Ingatestone, Fryerning

The funding is managed by Active Essex and has already supported more than 15,000 residents to take part in funded activities since May 2022. Essex will remain one of the London Marathon Foundation’s core funding areas for the next three years.

The Ford RideLondon Classique brings world-class sport to the county while the Ford RideLondon-Essex mass participation rides raise millions of pounds for good causes each year.

Hosting Ford RideLondon is part of Essex County Council’s organisation strategy Everyone’s Essex: a plan for levelling up the county which aims to help people keep healthy and active and promotes active travel as part of the move towards net zero.

£2 bus fare extended until 31st October to help passengers with cost of living and then £2.50 until November 2024. New £300 million government investment will protect bus services into 2025 and keep travel affordable. Funding boost will support the bus sector’s long-term recovery, taking total investment for buses to more than £3.5 billion since March 2020.

For more info and bus routes that are included in the £2 fare cpo, please visit www.gov.uk/guidance/2-bus-fare-cap

RideLondon to return to Essex for the next three years

Essex County Council has reached a three-year agreement to host Ford RideLondon for the next three years (2024 to 2026). The agreement includes the Ford RideLondon-Essex mass participation events and two stages of the Ford RideLondon Classique.

Ford RideLondon is organised by London Marathon Events. To date, the London Marathon Foundation has awarded Essex £1.75 million in funding, to inspire physical activity and promote cycling and walking in the county.

Funding applications for Find Your Active small grants has reopened. Organisations, groups and instructors can apply for funds of up to £3,000. More details are on the Active Essex website at www.activeessex. org/find-your-active/fund

New summer of volunteering campaign launches across Essex

Essex County Council is launching a new campaign encouraging residents to volunteer this summer.

On Monday 3rd July the summer of volunteering campaign was launched, inviting more residents to get involved and support their community by volunteering. Ahead of the campaign launch, Councillor Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader of Essex County Council and Cabinet Member for Levelling Up and the Economy, joined volunteers cutting back undergrowth in Hutton on Friday 30th June.

Councillor McKinlay said:

“My recent visit to Hutton I joined volunteers to cut back bushes to ensure it is easier for people to walk down the pathway. It’s a great example of how people can get involved this summer in volunteering. Spending a small amount of time can really help to improve local areas.”

Volunteering for even a few hours can make a huge difference to communities across Essex.

The benefits of volunteering include a sense of pride, an opportunity to make new friends and the chance to learn new skills. Read more about the benefits of volunteering and opportunities available in Essex at www.essex.gov.uk/jobs-andapprenticeships/volunteering

Opportunity to apply for funding for a 2024 Jack Petchey Intern!

The Jack Petchey Foundation is delighted to announce that they will be part-funding year-long internships for up to 30 young people at 30 different youth organisations across London and Essex in 2024, and that their Internship Programme is now open for applications!

Youth organisations (charities or CIOs) working with young people in London and/or Essex, with an income between £150,000 and £5,000,000 are eligible to apply for a grant to help fund a twelve-month paid intern, starting in March 2024.

Applications will close on Friday 8th September at 5pm.

For more head to www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk/ opportunities/internships

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service goes live with new Control system

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service launched a brand new and modern Control system on 27th June.

The new system, known as Guardian Command, will be used in the Control Room to manage response to incidents even faster and more effectively than ever before.

One of the benefits to the new system is that it will bring a more robust, all in one place for radio communications, mobilising and management system for audio recording.

The change to the new system comes with specialist new equipment and a video wall in the Control Room, which will assist with effective mobilisation and incident monitoring.

Provided by Airwave and Motorola, the system is already being used successfully by other UK Fire and Rescue Services, including Bedfordshire.

The team are looking forward to using a system which provides a foundation for improved resilience and ways of working.

Care sector recruitment campaign ongoing as free training offer announced

Fully-funded healthcare training is now available to anyone in Essex looking to enter or upskill in the care sector. It will help those already working in care or new to the sector reach their career goals without the added pressure of training costs.

The training is funded by the council’s Nightingale Care Bursary and run by the council’s adult education service, ACL Essex.

This new training offer is complimented by a wider council campaign, Your Career Matters. It aims to promote the range of opportunities on offer and showcase the benefits of working in care. There are plenty of courses available and include:

• apprenticeships

• short courses for specialist skills

• diplomas and certificates in health and care

• fast track management courses

Discover more about the Nightingale Care Bursary at www.aclessex.com/nightingale Find out more about the Your Career Matters campaign via www.workingforessex.com/blog/careersin-care-your-career-matters