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E-Bulletin - 20/12/07

 

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

 

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

CVS North Wiltshire & Volunteer Centre North Wiltshire wish all our members and colleagues a very happy holiday season and a prosperous new year! The next e-bulletin will come out on Thursday 10th January 2008. If you would like something to go in the bulletin please send it to beth@cvsnw.org.uk by noon on Wednesday 9th January.

 

Crystal Healing and Reiki at the Wellbeing Centre

As an introductory offer, Mandy Knight is offering a 25% discount on all Crystal Healing and Reiki sessions booked before the end of January. For more information about this therapy click here.

 

Wiltshire Equality Action Plan Consultation

Wiltshire County Council (WCC) is inviting WCC employees, service users, partners and the people of Wiltshire to comment on WCC’s progress in implementing and updating its equality action plans. You can participate by sending us your comments on the relevant section of the consultation document (click here to download) or by completing an online questionnaire at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/equality-action-plan-consultation.htm by 29 February 2008. We realise that some people prefer to receive a hard copy and we are happy to supply this when requested. If you would prefer to receive hard copies through the post, please email HelenRandell@wiltshire.gov.uk with the number of copies you require and the address to which you wish them to be sent and we will gladly send them to you.  (Please also let us know if you require any large print copies.)

 

December Issue - Wiltshire Community Web Newsletter

The latest issue of the Wiltshire Community Web Online Newsletter has now been uploaded. These newsletters provide information on Training Events, Hints and Tips on using WCW and Spotlight on a Wiltshire Community Web Site. Further information and the newsletter can be found here: http://www.northwilts-communityweb.com/site/WCW-Newsletters/index.htm.

 

Volunteer Genie - Use the Power of Media to Recruit Volunteers

6.4 million people in the UK would like to volunteer. 15% of them say they just haven't heard about how they can get involved*. So how can you reach these people and inspire them to get active? Find out what motivates people to volunteer, Discover which media campaigns catch people's attention, Free guides to help you devise your own media strategy, Get top tips on working with journalists and reporters, Find out how to engage volunteers in the new media world and prove that your volunteer recruitment campaign worked. www.volunteergenie.org.uk.

 

Save Xmas Presentation

North Wiltshire Citizens Advice Bureau are offering a free presentation for local residents and frontline workers in the area. When Farepak, a Christmas hamper and voucher company, collapsed in late 2006 many people lost their Christmas savings. Over 122,000 people lost an average of £400 each. North Wiltshire CAB have received some funding from the Office of Fair Trading to help people to understand short term savings options and make choices that are right for them. The aim of the 2-hour session is to help people decide how to save for Christmas and other events by helping them to: identify the different ways to save for Christmas, understand the risks of different ways of saving, know where to go for more help or information. The presentation is interesting, lively and interactive with a film and a question and answer session. We can arrange a venue that is convenient for your staff and service users. To book a presentation for your group please contact: Barbara Oatley tel. 01249 443054 or email boatley@northwiltscab.org.uk.

 

Good Practice Bank Doubles in Size

The Good Practice Bank, the Volunteering Hub's online one stop shop for all volunteering matters, doubled in size. The Good Practice Bank contains helpful overviews and articles on a range of volunteer management topics from recruitment to expenses and from screening to retention. It also hosts documents used by real organisations, such as interview guides, induction checklists, and role descriptions.   The Bank can also help you to develop policies or procedures to support your volunteer programme, as it features example volunteer policies, sample problem solving procedures and template forms. Recent additions to the Good Practice Bank include sections on: Sport volunteering, Public sector volunteering, Youth volunteering, Supported volunteering and Legal issues. Volunteer managers and Volunteer Centres are invited to contribute their own examples of good practice to the Good Practice Bank and link to other websites that offer useful resources from which the whole sector can learn. To browse the Good Practice Bank or contribute your own examples, visit www.volunteering.org.uk/goodpractice.

