GOOD NEWS - COMMA Rural Dial-A-Bus
West Norfolk Community Transport Project (WNCT) has just been awarded a £20,000 capital grant award from COMMA – The Community Aggregates Fund, which is commissioned and monitored by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England).  

WNCT will purchase a minibus to provide dial-a-bus services to some of the communities located close to eligible quarries noted in the COMMA guidelines. These new rural dial-a-bus services will operate under a Section 22 Community Bus Permit for the general public. WNCT are planning two initial services organised around the villages near Coxford Abbey Quarry (Syderstone) and the Holt/Edgefield quarries.

MORE GOOD NEWS
The Community Builders funding program has been cleared to continue in its current format. It seems that the ethos/ aims of the program fits in with the coalition’s aims for a 'bigger society'.

EVENT UPDATES

HOW VALUABLE ARE YOUR VALUABLES? 
Fincham Village Hall – Friday 6th August 11am
Find out at Aspires' Fete on the 6th August at Fincham Village Hall when Antiques Roadshow celebrity, George Archdale will be on hand to value your valuables (£1 per item, 3 items max)  The Fete will be opened at 11 by Kate Rabett (Emmerdale, The Doctors, You Rang M'Lord?).  Enjoy music, sideshows and stalls, and a delicious barbecue.  Also - the launch of a children's story book written and illustrated by 2 Aspires service users, entitled The Perfect Present.     

Annual General Meetings
WNVCA are always keen to hear the latest news about your organisation, whether it is a new project or activity, the latest up to date financial information, or any changes afoot. AGM’s offer lots of opportunities to find out about how things are going, well or otherwise across West Norfolk.  Attending your AGM provides us with an excellent opportunity to be able to offer our support to your activities.  Information gathered from AGM’s also enables us to better represent the needs of the wider voluntary and community sector (VCS) locally, regionally and nationally.  We can use the opportunity to discuss with you any specific guidance that your organisation might need.  This can include funding, governance, trustee recruitment and training as well as recruiting and retaining volunteers.  Please let us know if you would like us to attend your next AGM or require any assistance to help improve the sustainability of your group or organisation and we will be happy to help.          

Please contact the office on 01553 760568, or post your AGM invitation to 16 Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn PE30 1JN and a member of staff will ensure their attendance.   

WNVCA AGM and Conference
This year’s AGM and conference will be held at the Professional Development Centre in King’s Lynn on Tuesday 5^th October.  Your invitation will be sent to you soon.  The conference will have a funding theme this year, so make sure you book your place early.

Winter Fuel Payments – have your say!
Papworth Trust invites you to have your say about Winter Fuel Payments.
Winter Fuel Payments are currently paid to anyone over the age of 60 years to help with the costs of keeping warm in the winter. By taking part in our online survey, you will help inform Papworth Trust’s research on the issue and opinion on whether the current system needs to change.
The survey has 12 questions and all answers will be treated as confidential.
The deadline for taking part is Monday 20^th August 2010.
Take the online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WFPsurvey

JOB OPPORTUNITY
West Norfolk Carers
(Reg. Charity no. 1107546)
Carers Link Worker
Salary £15,000 plus travel costs 

West Norfolk Carers is seeking to appoint a Family Carers Link Worker. This is a new post and offers an exciting opportunity to assist family carers to make decisions concerning their support needs following a Carers Assessment. You will work closely to establish links with carers attending their GP practice to ensure that they are aware of any services that are available for them. You will also work closely with the Senior Family Support Officer to assist in developing opportunities for carers of all ages across West Norfolk. Initially the post will be for twelve months with the expectation that the post will be extended.
This is a full-time post and there is an expectation that the person appointed will work flexibly within a 35 hour week. The post carries a generous travel allowance. The person appointed will undertake an enhanced CRB check.

