Friday 29 April 2016

JRF report . Destitution in the UK

 
This report defines destitution in the UK, looking at how many people are affected, who they are, and the main pathways in and out of destitution. It looks at the impact and experience of those people directly affected.
 

Wednesday 27 April 2016

Consultation on Benefit Sanctions

Could be a good opportunity to speak up?

"Faith communities throughout the land, because of their work with people in need, are only too aware of the devastating impact of benefit sanctions on some of the poorest and most disadvantaged members of society. They now have an opportunity to let the government know just what that impact is, through the National Audit Office (NAO)."

More information at

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/22977

Alternatively, email Colin Ross the audit manager directly at Colin.ROSS@nao.gsi.gov.uk

The study will run until the Autumn, so there is time to think and collect information if necessary.

Friday 22 April 2016

Dementia Awareness Week 15th - 21st May 2016

 

Do you know what is happening near you?

There are Dementia Action Alliances in:

Area

Contact

Blackburn with Darwen

Zoe.aldcroft@ageukbwd.org.uk

Blackpool

Jennifer.burgess@alzheimers.org.uk

Burnley

gareth.dowling@alzheimers.org.uk

Central Lancashire

Jennifer.burgess@alzheimers.org.uk

Fylde and Wyre

Jennifer.burgess@alzheimers.org.uk

Hyndburn

Jennifer.burgess@alzheimers.org.uk

Lancashire

Jennifer.burgess@alzheimers.org.uk

Lancaster

Jennifer.burgess@alzheimers.org.uk

Pendle

Jennifer.burgess@alzheimers.org.uk

Rossendale

Jennifer.burgess@alzheimers.org.uk


Do get in touch and see what is planned in your area.

Could you help in any way?

Are you a Dementia Friend?

We can provide:

Training as a Dementia Friend

Help with becoming a Dementia Friendly Church (it's not difficult)

Just get in touch with:

Revd Ed Saville, Diocesan Offices, Clayton House, Walker Park, Blackburn BB1 2QE Tel: 01254 503271 email: ed.saville@blackburn.anglican.org ; mobile 07912227144

Resources on the CUF website

A reminder that the CUF  website is full of useful resources and information that can be used to support you and your church with engagement in your local community:
  • Poverty look-up tool: learn about the level of poverty in your parish and how this compares with other parishes locally and nationally.
  • Resources for churches: this whole page is dedicated to resources that churches might find useful.
  • Working with volunteers: from managing the formalities to building good relationships, these resources will help you work well with your volunteers.

Loneliness maps

 
How big an issue is loneliness among older people in your area?
Is this something you are already working to address – or could it be?
Age UK has created 'heat maps' which show, at a detailed local level, how different areas compare with each other in terms of how lonely people feel.
 
 

Monday 18 April 2016

Fw: Tesco Bags of Help Programme

 

 

Tesco Bags of Help Programme Open to Applications (GB)

Tesco offers grants through its Bags of Help Programme which is funded by Tesco customers from the proceeds of the 5p charge for plastic carrier bags as a result of a government carrier bag levy.

Grants of £8,000, £10,000 and £12,000 are available for capital improvements to local community greenspaces that have free and open access to all members of the community for a minimum of six days a week, during daylight hours. 

Projects that would typically receive funding include: 

  • Parks, pocket parks and urban green spaces.
  • Green corridors, such as river and canals, cycle ways.
  • Formal and informal play areas.
  • Open access sports facilities within public parks and recreation grounds, such as football pitches, tennis courts and cricket pitches.
  • Informal outdoor recreation facilities, such as gym equipment, trim trails and woodland walks.
  • Nature reserves, community woodland, ponds and village greens.
  • Churchyards.
  • Seafront improvements.
  • Community allotments, community gardens, orchards and city farms.
  • Spaces in the grounds of hospices and day centres.
  • Allotments.
  • School grounds.
  • Community spaces on housing estates or residential.

Voluntary/community organisations, registered charities, health bodies, Parish/Town councils, social enterprises, Community Interest Companies, community councils, local authorities and housing organisations in England, Scotland and Wales can apply. Other not-for-profit organisations might also be eligible.

The deadline for applications is 3 June 2016 (noon).

 

Together Liverpool - April 2016 Newsletter

From our colleagues in Liverpool... though there are issues and events relevant to Lancashire
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2016 10:45 AM
Subject: April 2016 Newsletter

Newsletter April 2016

  

In this issue

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Welcoming The Stranger

Last month Together Liverpool  were delighted to partner up with the Archdiocese, Hope + and Churches Together in the Merseyside Region to launch the booklet we had prepared together  to help Christians and others meet their obligations to the increasing number of asylum seekers being housed in the region.

There is so much misunderstanding about this issue and the book seeks to dispel myths and really tell it like it is about the issues faced by the unfortunate people who have had to flee their homes and countries to seek sanctuary here in Britain.

We have also included comments and prayers from Christian leaders that could be a useful resource but more than anything we want to stress that these people each have a unique story and many gifts to share with our communities

We are attempting to get copies to every church in the region and to share its contents to help people find out the truth and hopefully volunteer to help with their settlement.

