality of health care services, as part of Healthy Wiltshire, the cross-agency programme which aims to make Wiltshire the healthiest county in which to live by 2012. Click here for the full press release.

National Green Office Survey Launched

Green consortium Every Action Counts is calling on voluntary and community organisations to take part in a national web-based ‘green office’ questionnaire. The survey aims to measure the level of ‘green activity’ in the sector, focusing on the office environment and travel to and from work. The results of the survey will be used to help inform and publish a green office guide specifically targeted at the VCS. Every Action Counts is an initiative supported by Defra and delivered through a consortium of voluntary and community sector organisations. To see the survey, visit www.groundwork-surveys.org.uk/greenquestionnaire (taking part puts you in the running for a prize draw).

Changes to Charity Registration Rules

The rules about when charities must register with the Commission have changed. From 23 April 2007, charities with an annual income of £5,000 or less no longer have to register with the Charity Commission. Other registration changes came into force at the same time. Previously, any charity which had permanent endowment or occupied land was required to register whatever the level of their annual income. This no longer applies. All charities currently on the register will remain registered, regardless of whether their annual income exceeds £5,000 or not, unless they ask us to remove them from the register. The CC do not usually register any charity which is below the threshold for compulsory registration. Eventually, under changes in the Charities Act 2006, these small charities will have a right to register voluntarily but this right has not yet come into force. However it is recognised that some charities have a particular need to be registered and in the interim requests from these charities will be considered on a case by case basis. The right to voluntary registration is delayed so that other work which has resulted from the Act can be dealt with. It is not expected to come into force until changes to registration affecting excepted and exempt charities have been dealt with and is unlikely to happen before 2009. More details can be found here: ‘Registering a charity’.

Click here to download the latest pdf bulletin from the Care Services Improvement Partnership.

The TfC Workshops go from strength to strength with a total of just under 900 people trained in the new procurement and tender appraisal systems since July 2006. We now have pleasure in attaching our Summer Programme. In response to requests - we have added a new session which addresses how to challenge when problems and inconsistencies arise in the tendering process and procedures. We are pleased to offer a discount of 10% for paid bookings received from non-members before 4th May 2007. You can download the programme here, and booking form. Click here for our leaflet regarding in-house training for which we have some dates available towards the end of July, in early August and then from mid October onwards. These events are suitable for single organisations, or umbrella organisations for their members and represent excellent value for money. If you wish to discuss any aspect of the work of TfC, please do contact us, more information and details of Membership of the ONLY organisation which is dedicated to helping the voluntary, care, housing and support sectors to cope in the new procurement environment can be found on our website at www.tenderingforcare.com or telephone us at 01629 57501.