Welcome to the Barnet Together newsletter featuring news, grants, training opportunities...

This week is #LoveParksWeek so do take the opportunity to get out and about in one of Barnet's many green spaces.  I often find that taking myself out of the work space, which for many may also still be our home, is re-energising and brings about flashes of inspiration for the perfect way to talk about a project or our work. And with the many funding, networking and partnership opportunities available you may find that fresh approach a real boost.  
 
Ellen Cheshire, Voluntary and Community Sector Support Lead ellen@inclusionbarnet.org.uk 

Warburtons Families Matter Community Grants (for charities) 

Grants of up to £400 are available for charitable projects and activities that are of real direct benefit to families and will have a tangible social impact on people’s lives.  Projects will work towards one of the following:

• Health - supporting families to care for each other and lead healthier lives
• Improving physical health; Improving wellbeing
• Place - supporting families to flourish in communities that are safer, greener, and more inclusive
• Making spaces safe and inclusive
• Connecting communities with the environment
• Skills - supporting families to gain useful skills for life and work
• Developing useful life skills; Developing useful skills for employment.

Deadline: Monday 9 August

The Rank Foundation - Pebble Grants (for charities and churches)

Pebbles is The Rank Foundation's small funding stream for UK registered charities and recognised churches (with an income of less than £500k) which are raising money for projects where the total cost is less than £150,000; and a 1/3rd has already been raised.

This money can be spent on short breaks (such as an annual respite break or holiday for disadvantaged young people), equipment (such as white goods), or capital costs (building work or refurbishment). 

Pebble grant applications are processed on a rolling basis. It can take up to 3 months for a decision and payment to be made. Grants are awarded on a discretionary basis; the Rank Foundation’s contribution ranges from £250 up to and including £4,000, depending on the total cost of the project.

The Peter Cruddas Foundation (for charities only)

The Foundation gives support to projects designed to help disadvantaged and disengaged young people in the age range of 16 to 30, to pursue pathways to Education, Training and Employment with the ultimate aim of helping them to become financially independent.  Its three funding priorities are:

1. Pathways/support for young disadvantaged or disengaged people in the age range 16 to 30 into education, training or employment
2. Work experience/skills projects for young people aged 16 to 30
3. Youth work in London particularly evening work for disadvantaged young people aged 16 to 30

Funding from £500 -  £25k, most approx £5k.

Deadline: Wednesday 1 September

The Pollination Project  (for entirely volunteer run projects and groups)

The Pollination Project seeks to unleash goodness and expand compassion all over the world. To that end, through their pioneering Daily Grant programme, they make micro grants 365 days a year to grassroots global change agents who seek to spread compassion in their communities and in the world for the benefit of all.

Every day, The Pollination Project selects a new project that will receive $1,000 in seed funding. 

Ongoing deadline

Community Play Challenge
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS!

Play is critical for children’s well-being and skills development and everyone can play a role in building more playful and inclusive communities. The Community Play Challenge aims to mobilise community led action across the three London Boroughs of Barnet, Lambeth and Redbridge. Supported by the Real Play Coalition, local community groups can apply to start one of 6 established and impactful ideas to build more playful and inclusive communities and to create more playful experiences for children this summer.

Teams will receive the resources, seed funding and support needed to start one of these projects in their local community. Each team that joins the challenge will have 30 days to build their team and come up with their action plan to be eligible for seed funding.

Barnet Together Newsletters & Networking Groups 

In addition to this fortnightly
e-newsletter with general news, fundraising and events, we also have one dedicated to Environmental activities, networking and fundraising opportunities. You can check out back issues of both e-newsletters and sign up here.

The Environmental e-newsletter is linked to the Barnet VCS Environmental Network, one of four networking groups that Barnet Together host. The other three being: Grassroots Get-Together, Adult Services Liaison Group and the MASH-VCS Safeguarding Lead Forum. Find out more here. 

If you have any news to share with the Barnet Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector, do get in touch with Ellen.

Finchley Central Town Centre - Your Views Needed

Previous consultation work concluded that Finchley Central lacked an obvious ‘centre’ that can support local civic life. The Town Centre Strategy, adopted in 2017, identified an opportunity for Finchley Square within the public realm outside Tesco. This could span both sides of the road, where the existing public realm is wider and could host a range of activities. The council has now started delivery of this project by appointing a multi-disciplinary design and engagement team lead by award-winning Kinnear Landscape Architects to work with the community to develop the programme and design for Finchley Square. 

READ MORE ABOUT THE TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENT

TAKE PART IN THE SURVEY

Get your charity on the radio

Charitable Radio carry #GoodNewsNews every weekday on the half hour. They would like to invite you to submit your #GoodNewNews to us to go on air, free of charge. The  charity should email: goodnews@charitable.radio or go to their Contact Us page and submit Good News there.

They need to receive the following information in this format :

Charity Name:
Charity Number:
Charity Full Address:
Your Name:
Your Email Address:
Your Telephone Number:
Twitter handle:
Facebook handle:
Instagram handle:
LinkedIn handle:

Then strictly 75 words written about your charity  in the third person as if being read on air by a presenter. 

Join the Inclusion Barnet team: we're recruiting a full-time
Peer Welfare Benefits Advisor

Are you a welfare benefits advisor with at least one year’s experience?  Do you have lived experience of disability, which could include mental health issues or a long term condition?  

We are looking for an enthusiastic peer welfare benefits advisor to join our busy but friendly and supportive Touchpoint Team.  Touchpoint is a holistic support service for disabled people – we include deafness, physical or sensory disability, mental health issues, learning difficulty and long-term health conditions. We work with people who feel support from other organisations does not meet their needs.  The goal of our service is not to solve all of the issues that people are facing ourselves, but to work with them to overcome life’s challenges together, and linking in with other activities or services that are best placed to help. The goal of our services is to support people to hold those relationships confidently themselves by supporting them in overcoming disabled barriers.

£28,500 per year.

Contract, Until 31st March 2022, extendable for a further two years subject to confirmation of funding

Closing date: 09 August 2021, but apply now as we’ll be scheduling interviews as the applications come in.

The Poetry Project is looking for Barnet People & Places to work with

James McInerney from the The Poetry Project  is looking for Barnet residents, businesses, shops, voluntary and community organisations to work with on a poetry in the community project. Check out his guest blog at Barnet Together for more info & photos. 

Sign up to Barnet’s voluntary sector Manifesto

Barnet Together is calling for community, voluntary and faith groups as well as statutory organisations and businesses operating in the borough of Barnet, to sign up to the Barnet Voluntary Sector Manifesto.

The aim of the Manifesto is to create better understanding and deeper cross-sector collaboration between organisations working within Barnet. By signing up to the Manifesto, groups and service providers agree to adhere to the values within the document. 

If you are a representative of a group, service provider or business based in or serving Barnet, then you can sign up to the Barnet Voluntary Manifesto.

#WorkingTogether
#StrongerTogether
#BarnetTogether

Communities Together Network 

For more information about local events, national campaigns and updates from Barnet Council, drop Danusia an email and ask to be added to the Communities Together Network bulletin.
Danusia.Brzezicka@Barnet.gov.uk