For further information or to request an application pack please Telephone 01553 ~ 768155
3, Thoresby College
Queen Street
King’s Lynn
Norfolk
PE30 1HX     The closing date: 30^th July 2010
Interviews will be held on 10^th August 2010.

  

Project Worker

Family Action Swaffham – ESCAPE Community Allotment Project 

ESCAPE is a community allotment project funded by Ecominds and is a partnership between Family Action, West Norfolk Mind and The Garden Science Trust.
Project Worker
£18,630 - £21,064 p.a pro rata
22.5 hrs a week                                Based in Swaffham 

You will develop and maintain the allotment site with partners, agencies and service users, and support service users to use the allotment. You will also co-ordinate and administer steering group meetings.
You will need to have an enthusiasm for gardening and experience of supporting the involvement of a diverse group of vulnerable people.
Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving an enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau which we consider acceptable.
For an application pack and further information, please visit www.family-action.org.uk/workingwithus or send an A4 self-addressed envelope to Barbara Roberts, Swaffham Community Hospital, Sporle Road, Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7HL

Closing date: Monday 26 July at 9am. Interview date: Monday 2 August 2010.
Family Action offers good working conditions, a comprehensive training programme and a final salary pension scheme. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

 

 

supporting families since 1869

 

 

 SPECIALIST VOLUNTEERS

We have had a qualified electrician in who is looking to do some voluntary electrical work in his spare time.  Do you need someone with electrical experience to assist in your community project?

We have a volunteer who is skilled as a furniture designer and prototype maker.  He has teaching and demonstration abilities.  Do you have a role that will fit these skills?   

A second year law student  would like to volunteer over the summer months.  She has excellent interpersonal skills and would be happy to help if any charities need basic law advice.  She is available to volunteer in Swaffham, Downham Market and King’s Lynn from now until the end of August.   

We are also looking for a role for a woodcarver/woodworker who would like to gain teaching skills by working on a voluntary basis.  His expenses and the cost of the materials would have to be met.   

We have a volunteer who is a Computer Programmer, with general computer programming and database knowledge. 

Please contact Karen if you are interested in developing an opportunity for any of the above. Karen on 01553 760568 email  karen@westnorfolkvca.org.  

FUNDING
Good news - from the beginning of this financial year, I can manage new applications for grants, giving up to 70% reimbursement of course fees.   

More good news - the SUS sector has done well so I am also pleased to tell you that the sector has been allocated additional funding to support new applicants and previous applicants who have had small grants.  I am working with professional organisations to get the message out to businesses but also hope that you can help by telling colleagues and clients in other SUS businesses based in the East of England that they too might be eligible for grant support.  Word of mouth is a very powerful way to spread a message and to support the local economy.  

And if your business has only made one application for a small grant you can apply again for further eligible training at 70% reimbursement.   

So if you think your business could benefit from a Beyond 2010 grant this year please go to the web link www.beyond2010.co.uk  or e mail a.williamson@screeneast.co.uk. You can find out if you are eligible, and get more details.       The SUS business priorities are:

Architecture/Urban design – including landscape architects

Engineering – civil, structural, highways etc.  Housing Associations

Surveying. Environmental Occupations

Construction Industry management Businesses must have fewer than 250 employees and be based in one of the six E of England counties.

I hope you find the information useful in Stop Press.  Please feel free to contact me if there is anything you would like to see or know more about in Stop Press.

Sue Gardner
Senior Administrator
West Norfolk Voluntary and Community Action
16 Tuesday Market Place
King's Lynn
Norfolk
PE30 1JN

Tel: 01553 760568
Fax: 01553 774399
Email: sue@westnorfolkvca.org
Web: www.westnorfolkvca.org

Company limited by guarantee No 4564781; Registered in England

 P please consider the environment before printing this email

 This email may contain information which is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure.  It must not be used by, or its contents copied or disclosed to, persons other than the addressee.  If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the email.  Any views or opinions expressed in this message are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of West Norfolk VCA.