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Volunteer Fair 2023

Volunteer Fair 2023Saturday 7 October, 10am to 2pm at Park View Shopping Centre, Whitley Bay, NE26 1DG

Join VODA and a whole range of local charities and community groups to find out more about the fantastic volunteering opportunities there are in North Tyneside at our upcoming Volunteer Fair in the Park View Shopping Centre, Whitley Bay.

Try out micro volunteering – give 10 minutes to make a difference by making a card, crafting or planting a seed – all ages can take part in these activities.

If you are looking for something in particular, or just want to learn more about volunteering, pop along between 10am and 2pm and one of our friendly team will be there to help you.

For more information call 0191 643 2626 or email [email protected].

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The Charity Commission 2023 trustee and public trust annual research

The Charity Commission undertakes annual research which relates closely to their statutory objectives, including increasing public trust and confidence in charities, promoting compliance by charity trustees with their legal obligations and enhancing the accountability of charities to donors, beneficiaries and the wider public.

The 2023 research has confirmed the following key findings:

  • Public Trust: Charities continue to be well regarded and highly trusted, ranking second only to doctors. The research shows that the public are more likely to trust charities that are small, local or where they feel a personal connection to the cause. Charity registration also provides further reassurance to the public.
  • Trustee’s Role: Trustees continue to feel confident that they understand what the public expects of them. Both Trustees and the public generally feel that charities should avoid excessive risk and focus on their core purposes when deciding how to spend funds. Equally, the public feels charities should not be so cautious that they end up simply accumulating money.
  • Charity Commission function: In relation to the Charity Commission’s regulatory function, 81% of trustees who have been in contact with the Commission feel they have been treated fairly. 95% of Trustees are also confident that the Commission will deal appropriately with any wrongdoing. The awareness by Trustees of the Commission’s 5-minute guides has also increased. You can view these guides here or in the Advice & Guidance page on VODA’s website.

Any further queries? VODA can offer support, advice and training to your VCSE group. Please contact VODA’s Core Services Team by telephone on 0191 643 2626 or by email on [email protected].

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Royal Quays Community to benefit from a warmer, greener, much-improved community centre thanks to Biffa Award

Linskill and North Tyneside Community Development Trust has secured a £46,251 grant from Biffa Award for its Royal Quays Community Centre Improvement Project.

Biffa Award is a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK, as part of the Landfill Communities Fund.

The improvement project was awarded funding under Biffa Awards Community Buildings theme. This fabulous and much needed project will make the Centre warmer and greener by replacing old windows to reduce heat loss and carbon emissions, reducing energy costs in the process. Internally facilities will be improved through the provision of new kitchen and toilets, the construction of a community room and with new flooring throughout.

The Trust took over Royal Quays Community Centre on a permanent basis in April 2020 and is committed to meet the needs of local people by providing a variety of groups and activities in the Centre.  Use of the Centre has been hampered by its poor condition, lack of flexible community space and low heat levels which have prevented some of those interested in running activities for the community from doing so. The improvements will attract new groups to the building and provide a better experience for those already using it. The new kitchen will be of particular benefit for delivering a lunch club for older people from the area.

Simeon Ripley the Trust’s CEO said: “We are delighted that Biffa Award has chosen to support the plans we have for improving Royal Quays Community Centre which we developed through consultation with centre users. The improvements will attract more groups and activities to the Centre for local people.  The changes to the windows will reduce heat loss and carbon emissions and the cost savings will help us ensure the centre is financially sustainable”.

Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award Grants Manager, said: “It is so important that we continue to invest in community buildings which are at the heart of their communities. Supporting the project to replace the windows and improve the indoor facilities at the Royal Quays Community Centre will ensure that the community has a fit for purpose building to use for years to come. Projects like this provide the means for a community to thrive.”

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New training portal launched for voluntary organisations during Trustees’ Week

Three North East support charities have launched a new e-learning resource for trustees. 

Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, Elements Training Portal has been developed by Connected Voice, North Tyneside VODA and Northumberland CVA, who have been working in partnership since 2019 to help trustees overcome challenges such as capacity and geography by giving them the opportunity to access quality e-learning 24/7 from wherever they have an internet connection.

New trustees looking for an introductory course to support their work, will be able to sign up to the Elements Training Platform and study its ‘Good Governance’ course in their own time and at their own pace, and can fit their learning around their schedule and priorities. And what’s more, until the end of December 2021, trustees will be able to access the ‘Good Governance’ course free of charge.

Giovanni Spatuzzi, Strategic Partnerships and Operations Manager at Connected Voice said, “Most individuals who become trustees don’t start out with a well-developed knowledge of governance issues. Instead, they start out with a vitally-important passion for the work of the organisation, and the governance side of things is something they must learn along the way.

“Although we’re just getting started, we want Elements to become the go-to place for people in our sector across the North East, whatever their role, to find flexible, interactive e-learning opportunities that offer a good basic understanding of subjects such as good governance, volunteers and the law, and good fundraising to support them in their work.

“‘Good Governance’ is our first course. It is suitable for new trustees and also for existing trustees who are looking to refresh their knowledge. We’ll be adding new courses very soon.”

Connected Voice, North Tyneside VODA and Northumberland CVA are all well-established and respected membership charities offering local infrastructure support to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in their respective communities across North of Tyne and Gateshead.

