Scroll down the page to read the latest national and local news or click on any of the links below to quickly find the news that interests you.

for the Voluntary & Community Sector.

We summarise below information on the various funds available from Camden’s Culture and Environment Department – and more information is available on the Council’s website at www.camden.gov.uk/vcs2012.  

Several programmes have already closed to applications:

• Equalities & Cohesion Fund - closed
• Community Centres Fund – closed
• Volunteering, Giving and Exchange – closed

More Info on Funding Pots.

Organisation & Market Development Offer. This will be a mixed economy of support offered by the Council and an independent voluntary and community sector provider. A sum of £350,000 per year will be available to support this programme and the establishment of a consultancy budget.

Rent Policy.

Rent grants are being withdrawn and replaced with a dedicated rent policy which will complement the Council’s Community Investment Programme. A sum of £950,000 per year is being made available and organisations will receive 100 per cent, 50 per cent or nil in rent relief depending on the percentage of services/activities delivered from the property that directly benefit Camden residents.

Discretionary Rate Relief

Discretionary Rate Relief (DRR) Deadline – Final Reminder. The deadline for applications for DRR is 20th January 2012. The eligibility criteria has been drastically tightened up this year so you will only get DRR if you are NOT funded by Camden but DO serve Camden residents, meet at least one of the three themes (economic inclusion, access to work, or provide childcare services related to the two previous themes). Any award is capped at £2,000. Full details and an application form are available here.

Latest News.

VAC’s Response to the Review Report and Future Programme

VAC’s response to the Camden Council Report, Camden’s Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS) Review – Investment & Support Programme (2011) is available as a download here. 

Download VAC’s briefing paper here.

The final report containing recommendations for future support for the Voluntary and Community Sector was considered by the Culture & Environment Scrutiny Committee and by Cabinet in February 2011.

The Localism Bill – CamdenCEN Seminar

In March 2010, Camden CEN held a seminar on the Localism Bill.  To find out more, click here to download a report of the event, or visit the CamdenCEN website at www.camdencen.org.uk

Islington council want to ban chuggers. It seems charities can’t win: told to be more business-like, the face-to-face fundraisers (aka chuggers) have been very successful. But now Islington council wants to ban them. No word on banning any commercial sales people though so you will still get junk mail, junk email, junk texts, junk phone calls, street and door-to-door salespeople.
The Guardian carried an article in the week looking at the increasing reluctance of charities to criticize their funders. This was the conclusion of a report by the Independence Panel who felt that small charities working with socially excluded groups were the most likely to come under pressure to self censor their criticism for fear of reprisals from local authority and central government funders. You can read the full article on the Guardian website.

Local Consultations and Campaigns

You can download a pdf of local and national Consultations and Campaigns here.

An update from the latest meeting of Camden’s Strategic Liason Group will be posted here shortly.

Big Lottery Fund News

The Big Lottery Fund has launched a consultation into a proposed £20M fund to support local infrastructure. You can read the consultation document on the BIG website. The closing date for responses is 15th March.

Capital Jubilee Fund – Open for applications

Grants Available: Between £250 and £1,000 Deadline: Friday 17th February 2012, at 5pm
Funding is available for street parties and local projects that bring people together to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in the summer of 2012 (1 May-31 July 2012). Priority will be given to projects helping to bring generations together, particularly projects which support elderly people and/or children and young people to celebrate the Jubilee.
Projects must:
§ have secured all of the necessary permissions, permits and insurances;
§ take place during the Diamond Jubilee summer (1 May-31 July 2012);
§ take place in either Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster, Islington, Hackney, City, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, or Lambeth.
Application forms and guidelines: see The London Community Foundation website: http://www.londoncf.org.uk/grants/available-grants/overview.aspx
Scroll down the page to the Capital Jubilee Fund. Please ensure you read the fund guidelines before you apply.

Imminent Funding Deadlines

Our latest list of funders with deadlines approaching in Mar/Apr 2011 is now available as a download on our Funding Sources page.  Click here to visit this page and access the list as a word document.

