Join VIN on the 1st of May 2024 to discuss Collaboration on Health Inequality.

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VIN is being supported by NHS Partnerships England to deliver an event on Health Inequalities with specific relevance to the Local Area Partnerships and their Inequality themes.

This is a perfect opportunity for the VCSE, Local Authority and Health Practitioners to come together and discuss closer working relationships.

Being held at Kings Park Action Centre, with refreshments and lunch on the 1st of May 2024.

Book your space now by clicking on the attached link: Collaboration in Health Inequalities Tickets, Wed 1 May 2024 at 09:30 | Eventbrite 

If you are interested in involving yourself in the ICS and the Local Area Partnership Health Inequality priorities, or simply want to find out more on what’s happening then this is an event not to be missed.

There are only 60 VCSE spaces available and 21 have been taken already. So, book now to avoid disappointment.

The Road Ahead 2024

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NCVO have just released their latest publication entitled the Road Ahead 2024.

The publication cites the challenges that the VCSE sector faces, but also highlights the potential opportunities on offer.

NVCO identify 3 headline themes:

A general election brings uncertainty, inertia but also an opportunity to lobby and define a new space with central government.

Challenging economic times are set to continue with demand increasing and supply possibly restricting.

Charities must embrace innovate technology to perform their duties and deliver services to their beneficiaries.

Their insights can be viewed here: The Road Ahead 2024: Opportunities and challenges for the voluntary sector | NCVO

Public Trust in Charities

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Public trust and confidence is a governance challenge that all charities face, whether large or small.

NCVO note: 

Because the charity sector depends on donations and support from individuals, businesses, local and national government, and exists to deliver charitable purposes for public benefit, it’s imperative they demonstrate their impact and show that they are acting with integrity.

The latest Charity Commission research shows that charities saw a significant fall in public trust in 2016-18. Concerningly, at one point they were less well trusted by the public than an ordinary person in the street. However, headline trust in charities has recovered since 2018, while many other institutions have seen falls in trust in the last couple of years. As a result, charities are now more trusted than most other institutions, more than the police, but less than doctors.

Other headline themes include:

  • Negative actions by a single charity can impact the public perception of charities generally. When one charity mismanages funds, acts unethically or is involved in a scandal, it can affect charities everywhere.
  • While trust in charities has improved since 2016, there is still a gap between different communities. The most affluent and diverse communities have the highest trust in charities, while the least affluent and diverse communities have the lowest trust.
  • As a regulator, the Charity Commission is responsible for demonstrating the impact of charities to the public, and ensuring charities are acting within the law.
  • Public trust in charities is complex and nuanced but it’s especially impacted by how responsibly funds are used, whether they act ethically and whether they can demonstrate impact.

 

  • Trustee boards must ensure that they understand and can identify conflicts of interest.
  • Trustee boards should familiarise themselves with their statutory duties, as set out in the Charity Commission’s 5-minute guides.

VIN runs training courses on Trustee Governance, the Charity Governance Code and Demonstrating Social Impact. If any organisation requires a bespoke session on these subjects contact info@voluntaryimpact.org.uk in the first instance and we will be in touch.

Grant Funding for Volunteering – Round 3

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West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has launched a third round of grant funding which aims to create additional volunteering opportunities in West Northants.

Local charities, voluntary or community groups, clubs, community interest companies, and not for profit organisations are invited to apply for a grant up to £1,500 to recruit new volunteers for use for projects which address a local community need.

For more information click here: Third round of grant funding launched to help recruit volunteers in West Northants | West Northamptonshire Council

Further information and the full criteria for applications can be found on the WNC website and in the Council’s Community Funding Grants Framework.

If you would like an application form or wish to speak to the Community Funding Grants Team about your project or your eligibility to apply for this grant simply E Mail: communitygrants@westnorthants.gov.uk including your contact telephone number. 

More information about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) can be on the Gov website.

Do you want to be a Trustee at VIN.

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Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire (VIN) is looking to expand its current Board by 2 new members. If you are interested in volunteering and want a Trustee role to develop your skills or abilities then we would be interested to hear from you.

Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire is a local charity and Infrastructure Organisation based in Northampton. It started life as a Volunteer Bureau and has developed over time to provide a range of services, including community advice, training, and support.

The current Trustee Board consists of 7 volunteers, and we are looking to increase that number.

