Village halls urged to take part in national survey

Village halls across the county are being urged to take part in a nationwide survey which will paint a picture of the vital role they play at the heart of rural communities.

Rural expert ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is carrying out the research with the help of its national Network of 38 rural community councils.

CCB, which runs a specialist community buildings advice service (CBAS), is encouraging village halls across the county to participate. We have already sent this survey link to all CBAS members and we know that some halls have already completed and submitted it, so thank you to those members. Non CBAS members are also very welcome to complete the survey too and give ACRE their feedback.

The survey has a deadline of 24 March, 2014 and is for completion by village hall management committees. For more information about the survey click here and to complete the survey click here.

Nation’s Biggest Housewarming on Friday 28th March

National fuel poverty charity, NEA (National Energy Action) is running the Nation’s Biggest Housewarming on Friday 28th March to coincide with Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, a nationally recognised day to promote the issue of fuel poverty and the importance of ensuring vulnerable people are warm in their home.

What is your ideal housewarming? Does it involve friends, cake and a hot cup of tea? Ours does, so please join the NEA in organising a housewarming event on Friday 28th March. Bake or buy cakes, doughnuts, pakoras, pies and scones to sell to your family, friends or colleagues and then donate the money you've raised to NEA! 

Join in with the Nation’s Biggest Housewarming to raise much needed funds to enable NEA to deliver fuel poverty projects and to campaign to ensure that all households are able to live in homes which are warmer, healthier and affordable to heat.

To take part and to receive your fundraising pack please contact Jen Carruthers Jones or visit the website: http://www.nea.org.uk/supportus/housewarming

Training courses for Local Conservation Groups

The Conservation Volunteers are running various training courses in our area on topics such as 'Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers for Local Conservation Groups' and 'Leadership of Practical Projects for Local Conservation Groups'.  Please have a browse of the full online programme in the South East

Courtesy of The Conservation Volunteers

Rural shop support resources available online

A pioneering village shop support programme piloted in the south west of England has boosted traders’ incomes by 10%. 

The advice and information provided was highly valued by the overwhelming majority of retail outlets that received it. 

You can access a range of good practice resources, including five training films featuring the stores the programme worked with, as well as many associated fact sheets. Go to www.storeisthecore.org.uk to access these resources and more.

Courtesy of ACREheadlines

Building Stronger Communities Conference 5th April 2014

Momentum is gathering pace for this FREE conference! Don't miss out on your opportunty to come along and make the most of the market place featuring stalls of information on environmental issues, healthier lifestyles, young people’s activities, crime prevention and more.

Our well-respected keynote speaker Peter Couchman, Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation brings a wealth of exerience and knowledge and will inspire attendees with real life examples of community-owned projects in rural communities.

Workshops will cover a wide variety of topics including social media forums, how to attract funding, running successful community projects, emergency planning and setting up elderly befriending schemes to name but a few.

The event is open to the public and voluntary groups keen to make a difference in their communities.

To download a programme for the day click here
To download a description of the workshops click here

To book your place click here or contact Tessa Hall, CCB on 07966 236408 or tessa.hall@ccb.org.uk

The conference takes place on the 5th April at Newbury College.

To find out more about this opportunity to learn and support your community click here

Love Food Hate Waste – a review

CCB held two well attended and well received workshops on Love Food Hate Waste. The presenter was Emma Barnett, Waste Reduction Advisor at WRAP (http://www.wrap.org.uk).

The sessions gave practical tips about saving food by planning meals, thinking about food portioning, effective storage for food and safe innovative ways of using up leftovers.

The feedback from the session was very positive and comments included:

“A very enjoyable and well presented session – I intend to go back and share it with the community”

“Informative, interesting and enjoyable course that can help me and the environment”

Vacancy

Centre Coordinator at Reading Deaf Centre

The post of Centre Coordinator exists to ensure the smooth running of Reading Deaf Centre and to promote safe working environment for all. In addition the coordinator is responsible for promoting the Centre and room hire facilities and liaison with Centre Tenants.

Tasks fall into 3 main areas:
* Reception duties
* Promotion of the centre and income maximisation
* Building health and safety compliance 

Responsible to a designated Board member, the role is part-time 18 hours per week, spread over 3 days. Regular hours will fall within the usual working week of Mon, Wed, Fri, 9am-3pm. Salary is negotiable.

A job pack is available at: http://rvadirectory.org.uk/news/20140217/vacancy-for-a-centre-coordinator

Please review the full Job Description and Person Specification and if you are interested, email your CV to Justin Evans at justinrfc1871@hotmail.com

Courtesy of Voluntary Sector Digest from Reading Voluntary Action

The Highbridge Exchange

Highbridge Exchange is a new programme of free networking and learning opportunities for the business and charity sector in Reading developed by Reading Voluntary Action (RVA) and The Real Business Club (TRBC).

