News & Developments

It is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the Living Wage and  the Living Wage Employer Mark. The week sees accredited Living Wage Employers across the country celebrate their commitment to the Living Wage.

The Living Wage Foundation holds events, organises media activities and shares new research about the impact of low pay.

Information about the announcement and calculation of the Living Wage rate can be found here www.livingwage.org.uk/calculation

www.saferderbyshire.gov.uk

The new service has been made largely possible by a gift that a High Peak resident left in their will and is intended to support people who are at the end of life, and their families, across the High Peak.

Janet Dunphy, Hospice Director comments:  "Research shows that around 79% of people would prefer to die at home, yet currently around 50% die in hospital, 23% in care homes, 5% in a hospice and only 21% in the place of their choice, which is at home.  Our Hospice at Home service will support people to die at home, if that is their preference, or at least to stay at home for as long as possible.  We have thought carefully and analysed the needs of the High Peak community and decided that this is a wonderful way to work with our community- for our community.  With the support of our Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers, we feel that now is the time to expand and make our vision of reaching out to those who need us a reality.  Our well established, much needed services will continue and we hope the family who donated this money will be proud of the difference it makes to people in the last year of their lives.

The Hospice will begin their recruitment process for a Hospice at Home Team Leader within the next few weeks and anticipate that by Spring 2016, they will have a team of highly qualified and experienced bank staff who can be called upon to provide specialist palliative care and support when people need it most.

Speaking on behalf of the Trustees of Blythe House Hospice, Chairman, Tim Mourne concluded: "Whether we're supporting people to live well or providing bereavement support, specialist groups and clinics, or out in the community with Hospice at Home, we will be giving every patient individual care and support that is dependent on their needs and wishes.  Our expert care is available to all patients free of charge and we rely predominantly on people’s generosity to help us raise vital funds to provide such compassionate and specialist palliative care.  We are hugely grateful to the person who left us the legacy to enable the new Hospice at Home service and we are proud to be in a position to turn their generosity in to a new lasting gift for our community.”

Blythe House Hospice are also seeking volunteers who can enable the charity to "deliver the highest possible levels of care”, as they look for new trustees to help steer the hospice forward.

Tim Mourne added : "This is a particularly exciting time for volunteers with experience in the business, retail or clinical sectors to come on board, as we continue to see increasing demand for our services across the High Peak and expand with our new Hospice at Home service.

The role of steering a charitable organisation like Blythe House is stimulating and challenging, and we welcome applications from anyone in the local community who believe they can help us in our mission to deliver the highest possible levels of care to those who rely on our services.”

Local people who believe they have the experience and drive to become a trustee of the Hospice are encouraged to contact Anne Hibbs by calling 01298 816998 or by emailing anne.hibbs@blythehouse.co.uk

It provides general operating support grants to organisations working at the local, regional and national levels to enable women and girls to reach their potential and live free of discrimination and violence.

Women-led organisations that are working to advance the human rights of women and girls outside the United States are now invited to apply for funding. Closing date for applications is 31 January 2016.

For more information see www.fundingcentral.org.uk/newsview.aspx?RF=NEWS&WCU=DSCODE%3dOTSSCMLIVE%2cNEWSITEMID%3d248-N55956 and www.globalfundforwomen.org/information-for-applicants

The Prince's Countryside Fund has been established to support the sustainability and protection of farms and rural communities throughout the UK. The aim of the funding is to have a long-term positive impact on rural communities, helping those that live and work there sustain the countryside by tackling key rural issues.

Grants of up to £50,000 are available to not-for-profit organisations, charities, social enterprises, Community Interest Companies, Companies Limited by Guarantee, and Unincorporated Associations.

Closing date for applications is 8 October 2015

For more information see www.fundingcentral.org.uk/newsview.aspx?RF=NEWS&WCU=DSCODE%3dOTSSCMLIVE%2cNEWSITEMID%3d248-N56000

They give grants for work with children and young people of 18 years and under, experiencing disadvantage through: Illness, distress, abuse or neglect; Any kind of disability; Behavioural or psychological difficulties; Living in poverty or situations of deprivation. They fund organisations working to combat this disadvantage and to make a real difference to children and young people's lives. They are looking for projects where a relatively small amount of money can make a big difference for children and young people. Deadline 1 December for a decision in early March.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4fJVTzz5QmQx5rx0S4NVg0Q/small-grants 

Not-for-profit organisations such as community groups, parish councils, charities, community interest companies, sports clubs, community associations, local authorities and voluntary organisations can apply for funding of up to £50,000 for projects that create or improve physical access to a natural outdoor space. A natural outdoor space might be a nature reserve, wildlife area within a public park, an urban pocket park, a wildflower meadow, woodland, pond, lake or a stretch of river. Projects must result in an increase in the number of people who visit the outdoor space to experience and enjoy wildlife. To be eligible for Accessing Nature funding the project site must be in England and must be located within 10 miles of a licensed landfill site (either active or historic). Most of England is within 10 miles of a licensed landfill site. This can be any landfill site, not just one owned by SITA UK. 

The closing date for applications is 5pm on the 28 September 2015.

www.sitatrust.org.uk/accessing-nature 

 Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and there is no specific grant amount that can be applied for but applicants must demonstrate how the project will deliver public benefit, who in the community will specifically benefit and how it will bring about positive change. Applicants must also have financial information dating back to 2012 and have raised some of the funding elsewhere. The Foundation has already given out a number of grants, including one in the region of £20,000 to a project in Scotland that works on youth employment in the fishing industry, yet to be formally launched, and £5,000 for a project run by Bolton Dementia Support.

Applications can be submitted at any time.

More at: www.morrisonsfoundation.com

The fund will pay for core operating costs to help grow an organisation’s impact. Examples of things you might put the money towards include:

• part-fund the salary of a key individual, whether the Chief Executive or a post such as a Head of Operations/Finance
• additional fundraising or income generation capacity
• upgrading IT systems or website to reach young people online
• installing a new database to capture data on the organisation’s impact
• staff training or development
• running costs such as utilities and other bills
• policy work

More information: www.phf.org.uk/funds/youth-fund/#what-you-can-apply-for

The funding can be for capital costs such as equipment or revenue costs such as to pay for the costs of a part-time sessional worker. 

To apply, just visit any Santander branch and complete a nomination form. The completed form should be dropped into the box provided in your local branch.

There are no closing dates and entries will be regularly considered by a panel of staff drawn from across the region. Successful charities will be notified within 2 months of submitting their nomination. 

Read more at: www.santanderfoundation.org.uk/community-plus.aspx