If you need copies contact us and we can arrange for you to pick them up.

Following this up Together Liverpool are planning a number of seminars for Church Leaders to discuss this issue and facilitate community engagement and settlement of newcomers. Watch This space!!


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Feeding Manchester Event

Do you share a vision of a Britain in which everyone has access to good food and no one need go to bed hungry?

Do you think that children should be able to live free from the damaging impacts of hunger on their health, attainment and opportunity?

Then Attend FEEDING MANCHESTER on Monday 25 April
Time:  
2.30pm – 5.00pm
Location:  Bridge 5 Mill, M4 7HR


Get Your Grant Applications In!

Many of us depend on grants for our work in the Voluntary Community and Faith and Social Enterprise Sectors this is especially true as Local Authorities have had their budget's cut massively and cannot contribute as they used to. In fact the whole of that sector has been largely ignored and misunderstood by Government rearrangements nationally and locally.

Together Liverpool and our VCFSE partners across the region  offer help and support for projects seeking to tackle the issues and charitable trusts are focussing funds towards the areas of greatest need.

In their latest bulletin Liverpool Diocese encourages summer play schemes and other programmes to get their funding bids in to suitable charities:

Don't forget our Together Grants Programme which is available through our team for work specifically targeting poverty in our communities! Click Here for details and links.


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A Civilised Society - Mental Health Provision for asylum-seekers in England & Wales

Restrictive policies on healthcare, education, accommodation, welfare support and employment are functioning to socially exclude and marginalise refugees and asylum-seekers, both exacerbating existing mental health problems and causing mental distress.


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World Refugee Day

Welcome to Britain? Refugees, Then and Now,
in memory of Eleanor Rathbone, 1872-1946
the 'MP for Refugees.'

AN ALL-DAY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD ON
WORLD REFUGEE DAY - Mon 20 JUNE 2016

King's College, London. Strand Campus.
9.00 am– 5.00 pm

TICKETS:  £20.00 (includes all refreshments and a sandwich lunch).



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Be The Change! Regional Asylum Activism

As the Immigration Bill returns to the House of Commons on the 25th April, we're asking you again to take action and get in touch with MPs to call on them to support two key amendments to the Bill that were successful in the House of Lords.


Latest News

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CUF Credit Champions Lent Appeal Success

Church Urban Fund's Lent Appeal for 2016 included a case study from the Liverpool Church Credit Champions pilot.

The appeal proved to be one of their most successful ever raising over £4000 which will go to help even more people nationally to escape from poverty.

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The Credit Safety Net

The Credit Safety Net is an excellent report produced by the Step Change debt charity.  It shows how millions of families across Britain are using credit to fund everyday living costs, thus exposing themselves to the risk of problem debt.

The charity conducted research using YouGov PLC which focussed in on people who had:

  • Borrowed a least occasionally in the last year to meet essential expenditure
  • Would find it difficult to raise £200-£300 in an emergency without borrowing
  • Would find it difficult to save £500 for a special purpose

The report recommends wider access to debt advice, increased availability of affordable credit, and help to enable people on low incomes to build up savings in order to build financial resilience.

Or to find out more about the financial resilience work going on in your area please contact

Julia Webster
Church Credit Champions Coordinator
Tel: 01517052194 or
Email: Julia Webster

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Credit Union Awareness Appeal

Church Credit Champions are hoping to make the month of June Credit Union Awareness month

Along with our colleagues in London and Southwark we will be encouraging local churches to open 'pop-up shops' for their local credit unions in church after the main service to give out information and encourage people to join. 

As you will appreciate local credit unions won't have enough staff to man each pop up so we are hoping that volunteers from each participating church will help out – awareness training will be available and will only take about 1 hour of your time.

Research shows that more than 60% of the population have less than one week's salary in savings, little wonder then that so many are finding themselves in serious debt.

If your church would like to participate, Please contact Julia Webster

Next Month: CUF's Rebranded Newsletter Layout, New Together Liverpool Training Packages

 

Social Capital and Cities

 
here's a JRF/Manchester Uni initiative on social
capital & cities ... well worth a read.... 
 
There are lots of ways the concept of social captial can be critiqued, and broken down into categories.   (Bonding, bridging, linking) ... and it is impossible to measure.. But if we are serious about transforming communities together we need to be active in this area.  And social capital cannot be accumulated  without the input of social labour... which no one is going to pay for.  Likewise spiritual capital requires the input of spiritual labour...

Friday 15 April 2016

Foodbank use remains at record high

Today, the Trussell Trust have published their latest figures, showing that foodbank use remains at record levels, rising two percent on 2014-15 levels. For the second year running, over a million three-day emergency supply packages were given out by the organisation's foodbanks across the country, and 40% of those went to children. In a political climate of austerity and increasingly harsh cuts to welfare, the figures also show that benefit delays and changes accounted for 42% of referrals.
 
 
 
and of course this is only Trussell data

Thursday 14 April 2016

Job Vacancy

 
MANW is currently advertising for a Repairs Coordinator within the A Place to Live team.
 