The Exchange is primarily for small businesses, social enterprises, charities or community groups but we aim to have micro seminars that would be of interest to all.

This month the micro seminar will be "Social Media Top Tips"

To book for this and future events please visit: www.highbridgeexchange.eventbrite.co.uk


Telephone: 0118 957 4123
Email: info@rva.org.uk
Web site: www.rva.org.uk

Courtesy of Reading Voluntary Action

JOB VACANCY

Education Business Partnership West Berkshire is a not for profit organisation that facilitates work related learning opportunities for young people.

Finance Manager (Part-Time) *

Newbury Town Centre

EBP West Berkshire are seeking an individual with integrity, initiative and consistent accuracy to provide a financial accounting service.  A strong track record of financial management experience is essential.

They require someone with a professional finance qualification, or significant relevant experience using Sage 50.  The post holder will report to the CEO and Board of Trustees.  This role will also include company secretarial duties.

This appointment is based on 18 hours a week for 38 weeks per year.

* Please visit the website (www.ebpwb.co.uk) for a full job description and application form.

Tel:  01635 277481 / email: joanneb@ebpwb.co.uk

Closing date: Sunday 23^rd February 2014

Interview dates: Monday 3^rd & Tuesday 4^th March 2014

Registered Charity no. 1030564.

Free training in West Berkshire funded by Public Health

This training focuses on families and is aimed at a wide audience which should attract a mix of professional groups. The level of the training is not aimed at advanced or specialist level.

To book contact Julie Povey on 01635 43639 or email jpovey@westberks.gov.uk

Thursday 13th February
Effective engagement and communication with families
Full day 9.30-4.30

Thursday 6th March
Risk assessment when supporting families
Half day 9.30-12.30 or 1.30-4.30

Thursday 20th March
Common Mental Health issues and their impact on families
Half day 9.30-12.30 or 1.30-4.30

Thursday 3rd April
Understanding families affected by drugs and alcohol use
N.B This training is being delivered by Adfam
Full day 9.30-4.30

Thursday 24th April
Risk and resilience in children and young people
Half day 9.30-12.30 or 1.30-4.30

FREE Training: How to be a Better Trustee - Workshop in Wokingham

CCB is running training on How to be a Better Trustee in Wokingham on 26th February 2014 at The Cornerstone, Wokingham.

The training is run by Wendy Dacey, Community Buildings Adviser at CCB and is free thanks to a grant from Berkshire Community Foundation. This will be particularly relevant to volunteers and trustees that are responsible for running community buildings.

To book a place please e-mail wendy.dacey@ccberks.org.uk or call 0118 9612000. The full programme of the training can be found on our events calendar.

Health and safety for community building volunteers

CCB is running a Health and Safety workshop for village hall and community building volunteers.

The workshop will provide information on legal responsibilites and good practice for health and safety issues for community building trustees. Your chance to network with volunteers from other halls in West Berkshire.

Taking place Thursday 20th February at Theale village hall at 7.30pm. The workshop is free for Community Building Advice Service (CBAS) members, £10 per person for non CBAS members.

To book a place contact Wendy on 0118 961 2000 or email wendy.dacey@ccberks.org.uk

Big Energy Saving Week - a review

CCB was involved in giving advice and guidance on how to check that you’re getting the best deal on your energy on January 30th when Helen Dean went to Newbury Library to do a drop in session. Consumers were encouraged to ‘Check, Switch, Insulate’, and energy saving top tips were discussed. 

“Checking that you are on the best deal either with your current supplier or by checking on a switching website can save you money”  


Top energy saving tips were tweeted through the week by CCB and Citizen’s Advice  - such as ‘If you have a hot water tank, set the thermostat to either 60 degrees C or 140 degrees F’.

CCB partnered with Sovereign Housing Association, enabling them to use their social media to give out the key messages from the campaign to their residents, with links to video clips and Citizens Advice guidance. 

For information on help available from your supplier – go to http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/events/bigenergysavingweek/besw_supplier_help.

Community planning in action

Most of ACRE’s Network members are involved in supporting local residents in 
community and neighbourhood planning. Recently, Oxfordshire Rural Community 
Council (ORCC) held a successful conference for 100 delegates from across the 
county’s communities, local authorities and voluntary sector to discuss community 
led and neighbourhood planning. The Department for Communities and Local 
Government, ORCC and a community involved in developing its neighbourhood plan 
all spoke at the event. 

Further details including presentations available on ORCC’s website 

Courtesy of ACREheadlines