News & Developments

Are you an East Midlands-based community or voluntary group that supports unemployed or economically inactive people?  If so, you could be eligible for a Community Grant from Futures advice, skills & employment.  

Grants of up to £15,000 could be awarded to groups who provide opportunities for people to engage in activities to learn, develop skills and confidence to help them progress into getting a job, further learning or volunteering.   

The next round of applications will be considered from 1 – 31 October. Application packs can be requested up to 4.00pm on the 31 October 2014. Completed applications must be received by 4.00pm on Monday 3 November 2014. Applications received after the deadline will not be included. To apply for a pack please send an email to comm.grant.apply@futuresadvice.co.uk 

What are the Community Grants? The East Midlands ESF Community Grants Fund 2014 – 2015 was launched on 14 February 2014. Managed by Futures Advice Skills and Employment and jointly funded by the Skills Funding Agency and the European Social Fund, grants of up to £15,000 are available to voluntary and community groups across the East Midlands.

Community Grants give voluntary and community groups an opportunity to access funding to undertake innovative activity to engage and progress unemployed or economically inactive people. Projects should provide an opportunity for people to engage in activities to learn, develop skills and confidence to help them progress towards; getting a job, further learning or volunteering.   

To give you the opportunity to find out more, there will be a series of roadshows across the East Midlands.  For Derbyshire the roadshow is at Artcore, 3 Charnwood Street, Derby DE1 2GT on  26 September 10.30am - 12:00pm. To register for an event in your area send an email to comm.grant.apply@futuresadvice.co.uk - please note that places are limited to two attendees per organisation.

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has launched their first reputational survey which is running until 30 September.  The aim of the survey ‘to gather a snapshot of the stakeholder’s thoughts, feelings and perceptions about EMAS to influence improvements”.

Whilst as a Trust they regularly gather feedback from patients about their experiences they have never asked the general public, staff, EMAS members and stakeholders their views on our service and reputation.

The responses received will create a benchmark for the Trust to use as a platform for improvements.

They would appreciate it if you could spend a few minutes of your time  filling in the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/TellEMAS .  

If anyone would like to give their feedback over the telephone please telephone 0115 884 5253 and leave a message and a member of their team will phone back.

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The courses are available to those employed or volunteering within an adult social care setting in Derbyshire, whether they are employed by Derbyshire County Council or within the Private, Voluntary and Independent Sectors (PVI).

The majority of courses are offered free of charge.

For enquiries about booking places on any of the courses please contact: Derbyshire County Council Staff Education and Training Centre, Long Close, Cemetery Lane, Ripley DE5 3HY.  01629 531492 orssdtraining@derbyshire.gov.uk

Organisations must be at least three years old, working in a health-related field in the UK, with income between £25,000 and £2 million. Up to 20 awards will be made ranging from £3,000 to £40,000 plus free training valued at up to £6,000. The closing date for applications is 19 September.

www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/gsk-impact-awards

Charities are required to pay an administrative fee per product to cover the costs of delivering the programme. Whilst the administrative fees vary, charities will still make savings of between 92-96% on typical retail prices.

www.tt-exchange.org/about_tt-exchange

They are looking to provide 15 charities with a donation of £10,000 each to fund a specific project that will make a tangible and lasting difference to their community. 

www.ybs.co.uk/legacy/index.html

There are cash prizes on offer for the winning entries in a range of categories. Entries must be submitted by 26 September.

www.syfab.org.uk/blog-post.aspx?id=986

Macmillan is encouraging schools, sports clubs and other groups to sign up and play a match in whatever sport or activity they choose, and raise money to help people affected by cancer.

To take part, download a fundraising pack at www.macmillan.org.uk/match

The Torch Trophy Trust is inviting applications from those keen to improve their skills and where their governing body is keen to help out, but can't find the funds. Grants of up to £1,000 are available, but generally do not account for more than 50% of the total costs involved.  The latest round of applications will close on September 12, 2014 at 5pm. For further details see the Torch Trophy Trust’s website www.torchtrophytrust.org/torch_trophy_trust_bursaries.php

The Daily Telegraph, in association with BT, has launched a small fund of £25,000 where it will distribute five awards of £5,000 to sports clubs in the UK. Each club must offer significant opportunities for participation in disability sport.  To nominate a club, members of the public should submit no more than 250 words on why their chosen club is a worthy recipient, and how the money would help. Further details can be found at www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/sport/disability-sports-funding/11010656/win-funding-for-sports-club.html

Sport England is soon to open the fourth round of its Improvement Fund, which will award capital grants between £150,000 and £500,000 for sustainable projects with a clear local need.  The priority for this round will be artificial grass pitch projects, with 25% cash partnership funding towards project costs needed. The checklist for the fund can be submitted from September 3 until 5pm on September 24. www.sportengland.org/funding/our-different-funds/improvement-fund/

The  Dome – now the University’s Buxton campus – was called up as a hospital to care for British, Canadian and ANZAC soldiers injured in the conflict. 

And the BBC has just completed a major film about its most famous nurse – author and feminist Vera Brittain, who trained at the Dome in 1915 when it was the Devonshire Hospital.

As part of National Disability History Month, the University’s Disability Coordinator Olivia Ramsbottom is bringing together organisations who work with disability to look at attitudes from the past and compare them to those of today.

"The centenary of the outbreak of WW1 and the Dome’s role in helping the wounded was an ideal starting point for the day,” said Olivia, who lectures in Business and Management.

Events will include a presentation on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, now recognised as a major issue among veterans, but only beginning to be understood when the Dome was treating soldiers injured at the Front.

Combat Stress, the UK charity which helps military personnel, will open the event, and one of the University’s lecturers will also talk about his work with veterans in the United States. The Grapevine Wellbeing Centre and other local organisations helping people with disabilities are also attending.

The Dome’s patients kept an autograph album during the war, detailing their names, regiments, where they were injured and when they went home. The wounded came from battles including the Somme, Loos and Gallipoli – but one gunner received his injuries in Newcastle-on-Tyne during a Zeppelin raid in 1915.  Comments in the book include a rude ditty about Kaiser Wilhelm, jokes  - and a  poem exhorting patients to "spread a little sunshine.”

Organisations with an interest in helping those with disabilities are being offered the opportunity to demonstrate what they do at the University of Derby’s Disability Month event on November 25 in the Devonshire.  The all-day features A WW1 Theme to mark the centenary of the start of the conflict and the Dome’s role as a hospital during the war. There will be speakers and entertainment, but if you would like a free stall on the Dome floor, contact organizer Olivia Ramsbottom on o.ramsbottom@derby.ac.uk