The partnership has a combined membership of over 1,500 organisations, with around 3,500 trustee-led charities covering their geographical areas, so we’re anticipating a high demand for the Elements Training Portal.

As well as this new Elements Training Platform, each of the partners also offers a range of other information, training and support.  If you’re in North Tyneside, you can contact VODA for support: email [email protected] or call 0191 6432626.

To register on Elements and study the ‘Good Governance’ course free, go to: https://elementstraining.teachable.com/

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North Tyneside comes together to provide a lifeline from the community

Press release from North Tyneside Council 28.04.20

North Tyneside Council launched its dedicated Covid-19 support hub last month for those in need of immediate help and support and who can’t call on anyone else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s part of the local authority’s response to the pandemic, helping to shield its most vulnerable residents who are living in their home without support from others, by providing non-clinical help.

And it’s been thanks to local authority staff and an army of volunteers that the hub has already helped over 3,200 residents.

A 62-strong council team – made up of the existing contact centre and 28 others who volunteered to be redeployed from their existing role – have fielded over 3,200 calls from the public. A further 65 redeployed staff are helping to support the hub by making regular welfare phone calls, checking that people have food, spending time talking to them and helping to identify any extra help and support they may need to help them to shield.

The requests into the hub from the public have included help picking up prescriptions, household supplies, grocery shopping and purchasing pet food.

North Tyneside-based charity VODA has then mobilised 255 newly recruited volunteers to carry out over 700 tasks to date, via their Good Neighbours project.

Volunteers from charities Age UK North Tyneside and Dreamshine are also offering a befriending telephone service to chat with people who may feel lonely during isolation.

It really is a community effort – with staff and volunteers from Family Gateway and Cedarwood Trust, two other local charities, also delivering meals to residents, while other charities and community groups are focusing their efforts on providing support over the telephone and via digital channels.

And 43 businesses have offered their services as part of the support hub too, helping to provide essential groceries and prepared meals, through North Tyneside Business Forum.

North Tyneside Elected Mayor, Norma Redfearn CBE said: “Protecting our most vulnerable residents is always a top priority for this council – and the support hub is absolutely critical in helping to do so right now.

“Working side-by-side with so many remarkable organisations, groups and volunteers means we have been able to help everyone who has urgently needed our support. We could not do this without them, and I would like to thank them all.

“The response from the community has been truly humbling – there have been acts of kindness shown right across the borough. We have had so many community-spirted people willing to help in many different ways, and I am delighted we have been able to coordinate so much of this so successfully through the support hub and, of course, only with VODA’s help.”

Chief Executive of VODA, Robin Fry added: “It’s been amazing to see so many local residents, community groups and charities come together to offer vital support to some of our most vulnerable residents. There has always been a strong culture of volunteering and social action across the borough and we are lucky to have some amazing charities who have been able to adapt their services to meet demand. The contribution of the voluntary sector is going to more important than ever to help our communities recover from this pandemic.”

One of hub’s volunteers is Julie Partridge, a retired teacher from Whitley Bay, who has regularly been grocery shopping and doing telephone shifts talking to those feeling lonely, as well as mentoring young people.

Julie said: “The experience has been an absolute pleasure. I have enjoyed so much about this experience – the smiles, the laughter and the feeling of being a tiny helping part of a much, much bigger movement. I would encourage others thinking about volunteering to just do it!

“I wanted to volunteer during this time because there are many things about the present situation that are so completely beyond our control that I am concerned about people’s mental health and wellbeing.

“One of my regular weekly shopping trips has become a ‘chat’ as well. Once a week we chat on the phone as we go over the list and I make sure that I’m not in a rush when delivering the shopping. The person that I shop for has acknowledged that they are struggling with their mental health in the present climate and seems to enjoy the interaction that we have. Many people have used the phrase ‘human voice’ and I believe that is what is needed at this time.”

The opening hours for the COVID-19 support hub are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and is available via TEL: 0345 2000 101 or emailing [email protected].

While it is available to anyone in urgent need of non-clinical help in the borough, priority will be given to those identified by the NHS as critically vulnerable due to health conditions.

North Tyneside Council’s contact centre is run by its partner Engie.

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VODA’s AGM and Awards Presentation 2019

Our Annual General Meeting and awards presentation took place on Wednesday 23 October at the Linskill Centre in North Shields.

As well as a presentation of VODA’s latest annual report and accounts, the event featured keynote speaker Wendy Burke, Director of Public Health at North Tyneside Council, who discussed Population Health in North Tyneside and the role of the voluntary sector.

We also announced the winners of VODA’s North Tyneside VCS awards. Earsdon and Wellfield Community Association was the winner of Organisation of the Year. Volunteer of the Year was Rizwan Ali, from Walking With in North Tyneside, Young Volunteer of the Year went to Bobbi-Lou Taylor from Tyne Met College and the Trustee of the Year was Anna McConville from Pathways 4 All, as well as a special commendations for Young Volunteer Abi Jackson from Creative Minds and to the Tynemouth Scouts. Read more about the award winners here.

In addition, three local businesses –  Carney Consultancy, Bell Group and Accenture – were presented with their Community Friendly Business Awards by Ian Dodds, who coordinates VODA’s Sector Connector project. Read more about the Community Friendly Business Award winners here

 

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