Fuel poverty on the increase in rural areas

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Concern voiced about the growing number of rural households struggling to make ends meet because of the fuel crisis

New data released shows that 6.3 million households in England will wake up in fuel poverty at the beginning of next month, up from 4.1 million in the same period last year.

Whilst urban areas in Wolverhampton, Leeds and Birmingham top the unwelcome table of households unable to afford to heat their homes to an adequate temperature, rural areas are also being hit hard.

Our national body Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) has highlighted that parts of rural West Norfolk, North East Lincolnshire, Herefordshire and Shropshire about a third of households will experience fuel poverty, as well as in the Chancellor’s own back yard of Richmondshire, Yorkshire.

Responding to the latest revelations, Paul Dixon, Rural Evidence Manager at ACRE said, “Those on lower incomes in the countryside are some of the most vulnerable to the growing fuel crisis. Rural residents have some of the hardest to heat homes. We are particularly concerned for the one million households who depend on heating oil. Members of the ACRE Network that run community oil buying schemes report extreme volatility in the price of this commodity which is estimated to have risen threefold over the past 12 months. People are facing difficult choices between filling up their heating system with oil or putting fuel in their car to get to work. Government must recognise and address the particular vulnerabilities of people in this situation.”

Here at CCB we run our own small oil club in Berkshire, to help members come together to order oil resulting in lower pence per litre prices as well as working to reduce the number of oil tankers on the road. We were alarmed to see the huge increase that those heating their home via oil were forced to endure last month and though prices have gone down a little recently they remain at a record high with no sign of them significantly decreasing anytime soon.

Recent rices in the price of crude oil

Our Oil Club administrator from OFPS Marion said; “The price of crude oil has risen dramatically over the last month. In February it was $92 and by mid-March that had raised to $124. This has an immediate knock-on effect on what rural households have to pay for heating oil. These are difficult times and I will continue to do whatever I can for our Oil Club members.”

Elsewhere at CCB our Project Co-ordinator Helen is providing telephone support to low-income families from across the county, in both rural and urban settings. Helen has also been able to run as very well received training sessions to front-line workers that support and have relationships with these families. Through our Family Fuel & Water Poverty Project we can provide families in need of support with appropriate advice and guidance on reducing the bills and the funds and grants that are available to them.

Out national body ACRE is a member of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition which released the updated fuel poverty statistics. Simon Francis who co-ordinates the coalition said, “Many people across rural England will wake up on 1 April in fuel poverty for the first time. Rural properties have long been the forgotten victims of rising energy costs and poorly insulated properties. It has got to the stage now, that it is only by concerted effort by the Government that we will be able to see the immediate support for struggling households combined with support for energy efficiency improvements.”

BBC to award heroes who’ve made a difference where they live

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Local BBC Radio across England wants to award great neighbours, key workers, volunteers and more in Make A Difference Awards

Community heroes who make a difference where they live will be recognised in a new award scheme being run by every local BBC radio station in England.  But they need your help to identify people who should be honoured.

It’s part of the BBC’s ‘Make A Difference’ awards to recognise remarkable people; marking their achievements and contributions to lives in their communities.

‘Make A Difference’ was first set up at the start of the first pandemic lockdown and is a virtual notice board for those offering help and those needing support.  To date over 8 Million people have interacted across all 39 local BBC radio stations.

Categories cover the unsung heroes of every community from great neighbours, inspirational teachers, awesome volunteers or even outstanding key workers.

There are eight award categories (listed below), nominations are now open and will close on the 29th of April 2022 at 11:00pm.

The winners will be announced at our Make a Difference awards hosted by BBC Radio Berkshire at a ceremony in September.

Chris Burns, Head of Audio and Digital for BBC England said:  “The last two years have been challenging for everyone.  Listeners have contacted us to share the stories of how people have helped each other and we wanted to find a way of celebrating those unsung heroes and telling those amazing stories.”

For a full list of categories – and details of how to nominate someone – go to bbc.co.uk/makeadifference, where you can also see full Terms and our Privacy Notice.

Nominations are now open and will close on the 29th of April 2022 at 11:00pm.

Key Accounting and Finance Issues for Charities in West Berkshire

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Online Training Session Join us From Your Location via Zoom

Thursday 21st April 06:30pm to 07:30pm

Charity accountants face an ongoing challenge to keep aware of changes to standards and regulations and to produce compliant financial statements, independent examination and audit files efficiently. This course reflects on common accounting issues, including recent changes to the Charities Statement of recommended practice (SORP) and highlights measures charity account issue  and independent examiners can take to help ensure their work meets the required standards.