VAC Fundraising Calendar

You can download our latest Fundraising Calendar here.

Help in Dealing with Cuts 

NAVCA have produced some practical Help in Dealing with Cuts available on their website. 

Free One-to-one Fundraising Advice from VAC

VAC offers free one-hour long advice sessions for groups.  These are by appointment only and delivered at local community venues.  Visit our fundraising pages for further information.

Chinese New Year Fundraising Variety Show 2012 To Welcome the Year of DRAGON
On Saturday 21st January 2012 At the Camden Centre, Bidborough Street, London WC1H 9BT
(Nearest tube station: King’s Cross St. Pancras)
11:00am–12:00pm (Chinese Food & Handicrafts Stalls) 12:30pm–3.00pm (Variety Show)
Lion Dance, Dragon Dance, Acrobatic, Magic Show, Chinese Traditional Dance, Martial Arts and Raffle Draw.
Admission Ticket in advance : Adult (£3), Child (£1) Admission Ticket on the door : Adult (£4), Child (£2)
Telephone for enquiries: 020 7388 8883

• 1st June: Meet the Funders (John Lyons) (am)
• 2nd and 3rd June: Mental Health First Aid
• 7th June: Leadership and Strategic Planning
• 21st June: PQQs – the Policies You Need (FREE for CSF funded groups) NOTE NEW DATE
• 16th June: Setting Up a Limited Company
• 17th June: Unit Costing and Full Cost Recovery
• 21st June: Pension Changes before and after 2012 (am)
• 22nd June: Trustee Update, Problem Solving and Networking (eve)
• 23rd June: Financial Management Information (eve)
• 23rd June: Partnership Working for Trustees
• 27th June: An Encounter with Trauma

NEWS about VAC’s Mental Health Training!  From June to December 2011 we are delighted to be able to offer all our mental health courses, apart from Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid, FREE! To take advantage of this great offer, simply download our training booking form and book your place on the course(s) of your choice.  Click here for more information on courses and to access the booking form.

Volunteer Management Training

Volunteer Centre Camden are running a series of free and low cost training courses for those involving volunteers as well as Free evening courses: Beginners Guide to Involving Volunteers. For more information go to www.volunteercentrecamden.org.uk

Camden Safeguarding Children Board – Multi Agency Training

Key Developmental Milestones in Primary Years and the Impact of Abuse
21st June 2011. For Groups 2-3 and as a refresher for other Groups
Closing Date: 31st May 2011 Venue: London Irish Centre
Engaging and Working with Fathers (NEW)
24th June 2011 For Groups 2-3 and as a refresher for other Groups
Closing Date: 3rd June 2011 Venue: London Irish Centre

Pensions changes: Before and after 2012

Tuesday 21st June 2011, 9.45-1.45pm £10.00
This event is organised by The Pensions Advisory Service and Voluntary Action Camden in partnership
Does your organisation employ staff? Do you understand your employer duties concerning pensions?
The Pensions Advisory Service will provide a whistle-stop tour of the key pensions changes you need to know about between now and 2012. This will look at areas such as the automatic enrolment of employees in to pension schemes, compulsory employer pension contributions and the introduction of “NEST” (the National Employee Savings Trust). It will also cover the recent raft of changes introduced by the current Government, such as the changes to State Pensions, pension tax reliefs and the default retirement age being removed as part of the Contract of Employment.
This seminar will help you answer:
• What changes have happened and are happening to pensions in 2012?
• How will this affect small to medium-sized organisations?
• What do voluntary organisations need to communicate to their staff?
• What are the legal requirements for organisations as employers?
• What help is available?
To book contact Kathleen Gibson, VAC on finance@vac.org.uk  

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.      

Office Space to Rent:   VAC has office space available in the Kentish Town area.  Space for 3-5 desks, own toilet, ground floor, level access, fully cat5 cabled, full heating and air-conditioning.  Close to amenities and good transport links.  Competitive price.  Click here to find out more and see some photographs of the space available or contact knunan@vac.org.uk for further information.

