So it’s goodbye from me!

After three years, I will be leaving Inclusion Barnet on Friday 18th August. I have enjoyed working with so many brilliant people here at Inclusion Barnet, the wider Barnet Together team, the Council and of course our fabulous VCFSEs, all working to make Barnet a better place to live, work and study. I wish you all the best!

As for my future, I’m off to join the fundraising team at Chichester Cathedral. Having spent my first 30 years living in the East Finchley area, I’ve enjoyed visiting (if most often virtually) places and spaces that impacted me then, and now I’ll be working with an organisation that plays a central part in the area I now live. 

We're currently recruiting for new Community Organisation Support team members. If you know of anyone suitable please share the job specs with them, there are a couple of other roles here at Inclusion Barnet too... Current vacancies at Inclusion Barnet.

A quick reminder… It would be super-helpful for the new team members if you can have signed up to the newly-launched Inclusion Barnet Community Organisation Support Membership by the time they start, as this will be their primary way of finding out which organisations are currently in need of support!

All the best

- Ellen

Deadline Approaching: Lloyds Bank Foundation d/Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations Funding

This programme is for small and local charities with an income between £25,000 to £500,000 which are led by and working with d/Deaf and Disabled people who are experiencing poverty.

Organisations can apply for a three year unrestricted grant of £75,000.

Deadline: 5pm, Thursday 31st August 2023

Information about this Lloyds Bank Foundation funding, eligibility and how to apply can be found here.

The Garfield Weston Foundation Grants

The Garfield Weston Foundation supports a wide range of charities that make a positive difference, working in different sectors in the UK. These include welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage and faith. Grants range from £1,000 to several million pounds, depending on each charity’s size and scope of work. Grants can be for your organisation’s running costs, for a specific activity or for capital projects. 

Deadline: Rolling

For more information on eligibility and how to apply for a Garfield Weston Foundation Grant click here.

London Catalyst Grants

Grants from London Catalyst range from £1,000 to £5,000. Priority is given to new initiatives and service developments targeted at people disadvantaged as a result of long-term ill-health, disability and poverty. These grants are normally awarded to organisations with an income <£500k.

Deadline: Rolling

For more information on London Catalyst eligibility and how to apply click here.

The Thomas Wall Trust - Grants for Registered Charities 

The Thomas Wall Trust funds UK charities that have been registered with the Charity Commission for at least 3 years.

Grants are available for up to £5,000 for projects or running costs for a charity that equips disadvantaged people (aged 18 and over) with the necessary communication skills ready for employment.

Deadline: Rolling

Information about The Thomas Wall Trust, including how to apply can be found here.

Barnet Upshot Project

Upshot helps organisations, who make a difference, become more insight-led. Using a MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) approach, they provide an easy-to-use online system for funders and delivers of all sizes to monitor, evaluate and learn from their data.

Barnet Together, with funding from the council, are excited to be able to offer eligible members the opportunity to use the Upshot platform for FREE for one year and at a reduced cost of £200 + VAT for the second year (following that, members will be offered a further one year at a discounted rate, before transferring to a full price Upshot membership in year 4).

Sign up to one of our Introduction Sessions to discover the benefits of Upshot.

'Understand Your Charity's Audience... Better' Online Workshop

Your charity wants more support, right? But to engage new people effectively, you need to understand your charity's audience better.

This workshop from Third Sector Network will approach the subject of understanding your audience better from two sides. First, by looking at why it's so important to analyse and understand your audience profile effectively. The data and information you already have access to could be the key to future success! Second, you'll explore effective, practical, easy to understand and low cost (mostly free) methods to engage your audience.

Tickets from £11.55.

Reserve your place on the 'Understand Your Charity's Audience... Better' workshop here

Thursday 24th August, 10:00am - 11:30am, Online

'What is a Trustee and how do I become one with Leon Ward' Webinar

Join this FREE webinar from Getting on Board and the Charity Commission for England and Wales to find out about becoming a charity trustee. This one hour session is a great introduction to the world of Trusteeship and will cover:

• What Trustees are
• What they do
• How you can become one

This webinar runs monthly for an hour, from 6 - 7pm. Upcoming dates are as follows:

• Monday 4th September
• Wednesday 4th October
• Wednesday 6th December

Sign up to this free webinar here

Healthy Homes Team Summer Road Show

Do you, or those you are working with, have any housing-related issues such as damp or mould?  Come and speak to Barnet Homes and Opendoor Homes healthy homes team  and they will get you the help you need! Do bring photos so they can address the issues as quickly as possible. Visit the roadshow on the following dates and times:

Saturday 2 September
South Friern Library, Colney Hatch Lane, N10 1HD
Saturday 9 September
East Finchley Library, 226 High Road, N2 9BB

All from 10am - 2pm. No need to book. For more information, email getinvolved@barnethomes.org or get.involved@opendoorhomes.org

Barnet launches bid for London Borough of Culture 2027

Barnet Council love to hear from residents and community groups about what you'd like to see as part of the Borough of Culture celebrations. Your ideas and input will be a key part of the Borough of Culture 2027 bid and help shape the council’s Culture Strategy.

If the bid is successful, the council would receive £1.35m in funding from the Greater London Authority - a sum which would be 30% matched by the council and through potential partnerships and sponsorship – to deliver a year-long programme of exciting cultural activities and events in the borough.

Engagement period ends 29 September

#OurBarnetCanvas

Share your ideas for Borough of Culture 2027

Find out more about Barnet's Borough of Culture 2027 bid and Culture Strategy

Access to Work launches a new Service: Access to Work Plus 

Access to Work have launched new support to provide extra help to disabled people with higher access needs, in addition to the existing Access to Work service.

The scheme can provide additional funding for support - including adjustment to buildings or workplaces, or changes to job roles - for those who need more support than the existing Access to Work scheme would fund.

 Access to Work Plus will not affect eligibility for other Access to Work support, a single grant award will be made covering all the funding.

You can find more information and how to apply here 

College Supports Local Community With Free Courses

Barnet and Southgate College are offering some free part-time courses to people on a low income, those who receive state benefits or who are unemployed.

Find out more about these free courses here.

Looking to host a stall at a local community event? 

Barnet Council are still seeking stallholders Pride in the Park LGBTQ+ Event on the 20th August.

If your organisation or community group would like to take part and host a stall at this event please email  Jennifer.Powell@Barnet.gov.uk to book. 

Need a space to hold your workshop or meeting?

At Inclusion Barnet, we run two libraries in Barnet that have meeting rooms available for hire. 

With discounted rates for community groups, and potential to welcome up to 30 people, the spaces are flexible to suit your needs. 

Read more about hiring a library meeting room

Cost of Living Crisis

We now have a dedicated Cost of Living Crisis page on our website where we're compiling both local and national information, resources and guidance linked to the Cost of Living Crisis, and the impact on Voluntary Sector organisations. 

Do let us know if you have any activities and support that needs to be added.

Sign up to Barnet Together Alliance partners' Newsletters...

• Food Banks/Food Poverty support, email Barnet Food Hub.
• Children, Young People and Families (for Young Barnet Foundation members only)
• Local Environmental news & initiatives, sign up here.
• For Volunteer recruitment/ management support, sign-up. 
• Barnet Council's Together newsletter for the VCFSE, email.
• Barent Council's Barnet First eNewsletter for residents, sign up.

Sign up to Barnet’s voluntary sector Manifesto

Barnet Together is calling for community, voluntary, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) 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. 

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