Nexus february 2017

NEWS FROM THE HAMPSHIRE CVS NETWORK 

Action Hampshire



Nexus V O L U M E

4 ,

I S S U E

2

1 4

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 1 7

Basingstoke Voluntary Action



Communities First Wessex



Community Action Fareham



Community First New Forest



Gosport Voluntary Action



Hart Voluntary Action



Rushmoor Voluntary Services



One Community enjoys a productive partnership with Eastleigh Football Club, and recently put them in touch with Fledge, the Eastleigh based charity that nurtures vulnerable and homeless young people. A couple of weeks ago, first team players Sam Togwell, Graham Stack and Ben Strevens, took time out of their day after training and volunteered to visit Fledge House to build a much needed shed (for storage), which had been donated to them at Christmas. The players worked all afternoon in poor weather conditions, and didn't stop until it was fully assembled. They were impressed by the services being offered at Fledge House and are

One Community



Eastleigh Football Club Supporting the Community

Test Valley Community Services

Tea, Talk & Tonk in Fareham—p2 Go 4 It Funding in Fareham—p2 GVA at Gosport Employment & Skills Fair—p2

looking forward to returning to complete the bigger project of erecting a fence around the parameter to enclose the shed and provide a private patio area for the girls who live there.

One Community is working with Eastleigh Football Club to provide a programme of community projects for the players during the season.

Rotary & Business Supporting the Community in Eastleigh Local businesses came face to face with voluntary and community groups over cheese and wine at Eastleigh Museum on Wednesday 1 February. The event,

Romsey Safe Place Scheme—p3 Community First Spotlight on Social Innovation—p3 CCG Target Event for GPs and Nurses—p4 New Forest Volunteer Fair—p4

Produced by Hampshire Councils for Voluntary Service Contact Julia Allan 023 8090 2457 jallan@1community.org.uk Featured articles represent the views of the contributing CVS

organised by One Community, Rotary Club of Eastleigh, Eastleigh Borough Council and Eastleigh BID, was an open evening to explore how local businesses and the Rotary can help to support community projects to make a difference.

Suzanne Parsons from Sainsbury’s and Katie Carter from Ageas, gave a business perspective on their involvement in the community and employee volunteering, and what they get out of it as businesses – employee engagement, teamwork and a sense of identifying with their company and the pleasure of giving something back.

Speakers from Solent Youth Action, EBS Counselling Services and Solent Mind spoke about how businesses could help them through skill sharing – assistance with IT and marketing etc – or through corporate volunteering days, when a group of employees goes out for the day to paint a community hall, clear the grounds of a charity’s premises, or through passing on office supplies and furniture that is no longer needed.

There was plenty of time for networking and commitments were made on the night by businesses to support local voluntary and community groups, by taking on trusteeships, offering staff a day off to volunteer or by passing on office supplies.

Tea, Talk & ‘Tonk Group in Fareham Tea, Talk & ‘Tonk has been set up by Fareham North West Community Association to offer new active social opportunities for older people in the Fareham North West area. Community Action Fareham has been supporting the project ever since securing a Hampshire County Council grant on behalf of the Community Association.

The group brings people together within the community, encouraging the building of new friendships over a cuppa and offering gentle sporting activities such as petanque (“‘Tonk”), New Age Kurling, table top games and music.

In addition there is a full programme of informative talks planned on relevant issues, which may have direct impact on the lives of the group’s NEXUS PAGE 2

members. “Our recent speakers on ‘Hitting the Cold Spots’ and ‘How Women made the Revolution Happen’ were a big hit with our members.” Says Community Development Worker, Ludy Theresine.

Future plans include a Men’s Group, outdoor activities such as gardening and minibus trips out. Fareham Community Transport already provides accessible door to door transport for club members.

This active new group was made possible by the financial support of a Hampshire County Council Adult Services Grant of £3,500. Separately Cllr Chris Matthews has provided the Community Presentation Volunteering Award 2016 Centre withfora Eastleigh discretionary grant Youth towards equipment for making music.

Go 4 It Funding Harbourside Training at Community Action Fareham has secured funding from the European Union Social Fund (Solent Community Grant) for its Go 4 It project. The project combines targeted, needs-based training with progression through volunteering to help inactive unemployed people in Fareham and Gosport to work towards improving their confidence and employability.

“We are working closely with Department for Work and Pensions to engage with potential participants and promote the project to local unemployed people,” says Julie Fisher, Manager of Harbourside Training, “This project will help us to build on our excellent relationship with Fareham Job Centre.”

Harbourside will work closely with the Volunteer Service to guide people towards placements and gain valuable experience. Courses include: MOT and Job Plan, Finding & Getting a Job and Employability Skills, which will run from March throughout the year.

Gosport Voluntary Action Attends Gosport Employment and Skills Fair Gosport Employment and Skills Fair attracts on average 50 exhibitors and just under 700 visitors making it Gosport’s largest annual recruitment, careers and training exhibition.

Staff and Volunteers from Gosport Voluntary Action attended the event to promote volunteering opportunities in the local area, including urgent opportunities supporting some of

the most vulnerable residents.

It gave the team a chance to highlight the valuable transferrable skills, experience, knowledge, training and confidence that volunteering can bring.

During the day, information was given to 36 visitors and a further 18 registered interest in a variety of activities, from volunteer driving to befriending, which will be followed up by the team.

