Support grant opportunity to provide VCSE infrastructure support across North Yorkshire

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North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and Humber and North Yorkshire NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) is seeking a supplier, or a consortium of suppliers, through a competitive grant process, to deliver capacity building (infrastructure) and support to North Yorkshire’s Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.

The grant recipient would provide support which includes the provision of funding advice; training for staff, volunteers and trustees; support for new groups in setting up; voice and representation; and networking activities among many others. This helps to ensure we have a robust, effective and quality VCSE sector across North Yorkshire.

Please note: This opportunity is to provide VCSE infrastructure support across North Yorkshire, not including York, which is delivered by York CVS.
The grant start date will be 1 April 2025 and the grant recipient will be expected to meet the following criteria:

  • The supplier (or lead supplier) must be a not-for-profit organisation
  • Must be able to deliver support to VCSE organisations across the full North Yorkshire Council boundary.

The current agreement for the provision of this infrastructure support service will finish on 31 March 2025. Therefore, this is prior notice that a competitive grant process will be run to identify a provider for this service. The new agreement will start on 1 April 2025 and will be in place for three years with the option to extend for an additional 2 years (maximum 5 years). The opportunity is expected to be published in late-September/early-October 2024.

Attend the information webinar on 5 September to find out more

The commissioning team will be holding a webinar to provide some additional information about this service and how to submit a response. The purpose of this webinar is to provide organisations, that are interested in delivering infrastructure support, information about the requirements of the grant with some hints and tips on how to submit a response to the competitive grant process. The details of the webinar are as follows:

Date: Thursday 5 September 2024
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Where: Microsoft Teams

If you are interested in attending the webinar, you’ll need to register on the YORtender portal and search for Quote/Tender 88523 – Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector Infrastructure Support Grant – Market Engagement Webinar.

There will be a registration form within the ‘Documents’ area of YORtender, please complete the form and return through YORtender no later than 3pm on Wednesday 4 September. Dial in details for the Webinar on Microsoft Teams will be sent out via email when registration closes. Please note, attendance at the webinar will be capped at 2 people per organisation.

Additional information

The webinar is an engagement exercise; any subsequent opportunity will be advertised separately and all organisations wanting to participate will need to respond as and when it is published.

The grant opportunity and all associated documents will be published on YORtender. You can use the following link to register: Supplier registration (eu-supply.com). If you require any assistance with registering/returning a submission, please contact Mercell via email on
uksupport@eu-supply.com or 0800 840 2050 (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm).

Would you like to become a governor?

NHS Humber Teaching Foundation Trust is looking for new Governers to join their council board. Read the Trust’s helpful guide, outlining what it means to become a Foundation Trust Governor.

Join the Head of Corporate Affairs, Stella Jackson, for a presentation on what the role of Governor entails – these will take place via Microsoft Teams on:

  • Tuesday 24 September – 12.30-1.30pm
  • Wednesday 30 September – 6-7pm

Contact Katie Colrein via email at katie.colrein@nhs.net or telephone 01482 389132 to book a place.

Also, click here to view the promotional flyer, and alternatively, if you were interested in becoming a member of the Trust, download this form to start the process.

How can affordable housing help you?

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Living in rural North Yorkshire is an aspiration for many, but the reality often falls short due to the lack of available affordable homes.

Many people who grew up in rural areas are likely to want to remain in their home village, especially if their family and close friends are there too.

We’re working with North Yorkshire Council Rural Housing Enablers to explore what housing people need.

Chat to Rural Housing Enablers about your housing needs if you live in parts of Ryedale

  • Do you live in or have a family member who have previously lived in one of the following parishes – Claxton, Sand Hutton, Gate or Upper Helmsley, Warthill, Buttercrambe with Bossall?
  • Are you in Housing Need?
  • Are you having difficulty in finding a home to rent ahead of buying an affordable home?
  • Are you an Employer having problems recruiting or retaining staff?
  • Is there a lack of affordable houses (to buy or rent) in the parish/es where you live?
  • Have you had to move away due to the lack of affordable housing?
  • Do you own a small piece of land, that could be considered for an affordable housing development?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, please pop along to Claxton & Sand Hutton Village Hall on Thursday 26 September between 3 – 7pm for an informal chat with one of the Council’s Rural Housing Enablers.

For more information email affordablehousing@northyorks.gov.uk

More funding to help promote digital inclusivity across North Yorkshire

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Charities and community groups in North Yorkshire have another opportunity to apply for funding to help deliver digital inclusion projects across the county.

