10 May 2019
Small Charity Week: Big Advice Day
We want to make sure that all small charities in the UK knew that the deadline to book Big Advice Day 2019 is Friday, 17th May. Although the main event takes place in London, advice via phone or skype is available.
Big Advice Day is designed to offer small charities the chance to increase skills, confidence and knowledge in the topics you need help with the most. Read on to find out how to book onto Big Advice Day in London, remotely, or at partner events across the UK, and how to maximise the Day with top-up support and live streamed sessions.
Book your slot at Big Advice Day – 18 June 2019
NCVO: Eight reasons to love the theory of change
Theory of change (ToC) is a planning tool that helps organisations evaluate their impact. It takes the form of a visual diagram or narrative that shows how you expect outcomes to occur over the short, medium and longer term as a result of your work.
Read more
Are you on our community group database?
If you are a new community group or an organisation in Milton Keynes and would like to join our database of local groups, please call us on 01908 661 623 or e-mail support@communityactionmk.org. This will give you a chance to stay up to date about funding, events and opportunities for partnership-working within the Voluntary and Community Sector in Milton Keynes!
NCVO: How can voluntary organisations influence and shape health service transformation?
Charities and social enterprises can support the planning and delivery of publicly funded health services in lots of ways – from gathering user insight, to codesigning services, to actual service delivery. And those are all aspects that were endorsed and encouraged by the 2017 national review of the voluntary sector’s role in healthcare delivery. But beyond this, what are the opportunities for charities to influence and shape service strategy and transformation at a high level?
Read more
Milton Keynes Council Open Consultations
- South Caldecotte Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document 2019
- Consultation on the proposed school term dates for 2020/21
- Proposed Residents Permit Parking Place in Caldecotte
- Consultation on a proposal to expand Hanslope Primary School
Quality Care Commission needs your views
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) want to find out your views on how they can work with you and how you work with your local communities. Fill out this questionnaire to shape new guidance. You can also email the questionnaire or post it to return it back to us. Download a copy now or take the questionnaire online. The survey closes 31 May 2019.
Help CQC work better with local groups
Link: https://dev.webdataforms.cqc.org.uk/Checkbox/Regional-VCSE.aspx
Listening to our older people to help communities tackle fraud
More than 50 per cent of over 65s have been targeted by fraudsters. At Neighbourhood Watch we’re gathering insight into communities, helping us design a scheme for tackling this issue.
From the insight gathered, via workshops and interviews with Neighbourhood Watch volunteers and older people, we’ve developed a variety of tools for engagement to enable a community powered response to tackling fraud.
Read more
Charity Awards 2019 shortlist is unveiled
A fast-growing network of Community Fridges, an education project that teaches young women about extremism and online grooming, and a campaign to ensure the environment doesn’t suffer as a result of Brexit, are among 28 inspiring projects shortlisted for the Charity Awards 2019.
Read more
Volunteers’ Week 2019
The national Volunteers’ Week 2019 is fast approaching: 1-7 June. Volunteers’ Week is a time to say thank you for the fantastic contribution volunteers make. During the week, hundreds of events and celebrations take place across the country, saying thank you to volunteers and recognising their invaluable and diverse contribution to the UK.
We have teamed up with local groups and organisations to celebrate the amazing volunteering activity we have in Milton Keynes. We will be running volunteering drop-ins and pop-up activities across MK and sharing spotlight-stories of various organisations in Milton Keynes offering volunteering opportunities and case studies of some of the exiting volunteers. Please follow our blog and social media (#volunteerMK) to find out more.
To find out more about the Volunteer’s Week and access a whole range of resources to help you get involved visit: https://volunteersweek.org
And don’t forget about Simply Connect, the online volunteering platform for Milton Keynes where you can search through hundreds of existing volunteering opportunities right away – visit: https://communityactionmk.org/volunteer/.
Volunteering opportunity of the week
Volunteer Mentor – Prison, Probation and Community. Prison Advice and Care Trust
As a Volunteer Mentor you will have the opportunity to volunteer with people in the criminal justice system, either in the prison or out in the community.
Find out more
Health Watch Milton Keynes are looking for new trustees
Do you have a broad interest in health and social care issues, and feel that you have the skills to support Health Watch Milton Keynes as a Trustee? They have a number of spaces on their Board of Trustees and need your help to bring greater strength to the voice of people in Milton Keynes.
If you would like to join us please email info@healthwatchmiltonkeynes.co.uk or call on 01908 698800.
For more information, please go to: https://www.healthwatchmiltonkeynes.co.uk/news/2019-03-28/healthwatch-milton-keynes-inviting-our-members-apply-join-its-board-trustees
New Town Heritage Explorers
Project Manager Role (Freelance)
Milton Keynes Council (MKC) and its partner Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre (MKCDC) have secured National Lottery Heritage Fund investment thanks to National Lottery players, for a pioneering New Town Heritage Explorers project in Milton Keynes. MKC is seeking an enthusiastic freelance Project Manager with experience of delivering heritage projects and managing a complex and varied workload to drive this project.