Terry Bishop, CEO of TVCS says, “Local businesses can sign-up to the Safe Place initiative and the sticker in their window signals to vulnerable people that they will find support and help inside.

“Staff receive basic awareness training on the scheme, the difficulties that people may experience and how they can help them.”

People who want to join or who have relatives that would benefit from the scheme, can apply to TVCS for a small credit card-sized identity card with the telephone numbers of two trusted adults, these can be relatives, friends, support workers, carers, etc.

Romsey’ Safe Place Scheme

Over 80 representatives of local charities and public bodies across East Hampshire, Havant and Winchester attended Community First’s recent Social Innovation event and Annual General Meeting. The aim of the event was to shine a spotlight on social innovation.

Community First Chief Executive, Tim Houghton, said: “We want to start a conversation with our members and explore new ways in which we can work across sectors to find solutions to some of the challenges in our communities. We need solutions that are more effective and sustainable, importantly they need to benefit the whole of society.”

Community First’s five hundred strong membership of charities and community groups plays a vital role in making a difference to people’s everyday lives, providing much needed support across health and social care. The local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector offers help to children and families in need, as well as supporting people to remain independent and active in their homes and communities.

Community First highlighted some of the projects they have been working on with partners across both health and social care to connect people who need help with local charities and community groups. One key driver of change is the

A new initiative has been launched to help vulnerable people feel more secure and free to enjoy Romsey’s town centre atmosphere.

Test Valley Community Services (TVCS) launched the Safe Place scheme last month, well ahead of Teresa May’s recent announcement about spending an additional £15m to extend the provision of alternative places of safety. The scheme has already had a warm welcome from many shops, cafés and community organisations which will display a special logo on their door or window.

The scheme was initiated by Romsey Dementia Action Group (ROMDAG) as part of the move to make Romsey a dementia-friendly community. However, it will help people who are vulnerable for all kinds of reasons as well as those with dementia. Assisting people who have become worried about going out on their own, the scheme is designed to help them regain their independence, and is of particular advantage to the frail elderly, the disabled and people with learning difficulties.

The Hampshire County Council Safe Place project will extend into Andover in the coming months. The scheme officially launched by Mayor of Romsey Cllr John Parker at a meeting for the Romsey Dementia Action Group is in partnership with Test Valley Borough Council and Simply Health.

Community First Shines a Spotlight on Social Innovation

NEXUS PAGE 3

role and place of technology in connecting communities. As part of the event, locally based British technology firm nquiringminds offered a keynote address demonstrating how they have been working with Community First and other charities and public bodies to use new technology for social benefit.

Jackie Powell, a Trustee with local charity Off The Record, which offers information, support and counselling for young people, said, “I found the event insightful, passionate and energising.

Here’s looking forward to an exciting future.”

During the event, Community First used the opportunity to launch its prospectus, a document that outlines the breadth and strength of the organisation's offer. As part of the prospectus, Community First outlines its commitment to continue to invest in adopting new technologies, providing new digital platforms to offer additional services.

South Eastern Hampshire CCG TARGET Event for GPs and Nurses Community First is working with South Eastern Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (SEH CCG) to raise awareness of the important role played by the voluntary sector in providing services which improve the health and wellbeing of local residents. It co-hosted a second TARGET Event on 26th January at the Langstone Hotel in Havant enabling GPs and practice nurses from across the SEH CCG area to meet with and find out more about services provided by the voluntary sector. More than 50 organisations attended the event, showcasing services and support through a market place and via a series of short presentations about some specific topics including domestic abuse, mental health and early years family support.

Tim Houghton, Community First Chief Executive said, “We also showcased our Surgery Signposters service managed by and delivered in partnership with Gosport Voluntary Action. This provides dedicated, trained volunteers based in NEXUS PAGE 4

GP surgeries helping patients to access additional support services and engage with local groups.

Currently up and running in Bosmere Surgery in Havant and being rolled out in Forest Surgery in Bordon, Signposters hold a wealth of information about local groups and how to access them.”

The event was also used to promote Community First’s Help and Support Directory allowing GPs, health professionals and other partners to search its database of local VCSE groups and find services which can benefit and aid the recovery and wellbeing of their patients and help them to deliver a better service. Importantly GPs also found out more about Hampshire County Council’s ‘Connect to Support’ Service helping them, patients and family access information about adult social care across the county.

“It was a great opportunity to build on the success of the first TARGET event dedicated to promoting the voluntary sector,” said Dr Barbara Rushton, Chair of SEH CCG. “I know many of my colleagues on the day said how useful they have found the opportunity to meet a wide range of voluntary and community groups and to gain an understanding of the different types of support available locally.”

New Forest Volunteer Fair 2017 With over 40 organisations having a stand, the National Park Authority’s Volunteer Fair provides a great way to learn about opportunities locally. The event grows in popularity each year and this year attracted 712 potential volunteers. Over 80 people stopped by the Community First New Forest stand to find out about volunteering opportunities ranging from befriending to conservation and much more besides, but with the variety of opportunities the Volunteer Bureau has available there is something for everyone.

Lorraine Lambert, Community First New Forest’s Volunteer Co-Ordinator, presented a talk “Driving you wild - Volunteering on wheels!” and handed out information on local driving opportunities.