VOLUNTARY
VOICE
Issue 03 - 2015 www.flvc.org.uk
FLVC Flintshire Local Voluntary Council Cyngor Gwirfoddol Lleol Sir Fflint
CONTENTS
IN THIS ISSUE 2
In This Issue / What’s New at FLVC ?
3
Notes From Ann
4 Funding 7
Events & Training
8 Volunteering 10
Health, Social Care and Wellbeing
11
For Info
12 Community 15
Money Matters
16
The Printroom / And Finally…
Flintshire Local Voluntary Council
Photos taken at VolFest, 2015
Flintshire Local Voluntary Council Corlan, Mold Business Park, Wrexham Road, Mold, Flintshire CH7 1XP info@flvc.org.uk - 01352 744000
Our Vision:
FLVC’s vision is of a strong, sustainable and effective voluntary and community sector, involving people and serving Flintshire people
Our Mission:
FLVC’s mission is to support, develop and promote voluntary and community activity in Flintshire and to strengthen the capacity of voluntary and community groups to contribute to the quality of life of Flintshire people and communities.
WHAT’S NEW AT FLVC?
Flintshire Local Voluntary Council are delighted to have been chosen to receive a Digital Kit through the Wales Co-operative Digital Communities Wales Initiative. The equipment will enable our staff to promote and demonstrate the benefits of Digital Inclusion at every opportunity in our work. It has already helped third sector staff and local volunteers to access learning and IT knowledge that they can use to support the beneficiaries of their respective services. For further information about loaning the equipment please contact FLVC on 01352 744000. 2 Voluntary Voice | Issue 03 - 2015
NOTES FROM ANN Welcome to the latest edition of Voluntary Voice. support, and carers who need support, and for transforming social services in Wales. The past few weeks have seen some staff changes within FLVC as funding streams change or come The Act aims to ‘transform the way social services to an end. We have said goodbye to two very long are delivered, promoting people’s independence serving members of staff – both Margaret Jones to give them stronger voice and control’. The and Margaret E Jones have retired from their fundamental principles of the Act are: posts within FLVC. We will miss ‘both Margarets’ zz People tremendously – they have been a massive part zz Well-being of the FLVC family for a long time. Sue Beckett, zz Earlier intervention who has worked with Jill on our Step Up Step Out zz Collaboration programme is also moving to pastures new – our Access more information via the new ‘act hub’ best wishes to Sue too. http://www.ccwales.org.uk/getting-in-on-theThe Volunteer Centre is looking at new act-hub/ opportunities for their successful Supported is underway for our next Volunteering programme and developing their Planning OCN Accredited Course in Volunteering and Annual General Meeting – date for your diary Community Engagement. Many thanks to WEA - Thursday 24th September, 6.30pm at Coleg Cymru and Agored Cymru for their support. Cambria. We hope you can join us for some light refreshments, some light entertainment and a Watch this space. Celebration of Volunteering within Flintshire Our Vol Fest (to celebrate Volunteers Week) was and beyond. a delight. More details enclosed – thank you to everyone who supported and helped to organise A kind request… could a member of your organisation become a good trustee for FLVC? this event. We have 3 trustee vacancies at the moment. If Our Health & Social Care Team have been you, or someone you know, would be interested supporting Flintshire County Council’s in helping to steer the work of Flintshire’s consultations re developing new Service Delivery Voluntary Council, please give me a ring. models and closer partnership working between statutory and third sector services. I recently Enjoy the sunshine….see you soon. attended an All-Wales Conference on alternative Chief Officer delivery models hosted by Flintshire County Council. Many interesting discussions, and for 01352 744028 me, reflections on how onerous procurement ann.woods@flvc.org.uk processes can often hinder partnership approaches by excluding the vital input that smaller third organisations can contribute. July saw the launch of the new Gwynt-y-Môr Community Fund. Launches In Llandudno, Gronant and Rhyl helped to spread the word that Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire County Voluntary Councils are collectively administering the grant process. Please contact our June Brady for more details.
Trelawnyd Male Voice Choir at the launch of the Gwynt-y-Môr Wind Farm.