Click here for more information. (PDF, 374KB)
Various roles as MK Snap
MK Snap, a leading local charity based in Milton Keynes providing education, life and work skills programmes for adults with learning differences, currently have the following vacancies:
Sessional Tutor: To lead in the planning, provision, development and delivery of activity sessions and work training skills sessions for learners across the curriculum as and when required on a sessional basis.
£12.24 per hour to include planning and essential training (£23,868pa FTE pro rata ) – fixed zero hours contract
Sessional Learning Support Assistant: To assist in the planning, provision, development and delivery of activity sessions and work training skills sessions for learners across the curriculum as and when required on a sessional basis.
£9.18 per hour to include planning and essential training (£17,901pa FTE pro rata ) Fixed zero hours contract
For more information about the roles and to apply, please visit MK Snap website: mksnap.org/current-vacancies/.If you are interested in the positions you can also call and speak to a member of the team on 01908 690 330.
Various roles at MK Gallery
MK Gallery is recruiting for a number of roles which make a significant contribution to the realisation of MK Gallery’s vision to become a world class arts centre and tourist destination.
Learning Coordinator
Closing date: 10am Monday 20 May 2019
Marketing and Public Relations (PR) Manager
Closing date: 10am Monday 20 May 2019
Administrator and Development Coordinator
Closing date: 10am Monday 20 May 2019
Find out more about these positions here and make applications to Kate Chadwick, Deputy Director, at kchadwick@mkgallery.org.
Standard Life Foundation offering £2m in grants until 3 June
Charities that work on financial health and wellbeing projects can apply for grants the foundation expects to be between £50,000 and £150,000.
For more information and to apply, click here. The deadline for applications is 1pm on 3 June.
Digital Health Funding
NHS digital are offering £1m funding for digital social care projects. The Social Care Digital Innovation Programme (SCDIP) aims to support local authorities using digital technology to design and implement social care.
Please see the link below for more information:
https://www.digitalhealth.net/2019/02/nhs-digital-funding-social-care-projects/
New Funding from The England Illegal Money Lending Team
New funding available from The England Illegal Money Lending Team to be used to benefit local communities. If you are interested in applying, then just send a short summary of your great idea and the budget you will require. Closing date is 30th June 2018. Project must be delivered by 31st March 2020.
www.stoploansharks.co.uk
Application Form
FAQs
Permablitz at Westbury Arts Centre
Our community garden at Westbury is being built by us, for us, and our growing volunteer group is creating a social retreat for us to reconnect with our local community as well as with art, nature and the food that we grow there.
Saturday 18th May
11am – 2pm
No matter what your experience or ability, everyone is welcome to join our gardening day permablitzes where we share skills, team-work, enthusiasm and food. We all “muck in” and work together to maintain our permaculture-led community garden in the morning. Then from 1pm we sit down for some social time as we share the food we all brought to contribute to the Bring & Share lunch and discuss our plans for the project.
Lunch takes as long as it takes – usually until the conversation finishes and someone says we should probably go home.
Look forward to seeing you in the garden!
If you would like to get involved, please see https://plantingup.co.uk/about/ for further details.
Great Get Together Iftaar
Sunday 19 May 7.30 pm
This multi faith enlightenment programme aims to build a stronger and cohesive community in Milton Keynes. If you would like to join this free event please bring salads, vegetarian dishes or desserts for the ‘bring and share’.
Register on Eventbrite
Charlotte Vincent
Monday 20th May at The Venue. 2pm to 4.30pm. Free event.
Founded in 1994 and led by Artistic Director Charlotte Vincent, Vincent Dance Theatre (VDT) produce powerful and engaging dance theatre work accompanied by extensive programmes of social engagement and professional development work. Charlotte will share her experience of creating relevant work for today’s audiences, her work with sometimes disengaged communities, and her collaborative approach alongside the use of technology within her process and performance. This promises to be a relevant and thoughtful session inviting debate and discussion.
She is considered ‘one of the UK’s leading female choreographer/directors’ and ‘one of the most important feminist artists working in Britain today’ (The Observer). https://www.thevenuemk.com/
National Trust – free events:
1. College interpretive dance performance on 22nd May 5pm.
More information is available here.
2. Mindful running course for 10 weeks starting on 21st May. More information is available here.
To find out about all local National Trust events and courses, click here.
Milton Keynes Surveying Workshop
Tuesday 21 May
11:30-14:30
AccessAble’s surveying workshop is taking place in partnership with Milton Keynes Council in May. This workshop is for anyone who is interested in collecting disabled access information from local venues or anyone who would like the opportunity to get out and about for a few hours. A free lunch and a £10 gift voucher are included as a thank you for attending.
Armed Forces Day
Do you have news to share?
If you work or volunteer for a local group or organisation in Milton Keynes or have an interesting project going in your community and have news to share, please feel free to get in touch with us. You can e-mail your updates to support@communityactionmk.org.
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