OUTCOMES:
Find out how to make sure that your charity’s money is safe, properly used and accounted for.

  1. Deal with financial problems quickly.
  2. Know your charity’s financial position.
  3. Protect your charity’s money.
  4. Keep accurate financial records.
    WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Accountants, bookkeepers and treasures that prepare charity financial statements or undertake independent examinations or charity audits.
Charity staff who have responsibility for finance and statutory reporting.
A basic understanding of charity financial statements.

TRAINERS

Our trainers are from the leading Thames Valley Accounting firm James Cowper Kreston.
Mike Farwell – Partner and head of charities and education
Nicola Arscott – Manager in charities and education team
Lucy Stokes – Manager in charities and education team

You will be sent a Zoom link after booking. Reserve your place here: https://voluntarysectortrainingalliance.org.uk/home/about/

West Berkshire’s motion to support the Ukrainian Crisis

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As families continue to escape their homes in war torn Ukraine, we continue to see the generosity of our local residents coming forward to offer support. At last night’s Council meeting (17 March 2022), West Berkshire Councillors debated a motion to decide how we in West Berkshire can take part.

We passed a motion in support of Ukrainians who are looking for a safe haven in West Berkshire. We are united in the condemnation of the armed attack on Ukraine by the Russian Federation and urge Vladimir Putin to immediately and unconditionally cease this unjust and evil war.

Our response during this difficult time will be to partake in resettling Ukrainian nationals in West Berkshire, this work is underway and will evolve as we have more details of the various schemes. In the meantime we have a dedicated Ukraine Support Hub that will provide help for those coming in to the UK and to those who will host a family under the recently announced Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Greenham Trust have set up an appeal on The Good Exchange to provide local funding to support those families arriving in West Berkshire. Greenham Trust and West Berkshire Council have committed to each contributing £25,000 in match funding, ensuring public, corporate and trust/foundation donations to this appeal are matched £1 for £1 for the first £50,000 raised. You can donate funds here: https://app.thegoodexchange.com/project/19509/greenham-trust/help-welcome-ukrainians-to-west-berkshire.

Residents can also offer financial assistance by donating to the Disasters Emergency Committee or the British Red Cross.

Cllr Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council, said: “We are proud of our history in West Berkshire of supporting people that find themselves fleeing from conflict. We know that the community will make sure visitors feel welcomed to our district and will want to support this scheme, having so generously helped nationals arriving here from Syria and Afghanistan in recent years.

Photo by Mathias P.R. Reding on Pexels.com

“We play a key role in supporting West Berkshire’s response to the crisis that is unfolding in front of our eyes by standing with the people of Ukraine and express our unwavering commitment to democracy, multilevel governance and human rights.”

Garry Poulson, Director of the Newbury based Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, said: “Volunteer Centre West Berkshire are pleased to play our part in the Ukraine Support Hub to be established.

“We are confident that many voluntary and charitable organisations will want to play their part in supporting Ukraine nationals in their hour of need.” 

Greenham Trust quote: “We believe it is very important to help families arriving from Ukraine by providing matched funding alongside West Berkshire Council to raise a fund to ensure our local charitable and voluntary organisations can support their needs.

“Yet again, in a time of need, we will be working to the best of our abilities with the Council, the Volunteer Centre and other local organisations to assist those living in our community.”

The Support Hub is open five days a week – 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday and 8:30am to 4:30pm on Fridays. To get in touch, please call us on: 01635 503579 or email us on: ukraine@westberkshire.gov.uk.

Funding Opportunities in March

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Thank you to Berkshire’s VCS’s for the information contained in this article including Wokingham & Bracknell InVOLve, Slough CVS & West Berkshire Volunteer Centre.

Social Enterprise Support Fund
This fund provides essential financial support to help social enterprises in England to rebuild and grow their income from trading, following the impact of Covid-19.
It is established in partnership by The National Lottery Community Fund and five social enterprise support agencies. You can apply for grants from £10,000 to £100,000. Most grants will be between £10,000 and £50,000. The portal will be open for applications until Thursday 24th March. You can read the application guidance and FAQs for full details, or if you have a specific query, email help@SESupportFund.org.uk.

Youth Fund For Thriving Minds
The purpose of this funding is to improve mental health support and provision for young people and youth workers. We want to ensure grantee organisations have the resources needed to properly engage with the Thriving Minds programme to implement and instigate learnings to improve their mental health provision. Eligible organisations must be UK based not-for-profit organisations with an annual income under £500,000 whose primary purpose is to benefit young people aged 8-25. Next deadline is Sunday 20th March. Click here to apply.