The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act received Royal Assent and became law on 1 May 2014. It will come into effect from April 2016. The Act provides the legal framework for improving the well-being of people who need care and Issue 03 - 2015 | Voluntary Voice 3
FUNDING
PEOPLE’s POSTCODE COMMUNITY TRUST COMMUNITY GRANTS The People’s Postcode Community Trust provides financial support to charities and community groups that support environmental protection, community development, engagement in sport, advancement of health, promotion of human rights and prevention of poverty. Grants are available for amounts up to £10,000 in Wales. Examples of eligible project costs include the following: zz New equipment. zz Creation of community gardens. zz Development of sensory or therapy rooms. zz Programmes of activities that engage members of a community. zz Kit and equipment for local sports teams and clubs.
Funding is available for pilot projects as long as applicants can demonstrate how they intend to continue the project beyond the period of funding. Funding is not available for running
Wales: Grants for War Memorials Cadw’s 'Grants for War Memorials'; is a grant scheme to support the repair and conservation of all types of war memorials in Wales. This will offer grants of up to £10,000, up to a maximum of 70% of eligible costs. Full details of the scheme and its funding criteria can be found on the Cadw website.
costs towards existing projects. However, if the existing project is to be expanded in a new way or into a new area then the project could be eligible. zzApplications for building renovations must have an ecological impact or demonstrate a wider impact on the organisation (such as enabling new and vital services to take place). zzGeneral project running costs. Requests for running costs can be up to 20% of the total amount applied for. zzRequests for project staff and sessional salaries can be up to 25% of the total amount. Requests for volunteering expenses can be up to 20% of the total amount. Marketing costs are eligible for funding as long as they are no more than 10% of the total amount requested. For more details see : http://www.postcodecommunitytrust.org.uk/ community-grants.htm the charity by Cadw should the applicant seek additional funds. If you wish to be considere for the extra funding tick the box on the Cadw application form.
A grant from War Memorials Trust is likely to be around 15% of project cost (up to a maximum of £2,500). No project can receive 100% of its total project cost from Cadw and War Memorials Trust combined as the charity believes it is important that local projects have some local funding contributed to retain a sense of local ownership, War Memorials Trust has identified, with Cadw, responsibility and engagement. Projects eligible a mechanism to enable the Trust’s Small Grants for a ‘top-up’ grant from War Memorials Trust Scheme to offer additional funding on top of will need to have a total project cost greater than the 70% available through Cadw’s scheme. To £1,000 (including VAT if it is not reclaimable). minimise the requirements on applicants this will not require projects to submit either a Grants If you want to discuss what works might be needed Pre-application form or a Small Grants Scheme or need advice on appropriate conservation application to War Memorials Trust. Instead, methods then contact War Memorials Trust details re eligible projects for additional support on conservation@warmemorials.org or call from War Memorials Trust can be forwarded to 0207233 7356. 4 Voluntary Voice | Issue 03 - 2015
FUNDING
GWYNT-Y-MOR COMMUNITY FUND
County Voluntary Council Chief Officers from Denbighshire (John Watkin), Flintshire (Ann Woods) and Conwy (Wendy Jones) at the launch of the RWE Windfarm in Mostyn.
The new Gwynt-y-Môr Community Fund recently had its Flintshire launch at the Gronant Institute. This is a new fund of £19 million made available from Gwynt-y-Môr Offshore Wind Farm for communities in coastal areas of Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire within a radius of five miles from the coast. The fund is open for small applications up to £10,000 and for grants over £10,000. It will be able to fund both capital and revenue projects that focus on at least one of the three themes of the fund:
zzBuilding strong, cohesive and sustainable communities zzDeveloping prosperous, enterprising communities with strong economic growth zzReducing poverty and inequality in communities For an application pack and to view a map of the area of benefit, please go to http://cvsc.org.uk/ gwynt-y-mor/ or contact Neil Pringle / Becki Davies on 01492 534091 or our June Brady on 01352 744004.
HEALTHY HEART GRANTS
Healthy Heart Grants are available for heart health projects only, and not for general healthy lifestyle projects. Projects must focus on, and actively promote, heart health for the duration of the project.
In exceptional circumstances, where a project has a very strong heart element applications will be considered from researchers.
