Posted byAnna Klis-Davies, Community Engagement Team

Weekly Bulletin for the Voluntary and Community Sector in Milton Keynes

Lots of networking opportunities coming up! RSVP here to our Festive Networking on 6th December.

Please join us for a Festive Networking Event at the Grant Thornton Co-Working Space, Victoria House, 199 Avebury BoulevardMiltoPedalling Culture Winter Social 2018

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Upcoming Training at Milton Keynes Play Association

12hr Paediatric First Aid

*Last 3 courses of this term*
3rd & 4th December 9.30am-4.30pm / 5th 6th 12th December 9.30pm – 1.45pm / 5th 6th 12th 13th  December 6.15pm-930pm £85 members / £95 non.
New Year Dates – Sat 5th & 12th January 9.30am-4.30pm / 8th 9th 15th Jan 9.30am-1.45pm / 8th 9th 15th 16th Jan 6.15pm-9.30pm £85 / £95

Still Places available in November for:-
Introduction to Playwork Training

Fri 23rd Nov 9.30am-12.30pm £36 members / £40 non

Emergency First Aid at Work (HSE)
Mon 27th Nov 9.30am-4.30pm £85
Manual Handling

Weds 28th Nov 9.30am-12.30pm £36 members / £40 non

January Dates:-
Teaching Food in Primary Schools

Thurs 10th Jan 9.30am-4.30pm £60 member / £65 non

Basic Safeguarding Children

Fri 11th Jan 9.30am-12.30pm £40 members / £50 non

L2 Health & Safety – accredited by Highfield

Mon 14th Jan 9.30am-4.30pm £65 members / £75 non

To book on these or any of our courses please call 01908-263033 or email training@mkpa.co.uk

Update on the Safe Hut

In previous years the Safe Hut has targeted 18–24-year-old revellers and members of the public seeking support in the night time economy, specifically visiting Xscape and 12th Street. Due to the redevelopment of 12th Street and the closure of the Wonderworld nightclub at Xscape, it was decided that the Safe Hut would not go ahead in 2017, however  this year My Milton Keynes BID are reintroducing Safe Hut to help support the Evening Economy in these areas and to offer support in tackling ASB, injuries and provide first response support for visitors to these leisure areas.

 An enhanced police presence at the event is also planned with additional BID Officers and staff from TVP. The addition of a fold out awning supplied by Acute Ambulance allows for more space dedicated to social support area with phone charging, heating and a safe chill out space to recover from the festivities on offer. This area also seeks to direct the vulnerable, so they are able to contact friends; make provision for a safe journey home; get support, advice or information as they require.

Key Action Points

  • The Safe Hut will be found outside Xscape Milton Keynes and will run from 11:00pm until 03:00am on the following dates;
  • December the 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st.
  • Safe Hut is part of the MyMiltonKeynes commitment to the evening economy and its visitors
  • Safe Hut ensures a safe and fun night out in Milton Keynes
  • It alleviates pressure on emergency services which can be stretched at this time of year
  • The service is about giving support and saving lives
  • Safe Hut drastically reduces alcohol related hospital admissions
  • It creates a safe space, providing much needed rest and recuperation for visitors.
  • Safe Hut is a project delivered in partnership with Thames Valley Police, Acute Ambulance Services, Milton Keynes Council and managed by MyMiltonKeynes BID. 
  • It has been running since 2009 with great success and the BID is pleased to bring it back once again to Xscape.
  • Safe Hut is an excellent opportunity for volunteers to engage with the public, medical staff and the police to help ensure an enjoyable Christmas party season is enjoyed by all.
  • Nearly 2000 users of the service have been engaged with over the last three years of Safe Hut.
  • Nearly 1000 people have been given medical care and attention from trained medical staff during this time.
  • Ambulance staff on hand each night are highly trained in different medical emergencies.
  • Staff are FREC (First Response Emergency Care) level 3 and above and able to provide medical care to users of the service.

