Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 7th September 2018

Marchmont Street Party

Saturday 22nd September 12-5pm
London International Gospel Choir. Live bands to get you dancing are: Absolute Bollywood – the JO Big Band with Catherine Lima – Cut-a-Shine Ceilidh Band – and to finish on a high, Coco Express Salsa band.
Basco & Jebb the Juggler – stilt walking, magic, sword and fire juggling show, and circus skills workshop, plus the ever popular Punch & Judy shows.  Fun Fair rides, face painting and Henna hand-painting, and more than 50 stalls selling food and raising funds for local good causes.

Abbey Community Centre Festival

Late summer / ‘back-to-school’ festival at Abbey on Saturday 15th September, in partnership with Henna Asian Women and thanks to Camden’s Community Festivals Fund.
Games, food, prized, dancing, face-painting, stalls, henna, performances, workshops and more. Free.  Food by donation.

Camden Community Festivals

For a full list of Community Festivals happening in Camden this year, visit the Camden Community Festivals page on the VAC website.

British Library for the Festival of Treasures Family Day

Saturday 22 September, 12.00 – 16.00. The day will be full of FREE fun and creative activities. Families will get to make, see, touch, sign, learn and explore! Everyone is welcome, so do share the attached flyer with all your family and friends.This event is being run in partnership with Camden Family Learning, Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children and The British Museum. Plus there are lots of brilliant organisations running activities all through the day. You can read further information about the event here.

Reimagining Our Churches: Conservation to Co-operation

Tuesday 9th October. To bring together key people in the church, heritage sector, and those working in community economic development.
• Can church assets be a significant part of local wealth building approaches?
• Can a strategic funding mix of crowdfunding, community shares, and grants enable communities and funders to invest?
• What is the role of co-operative and community businesses in this sector and can this facilitate more conservation and care for church buildings?
• Beyond charity: Can churches become enablers? What are the cultural challenges and opportunities?
The conference will be held at St Ethelburga’s Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, EC2.  Full details on the Stir to Action website.

Free Dog Agility Workshops at Castlehaven

September 8th, 22nd and 29th   3-4PM
Castlehaven Community Park, 23 Castlehaven Rd, Camden Town, NW1
Dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages welcome to this exciting session run by the Dog Hub’s fully qualified staff. Just turn up on the day as no booking is required. Expect tunnels, mini jumps and obstacles for your dog to run around.  Please contact Nichola Daunton for more information on 020 7485 3386 or email nichola@castlehaven.org.uk

Opening Doors London Rainbow Memory Cafe

We provide a safe and friendly meeting place every second Monday in the month from 2 – 4 pm in Euston, central London, offering support and information about dementia as well as social activities and guest speakers, with tea and cake!
For LGBT+ people living with dementia, caring for someone, or worried about memory and cognitive difficulties Get in touch to find out more: 020 7239 0400, info@openingdoorslondon.org.uk, www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

WMC-The Camden College Open Day – Saturday 8 Sept

At the free Open Day you can:
• Get some information, advice and guidance on the courses we have to offer
• Take a tour of our historic building that has been here for over 100 years.
• Have a go at some activities that might be of interest to you
• Drop into some classes that are taking place
To book your free place please book your ticket here

Do you have views on current bone & joint surgery, such has hip and knee replacements?

For information on the case for change and the opportunity to give feedback – click here.
North London Partners in health and care (NLP) is launching a review of adult elective orthopaedic care services (planned surgery of bones and joints) across north central London.
In the first phase of this review, the partnership is inviting responses to a draft case for change – a document which shares why the review is needed and early thoughts on how this kind of surgery might be organised in the future. This review will run through to Spring 2019 with this initial intensive engagement phase running until 19 October 2018

Camden Disability Action

Catch up with the latest news from Camden Disability Action.

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Women’s Vote Centenary Small Grants Scheme

The Government Equalities Office established the £1.5 million Women’s Vote Centenary Grant scheme earlier this year to mark the centenary of women gaining the right to vote in England. The Fund has been divided into a large grant scheme, which is now closed, and a small grant scheme, the third and final round of which is now open for applications.
Grants of between £300 and £2,000 are available for activities that start by 15 December 2018 and are completed by 31 December 2018.
The deadline for applications is 16 October 201. Full details here.