The deadline for applications is Community and voluntary organisations, 31 August 2015. registered charities and other not for profit For more details see :http://heartresearch.org. organisations in the UK are eligible to apply. uk/grants/apply-hruk-healthy-heart-grants Issue 03 - 2015 | Voluntary Voice 5
FUNDING
PROJECT CONSULTATION The Big Lottery Fund provide grants for projects that cover health, education, environment and the community. They have recently published a helpful short guide to Project Consultation
HENRY SMITH CHARITY - MAIN GRANTS PROGRAMME The Henry Smith Charity provides grants of up to £5,000 and £10,000 to support new, original and innovative projects designed to promote heart health and to prevent or reduce the risks of heart disease in specific groups or communities.
Grants are made for work with groups or It is suggested that any applicant conducts a communities under the following headings: short survey, questionnaire or even a focus ¾¾ Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME). group asking people what they need in the local ¾¾ Carers. community. ¾¾ Community service. The most important thing to remember is that ¾¾ Disability. applicants mustn’t ask closed questions that lead ¾¾ Domestic and sexual violence. people into a particular answer. For example, you shouldn’t ask people, “Do you think that we ¾¾ Drugs and alcohol/substance misuse. should build a community centre?” as this will ¾¾ Ex-service men and women. lead them into thinking that you should have a ¾¾ Family services. community centre. ¾¾ Healthcare. A better question to ask would be, “What are the ¾¾ Homelessness. priorities/issues for your area’’ and ‘Do you have ¾¾ Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. any ideas for addressing them?’’ as these invite ¾¾ Mental health. people to share their views on what matters most ¾¾ Older people. to their community and what are the key areas that they would like to work on. Sometimes, you ¾¾ Prisoners and ex-offenders. might find that there is no need to apply for a ¾¾ Prostitution and trafficking. grant after all. ¾¾ Refugees and asylum seekers. ¾¾ Young people. It’s important to understand what your community wants to achieve before you apply. The Main Grants Programme is for grants of Top Tips for Consultation : £10,000 per year or over. There are two types of Main Grant: When filling in a grant application, please list : zzCapital Grants - One off grants for purchase zzWho you have spoken to or refurbishment of a building or purchase of specialist equipment. zzHow many people you have spoken with zzWhat date you consulted with them zzWhat method you used- questionnaire, focus group, email, social media, meeting zzAnd what the main findings of the consultation were Follow on Twitter @BigLotteryWales. 6 Voluntary Voice | Issue 03 - 2015
zzRevenue Grants - Grants of up to three years for running costs (including salaries and overheads), or the running costs of a specific project (including staffing costs). Application forms are available to download from the Charity’s website : http:// w w w. h e n r y s m i t h c h a r i t y. o r g . u k / g r a n t programmes.html
EVENTS & TRAINING
VOLUNTEER ORGANISERS NETWORK MEETING Monday 7th September 2015 9.30am-1.30 pm CORLAN (incl. light lunch)
COURSES ORGANISED BY FLVC
The following courses will be run by FLVC over the next few months - dates to be confirmed.
Presentations on :
zz
First Aid for Adults
Digital Inclusion Training from Digital Communities Wales
zz
Food Hygiene Course
zz
Managing Aggressive Behaviour
Update on Flintshire County Council’s Community Asset Transfer process Single Point of Access for Health & Social Care Services
For further information or to book on to any of these courses please email Jane Hewson, Communications Officer - FLVC on: jane.hewson@flvc.org.uk
Armed Forces Covenant Please email jane.hewson@flvc.org.uk if you would like a place at the meeting.
NORTH EAST WALES WILDLIFE NEW Wildlife are a small charity working in North East Wales to engage, inspire and enthuse local communities, acting together to protect wildlife, enhance habitats and eco systems.
Events and training: Tues 1st Sept:
Tree ID course – Rhydymwyn – 9.45am-4.00pm
Thurs 22nd Oct: Wellbeing training day – Rhydymwyn—9.30am-3.00pm
Volunteering – Rhydymwyn Thurs 27th Aug : Grass raking – Rhydymwyn Thurs 17th Sept: Grass raking – Rhydymwyn
Valley Nature Reserve. We offer a number of opportunities for schools to make the most of this magical, undiscovered pocket of Flintshire for your educational needs, FREE of charge. We can offer set environmental education packages such as pond dipping and mini beast hunts to fit in with the National Curriculum or we can offer a more flexible approach to our outdoor sessions. We can adapt sessions to your needs, for example, we can provide activities in a woodland setting, such as shelter building or carrying out practical habitat work on the reserve.
