Government Funded Training Now Available For Volunteers

Until recently, government funding for training was only available for the people working in the commercial sector, but this has now been extended so that volunteers in any sector can access funding through the Train to Gain programme. Train to Gain provides funding for volunteers to complete an NVQ in a subject relevant to the work they do – all training takes place in the work place and there are no evening or weekend classes to attend. To be eligible for Train to Gain, volunteers must be 25 years or older and must not hold qualifications equivalent or above five GCSEs grade A-C.* There is no minimum limit to the number of hours worked by the individual and there is no need for a written agreement to be place between the organisation and the volunteer. If you or anyone you know is interested please contact The Learning and Skills Council on 0870 900 6800 or email info@lsc.gov.uk or visit the Train to Gain website at www.traintogain.gov.uk for more information.

Wiltshire ICT Survey

Community First and the Wiltshire and Swindon Infrastructure Consortium have been working with COSMIC to map current Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) support and needs of voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) within Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. This research will add value to existing consultation in this area and provide a basis on which proposals and funding bids can be developed. The research findings and proposals will also provide infrastructure organisations, as well as VCOs with a clearer understanding of the needs of the sector, and proposals to be considered in meeting the demand for ICT support and services. The research is funded by the ICT Hub and will feed into their aim to create a sustainable environment within which voluntary and community sector organisations can practically take steps to use and benefit from ICT, supported at a local level. Your participation in this work is highly valued. The findings of this research will not be shared with third party organisations and therefore no sales calls or email marketing will be sent to you as a result of completing this survey. We appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey – it will only take a couple of minutes. Please click this link to start the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=jxLKj_2fss8RVI39F_2fEEKDfA_3d_3d.  Please note this survey is only to be completed by Voluntary and Community Organisations.

Cash for Communities - NWDC Energy Efficiency Grants Scheme

This is a scheme that supports improvements to the energy efficiency of community buildings such as village halls, local charities and parish and town council buildings, which are used for community activity across the district.  As one of the Council’s partners the Severn Wye Energy Agency will provide specialist support and advice for the scheme. Up to 50 Community Facilities across the District will receive a specialist energy efficiency audit and funding to implement recommended improvements. Eligibility - Community Buildings across North Wiltshire including, Village Halls, Community Halls, Parish & Town Council Halls used by the community for activity, and Community facilities operated by local charities. Timescales - Step 1:  Applicants register their interest to receive a free energy audit. Completed Expression of Interest forms must be returned no later than Tuesday 6th May. Step 2:  Energy Audits will be carried out in May and June 2008. Step 3:  Applicants consider the recommendations of the audit and request funding from the Council to implementation of some recommendations of the audit. Requests for funding will need to be received by Friday 11th July. Step 4:  Awards will be determined by Members in July 2008. All improvements must be delivered by March 31st 2009. If you would like to request a paper copy of the Expression of Interest form please contact community@northwilts.gov.uk or phone (01249) 706 448.

WCC & Wiltshire PCT - Review of Working with the Voluntary & Community Centre

National Play Strategy Signals Bold New Approach to Children in Public
Play England has warmly welcomed Fair Play, the government’s consultation on a national play strategy launched today. The strategy, backed by funding of £235m (£10m more than announced in December), signifies the biggest ever policy commitment and investment in children’s play that England has ever seen. The strategy promotes an ethos which is at the heart of Play England’s messages: it will say that government wants ‘a variety of places for play, free of charge, supervised and unsupervised, in every residential area … and children and young people to have a clear stake in public space – their play to be accepted by their neighbours’. The investment, over three years, will benefit 3,500 play areas and 30 new, staffed adventure playgrounds across the country. This will be accompanied by a range of other measures, all to be pioneered by a wave of 30 Play Pathfinders  – local authorities awarded funding to develop new provision and embed child-friendly space within the plans and frameworks for their communities. For further information visit www.playengland.org.uk.
 

Chancellor Announces Package of Measures on Gift Aid

In his Budget 2008 speech, the Chancellor announced a series of measures to drive up levels of giving through Gift Aid. Following a  consultation launched by the Minister for the Third Sector and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in June 2007, the Government is implementing a package of measures including: * Transitional tax relief worth around £300 million. * Audit and record keeping reforms which allow charities to aggregate donations under £10 in Gift Aid claims up to a total of £500. * Guidance and support via a new Gift Aid web information service and development of a Gift Aid toolkit. www.direct.gov.uk/giftaid. * Support for small charities wanting to access the scheme. The 2008 Budget document also reinforces the Government’s commitment to see three year funding agreements with the third sector as the norm.