VSI Alliance news : Local business offering voluntary help this summer

VSI Alliance wish to share that a local business has approached them and are interested in offering some time over the summer to support  a local charity or not for profit group.

The company wishes to help with any aspect of manual work needed, from gardening to decorating or another project if you have one in mind, ideally over the weekends in the summer.

They could prefer to donate this time to an organisation based or operating in Sowerby Bridge or the Upper Valley area.

If you would like to know more, please email Charlie at charlie.johnston@vsialliance.org.uk

easyfundraising – additional funding opportunity for your organisation

VSIAlliance are keen to support the VCSE Sector with funding ideas throughout 2022, so we have partnered with fundraising platform easyfundraising to give you the ability to earn free funding through online shopping

How does it work?Providing access to an easy, free, and low-effort way to fundraise, easyfundraising turns online purchases into free donations for your voluntary organisation, charity, CIC or third sector group. Free to sign-up and free to use, it’s an easy way to get additional funds from something everyone is already doing – shopping online.Through easyfundraising, over 6,000 online retailers including Amazon, eBay and M&S, Sainsbury’s, Booking.com, Aldi, Trainline and Argos will give your organisation a free donation when your volunteers, staff and supporters shop with them. Anything from a weekly grocery shop to a family holiday can generate a free donation for your organisation.Getting StartedTo get started, set up a free easyfundraising page for your organisation – this only takes a couple of minutes. easyfundraising will give you lots of support to help you get up and running and raising as much as possible. You can even have a free 1-2-1 call with one of the team for a demo of the site, advice and fundraising Don’t miss out on free funding; register your organisation today.Introduction to easyfundraising – free webinarCome along to a webinar where Becky from easyfundraising will explain how it works, help you get set up and answer any questions you have.

Tuesday 28th June10am – 11.30amVia Zoom

Trustee Volunteering Event at the Square Chapel Thursday 30th

Have You Considered Volunteering with a Difference?

Becoming a Trustee could be the role for you

 

The VSIA and CMBC are hosting an event on
Thursday 30th June at Square Chapel Arts Centre
from 5.30pm to 8pm

The event is aimed both at organisations looking to recruit trustees as well as individuals with an interest in becoming a trustee and what that means.

You will receive information on the role of trustees and the many benefits for an organisation and the volunteer.

Refreshments will be provided in the event.

If you’d like to take part, please let us know as soon as possible.

  • Places for voluntary groups at the event will be limited to maximum of 2 people per organisation
  • We’d like it if one of those could be an existing Trustee who can share their Board experiences to potential new Trustees
  • Once confirmed with a place, groups will be invited to a brief preparation session before the event (on Zoom) so that we can advise on how to ‘sell’ your organisation and what kind of things to remember to tell a new person

 

After the event we’ll put you in touch with those who are interested in joining your board / committee or would simply like a longer conversation with you.

To book places for your organisation, email Charlie at charlie.johnston@vsialliance.org.uk as soon as possible.

More information:

 

                   

easyfundraising Funding webinar – Wednesday 25th May, 12.30pm 

Need funding for your voluntary organisation or group?  

Fundraising website easyfundraising are running an online session where you can find out how you can use the platform to benefit from free donations from leading online retailers. Trusted by 180,000 good causes around the UK and established for over 10 years, easyfundraising is the UK’s biggest charity shopping site.

Suitable for all non-profit organisations, CICs, social enterprises, sports clubs, schools, churches, charities, village halls and groups, come along to find out how it works and how to get set up. This is a friendly, informal session where you can ask questions and meet other fundraisers too.

Spaces are limited so please register to attend in advance here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtcOGvrjgoH9BNrLMSryRsC89ts_tyj2rj

Integrated Care Board (Shadow) meeting on Tuesday 17 May 11am

NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board ‘ Shadow’ Board meets in public, Tuesday 17 May 2022

The NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) will meet as a ‘shadow’ board in public on Tuesday 17 May 2022, at 11am. The board, which is part of West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP),  works together to join up health and care services, to improve the health and wellbeing of 2.4million people living across the area and to reduce health inequalities.

The board won’t be established formally, and all its members confirmed until 1 July 2022. It is meeting in ‘shadow’ to support the preparations for the ICB ready for when it becomes a statutory body from the 1 July.

The ICB, as an organisation, will replace clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and build on the successful work of WY HCP organisations.

The new ICB organisation will be led by Chief Executive-Designate, Rob Webster CBE and governed by the board.  The board has an Independent Chair-Designate Cathy Elliott  – who does not work for a health or care organisation, to ensure decisions are fair and transparent. It will also have four other non-executive independent members.  Together with Healthwatch, these members will ensure a strong independent voice, and that the views of local people are heard.

