Shirley Burns (President ), Jean Wild (Chairman) and Ruth Taylor (Secretary) from Clarendon Out and About Club

celebrate the organisation’s 40th anniversary

June 2010

The HUB Lancaster District Community and Voluntary Solutions

Lancaster District CVS exists to support local voluntary groups, to encourage them to work together, to provide a link between voluntary and statutory bodies and to

find ways of meeting unmet needs by voluntary action.

CVS Staff

Jane Attfield Ext. 27 Voluntary Sector Development Worker email: janeattfield@lancastercvs.org.uk

Hannah Bland Ext. 26 Voluntary Sector Development Worker email: hannahbland@lancastercvs.org.uk

Kevin Goodall Ext. 24 Information & Publications Officer email: kevingoodall@lancastercvs.org.uk

Penny Darby Ext. 32 Funding Officer email: pennydarby@lancastercvs.org.uk

Friendship Centre

Alys Jenkins Friendship Centre Development Worker email: alysjenkins@lancastercvs.org.uk

Jon Rigby Ext. 20 Chief Officer email: jonrigby@lancastercvs.org.uk

Bill Livesey Ext. 28 Deputy Chief Officer email: billlivesey@lancastercvs.org.uk

Jane Dutton Ext. 20 Office Manager email: janedutton@lancastercvs.org.uk

June Ellis Ext. 25 Finance Officer email: juneellis@lancastercvs.org.uk

Community Learning Network

Debra Hughes CLN Project/Admin Assistant email: debrahughes@cln-lancaster.org.uk

www.lancastercvs.org.uk mail@lancastercvs.org.uk

Trinity Community Centre Middle Street

Lancaster LA1 1JZ

01524 555900

Charity Registration (England & Wales) Number 1127626 Company Registration (England & Wales) Number 6743623

Registered office as above

Projects hosted by Lancaster District CVS

Contents

Lancashire Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (LACVS) is the collaborative body formed in 2007 to enable the sub-region’s eight local, independent CVS to strengthen their support for voluntary, community and faith (VCF) organisations. The eight CVS have memberships and networks of local VCF groups which reach out to more than 4,000 groups across the sub-region, which range from small informal community and voluntary groups to larger, staffed service providers serving diverse communities across rural and urban areas. LACVS’s collaborative work currently involves representing the VCF sector on regional bodies like Lancashire Partnership and joint work including the administration of Volunteering Lancashire, also managing and providing support at local level for the Lancashire Community Foundation Grassroots Grants’ scheme.

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Contacts Contents What a Coalition Government Means for the Voluntary Sector Vetting and Barring Scheme Registration Halted Volunteer Awards Funding Opportunities Clarendon Out and About Club Association of Charity Independent Examiners Training & Events Trustee Recruitment If you would like a profile of an organisation or individual, a feature on a

current project or any other information that might be of interest to the members of Lancaster District CVS, call Kevin Goodall on (01524) 555900 extension 24 or email

kevingoodall@lancastercvs.org.uk.

Deadline for articles to include in the September issue of the Hub: Monday 2nd August 2010

Funded by

Members of

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What a Coalition Government

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The recent hung parliament resulted in the first coalition government for more than 70 years. In the Lancaster District, the Conservative Party won both seats – Eric Ollerenshaw OBE in the Lancaster & Fleetwood constituency and David Morris in the Morecambe & Lunesdale constituency. Prior to the election, the Conservative’s announced their ‘Big Society’ plan, a number of policies which sought to give power to neighbourhood groups and boost social action. As a result of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition, Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy, Nick Clegg, have since announced their revised plan to implement the programme. However, Labour have warned that the idea could result in "do-it-yourself" services.