For more information about our organisation please visit: www.voluntaryimpact.org.uk

Trustees are required to attend on average 6 Meetings per Year plus the Annual AGM. These are currently held virtually via Zoom or in person at our offices in St Giles Street.

 

Role Specification:

 

A commitment to the mission of Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire.

A willingness to meet the minimum time requirement.

An ability to think creatively and strategically.

An ability to work as part of a Board.

An ability to make decisions which are often difficult and challenging.

The board of Trustees collectively need skills and experience in the following areas:

Fundraising.

Marketing.

Human Resources.

This should not preclude volunteers from applying who do not possess the above skill sets. Our constitution allows us a Board of 15 as a maximum.

A basic induction is provided. For more information or an informal discussion please contact the VIN CEO on 07592 501770 or at Russell.rolph@voluntaryimpact.org.uk

Park Visitors Survey – West Northamptonshire

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West Northants Council manages over 160 parks and open spaces. Parks and open spaces provide vital opportunities for recreation, contributing to the physical and mental health of the people of West Northamptonshire as well as being important for habitats, supporting local wildlife and biodiversity.

The Council would like to know your thoughts on certain major parks that exist in West Northamptonshire. If you would like to comment on more than one park, please complete a separate survey for each park. All of the Parks are listed in the attached link which can be found here: West Northamptonshire Parks Visitors Feedback Survey – West Northamptonshire Council – Citizen Space

Local Area Partnerships in West Northamptonshire

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Local Area Partnerships (LAPS) are now up and running across West Northamptonshire. In total, there are 9 LAPS covering Northampton, Daventry, and South Northants.

Details on these can be found by clicking on this link: West Northamptonshire Local Area Partnerships | Live your best life (wpcomstaging.com)Each LAP is made up of organisations that are working together in Partnership to provide services for their local communities.

Sir Keir Starmer to outline Labour’s vision for the charity sector at Pro Bono Economics (PBE) event.

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  • Labour leader to deliver keynote speech joined by 17 shadow ministers.
  • Major summit to be attended by 150 charity leaders.
  • Charities vital to solving big issues facing UK today, says PBE.
  • New polling shows public agree – they are five times more likely to trust charities than government to understand key issues affecting them.
  • Charities being asked to do more than ever, but with £1.7bn less in government funding and significant drop in volunteers.
  • Next government needs strategy to unleash sector’s full potential.

Sir Keir Starmer will outline his vision for how the charity sector can help deliver Labour’s five missions for Britain in government, as part of a major Pro Bono Economics (PBE) event on Monday (January 22).

The Labour leader will deliver the keynote speech to 150 charity leaders at the Labour and Civil Society Summit in central London and will be joined at the event by 17 shadow ministers, including frontbenchers Wes Streeting, Yvette Cooper and Bridget Phillipson.

It marks the first time in more than a decade that a major party leader in Britain has set out a vision for the charity sector and comes as new polling shows the British public are five times more likely to trust charities, rather than government, to understand the key issues affecting them.

As public services continue to come under mounting strain, the nation’s charities are being asked to do more than ever to support the most vulnerable in society. But in the wake of the pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis, the sector now receives £1.7 billion less in government funding than it did in 2009/10. There has also been a significant drop in volunteers in recent years, with around 4 million fewer regular volunteers in England post-pandemic.

With no clear vision for the sector set out by a political leader since David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ in 2010, PBE is calling for the next government to treat the sector as a strategic partner equal to UK business, rather than simply a lowest-cost provider of public services, in order to unleash its full potential.

A new YouGov poll of the public, conducted for PBE and the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), found that more than a third (36%) of people think that charities are best-placed to understand the issues affecting people in the UK today, more than five times the number of people who think the government is best-placed

Overall, almost six in 10 (59%) adults in the UK think that government should listen more to charities when thinking about the long-term challenges facing the country, with just 5% saying it should listen less.

And nearly a third (32%) think that government should encourage more wealthy people to support charities, while three in 10 (30%) say that charities should be more involved in decision-making.

Matt Whittaker, CEO of Pro Bono Economics, said:

“The UK’s charities are essential to solving the major challenges we face as a country today. They are equally pivotal to both Rishi Sunak’s five pledges as Prime Minister and Keir Starmer’s five missions for a Labour government.

“The public recognise the importance of the sector and have greater faith in the country’s charities than policymakers at present. Our new polling finds that the public are five times more likely to trust charities, rather than government, to understand the key issues affecting them.