The board will also include members from WY HCP’s five local places (Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield District) and will include ICB Director-Designates for Finance, Nursing, People, a ICB Medical Director-Designate and Designate-Director of Strategy and Partnerships. Other members of the board will include representation from:

  • NHS acute hospitals, mental health and community health service providers
  • Directors of public health
  • Local councils
  • Primary medical services  providers
  • Voluntary, community and social enterprises.

Although the board will agree a plan for health and care services in West Yorkshire, most of the decisions about spending and services will be made locally in the five local places. A key part of the board’s work involves sharing expertise and working closely with local councils, hospitals, care providers and voluntary community and social enterprise organisations – ensuring services deliver the best care possible to meet people’s needs.

The meeting on the 17 May 2022 will discuss the 2022/23 NHS Operational Plan and will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.

All shadow board and future meetings will be held in public, filmed live, and will offer people and communities an opportunity to ask questions about agenda items.

People are asked to email their questions to westyorkshire.ics@nhs.net before 11am on Monday 16 May 2022. They can also call 01924 317659 to submit questions. They will then receive a Microsoft Teams link so they can join the meeting for their question-and-answer item.

All questions submitted will be published on the integrated care board webpage.

The agenda and meeting papers can be accessed from Tuesday teatime, 10 May 2022 at https://bit.ly/37jvm1f  The meeting can also be watched live via the same link.

Calderdale (VCSE) Assembly – Thursday 5th May 2022 – *Still Places Available* 

There are places still available for the Calderdale Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) Assembly on Thursday the 5th of May 2022.

Would you like to:

  • Understand the changing strategic landscape at Calderdale and West Yorkshire level?
  • Understand more about the changes that are taking place in the Health, Social Care, Environment and Economy worlds?
  • See where you organisation is contributing or is filling a gap in your community?
  • Feel more in the loop?
  • Be part of the initial conversations?

Calderdale Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) Assembly Thursday 5th May 2022 –  Elsie Whiteley Centre, Hopwood Lane, Halifax, HX1 5ER 12.45pm networking lunch* prompt 1.30pm start – 3pmTo reserve a place for you or an organisation rep, please email benjamin.opie@vsialliance.org.ukPlease let us know if would like to attend the lunch ASAP & *If you have any dietary/special requirements or access requirements*.

Book Via Email Here

 

Partnership highlights VCSE POWER in week-long online event

West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) have launched an online event to celebrate the work of their partners in the voluntary community social enterprise sector (VCSE) from Monday 28 March to the 1 April.

There are an estimated 12,000 registered and unregistered VCSE organisations across West Yorkshire employing around 29,700 full time equalivant staff who work 49 million hours every year. Add to this the 8.7 million hours that the 121,000 residents who volunteer regularly contribute and you get a sense of the scale.

Throughout the VCSE Power week, a wide range of resources from videos, podcasts, blogs, case studies and infographics will be freely available to share and celebrate the diverse and often life changing work of our voluntary and community organisations in West Yorkshire.

Hilary Thompson, WY HCP Harnessing the Power of Communities Lead said: ‘We want to recognise the amazing work of our VCSE partners and the contribution they make day in day out to the lives of so many. Please browse, get in touch with the organisations directly and use these free resources to learn new ideas and share widely’.

With a focus on a specific theme with one from each of the five local places which make up West Yorkshire (Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield) the week-long event will cover:

  • Engaging with marginalised communities in Bradford District and Craven
  • Co-designing work with Calderdale communities around social prescribing and personalised care
  • Early help and what is happening in Kirklees, including community anchor network and community champions
  • The  win – win of volunteering in Leeds
  • The VCSE as specialist provider hosted by Wakefield.

Jane Colthup, Chief Executive of Community First Yorkshire, a charity that supports other voluntary sector organisations, said: ‘This is a huge acknowledgement and thank you to the many community groups, charities and volunteers across Craven District and West Yorkshire communities who quietly go about their business of strengthening the health and wellbeing of local people. From the community transport driver to the telephone befriender, they all play a vital role in tackling loneliness and isolation, improving people’s access to local services and opportunities and enabling our communities to be better connected and healthier’.

Andy Petrie, Chair of TSL Kirkees and Chief Executive, Local Services 2 You said:  ‘Over the last 2 years, during COVID, we’ve really seen the VCSE come to the fore in Kirklees and prove its value in partnering with health and local authority colleagues to support local people and keeping them well.  We’re now working on strengthening and developing what started as an emergency COVID response so that communities in Kirklees have the ability and resources to respond to the needs of those communities in their own way, via new initiatives like our community anchor network and community champions’.

You can access the free online VCSE Power event at https://www.wypartnership.co.uk/vcse-power-showcase Twitter #VCSEpower