MK Creative and Cultural Strategy 2018-2027 has now been launched

The document can be found on the MK Council website: https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/leisure-tourism-and-culture/arts-and-heritage

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Civil Society Futures – final report

This week we saw the launch of the Civil Society Futures report – the result of a two year inquiry into the future of the VCSE sector and how the sector must adapt to economic and social changes, over the next decade and beyond.
The report calls on individuals, charities and organisations in civil society to commit to a new ‘PACT’:
• POWER: shifting power and sharing more decision-making and control, being a model of inclusive participation for the rest of society.
• ACCOUNTABILITY: being primarily accountable to the people they serve – instead of putting funders and government first – and being accountable to future generations.
• CONNECTION: broadening and deepening connections with people and communities, bridging damaging social divides, and investing in a new ‘social infrastructure’.
• TRUST: devoting more time and resources to build trust in all civil society activity, earning trust by speaking up to politicians and corporations, trusting communities to make the decisions that affect them.
NAVCA CEO Jane Ide said the following in response to the report:
“NAVCA has been engaged in the Civil Society Futures inquiry since its launch two years ago, and we enabled many of our members to be involved directly, feeding in their views and those of the organisations they support and represent.
“The outcome of this wide ranging, in depth, inquiry is a report that is both constructive and challenging. In many ways, as with any good inquiry, it tells us things that in truth we already know but that sometimes are not clearly articulated or described with authority.
“There is much within the report for all of us to consider, not least the potential for change in our own personal practice and behaviour, and of course there are some very specific references to NAVCA and our fellow national infrastructure bodies, with some direct challenges for us to think about.
“But I would say – I hope without complacency – that much of what the report describes is a journey that NAVCA, in its own right as an organisation and with its network of members, is already on.
“The concepts of sharing power with the communities we are here to serve, of being accountable to our beneficiaries, of building deep, meaningful connections and of investing in trusting relationships in order to deliver real change – these are all concepts that I believe are absolutely in the DNA of the local, place based social action movement.
“I look forward very much to exploring the ideas underpinning the report with our members, identifying the very real barriers to making the PACT real, and continuing the journey that we’ve already started towards playing our essential, collaborative role in a healthy, vibrant, powerful civil society of the future.”
The report is available to read and download here. 
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Funding Alert

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, and the Chief Constable, Francis Habgood, have opened a new grant round of the Police Property Act Fund.

The Fund, which is jointly managed by the PCC and the Chief Constable, is created from money recovered by the police and the proceeds from the sale of items that cannot be returned to identified owners, including seizures from criminals.

Earlier this year £97,950 was distributed to 20 different organisations and the PCC and Chief Constable expect to allocate around £100,000 in this grant round.

Applications are now invited from local voluntary and community groups who can contribute towards two of the PCC’s strategic priorities in his Police and Crime Plan, which are:

  • Vulnerability
  • Prevention and Early Intervention

Some examples of projects that may be considered include those that aim to tackle:

  • Elder abuse,
  • Hidden harm such as stalking, honour based abuse and forced marriage,
  • Peer on peer abuse
  • Road safety.

All applications will be required to submit clear evidence of how their project or activity will contribute towards achieving the key aim indicated.

The closing date for this round of applications is Monday 17th December at 9am and applications will be considered jointly by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and the Chief Constable.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Anthony Stansfeld said:  “I am pleased to be launching another round of the Police Property Act Fund.  Every year, I am delighted to see the good work that is being carried out by the voluntary and community sector and the difference they make.

“Working in partnership with both statutory and voluntary organisations is crucial when addressing issues such as re-offending and serious organised crime.  I am confident that there are voluntary organisations working within the community that can make a valuable contribution in tackling these issues at a local level and I look forward to seeing the applications”.

Chief Constable, Francis Habgood said: “I am committed to working together to make our communities safer. This source of funding is an excellent way to offer support to community and voluntary groups working with us across Thames Valley.

Reducing offending by focusing on prevention and early intervention is a key priority in this bidding round as well as contributing to those organisations who work with the most vulnerable, so we are particularly keen to receive bids that will support this work.”

More information and the application form can be found at:

https://www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/get-involved/police-property-act-fund/