20 August 2020 Thurrock CVS Weekly Briefing

In this Issue

TCVS WEEKLY NEWS

VSDF Funding Open

Micro-Enterprises

Latest Funding News

Forum Update – Bulphan

Carers Resources

Piecing Thurrock Back

Together

Thurrock Neighbourhood

watch

Support for Sports

organisations

Volunteering during

pregnancy, birth and

beyond

St Lukes Shop Closure

VSDF Fund Open

Thurrock CVS VSDF small grants, administered on behalf of Thurrock Council has opened. Funds of up to £4000 can be

applied for before the closing date of 27 September.

Full details, application form and guidance can be found on www.thurrockcvs.org/vsdf-

support-grants

If you need more than the current grant is offering, please contact Thurrock CVS who can help with signposting and supporting

alternative funds.

Other open funds can be found on the Funding Table on Thurrock CVS

More Funding

Micro Enterprises

Micro-Enterprises are small services run by 1-8 people that can deliver local services to local people. They can:

• Provide personal, flexible and

responsive support and care

• Give local people more choice and

control over the support they receive

• Offer an alternative to more

traditional services.

The August Micro Enterprise booklet can be found www.strongertogetherthurrock.org.uk as well as details of how to set one up.

20 August 2020 Thurrock CVS Weekly Briefing

Funding

Forum Update

Because of the current restrictions, we missed 2 Open Meetings and also had to close our Community

Cafe, which has been sorely missed.

However, on the positive side a couple of weeks ahead of the Thurrock Coronavirus Community Action,

we set up our own Viral Kindness initiative.

We recruited enough volunteers to cover every house in the village. They delivered an average of 30

cards each to designated homes. The cards had the volunteer’s name, contact details and details of

what support they could offer. On the reverse were various helpful ‘phone numbers and local services,

and contact numbers for myself and the other coordinator. The volunteers were given guidelines, to

protect themselves and the residents they are helping, and they have been delivering shopping,

prescriptions and medication and providing a friendly ‘phone call.

Although the events planned for VE75 which involved people gathering together had to be cancelled,

Piper Jo played the designated tunes at 3pm and Steve Benn proclaimed the Cry for Peace at 3pm and

at 6.55pm. Many villagers turned up and spaced themselves to view these historic moments safely.

On the Thurrock CVS website we have added a resource of local funding that is available in Thurrock. We are constantly adding to it showing useful details like when the funding opens and more importantly when it closes. There are also helpful links to the funding page. Please check in with it often. For any help with your funding bids, please contact Vanessa.bennett@thurrockcvs.org who is here to support groups whether for funding or any other reason. In the meantime here is recent funding launches:

VSDF Fund - This small grants programme will provide successful applicants with funding up to the value of £4,000 to help those organisations that are able to sustain, refocus and / or expand their organisation to support local residents affected by the coronavirus. Small or local charities are invited to apply to receive a grant of £250 to £4,000 for specific coronavirus relief projects. (www.thurrockcvs.org/vsdf-support-grants)

Culture Recovery Fund - You can apply for this fund if you are a cultural organisation (both profit and not for profit) based in England who is at imminent risk of failure. (www.artscouncil.org.uk/CRFgrants)

BHC Foundation – Helping individuals and small community groups or small charities. Helping to improve people’s mobility, independence and quality of life.(www.bhcfoundation.org.uk)

The Allen Lane Foundation – Funding small registered charities, voluntary groups, and charitable organisations (www.allenlane.org.uk)

Community Environmental Development Trust – benefits local people by supporting them to improve the environment of the borough. (www.Thurrock.gov.uk/cedf)

Janet McCheyne – Bulphan

Village Community Forum

Luckily, Bulphan Church’s bell rope can be accessed from ground level, so Iris was able to Ring for Peace at 7pm. Finally, Hollie-Blue gave a

beautiful rendition of “We’ll meet again” Many residents decorated their houses and front gardens and enjoyed an afternoon tea in front of

their own homes.

We have applied for a grant to fund a commemorative plaque for the Spitfire pilot shot down over Bulphan and hope to hold a ceremony in

September.

