WANTED: Creative Spaces

Animate Arts Company is a vibrant and unique company providing engaging and memorable opportunities for young people to get involved in creative projects with professional artists and performers. This exciting company continues to grow and deliver more and more projects across Kent, making a difference to people's community involvement
 
However in the coming months, Animate is facing a new challenge - find a new home for their organisation! Due to the impending closure of Westgate Hall in Canterbury, where the organisation has been based for the last 3 years, Animate must hunt for new premises in the Canterbury district and most desirably in Herne Bay. Due to their many very popular projects and connections to the local community in Herne Bay, Animate feels that this could be the ideal home for them.
 
The not-for-profit organisation is really open to ideas and creative solutions in this search, although they need to find a space that can store art equipment and artworks, provide making spaces for artists and become a permanent central hub to the office.
 
If you are a school, business, or other organisation with spare spaces and able to offer any suggestions or solutions, then do get in contact for they really need your eyes, ears and help in this mighty quest!

Contact artistic director on jo@animatecommunityarts.com
 

  
Social Enterprise Mark award

Enterprising Opportunities Community Interest Company based in Herne Bay has been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark, which identifies them as trading for social and environmental purposes.
 
The Social Enterprise Mark is the brand for social enterprises and was launched 1st February, 2010. The Mark identifies businesses which meet defined criteria for social enterprise, and consumers will recognise that businesses displaying the Mark are trading to benefit people and planet.
 
Enterprising Opportunities joins other ethical businesses that have been recognised by being awarded the Mark such as the Eden Project, Hill Holt Wood, Bristol Wood Recycling Project and the Co-operative Group. The Social Enterprise Mark builds off the pilot run by RISE, the voice for South West social enterprise.  
 
Enterprising Opportunities was originally developed by the charity Kent Enterprise Trust (KET) - formerly CADET. In the early 1980s, the founders of the charity had the vision of today's social enterprise; to develop employment and training opportunities, thereby improving people's prospects whilst also delivering services to the benefit of the local community. Enterprising Opportunities currently owns and supports two companies operating as social enterprises; All Seasons (Kent), a domiciliary care service and training provider, Learn to ... .
 
John Bland, Chief Executive said, "We're really proud to have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark.  Enterprising Opportunities is absolutely committed to supporting sustainable businesses and consequently helping local communities to thrive and prosper".
 
Lucy Findlay champion from the Social Enterprise Mark Company (manager of the Mark) advised:
"We are delighted to award the prestigious Social Enterprise Mark to Enterprising Opportunities .Social enterprises come in all shapes and forms so it's great to see a vital, local Community Interest Company understanding the importance of being part of the wider social enterprise brand"
 

Canterbury and District Pensioners' Forum  
The Canterbury and District Pensioners' Forum has provided the following feedback from a recent meeting between officers of the National Pensioners' Forum (NPC) and Steve Webb, Minister for Pensions in the new coalition government:

The Winter Fuel Allowance is to  be reduced by £50 to £200 for households with someone over 60 and under 80 this year. For 80 plus people the amount is to  be reduced by £100 this year. The NPC is concerned that the Government needs to address the role of the energy companies, in particular to the vast profits that they make at the expense of vulnerable customers. Winter death figures for the elderly in our country continue to rise.
 
On the question from the NPC about using the National Insurance fund to raise state pensions; the minister said that the NI Fund is used as an accounting tool rather than an actual fund. The government borrows from that fund and if that money was to be used for higher pensions then money would have to be raised from elsewhere. The government is not prepared ro raise more money for higher pensions.
 
Free bus travel - the minister confirmed that the overall level of concessionary travel will  be considered as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The right to free bus travel is enshrined in legislation by the previous government and the Act would need to be repealed to change this. 

There is to  be a lobby of parliament organised by the NPC on Wednesday 27 October on their failure to introduce a National Care Service; raise pensions; and to safeguard existing benefits - i.e. winter fuel payments; bus passes and free TV licenses.  
 
For more information on the Canterbury and District Pensioners' Forum contact annebelworthy@talktalk.net .

  Most charities 'are not able to measure
 social return on investment'
By David Ainsworth, Third Sector Online, 5 July 2010 
Most charities still have a long way to go before they can measure their effectiveness using social return on investment and should be set more achievable benchmarks, according to a new report from think tank Demos.

Measuring Social Value: The Gap Between Policy and Practice reviewed 30 charities and social enterprises of different sizes and in different sectors. It found that most did not have the data or the expertise to measure their outcomes in the depth required by SROI, which attempts to measure social impact in financial terms.
The report says the sector should instead be examined using simpler measures of social effectiveness.

Dan Leighton, a senior researcher at Demos and one of the authors of the report, told Third Sector that movement was needed from both the government and the third sector to create an effective environment for social measurement.
"The government likes SROI because it has the ability to create monetary values for social outcomes," he said. "But it is complicated and burdensome for charities."
He said the sector would need to recognise that some measurement was necessary and develop effective metrics to measure its outputs. But he said the government would have to realise it was unrealistic to apply the "gold standard" of SROI to many organisations.

He said that SROI remained a potentially useful goal for both sides to work towards in the future.
 
In response to requests from some of our members,CaDVASare hoping to include training on measuring social impact in our Spring training programme - look out for details which will be circulated as soon as they become available.

Data security mentoring scheme for charities starts this week
By Femke Colborne, Third Sector Online, 13 July 2010

A free mentoring scheme to help charities improve their data security will be launched this week. The Charities Security Forum, a membership body founded in 2007, is offering to pair charity staff with security specialists from its 60 member charities. Mentors will be available by email or telephone to help with advice on areas such as credit card fraud and phishing emails.

