9th September 2019

SAVE THE DATE!

Our Autumn Networking event has been confirmed for Tuesday 8th October 2019.

It will be held at the Meeting Place as part of The Festival for Creative Urban Living .

Watch this space for more details!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Let’s Talk Good Finance MK

This afternoon session is designed for charities, social enterprises, community businesses and local groups in Milton Keynes interested in social investment. The event is organised by Community Action: MK in collaboration with NAVCA and the Good Finance teams.

Date: Thursday 17th October

Time: 1.30 – 4.30pm (3:50 – 4.30pm: networking)

Venue: Herons Lodge, Bradwell Rd, Great Holm, Milton Keynes MK8 9AA

To find out more about social investment and to book your free place, follow this link. The programme of the event can be found here.

The Open University: Virtual Internship Programme

A virtual internship is a remote working arrangement that provides employers access to many more students who have the skills needed for their organisation. It also provides employers access to a wider talent pool that extends far beyond their local area. 

More information can be found here or alternatively, visit the OU’s website to discover more about what their virtual internships have to offer for both individuals and businesses alike.

Beds, Luton and Milton Keynes Disability Physical Activity and Sport Summit 2019

Meet Peta Drop In

Cyber Security Workshops

We are helping the Thames Valley Police deliver two workshops dedicated to Cyber Security for voluntary and community groups.

Tuesday 8th October: 11am – 1pm

Thursday 24th October 11am – 1pm

Venue: Grant Thornton, 199 Avebury Blvd, Milton Keynes MK9 1AU

Click the link to find out more and to book your place.

Fareshare Warehouse Opening!

Milton Keynes Council Open Consultations

• NEW: Draft Housing Strategy
• NEW: Statutory Consultation on a Proposal to Close Emberton School
• Draft Milton Keynes East Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document
• Draft Downsizing Incentives Policy
• Draft Temporary Accommodation Placement Policy
• Should MKC implement a borough-wide PSPO to tackle the anti-social use of vehicles associated with car cruising
• Consultation on LCTR Parish Funding
• Draft Milton Keynes East Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document

Other useful links:

• See all MK Council consultations
• See the calendar of upcoming meetings at MK Council
• See the latest Economy and Cultural Newsletter from MK Council, including the latest update on the Local Economic Assessment 2019.

Second redesign workshop of the CNWL – Milton Keynes Adult Mental Health Community Services Model

You are invited to join us for our second redesign workshop of the CNWL – Milton Keynes Adult Mental Health Community Services Model. Wednesday 25th September 2019.
Ridgeway Centre, Wolverton Mill, Milton Keynes MK12 5TH.
Booking is essential.
Please email n.ranautta@nhs.net by 13th September 2019 to reserve your place.

Charity Risk Barometer 2019

BREXIT Advice

Exploring volunteers’ attitudes to health and safety in the charity sector

Ecclesiastical are partnering with leading researchers at the Health and Safety Executive’s Science and Research Centre to develop practical advice for charities.

The HSE are looking for participants to be part of this pioneering research through either, attendance at one of the planned regional workshops, or via a short telephone interview.

Recognising that participants would be giving freely of their time, Ecclesiastical will make a donation of £100 to a registered charity of their choice as a thank you for taking part.

For more information and to find out how to get involved, follow this link.

Communities Week 2019!

9th – 13th September

It’s #CommunitesWeek ! A week organised by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the community sector to celebrate communities, business and partners who are working with communities and improving neighbourhoods across the country.

Suicide Prevention Training

Take this 20 minute online training session to learn how to potentially save a life. Click the image below to take you to the website.

Deaf Awareness Training

Dyslexia Training Workshops

REGISTER HERE

CMK Litter Picking

South Row:
On Saturday 14th September Central Milton Keynes Town Council is holding its first litter pick along South Row. We hope that this will be the first of a number of litter picks across CMK. The event will take place between 10am-12 noon and we invite residents to come along and get involved. We will meet next to Beefeater Barn, Secklow Gate West.

North Row:
On Saturday 21st September Central Milton Keynes Town Council is holding another litter pick between the North 9th and 10th Street flats . The event will take place between 10am – 12 noon and we invite residents to come along and get involved. We will meet next to Centrecom, North Row.

Equipment and disposable gloves will be provided. If you would like to join our litter pick in your area simply turn up on the day. If you need any more information, just contact: sue.nelson@cmktowncouncil.gov.uk or leave a message at 01908 661623.

Bikeability Cycle Training

Volunteering Opportunity of the Week: Driver – Barnado’s Young People

Barnardos runs a service that allows parents and children who cannot live together to meet in a supervised setting. The young people sometimes need transport to enable them to attend these meetings. It needs to gather a small team of drivers that can be called upon to assist when the need arises.

See our SimplyConnect details for this volunteering role or visit Barnado’s website directly.

---

Volunteers Needed: Gardening session in Centre MK

---

Volunteers Needed: Victims First Emotional Support Volunteer

Victims First Emotional Support Volunteer provides free emotional and practical support to all victims of crime, witnesses of crime and family members of victims. The service is available across Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire. They can provide help regardless of whether or not the crime has been reported to the police.

What does it involve?

• Providing practical and emotional support to victims of crime in the Thames Valley area
• Working to empower victims and to track and map progress by using an evidence-based outcomes tool
• Ensuring fairness, impartiality and equality in supporting victims
• Keeping a secure record of contact with victims and reporting to the Caseworker appropriately and in line with data protection requirements
• Working alongside a Caseworker to ensure the delivery of a high-quality service
• Committing to attending training, supervision, reflective practice and support sessions

Click here to find out more about this role. Victims First are in desperate need of volunteers to help empower their service users, through their access to improved services and support networks.

Visit their website for more information about what they do.

