Tag Archive for: Events

#CambsDigiWeek – A week of free events around digital

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Cambridgeshire Digital Partnership (CDP) are delighted to announce a series of online events taking place 17th – 20th October to celebrate Get Online Week, a national campaign by Good Things Foundation.

This year we focuson digital skills and the week includes networking events with guest speakers to discuss digital skills and access to health care, digital skills in the work place and the need to tailor digital support around individual interests.

The week also includes workshops and training sessions on Mailchimp, Canva and Cyber Security for small charities and community groups, along with plenty of time for attendees to network, share learning, ideas and updates.

All events are free of charge and open to all, however more information about who might like to attend is given on each Eventbrite page. The line-up includes sessions that will be of interest to charities, community groups, health professionals and businesses.

 

#CambsDigiWeek programme 

Monday 17 Oct @ 1pm, Health Care & Digital Inequalities

Join this event to hear from guest speakers and to discuss the digital transformation of health care services and how this impacts people who are not online or have limited digital skills.

Tuesday 18 Oct @ 10:30am, Developing digital skills in your workplace

Join this event to explore how you can develop digital skills in your workplace. Zoe Amar will share key findings from the Charity Digital Skills Report and Marlous Lang-Peterse, who currently works with Third Sector Lab and The Catalyst will talk about digital leadership and resources available.

Tuesday 18 Oct @ 1:30pm, Making the most of Mailchimp

Join this bite sized online workshop with Lorna Gough, Communications & Engagement Worker at CCVS to explore the different design features available on Mailchimp.

Wednesday 19 Oct @ 9:30am, Cyber Security Training for Small Charities

Join this training session to understand why small charities are at risk of different types of cyber-attack, be aware of practical steps you can take to avoid cyber-attack and know what to do in the event of a cyber-attack on your organisation.

Wednesday 19 Oct @ 1:30pm, Canva 101

Join this bite sized online workshop with Taron Murfitt, Community Inclusion Officer with Cambridge Online for an introduction to Canva, its key features and where to go for support with more in-depth work.

Thursday 20 Oct @ 10:30am, CDP Networking Event – Don’t say Digital

Join this networking event to discuss how digital skills education can empower individuals and why this approach is so important. You will hear from expert speaker Kat Dixon, Director of Partnerships at national charity Catch22 and a range of groups that enable people to develop their digital skills in order to pursue an interest, raise their voice, or get creative.

 

You can also find out more about CDP via www.cambridgeshiredigitalpartnership.org.uk or follow us on twitter @CambsDigi.

If you have any questions or difficulties bookings please get in touch via  hello@cambridgeshiredigitalpartnerhsip.org.uk.

Trustee Week – Come join us, it’s not just for your committee and board

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We are very excited to bring you the Support Cambridgeshire Trustee Week, happening between the 8th and 10th of November, National Trustees Week in the UK.

As part of that, we are hosting four events across three days which are aimed at upskilling and broadening the knowledge and understanding of those who drive are part of the strategic vision of our Voluntary and Community Sector.

Each event is open to anyone who wants to know more, and most are passive, with the option to ask questions of some fantastic professionals. This is an excellent opportunity to engage your ​board and committee in upskilling, which supports their development in making the right decisions for your organisation. However, we are happy to have you if you’re a volunteer, member of the public or staff member interested in the subject.

These events are open to any organisation, however small or large, that works within the county of Cambridgeshire and the city of Peterborough. We thank those who have supported us in offering this event timetable.

Day One – What it is to be a Trustee 

This event is perfect for the current trustee or committee members who need a recap of their responsibilities. It is also perfect for new committee and board members who want to know more. We also welcome those working within the VCSE who want to know more about the role of a charitable Trustee or committee member.

Day Two – 101 Day

In the morning, we have Insurance 101, which will allow those on board​s to grasp the types of charitable insurance on offer and ask professional questions. This includes trustee insurance which covers those on boards for liability.

We then have DBS 101 in the early evening, another topic that those making decisions about the organisation’s direction need to know. For example, what is a ​data barring check, why is it needed and do your volunteers and staff need to have one?

Day Three – Who’s the Boss? 

Getting on Board is supporting Support Cambridgeshire to host this exciting event which looks at the role of the Chair and what makes the relationship between Chair and CEO work. Open to all to come and listen to some fantastic and talented speakers to talk through this relationship and how chairs and CEOs take this further.

Some events will be recorded, but this is the only opportunity you will have to ask questions of the professionals we have pooled together. We, therefore, suggest you book your place as soon as possible.

