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Supporting Voluntary & Community Action December 2009 & January 2010
Inside Voscur’s Magazine
Bumper Recession Support Edition
Protection for your Organisation
Freebies and Resources
New Advice Services Available
10 New Year Resolutions for a Thriving Third Sector
Green Pages
Cycling City
Changing Face of 14-19 Education
Training and Learning
Imag
e: C
reat
ive
Kid
s In
tern
atio
nal
Charity no. 1018963
TACT is a well respected fostering and adoption agency. TACT will offer you excellent training with 24hr support and a break from caring when you need it.
TACT pay between £322 & £574 per week per child as well as additional allowances for birthdays, festivals and holidays.
Although fostering can be challenging it can also be very rewarding. If you believe you have the capacity and commitment to support vulnerable children and young people between 10-16 years old, then we would like to hear from you. To make a difference give us a ring now on: 0117 927 7725 or email [email protected]
www.tactcare.org.uk
Shape a life. Be a foster carer.
Charity no. 1018963
TACT is a well respected fostering and adoption agency. TACT will offer you excellent training with 24hr support and a break from caring when you need it.
TACT pay between £322 & £574 per week per child as well as additional allowances for birthdays, festivals and holidays.
Although fostering can be challenging it can also be very rewarding. If you believe you have the capacity and commitment to support vulnerable children and young people between 10-16 years old, then we would like to hear from you. To make a difference give us a ring now on: 0117 927 7725 or email [email protected]
www.tactcare.org.uk
Shape a life. Be a foster carer.
Welcome
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 3
4 Editorial
5 VoscurAssembly
6-7 VoscurWinners
8 NewVoscurMembers
9 VoscurNewsVoscur staff changes
New Voscur board members
Help for Volunteer Managers
Catch up on the Funders’ Fair
10-11 MemberprofilesCreative Kids
Fareshare
12–13 SectorNewsAdvice services merger
CAB/Macmillan joint work
Community at Heart services on offer
Planning Watch
14–15 10NewYearResolutionsforaThrivingThirdSector
16 ThrivingThirdSectorStrategy
17-23 SafeguardingtheSectorVoscur’s Recession Support
Freebies
Protection for your organisation
Resources
24-25 PlaceSurvey
26–27 ComprehensiveAreaAssessmentUpdate
28 TheCompactWorking in a Compact Way
29 TheQueen’sAwardforVoluntaryService
30-34 GreenPagesGreen ICT
Cycling City
Peak Oil
35 VolunteeringBristolSupport for Volunteers and their Managers
36–37 ChildrenandYoungPeopleThe Changing Face of 14–19 Education
1625 Independent People
39 VoscurTrainingandLearning
40 Diary
Contents
Thrive! is available on disc. Please contact the
office if you would like to receive your Thrive!
this way. The newsletter is also available online
as a pdf at www.voscur.org/magazine
Whynotadvertise?SpecialdiscountsforVoscurmembers.DeadlinesforFebruary/MarcheditionofThrive!:Monday4JanuaryforadsandMonday25Januaryforflyers.Detailsofpricesatwww.voscur.org/magazineorphonePollyStewarton01179099949
Disclaimer: some of the views expressed in this publication are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily represent those of Voscur. Publications, events and services mentioned in Thrive! are not necessarily endorsed by Voscur.
Cover photo: Banner made with ‘chitenge’ (Zambian fabric) at Lusaka International Community School, Zambia. See page 10 - Creative Kids, Voscur Member profile.
Editorial
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 84
A huge amount of planning
went into our Annual Event,
held on 21 October, which
attracted lots of people and
was a great success. Thanks to
everyone who made the effort
to come and support us and to
everyone who put so much into
making it work.
Our keynote speaker, Debra
Allcock-Tyler from the Directory
of Social Change was inspiring and
controversial. To see what Debra
said visit: www.youtube.com/
user/voscur
More controversy followed during
the questioning of the media
panel – we were beginning to get
into a meaty discussion with the
deputy editor of the Evening Post
when we ran out of time...
The Voscur awards gave us all a
warm glow; Councillor Barbara
Janke, the Leader of the Council
presented our winners with their
certificates and great prizes
including a balloon ride and a
year’s subscription to the Venue
magazine.
Sally Pickering, CEO of Gloucester
CVS and board member of the
National Association of Voluntary
and Community Action (NAVCA)
presented Voscur with our very
own NAVCA quality award.
Unfortunately, it’s not all
good news, earlier in October,
Rachel Robinson from The Care
Forum, Ayannah Griffith from
the Black Development Agency
and I had met with the Leader
of the Council in different
circumstances. We met Councillor
Janke, Jan Ormondroyd (the Chief
Executive of the Council) and Will
Godfrey (the Strategic Director
of Resources) to talk about
‘Voluntary Sector Funding’.
This meeting was a warning shot
that cuts are anticipated, belts
will be tightened and ‘smarter’
working is required. We voiced
concerns from our member
groups about the lack of clarity of
commissioning processes, stressed
the importance of investing in
local voluntary and community
sector organisations, and the
value of the sector to the city.
One commissioning process that
has been clear so far has been the
commissioning of infrastructure
support services. By the time
you read this, you will have
been invited to comment on
the Council’s ‘Voluntary Sector
Support Services strategy’.
The strategy proposes radical
changes to the way support
services are delivered. We will be
discussing these at our meeting
on 15 December (see page
opposite). If you can’t get to the
meeting, but would like to talk to
me about this issue, or anything
else that you think we can help
with, please get in touch.
Wendy Stephenson
EqualitiesArticle
Training
Resources
Event
Keytosymbols
Dear Voscur Members and Friends
Cllr Barbara Janke and Wendy Stephenson
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 5
Tell us what you think about the Council’s Commissioning Infrastructure Strategy. Find out
how council proposals will affect you and tell us your views on the proposals.
Voscur staff will be offering one to one advice sessions – drop in and get advice on:
• Help during the recession – Ruth Pitter
• Funding Advice – Eva Pollard
• Workforce development and training – Sophie Bayley
• Representation – what matters to you? – Matthew Symonds
• ICT advice – Sean Kenny
• Governance and managing finance – Rebecca McDougall
Alan Eaton from Peninsula will provide information and answer questions on Voscur and
Peninsula’s employment protection offer (see page 17).
Plus network with others over a FREE festive lunch.
JoinusattheVoscurAssemblyon
Open invitation to Bristol’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations
Tuesday 15 December, 1:00 – 4:30pm (including lunch)KnowleWestMediaCentre,LeinsterAvenue,KnowleWest,BristolBS41NL
Tobookpleasevisit:www.voscur.org/[email protected]:01179099949
AdatefortheNewYear:VoscurAssembly–CriminalJustice
ThepushforlocalpartnershipsincriminaljusticeHow can the local partnership between voluntary and community sector and statutory partners working within the criminal justice system in Greater Bristol be improved?
20 January 2010, 9.30am to 1.00 pm at
The Southville Centre, Beauley Road, Bristol BS3 1QG
For details and to book please visit: www.voscur.org/networks/assemblies
Voscur Winners
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 86
The 2009 Voscur Award Winners Announced
The Most Active Community Activist
Prize provided by GWE Business
West with particular thanks to
James Durie the Deputy Chief
Executive – a flight in a hot air
balloon.
This year’s award is dedicated to
the memory of Sue Njie, former
community development worker,
15 July 1951 – 15 July 2009
Winner: Musnilya Babatunji (St Pauls)
“Musnilya’s door is open to her
community day and night, all kinds
of people turn to her and she
does her best to help, whoever
they are. She is one of the
‘community mothers’ in St Pauls.”
Runners up
Denise Britt
Mohammed Elsharif
Tony Hicks
Simon Nelson
The Community Venue of the Year
Prize provide by Voscur – £100
voucher for Voscur training
Winner: Redcatch Community Centre (Knowle)
“By the hard work and unflagging
enthusiasm of volunteers but
with no paid staff, the community
centre which started as a derelict
unloved building, is now a thriving,
attractive and well maintained
venue for community use.”
Runners up
Easton Community Centre
Jubilee Hall (Wedmore Vale)
Southville Centre
Wellspring Healthy Living Centre
The Most Innovative / Engaging Project
Prize provided by Venue
Magazine – a year’s subscription
to Venue Magazine
Winner: Neighbourhood Shop (Barton Hill)
“The Shop is a lifeline to the many
residents living in the area who are
struggling to manage day-to-day.
Staff are on hand to help with
anything from filling in forms to
solving quite complex problems,
and provide an individual service
for each client.”
Runners up
Coexist (Hamilton House)
People’s Republic of Stokes Croft
Somali Development Group
Somali Resource Centre
The ‘I Will Survive’ Award
Prize provided by Tobacco
Factory Theatre – tickets to a
production at the theatre
Winner: Studio Upstairs
“The campaign was extremely
successful not only in securing
the future of Studio Upstairs but
also as an empowering experience
for vulnerable members who
were able to contribute directly
to the campaign with their artistic
talents.”
Runners up
Bristol Disability Equality Forum
CEED
Coexist (Hamilton House)
Trinity Community Arts
Wellspring Healthy Living Centre
Voscur was pleased to announce the winners of the second annual Voscur awards,
‘The Voscurs’ at our Annual Event on 21 October at St Pauls Sports Academy.