Policies of particular interest to the sector include the setting up of a Big Society Bank which will provide new finance for neighbourhood groups, charities and social enterprises; training a new generation of community organisers and supporting the creation of neighbourhood groups across the UK, especially in the most deprived areas; and a range of measures to encourage volunteering and involvement in social action, including launching a national day to celebrate and encourage social action, and making regular community service an element of civil service staff appraisals. One policy to restrict the National Lottery distributors’ administration costs to 5% has been criticised by the Directory of Social Change (DSC) as the Big Lottery Fund (BLF), responsible for distributing half of the ‘Good Causes’ money raised, currently spends 8% on administration. A DSC spokesman claimed "Other distributors give big, single grants. The BLF gives thousands of tiny grants – and that's the role it should be playing. Providing lots of small funds requires more administration". The government also plans to reduce the amount of National Lottery income awarded to the BLF from 50 per cent to 40 per cent over two years. But a spokeswoman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the voluntary sector would actually receive more funding after 2012 because Olympic funding would stop. Responsible for implementing the ‘Big Society’ is Conservative Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, the minister responsible for charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations. He said “We are committed to bringing a clear vision to the sector that will

The cover of the ‘Big Society’ document

Means for the Voluntary Sector

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mean charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations are easier to run and not overwhelmed by interference and bureaucracy” and announced that Government policy will focus on three fundamental issues: • Making it easier to run a charity, social

enterprise or voluntary organisation • Getting more resources into the sector: strengthening its independence and resilience • Making it easier for sector organisations to work with the State The Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the umbrella body for the voluntary sector that represents and supports almost half the voluntary sector workforce in England, Stuart Etherington responded to the new government with the following statement. "We particularly welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to the Big Society. We look forward to helping him refine that vision and clearly set out the role our organisations can play within it. It will be imperative that our sector works together to create an environment in which

voluntary organisations can thrive. For this reason, I have invited sector leaders to a summit meeting to look at what the new government will mean for the people and communities we work with and for. We recognise that these are difficult economic times and the government will have to make some tough decisions. However, it is important that spending plans recognise the role that voluntary and community organisations play across many policy areas and that they are properly supported to play those roles, not because of who they are, but because of the real difference they make to the lives of individuals and communities."

Nick Hurd, the new Minister for Civil Society

Vetting and Barring Scheme Registration Halted Registration with the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS), which was due to begin on Monday 26th July, will be halted to allow the government to remodel the scheme back to “proportionate, common sense levels”. The VBS aimed to protect children and vulnerable adults by stopping those who pose a known risk from working with them. It is thought about nine million people working with children and vulnerable adults would have had to register for the scheme, covering staff in education and health services but also many other volunteers and charity groups. In its original version, the database would have covered one in four of the adult population. The Independent Safeguarding Authority, which was set to run this database, will continue to make decisions about barring inappropriate people from jobs. It will also maintain the separate lists of people barred from working with children and vulnerable adults. The existing requirements for criminal record checks will continue to apply. It will also remain a criminal offence for barred individuals to apply to work with children or vulnerable adults. Theresa May, Home Secretary, said “The safety of children and vulnerable adults is of paramount importance to the new government. However it is also vital that we take a measured approach in these matters. We’ve listened to the criticisms and will respond with a scheme that has been fundamentally remodelled. Vulnerable groups must be properly protected in a way that is proportionate and sensible. This redrawing of the vetting and barring scheme will ensure this happens.”

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The North West Safe Network

The Lancaster District Voluntary Sector Forum will feature a talk from the Safe Network, which is jointly managed by the NSPCC and Children England. Pauline Ruth, Regional Development Manager, will provide an introduction to the network and the latest news about the Vetting And Barring Scheme. For more information, see ‘Training and Events’ on page 15.

Volunteer Achievement Awards 2010

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Lancaster District CVS was delighted to host the 2010 Volunteer Achievement Awards on Monday 14th June at the Hexagon Theatre, Lancaster and Morecambe College. This was a unique opportunity to celebrate the hard work and dedication shown by volunteers in the Lancaster District, with nominations from over 70 local voluntary and community groups and over 120 individuals attending on the night. All nominated volunteers received Certificates of Achievement from Alan Donkin MBE, County Director of Lancashire Association of Clubs for Young People. There were two winners in the Volunteer of the Year 2010 category; Maureen Richardson from Halton Community Association and Chris Stansfield from Child and Adult Therapeutic Services (CCATS). The Young Volunteer of the Year 2010, running for its second year, was awarded to Natasha Walker from The Marsh Community Centre. Hannah Bland from Lancaster District CVS said that “Over thirteen thousand volunteers contribute over 700,000 hours of their time every year within the Lancaster District. The panel felt that all three winners were worthy ambassadors for volunteering and fantastic role models to local people, offering their time to support these organisations and the wider community in a variety of ways; through frontline work with families and young people and through fundraising activities.” Special thanks go to Alan Donkin for his valued contribution and staff at Lancaster and Morecambe College. Lancaster District CVS would also like to thank all of the volunteers who attended, and who made the event such an enjoyable success. Organised annually by Lancaster District CVS, this is the only event of its kind in the District. If you would be interested in supporting local volunteers by sponsoring future events please email hannahbland@lancastercvs.org.uk or telephone (01524) 555900.