 

Want to know more and how to book click the button below.

Click here to book

Training around wellbeing of staff

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Many people find it challenging to talk about mental health at work. Frontline staff may feel embarrassed about their suffering, while managers may not know what to say. Unfortunately, this can contribute to a vicious cycle as no one talks about it and the stigma and isolation grow.

In this workshop series, managers and supervisors will discover how to notice suffering in their team and start conversations safely. Through a straightforward four-step process, attendees will learn how to :

  1. Notice suffering in their colleagues
  2. Identify and overcome the barriers to engaging team members
  3. Cultivate empathy for their distress
  4. Respond appropriately and effectively to alleviate their concerns

There are two sessions in the series, of two hours duration each.

  • Session One: How to notice suffering in the workplace and start conversations with your staff.
  • Session Two: How to overcome barriers to compassion, build empathy and alleviate suffering.

Upon registering for Session 1, delegates will automatically receive an invite for Session 2 in that series. The series of workshops will run twice each month:

Wed 15th Sept 2-4 pm (Session 1); Wed 29th Sept 2-4 pm (Session 2) FULL

Fri 24th Sept 10-12 pm (Session 1); Fri 1st October 10-12 pm (Session 2) FULL

Wed 13th Oct 6-8 pm (Session 1); Wed 20th Oct 6-8 pm (Session 2) *evening sessions FULL

Fri 15th Oct 10-12 pm (Session 1); Fri 22nd Oct 10-12 pm (Session 2) FULL

Wed 10th November 2-4 pm (Session 1); Wed 24th Nov 2-4 pm (Session 2) FULL

Fri 19th November 10-12 pm (Session 1); Fri 26th Nov10-12 pm (Session 2) FULL

 

More training will be offered to check availability of this please  CLICK HERE

 

Please regularly check the Staff Support Hub website for more information about the Hub and for details of upcoming similar sessions.

 

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A Series of Fortunate Events

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The Support Fenland project moves from discovery to delivery phase with a series of events and the offer of one-to-one support.

By Victoria Hopkins

This week I have been celebrating two months since I joined the Support Fenland team. Before I head off for a well-earned break, here is her quick update for you all.

In our last blog we updated you on the themes which had come out of your feedback. In case you missed it, here are the six themes:

  • Help us to come together to do more.
  • Help us to think about our future.
  • Help us to recruit and keep volunteers.
  • Help us to raise our voice both within and outside of Fenland.
  • Help us stay up to date with guidance that we need to know about.
  • Help us for the long term, not for 12 months.

You can read more on this blog post.

We also mentioned that our support events will be starting in July. And now, we are pleased to announce that our first events are live and available for you to book.

One-to-one Support

From 1 July charities and community groups that who would like one-to-one support can book an appointment with me. You might like help with recruiting new volunteers; the structure of your group; your business plan; or an upcoming funding bids. Whatever the reason is, I am available to help. You can book at a time which is convenient to you using an online booking system. I will be available during business hours on a Tuesday & Thursday and every other Thursday evening between 6 and 8pm.

Networking Meetings

On 21 July at 7:30pm we will be hosting the first of our new regular Fenland networking events. The events will be monthly (except for August) and we will alternate between mornings and evenings across different days of the week. There will be opportunities to talk to groups from your local area about what you are up to, what your challenges are, and how you can support each other.

The theme for the first event will be “Connecting”. We have some ideas for future themes including funding and volunteering, and we would love to hear your suggestions too. Comment on this blog post or bring them along to the networking event.

You can book your place here.

Working Together workshop

On 5 August at 10am we will be hosting a workshop on “Working Together”. As we all know there are lots of benefits in organisations working together to deliver activities and projects. You can raise awareness of your offer; learn and share new skills; increase your impact; attract new funders; and even reduce your costs – these are benefits available to very small as well as larger groups. Although the words collaboration and partnerships can appear daunting this does not have to be the case. This workshop will focus on joint working both formally and informally, as well as the key points to consider to overcome the common pitfalls.

You can book your place here: Working Together – Looking at ways of joint working – Training & Events – Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service (cambridgecvs.org.uk)

Following the workshop I will be available to talk to you about specific joint working arrangements that your group is interested in putting in place. Whether that is helping to facilitate conversations between groups or reviewing your arrangements, you can book a catch-up online here.

We are still working on the programme of events for September onwards, and we will update you on those with a future blog post

All of our Support Fenland events are hosted by CCVS & Hunts Forum and are free for any charity or community group working in Fenland.