Working alongside North Yorkshire Council and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Community First Yorkshire, an infrastructure support charity, has opened a second application window for its Digital Inclusion Programme.

Increasing digital support in North Yorkshire

The aim of the programme is to increase digital support in North Yorkshire, through new digital inclusion projects and offers. The programme looks to support charities and community organisations to develop sustainable digital hubs and upskill volunteers and employees to become digital champions.

So far, funding has been used to support a range of different approaches from sessions in libraries or community venues and visiting people at home who have difficulty travelling to mobile classroom facilities that can take a service out to more rural areas.

Flexible support can be provided through one-to-one or group sessions either in-person or online. Often the new digital support is provided as a bolt-on to other services already being providing in the community.

More than 20 imaginative applications so far

“Since being launched earlier this year, this project has already attracted more than 20 imaginative and creative applications from organisations across North Yorkshire. It’s exciting to be offering a second opportunity for others to take part,” said Community First Yorkshire Chief Executive, Jane Colthup. 

“With so many services now available online, this drive to improve digital inclusivity across North Yorkshire is especially important to help our local communities thrive. We’re looking forward to seeing another good round of applications.”

Apply by 26 July

Funding is limited so applicants are encouraged to submit their applications by 26 July 2024.

More information can be found here.

 

If you are looking for funding for your VCSE organisation, our new Community First Yorkshire Funding Portal offers an innovative online platform that could transform the way you search for and find the funding you need. Find out more.

Being Young in North Yorkshire survey

Being Young In North Yorkshire

Being Young in North Yorkshire 2021-2024 is the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership Strategy for children and young people living in North Yorkshire, with a vision that “all children and young people are safe, happy, healthy and able to achieve in North Yorkshire”.

As they move as a partnership to develop a new Being Young in North Yorkshire Strategy from 2025, they would like to take the opportunity to consult with partners on the impact of the current strategy, shine a light on areas of achievement and good practice in line with our four key themes, and identify areas of focus and priority.

The Early Help Strategy

The Early Help Strategy outlines what Early Help looks like and how the approach works across North Yorkshire. The strategy is due for review and it is vital to consult with partners on their views of the Early Help, remembering that The Early Help System is not a single service. It is a network of services, processes and interactions that aim to help children, young people and families at the earliest opportunity. Improving this system requires clarity of what success looks like, shared across a range of partners, and informed by the voices of managers, practitioners and families.

Virtual Sessions

The partnership have arranged a series of online consultation events as an opportunity for you to share your views and help them shape the future development of these strategies. Three virtual sessions have been arranged and if you are interested in being involved, please email them at nyscp@northyorks.gov.uk confirming which session you would like to attend and they will send you the meeting link.

Tuesday 2nd July 2024, 9:30 – 11:00
Thursday 4th July 2024, 16:30 – 18:00
Wednesday 10th July 2024, 12:00 – 13:30

No rural community left behind

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Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is urging politicians of all persuasions not to forget the needs and circumstances of people living and working in the countryside in the run up to the general election.

The charity claims that for too long, governments have overlooked the challenges that rural residents face, including diminishing public services, inadequate infrastructure, and housing which has become increasingly unaffordable resulting in hidden poverty and ageing communities.

Politically, the issues facing rural communities clearly matter – from recent shock by elections in North Shropshire, Tiverton and Honiton, Somerton and Frome and Mid-Bedfordshire, to Dorset Council changing control in May. A further 50+ rural parliamentary constituencies are also predicted to change hands at the general election based on current polling data.

Jeremy Leggett, ACRE’s Policy Adviser said, “9.7 million people live in the English countryside, equivalent to the population of London. But more often than not, they don’t get the same attention from the government as their counterparts in the city. And people are starting to recognise this – whether it be disgruntled farmers protesting for the first time about cheap imports, young families given notice to leave their rental property to make way for another Airbnb letting, local businesses flooded again in Worcestershire, or pensioners unable to make their way to hospital because there’s no local clinics or public transport.

“We believe lots can be done to close this gap, from creating a new statutory advisory body charged with requiring government departments to appraise the impact of policies on rural dwellers, to funding much more community-led housing, and supporting villages to develop plans so they can become more resilient to climate change.”

ACRE has set out a suite of policy recommendations for the next government which it is sending to prospective parliamentary candidates via its 38 member organisations, of which Community First Yorkshire is one, which work in support of rural community initiatives in every county of England. It is hoped the publication this will trigger a debate about what it means and takes to represent rural communities in 2024.