 

Mental Health Act

Kim Holmes, Training Officer from WCC and SWAN will be holding a session at Bridge House, Trowbridge to give a presentation to voluntary organisations on the Mental Capacity Act and the work that SWAN have been commissioned to do as IMCA’s for the county. It is on Tuesday 29th January 10 – 12.30 pm. For more information contact Geraldine Bentley on lifestyles@vaww.org.uk.

Save Energy and Save Money, Invite an Energy Advisor to Come and Talk to Your Group!
Would you like a trained home energy advisor to come and talk to you your group about saving energy and money in the home? Wiltshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre is based at the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and offers free impartial advice on saving energy. Our aim is to reduce carbon emissions to help mitigate against climate change whilst saving you money and making your home more comfortable to live in. We would also be happy to submit articles to provide information to your users in group newsletters. For more information please contact Sarah Marshall on the freephone advice line 0800 512012.

Local Child Protection Training from Barnardos TLC

This introductory one day course will provide you with the knowledge you need to make your work place safe for children and young people. It offers a new and engaging approach to child protection, with practical examples and ‘what if?’ scenarios, large and small group work as well as space for individual reflection, catering for a variety of learning styles. All activities will be set against a background of safeguarding legislation, policy and procedure and all the training will be delivered in line with the new CWDC induction standards. For a short time only we are able to offer this course at just £35 per person per day. Click here for more information and a booking form.

 

Compact Review Plans 'Could Stall Progress'

Plans for updating sections of the Compact will hold up progress on compliance, the Compact Commission has been warned. A plan to review the agreement – which governs relations between the sector and government – was approved at the Compact annual general meeting in London last week. But Compact Voice, the body that looks out for the interests of the voluntary sector in matters relating to the Compact, said revising the agreement would cause progress to slow. “We have never turned away a voluntary sector organisation because the Compact is not relevant to their situation,” said Saskia Daggett, Compact manager at Compact Voice, speaking after the meeting. “If we stall it by rewriting it, that will hold us up. The Compact covers everything, it’s just that people don’t know how to use it.” Click here to read on...

 

Voscur 2008 Training and Learning Programme

Voscur is a Council for Voluntary Service working in Bristol. The Voscur Training Programme will help your organisation get the job done! We provide low cost, high quality training to enable you to gain the skills to help you run your organisation with more confidence. Our training is accessible and we can offer bursary placements for low income organisations.  Courses include; Developing a Fundraising Strategy, Making a Winning Application to the Big Lottery Fund, Financial Management, Full Cost Recovery and much more. All courses take place in Bristol, and some are free! Click here to find out more.

 

Adapt to the Web or Lose Donors, Voluntary Sector Warned

Voluntary organisations must adapt to the increasing trend of online giving or risk losing potential donors, according to NCVO's ICT Foresight Report. The research report says that information technology has not increased the amount given to charities each year, but it is changing the way people give – and handing control of giving methods to the donor. There is a rising expectation that fundraising will be done online, which allows potential donors to control the information they receive and to give on their own terms without being asked, it says. Read on...
 

Accessible Websites

As our use of the Internet continues to grow and our opportunities for leisure, employment, communication and learning increasingly involve web sites, web accessibility has become a crucial issue. It is a legal responsibility to ensure that everyone can use the services you provide, particularly people with disabilities. More than 60% of all computer users benefit from small adjustments to the standard computer set up or by using low cost adapted or technology. Click here to read on...

 

Islamic Awareness course - Swindon 2008

Introduction to Islam & the Muslim Culture Course including Mosque visit. Following the great success of our courses over the past few years (over 8000 people have now attended in the UK & Ireland), we are pleased to announce our course schedule for 2008. Click here for course information along with a booking form should you wish to take up this great opportunity! It would also be very much appreciated if you could circulate this information amongst your staff and colleagues. The course is specifically designed for Non-Muslim public sector professionals who work with Muslims from diverse communities. It incorporates a visit to a local mosque and aims to provide participants with: A better understanding of basic beliefs & practices, Information regarding the background to Muslims in Britain and Public Sector Development issues for Muslim Communities.

 

 

 

 

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