Volunteering will usually take place on the second and last Thursday of each month.
All activities for schools are free of charge. We have a range of facilities on site, with a large Please visit our website for more information indoor Field Studies Centre, toilets, kitchen and at: www.newwildlife.org.uk, or contact me disabled access. We can cater our sessions for by phone: 01352 742115 or email: KWilson@ children with a range of disabilities, and a group size of up to 30. newwildlife.org.uk Booking is essential for all activities due to limited spaces. Please contact Kate Wilson on NEWWildlife would like to take this opportunity 01352 742115 or email KWilson@newwildlife. to invite your school to visit us at Rhydymwyn org.uk
School visits – Rhydymwyn
Issue 03 - 2015 | Voluntary Voice 7
VOLUNTEERING
STEP-UP, STEP-OUT
The Step-Up, Step-Out volunteers recently spent the day in Mold Community Garden, creating a willow arch, making a bench, pruning and weeding. This place is like a paradise in the summer months, with everything in bloom, and all achieved by local volunteers giving of their time. It’s definitely worth a visit. The garden is situated behind the Clubhouse, near Parkfields, Bryn Gwalia in Mold.
Step Up Step Out volunteers, take down the old rotten steps and help set up new ones with the rangers at Wepre Park. 8 Voluntary Voice | Issue 03 - 2015
VOLUNTEERING
VolFEST 2015
VOLFEST 2015 This year Flintshire’s Volunteer Centre celebrated National Volunteers’ Week with a difference. We held an event at North East Wales Wildlife Reserve in Rhydymwyn to say ‘Thank You’ to volunteers by offering them the chance to try something new and fun! It was a beautiful sunny day and over 60 volunteers took part in taster sessions including:
"" "" "" ""
Mindful Walking African Drumming in a Teepee DRU Yoga Nature Craft
Marie Curie helped to host the Tea Party and Ann Woods, our Chief Officer, thanked all the volunteers present for their amazing contribution to our local communities and presented them with an award. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to make this event such a success. ‘You make a living by what you get but you make a life by what you give’. (Winston Churchill)
Issue 03 - 2015 | Voluntary Voice 9
Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Partnership Working for Health and WellBeing Time to get in on the act The Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) is to be implemented from April 2016, providing a new legal framework for social care in Wales for local authorities and health to engage with and empower citizens, to help them achieve independence and well-being and where necessary, obtain the support they need. The Act marks a significant change to social services law, and how support for people with a care/support need will be provided. It harnesses the concepts of improved wellbeing, through information, advice and assistance and puts strong emphasis on preventative approaches and a co-productive approach to our engagement with people, to enable services to become more effective and sustainable for the future. The Vision of the Act marks a new approach for Wales with an emphasis on‌‌.. zzCitizen control zzMaximising Independence zzInformation advice and assistance zzAvoiding duplicate assessments This Act requires the engagement of the wider public service, including Councils, Health and Police and also requires the engagement and cooperation of the independent and voluntary sector. It recognises the leadership role of social services in leading change, but requires a strong partnership approach to ensure that well-being, becomes the business of all public services in Wales, as a result of this progressive legislation. The role of the third sector
skills and capacity and maximise their independence zzevaluating their impact using outcome measures as far as possible zzencouraging people to take control of, and responsibility for, achieving their own well being, staying independent and contributing to the community zzreferring on to social services where appropriate zzbeing alert to any signs of safeguarding concerns or doubts about mental capacity, explore those and where indicated, refer on to social services zzpromoting the role of Community & Neighbourhood Organisations zzseeking actively to involve people who might be excluded by ill-health, disability, frailty or lack of confidence zzencouraging people to be as active as possible and to take on responsibilities zzgiving sound healthy-living and safeguarding advice zzorganising activities which will foster good health and wellbeing zzproviding Information, Advice and Assistance (IAA) which will help people keep as well, active, involved and independent as possible In the coming months it will be increasingly important that social services, health and third sector partners work together to prepare for the implementation of the requirements of the Act. There will be an increased expectation and potential demand on the services provided by third sector organisations in Flintshire. Good communication between partners will be important in ensuring that new ways of working are effective and joined up.
