Are You Thinking of Making an Application to the Big Lottery Fund?
If so the Big Lottery Fund is running a training session at the WNVCA offices on Tuesday 11th October.  In the morning a presentation on the small grants scheme “Awards for All”, will be given from 10.30am to 12.30pm. The afternoon session will be about the large grants programme “Reaching Communities”, and will be held between 1pm and 3pm.  More information about Big Lottery funding can be found on the website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.  For more information on the training session and to book a place please contact Karen on 01553 760568 or karen@westnorfolkvca.org 

Perhaps you have a Hearing Problem or Don’t Feel Confident Talking on the Telephone?
Then it is unlikely that your first choice for volunteering would be the Samaritans.  The Samaritans are recognised as being a listening service for people who are lonely, depressed, emotionally disturbed and, possibly suicidal.  However, much of today’s ‘listening’ is carried out by email and in some branches also by text.  The King’s Lynn branch would welcome any volunteers who could help with email and in addition, if they wished, get involved in fund raising and other support activities. It is not necessary to have high level spelling and grammar skills and full training will be given following our selection day. The next Selection Day will be held on Sunday 23^rd October.Please telephone 01553 761616 or Email info@kingslynnsamaritans.co.uk or call in at the office: 26 Queen Street. King’s Lynn. PE30 1HT 

Soroptimist International invites you to a Literary Lunch at the Riverside Restaurant Kings Lynn
Soroptimist International of Kings Lynn is hosting a Literary Lunch at the Riverside Restaurant on Sunday 20^th November. Guest speakers will be Sophie Hannah and Jim Kelly.  Start time is 12.30 (for 1pm).  The three course lunch is £25 and all proceeds will go to Soroptimist club charities: Shelterbox, Bafrow and St Edmunds School. For more information, please telephone: 01760 788084

 

King's Lynn parkrun is a Weekly Free 5km Timed Run
The King's Lynn parkrun is a 5km run and it's you against the clock. The run starts in The Walks, at 9am every Saturday it's free, but please register in advance. You don’t have to be fast, everyone runs for their own enjoyment. With electronic timing and record keeping that make it interesting and fun, it’s for 8 to 80 year olds of all shapes, sizes and abilities. There could be dogs on leads and guys pushing push-chairs too. Please go along and join in whatever your pace. King's Lynn parkrun needs you: It is entirely organised by volunteers email KingsLynnHelpers@parkrun.com  to help.

The Big Lottery £110m “Silver Dreams” Fund has been Launched
A new £110 million Lottery fund has recently been launched to support older people.  The Silver Dreams Fund aims to help older people get more involved with their communities and to recognise the positive contribution they make to society.  It will provide National Lottery grants for inspirational projects that help retired people to remain independent, and which would encourage the more active to support others. Do you know an inspirational project which would benefit from the Silver Dreams Fund?  Nominations must be received by Friday 28^th October.  Organisations should submit outline ideas, and successful applicants will receive between £50,000 and £200,000 each.  Up to five schemes will be chosen to receive up to £1 million each.  Email: silverdreams@dailymail.co.uk telephone 0845 102030 or Visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/silverdreams 

WNVCA Volunteering Outreach Sessions Resumed
Following the recent appointment of Anna Sylvester, who is WNVCA’s new Volunteering Officer, we are now very pleased to announce that outreach sessions will begin again in October. These sessions are for everyone who wishes to enquire about opportunities to work as a volunteer, or by organisations seeking volunteers. Any person who wants more information can pop in and see Anna at these events, though it may be best to make an appointment in advance to guarantee the time. CRB Paperwork can also be completed at these outreach sessions, however, appointments for this service will be essential. Please telephone 01553 760568 to reserve a timeslot.
For those people who can’t get to our new office on the North Lynn Industrial Estate, Anna will be at The Purfleet Trust in King’s Lynn town centre on the first Monday of each month from 10am to12pm. The first session will be held on 3^rd October, followed by 7^th November and 5^th December. Anna will be available at Swaffham Community Centre, Campinglands on the second Monday of each month, beginning on 10^th October from 10am to 2pm, followed by 14^th November and 12^th December. On the third Monday of each month, sessions will be held in Hunstanton, at the Council Offices on Valentine Road between10.30am and12.30pm starting on 17^th October and continuing on 21^st November and 19th December. Finally, on the fourth Monday of each month, Anna will be at The Priory Centre in Downham Market from10am to12pm, beginning on 24^th October and continuing on 28^th November.

Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Consultation: Development and Regeneration
The consultation document has three main elements to it:

• The distribution of development between the main villages

• Potential choices of development sites within the towns and villages

• A series of policies relating to detailed subjects

The document is significant in that it starts the process whereby the Borough Council seeks to choose specific allocations, including housing in the towns and villages. There has been a great deal of interest in bringing potential sites to their attention and this is the opportunity to compare options and comment on them, or add sites into the process.
The consultation period runs from Friday 23^rd September to 5.00pm on Friday 18^th November. There are a number of ways to join in and respond:

·         Read the document and supporting information either on-line or at local venues            including libraries.

·         The website link is: www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=24524

·         Go along to a ‘drop-in’ session, see an exhibition and talk to staff (a list of events is given below)

·         Send your comments via the dedicated electronic consultation facility

·         Write to the Council via e-mail or letter

The link to the consultation website is noted above. Comments can be made via this link, and it also gives access to supporting documents. The following list shows the ‘drop in’ sessions:
Please note: Sessions at South Wootten and Hunstanton took place in late September.

• Upwell Village Hall Monday 3^rd October  from 4.30pm to 7.30pm

• Downham Market Town Hall Tuesday 4^th October from 3pm to 7pm

• South Wootton Village Hall Thursday 6^th October from 3.30pm to 8pm

• Grimston Village Hall Monday 10^th October from 4pm to 7pm

• Terrington St Clement Village Hall Tuesday 11^th October from 4pm to 7pm

• Methwold, St. George’s Hall Wednesday 12^th October from 4pm to 7pm

• Docking, The Ripper Hall Thursday 13^th October from 4pm to 7pm

• West Winch, William Burt Centre Friday 14^th October from 3.30pm to 8pm

• Emneth, Central Hall Wednesday 19^th October from 4pm to 7pm

• King’s Lynn, 14 Norfolk Street Saturday 22^nd  October from 9am to 1pm

This is an important opportunity to influence the shape of your local community over the next 15 years, please let the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk know what you think.

File Your Accounts Early
Charities have to file key documents with the Charity Commission within 10 months of the end of their financial year. It’s a legal requirement, yet a quarter of all charities continue to miss this deadline and file late. These charities have a combined annual income of £6 billion – a massive chunk of charity money not accounted for on time. Many who do comply only file in the last month possible.
With a significant public interest in charity accountability, charities simply have to do better. The Charity Commissions online register is changing, making it easier for visitors to see which charities have filed promptly and which are overdue. Please visit the website at www.charitycommission.gov.uk  Charities have a responsibility to be transparent and tell the public about what they are achieving and the impact they are making. Those who continue to file late do themselves no favours – with the donating public, with funders or with the Charity Commission.  Annual reports and accounts filed are the authoritative source of information about individual charities and the wider charitable sector. This information is used by funders, donors, researchers and the public. It forms the basis of leading sector analysis - including the NCVO Almanac, GuideStar’s database and CAF's donor site.
The Charity Commission challenges you to raise your game and file in good time.
Why file early?
It says a lot about the way your charity is run. Annual accounts and trustees’ reports are the window through which charities are viewed by those who fund them and by the wider public. Quality accounts and reports, filed promptly, are eloquent testimony to robust administration and effective trusteeship.  “It’s simple: for information to be valuable it needs to be relevant, accurate and timely. Filing your accounts with a well-reasoned report demonstrates that your charity is run effectively. Bad news is often seen as a reason to delay filing, but bad news from a well-managed charity should strengthen the case for support if well communicated.  All charities should aim to file accounts within six months”
It may help you access funding.  Public bodies and charitable foundations provide a significant proportion of the sector’s income and both the content and timeliness of accounts and reports can be a key element in their funding decisions. As information about charities becomes ever easier for the public and the media to access, the transparency of financial reporting will increasingly influence donor behaviour. The time within which accounts and reports are filed is one of the simplest ways in which the public accountability of charities can be compared. “Donors want to understand what a charity is doing so they can take an informed decision about giving. CAF’s website relies on Charity Commission data to inform donors and timely submission can be a key factor in a donor’s decision to give.”
It tells your story and that of the sector you are part of. To be accountable to their funders, beneficiaries and the wider public, charities should seek to make information available as close as possible to the events to which it relates. A well-framed report and clear accounts, promptly filed, are persuasive evidence of a well-run charity that deserves support. The information in accounts and reports is increasingly being used by charities and other organisations to analyse, add value and better understand the environment in which charities are operating. Our understanding of the sector is only as good and as up to date as the information that underpins it. Timely submission helps to ensure that the sector barometers are up to date and accurate. “Effective honorary treasurers, from charities both large and small, view prompt filing of their charity’s accounts as a clear sign of the general financial health of their charity.”
You can gain credit and avoid criticism. Many charities consistently file accounts and reports well in advance of the 10 month deadline. This deserves recognition and the Commission now gives much greater prominence to compliance history on its online Register of Charities. It is easy to identify good and bad performers. Charities which file late are inevitably exposed to an increasing risk of negative publicity. “It is important that a charity plans its accounting timetable to spread the workload over the year in order to speed up the production of the annual report and accounts at the year end. The annual report and accounts should be seen as an opportunity to market the charity and inform stakeholders of recent progress; the key word being recent.”