Asda Foundation

Grants of £500 – £1,500 available to community groups for activities which can contribute towards transforming their community and improving the lives of people in their community. There are four themes:

  • Building Resilient Communities
  • Active Lives
  • Seasonal Celebrations & Festivals
  • Leading Healthier Lives

Project activities must start or take place before 5 June 2022. Deadline for applications is 15 April 2022. Further details here.

Urban Tree Challenge Fund

Grants of £10,000 – £30,000 are available for planting trees in urban areas to help support people’s health and wellbeing, as well as wider environmental benefits.

Applications are accepted from community and volunteer groups, town councils and individuals wishing to plant trees in urban areas of England. Applicants must have full management control over the land or signed consent from those with such control.

Deadline for applications is 31 May 2022 Read more

Food for the Planet Small Grants

Grants are available to not-for-profit groups and local authorities for projects which create meaningful change to local food systems and promote climate justice in the UK. 
Application deadline: 15 April 2022 For further details please click here.

Rewilding Britain – Rewilding Innovation Fund
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Grants are available to boost locally led land and marine nature recovery projects across Britain.rough housing, inclusive mobility and building better communities. Further information here. https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/support-rewilding/the-rewilding-network/rewilding-innovation-fund

National Lottery Heritage Fund – Dynamic Collections
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Grants are available to museums, libraries and community organisations for projects which involve a wider range of people in heritage and promote public engagement with collections.

LEGO Foundation – Build a World of Play Challenge
Deadline: 7 April 2022
Grants are available to not-for-profit organisations, businesses and research institutes for innovative projects which focus on young children’s wellbeing while addressing social issues worldwide

Historic England – Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Heritage
Deadline: 23 May 2022
Grants are available to community and heritage organisations in England for projects which improve understanding and awareness of overlooked historic places and celebrate working class histories.

Sovereign Thriving Communities (with Crowdfunding)
Deadline: N/A
Grants are available for not-for-profit organisations and community groups who can raise their initial funding through a crowdfunding campaign to support projects that benefit Sovereign communities and residents.

Barclays Community Football Fund
Deadline: N/A
Grants are available to community groups in the UK to a make playing football more accessible at the grassroots level, and in particular encourage girls and young people from lower socio-economic and under-represented groups, including culturally diverse communities, young people with disabilities, and young people from the LGBTQ+ community to take part.

Sport England – Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Activity Fund
Deadline: N/A
Grants are available to local not-for-profit groups across England in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for projects which bring communities together and provide opportunities for people who may be less physically active.

KFC Foundation Community Grants Programme
Deadline: N/A
Grants are available to support grassroots organisations providing safe social spaces, mentoring, work, or social skills for young people aged 11 to 25 years old in the UK.

Morrisons Foundation
Deadline: N/A
Grants are available to registered charities for new projects which directly improve the lives of local people or communities, especially those that are vulnerable or disadvantaged, in England, Scotland or Wales.

England Woodland Creation Partnerships (WCP) Grants
Deadline: N/A
Grants, incentives and other support are available for woodland creation by farmers, landowners/managers and community groups, as part of the England Woodland Creation Partnerships.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund – Barclays 100x100UK
Covid-19 Community Relief Fund
Deadline: N/A
Funding for farming and rural communities to cope with the impact of Covid-19, to expand on new services that have emerged to support the local community during this time and to build future resilience.

Matthew Good Foundation – Grants for Good Fund
Deadline: N/A
Grants are available for local community groups, charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises in the UK for projects that have a positive impact on communities, people, or the environment.

Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
Deadline: N/A
Grants are available to smaller charitable and not-for-profit organisations in the UK to fund community and family support projects in areas of extreme urban deprivation or deprived rural areas. 

National Lottery Awards for All – England
Deadline: N/A
Grants are available for charities, voluntary groups, schools and local authorities in England to carry out projects that will improve their local community

People’s Postcode Trust

Someone’s knocking on the door….The People’s Postcode Lottery supports smaller charities and good causes (preferably under £500,000 income)  to make a difference to their community for the benefit of people and the planet.

The Trust will fund projects under themes including:

  • Improving mental wellbeing
  • Supporting marginalised groups and promoting equality
  • Improving biodiversity & green spaces
  • Enabling participation in physical activity
  • Increasing community access to outdoor space.

Rounds will open at 9am on the 1st of each month but they close very quickly. Don’t wait to get your applications submitted. Usual limit is £2,500, though CICs and Community