From 25th March Halton and St Helens VCA will be managing their work as follows:
If you need a contact for our volunteering portal and volunteering during the Covid-19 response across both Boroughs it’s Claire Redford-Kerr
If you need a contact for the Covid-19 response in St Helens it’s Annie Lawrenson alawrenson@haltonsthelensvca.org.uk
If you need a contact for the Covid-19 response in Halton it’s Matthew Roberts
You can also contact Sally Yeoman our Chief Officer for issues in both Boroughs. She will also be picking up LCR work with VS6 colleagues
For comms/website and information queries contact
Our phones will be temporarily redirected and you will be able to contact us by using our usual numbers 01744 457100 / 01928 592405
Volunteers Week 1-7 June 2020
Here at the Volunteer Centres we are preparing for a week packed with celebrations of everything that is volunteering. Some of the features we will be highlighting include:
- Interviews with some of our volunteers on their experience of volunteering through the pandemic and what it means to them.
- Interviews with some of our local authority partners to thank everyone in our community that has stepped up and supported those most vulnerable.
- Interviews with some of our members who engage volunteers in the work they do and how important it is to them and the people they support.
- A virtual Volunteers Week Quiz - with some raffle prizes and hopefully a special guest (we're working on this).
- A national "Cheers for Volunteers" campaign to say a massive thank you from the nation to every single volunteer for their help and support - not just through the pandemic. Volunteers have been engaging in many ways throughout the year supporting you as organisations too.
- We also want to know what you are doing and how we can support you in promoting the fantastic work you do with your volunteers.
Here’s What We Need You To Do:
- We want to feature you and your organisation in celebrating all that volunteers have done for you over the past year. We want to know why they mean so much to you. Click here for a document which you can download and print or replicate in your own way and write on "I love volunteers because"... If you could either get someone to take a photo or if you're happy doing a quick video of no more than say 10 seconds and email that in to our volunteer@haltonsthelensvca.org.uk email address - we will be able to pull together a short animation that we will use on our social media, website and future celebrational material. Submission of any media will be providing us with consent to use it for the purposes outlined.
- Tell us what you are doing to celebrate – do you have any case studies we can feature throughout the week alongside our current programme to say how great Halton and St Helens are in engaging volunteers to enhance your services and provide additional benefits to the people you are there to support?
- Engage in the national campaign #CheersforVolunteers – spread the word so we can make a big noise about Volunteers and the difference they make to our communities.
- If you would like us to invite a volunteer to our Volunteer Quiz and have them take part in the raffle – send us their name, postal and email address so that we can send them an invite and a raffle ticket. If you’d like to come along you can register here
https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?id=342&reset=1
- If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch. For now Thank You for putting yourself forwards in the first place, it shows the true altruism of volunteering.
COVID-19 INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE FOR VOLUNTARY GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS / NEW AND EXISTING VOLUNTEERS IN THE HALTON AND ST HELENS AREA
As we move into the next phase of the Covid 19 crisis we will be updating groups with helpful guidance to help you manage the transitions.
Given the update from the Prime Minister and the expectation about further guidance about how we transition back from the current arrangements for lockdown, we have produced a handy sheet for groups to use to start to plan what they might do next. If your organisation needs help or support with your plans please continue to let us know, click here to access the handy sheet for groups. Click here for the new Government Guidance on Staying Alert and Safe (Social distancing) and Click here to visit our webpage on recovery and resilience for useful guidance
Halton & St Helens Resilience Survey
We are really keen to hear your views on the financial impact of COVID-19. We would like you to comment on your organisation's current financial situation and what it might look like over the next 12 months. This information will support partners to understand the impact on the sector and help ensure we are able to feed into the Recovery cell conversations. This survey should take participants no longer than 15 minutes.