Police Authority Briefing Note
While 999 is a well-recognised number used to report emergencies, the 2010 British Crime Survey found that only half of the public know how to contact their local police if they want to talk to them about less urgent issues. As a result, the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) are introducing the 101 non-emergency telephone number. The new number is designed to offer the public across England and Wales one easy way to contact their local police force to report non-emergency crimes and disorder or to speak to their local police officers.
101 is rolling out to all forces between now and January 2012 and will replace the range of existing police force non-emergency numbers such as 01473 613500 for Suffolk and 0845 456 4567 for Norfolk. Both Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies will move to 101 in early October.
This briefing sheet is designed to give some key information about the new telephone number, to help inform local communities of the new number and answer any queries from residents.Key information:

• Residents are to be given a new number to telephone the police in Norfolk this autumn.

• Instead of dialling 0845 456 4567 to report a nonemergency, or discuss other matters, the public will simply need to dial 101.

• In an emergency they will continue to use 999.

• The move is all part of the national roll-out of the 101 non-emergency number and supports Government work to improve access to the police, ease pressure on 999 and help forces tackle crime and disorder.

• For the first time residents across England and Wales will have one easy-to-remember way to contact their local police force to report nonemergency crime and disorder. In short, 101 is the number to ring when it is less urgent than 999.

• Calls from landlines and mobile networks will costs just 15p, no matter what the time of day, or how long the call is.

• Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired callers will be able to access the service via textphone on 18001 101.

• Callers should use 101 to report all non-emergencies to police. For example, 101 should be used if you want to speak to a local officer; report information about crime in your area; or report a crime which does not require an immediate police response.

• The public should continue to call their local council for things like reporting graffiti, abandoned vehicles and dumping and fly tipping

• 101 will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• When someone calls 101, the system will determine the caller’s location and connect them to the police force covering that area. They will hear a recorded message announcing which police force they are being connected to.

• If a caller is close to a boundary between two or more forces, and they are using a mobile telephone, the recorded message will give them a choice of neighbouring forces. If the force they require is not on the list, they will be able to speak to an operator who will redirect to the required police force.

• Callers should always dial 999 when there is an emergency and you require immediate police assistance. An emergency is where life is in danger; a serious offence is in progress; a suspect is at a scene; an alleged offender is identified at any location; there is an imminent likelihood of violence/damage to a person’s property or there is a serious road traffic collision.

• 101 is about improving access to local policing. Calls to 101 are handled in the same way as existing non-emergency calls to police forces.

WNVCA: Telephone 01553 760568 or Email: info@westnorfolkvca.org