 

Methodist Action (North West) Ltd

Howick House, Howick Park Avenue, Penwortham, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 0LS

Tel. 01772 751000

One2One Listening Training Course

Some of you might know that Central Methodist Church in Preston are developing a listening project called One2One Listening. We're aiming to help equip people as better listeners in every context of life and have been running courses with Acorn Christian Healing Foundation for the last 2 years. The courses do have some Christian input for times of quiet and reflection but the skills taught are for anyone.
 
If you'd be interested in learning to listen better and developing some new skills in listening either for your work at the drop-in or other contexts we're running a course on 11 May. We've already trained over 50 people who have found the course really valuable and are using the skills learnt in their work places, churches, volunteering roles and among family and friends.
 
Also if you think you might know anyone else who would be interested, please pass the info on.
Lots of love and blessings
Rev Sue Griffiths
 
You can download a poster for the course here

Monday 11 April 2016

Building Better Opportunities Fund

The Big Lottery Fund has opened the third round of its Building Better Opportunities Fund to stage one applications from not-for-profit organisations in six LEP areas in England. Including Lancashire

 
There is  only one project to be funded in the county and the target is that 

At least 1400 people are engaged in activities to improve their work readiness, including

 
So it seems unlikely anyone reading this will have the capacity to bid for the funding.
 
But it is worth knowing that:
 

The Lancashire LEP, through the Skills and Employment Strategic Framework, has identified digital skills development as an important element in the growth of Lancashire's economy and in ensuring individuals and communities are not left behind as a result of a gap between their digital skills and employers' requirements

Compared to areas in the UK considered to be at low risk, there are a larger number of individuals in Lancashire who have never been online. For example, 31 per cent of the population in Blackpool have never been online, compared to a UK average of 11 per cent or an area like West Berkshire at 6.8 per cent. There are also areas where the use of digital skills in the last three months is low. For example, in Blackburn 31 per cent of the population used their digital skills in the last three months compared to West Berkshire at 40 per cent. A number of other districts also have digital skills usage lower than 35 per cent , such as Preston, Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle.

 

Thursday 7 April 2016

National Day of Prayer for Police - Thursday 05/05/16

 information for the forthcoming National Day of Prayer for Police.

 

I would be grateful if you could circulate this to your contacts.

 

If there are Churches  that want to host a prayer meeting on the day then this would be ace! (please can I be notified if this happens so that I have a rough idea for HQ)

 

So far there is are  prayer meetings organised in the following locations

 

·         Blackburn (Greenbank Operating Centre) at 12 noon (E-mail Paul.Pountain2@lancashire.pnn.police.uk for details and to indicate if you are attending)  

·         Lancaster (Lancaster Baptist Church Nelson St Lancaster) at 7pm (E-mail Kirstie Banks-Lyon at Lancashire@cpauk.net for further information)

 

There is also a link to a useful guide to praying for the police - http://www.cpauk.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/One-Hour-Prayer-Guide3.pdf which can be used at anytime or in any place!

 

Thanks

 

Any questions please contact me either on e-mail or by phone

 

Kirstie Banks-Lyon

Branch Leader Lancashire CPA

07703 759094

 

Wednesday 6 April 2016

Crowdfunding - Training Day - 16 May 2016

Lancaster CVS: Crowdfunding 16 May 2016
9:30 am - 3:30 pm
The Cornerstone, Dalton Square, Lancaster LA! 1PX

Trainer: Anne Strachan, an independent consultant, Crowdfunduk.org

Crowdfunding is an innovative fundraising tool - it is a way of raising finance by asking a large number of people each for a small amount of money. Until recently, financing a business, project or venture involved asking a few people for large sums of money. Crowdfunding switches this idea around, using the internet to talk to hundreds of potential funders. Crowdfunding is also so much more than raising funds - it builds and engages community around a project. This full day workshop including live films will cover: how crowdfunding works; the USPs of different platforms; what inspires backers; the building blocks of an effective campaign; tips and case studies - and finally - whether it is right for you. Anne Strachan runs training and support for the third sector, creatives and startups on social investment and community fundraising including crowdfunding.

Cost: £20 - £60 depending on the size of your organisation
To book: contact
janeattfield@lancastercvs.org.uk
http://lancastercvs.org.uk/event/crowdfunding/

Friday 1 April 2016

Basic Budgeting Course

If you are thinking of organising a course to help people manage their money and are not able to work with Christians Against Poverty or use any of the other products available you may want to look at this. Together Lancashire can make all the materials available to anyone who is interested.
 
 
Shalom 
 
Greg Smith
 
Development Co-ordinator Together Lancashire
Email: greg.smith@together-lancashire.org.uk
Phone - Mobile 07726177044
Postal Address and registered office : Together Lancashire, Diocesan Offices, Clayton House, Walker Office Park, Blackburn BB1 2QE. 
 
Registered Charity no 1147848 Registered company no 07966145
Together Lancashire Website http://www.cuf.org.uk/together-lancashire