There are other events hosted by CCVS and Hunts Forum which you might also be interested in attending, which you can find on our websites:

www.supportcambridgeshire.org.uk/training/
www.cambridgecvs.org.uk/training-events
www.huntsforum.org.uk/training-events/

Pitching through the CSR Barrier

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In these uncertain times for charities (particularly given how difficult it is to obtain and maintain Grant levels) we are increasingly looking towards different avenues to build future relationships and one of these has seen a growing interest in developing business partnerships.

The world of CSR has been changing: The days of photographic opportunities with large cardboard cheques are becoming sepia images from long-forgotten days. It is now more common for companies to be looking for a charity partner, an organisation that typically can develop a relationship over a period of time with and with whom they share certain values. Nationally this can be seen in partnerships such as Topman and the Campaign Against Living Miserably with their attention grabbing L’eau de Chris campaign and examples such as Chelsea FC and Plan International.

Locally, a growing number of charities and community groups are working closely with local and national companies. Businesses themselves no longer see the good they can do in their communities simply in terms of the cash they can bring but additionally the skill, expertise, resource and time that can be provided.

However, developing these partnerships is not something that happens quickly and is something that as a sector, we can often struggle with in terms of time, money, resource and knowledge.

Following on from two successful workshops earlier this year which brought together charities and businesses to better understand each other’s needs, ways of working and the importance of relationship building in the CSR world, we learnt how difficult many charities struggle with understanding exactly what it is that we can offer a corporate or business partner as part of this relationship and how then to explain and sell this concept.

Jill McCulloch from Coach You who had been part of the second of these workshops offered to run a free course for charities to help find their way to Pitching through the CSR barrier.

The importance of understanding our own values and being able to explain and promote these stands at the forefront of how we can begin to overcome the CSR barrier. It is these, Jill explained, that can help attract and retain business partners, in addition to staff, trustees and supporters. What do we stand for and what is our passion? If we can help others to express our passion, they will become advocates. Taking a cue from Simon Sinek and the Power of Why, we discovered that it is the why we do what we do, that attracts people, not what we do.

Through various exercises we learnt and understood how to see businesses as one of many target audiences, identify what we are looking for in a business partnership and how to use this knowledge to recognise what we can clearly articulate to a partner.

Representatives from 15 organisations across Cambridgeshire attended the workshop at Westminster College, Cambridge on the 21st November 2019.

Our work around the CSR agenda continues as we believe working effectively with business partners is one sure way in which charities of all sizes can diversify their income portfolio in these challenging times. This workshop series forms part of our Think Different Approach, so watch out for future events via the Support Cambridgeshire Training Page.

Support Cambridgeshire would like to thank:

Rachel Briant of Get Synergised for organising the event.  https://www.getsynergised.com/

Jill McCulloch for freely giving her time and knowledge to us  https://coachyou.co.uk/

 Westminster College for hosting this event.  https://www.westminster.cam.ac.uk/events

 

 

Nominations Required for the Hunts Forum Volunteer and Rural Volunteer Awards

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Support Cambridgeshire partner Hunts Forum is hosting its AGM on 20th November to celebrate 25 years since the charity was formed. The event takes place at Huntingdon Town Hall from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Please email jackie@huntsforum.org.uk if you’re able to attend.

As in previous years, it is inviting people to nominate a volunteer/s to receive recognition for their skills and time given to local organisations and communities. There is also a Rural Volunteer Award, which was introduced following the retirement of our Treasurer, David Morgan, who asked that an award be made to volunteers working in the more rural areas of our county.

Every nomination will receive a certificate of recognition, so please bring your volunteer along to receive it personally on the night.

Nominations must be submitted by 1 November to allow time for them to be judged, certificates to be produced and prizes arranged.

Please use the links below to download the nomination forms, to be returned to Trisha@huntsforum.org.uk.

Hunts Forum Volunteer Award 2019 nomination form

Hunts Forum Rural Volunteer Award 2019 nomination form

Connecting Communities 2019

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On the 20th June 2019 Hunts Forum and Support Cambridgeshire (as part of their Think Different Approach) ran their annual Connecting Communities Conference, the topic this year being unwanted Loneliness and Social Isolation.

Subtitled Tackling Loneliness, A Community Response, the conference looked at how volunteering can help reduce loneliness.

Interest in the conference was high with nearly 90 people attending on the day ( a 98% increase on Conference levels from last year) and many unfortunately unable to get a ticket.