Jobs in the Voluntary Sector: Community Inclusion Project Manager – The Stables

The Community Inclusion Project Manager will play a pivotal role in creating new connections between The Stables, IF: Milton Keynes International Festival and D/deaf and disabled people. He/she will be responsible for creating connections within Milton Keynes and ensuring that The Stables and the Festival are appropriately prepared for these new partnerships.

This role will support the delivery of a new project funded by MK Community Foundation which includes an extensive programme focussing on and enhancing the organisation’s approach to working with D/deaf and disabled people as participants, audience members and performers.

Click here for a more detailed role description can be found here

For more information click here, or see The Stables website for full details.

---

Jobs in the Voluntary Sector: Locality Project Worker – Barnado’s Young People

Barnardo’s Young People is seeking a Locality Project Worker for Milton Keynes and Bedford Borough Council.  They are looking for a flexible person willing to help develop existing services in both Milton Keynes and Bedford Borough Council.

Services include:

• independent return interviews to support looked after children
• independent visiting carried out by volunteers
• advocacy
• short breaks
• supervised contact.

This is a zero hours contract based in Dunstable (covering Milton Keynes and some areas of Bedfordshire) with a salary of £9.50 per hour.

Deadline 29 September. Click here for more information

Winifred Tumim Fund 2019

National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has launched the Winifred Tumim Memorial Fund 2019, awarding a grant of £1,000 for work which supports innovation in good charity governance such as:

• trialling and testing a new approach
• developing a tool for NCVO which can be used to support good governance
• undertaking some thought leadership work.

Entries can be from organisations or individuals.

Deadline: 28 October. Click here.

---

Magic Little Grants 2019

Magic Little Grants 2019 from Localgiving is now open for £500 grants to charities and community groups that encourage people to be physically active.

Successful projects will support and inspire people to participate in sports or exercise with the primary aim of improving the physical health of participants.

Applicants must either be in their first year of operation or have an annual income under £250,000.

Deadline 30 November. Click here.

The Festival of Creative Urban Living : 26 September – 13 October 2019

The main theme is ‘The Built, The Unbuilt and The Unbuildable’, looking at art, design and architecture in urban environments.

The Festival brings together artists, residents, architects, designers, urban planners, thinkers, creatives and many others for a FREE programme of exhibitions, discussions, events, creative workshops, performances and much more.

It has been commissioned by MK Council, funded by Arts Council England, and is programmed and curated by experimental architectural practice raumlaborberlin.

To find out more about what’s on during the festival and a programme of events, then please click here for more information.

‘Secklow Hundred Mound – Milton Keynes’ ancestral meeting place’
– an illustrated talk by Martin Petchey, Archaeologist.

Thursday 19th September 2019 at 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Milton Keynes Central Library

The Secklow Mound – Central Milton Keynes. Behind the Central Library lies a Scheduled Ancient Monument of national importance known as Secklow Mound, named after an Anglo-Saxon administrative area called the Secklow Hundred. The Mound was a meeting place and historical research in the 1970s confirmed the precise location of the Mound to be at the edge of todays City Centre. In 1978 the mound was reconstructed and landscaped protecting the significant archaeological remains.

Please follow this link to book your free tickets.

MK FOOD FEST

SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2019: 11am – 5pm

Each September the picturesque MK Village Pavilion in Middleton comes alive with the exciting vibe of the local food and drink scene. With all the stallholders coming from within a 20 mile radius of the venue, the event showcases the best of local food and drink and brings together street food vendors, artisan producers, farmers market stallholders and chefs for a one day, one location, not-to-be-missed food and drink shopping experience. Please follow this link to find out more.

Community Fridge Tea Dance

Thursday 19th Sept 1230 – 3pm

The community fridge pop-up cafe team will be sharing an afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes and homemade jam until 2pm accompanied by music from bygone decades and dancing until 3pm. No charge for food or entertainment. 

Donations are welcome and there will be ‘guess the weight of the cake’ competition and homemade jam to fundraise for the project.

ROCLA Art Trail Walk

15th September 2019

A guided walk round the ROCLA Art Trail in the Redhouse Park area, Milton Keynes. A variety of newly commissioned artworks & sculptures of various types reflecting nature, magic and location have are due to be installed in 2018. Each commission will have a plaque that will contain a QR code. – Meet some of the artists on the day.

MK LIT FEST 2019

18th – 22nd September

A fabulous festival of books, words, writers and ideas that celebrates everything literary, bookish or wordy.

The Lit Fest Steering Group brings together arts and education professionals and enthusiasts who share a love of books, words, writing, speaking and thinking.  We are a small team with big ambitions, and we are especially grateful to our wonderful volunteers who help us get the show on the road. 

A programme of events and ticket information can be found here.

Follow this link to find out more about MK Lit Fest.

The big population health conversation

We will explore how a wide range of organisations – across local government, the voluntary sector, the private sector and local communities – have it within their power to improve people’s health.

To find out more and book your place, click here.

Transparency and Trust: Trustee Conference 19th September 2019

2:00pm – 5:15pm

Looking at why transparency and trust are critical to a charity’s success, this half-day conference in Aylesbury will give you expert input and practical ideas to strengthen your organisation.

You will learn how to boost trust levels through governance, board diversity and accountability, as well as participate in one of our expert-led interactive breakout sessions. If you are a trustee or committee member of a charity, voluntary or community group or a board member of a social enterprise, this conference will provide you with clear, take-away actions to apply to your organisation.

Click here for more information and to book onto the conference.

Do you have news to share?

Are you following us on social media?

Here is where you can find us:

Twitter: twitter.com/ComActMK

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CommunityActionMK/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/community-action-mk

Instagram: instagram.com/comactmk

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CommunityActionMK