James Blake, Chair of ACRE said, “We know from our experience of managing recent grant funds for village halls that even a modest amount of government investment targeted at rural communities can spur on some impressive initiatives that respond to local needs. So, we hope the next government will recognise the value of proactively rural proofing policy so that even more opportunities are afforded to the people who live and work there, whether that be investing in services, infrastructure and affordable housing, or backing projects that contribute to Net Zero. We stand ready to help those in Westminster to ensure that no rural community is left behind.”

Download ACRE’s ‘No Community Left Behind‘ report.

Notes to editors

Press contact: Phillip Vincent, 01285 425645, p.vincent@acre.org.uk

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is a charity speaking up for and supporting rural communities. It is the national body of the ACRE Network, England’s largest rural grouping of charities which facilitate a wide range of community-led initiatives that encourage a culture of volunteering and mutual aid, reduce social isolation and loneliness, increase the supply of affordable housing, boost the local economy, and reduce impact on the environment.

My Vote My Voice

The Members of Parliament that represent North Yorkshire will be chosen by you in the election on Thursday 4 July 2024.

In North Yorkshire there are seven parliamentary constituencies that North Yorkshire Council is responsible for.

  • Harrogate and Knaresborough.
  • Richmond and Northallerton.
  • Scarborough and Whitby.
  • Selby.
  • Skipton and Ripon.
  • Thirsk and Malton.
  • Wetherby and Easingwold.

To see the list of candidates standing in the election in your area visit www.northyorks.gov.uk/election2024.

You can cast your vote however it suits you – in person, by post or by proxy, which is when you identify someone to vote on your behalf.

If you are voting in person you will need to bring a Photo ID to your polling station. You can make sure you have an accepted form of identification here, www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-council/elections-and-voting/how-vote

If you don’t have an accepted form of identification, you can apply for free voter ID by 5pm on Wednesday 26 June. Apply for free voter ID here: www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate.

You can vote from home if you can’t or don’t want to go to your polling station on election day. Registering to vote by post is easy – you’ll simply need to prove your identity. Apply for a new postal vote or cancel an existing one, before the deadline of 5pm on Tuesday Wednesday 19 June at www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-council/elections-and-voting/apply-postal-vote.

You can apply for a trusted friend or family member to cast your vote by proxy at your polling station at www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-council/elections-and-voting/apply-proxy-vote.

Apply for a proxy vote for this election before the deadline of 5pm on Wednesday 26 June.

To find out where your polling station is, enter your postcode here: www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-council/elections-and-voting/how-vote.

You can also call 0300 131 2 131 (please say ‘Election’ when prompted) to request information about how to vote.

Sign up to Community First Yorkshire Funding Portal today!

The team at Community First Yorkshire knows how the right funding can help organisations and communities to thrive. Often, they hear how challenging finding that funding can be.

To help organisations easily find the funding they need, Community First Yorkshire has launched a new funding portal. The Open4Community site is free to all VCSE organisations across North, West and South Yorkshire. Sign up to search for local and national funds, save reports and set up alerts. There is also useful information about Community First Yorkshire’s bespoke advice service, training and much more.

Use this funding portal to: 

  1. Browse the wide range of grants available to North Yorkshire VCSE organisations
  2. Get regular email updates and funding alerts
  3. Access funding training and connect with others
  4. Work with the VCSE Support team to submit successful applications
  5. Share your funding successes to inspire others

Sign up here for FREE today.

The Voluntary Sector Manifesto

The AEVCO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) and NCVO  (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations) has launched The Voluntary Sector Manifesto, which presents a range of ways the next government can work with charities to make a positive difference.

Click here to read the manifesto in full.

Developments in Safeguarding Masterclass Webinars

To celebrate Volunteers week which takes place 1-7th June every year, NYSCP are proud to welcome partners from the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. The masterclass will highlight the important role that volunteers and those who work in the VSE community hold in the partnership and in the safeguarding of young people across North Yorkshire. The session will also be the launch of a new and exciting campaign; highlighting key safeguarding messages for those in the VCSE community and beyond.

The NYSCP Developments in Safeguarding Masterclass is a monthly free lunchtime webinar which features the latest information on best practice, changes to legislation and guidance as well as local, regional and national learning. Each month will feature different subject and delegates will hear from multi-agency partners dedicated to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

Attendees will learn more about safeguarding in the VCSE community and the delivery of key safeguarding messages.

Audience: Anyone working / volunteering with children young people and their families across North Yorkshire with the view to help you keep up to date with current developments surrounding safeguarding children.

Cost: Free

Date / Time: 5 June 2024 – 12:00 to 13:00

Book here.