The event was far removed from the usual presentational format and emphasised the conversational. Partners wanted to stay true to an ethos in that working and talking together in co-operation and good faith we can achieve more than just the sum of our parts. Through dialogue and openness we hoped that the exchange of information, ideas, comments, observations from the collective experience and knowledge would create the platform for mutual support, and would help organisations to develop, connect and obtain the guidance they needed.

The Key-Note:

The conference began with a passionate and inspiring talk from the keynote speaker, Kate Gordon, from Men’s Sheds UK. Kate explained the origin of the Shed movement in Australia as a way of encouraging men to socialise and discuss their feelings and their well-being. Since the idea first travelled across the world to the UK 500 sheds have opened with 8 active sheds in Cambridgeshire. Cambridgeshire County Council welcome applications to the Innovate & Cultivate Fund to set up Men’s Sheds in communities across Cambridgeshire.

You can apply for a £2000 start-up grant to cover the first two years of your Shed development.

See here: https://data.cambridgeshireinsight.org.uk/sites/default/files/Mens%20Shed%20Cultivate%20Model.pdf for more details.

The Slogan for men’s sheds is Shoulder to Shoulder,  simply shortened from Men don’t talk face to face, they talk shoulder to shoulder.

Kate’s Keynote slides can be viewed here:

The Work-shops:

Later, the main hall buzzed with small groups discussing different aspects of loneliness and how volunteering can help reduce loneliness and social isolation. Different workshops looked at ways to find potentially lonely people and reach out to them  (run by Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough),  ways to communicate with and engage people (run by Care Network’s Open Arms Project), supporting and nurturing volunteers (run by Cambridge Community Arts) while The Wildlife Trust, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire ran a workshop on ways and ideas for demonstrating impact, something that helps us as organisations and is very important to funding bodies.

We were lucky to have four funding bodies at the conference talking to people about the various funds that they have available to support volunteering and help tackle Loneliness and Social Isolation. Alibhe Kirwan from the People’s Postcode lottery had travelled from Edinburgh to be with us and provided a great deal of information to help people ensure their funding applications are relevant. Alibhe’s attendance at the conference was part of a wider tour of the area visiting projects funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery.

Ailbhe was joined by Fiona Brice from The National Lottery Community Fund, Michael Ruddy from Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and Lianne Parrett from Cambridgeshire County Council’s Innovate and Cultivate Fund.

Thank you to everyone who came to the conference and particularly to Kate Gordon, Andy Morris from Age UK C&P, Adam Fraser from Care Network’s Open Arms Project, Beth McCabe and Jane Rich from Cambridge Community Arts and Louise Rackham from The WildLife Trust Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire for running such excellent and engaging workshops, and for taking time out of their busy daily schedules.

Evaluation:

Over 45 evaluation forms were completed on the day, and feed-back was generally positive, although there are always lessons to be learned.

Here are some quotes:

This was a well organised event, run smoothly and was useful to me for networking. Please continue to do what you do best.

speaking about volunteering with other people from different organisations whose experiences are very different is very useful.

This event is so helpful in the way it supports us to find different organisations and groups who can support us moving forward.

Knowing there is so much ‘out there’ for the lonely is rewarding.

Its always useful sharing experiences with people from other organisations.

Its always helpful to realise how many others are out there that could help reduce isolation for our families.

People’s experiences are a really useful way to learn.

A really enjoyable and informative day.

Great conference, excellent programme, and a strong energy in the room. If this is VCSE power, then the future is bright.

Overall:

Most delegates scored the Conference high in terms of overall satisfaction, with most scoring 3 or 4 (4 being the highest score).

Most delegates said they felt more able to identify loneliness in their communities as a direct result of attending the conference, and the majority of delegates felt they could put some plans into immediate action.

Next Steps:

To work through how we can build on the conference for next year, a small random sample of evaluations will be sent in two months time, asking for delegates to look back and see what could have been done differently, and what they might like to see in 2020/2021.  In addition, the Support Cambridgeshire State of the Sector Survey for 2019 (which will be published in July) may provide further clues on topics, issues and challenges around volunteering – so watch out for that.

Photograph: 

Kate in action at Connecting Communities 2019.

Marketing on a Shoe-string

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As part of Support Cambridgeshire’s partnership with local business across the County, 10 delegates attended the recent Marketing on a Shoe – String practitioner session held at Loves Farm House on the 23rd May 2019.

