CCB would just like to say a big THANK YOU to our 40 members that joined us online on the first day of Lockdown 2 (5th Nov.) for our very first Zoom Annual General Meeting. This year was a bit different to our face-to-face event and we missed having informal chats with our members but it proved to be a very efficient way of running an AGM with voting being cast effectively using online polls. Our new Chair Sarah Morland warmly welcomed everyone and voiced her enthusiasm for Chairing the charity with her main focus being on how CCB can work more closely to engage with Berkshire communities to ensure that we are meeting their needs in this ever-changing environment.

Tim Parry, Chief Officer, presented our Annual Review and highlighted how we had adpated delivery of our projects during the pandemic. Tim said “The whole CCB Team has shown great creativity and tenacity in adapting to a new way of working during a difficult period for us all. I am very grateful for the support of staff and Trustees alike”

Our AGM was immediately followed by a free training webinar focused on supporting our members that run Village Halls on Safeguarding requirements and how to approach them in a straighforward and structured way. Our national body Action with Communities in Rural England provided some of the training material and the session was delivered by Kate Meads, Community Buildings Advisor. Kate said “I was delighted to have so many trustees join the short webinar. My key message was to ensure that everyone understands they have a part to play in Safeguarding. Safeguarding is Everyone’s Business. Safeguarding needs to be a part of the conversation and considered by the charity. Village Halls objectives are to provide facilities and activities that positively impact on local communities, so it makes perfect sense to consider the Safeguarding of Children and Adults at Risk.  I hope to provide more training in the new year to help Trustees meet their obligations in a simple, effective and understandable way”.

Delegates that attended the training session were very positive about their learning experience with one learner commenting on their feedback form; “An excellent introduction to Safeguarding for Village Hall committees. We have more or less ignored the subject in the past because, wherever you look up about it, it’s always seemed so huge and daunting, especially for a small hall with just a few volunteers running it. To understand that it’s actually going to be straightforward to do is most reassuring. We look forward to the resources you are developing that we will be able to use to create our own policy and procedure in due course. Thank you.”

This week we will are providing more help and support regarding Safeguarding in Village Halls on our social media platforms as part of ACRE’s Safeguarding Week so please do follow us to find out more Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCBerkshire and Twitter: https://twitter.com/CCBerkshire

For any village halls and community building Trustees in Wokingham please book in on our more indepth training webinar taking place on 21st January at 10.30am: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/128999634379

CCB’s national body Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is calling on England’s 10,000 village halls to make sure policies and procedures are in place to keep everyone safe.

The charity which heads up England’s largest rural grouping of community support agencies, of which CCB is Berkshire’s, will be raising an awareness of measures that can be taken by halls to protect individuals from harm as part of Safeguarding Adults Week 2020 which begins Monday 16 November.

Paul Dixon, ACRE’s Rural Evidence Manager said: “We want volunteers managing village halls to understand they have an important part to play in creating safe spaces for members of their community, especially when it comes to protecting younger or more vulnerable rural people. Over the campaign week we will be highlighting the importance of having safeguarding policies and procedures in place, how everyone has a responsibility to look out for others, and where to find help”

Safeguarding Adults Week 2020 is a national campaign run by Ann Craft Trust. ACRE’s involvement in this national campaign is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and has the aim of sharing resources and best practice amongst community groups.

A recent national survey conducted by ACRE showed that village halls are a vital asset for many rural communities.  60% of halls provide the only meeting space in the local area, whilst 80% of respondents knew someone whose lives had changed for the better as a result of joining activities at their local hall.

 Halls can continue to improve lives through adopting effective safeguarding practices and policies, to ensure that everyone is protected in rural areas.

Expert village hall advisers, employed by members of the ACRE Network will be on hand in every county to help management committees understand information about safeguarding and put in place policies and procedures suitable for use in their hall.

There are times when there is not enough local capacity to provide the support needed in an emergency. The Emergencies Partnership aims to fill that gap. The VCSEP is a partnership of local & national voluntary & community sector organisations, which include CCB.

They have launched a service to support local organisations & community groups to respond to emergencies, where needed, by matching needs with resources locally, regionally & nationally. If local councils for voluntary service, local resilience forums & local authority hubs cannot provide the support a local organisation needs, the VCSEP
can step in to facilitate provision of that support.

Learn more & get support at vcsep.org.uk.

As Covid-19 rears its ugly head once again we want to remind you that Neighbourhood Watch are here for you.
Keeping your loved ones safe
The most valuable thing we can all do is keep ourselves and our loved safe – pyshically and emotionally. We have a page on our website which signposts where you can get accurate advice and support with your emotional wellbeing.
Supporting your community
There are a variety of ways in which you can support your community depending on your individual situation.
A few ideas are:
• set up a Calling Tree (click here to find out more)
• sign up as a NHS Volunteer Responder
• join forces with a COVID-19 Mutual Aid group
• connect with your neighbours with this Calling Card
• connect with your neighbours with this Kindness Card
• If you are, or you know someone who is, facing loneliness have a look at Neighbourhood Watch’s Loneliness Toolkit.
Beware of scams and crimes
Criminals are using the Covid-19 pandemic to scam the public. To help you avoid becoming a victim, we have highlighted on our website the wide variety of Covid-19 scams and crimes which have arisen, key protection advice and
guidance on how to report these scams.
Community response stories
For further inspiration on ways in which you can support your community, have a look at NW’s Community Response Stories.
To read all of Neighbourhood Watch’s November newsletter please click here.