The winners of the six categories:
Thank youVoscur would like to thank
everyone who took the time to
nominate local voluntary and
community groups and partners
for this year’s awards. We
received over 50 nominations
making it very difficult to choose
the winners. Voscur would like to
thank those who supported the
awards and donated some great
prizes for the winners.
Voscur Winners
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 7
For more details about
the Voscurs visit:
www.voscur.org/
node/5695
Left to right: Maxine Powell (presented Most Active Community Activist Award), Mubarig Bodleh and Mandy Wachon (Neighbourhood Shop), Cllr Barbara Janke, Oli Roberts and Julian Thomas (Parks Department), Lisa Blackwood (on behalf of Musnilya Babatunji and St Pauls Unlimited), Peggie Jennings (Redcatch Community Centre).
The ‘Thanks for Supporting The Sector’ Award
Prize provided by Fairbridge
South West – a meal prepared
by young people.
Winners: Oli Roberts and Julian Thomas, Bristol City Council Parks Department
“Julian goes far beyond the call
of duty in his role as park keeper
for Local Nature Reserves
Troopers Hill, Eastwood Farm
and Callington Road”
“Oli has worked with the St Pauls
Parks Sub Group to make sure
plans are developed and agreed
with local people. It hasn’t always
been an easy process and at times
we have disagreed but despite
this Oli continues to come to our
meetings and seeks our opinion
for which we are very grateful.”
Runner up
Graham Partridge,
Avon and Bristol Law Centre
The Partnership Award – New for 2009
Prize provided by The Bristol
Partnership – £100 book token
Winner: St Pauls Unlimited Community Partnership
“The relationship between local
people and service providers – city
council and police in particular,
has improved beyond measure.
There’s still work to be done but
we’ve got off to a great start.”
Runners up
Amana / Barnardos
Avon Fire and Rescue Service
Greater Bedminster Older People’s
Partnership
New Voscur members
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 88
Bristol Golden Agers ClubA luncheon Club with 90
members. They meet twice weekly
– Tuesday and Thursdays. They
run a variety of classes, organise
day trips, open days and lots of
general fundraising.
Details from the Voscur office:
0117 909 9949
St John AmbulanceThe key provider of an effective
and efficient charitable first aid
service to local communities.
Encourages personal development
for people of all ages, through
training and by voluntary
membership of the organisation.
To find out more visit:
www.avon.sja.org.uk
UnchosenRaises awareness of the tragic
and ongoing situation of 21st
Century Human Trafficking,
primarily through film. This year,
Unchosen has worked with a
range of statutory and voluntary
organisations.
To find out more visit:
www.unchosen.org.uk
The Little Co-opA second hand bookshop which
also sells organic food and eco
friendly cleaning products based
on Church Road, Redfield, BS5.
They are not-for-profit and receive
no wages. They aim to become an
official co op soon.
To find out more phone:
07726 164827
Positive Action Consortium (PAC) LtdProvides a range of learning
opportunities for people aged 16
and over, particularly those who
have suffered deprivation and
disadvantage. Participants are
better equipped to compete for
jobs in the labour market where
they are under represented.
To find out more email:
Cerebral Palsy Plus A charity for those with cerebral
palsy, their families and carers.
Committed to providing
high quality information and
confidential support to the
cerebral palsy community of
Bristol, South Gloucestershire and
North Somerset.
To find out more visit:
www.cerebralpalsyplus.org.uk
Lifeskills – Learning for Living A safety education and training
centre built as a realistic ‘village’
on the 4th floor of The CREATE
Centre. Lifeskills is designed to
help children, adults with learning
difficulties and older people learn
about safety in a fun and practical
way, specifically in the home, on
the road or during leisure time.
To find out more visit:
www.lifeskills-bristol.org.uk
People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) A social enterprise seeking to pull
together the skills of the local
community to build upon the
culture and heritage of Stokes
Croft. PRSC seeks to realise a
Cultural Quarter where creativity
in all its forms can flourish and
to facilitate a sustainable local
economy.
To find out more visit:
www.prsc.org.uk
ZAC (Zigoudam Arts & Culture)ZAC develops arts and cultural
opportunities and provides
information, training and
education services. It aims to
create an international platform
of cultural cooperation and
exchange. They promote Africa’s
culture and are building an
educational resource for African
Arts and entertainment through
news, books films and music.
To find out more email:
Who’s joined Voscur recently?
Voscur News
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 9
Voscur NewsStaff changes – hellos and goodbyesWe’re very pleased to welcome
Lucy Fletcher to Voscur. Lucy will
be supporting Voscur training
sessions and events. In November
we said farewell to Voscur’s
Compact Liaison Worker, Louise
Clark, who has decided to move
on to new challenges. We’re
pleased to announce that Ariaf
Hussain has joined Voscur on
secondment from Bristol City
Council for three months to
continue the Compact work
until a replacement for Louise
has been appointed.
To contact Ariaf call
(0117) 909 9949 or
email [email protected]
Help for Volunteer Managers coming soonFrom February 2010 Voscur will be
working with Volunteering Bristol
to provide Action Learning for
Volunteer managers in voluntary
community and social enterprise
organisations in Bristol.
To find out more contact Sophie
Bayley on: (0117) 909 9949 or
email [email protected] or visit
www.voscur.org
New Voscur board members elected
Heather Malcolm, Marvin Rees
and Ian Steele were elected to
the Voscur board at the Annual
General Meeting in October.
Voscur would like to thank Clare
Hall (Eco-Adventure Sports) and
Fran Harrison (Fairbridge West)
who retired from the Voscur
board at the AGM and who have
both contributed a great deal to
the work of the Board.
To see the full list of who is on the
Voscur Board visit:
www.voscur.org/about/who
Catch up on the Funders’ Fair
If you missed the Funders’ Fair
organised by Voscur and the
Black Development Agency in
November you can still catch up
with resources from the event
and lots of other useful funding
advice on the funding page of
the Voscur website.
For more details visit:
www.voscur.org/funding
Planning aheadWe’ve already started to plan
Voscur Assembly and Network
meetings that will be taking place
throughout 2010. We want to
make sure that these meetings
are helpful and relevant for our
members and include issues that
matter to you. If you have any
suggestions for our meetings in
2010 please let us know.
Contact Matthew Symonds
on (0117) 909 9949 or email
Heather Malcolm
Marvin Rees
Ian Steele
Member profile
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 810
Creative Kids International
In Zambia, CKI works in partnership
with Barefeet Theatre, who work
with vulnerable street children
through performance and music.
CKI spent 5 months working with
Barefeet, providing regular visual
art workshops at children’s centres
in the capital, Lusaka, as well as
on large scale events such as the
Barefeet Annual Carnival with
over 1000 children, and last year a
Christmas adaptation of ‘Edward
Scissorhands: The Story of Snow’
at The Lusaka Playhouse.
Engaging the children in exciting
activities helps to keep them
away from the streets, and the
dangers that come with street
life at such a young age (some
children are as young as six). It
also encourages children to learn
new skills and gain confidence in
their own abilities. They can then
be linked with other services such
as education, health care and
housing.
CKI also works with two schools in
Lusaka, and Knowle Park Primary
School in Bristol. Through their art
work, accompanying workshops
and exhibitions, children in
both countries are able to learn
about each other’s countries
and cultures. In April, CKI ran an
African Arts Week at Knowle Park
Primary School, and also run
interactive hands-on workshops at
community events and festivals.
CKI is looking to develop its work
with schools and organisations
in Bristol so please contact them
if you are interested in their
workshops.
CKI has run various fundraising
events in Bristol and are now
fundraising to return to Zambia,
and also hoping to build links with
two projects in Kenya.
Creative Kids International (CKI) is a Bristol based organisation working with children in
Zambia and in the U.K. through an exciting visual arts exchange.
To find out more,
see photos, make a
donation, become a
CKI member, or book workshops
please visit www.myspace.com/
creativekidsinternational.
Contact Mia and Sian at
/ 07791 319 614.
To see a short film about the
project visit www.youtube.com/
watch?v=NivJDnX49MQ
Children at Fountain of Hope Children’s Centre, Lusaka, Zambia with suns they had made from recycled material for a carnival
Member profile
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 11
FareShareFareShare works with the food industry to redistribute quality, fit for purpose,
surplus food to a network of organisations working with vulnerable and
disadvantaged people.
“We get food before it goes
anywhere near a shop” explains
Jacqui, Project Manager “This
food would be thrown in a landfill
for all sorts of reasons, from
labels not printed straight to
change in packaging and out
of date promotions. Some food
is short life but usually it still has
a few days”.
Through food deliveries,
community organisations such as
hostels, day centres and luncheon
clubs are able to make significant
savings on their food budgets
which can then be redirected
into improving services for their
clients, such as drug rehab,
medical services, housing advice
and training.
Fareshare South West works
in partnership with over 40
food companies and 35 local
community groups, and since
opening in late 2007, has
redistributed over 390 tonnes of
in-life surplus food to charities in
and around Bristol. Organisations
based further afield such as
Somerset and Gloucester also pick
up food from their warehouse.
