Page Aim
An area’s different information streams scatter news about various sustainability and community work concerns. The S&P Report takes an overview of a locality’s activities, drawing upon the news covered in a range of sources, while highlighting the importance of democratic participation in rising to the major challenges facing us all.
Page Contents
Communities
Environment
Education
Business and the Economy
VCS and Funding
Page Updates
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Local S&P Report
Spring 2010
Communities
Warwickshire Third Sector Assembly
Connect. Warwickshire CAVA, summer 2009. www.warwickshireassembly.org.uk
Warwickshire Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly was initiated during 2008. A briefing day was held that November, from which a task and finish group was made responsible for working on Assembly terms of reference. By summer 2009 Warwickshire VCSA was being developed in a way that would best achieve the Assembly's agreed aims, ie to:
Provide an arena for information sharing, discussion and action.
Support the county's VCOs and strengthen its third sector.
Provide an effective voice for Warwickshire's VCS.
Facilitate strategic influence for two way engagement with local
statutory organisations
Establish a formal constituency for third sector representatives
involved in decision and provision making processes.
Warwickshire VCSA has stated how it is to achive this by "creating an arena that can:
Build sector capacity through sharing experience, skills and
information.
Build links and alliances between organisations.
Have real influence at all levels of planning and policy decisions.
Advocate on its own behalf and on behalf of its users.
Enable effective consultation.
Act as a supportive structure - you are no longer a lone voice.
Provide a source of information for the sector.
Improve the support and democratic accountability of current
network reps."
An event on 22 September 2009 introduced Voluntary Sector representatives to the Assembly. It was attended by those representatives from Warwickshire VCOs who are already involved with the districts' LSPs or LAAs. The agenda included a presentation on how the Assembly would be helping VCOs link into both decision making processes and sector accountability.
This will of course give greater legitimacy to the role and input of all VCS representatives.
Participation opportunity
Warwickshire organisations working on sustainability concerns should be very involved in this important initiative. For further information contact:
- Assembly coordinator, 01827 718080. rod@wcava.org.uk
- Assembly training manager, 01788 572258. aorr@wcava.org.uk
Coventry Third Sector Assembly
Background details about the Assembly are included on Local Participation Opportunities.
There are 11 members of the inaugural steering group. These are: Brinder Seni (Stoke Community Culture Group), Christine McNaught (Foleshill Women's Training), Sarah Learmonth (Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre), Gary Bye (Lifepath Trust), Michael Vincent (West Midlands Transport), Saleem Sheikh (CEMAP), Sue Bent (Coventry Law Centre), Charlie Gibbons (CAB): the Chair is Stephen Banbury (VAC).
The first steering group meeting was in February. Since then the TSA has been continuing to collect opinions on key issues, expanding its presence on vacoventry.org and developing a peer mentoring scheme to support third sector workers who would like to have more influence at any meetings they attend.
Building Sustainable Neighbourhoods works with communities
living in areas of deprivation within Nuneaton and Bedworth. Funding
and other resources are offered to aid catchment initiatives. See
the Local S&P Initiatives page for more information about BSN
and for details of funding availabilities - 024 7638 7279 bsn@warwickshire.gov.uk
Coventry Partnership has published a pocket sized introduction
to the city's Compact. It includes sections on the benefits,
and positive practical outcomes, of Compact working and on working
with the LSP. For a free copy of the mini guide send an sae
to Sustainability Links: to see the complete document go to www.coventrypartnership.com
Present in the county's five districts, Warwickshire's
Compact Champions are currently implementing Compact action plans.
The work is being led by the Third Sector Strategy Group where
third sector and council representatives meet to determine policy.
Environment
Coventry has been ranked 17/20 in a Forum for the Future
sustainability survey of the largest UK cities. Nationwide,
the survey assessed cities' sustainability using three broad measures
- environmental performance, quality of life and 'future proofing',
ie progress in adapting to long term needs. Each of these
measures was made up of more specific considerations. For
example, Coventry was placed 12th in the environmental impact section
(which looked at such things as air / water quality and waste) and
scored only two points for its green spaces. The city's highest
ranking was 3rd in the food category - the number of allotments
was found to be particularly high, with one plot per 100 people.
Warwickshire Country Access Team has posted rural public
footpath information on the County Council website. While
the 'Right to Roam' has had a great impact elsewhere, the absence
of 'Open Access' land here means the legislation affects less than
1% of Warwickshire countryside. Here walkers must remain on
designated public rights of way without straying on to adjoining
land. The term 'Open Access' land refers to mountains, hills,
moors, heaths, downland and registered common land. www.warwickshire.gov.uk/countryside
A Green Infrastructure Strategy has set out a route linking
Nuneaton's Weddington walk to Leicestershire's greenways. From
Weddington the path would follow the Ashby Canal, passing through
Hinckley then on to Market Bosworth. This would open up the disused
railway line from Nuneaton to Shenton and give walker access to
popular tourist attractions Shenton Station and Bosworth Battlefield
centre.
A new walk and cycle way has been developed to link Coventry
and Kenilworth. The walk incorporates Berkeswell Greenway,
Warwick University and Kenilworth common and has necessitated the
construction of a new bridge across A429 Coventry Road. www.connect2kenilworth.org.uk
Connect2
Sustrans' national Connect2 won 40% of the quarter million votes cast in the People's Millions tv show. 79 communities around the country are benefitting from the traffic free routes programme, which is constructing new cycle- and walk- ways for daily travel.