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Age Concern Lancashire Keith Dixon, Elizabeth Edge, Bill Hudson, Stacey Livesey, Christina Ryan, Barrie Sylvester, Don Walmsley Ashton Hall Organ Restoration Project Colin Parsons Bolton-le-Sands Village Hall Geoff Forrest The Friendship Centre Dorothy Anderson, Carole Rodgers, Edna Williams Furniture Matters Nick Clare, Mike Conroy, Brian Ducie, Tony Griffin, Gerlad Hodson, Andrew McClinton, Edith Pitt, Lee Ramsey Help Direct Jade Collingwood, Peter Kelly, Trish Lonsdale, Julie McGowan, Amy Parker, Moira Parker, Elizabeth Shore Heysham Free Methodist Church Charis Dutton Hua Xian Chinese Society Si Chen, Elizabeth Clack, Dipika Vaidya Lancashire Association of Clubs for Young People Lynne Donkin Lancaster CAB Guosheng Zhang

Lancaster District CVS Charis Dutton, Guosheng Zhang Lancaster District Homeless Action Natalie Atkinson, Alan Kenny, David Turner, Neil Wright Making Space Patricia Leyland The Marsh Community Centre Jon Vaastra More Music Gordon Chapman-Fox Morecambe and District Junior Anglers Diane Taylor Olive Tree Ministries Amanda Cryer One Voice Disability Information Service Annie Radcliffe, Annie Rowan, John Speak The Ridge Community Centre Paul Ward St. John’s Hospice Pat Hoyle Thumbprint Natalie Jones Volunteer Service, Lancashire County Council Jon Sharples

Volunteer of the Year Nominations 2010

Joint winners of the 2010 Volunteer of the Year Award Chris Stansfield and Maureen Richardson (pictured left). Nominees collect their certificates from Alan Donkin MBE (above left and right).

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Age Concern Lancashire Ashton Hall Organ Restoration Project E2E, LMC, Help Direct Furniture Matters Global Link Halton Community Association Heysham Heritage Association Homestart Lancaster and Morecambe Hornby Helpline, Help Direct Hua Xian Chinese Society Lancashire Association of Clubs for Young People Lancaster and District Women’s Aid

Millhead Bowling Club Morecambe and District Junior Anglers The Olive Branch Polish Saturday School The Rainbow Centre Ridge Community Centre Rural Lunch Club, Age Concern Lancashire St. John’s Hospice St. Martin’s Open Door Community Café and Drop-in Signposts Thumbprint Torrisholme Cricket Club

Morecambe and District Junior Anglers Liam Ellershaw Polish Saturday School Inka Roszkowska

Lancaster Boys and Girls Club Louise Sweeney Help Direct Amy Ellison

Young Volunteer of the Year Nominations 2010

Group Nominations 2010

2010 Young Volunteer of the Year Award winner Natasha Walker (pictured right) with the 2009 winner of the award Shaun Ferguson.

Clarendon Out and About Club

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One of the District’s longest running organisations, Clarendon Out and About Club, recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary. The club was established by Shirley Burns, the then proprietor of the Clarendon Hotel in Morecambe and now local councillor, after a suggestion from a retired bank manager who found himself at a loose end at weekends. The anniversary event, held on Saturday 27th March 2010, featured a “hilarious” talk from Ian Dewhirst MBE, Yorkshire historian and former reference librarian. The members of the group enjoyed a three course meal, and were each presented with a hand made bookmark to commemorate the occasion. The President of the group, Shirley Burns, was presented with a bouquet of flowers and Ruth Taylor, Secretary, said “Without Shirley, we wouldn’t have met and made friends over the years”. Ruth was presented with a CD player for her eight years service as Secretary of the group, and is credited by many for the group still going strong after so many years. The club gathers on a monthly basis. The evening usually consists of a meal, followed by a speaker and time for members to socialise. As well as the monthly meetings, members regularly go on day trips. The club has one unwritten rule – members have to call each other by their first names! This is because many people are used to being called Mr/Mrs or Nan/Grandad on a daily basis, but Clarendon Out and About Club is an informal social gathering. If you or anyone else you know is interested in joining, Clarendon Out and About Club is open to local people (couples and singles) aged 55 and over and meets on the first Saturday of each month at the Clarendon Hotel on Morecambe promenade, contact Ruth Taylor, Secretary, on (01524) 416793.