FareShare is only touching the
surface, according to WRAP
(Waste and Resources Action
Programme), each year
retailers produce 1.6 million
tonnes of waste.
In addition to the food
deliveries, the project also offers
supported volunteering and
training opportunities to the
local community. Many of the
volunteers are people who are
most in need of a second chance,
such as individuals who are or
have had life controlling addiction,
ex-offenders, people with
mental health issues and long-
term unemployed people. Nine
of our volunteers have recently
successfully completed NVQ’s in
warehouse distribution and plant
machinery.
You too can get involved today by
volunteering, making a donation,
organising an event to raise funds
or offering professional expertise
such as help with training or public
relations. Or if you are a socially
responsible food supplier you can
contribute good quality, fit for
purpose uncooked food.
For further information
about FareShare South
West, please contact
Jacqui Reeves, Project Manager,
tel: 0117 971 1005,
email: Jacqui@
faresharesouthwest.org.uk
Would you like your organisation
to appear in Thrive? If you are
a member of Voscur then we
would like to hear from you.
Please contact Polly Stewart,
email: [email protected] or
tel: 0117 909 9949.
Sector News
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 812
£594,000 funding for Advice Network in Bristol
Knowledge is Power – Planning Watch in Shirehampton
The advice sector in Bristol,
South Gloucestershire and
North Somerset has had a
welcome boost as they have
received funding from The
Big Lottery Fund and The
Baring Foundation.
Sally Gapper from North Bristol
Advice Centre said “The Advice
Network Project is the result of
a lot of hard work by the Advice
Sector in Bristol and surrounding
areas and is going to have a major
positive impact on advice services
enabling them to provide a better,
more co-ordinated service to
people most in need. Given the
current economic situation, which
is going to continue to have a
negative impact for many people
for a long time to come, access to
free, professional advice remains
of crucial importance.“
The Advice Network team; Ben
Sansum, Jane Emanuel and Ellen
Cheshire, will be tackling issues
that affect the whole sector such
as referral systems, social policy
and workforce development. They
will also be working one to one
with agencies to help with a range
of issues including advice funding
applications, Quality Mark audits
and recruitment of advisers.
Having recognised that smaller
agencies often struggle to
participate in development work
such as the Advice Network
project, The Baring Foundation
has made £40,000 available to
help these groups participate
in strategic and organisational
development activities.
For more information about
The Advice Network project
please get in touch with Ben,
Jane or Ellen on 0117 929 2153,
www.advicecentresforavon.org.uk
Ash Bearman at Shirehampton
Community Action Forum
(SCAF) keeps residents up
to date with local planning
applications.
By subscribing to Planningfinder.
co.uk, Ash receives details
of Shirehampton planning
applications. Those with a local
commercial or community impact
are sent as a ‘Planning Watch’
weekly email to over 250 local
subscribers. The service is free and
popular with local people.
“We have a chance of supporting
or opposing anything new in
the neighbourhood, rather than
reacting to done deals”
Ash also checks the Bristol City
Council website each week and
provides information about
Planning & Development related
public consultations, briefings or
exhibitions.
Visit: www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/
content/Environment-Planning
for information on lists of
registered applications, decided
applications and applications
affecting listed buildings or
conservation areas.
Bristol Neighbourhood Planning
Network (a network of groups)
has worked to get local groups
involved in community level
pre-application consultations
in planning applications. SCAF
attends these Planning Briefing
Sessions, for Avonmouth &
Kingsweston wards which are
held at the Council House and
focus on major development
proposals. To find out more visit
www.bristolnpn.net
Ash is happy to talk to groups
about this service. Contact her
on 0117 982 9963 or
Sector News
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 13
Partnership Working – Easing the Cost of Cancer
Strengthening and Supporting
Bristol Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
and Macmillan Cancer Support have
introduced a new welfare benefits
advice project, specifically for
people affected by cancer. This is
the first dedicated welfare benefits
advice service available to the 1,100
people who are diagnosed with
cancer each year in Bristol.
Katie Morrison, Macmillan
Fundraising Manager for Bristol
says “We are delighted to be
able to launch this service, in
partnership with the CAB. The
fact that cancer patients, and
A lot is changing in Easton and
Lawrence Hill at the moment.
Community at Heart and Easton
Community Partnership are
working together to look at ways
of continuing and strengthening
resident involvement in improving
the area.
In September the two partnership
Boards agreed to form the Easton
and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood
Management Board. The new
Board is building on the legacy of
New Deal for Communities and
Neighbourhood Renewal and will
complement the Neighbourhood
Partnership.
As Communications Officer for
this new Board, my role has
changed quite a bit over the last
12 months. As well as producing
our regular newsletter, Up Our
Street, I am looking at other ways
we can communicate better with
residents and organisations in the
area. If any Voscur members who
work in Easton and Lawrence Hill
have any suggestions about how
to do this then we would be happy
to hear them.
Also I have been offering my
services to help support small
organisations in Easton and
Lawrence Hill. This could be
advice or help with press releases,
putting together leaflets or similar
things. If you would like to discuss
either of these things with me
then please get in touch on
0117 377 3638 or stacy.yelland@
communityatheart.co.uk
Stacy Yelland outlines what’s on offer in Easton and Lawrence Hill
their families, have the stress of
financial worries in addition to a
cancer diagnosis is unacceptable
and we believe that cancer patients
urgently need a better deal.”
Ken Pickering, Director of Bristol
CAB said, “This project really
demonstrates the value of working
in partnership. Working with
MacMillan has enabled us to bring
their expertise and CAB’s specialist
advice knowledge together. We
are confident the project will be
a success and look forward to
working with MacMillan for many
years to come”.
For more information, please
contact the Bristol Citizens Advice
Bureau on: 0117 9462563 or email:
Left to right: Caroline Blake, Ellen Cronin, Judy Porter and Chris Marks, four of the five Welfare Benefits caseworkers for this project.
10 New Year Resolutions
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 814
A thriving new year
1. Become a TrusteeMany voluntary and community
organisations in Bristol are in
search of volunteer trustees to
join their boards. Becoming a
trustee can be a very rewarding
experience and give you the
opportunity to gain skills and
knowledge that will help you in
other areas of your life. Many
trustee positions are advertised
in the voluntary jobs section of
the Voscur website and through
Volunteering Bristol.
To find out more visit the Voscur
website: www.voscur.org/view/
jobs and the Volunteering Bristol
website: www.bristolvolunteers.
org.uk
2. Clear Out Your Wardrobe
According to Third Sector
magazine, donations to charity
shops have fallen by up to 20% in
the past year due to the recession,
at the same time demand has
increased. Why not take the
New Year as an opportunity to
sort through your wardrobe and
donate any good clothes that
you’re not wearing any more to
your local charity shop?
To find your nearest charity shop
visit: www.charityshops.org.uk/
locator.php
3. Join the Credit Union
The Bristol Credit Union was
developed in 2005 / 2006 through
a partnership of community credit
unions in the city and aims to be
a community anchor for the city,
providing fair financial services
for all the people of Bristol. Credit
Unions offer competitive and
alternative financial provision
to benefit their members and
they are not for private profit. In
addition to loan facilities you can
also save with the credit union.
To find out more visit:
www.bristolcreditunion.org or
call 0117 924 7309
4. Learn Something New
The New Year is a good time to try
something new. Voscur provides a
range of training that will help you
and your organisation thrive in the
coming year.
To find out more about Voscur
training visit: www.voscur.org/
training
5. Support a Social Enterprise
The recession has made people
much more cautious with their
spending. You can help make
sure your money has more local
impact by supporting a local
social enterprise. Bristol has a
wealth of social enterprises from
community art shops and farm
shops to cinemas and cooperative
garden centres where all profits
are reinvested back into the
local economy.
To find a social enterprise in Bristol
visit: www.socialenterpriseworks.
org/category/social-business-
directory
6. Spread the Good News
Bristol has a fantastically diverse
voluntary and community sector,
working in every part of Bristol.
Make sure you tell people about
the good work you do by including
your news in the weekly Voscur
e-bulletin and bi-monthly Thrive!
magazine. If you put your news
and events in the Voscur Online
Diary or Community Notice board
we’ll check them regularly and
As 2010 approaches here are ten New Year resolutions that can help support a Thriving
voluntary and community sector in 2010.
10 New Year Resolutions
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 15
include items in our magazine
and e-bulletin.
To find out more about the Voscur
Online Diary visit:
www.voscur.org/event
To find out more about the Online
Noticeboard visit: www.voscur.
org/view/classified-ads
7. Use your Local Community Buildings
Bristol is home to many different
community centres and venues
run and managed by local
community groups. By holding
your meetings and events in
these buildings you’ll be
supporting these groups and
helping them maintain their
buildings which in turn are used
by the local community.
To find out more visit:
www.bristol.gov.uk/
communitycentres or download
a list of accessible community
venues in Bristol from
www.voscur.org/system/files/
AccessibleVenuesList.pdf
8. VolunteerVolunteers can do almost
anything! From helping a
neighbour with their shopping,
to providing legal advice for a
local charity, volunteers make a
vital contribution to all aspects
of community life. According to
Volunteering Bristol there are
over 600 volunteering
opportunities in around 400
voluntary and community
organisations across Bristol.