Grants for Remembrance Day Installations

Applications are now open for micro-grants of up to £500 for installations to support their Remembrance Day activities for the centenary of the First World War.
This programme will allow communities to remember and commemorate by accessing our silhouettes for benches and chairs free of charge thanks to the support of the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
These silhouettes can be placed within community halls, places of worship and places of education, bringing to mind those who went to war and did not return. You can apply for an award to purchase up to 10 silhouettes.
As part of the award, your organisation will need to hold a self-funded event to bring your local community together. Deadline 1st October 2018.

Sporting Capital

Sporting Capital invests in organisations that make a difference through sport.
The £3m Sporting Capital Fund provides loan funding of between £50,000 and £150,000.
The loan funding will be used to help organisations develop new projects, operations and revenue streams. Our goal is to help develop more sustainable community sports organisations.
Call or email to discuss how we could help you.
Email: enquiries@sportingcapital.org.uk or call 0203 637 8232

Masonic Charitable Foundation Launches Early Years Opportunities Grants Programme

The Early Years Opportunities programme is open to charities that help disadvantaged children and young people overcome the barriers they face to achieve the best possible start in life.
Small Grants: Charities with incomes of under £500,000 can apply for a grant of between £500 and £15,000 over 1-3 years.
Our small grants are unrestricted. Applications close on 26 October 2018

The HS2 Camden Fund

The Camden Fund aims to strengthen the sense of place and alleviate the disruption of the development of HS2 Ltd. on local people by achieving one or more of the following aims:
1. A Happier and Healthier Camden
2. A Better Connected Camden
3. A Stronger Voluntary and Community Sector
We aim to inform applicants of the result of their application within 16 weeks. Applicants can submit applications at any point between midnight on the 15th May 2018 and midnight on the 14th May 2020. Full details at Camden Giving.

Healthy Minds Programme with Mind in Camden

The latest Healthy Minds community programme is now available.  A range of activities are available from VAC, Mary Ward, Mind in Camden, BWA, Good Gym, the Round House and more.  Find out what’s on and how to book.

Health and Safety Essentials

Wednesday, 19th September 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Do you have responsibilities for health and safety where you work?  Do you want to know your rights when it comes to health and safety?  And know how to enforce your rights?  You get a certificate at the end of the course. You will learn about: The main UK health and safety laws Who is responsible for health and safety at work Who enforces health and safety Basic risk assessment Sources of information and support The training is ideal for ideal for people new to health and safety or those wanting to refresh their knowledge.  The course also covers all the requirements for running a community group safely.  In particular, migrant workers or recent arrivals in the UK will gain important knowledge about their rights. Book on the VAC training calendar.

Basic Risk Assessment training

Wednesday, 26th September 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Do you want to know how to carry out a risk assessment?  Do you have responsibility for managing health & safety?  This 3-hour basic risk assessment training could be what you are looking for.  The course is ideal for: People with health and safety responsibilities in voluntary sector organisations Staff and volunteers of community groups Recent arrivals and migrant workers who want to know the basics of risk assessment including how should risk assessments be carried out. Book on the VAC training calendar.

More details on the VAC website: https://vac.org.uk/events/

Free Hate Crime Awareness Training in Camden

Thursday 18th October 10am-12pm
This event is for all staff, practitioners and residents in Camden who would like further awareness of the rise of Hate Crime in our borough and ways we can meaningfully tackle the issue. The course will provide an overview of the different forms of hate crime, how to identify them and support someone who is experiencing such abuse. The course will touch on the current legislation which supports victims as well as explore the impact of this crime on people’s lives and the wider community. More info & book tickets here

Camden Family Members’ Reference Group

A group for all carers of an adult with a learning disability in Camden
Wednesday 12 September 10:30am – 12:30pm followed by a light lunch
Camden Carers’ Service, Charlie Ratchford, Belmont Street (off Chalk Farm Road), Camden NW1 8HF
Oliver Greene, chair of Camden Disability Action will give an update on plans for the Centre for Independent Living.
We also hope to have an update on the new model for floating support.
Details / RSVP please contact: philippar@centre404.org.uk Tel: 020 7697 1336

Camden Clinical Commissioning Group AGM

Camden CCG AGM will be held on Wednesday 12 September 2018 from 5.30pm – 6.30pm at the Black Room, British Medical Association, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP.
You can register your place, and let us know about any accessibility requirements, via Eventbrite. The full agenda will be available shortly.
If you have any questions, please contact Camden CCG via camccg.communications@nhs.net or 020 3688 1700.