Invitees were treated to an engaging and interactive workshop by Hayley Williams of Keystone Marketing on the basic principles and issues around Marketing, and more importantly how to Market an organisation without a limitless supply of ready cash…

Whilst this was a whistle stop tour, feed-back was really positive:

I really enjoyed this, it was relaxed, informal and informative.

Hayley was well organised and the session was well planned.

Hayley was lovely, and very well informed. 

I feel enthused.

I thought this session was brilliant.

It was clear that most of the delegates were engaging in a range of both online and offline activity, most were doing this in the absence of a clear, defined and agreed Marketing Plan. This was the number 1 take-away from the session itself.

Session notes can be seen here:

More on Keystone Marketing can be found here:

More on Loves Farm House can be found here:

Support Cambridgeshire will be building on this initial session over the coming months as part of our Think Different Approach. 

Keep an eye on our training and events page and watch out for the strap-line.

Small Charities Week 2019

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As part of Small Charities Week (which this year falls between the 17th and the 22nd June) Support Cambridgeshire lead partner Hunts Forum will be holding an advice surgery at the Maple Centre between 10am and 2pm on the 17th June 2019 which will be open to all small charities and community groups across the County.

The Maple Centre can be found at 6 Oak Drive, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 7HN. 

Sessions are for up to half an hour and can be made with the Development Officer at Hunts Forum, Keith Johnson, and can be on any subject from Governance to Fundraising and any other general enquiry. Simply contact Keith@huntsforum.org.uk to book a space.

The Hunts Forum Finance Manager Louise Prosser will also be on hand to deal with any finance related query or concern, so please advise whether its Louise you wish to see at the time of booking.

Spaces are available on the hour and the half hour.

Hunts Forum will also circulate information about similar advice sessions happening between the 17th and the 22nd June such as: 

PEM Accountants in Cambridge.

Free, no obligation, expert advice on a variety of topics including tax, audit or governance is available.

https://www.pem.co.uk/event/big-advice-day-free-advice-for-small-charities/

Voluntary and Community Action for East Cambridgeshire (VCAEC).

Offering advice on funding, training, volunteering, governance, policies and much more.

http://www.vcaec.org.uk/index.php/trainingand-events

On Thursday the 20th June 2019 our Connecting Communities Conference at the St Ives Corn Exchange takes place, looking at a Community Response to tackling unwanted social isolation and loneliness. This is now fully subscribed, but if you want to join our waiting list please email keith@huntsforum.org.uk

Employee Volunteering:

Cantab Captial in Cambridge are looking for employee volunteering opportunities for their staff (they are more than happy to get out of Cambridge for the day) on the 4th July 2019 and 2nd September 2019 (US bank Holidays).  This would be for up to 10 staff members and they are very open to any suggestions as to what they would be asked to do. This could be for a whole or a half day. Contact  keith@huntsforum.org.uk  for more information if this is of interest.

 

14 attend the Funding Masterclass

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Support Cambridgeshire is committed to running a number of small network sessions which focus on themes of importance to community based groups.

The latest took place in Over on the 27th February 2019 on the subject of Funding.

We all know that finding funding is consistently a challenge for community organisations within the voluntary sector, and this event looked at the challenge in making applications and the tools and resources which might help.

First up was Alan Turner, the Development worker for Cambridge CVS who spoke about Funding applications, what research is required, how best to present your facts and how to avoid making common mistakes which can lead to an application being rejected.

It’s a sad fact of life that 71% of applications submitted are rejected, so any competitive advantage an organisation can gain is important.

Alan’s presentation can be found here.

Equally important are the tools and resources which help organisations gain intelligent data to support their applications. All Funders bar none love evidence, and Jack Ossel from Cambridgeshire County Council gave a live demonstration of Cambridgeshire Insights, a platform which provides a huge range of vital information on health, housing and deprivation at Ward level and below.

Jack’s presentation can be found here:

Russell Rolph gave a short demonstration of SC4C – the self funding portal which organisations can register and use for free. Packed with over 2,400 potential funds, its a must for any organisation looking to deliver activities or projects. The portal has already delivered 57,000 in funding over the past 12 months. To visit the portal click here:

Last up was Keith Johnson, the Development Worker at Hunts Forum. Keith spoke about the importance of 1-1 Development sessions with Development Workers, not just for funding but for any issues surrounding Governance, Training, Advice or Support.

Keith’s presentation notes can be viewed here:

Contact info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk or russell@huntsforum.org.uk if you wish to book a 1-1 Development session.

Photo caption: Alan in full swing at the Funding Masterclass.