Providers of Information, Advice and Assistance (IAA), User / Carer and advocacy services and community orgnisations will have a key role to play in meeting the requirements of the act by : For more information about the Social Services zzengaging people in finding their own best and Well-being Act and workforce learning way to well-being, focussing always on the opportunities in the coming months please outcomes people want and how they might contact Kate Newman on 01352 744003 best be achieved kate.newman@flvc.org.uk zzsupporting people to connect with their natural communities, contribute their http://www.ssiacymru.org.uk/8596 10 Voluntary Voice | Issue 03 - 2015
Save the Date!
FOR INFO
FLVC Annual General Meeting & Celebration of Volunteering Will be held On:
p e S
, 4 2
5 1 20
Thurs, 24th September 2015 At: 6.30 pm Venue: Coleg Cambria, Kelsterton, Connahs Quay Come along and join us for some light refreshments, light entertainment and a Celebration of Volunteering within Flintshire and beyond.
Commission launches updated guidance 'The essential trustee' (CC3). Charity trustees are people who share ultimate zz responsibility for governing a charity and directing how it is managed. They may be called zz trustees, the board, the management committee, governors, directors or something else. zz This guidance explains what being a trustee involves, including:
zz what trustees do zz who can be a trustee and how trustees are appointed zz their legal responsibilities zz specific trustee roles of chair and treasurer The updated 'Essential trustee' breaks down the trustee's role into 6 clear duties:
ensure your charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit comply with your charity's governing document and the law act in your charity's best interests zz manage your charity's resources responsibly zz act with reasonable care and skill zz ensure your charity is accountable More information and guidance available on: h t t p s : / / w w w. g o v. u k / g o v e r n m e n t / publications/theessential-trustee-whatyou-need-to-know-cc3. Issue 03 - 2015 | Voluntary Voice 11
Community FLINTSHIRE & WREXHAM ONLINE WATCH ASSOCIATION Register for your OWL (Online Watch Link) Alerts today. Flintshire and Wrexham Online Watch Association are encouraging residents to sign up to Online WATCH Link crime alerts system. This is a valuable free system that is providing people with information about ongoing crime in their areas. Communicating to people who live in our communities following incidents of crime quickly is essential in helping keep crime down. Alerts are circulated from North Wales Police, Trading Standards, Flintshire Local Authority, North Wales Fire and Rescue service and other partner organisations There are two, new, recent initiatives; ‘Caught on Your Camera’
Do you have CCTV/cameras installed at home or work? North Wales Police are seeking help from the community in assisting in the detection of crime in your area. The information you provide will only be used for policing purposes to help solve crime where a suspect may have been in your street and caught on your camera. ‘Paws on Patrol’
Do you walk your dog? Lots of people, when out walking dogs, see things which might be helpful in assisting with information in regards to crimes in their neighbourhood. It is hoped that dog walkers can act as the eyes and ears of the partner agencies and report suspicious activity and individuals, or incidents that concern them. Graffiti, dog-fouling, faulty street lights, antisocial behaviour and fly-tipping are just some of the issues the ‘Paws on Patrol’ members are being urged to keep their nose to the ground for. If you would be interested in registering for either of these schemes please contact watch@ owlcymru.org, or phone 01352 708118.
12 Voluntary Voice | Issue 03 - 2015
DEESIDE NATURALISTS’ SOCIETY Open Day at Connah’s Quay Nature Reserve Deeside Naturalists’ Society will be holding an Open Day on Sunday 18th October between 10am and 3pm when you are invited to visit the nature reserve. The reserve is located along the Welsh shoreline of the River Dee and has 5 observation hides. It has the following designations:- Site of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar Site and Special Protection Area. Access to the reserve is normally restricted to members only who pay an annual subscription, but on Open Days the public are welcome to come and visit without charge. Tea and coffee will be served in the Field Studies Centre. For more information please see the website www.deesidenaturalists.org.uk or contact Pauline Moulton by email at secretary@ deesidenaturalists.co.uk
GREENBANK VILLA’S ENVIRONMENTAL WORK RECOGNISED A Supported Living scheme for former homeless people in Flintshire has been honoured for its commitment to caring for the local environment at the Tidy Wales Awards. Greenbank Villas, a scheme managed by Clwyd Alyn Housing Association in Flint, were one of the short-listed finalists at the all-Wales awards in Cardiff organised by environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy. Supported by the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales, the Awards recognise groups who work tirelessly to make Wales a better place. Senior Project Officer, Debbie Davies, said: “Although we weren’t the overall winners it was excellent to be one of the short-listed finalists. We were presented with £50 for the scheme. It was lovely the hard work, both of our residents and of the scheme’s staff was recognised at the national awards ceremony.”