Volunteer Managers’ Forum for Networking and Peer Support

Wednesday 19th September, 10am-1pm in Camden. Discuss all things volunteer management with volunteer managers in Camden, and beyond.
The topics will be varied, and can be anything related to managing volunteers – and will be decided by you on the day.
This event is open to volunteer managers everywhere. Book at Eventbrite.

October Volunteering Fair

Looking to recruit volunteers in Camden or Islington?
Bookings are now open for the Volunteer Centre Camden  Supersized Volunteering Fair on Wednesday 31st October, 12-2pm.
This fair is co-hosted with Volunteer Centre Islington and takes place in King’s Cross at Voluntary Action Islington on Pentonville Road.
This is open to all voluntary organisations that have volunteering in Camden, Islington and their borders.

Next meeting of the Camden Intergenerational Network

The next meeting of the Camden Intergenerational Network will be on Friday 14th September. The meeting starts at 1.30pm but you can bring your lunch along at 1.00pm and have a chat with other members. Finish at 4.00pm. The meeting will take place at Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9NA. rsvp Lydia.Shellien-Walker@AgeUKCamden.org.uk.

Could You Help in an Emergency?

CAMERA Emergency Volunteering Programme has officially been launched in Camden and Hammersmith & Fulham by the two Volunteer Centres and are looking for expressions of interest from local people, businesses and organisations that would be able to give time, skills, space or goods in the event of an emergency.
The experience of the Grenfell tragedy and the Chalcots Estate evacuation showed that there was a surplus of people with useful skills and experience, e.g. counselling, who offered to volunteer but were not allowed to help as they were not known by the local authority dealing with the situation.
The CAMERA response and recovery volunteer team aims to give an opportunity for local people to help in situations such as these.
Share your ideas and express your interest here.

Family Support Volunteer

Are you a parent, grandparent or have parenting experience?
Can you give 3 – 4 hours weekly to visit a family with young children who may be going through a difficult time?
Enhance your skills with our training, supervision and fulfilling volunteer role Next Preparation Training Starting
17th Sept to 10th Oct Every Monday & Wednesday 9.45am to 2.30pm
Certificates awarded & expenses paid
For information pack ring 020 7424 1603, email: info@homestartcamden.org or www.homestartcamden.org.uk

Young Researchers

The Winch is hiring a team of young researchers to look into the structural issues behind youth violence and look at what actions need to be taken. Positions will be paid and are open to people who feel affected by the violence that has happened locally in North Camden over the summer.  Deadline 19th September.  Contact par@thewinch.org

Older People’s Advisory Group Welcoming New Members

OPAG meets monthly to discuss issues that affect older people in Camden. Please email ageingbetterincamden@ageukcamden.org if you would like to get involved or know someone who would

Volunteers are needed in GP practices

Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) are training volunteers to become Community Health Advocates in local GP practices.
• Would you like to support people in your community to improve their health and their access to services that will help them to maintain good health and wellbeing?
• Do you want to develop experience and skills in the field of public health?
• Can you commit at least 2 hours per week?
VAC is offering free Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) Level 1 training to those who want to volunteer to become Community Health Advocates.
After completing the training, VAC will support local teams of volunteers to act as links between community based services and GPs. In return for your commitment to the project for 2 hours a week we offer support, out of pocket expenses and other professional development opportunities.
For more information, please contact Mandira Manandhar, Health Advocate Volunteer Co-ordinator (Mon, Tues and Thurs) 020 7284 6550/07930669417 or email: mmanandhar@vac.org.uk

Room Hire

VAC now has 3 new rooms for hiring out for Events/Training, etc. at our new base in the Charlie Ratchford Centre in Chalk Farm.
The Dining Room can hold up to 60 people, this can be useful for any large social events, AGMs, conferences, etc.
The Buffet Room can hold up to 20 people comfortably for training/workshops
The Lounge is a open area for anything that is not confidential and can hold up to 20 people
Rates and full details on the VAC website.

Want to Hire Meeting Rooms in Camden?

You can now access an easy to search database of community spaces for hire in Camden – vcs rooms.  Search by room type, capacity, ward, postcode etc.
Find on the One Camden website.

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