To find out more visit:
www.bristolvolunteers.org.uk
9. VoteSome time before June 2010
there will be a general election
in the UK. There will also be local
elections in 23 wards in Bristol.
Make sure your name is on the
electoral register so that you can
vote in these elections. If you
don’t vote someone else will and
their views may not be the same
as yours, so don’t leave important
policy decisions that will impact
on the voluntary and community
sector to someone else.
To find out more visit:
www.bristol.gov.uk/elections
10. Phone a FriendWhy not persuade a friend or
family member to get involved
in supporting the voluntary and
community sector in Bristol? Tell
them about an organisation, event
or activity that you think they
might be interested in. Voscur
can help keep you up to date
with what’s going on in Bristol’s
voluntary and community sector:
www.voscur.org
You can also follow Voscur on
these social media channels:
Twitter: twitter.com/voscur
Facebook: tinyurl.com/voscurf-
book
YouTube: www.youtube.com/
voscur
Hartcliffe Health and Environmental Action group organises walks for the community.
The Watershed is a Social Enterprise
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 816
Thriving Third Sector
A Third Sector Strategy for BristolVoscur has been pushing for a Bristol Partnership Third Sector Strategy for some
time and Wendy Stephenson, Voscur’s Chief Executive, has recently been involved in
developing a draft strategy which will go out for consultation in the new year.
Why do we need a strategy?
Bristol’s third sector is made
of up of hundreds of not-for-
profit organisations, from the
smallest self-help or campaigning
group to city-wide service
delivery organisations, working
across diverse areas including
health and well being, arts,
sports, community safety, the
environment, equalities, learning
and skills – all for the benefit of
the people of Bristol.
Evidence shows that the areas
with the healthiest local charity
and voluntary sector have a good
mix of funding available including
grants, contracts, donations,
earned income and loan finance.
In recent years this balance has
changed as grant funding has
been replaced by contracts.
The commissioning agenda
presents the third sector with a
significant change to the way in
which it can access investment.
However, too often procurement
practices favour large companies
and big charities. Not only do
smaller charities miss out, but
local people and taxpayers suffer
as the winning bid is not always
the best bid.
In order to thrive, the third sector
also needs a range of support
from infrastructure organisations
(such as understanding local
government structures, charity
law, writing constitutions, making
funding bids, and possibly
even European procurement
regulations); and good
relationships with public sector
partners.
The Bristol Partnership has chosen
to include National Indicator
7 (NI7), an environment for a
thriving third sector in the Local
Area Agreement, but it is not clear
how partners are putting their
commitment into practice.
Providing an environment for
a thriving third sector requires
Bristol Partnership members to
acknowledge and understand
the issues facing the third sector,
and to be able to demonstrate
their commitment to supporting
the sector.
This means: ensuring the sector
has a voice in public decision
making, is able to contribute
to the design and delivery of
public services rooted in the local
community, has high quality local
infrastructure organisations, and
can access a mix of funding/
contracting arrangements.
We believe that fully supported
third sector involvement will
lead to public services that fully
address local need.
A Bristol Partnership ‘owned’
third sector strategy will mean
that partners:
• publicly recognise the role
and value of the third sector,
• demonstrate support for
Compact principles,
• identify the actions that
Partnership members
will take individually and
collectively to support
the sector,
• have clarity and consistency
of approach in enabling the
third sector to participate
in policy and decision-
making and commissioning
processes.
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 17
Safeguarding the Sector
Free Support in the Recession
Are you considering partnerships or joint working with other groups or projects?
We know that partnership working
takes planning and resources. If
you are thinking of joint working
with another organisation or
agency from a different sector
we can assist by offering you
a bursary of £1,000 to pay a
consultant who can work with you
to explore your ideas, and help to
plan actions.
The scheme is available to groups
with a turnover of under £150,000
per year, and who have been
operational for at least 2 years.
Available to organisations across
the four unitary authorities.
Deadline for applications
31 January 2010. For more
information visit: www.voscur.
org/partnershipworking
Bursaries for Voscur training courses
Encourage your staff, board
members, or volunteers to attend
the range of training sessions we
have on offer every term such as
roles and responsibilities of board
members, supporting volunteer
managers, fundraising, equalities
– everything to help you improve
skills, knowledge and performance
within your organisation. Up
to two bursaries available per
Are you supporting groups during the recession, or experiencing change within your
organisation due to the recession?
If you would like to
discuss any of the
above then please call
Ruth Pitter at Voscur on
0117 909 9949 or email
group, per term, for more
information see: www.voscur.
org/recessionsupport
For details of training
opportunities see page 39.
Free HR Support
If you are having to consider
making changes to staff
contracts, or staff redundancies
there is HR support available to
ensure you are acting legally. An
individual one to one session can
be arranged with an advisor to
discuss contracts of employment
and other staffing issues you
may have. For more information
see: www.voscur.org/
recessionsupport
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 818
Safeguarding the Sector
Freebies
Children’s ScrapstoreBristol’s Children’s Scrapstore
collects safe waste from
businesses which can be re-used
as a low cost creative resource by
its member groups. Membership
is open to groups working in
creative play, care, educational
and therapeutic settings. There is
a suggested donation for scrap.
The Scrapstore also operate
Artrageous, an art and craft shop,
which is open to the public as
well as members. All profits from
Artrageous go back to the charity
side of the Scrapstore’s work, and
member groups receive a 20%
discount when they shop there.
The Scrapstore is located in the
St. Werburghs area of Bristol.
www.childrensscrapstore.co.uk
0117 908 5644
ProHelpA national network of over 600
professional firms committed to
making a difference in their local
community by providing free
advice and professional support.
Members include solicitors,
accountants, surveyors, architects,
public relations and management
consultants who undertake one-
off projects. Community-based,
not-for-profit groups working
for the social and economic
regeneration of their local area
may apply to receive professional
support. Community organisations
receive the same level of service
as a fee-paying client – the only
difference is that the community
client is not charged for the work
undertaken.
www.prohelp.org.uk
0117 972 2111
Giving World OnlineLinks businesses with unwanted
surplus to not-for-profit groups
in need of supplies. Unwanted
surplus includes stationery and
IT equipment, medical supplies,
clothing, toys and educational
materials. Community groups
can register online, search for
surplus and select what they
need. Donated goods must not
be offered for resale or used in
fundraising activities (including
raffles). Further information is
provided on the website regarding
arranging collection of surplus
goods.
www.givingworldonline.com
0845 833 3783
IT4 CommunitiesOver 6000 IT volunteers can offer
support with IT issues such as
website development, databases
and email systems. Interested
groups must register online and
pay a one-off administration
fee of £85 which covers them
for a year. Staff will discuss the
feasibility of their ideas with them
over the phone before advertising
the project among the volunteer
network. At present, there are
more volunteers than projects
so groups will get a choice of
volunteers to work with them.
www.it4communities.org.uk
Tel: 020 7796 2144
The Cranfield TrustProvides free management
consultancy to voluntary sector
groups working with issues
of poverty, disability or social
exclusion. Their register of
volunteers is made up of skilled
business people who wish to use
their management experience
to work as mentors or advisors
to support the voluntary sector.
Volunteers can offer support with
strategic or business planning,
marketing, human resources,
financial advice or performance
management. Time input from
It’s not just money that can help community and voluntary groups to deliver their
services! Here is a selection of other free or low cost resources.
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 19
Safeguarding the Sector
volunteers is usually between six
and twelve days over the course
of a 3-6 month project.
www.cranfieldtrust.org
0844 800 3390
In Kind DirectRedistributes new goods donated
by companies, manufacturers
and retailers to not-for-profit
organisations working in the
UK and abroad. Goods available
include toiletries, clothing
and shoes, cleaning supplies,
household appliances, toys, and
educational items, tools, office
and computer supplies. Goods
received through In Kind Direct
must be either used to meet the
operational needs of the receiving
organisation, or distributed free
of charge in accordance with
the organisation’s charitable
objectives. Not-for-profit
organisations must register as
an In Kind Direct Charity Partner.
It is free to join, but there is a
handling charge.
www.inkinddirect.org
020 7398 5510
Community NewswireA free news service to help
voluntary organisations gain
valuable media coverage.
Voluntary groups can email or
upload press releases to the
website, which is managed by
the Media Trust. A selection of
uploaded press releases are
written up into news stories by
a Press Association journalist
and then sent out via the Press
Association newswire to thousands
of journalists each day.
www.communitynewswire.
press.net
Tel: 08701 240866
Our PriceHas a range of exclusive and
unique personally signed items
from the worlds of music, sport,
film and television for charities
to use as auction prizes at
fundraising events. There are also
some activities that can be used
as prizes including a champagne
balloon ride or the chance to drive
a Formula 1 racing car. All items
are supplied free of charge and
signed items come complete with
a full certificate of authenticity.
Local football enthusiasts will be
disappointed to know that there
does not appear to be anything
from City or Rovers…
www.ourprice.co.uk
Tel: 0870 777 5001
COSMIC A website design and IT
consultancy social enterprise
which offers a range of IT
services to organisations in the
South West. Although some of
their services need to be paid
for, others are offered for free.