Community
KIM INSPIRE KIM Inspire has won the Care Council of Wales 10th Anniversary Special Award 2015 at the Accolade Ceremony in Cardiff. KIM Inspire is an initiative that was established in 2002 to offer community group activities to women struggling with mental ill health. As an Accolade winner in 2007 KIM Inspire was invited to apply for a special 10 year anniversary award for organisation that have developed since winning their Award. The Care Council judges were impressed by the fact that the project is client-led, focuses on well-being, social inclusion, education and training about mental health. The judges thought it was also worthy of the special Award because of:
zzEvidence that the project has moved on significantly since it first won an accolade, including focusing on men and young people as well as women.
zzIts scope, impact and geographical spread. zzIt is delivered by people with mental health challenges and for them.
zzIts strong community ethos and links with services.
zzLots of learning and development of staff and many examples of collaboration across North Wales. Annie Donovan, Joint Chief Executive of KIM Inspire said “We are thrilled to be recognised by the Care Council and especially for this prestigious Award. A big thanks to everyone involved in KIM for all their support and hard work and we are looking forward to more developments in the future”. For more information about KIM Inspire or if you are interested in volunteering for us, please ring 01352 872189, email info@kim-inspire. org.uk or go on our website www.kim-inspire. org.uk
CARMEL VILLAGE HALL Carmel Village Hall was built by public subscription in 1862 as the British school. The then Flintshire County Council of 1905 acquired the school for £19.11.9d. It ceased to be a school in 1953, and became the Village Hall and remained owned by Flintshire County Council. In September 2014, after prolonged negotiations to save the building for the community, five volunteer trustees signed a 25 year ‘Community Asset Transfer’. If you are new to the Five Villages, or have lived here for years and are not familiar with the groups that currently use the hall, you may be interested to know that we have Paper Craft, Cubs, Scouts, Beavers, Craft Group, W I, & Gardening Club, Urdd Adran, Youth Club and Church Group.
We have a Facebook page and if you want a group starting or want a party please email the Chairman heddyraber@aol.co.uk or phone our caretaker Bev 01352 712007.
DRU YOGA AND RELAXATION DRU YOGA classes run throughout Flintshire, for specific groups (The Alzheimer’s Society, North Wales Carers’ Information Service, Mental Health services) and also open classes in the community For more info please contact 07449 631 836 jill.blandford@yahoo.co.uk
We are a small group of volunteers who are setting out on quite a long journey. Our last open meeting was well attended, and all were enthused with the progress to date. Issue 03 - 2015 | Voluntary Voice 13
Community NANT MAWR COURT HOUSING SCHEME
Amy is ‘Learner of the Year’
Residents from the Nant Mawr Court housing scheme for older people in Buckley enjoyed a cream tea in Mold recently thanks the local TESCO superstore, working in partnership with Clwyd Alyn Housing Association. Around 16 residents from the Clwyd Alyn Sheltered Housing Scheme enjoyed an afternoon trip with a quiz and bingo session as well as a cream tea for all the guests. “It was a great chance for residents to get together and make new friends. We’d like to say a massive thank you to all who helped out, especially Aaron Jones, Team TESCO’s Customer Services Manager, who assisted resident Frank Meager to call the bingo,. Also, Clair Parry, TESCO’s Community Champion, who helped with the arrangements,” said Louise Blackwell, Community Development Officer for Clwyd Alyn who organised the quiz at the event. “We’d also like to thank the local Police Community Support Officers, Dan Stanton and Rob Bainbridge, who joined us and enjoyed getting to know the residents.” Anita Vale, Scheme Warden at Nant Mawr Court said: “We’ve had some great feedback from the residents, who not only enjoyed the trip out but commented on the friendly family feeling to the whole event too.”
