In the face of coronavirus, charities are #NeverMoreNeeded – for the essential support they provide in crisis and beyond, and how they shape our society for the better.
About the campaign
The government cannot afford to overlook or undervalue the not for profit sector at the moment.
As we navigate the worst impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, people across the country are relying on charities, for the essential support they provide and how they shape our society for the better.
And we’ll all continue to rely on charities’ expertise and experience in the recovery effort that lies ahead.
A unique role
Charities and other not-for-profit organisations make our communities stronger. In the toughest times, we provide support no-one else can.
Our unique role and services are invaluable right now and will be essential when our country begins to heal and re-build as we recover from the initial coronavirus outbreak.
(Taken from NAVCA website https://nmn.org.uk/)
Campaign update – January 2021
Charity sector is once again calling on the Government for an emergency support package for the sector, ahead of discussions and decisions being made in the Government’s March budget.
It is recognised and that the initial support package of £750mln offered in March 2020, although welcomed, has not been enough to help the sector continue delivering its vital activities and supporting the most vulnerable communities, with so many individuals and families being disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
As well as asking for an emergency support package, the representation also reiterates the sector’s Five Point Plan which sets out specific measures as to how the government can support civil society in the medium and longer-term.
Find out more from the Charity Finance Group website here. More updates about the campaign and it’s activities will be shared here and through our comms.
To see how our local VCSE sector has been responding to the pandemic and supporting our local communities in Milton Keynes, follow this link.
Help us ask the Government for urgent help
We have sent a joint letter on behalf of the VCSE sector in Milton Keynes to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rushi Sunak, to urge him to speed up and increase the provision for the charity sector and the many vulnerable people that we are all working to support.
Please read the letter below, share it with your local MP and ask them to lobby the Chancellor on our behalf.
Find more templates of letters for trustees or members of the public to write to MPs here: https://nmn.org.uk/information-downloads/
25 June 2020: a new campaign announced by NCVO and other sector bodies asking the Government to temporarily increase the amount of Gift Aid that charities can claim as one way of addressing the shortfall in funding within the charity sector. Read more
Danny Kruger MP Review of Civil Society – July 2020
The Prime Minister has tasked MP Danny Kruger to work with Diana Barran, Lords Minister Department for Culture Media and Sport and Minister for Civil Society including charities, social enterprise, loneliness, youth social action, to investigate how Government can empower & strengthen communities for the long term, and build on the wave of voluntary and community action during the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Community Action: MK, with feedback from some of the local groups (including through our Collaborative Action Groups project) , have compiled a response and sent it to Danny Kruger on 17th July 2020 – to be included in the final report being presented to the Prime Minister by 24th July 2020.
See our letter to Danny Kruger MP here.
More updates about this initiative to follow.
The response of the VCSE Groups in Milton Keynes
Locally, the VCSE groups and organisations in Milton Keynes have been adapting to the challenges presented by the pandemic and continuing to support their beneficiaries and the communities affected by the Covid-19 crisis. You can read a number of inspiring case studies here.
HeartOfOurCommunity
Local infrastructure organisations like us provide valuable support to their communities every day. But during the COVID-19 pandemic their support has been vital. The #HeartOfOurCommunity campaign from NAVCA is a celebration and a thank you to all their members for their dedication, hard work and sacrifice during these difficult times.
Community Action: MK have worked with NAVCA and its members over the years, but the Covid-19 crisis has made this collaboration even more closer and vital – it has provided us with extremely helpful connections, bags of knowledge shared among the members – the infrastructure organisations working across the UK. This has been so vital during this extremely challenging time of supporting the Voluntary and Community Sector in Milton Keynes.