This includes the Switched On
Communities programme, which
offers free training, assistive
equipment and support to
voluntary sector organisations to
support disabled IT users.
www.cosmic.org.uk
Tel: 01404 813226
In Kind Direct redistributes a wide range of goods
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 820
Safeguarding the Sector
Recession Hits Voluntary Sector Employers
The report tells us that the
recession stimulated a 22% rise
in unfair dismissal conciliation
cases, an increase in other forms
of employment tribunal cases, the
demand for redundancy advice
soared by almost three quarters.
Figures show that Acas received
78,000 (net) conciliation cases
from the Employment Tribunal
Service – almost a fifth (18%) more
than last year.
There was also a significant
increase in unfair dismissal
conciliation cases received
over the last year, compared
to a decrease in the number
of these cases over the last
two years. www.acas.org.uk/
annualreport2008-09
Bristol’s Voluntary, Community
and Social Enterprise sector is a
significant employer. The most
recent survey of the sector
estimated that 15,000 people are
employed in the sector in Bristol.
Management Commitees, as
employers, need support as we
begin to see the recession hit
the sector. The effects will surely
multiply as public spending cuts
are announced next year.
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service’s (Acas) annual report reflects on the
effects of the recession on employment.
Protect your trustees – employment insurance at a discounted rate
We believe it’s important to protect your organisation, and your
volunteer management committee when they come to make
decisions about restructuring and/or staff redundancies.
Voscur has subscribed to employment law and health and
safety specialists Peninsula to ensure that we have up to date
employment policies and procedures in place and so that we have
somewhere to go for employment advice should we need it.
We have joined with Peninsula to offer our members this same
protection. If Voscur can get enough organisations interested
in this offer we will be able to bulk buy this protection at a
discounted rate.
If you are interested in this offer please contact Rebecca
McDougall: [email protected] or come along to an informal
discussion on 15 December 2009 at the next Voscur Assembly.
For details visit: www.voscur.org/assemblydecember09
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 21
Safeguarding the Sector
Free on-line Human Resources and Health and Safety legislation help for Voscur members
Voscur has taken up a new
service offered through NAVCA
partners, Tennyson Insurance.
Voscur is delighted to announce
the launch in December of
Charity Builder UK (CBUK).
CBUK is an interactive web-based
service that Voscur can provide
free of charge to our members.
Recognising that small and
medium-sized groups often
find it difficult to comply with
human resources and health
& safety legislation, CBUK has
been developed to help local
charities and community groups
carry out key administrative
tasks quickly and easily. It is an
online innovation so no additional
software is required:
• CBUK does not just signpost
advice but interacts with the
user to create tailor-made
documents such as staff
contracts, health & safety
policies and staff handbooks.
• CBUK helps to avoid the risk of
complicated employment
tribunals by driving compliance
by prompting the user with
checklists in human resources
and health and safety.
• CBUK is written and kept up to
date by lawyers so users are
always aware of changes in
legislation.
• 100,000 small businesses
currently use the business
version of this service; they pay
an annual subscription – Voscur
members will be offered this
service free of charge.
• CBUK will help funding
applications by helping groups
provide key policies when asked
to as part of the application.
This will help in today’s
competitive market.
Kevin Curley, Chief Executive
NAVCA, said “NAVCA believes this is
a service which will add real value
to the sector. CBUK is a new and
unique service.”
Three local infrastructure
organisations around the country
have already trialled the service
and incorporated it as a tool used
by Development Officers, with
very positive feedback:
“One of the best pieces of
corporate social responsibility
work that I’ve seen in many years,
with real benefits for grassroots
organisations.” Mark Richardson,
Chief Executive, Cornwall
Voluntary Sector Forum.
The service is now in its final
stages of completion before its
launch in December. If you would
like to register for CBUK please
complete the registration form
from the following link. You will
be contacted after validation with
Voscur of your membership status
and given a unique User ID and
password: www.charitybuilderuk.
com/register.php
In the meantime if you have any
questions about CBUK please
contact Rebecca McDougall at
Voscur, email: rebecca@voscur.
org or tel: 0117 909 9949.
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 822
Safeguarding the Sector
Recession support resources
Links to a range of support tools:
ACEVO’s recession support page
with links to books, magazines,
surveys, reports.
Visit: www.recessionsupport.
org.uk/resources/recession_
resources
Determine what stage your organisation is in:
The Non-profit Life Stage
Assessment is a tool for
determining what stage your
organisation is in. It helps you to
understand your organisation’s
strengths and weaknesses and will
help you plan for future needs. It
is particularly relevant:
• during times of high stress or
challenge for the organisation.
• when engaging an organisation
development consultant.
• prior to an executive search.
• as pre-work, discussion topics,
or action learning tool at a
board or staff retreat.
Visit: www.surveys.wilder.org/
fieldstone/lifestages
Making the most of volunteers in a recession
Volunteers are the lifeblood of
many charities. When there is an
increased demand for services
together with constrained or
reduced resources, it is often
difficult to find the time to
effectively support and engage
good skilled volunteers. However,
skilled volunteers can make a real
difference to your organisation,
providing you with a resource
which could improve your ability
to survive. The following link will
take you to an article which offers
advice to guide you and provide
you with some contact points for
finding out more.
Visit: www.reachskills.org.uk/
reach-article-sarah-king
www.bristolvolunteers.org.uk
SKiLD tools for Development workers
Supporting voluntary and
community groups can be hard
work. These tried and tested
practical tools offer a new set of
bite-sized exercises to support
work with groups. Current list of
tools includes Agreeing a Mission,
Attracting New people, Getting
ready for Paid Staff, Improving
Governance, Recruiting a Worker
and many more.
Visit: www.navca.org.uk/services/
learningopps/skild/tools/Home
Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NIVCA) Support Tools
Voluntary and community
organisations face not only the
same risks as others, but also
a set of risks more specific to
the sector. Therefore some
organisations are already planning
for reduced income and some
are making decisions to cut staff
and services. Planning for what
might lie ahead is vital if your
organisation is to come through a
recession and still be able to do its
job effectively.
Risk Management
In the current financial climate
it is more important than ever
for organisations to develop
risk management procedures.
Managing risk is a way of
safeguarding the organisation’s
assets and ensuring that the
organisation is effectively fulfilling
its objectives. Risk is not confined
simply to the financial affairs of
an organisation, or health and
safety, it applies to all areas of
the charity’s operations. Risk
identification should be built into
everything that the organisation
does. To ensure that the
organisation gets the most out
of the process it should have a
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 23
Safeguarding the Sector
participative approach. Staff
and volunteers should be
involved in the process and all
the organisation’s activities
should be assessed.
Look out for Voscur’s Managing
Risk training in the new year.
Details yet to be confirmed. Visit
www.voscur.org/training
Download a copy of the
Managing in a Downturn report
by PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP (PwC), the Charity Finance
Directors’ Group (CFDG) and the
Institute of Fundraising (IOF).
Visit: www.nicva.org/index.cfm/
section/General/key/260309-
Recession-Toolkit
Visit the National Council for
Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
website for valuable
recession advice:
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/advice-
support/recession-resources/
recession-proof
Download their publication
Support in Uncertain Times:
tinyurl.com/yd64epl
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/
uploadedFiles/NCVO/Press/
Press_Releases/Support_in_
Uncertain_Times_June%2709.pdf
Positive Local Leadership in a Recession – Support for Councils and Councillors
These are challenging times
nationally and internationally.
Yet there is an extremely
important local dimension to
the recession, both in terms of
its impact, shaping a response
to that impact and preparing
for the post-recession world.
If there has ever been a time
when effective local community
leadership is required, this is it.
Its time has come. The primary
task of this guide is to help local
councils to fulfil their community
leadership responsibilities in these
challenging circumstances.
www.idea.gov.uk/idk/
aio/9560735
It is important to have positive local leadership in times of recession Image by NotFromUtrecht
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 824
Place Survey
A quick guide to the Place Survey 2008
The Place Survey is a new
consultation that all local
authorities are required to carry
out on a two-yearly basis. The
Place Survey was devised by
central government and replaces
the Best Value Performance
Indicator Survey (BVPI). The Place
Survey has been developed as
part of a new focus on improving
outcomes for local people and
places – rather than on processes,
institutions and inputs.
The survey provides information
on people’s perceptions of their
local area and the local services
they receive.
MethodologyThe Place Survey is a statutory
requirement of all local authorities
in England and will be undertaken
every two years as a postal survey.
Its main purposes are:
• To help councils and their
partners to better understand
local views and needs.
• To enable local councils and
their partners to improve areas
where residents are dissatisfied.
• To form part of the Audit
Commission’s monitoring
of the performance of local
public services as part of
the Comprehensive Area
Assessment (CAA). See page 26.
Questions asked included:
• What are the most important
things that make your area a
good place to live?
• Which of these things most
need improving?
• How satisfied are you with your
area and the services provided
by local public organisations?
• How involved are you, or would
you like to be, in decisions that
affect your local area?