The survey will close on Friday 29th May 2020
Halton:
https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/community-organisation-funding-and-finance-survey-covid-19-halton
St Helens:
https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/community-organisation-funding-and-finance-survey-covid-19-st-helens
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
National Emergencies Trust (NET)
Coronavirus Community Support Fund
Smallwood Trust
Christmas Challenge 2020
St Helens Middle-Aged Men’s Health VCSE Community Of Practice (CHAMPS Public Health Collaborative).
Government funding to tackle loneliness
Sport England
Youth Endowment Fund COVID-19 Grant Round
Coalfields
UK Community Foundations
The National Lottery Community Fund
Wargrave Big Local
St Helens Middle-Aged Men’s Health VCSE Community Of Practice Funding (CHAMPS Public Health Collaborative).
Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund
Grants Online
Princes Trust Relief Fund
COVID19 Funder List - a comprehensive list of resources
LCR Cares COVID-19 Community Support Fund (Click here for video on how to apply)
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire Emergency Fund
Steve Morgan Foundation
Tesco Bags of Help
Halton Borough Council Funding Bulletins
Statement from Dawn Austwick, CEO, The National Lottery Community Fund: Our funding approach in response to COVID-19
CAF CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY FUND
COVID-19 Emergency Funding & Resource Hub for Charities & Social
We want to hear from you - Coronavirus (COVID-19): How has your group, organisation or service responded?
We are asking that if you are delivering services and interventions in direct response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic then we would welcome you to share your data on a weekly basis so we can bring it all together to demonstrate the work of the sector to our local partners and decision makers.
“Individually we are ONE DROP. Together, we are an OCEAN” This quote from the Japanese writer Ryunosuke Satoro means that individually we can solve problems or work by ourselves. As a group however, we can accomplish great things.
As an infrastructure support organisation for the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector across both Halton and St Helens we are immensely aware of how the pressure in this current situation has had an impact and how the sector is responding. This is the FIRST of two research and data gathering exercises that we want to facilitate during the current COVID-19 pandemic which will enable us to see the bigger picture of what services our incredible sector is delivering during these unprecedented times.
For organisations which choose to contribute we will also provide you each week with your own infographic which you can share with your beneficiaries, volunteers and funders. This survey is made up of tick-box questions, and the occasional free text question. The survey should take 10 minutes to complete each week.
Halton Data Collection Survey https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/halton-covid-19-data-collection
St Helens Data Collection Survey https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/st-helens-covid-19-data-collection
No information specific to your organisation will be published however the collective data will be published and shared each week through our website. If you have any questions please contact Sally Yeoman on 01744 457100 ext 4. Stay safe and thank you for all that you are doing to support our local people and communities.
To see the weekly infographics for Halton and St Helens, please click the link below:
https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/weekly-infographics-impact-halton-st-helens
What support do you need to support local people during the COVID-19 crisis in Halton and St Helens?
We are currently collecting information on emergency support required by our voluntary and community sector members, please could you visit our webform to submit your response
If you live in Halton and St Helens and need some support please click on the links below for more information
- Power in Partnership (PIP)
- Guide Dogs
- Sahir House
- Vision Support
- RASASC
- CHAPS
- Halton Libraries
- Halton Dementia Care Advisor Service
- Hope Cafe
- British Red Cross
- Stroke Association
- NIghtstop Communities Northwest
- Halton Disability Partnership
- Wellbeing Enterprises CIC
- Widnes and Runcorn Cancer Support Group
- Halton Carers Centre
- Halton Womens Centre
- Halton Table Tennis
- Citizens Advice Halton
- Age UK Mid Mersey
- Healthwatch Halton
- UC Crew
- St Helens and District Diabetes Group
- Guide Dogs
- Mamafit and Mums SOCIAL
- Footsteps St Helens
- Sahir House
- Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation
- Wellbeing Enterprises CIC
- St Helens Mind
- Citizens Advice St Helens
- Clear Futures Communities
- Age UK Mid Mersey
- Healthwatch St Helens
- NAVCA
- NCVO
- Macmillan Cancer Support
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Funder Statement from Leader and Chief Executive Halton Borough Council
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and your mental health - information on what you can do to help with your mental health
