For more information, visit our website: www.starting-point.org.uk

Spring 2011

STARTINGPOINT Newsletter Number 14

The results are in...

The deadline for Starting Point users completing the Starting Point Customer Satisfaction Survey has now passed and the results are in! We had an excellent response and some very thought provoking comments on the services we offer. The comments and results will help us shape future services at Starting Point.

We want to share the survey results with you and have decided to hold a ‘Networking Event’ on Thursday 19th May 2011 from 4pm-7pm.

This will be OUR opportunity to share

the survey results with you and YOUR opportunity to network with groups at Starting Point, East Thames Staff and Starting Point Partners. The event will be an informal gathering but part of the evening will be an opportunity for you to ‘Speed Network’. This is a fun but informative way of meeting people in a short space of time, ensuring that you get the relevant information you need from particular people and / or organisations.

Official invitations will be on their way to you very soon...check those mailboxes to make sure you don’t miss out!

For more information, visit our website: www.starting-point.org.uk

Award season

Starting Point training programme

Starting Point and social media...

Well the Award Season is upon us and you will be pleased to know the Starting Point Team have been shortlisted for the Inside Housing ‘Housing Heroes’ Award.

We have been shortlisted under the category of ‘Groundbreaking Team of the Year’ which is a fantastic honour. The competition for the award will be fierce, however we know that Starting Point is an innovative project that has produced fantastic results and helped develop some amazing community groups and social enterprises so are feeling confident. The winner will be announced at an event due to be held on the 20th May 2011 and we look forward to bringing you positive news!

The deadline for submissions for the Barking and Dagenham Business Awards is 11th May 2011. There are a number of categories that groups can nominate themselves or another organisation for including the Community Involvement including Social Enterprise category and the Sole Trader / Micro Business or E Business category. Groups at Starting Point have had a lot of success with these awards and we can boast that we have had organisations win awards and come runner up in both categories.

Support for organisations wanting to enter the awards is available from Paul Bishop. You can contact him on 020 8724 8292 / paul.bishop@lbbd.gov.uk

More training available this quarter including a range of finance training for the new financial year and support surgeries run by local business development officers. We also plan to have a range of support sessions on recruiting, managing and retaining volunteers...keep an eye on our website for more details.

Go to www.startingpoint.org.uk > Community Support > Training Programmes

Social media is here to stay and Starting Point has been using Facebook and Twitter for a while now.

Search for Starting Point on Facebook or you can follow the laterst news on Twitter.

For more information, visit our website: www.starting-point.org.uk

Group Profile

Mini Mangoes has been set up by Marcia Griffiths for children aged 3 - 10 with the aim of raising awareness about healthy eating options whilst looking at foods from varied cultural groups. We do this in the form of workshops that we deliver to the local community centres, schools and nurseries. The workshops are inspiring and fun and aim to help young children understand how to recognise good healthy food options and celebrate cultural diversity in a fun way. The workshops are interactive with the children being a part of the workshops using video recordings, picture cards, pictures with Pearly pineapple, movement, music, art

and craft activities to develop their own healthy food plates. By using real fruits, this enhances and develops the skills needed in order to recognise these healthy options. We also attend parenting groups and offer our ideas on money saving ways to eat healthy. We want to motivate and encourage both parents and children to opt for healthier and new food choices with fun being the key element. For more information or to book a workshop please contact: Marcia Griffiths on 020 8502 6912 or visit our website to see more: www.minimangoes.co.uk

For more information, visit our website: www.starting-point.org.uk

in partnership withFor more information about Starting Point, contact:

Corrine HutchesonTel: 020 3288 2111Mob: 07943 827 987Email:mail@starting-point.org.uk

Nicola BrownTel: 020 3288 2100Email: nicola@starting-point.org.uk

16 Pickering RoadBarking, Essex

IG11 8PG

STARTING POINT