The survey collected information
on 18 National Indicators (NI)
for local government, used
to measure local government
performance for 152 county
councils, metropolitan district
councils, London boroughs and
unitary authorities. The England
indicators covered by the survey
include the following:
NI 1: % of people who agree
that their local area is a place
where people from different
backgrounds get on well together.
NI 2: % of people who feel
that they belong to their
neighbourhood.
NI 3: % who have been involved in
decisions that affect the local area
in the past twelve months.
NI 4: % of people who agree they
can influence decisions in their
local area.
NI 5: % of people who are
satisfied with their local area as a
place to live.
NI 6: % of people who have
participated in regular
volunteering.
The results of the first ever Place Survey have been released, summarising the headline
findings for England and the individual Government Office regions.
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 25
Place Survey
Bristol Picture
NI 1: % of people who agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together.
Respondents in Bristol gave the
city a score of 76%, the same
as the national average, but 4%
below the South West average
of 80%.
NI 2: % of people who feel they belong to their immediate neighbourhood.
Bristol is a high scorer at 63%
compared to the other core cities,
and higher than the England
average of 59%.
NI 3: % of people who have been involved in decisions that affect the local area in the past twelve months.
Bristol is higher than the England
average of 14% and all of the core
cities with a score of 18%.
NI 4: % of people who agree they can influence decisions in their local area.
The England average is 29%,
London has the highest score
with 35%, but Bristol is low with
only 25%.
NI 5: % of people who are satisfied with their local area as a place to live
Bristol is high at 78.6% compared
with the other core cities, but the
England average is 80% and the
South West is 85%.
NI 6: % of people who have participated in regular volunteering
Bristol is higher than the other
core cities at 24%, but lower than
the South West average of 28%.
The England average is 23%.
Jargon buster:
Core Cities
The Core Cities group is a network
of England’s major regional
cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds,
Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle,
Nottingham and Sheffield. They
form the economic and urban
cores of wider surrounding
territories, the city regions and
are the economic drivers of their
regions. The umbrella theme for
the joint activity of the Core Cities
Group is economic development.
This article is adapted from
the briefing produced by
South West Forum. Visit
www.southwestforum.org.uk
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 826
Comprehensive Area Assessment
A Quick Guide to the Comprehensive Area Assessment (Oneplace)*
What is the purpose of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA)It aims to give people a snapshot
of life in their local area each
year; help local service providers
improve the quality of life in their
area and help people understand
if they are getting value for
money from their local services.
The Comprehensive Area
Assessment (CAA) process looks at
how well local services are working
together to improve the quality
of life for local people. It will make
information available to people
about local services, helping
them make informed choices and
influence decisions.
For the first time, local public
services will be held collectively
to account for the way they work.
This means that the CAA will look
across councils, health bodies,
police forces, fire and rescue
services and others responsible
for local public services. These
bodies are increasingly expected
to work in partnership to tackle
the challenges facing their
communities.
CAA examines a whole area and
how well local bodies are working
in partnership to deliver agreed
priorities such as those set out in
Sustainable Community Strategies
and Local Area Agreements. The
CAA will contribute to knowing
whether an environment for a
thriving third sector is being built;
whether third sector expertise
feeds into decision-making and
whether the third sector is able
to play its full role in delivering
services for the whole community.
It provides a real opportunity for
the third sector in holding local
government to account.
There are two different
elements that make up the CAA:
1. Organisational AssessmentLocal public services are assessed
by different inspectorates
depending on the context. The
Audit Commission assesses value
for money through a Use of
Resources Judgement; this then
contributes to the organisational
assessment for local authorities,
PCT’s, Police and Fire and Rescue
authorities. The Use of Resources
Judgement covers how well the
organisation manages under three
different themes: finance, the
business and resources. These
three themes are then supported
by detailed questions called key
lines of enquiry based on three
main questions:
1. How effectively does the
organisation manage its finances
and deliver value for money?
2. How well does the
organisation govern itself and
commission services that provide
value for money and deliver
outcomes for local people?
In April 2009, the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) replaced the Comprehensive
Performance Assessment as the way local authorities will be measured on their work.
This quick guide outlines some of the differences.
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 27
Comprehensive Area Assessment
3. How well does the
organisation manage its natural
resources, physical assets and
people to meet current and
future needs and deliver value
for money?
2. Area AssessmentThis will be a narrative report
looking at prospects for future
improvement against local
priorities. Two initial questions will
be used to provide underlying
evidence and support the
judgement on a third question:
Question 1
How well do local priorities
express local needs and
aspirations?
Question 2
How well are the outcomes
and improvements needed
being delivered?
Question 3
What are the prospects for
further improvement?
Question one is very much
voluntary, community and social
enterprise sector territory and
inspectors will be looking for
evidence of robust decision
making across local partners.
They will explore how well local
partnerships engage with, involve
and empower local people
including through the third sector.
What evidence will be gathered?
A ‘shared evidence file’ will be
kept locally and will include data
from the National Indicator Set,
information from local people,
third sector organisations
and local businesses. The
National Survey of Third Sector
Organisations which measures
performance against NI7 – a
Thriving Third Sector – and the
Place Survey which measure
performance against NI6 –
regular volunteering – (and other
indicators) will both provide data
which will be included in the
evidence file.
Voscur’s view
Voscur wasn’t contacted as part
of the stakeholder engagement in
April and May 2009 and has been
trying to meet with the local Audit
Commission lead to feed in a third
sector perspective before the
‘joint assessments’ are published
in December.
Find out:
This guide to CAA is
based on the CAA
briefing produced by South West
Forum – for more details visit:
www.southwestforum.org.uk
Find out more about CAA at:
www.audit-commission.gov.
uk/localgov/audit/caa/Pages/
default.aspx
*It has recently been announced that Comprehensive Area Assessments will be rebranded and sold to the public as Oneplace.
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 828
The Compact
Working in a Compact Way
Ian Popperwell, a Planning and
Commissioning Manager, told
Thrive! about improving practice
in Bristol City Council adult
social care:
“We’re working to shift and
improve our relationship with
the voluntary sector in line with
the Compact. The Compact
gives a lead and framework for
developing clearer appropriate
relationships. Like most statutory
authorities, we’ve had a long-
standing and somewhat traditional
relationship with the sector
and now we are moving from
yearly grants to rolling service
agreements we need to be
clear about the nature of the
relationship.
The most important shift has been
the move towards commissioning
of services. This brings a more
strategic approach to identifying
the level and type of local need,
how it might best be met, who
by and how services can be
constantly improved. Voluntary
sector organisations are now seen
as service providers, preventing
the old relationship of the local
authority being seen to have ties
over whole organisations.
Services will be commissioned
for outcomes. Why? Well
most importantly we want to
commission high quality services
and expect there to be something
positive that happens to people as
a result of using them. We want
services to be able to demonstrate
their value by measuring results,
where they are most effective and
areas they need to work on.
We’re moving towards issuing
three (rather than one) year
service agreements wherever
possible and appropriate. We
are also committed to moving
towards full cost recovery.
Organisations have often costed
services on the basis of the
amount of money that is available,
rather than on a full cost recovery
basis. In the short term, it’s not
possible to correct this; there
isn’t the money and it might
cause internal difficulties for
organisations to reduce services.
However all new services should
be funded that way.
Finally, as joint commissioners of
mental health services with NHS
Bristol, we are moving towards
lead funder-commissioner
arrangements across other
services/organisations that have
multiple funding.
With many new developments
in health and social care service
direction on the horizon, there are
great opportunities ahead for the
third sector.”
Compact compliance can be seen as quite daunting, but starting from including
the Compact in staff induction, through to moving towards three year funding
arrangements, public agencies can build up action plans that can help bring their work
in line with the Bristol Compact.
Get compliance
checklists at www.
voscur.org/compact
Queen’s Award
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 29
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
The Queen’s Award for
Voluntary Service is the highest
award given to volunteer
groups across the UK for
outstanding work done in their
local communities.
Groups doing all kinds of voluntary
sector work are invited to make
nominations for the Queen’s
Award. In contrast to other
National Honours, we do not
expect nominations to be treated
in confidence. This is because
County Assessment Panels usually
wish to visit groups in order to
gain better understanding of
their work, and that groups must
have indicated that they are
willing to accept an Award if the
nomination is successful. However,
it is important that groups
understand that an Award will not
automatically follow a submission
of a nomination form. We also
require two letters of support
from others who have firsthand
knowledge of and can endorse the
nominated group’s contribution.
These must be attached to the
nomination form and the names
of the two supporters, and their
relationship with the group, must
be given on the nomination form.
If supporting letters are not
received, the nomination will be
deemed ineligible.
In common with the UK National
Honours, there are no deadlines
for the receipt of nomination
forms. Award nominations will
be considered at any point
within 3 years of the nomination.
Therefore, nominations should
not be made for a particular
year’s Award. If you would like
to nominate a voluntary sector
organisation or community
group and want to find out more
about the award, who decides
on the nominations, and when
the announcement of winners
is made, please contact Gunnar
Moran at Government Office for
the South West on:
0117 900 3517.
Charity specialist accountants and auditors based in Bristol. Passionate about the not-for-profit sector and experienced in delivering practical and professional accounting services to charities.