There are a number of Bus and Boots walks for the car-free
in Warwickshire. The Compton Verney to Charlecote Park route
passes through Combrook, Walton and Wellesbourne taking the walker
through woodland and past Walton Hall. www.warwickshire.gov.uk/countryside
At its meeting on 09 December 2009, NBBC Cabinet decided to
reject a proposal to sign up to the 10:10 scheme, which had been
requested by Keith Kondaker of Nuneaton and District FOE and recommended
by the Environment Scrutiny Panel. The Cabinet considered
it more appropriate to focus on existing work with the Energy Savings
Trust.
Warwickshire Enviro Arts Vision for Education brings
together business and education, waste and creativity. The
resource centre takes surplus clean and safe waste materials from
businesses, offering them for use in schools and other community
organisations. WEAVE, which is supported by Warwickshire County
Council, can arrange collection of bulk items. 01926 746898.
www.weaverecycle.co.uk
Why's home composting important...
...don't items break down in landfill just the same? No. Composting needs air. In landful compostible materials are squashed beneath other rubbish, and without air their decomposition produces methane, a stronger greenhouse gas than CO2.
Save Energy with CO2ventry
Coventry City Council has produced a CO2ventry leaflet explaining the different ways in which it can help residents save energy:
Warm Front grants.
How to get free home insulation.
Advice on energy efficiency.
Low Carbon Buildings grants.
The Low Carbon Buildings grant enables householders to claim money for domestic microgeneration using solar hot water / photovoltaic panels, a ground or air source heat pump or a wind turbine.
- 024 7683 2628. www.coventry.gov/climatechange/microgeneration
Overview
Nearly 10 million euros have been sucured to upgrade the rail
network between the west coast mainline and Felixstowe port. The
project is being funded by the Trans-European Transport Network,
an organisation focusing on missing transport links and rail bottlenecks
between EU member states. The work,which will ease congestion
on the A14, is expected to be finished by December 2011.
Education
The quarterly S&P Report updates will include information about developments in education, as well as other news of particular interest to young people.
Educating for a Sustainable Future is a strategy produced
by the County Council's Eco-Schools programme. It identifies
several targets to make all Warwickshire schools sustainable by
2020. Sydenham Primary School in Leamington Spa is piloting
the Sustainable Schools programme which includes the need to identify
a sustainability champion and to work with the local community.
Eco-Schools also offers sustainability training to school
heads and governors. www.warwickshire.gov.uk/esd www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust organises Really Wild Workshops
for children from 4, and a monthly Saturday morning Nuts About Nature
club. Any attendances can count towards Kid's College or Children's
University certificates. For information about Really Wild
call 024 7630 8977; for Nuts call 0121 704 0768.
vinvolved's Youth Action Team has been involved in the
Coventry's Orchard Nursery and WWT work parties. Weekly volunteering
drop-in sessions are held at 26 City Arcade in the city centre.
See Local What's On.
Greenprints is a scheme funded by v to establish projects
helping young people become involved in local environmental work.
www.sitatrust.co.uk/greenprints
The Woodland Trust offers free tree packs to schools.
www.treeforall.org.uk
VCOs & Funding
Coventry VAC Annual Report
Coventry VAC's annual report is published for the year up to 31 March 2010. This will be reviewed here shortly. In the meantime a look back at last year's shows how the LIO had been working up to help TSOs in the city and beyond up to 2009.
L2D worked to develop the capacity of the Coventry Partnership
to record the VCS contribution to the SCS and LAA.
Change Up Volunteering supported volunteering to enable vulnerable
volunteers to access placements.
Change Up ICT was a multi-agency pilot project addressing VCS
computing needs.
VInvolved developed youth volunteering in Coventry.
Coventry Ethnic Minorities Action Partnership addressed ethnic
minority issues.
Health Improvement Project provided partnership working oppportunities
within the VCS and public sector on health and social care concerns.
Local Enterprise Growth Initiative encouraged enterprise within
the city's areas of deprivation.
Coventry CEN represented the city's community groups at LSP level.
Funding
Grants of up to £200 have been made available to
home owners who may be at risk from flooding. 0845 051 1170.
jo@wcava.org.uk
Green Grants Machine are the UK's most comprehensive
source of information on awards and loans to help businesses save
energy. Their free directory brings together information on
over £1,000,000,000 of resourcing. Registration is free.
www.greengrantsmachine.co.uk
The Sigrid Rausing Trust makes grants to charities working
on rights issues including those relating to environmental justice.
Applications can be made at any time of the year. 020
7908 9870. www.sigrid-rousing-trust.org
Community Spaces supports community schemes to improve
residential areas' green and open spaces: www.community-spaces.org.uk
Woodland Trust awards grants for community tree planting
initiatives: www.treeforall.org.uk
During 2009 Warwickshire CAVA introduced a free service
in conjunction with Funding4Community. This helps VCOs find
appropriate sources of funding as well as providing resource news
updates. www.wcava.org.uk/funding
Charities are eligible for low carbon grants to cover
50% of the installation costs of solar thermal, biomass, or heat
pump systems. www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk
Schools, charities and other community groups can apply
for funding to support local projects which save energy, conserve
nature, support local culture and heritage or encourage grow your
own. See the B&Q One Planet website.
Moral dilemma
A problem faced by many environmental organisations, that's perhaps not so problematic for other VCOs, is the sustainability of those businesses offering resources.
From time to time B&Q may well be selling different products that are at odds with sustainable trading. For example, during the summer of 2008 the store was selling compost containing peat as well as energy wasting patio heaters.
Friends of the Earth has produced Corporate Funding Guidelines for the benefit of environmental campaigners: this can be seen at: www.foe.org.uk/community/local_groups/resource/policies.html
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