Desk space for rent:  VAC is now able to offer organisations access to a single desk at 293 -299 Kentish Town Road, NW5. Desk space can be rented at a cost of £199 per month and will have internet access. The desk, one of four, is situated in a self contained area, with kitchen and toilets facilities. For further details please contact Kevin Nunan tel: 020 7284 6557 email: knunan@vac.org.uk 

Legal Advice: Thanks to an exciting new partnership with Interface Legal Advisory Service VAC is delighted to be able to offer local groups a low cost and user-friendly legal service. This new, solicitor-led, service enables us to offer advice, support and training in:
· Setting up charities and other not-for-profit structures
· Charity law guidance for existing charities
· Company law guidance for the charity / not-for-profit sector
· Advice on internal governance and disputes
· Property law, including all aspects of leases and licences
· Service level agreements 

  
Partnerships & Consortia: VAC can offer support to organisations thinking about forming a partnership or consortium. We recognise that this is an important area of work in the current funding climate and can help groups in their planning, to overcome any barriers they might experience, and to establish appropriate structures and systems to support effective partnership working. Contact Simone Hensby at VAC for further information about either of these new services:  Tel 020 7284 6555 or email shensby@vac.org.uk 

Supporting groups with no paid volunteer coordinator

Volunteer Centre Camden has a dedicated Best Practice Coordinator to help small community groups and organisations in Camden to include volunteers in their work effectively, safely and in a way that benefits both the organisation and the volunteer.  We can help with all aspects of best practice when involving volunteers in your organisation’s work, including:

• What to include in a Volunteer Agreement
• Creating a Volunteering Policy
• Refunding volunteer expenses
• Writing effective adverts for volunteering opportunities
• Writing high-quality role descriptions
• Health & Safety, insurance and legal obligations when including volunteers
• Rewarding and recognising volunteer contributions to your organisation
• Training to offer your volunteers

We offer:

• One-to-one support – in your own premises or somewhere convenient to you
• A mentoring programme to put you in touch with an experienced volunteer co-ordinator
• Support and guidance and information by email, telephone or online
• Coaching – either with an individual or to groups in your premises or in VCC’s training facility in Kentish Town

Get in touch and we’ll see how we can help! Email jack@volunteercentrecamden.org.uk to receive occasional emails about specific Best Practice events & information.

Affordable Rooms for Hire in Kentish Town 

Kentish Town Community Centre (KTCC) has moved to temporary premises off Highgate Road. There are rooms for hire (suitable for meetings, training, workshops, one-to-one or group sessions), a larger room suitable for exercise/dance classes or rehearsal space (no sprung floor), and also a crèche room that can be booked with any meeting room. Rates are £15 an hour for voluntary and community groups, £20 an hour for commercial/statutory bodies (with crèche space from £15 an hour). Please contact Catherine at KTCC to find out more on 020 7482 3212.

CRB Checks

Queens Crescent Community Centre are offering a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checking service. The fees are £46 for an enhanced CRB for paid staff and £10 for volunteers. For more information call Zahra 020 7267 6635 or email. 

Free Translation Service

Would your organisation benefit from a free translation service? UCL Volunteers are offering a free service to Camden groups. Contact Dee Davis on 020 7679 4119 for more information or email. 

Free Legal Advice

Looking for free (pro bono) legal advice? Law Works can put you in touch with a free lawyer through their Choices project. Alternatively, you can access advice by email through the Initial Electronic Advice project. Visit the website to find out how to take part, or contact Lorna Heselton Choices and ALLIES Project Officer Tel: 020 7929 5601. 

PQASSO Support

Evelyn Oldfield Unit has recently been licensed to provide training and mentoring to voluntary and community organisations on implementing PQASSO, the practical quality assurance system for small organisations, produced by the Charities Evaluation Services.  Please contact Mulat to apply or find out more on 020 7700 8213 or mulat@evelynoldfield.co.uk.