Audit Independent Examination Accounts Preparation Tax
Management Accounts Payroll Training Accounting Software
www.godfreywilson.co.uk
Unit 5.11 PaintworksBath RoadBristolBS4 3EH0117 971 3445
Image by WeI-chieh Chiu
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 830
Green Pages
Greening our IT
Voscur will be working with
Connecting Bristol to assist in
reducing the carbon footprint
of ICT usage in the city. We’ve
been given a preview of a
great database that will enable
anyone to take significant steps
to increase the efficiency of
their computer usage, reduce
utility bills and still contribute
to effective efforts against
climate change.
The database contains hundreds
of practical steps that any
organisation can take that
will have a measurable effect
in reducing their ICT carbon
footprint. Each step is classified
according to cost, difficulty
in implementation and overall
effectiveness currently with a 3
star rating for each element. For
example, turning all monitors
off when not being used would
have 3 stars for cost, 1 star
for difficulty, and 2 stars for
the contribution to emissions
reduction efforts.
When the database is finally live, it
will include case studies, and the
opportunity for users to add their
comments and discuss additional
efforts or difficulties they may
have encountered. Voscur will be
using the database to help groups
who want to take advantage of
this service with additional expert
advice and support. Using this
service will not only help you to
reduce your environmental
impact but will work to making
your IT use more efficient and
more sustainable.
Of course, a lot of the most
effective steps and greatest
efficiency savings can be
technically challenging. Most
organisations don’t have the
resources to undertake them
(such as green hosting for
applications and data, or using low
impact open source software),
so we’ll be creating opportunities
for Voscur member organisations
to get together with green
technology companies and social
enterprises sympathetic to the
voluntary sector and with a track
record of delivering improvements
in operations and service delivery.
“We have the ability to
make a very real difference
and have a duty to future
generations to implement
simple solutions to increase
energy efficiency and
maximise the opportunities
presented by new
technology.”
Quote from Richard
Barrington – Head of Public
Policy at Sun Microsystems
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 31
Green Pages
It’s all very well saying we’re
going to make big cuts in the
voluntary sector’s carbon ICT
footprint but we will also have
to show that this is possible.
To do that we have to measure
the current carbon footprint in
the same way that Connecting
Bristol has for the wider Bristol
Commercial and Statutory sector
– we need members to fill out the
survey at www.voscur.org/ict/
carbonfootprintsurvey
so that we can calculate a baseline
level of emissions with which to
measure progress against.
We’ll be keeping groups informed
of progress, latest news, tips and
offers over the coming year on
our Green ICT web pages on our
Facebook page and through the
pages of Thrive!
Sean Kenny
Voscur ICT Worker
Tel: 0117 909 9949
Voscur Green ICT
webpage:
www.voscur.org/ict/
greencomputing
Connecting Bristol:
www.connectingbristol.org
Jargon buster
Carbon Footprint – A measure
of the amount of carbon
dioxide produced by a person,
organisation or community in a
given time.
Bristol’s daily carbon dioxide emissions are shown above represented to scale with the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 832
Green Pages
Bristol Pedalling Forward to the Future
Pedal Power
It’s been 18 months since Bristol won the title of Britain’s first Cycling City, what’s been happening since then?
The area of Greater Bristol won
the award in June 2008. Following
the announcement, Bristol and
South Gloucestershire councils
set up a dedicated team to
work on this project, alongside
the council’s regular cycling
promotion teams, infrastructure
development teams, and the key
cycling organisations in the city.
A great deal has been happening
over the last 18 months. It’s hard
to make cycling an overnight
success so we’ve put in a lot
of groundwork to create a
momentum for change that will
make Bristol a great cycling city.
This year we held over 50 city-wide
and community events to get
our neighbourhoods back in the
saddle and Bristol’s Biggest Bike
Ride brought out an extra 2000
riders this year.
During 2009 we knocked on over
8000 doors in neighbourhoods to
raise awareness of the project and
offer several hundred personal
travel planning sessions. And we’re
offering Life Cycle bike training
sessions to give people in our
communities the confidence they
need to get back on the road.
Through our Gear Up programme
we’re working with businesses
to get them providing the bike
parking and changing facilities
their employees need to cycle to
work more often.
Our promotional campaigns hit
the ground during October and
November to get people visiting
our new website and riding safely
at night time. To date we’ve given
away over 2000 lights and high-
visibility items on the streets to
make sure bike riders are well lit.
Our work with schools has seen
some dramatic changes in cycling
rates where we’ve managed to
triple the numbers of children
cycling to nursery and primary
schools through Bikeability training
in our Bike-It schools.
What will we see in the next year?
Our plans for 2010 are to get more
people interested in cycling. Many
of our new bike paths will be ready
by April.
We’ll also be launching a project to
offer very cheap but reliable bikes
through a project with Horfield
Prison, and developing facilities to
get more people into riding their
bikes in their spare time.
We’re building towards making
2010 Bristol’s year of the bike -
visit the website and keep your
eyes peeled for lots of fun events
that will encourage you to use
your bike more often.
How can voluntary and community groups play a part in promoting cycling?
Groups can apply for funding
for cycling projects via the
Cycling City Community Fund
which is administered by
Quartet Community Foundation.
Applications will be assessed on
“The place of cycling in our
society is set to grow, and
I am committed to doing
everything possible to
encourage that.”
UK Prime Minister
Gordon Brown,
June 26th 2008
Ben Hillsdon of the Cycling City team outlines recent developments:
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 33
Green Pages
how well they can get new or
returning cyclists on their bikes,
rather than supporting current or
regular cyclists.
Groups can think about their role
as employers and become more
cycling friendly. We are offering
grants for employers and through
Life Cycle we are providing bike
stands for parking. Any employer
can offer staff up to 40% off new
bikes by providing the Cycle To
Work tax free bike scheme.
Voluntary and community groups
are at the heart of Cycling City
through their seats on the
stakeholder advisory panel.
Several specific cycling groups are
represented including Sustrans,
Life Cycle UK, CTC Right to Ride
and Bristol Cycling Campaign.
Voscur also attends Cycling City
meetings to represent the views
of all voluntary and community
groups. We would like the
organisations involved with Voscur
to help us promote the availability
of cheap bikes through this
scheme when it comes on line.
We’re trying to build something in
Bristol that meets the needs of all
groups, and we need the advice of
voluntary and community groups
to make sure we can do that.
What would you say to people who are not currently cycling to encourage them to get on a bike?
You are helping to reduce
congestion in your city and you
are saving money, but most of all,
you’re doing it because it gives
you a good feeling. And that’s
why you should dig your bike out
of the shed, or even pick up a
second-hand bike, and find out
how much a bike could bring to
your life.
It takes some planning to make
your first regular journey – finding
out the best clothes to wear, the
route to take and where to park
your bike – but once you’ve made
a few journeys, you’ll become very
attached to your bike. You’ll want
to use it all the time. It’s more fun
that sitting in a car or a bus, and
it’s a lot quicker than walking.
Visit our website
www.betterbybike.info
to keep up to date
with the latest cycling city
developments. It also offers useful
help and advice.
Image courtesy of Bristol City Council
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 834
Peak Oil
Imagine Bristol without OilA new report by the Bristol
Partnership has recently been
published looking at how to
prepare Bristol for a future less
reliant on oil.
The Peak Oil report describes how
today’s economy and lifestyles are
based on the use of energy and
products that rely heavily on oil
for their production. Almost
every part of our life is connected
with oil in some way: energy,
heating, transport, food
production and medicine.
The global price of oil sets the
price of many other forms of
energy. Worldwide production of
oil is expected to decline in the
near future whilst demand for
energy and oil is rising, especially
from industrialising countries
like China and India. As the gap
between demand and supply
grows, prices increase. The point
where an energy source starts
to decline is called the “peak”
(hence the phrase Peak Oil).
From this point onwards, oil will
still be produced but at an ever
decreasing rate.
How will this affect Bristol?
If nothing is done, reduction in
energy supply and increasing
energy costs will make the way
we live today very difficult to
maintain. Planning and acting
now will give time to bring about
changes in our energy system,
creating opportunities to save
energy and therefore money. It
will mean reshaping our city so
jobs and services are easier to
get to without always having to
drive. It would be an opportunity
to strengthen community ties
leading to a healthier city with a
better quality of life.
How can I find out more? How can I get involved?
A formal consultation is due to
be launched on the Ask Bristol
website shortly and there will
be opportunities in the coming
months to comment on the
report and help shape the
decision and actions that need
to be taken. If you are not a web
user, but are keen to get involved
contact Mark Leach, the Bristol
City Council Green Capital
Co-ordinator, tel: 0117 922 4379.
To find out more about the
report and the significance of
Peak Oil for Bristol visit:
www.bristolgreencapital.org/
green-capital/energy/peak-oil
or visit your local library.