14 Voluntary Voice | Issue 03 - 2015
A Project Worker who supports former homeless families in Flintshire has been named as ‘Learner of the Year’ for her studies in Housing. Amy Teodorescu, lives in the Mostyn area, and works for Clwyd Alyn Housing Association as a Project Worker at the Erw Groes Family Centre in Holywell. As part of her continual training and development, Amy has recently achieved a ‘Certificate in Housing Practice.’ Her studies have combined class-room based learning at Coleg Cambria with NVQ training assessments in the workplace. She has recently been named as ‘Learner of the Year’ for the course which has been designed specifically for staff in the housing sector, approved by the Chartered Institute of Housing. Amy, who joined Clwyd Alyn three years ago, said the course, which lasted a year, particularly helped with understanding housing law. “I really enjoy my work, and I’m part of a great team. It’s a privilege to work with residents helping them move on to successful tenancies and the course has helped combine technical subject knowledge with practical skills to support them.” Amy said that she now hopes to go on to further study increasing knowledge and skills of specific client groups. Senior Project Officer Stuart Walls said: “Amy’s really worked hard combining her studies with her support for residents. It’s excellent that she’s been named as ‘Learner of the Year.’
MONEY MATTERS
AN EASTER PRESENT FROM THE SUMMER TIME BUDGET The new ‘National Living Wage’ (NLW) will be introduced for all workers aged over 25, starting at £7.20 an hour from April 2016 and set to reach £9 by 2020. This is in addition to the statutory rises already set for October 2015 to £6.70 for 21yr olds under National Minimum Wages (NMW). This equates to a possible 10% pay increase for 25yr olds from their current NMW levels. To potentially offset the cost to the Employer, the National Insurance Employment Allowance
(EA)for small firms is to be increased by 50% to £3,000 from 2016 BUT as EA only offsets the employer NI, it is only an effective saving if employees worked in excess of 23 hours per week at the minimum rates. It is also important to note that Statutory Sick Pay is currently payable for those above £112 per week but no longer recoverable so small organisations may miss the benefit of the EA whilst still incurring the costs of providing their statutory obligations.
Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015
Implementation date
Prohibition of corporate directors
October 2015
A public register of people with significant control for unlisted entities
January 2016
Abolishment of annual return replaced with annual ‘Confirmation Statement’ April 2016 Retention of statutory registers at Companies House
April 2016
‘Free’ Fit for Work service now provided in Wales The Fit for Work service aims to provide support and advice to employed people if they have been, or are likely to be, off work for four weeks or more. According to government statistics, about 48,000 Welsh workers a year are off sick for that length of time. GPs in Wales can now offer patients a referral to the service, which includes an in-depth assessment, followed by a personalised Return to Work Plan and managed support to get back to their jobs. The Fit for Work referral service is complemented by a telephone advice line and website, both of which can be used now by anyone requiring work-related health advice, including employees, employers and GPs. You can chat online to a specialist advisor, email a question or call 0800 032 6235 (English) or 0800 032 6233 (Cymraeg). Issue 03 - 2015 | Voluntary Voice 15
Quality printing for everyone
DID YOU KNOW…………? Now is the time to gather all your lovely photographs from your summer events and choose which ones deserve a place in your 2016 calendar. Simply give us your photos and let us design and print your calendar from as little as £3.75! No minimum order required and they make great gifts at Christmas time - oops too early to mention that yet! Need to advertise your autumn events? Why not have one of our scrim vinyl banners 4ft x 2ft for £24, 6ft x 2ft for £36? We do many other sizes too so why not ask for a quote? Don’t forget our high quality pop up banners too - at £75 they are priced to be competitive! Need a menu for your café? Need a price list for your bookshop? Need a document comb bound into a smart booklet? Why not make The Printroom your first port of call?
Supporting Promoting Developing For more information and quotes, please contact us on 01352 744031 or email theprintroom@flvc.org.uk
AND FINALLY… FLVC staff and guests showed their support for Marie Curie by throwing a Blooming Great Tea Party at the recent Volfest 2015 held at Rhydymwyn Valley Nature Reserve. £87.96 was raised to contribute towards ensuring Marie Curie Nurses in the area can care for people living with a terminal illness and their families.