"One of the aims of the Charities Security Forum is to try to spread best practice within a community that often doesn't have anyone dedicated to security," said Brian Shorten, head of security at Cancer Research UK and co-founder of the group.

"For most charities, information is the lifeblood that enables them to fulfil their charitable purpose and, like any other businesses, they have a responsibility to protect the integrity of their information and assure the security of their data."
 

From NAVCA LINX 145 22 JULY 2010:

Guidance on Safeguarding arrangements during
 Vetting and Barring Scheme review

The Criminal Records Bureau has published a briefing on interim arrangements during the Vetting and Barring Scheme review. You can view the briefing document at http://www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk/pdf/VBS%20Interim%20guidance.pdf 
 

Get Legal

NCVO and Bates Wells and Braithwaite have launched Get Legal, a free online reference tool to help anyone looking to set up a charity, social enterprise or co-operative. Get Legal provides clear guidance and information about legal structures for individuals, organisations and advisors. http://www.getlegal.org.uk/  

'Meanwhile leases' and licenses

Sandy Adirondack's website has information on 'Meanwhile' leases and licences, which allow temporary non-commercial use of vacant shops and land by charities, other voluntary organisations, artists, performers etc. A 'meanwhile licence' for vacant land is also being developed by Communities and Local Government, to enable community groups and others to set up temporary parks, gardens and other green spaces. http://www.sandy-a.co.uk/managing.htm#meanwhile 


From DSC e-News August 2010:

Microsoft donate Office 2010 and Windows 7 to UK charities

UK charities can receive a donation of Microsoft software, including Office 2010 and Windows 7, through CTX (subject to eligibility). They are one of a number of major technology companies, including Cisco and Symantec, who use CTX to manage their donation programmes in the UK. To see the full range of donors, available products and how to apply for a donation, go to www.ctxchange.org.  

 Zurich offers 'cheaper' public liability insurance to small community groups
By Ruth Stokes, Third Sector Online, 28 July 2010

Financial services provider Zurich has launched a scheme offering public liability insurance to small voluntary organisations and community groups for less than £10 a month or £75 a year.

Zurich said the policy would enable groups to purchase comprehensive public liability cover for a range of activities covering claims and losses of up to £10m. The offer was developed in collaboration with local umbrella body Navca and is delivered by Tennyson Insurance.

A spokesman for Navca said: "As far as we understand, this is the first time such insurance has been available to community groups for less than £100 a year."
Kevin Curley, chief executive of Navca, said in a statement: "This is a brilliant new scheme that will meet an urgent need in the communities sector."

A spokeswoman for Zurich said that voluntary and community projects often failed to get off the ground because of the cost and complications of buying protection, which can sometimes involve going through the local council.

 
Bids from consortia expected for National Citizen Service pilots
By Kaye Wiggins, Third Sector Online, 2 August 2010

Charities may need to form consortia with other voluntary organisations and private companies to run the government's new National Citizen Service programme, according to the Office for Civil Society.

The OCS yesterday opened a competitive tender process for organisations hoping to run pilot projects for the volunteering programme for 16-year-olds, which will begin next year. The announcement said bids to run the pilots will only be accepted if they show that they can deliver all parts of the programme, which lasts for 7-8 weeks and includes a residential placement, a physical challenge and work in participants' communities.

The OCS specification says: "We expect that organisations may need to come together and bid jointly to ensure that the full programme of activities can be provided in their proposed pilot." It says the department expects about 10,000 young people to take part in next year's pilot projects.

An OCS spokesman said it was likely to give out a small number of grants to run the programme. He was unable to confirm the total budget because it was subject to the government's comprehensive spending review, which would be completed by the autumn.

The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 12pm on 25 August.
Organisations wanting more details should email mailbox.nationalcitizenservice@education.gsi.gov.uk  before 20 August.

 
  
More delays on charitable incorporated organisations and
 licensing of public collections
By David Ainsworth, Third Sector, 3 August 2010

The introduction of charitable incorporated organisations, a new legal form for charities, will not take place until next year at the earliest, the Office for Civil Society has said.

Provision for the new structure, which would allow charities to incorporate without registering with both the Charity Commission and Companies House, was included in the Charities Act 2006. The form was originally expected to be introduced in 2008, but has been delayed several times because of a lack of resources and problems with the complexity of creating an entirely new type of legal entity.

An OCS spokesman said the department was also still considering whether to implement a new licensing scheme for public collections, which was also introduced by the act. It is also uncertain whether it will press ahead with plans for a consolidation bill, which would draw together the many pieces of charity legislation. The former Office of the Third Sector hoped to introduce it during the last parliament. "A decision on whether to take forward the consolidation bill will be made in due course and will be subject to the availability of parliamentary time," the spokesman said.

Nicola Evans, a senior associate at specialist charity lawyer Bircham Dyson Bell, said the OCS announcement was disappointing but not surprising. "This is a complicated process and it's important that it's done right," she said. "So in some ways it is good that they are taking their time. We also understand that there are limited resources to dedicate to the sector. It's a complex situation, and the OCS has to stack things up against many other priorities."

 
From: NAVCA LINX 146 5 August 2010:
 
Voluntary sector asked for their ideas on
 how to do more for less

 
Francis Maude MP (Minister for the Cabinet Office) and Nick Hurd MP (Minister for Civil Society) have written an open letter to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors asking them to contribute their ideas to help reduce the deficit.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/news_releases/2010/100729-voluntary.aspx

 

Inside Track 167 3August 2010:

Creative Co-operatives

  
                         
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