“Yet Keir Starmer’s speech today is the first time a political leader in the UK has set out a strategic vision for how the sector can serve as a partner to government since David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ concept in 2010. Since then, the sector has changed enormously and now has a workforce totalling just shy of 1 million.

“While it has grown in size and become ever more vital to supporting the most vulnerable in society, the charity sector has had to deal with £1.7 billion less government funding in real terms and 4 million fewer volunteers over the same period.

“Charities sit at the centre of everything the nation aspires to – from the health of the economy to the quality of life we enjoy. It is vital then that the government which comes to power following the next general election does what it can to help the sector unleash its full potential.”

New year new lights for Northampton based charity

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Staff at a Northampton based charity will experience a brighter future thanks to an energy efficient office lighting upgrade supported by a grant from Northampton Town Council.

Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, who operate from headquarters on St Giles’ Street, were recently awarded £5,000 from the council’s Climate Change Grant Scheme.

The offices are now fitted with new, high output LED halo panel lights, which are expected to save the organisation almost £1,600 a year in running costs and use 72% less energy than the original light fittings – equivalent to an annual CO² saving of 2.18 tonnes.

The lighting upgrade also includes motion sensors in lesser used areas of the building, to switch on lights on only when they are needed.

Councillor Andrew Stevens, Chair of Northampton Town Council’s Environmental Services Committee and Climate Change Forum, said: “We are delighted to support Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire through our Climate Change Grant Scheme, as this new lighting will reduce the organisation’s carbon emissions and operating costs, helping them to continue their support of voluntary organisations within the county.

“The grant scheme is part of the council’s commitment to reducing emissions in Northampton, while raising awareness of the challenges posed by climate change, and we encourage community groups, charities and schools to apply if they have an idea that could have a positive environmental impact.

“Small changes can make a big difference and we hope that this example will inspire others to consider what they could do to help tackle climate change and also save money on their energy bills.”

Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire is the local infrastructure organisation for Northampton, providing information, advice, training and support to other voluntary sector organisations, acting as the strategic link between the sector and statutory organisations such as health and local authorities, and delivering direct services such as community transport and befriending.

Becky Thornton, Development Manager at Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, said: “We are grateful to the Town Council for providing this funding, as our old lighting was costly to run and emitted poor light levels.

“Each fitting had a maximum lifespan of 15,000 and the spent fluorescent tubes were difficult to recycle, possibly ending up in landfill.

“As well as the electricity savings, these lights have a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours, hugely reducing maintenance costs, and LED panels are much brighter, creating a more pleasant environment for our staff and visitors.”

To find out more about the Climate Change Grants scheme and the Town Councils other grants, please visit: https://www.northamptontowncouncil.gov.uk/grants

 

 

VIN is awarded the Community Health Champions Fund

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Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire has been awarded the Community Health Champions Funding for the next two years.

The Community Health Champion volunteers shall promote healthy lifestyles and have a focus on sharing information on health-related matters, including long-term health conditions, and signpost to the services and support available. Working in partnership with Public Health West Northamptonshire, this programme will deliver Volunteer Health Champions across West Northants, with the Local Area Partnership Area (LAP) known as Central (N4) being a priority area. The N4 Local Area Partnership (LAP) has identified respiratory disease as a priority area for action. Respiratory disease covers a wide variety of conditions, including common conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, infections such as pneumonia and flu, and less common diseases such as interstitial lung disease and mesothelioma. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory diseases (those affecting the airways and lungs) were diagnosed in 1 in 5 people in England and were the third biggest cause of death.

The Breathlessness Pathway is a programme of work being developed to address inequalities in respiratory care. It aims to better understand the experiences of those groups most vulnerable to health inequalities and respiratory conditions, and develop initiatives to address inequities in access, outcomes, and experiences. Within this the Community Health Champions Award is pivotal. Over the coming months VIN will be working with a range of stakeholders (including the VCSE) to drive this programme.

Russell Rolph (CEO of VIN) states:

We are delighted to have received this funding from Public Health West Northamptonshire and look forward to engaging with stakeholders and the community on this piece of work. This is hopefully the first of many volunteer programmes which will address specific health inequality themes through the provision of advice and information. It gives an opportunity for members of the public to dip their toes into the world of volunteering, receive training and support and see some remarkable outcomes for their efforts. If anyone is interested in volunteering for this programme then contact info@voluntaryimpact.org.uk in the first instance and we will be back in touch.