Members of Clarendon Out and About Club enjoying their 40th anniversary celebration

Charities can spend more of their time and money on good causes, and rather less on preparing for audit. That’s the basic rationale behind ACIE – the Association of Charity Independent Examiners – a UK wide membership organisation that relocated to Lancaster at the end of last year. Led by Fiona Gordon (a name that should be familiar to Hub readers from previous years – a former Chief Officer of Lancaster District CVS), ACIE assists people who act as Independent Examiners through running training courses, national conferences, providing guidance and updates on legislative changes, and offering a recognised professional qualification. So, what exactly is Independent Examination (IE)? Essentially, it is a lower cost alternative to an audit on the end of year accounts for those charities which are eligible, running a check that the funds that have been received have been spent appropriately. Anyone involved with a charity (incorporated or not) who wants to see whether it is eligible for an IE can find explanations of the various criteria (related to income, assets, geography, year end dates, governing documents, funders requirements) at the ACIE website: www.acie.org.uk. Can anyone be an Independent Examiner? Even though it is less stringent than an audit, the requirements of an IE are still laid down by the law, and the Trustees of a charity need to satisfy themselves that the person they appoint as an examiner to their charity is suitably experienced and knowledgeable. Creating a resource of people available to act as examiners was the reason for the creation of ACIE 11 years ago, a move that has consistently had the support of the Charity Commission (and OSCR, in Scotland), to the extent that the Commission’s Chief Executive Andrew Hind will once again be a speaker at the ACIE 2010 Conference and AGM, at the Business Design Centre in London on 25 June. There was a hope that ACIE’s new patron, Vince Cable MP, would be in attendance on the day as well, but word is he may have a few other pressing matters to attend to… If you would like any further information, ACIE can be contacted by telephone (01524) 348920 or email info@acie.org.uk.

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Community Grants The Lancaster District Local Strategic Partnership (LDLSP) has agreed to fund Community Grants for a further two years. Community Grants is a small grant scheme designed to assist groups in Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding rural areas to undertake small projects that enable local people to take part in community activities. The fund has been given to the LDLSP by Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council, to spend on projects which deliver the district’s Community Strategy. It is being run on behalf of the LDLSP by Lancaster District CVS. There will be £25,000 to distribute this year and a further £25,000 next year. Voluntary and Community groups will be able to apply for up to £2,000 to: 1. Improve community cohesion, a sense of belonging and taking part, by promoting

positive relationships between communities and groups in the Lancaster District 2. Increase the capacity of your group to enable you to strengthen community

involvement; provide a service, or act as advocates for your local community 3. Enable older people within Lancaster District to continue to contribute to all aspects

of life and to receive appropriate support when needed 4. Provide guidance and support to Carers in the District Deadlines for applications in 2010: Friday 16th July & Tuesday 30th November. Applications forms will be posted on the Lancaster District CVS website: www.lancastercvs.org.uk/funding and available via email: pennydarby@lancastercvs.org.uk. To find out more about the criteria and if your organisations could apply email janeattfield@lancastercvs.org.uk or hannahbland@lancastercvs.org.uk at Lancaster District CVS or call (01524) 555900.

Nat Merriman Trust Lancaster District CVS is very pleased to announce that the Nat Merriman Trust, a fund to enable young people to widen their experience and appreciation of the creative and performing arts which has been running since 1996, will soon be one of the funding opportunities administered by Lancaster District CVS. Full information about the fund is expected to be announced in the Autumn, and an article giving further details will be in the September edition of The Hub. For all the latest funding information, see www.lancastercvs.org.uk/funding.