Our Bulphan in Bloom sub-committee has also been busy: although during the lockdown obviously all normal clear ups were suspended, our

volunteers continued to mow the grass in the churchyard, weed, water and deadhead the flowers in our tubs; they repainted the wooden tubs

and stripped and repainted the three pieces of farm equipment around the village. This job had been on the “to do” list for several years!

In mid-March, I had the honour of taking part in the opening ceremony for the new village shop which we built onto the village hall: the shop is

a great success, couldn’t have come at a better time, is very well used, well stocked and convenient.

Our next event is to commemorate VJ75: we will again have bagpipes, church bells ringing, village crier declaiming and, subject to

permission from the council, a socially-distanced picnic in the park.

Forum UpdateForum Update

20 August 2020 Thurrock CVS Weekly Briefing

Funding

Forum Update

Action for Family Carers has released a helpful resource with both informal and local authority

support for carers in Essex.

Included in the resource are support for dementia, online support with meditation and relaxation and

outdoor walking sessions.

The full resource can be found here Action for Family Carers

More information and support for Carers www.affc.org.uk

Support for Carers – Action for Family Carers

Forum UpdatePiecing Thurrock Back Together

The first entries for Piecing Thurrock Back Together have been received by the OurRoad team.

Communities still have until the end of August to continue swapping, trading and building their

collections of 25 cards to make the Thurrock map.

Piecing Thurrock Back Together is a borough wide activity to launch the OurRoad initiative which aims

to promote more community connections and rebuild neighbourhood support post Covid-19 lockdown.

Postcards can be picked up from various sites across Thurrock as well as entering daily giveaways on

the OurRoad Facebook.

For more information about OurRoad, how you can get involved and what its all about, go to

www.ourroad.uk

Forum UpdateThurrock Neighbourhood Watch

Forum UpdateSupport for Carers – Action for family Carers

Would you like to share your opinion and discuss how we can make

safer communities against vehicle crime?

Join Thurrock Neighbourhood Watch Vehicle Crime Prevention

Awareness Camp

Saturday 22nd August 2020

10:30am-12:30pm

Belhouse Ave & Meadow Dr Aveley RM15 4TS Crossroads.

For more information contact:

📞 Roger Passfield 07538195221 or 📞 Srikanth Panjala

07878044041

20 August 2020 Thurrock CVS Weekly Briefing

Funding

Forum Update

Would you like support and advice to help your organisation survive the current climate?

Or, perhaps, are looking to develop your organisation so it continues to thrive in the future?

If so then Sported (www.sported.org.uk) may well be able to support you.

Book a place on the online session which will be held 24th September 2020 1pm-2pm

The session will be led by Rob Danson Sported Regional Manager and will focus on;

The free services that Sported can offer and how to become member

Funding Opportunities for grassroots organisations who deliver sport and physical activity to young people

from disadvantaged backgrounds

This session has been arranged in partnership with Sported, Southend CVS and Thurrock CVS

To book a place email Vanessa.bennett@thurrockcvs.org.uk

Support for Carers – Action for Family Carers

Parents 1st are holding a 2 day virtual event to hear how

quality peer support, starting in pregnancy, makes a real

difference to parents, babies, families and communities.

With lots of speakers, a Q&A discussion and exceptional

networking opportunities. You can book for just one day or

both. Book through Eventbrite for this event on 13 and 15

October.

Book your place here

Forum UpdateVolunteering in pregnancy, birth and beyond

Forum UpdateSt Luke’s shop closure

Forum UpdateHelp for Organisations that deliver physical activity to

young people

St. Luke’s Hospice in Basildon has announced hat its Basildon Marketplace shop

will be closing on Saturday 15 August 2020. The shop first opened its doors to

customers over 20 years ago, and has been a staple in the community ever since.

Dave Emery, Head of Retail at St. Luke’s Hospice, said: “It’s very sad that we have

to close down this shop. The Market Square parade is due for demolition as part of

Basildon Council’s town centre regeneration plans. The shop would have been

closed towards the end of this year regardless, therefore we have closed it slightly

earlier than anticipated. Added factors have been the Covid-19 reopening

measures, equating to a drop in sales, but also, at the same time, we have been

able to keep a valued colleague employed. “We would also like to say a huge thank

you to our volunteers of this shop throughout the years. Hopefully, when the

redevelopment is finished and we have a secured a new unit, we would love to

welcome the team back! “

View the full article here