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 35
Volunteering Bristol
More Support for Volunteers and their Managers
Volunteering Bristol has been
awarded a grant through
Capacitybuilders to offer direct,
practical support to people who
manage volunteers. Volunteering
Bristol will be offering this
additional support particularly to
volunteer managers of small and
newly-established community
groups in Bristol. “This is a new
opportunity to give specific help
to volunteer managers and their
volunteers” says Paul Madine,
Chief Executive at Volunteering
Bristol. “We are already providing
training and support to managers
on best practice in applying
policies and procedures that help
them in their roles, but this new
programme will go beyond that
by helping organisations and
volunteers overcome some of
the barriers to them taking up
desired roles.
“This programme will be funded
until March 2011 and will allow us
to recruit a full time advisor who
will provide one-to-one advice and
guidance on identifying suitable
roles for volunteers. Volunteer
managers and their volunteers will
be able to undertake coaching
sessions to develop their skills and
thus improve their volunteering
experience, and make it easier
for organisations to recruit and
retain people from more
diverse groups.“
A particular feature of this
new programme will be to
develop guidance for volunteer
managers to use as part of the
support needs assessment of
new volunteers, helping to fill
a particular gap identified by
many volunteer managers during
the research and consultation
Volunteering Bristol undertook as
part of the planning of the project
in the summer.
Volunteering Bristol is pleased to
have been awarded this grant, as
only one of the two successful
applicants in the south west (the
other being Torridge Voluntary
Services in Devon). Following on
from the BIG Lottery funded work
the organisation gained earlier
this year, it confirms Volunteering
Bristol’s position as a leading
volunteering support organisation.
Organisations and community
groups that have or are
thinking of developing roles for
volunteers in Bristol can contact
Volunteering Bristol to talk about
their volunteering needs. It is
planned that the programme will
be operational by mid December.
In the meantime email us on
or telephone 0117 989 7733.
Volunteering Bristol’s Volunteer
Recruitment Fair held in
September was deemed a great
success by exhibitors and public
alike. More than 80 potential
volunteers visited, ensuring that
the 17 local organisations were
kept busy dealing with enquires.
Several organisations were pleased
to be able to turn those enquiries
into actual volunteer placements
while others successfully raised
awareness of their organisations
and the work they do in their
communities as well as sowing the
seeds for future volunteering.
Contact
Tel: 0117 989 7733
Email: info@bristolvolunteers.
org.uk
Address: Royal Oak House,
Royal Oak Avenue,
Bristol BS1 4GB
www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 836
Children and Young People
The Changing Face of 14-19 Education
Voscur’s October Children
and Young People’s Network
meeting welcomed Marius Frank,
Headteacher at Bedminster
Down Technology School.
Marius provided an overview
of the many changes that are
happening within 14-19 learning.
This included the fact that by
2015, every young person will
be in some form of education or
training until the age of 18.
Marius also highlighted the new
learning pathways that will be
available, such as Diplomas.
Diplomas offer a new way of
learning that is built around the
employment sector rather than
academic subjects. They promote
the development of transferable
skills and provide an opportunity
to engage 14-19 year olds in a way
that a conventional curriculum
might not. Foundation Learning is
one of the four national suites of
learning which offers personalised
programmes that engage and
motivate learners, accepting Entry
and Level 1; it also incorporates
the Key Stage 4 Engagement
Programme and Entry to
Employment.
Foundation Learning is supported
by credit based qualifications in
the new qualification and credit
framework and offers a flexible
structure so that learners can top
up their programmes.
Marius also talked about the
changes in the Learning and Skills
Council (LSC) which will be split
into three main areas:
• Young People’s Learning Agency
(16-19)
• Skills Funding Agency (19+)
• National Apprenticeship Agency
More information about the
changes can be found at:
thirdsector.lsc.gov.uk or
www.dius_gov.uk/policy/raising_
expectations.html
Further details about Voscur’s
Children and Young People’s
Network meetings can be found
at: www.voscur.org/networks/
children#net
The next Children and Young
People’s Network meeting
will be a joint meeting with
The Care Forum and Black
Development Agency on 19
January 2010.
If you have any comments or
would like further information
please contact Asma Ahmad at
Voscur on 0117 909 9949 or
email: [email protected]
Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 37
Children and Young People
1625 Independent People is LaunchedIn Bristol, 300 young people
present for homelessness advice
to the city council each year and
this is increasing. Of these, 100
are owed a duty to be housed
as homeless. In 2003/04, 16 and
17 year olds represented 2% of
those seeking help as homeless, in
2008/09 it had increased to 22%.
So what is happening to support these young vulnerable people?
1625 Independent People is
the new youth homelessness
agency covering Bristol and
South Gloucestershire. The
voluntary agency is a merger
of Priority Youth Housing and
Wayahead Housing & Support
for Young People, between
them having over 45 years
experience of supporting young
homeless people.
Both organisations have worked
in partnership with Bristol City
Council and Priority Youth Housing
with South Gloucestershire Council
in housing and supporting young
people across their areas.
The decision to merge was
prompted by the wish to:
• improve quality of services to
young people
• facilitate growth
• provide greater scope for
broadening services
• offer greater opportunity to
influence the external agenda/
environment
• avoid duplication
• improve opportunities for staff
to specialise/develop, therefore
improving staff retention
• raise the profile of the
organisation
With the support of funding to
provide a consultant from the
London Housing Foundation and
pro bono support from members
of Business in The Community,
the process was finalised on 31
August. More can be found in the
Cabinet Office of the Third Sector
publication ‘Building Stronger
Communities; Business and the
Third Sector: Innovation in tough
times’, where the merger is a
case study.
Independent People now
supports over 400 young people
at any one time and is expanding
its services to provide a peer
education service for schools and
other settings, a high support
house and an additional prison
resettlement worker.
For more information
contact Dom Wood,
Chief Executive Officer
at Independent People on
0117 317 8800
visit www.1625ip.co.uk
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Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 39
Voscur Training and Learning
Welcome to Voscur Training and Learning
VolunteersandtheLaw(Full)Tuesday1December2009,9:30am–1pm
The Federation of City Farms, The GreenHouse, Hereford Street, Bristol, BS3 4NA
This new course will be run by Voscur and
Volunteering Bristol as part of the Volunteer
Management project. This session will cover:
• The law and considerations for volunteers
• Best practice
• The difference between volunteers,
employees & workers
• Action planning for your organisation
Who’s it for? This course is for anyone who
manages volunteers and would like to know
more about legal implications.
FirstAidintheWorkplace(Full)Wednesday9December2009,9:30am–4pm
Withywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, Bristol BS13 8QA
This accredited one day course will give you all
you need to know about First Aid. It will cover
among other things:
• What is first aid and aims of first aid
• Legal requirements
• Responsibilities of the appointed person
• Primary and Secondary Assessment
• Principles of resuscitation
By the end of the course, candidates will be
able to demonstrate the essential knowledge
and skills needed when dealing with First Aid
emergencies in the workplace.
The course tutor will carry out an on-going
assessment of the practical elements of the
course. Successful students will receive a
certificate valid for a period of three years.
Who’s it for? This course is for anyone who
needs to deal with first aid in the workplace.
Howtodealwithdifficultissuesinvolunteermanagement(Full)Thursday10December2009,9:30am–1pm
The Park Centre, Daventry Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 1QD
This new course will be run by Voscur and
Volunteering Bristol as part of the Volunteer
Management project.
This session will cover:
• Defining the problem and problem solving
• Effective communication
• How to avoid problems
• Setting boundaries
• Saying goodbye and exit interviews
Who’s it for? This course is for anyone who
manages volunteers.
We are developing our Spring Training Programme which, as always, aims to support voluntary,
community and social enterprise organisations. A programme will be sent out to Members in January
2010. Visit our website www.voscur.org/learning for details. To register your interest for any of the
courses listed below which are now full, but will be repeated, please email: [email protected]
If you want to find out more about our tailor made courses please contact Sophie Bayley on 0117 909
9949 or email: [email protected]
Voscur Ltd. The CREATE Centre Smeaton Road Bristol BS1 6XN
Tel: 0117 909 9949Fax: 0117 933 0501Email: [email protected]: www.voscur.org
Company limited by Guarantee registered in England no. 3918210
Produced by circle-creative.co.uk Printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable based inks
Voscur Diary — December 2009 / January 2010
December
Tuesday 1 December Volunteers and the Law (Full)The Federation of City Farms, The GreenHouse, Hereford Street, Bristol, BS3 4NA (9:30am-1pm)
Wednesday 9 December HSE Approved Emergency First Aid At Work (EFAW) (Full) Withywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, Bristol, BS13 8QA (9:30am-4pm)
Thursday 10 December How to deal with difficult issues in volunteer management (Full) The Park Centre, Daventry Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 1QD (9:30am-1pm)
Tuesday 15 December Voscur AssemblyKnowle West Media Centre, Leinster Avenue, Knowle West, Bristol, BS4 1NL (1pm-4pm)
January
Thursday 14 January Introduction to FundraisingWithywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, Bristol, BS13 8QA (9:30am-3:30pm)
Tuesday 19 January Joint CYP Network Meeting The Vassall Centre, Gill Avenue, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 2QQ (10am-1pm)
Wednesday 20 January Voscur AssemblySouthville Centre, Beauley Road Bristol, BS3 1QG (9:30am-1pm)
Thursday 28 January Neighbourhood Partnership Residents’ ForumThe Council House, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TR (6pm-8pm)