Bevington’s Catering

♦ Quality Cuisine from Buffets to Banquets ♦ Any event – social or corporate ♦ All dietary requirements catered for, vegetarian, vegan and organic food a speciality ♦ All food home made and locally sourced ♦ Sample menus available ♦ References provided

Katherine Bevington Telephone: (01524) 37858 Mobile: 07825 578294 www.bevingtonscatering.com Email: bevingtonscatering@hotmail.co.uk

Halton Carbon Positive, a joint project between Halton Community Association, Lancaster Co-housing and LESS, will receive £5,000 after winning the Lancaster District round of Lancashire County Council’s ‘Give It A Go’ challenge, a competition to reward ideas that will benefit local communities. If it is decided that the Halton Carbon Positive project is the best idea in Lancashire it will receive a further £20,000.

Halton Carbon Positive

Steve Landles, John Blowes, Brian Jefferson and Tim Sarney

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Hate Crime What is it and what can our organisation do to support people? Wednesday 28th July 2010, 9.30am–1.00pm Friends Meeting House, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster LA1 1TX With Lewis Turner, new Hate Crime Worker for the Lancaster District Hate crime could apply to an individual because of their faith, ethnicity (including Gypsy Travellers); sexuality; gender or disability (including mental health). If your organisation works with any of these groups come and find out about what support the new Hate Crime Worker can offer your organisation. Price: Free to Lancaster District CVS Members For more information or to book onto the event, please contact Jane Attfield at Lancaster District CVS on (01524) 555900 ext. 27 or email janeattfield@lancastercvs.org.uk.

The North West Safe Network

Wednesday 7th July, 10.30am-1.00pm (including lunch) The Cartmel Centre, Euston Road, Morecambe LA4 5NR

The Safe Network is jointly managed by the NSPCC and Children England. Pauline Ruth, Regional Development Manager, will provide an introduction to the network and an update on the Vetting And Barring Scheme. Price: Free to Lancaster District CVS Members

To book a place please phone Jane Attfield on (01524) 555900 extension 27 or email janeattfield@lancastercvs.org.uk.

Training & Events

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Tuesday 21st September 2010, 6.00pm-8.00pm Vale of Lune Rugby Club, Powderhouse Lane, Lancaster LA1 2TT Lancaster District CVS are planning to run a Trustee Recruitment campaign at the beginning of September which will include targeted invitations, and local newspaper & radio coverage. Interested individuals will be invited to the reception event on 21st September. If you are looking to recruit trustees, we will be inviting organisations to give a short presentation at this event and we will hope some matches can be made. After the event, we will offer a generic induction training session for all potential trustees. If you would like to do a presentation and/or have a stall at this reception please diary the date and get in touch with Jane Attfield at Lancaster District CVS via telephone on (01524) 555900 ext. 27 or email janeattfield@lancastercvs.org.uk.

Trustee Recruitment for Small Organisations

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has put together an online resource for small organisations seeking to recruit Trustees. The resource is split into six sections: 1. Are you ready to recruit? 2. Who are you looking for? 3. Attracting new trustees 4. Selection and appointment of new trustees 5. How to welcome your new trustees 6. What next? www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/trusteerecruitmentforsmallorganisations

Valuing Trustees

Costing the value of trustees may seem unusual, but by calculating the financial value of trustees you can give a better picture of an unfunded or modestly funded organisation's financial worth. Many funders also allow you to count that worth as match funding for bids. The method of calculating the value is called VIVA (Volunteer Investment and Value Audit). See the Governance Pages website (question 32) for the approved method that is straightforward to use: www.governancepages.org.uk/ faq/faq1.html

Recruitment Reception

In addition to all of the free services Lancaster District CVS has traditionally offered, we have now launched an expanded range of services, for which there will be a charge, including: • Bookkeeping • Payroll • Preparation and Independent Examination

of Accounts • Project Management and Project Hosting • Employment / Mentoring • Annual Accounts These services are provided by our own in house staff, so we understand the needs of small and medium sized voluntary and community organisations Discounted rates are available for members, and prices are tiered depending on the size of your organisation and requirements Contact us for a tailored quote via telephone (01524) 555900 or email mail@lancastercvs.org.uk For more information see the full publication at www.lancastercvs.org.uk/services.pdf