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.
Outline Contents
Communities
Environment
Education
Business and the Economy
VCS and Funding
Document Store
S&P Report: 2010 Editions
S&P Report: Annual Archive
local s&p report July 2010
communities
Warwickshire Third Sector Assembly
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 achieve 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.
www.warwickshireassembly.org.uk
Participation opportunity
Warwickshire organisations working on sustainability concerns should be very involved in this important initiative.
Assembly coordinator: 01827 718080.
rod@wcava.org.uk Assembly training manager: 01788
572258. aorr@wcava.org.uk
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 sustainabilitylinks.org page 18 Local S&P Initiatives for
more information about BSN and for details of funding availabilities.
024 7638 7279. bsn@warwickshire.gov.uk
Coventry Third Sector Assembly
Background details about the Assembly are included on page’s 17 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.
g 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 have been 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.
Fire Disrupts Community Venture Services
Warwick district VCS services have been badly affected by a fire at Bath Place Community Venture. Much of the work previously done there has had to be relocated to the Old Library in York Road and other centres around Leamington.
Bath Place was the venue for a twice weekly food co-op and home of Warwickshire’s British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, the district's African Caribbean Project and Mediation and Community Support services and Veggie Table café.
The building had a main hall, available for socials, exhibitions, meetings and conferences, a community room, an IT suite and a workshop for use in cookery and art sessions.
Recession Not Over
Writing in the latest WCAVA newsletter, chief executive Paul Tolley says that "as the media tries to tell us all that we are coming out of the recession, for most of us in the sector the evidence is to the contrary". He explains that VCOs are still finding the credit crunch has led to local authority staff being less able to engage with organisations, additional workloads and reduced trust funding and grant levels.
Urban Forum has published information about a dozen or so websites its members can use to beat the recession. These include:
www.navca.org/localvs/recession
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/recessionresources
Join now…
Urban Forum, 33 Corsham Street, London EC1M 6EJ. www.urbanforum.org.uk info@urbanforum.org.uk
A new Sustainable Community Strategy has been published
for Warwick district. www.warwickdc.gov.uk
The focus of a Compact workshop in Stratford was how
the third sector could support the increasing focus by SDC and WCC
on locality working, which is particularly important in rural districts.
Both councils' representatives stressed the need for increased
engagement to identify and address communities' needs.
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
Sustrans' national Connect2 won 40% of the quarter million
votes cast in the People's Millions tv show. 79 communities
around the country are benefiting from the traffic free routes programme,
which is constructing new cycle- and walk- ways for daily travel.
Join now…
Sustrans, 2 Cathedral Square, College Green, Bristol BS1 5DD. 0117 929 0888. 0845 838 0651. www.sustrans.org.uk/
There are several 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
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
Coventry Peace House is looking for volunteers to help
with cycle maintenance. Its Cycle Centre repairs and
recycles donated bikes. If you can help phone: 024 7666 4616.
Overview
Nearly 10 million euros have been secured 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
Education section
The S&P Report updates will include information about developments in education, as well as other news of particular interest to young people and other learners
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 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 opportunities 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.
Big Lottery
Fund resourcing enabled VAC to focus help on developing organisations
from within priority communities providing funding advice, capacity
building and training.
VAC supported
affiliated organisations in raising management and governance standards.
LINk enabled
people to feedback on health and social care services.
Work with voluntary
sector childcare promoted better training, support and standards
through the Children's Workforce Development Project.
Work was undertaken
to establish a TSA for Coventry.
Strategy and
business plans were developed for Coventry and Warwickshire Infrastructure
Consortium.
Between 2008 and 2011 the Esmee Fairbank Foundation is
making awards to local healthy eating initiatives. Applications
can be made at any time. www.esmeefairbankfoundation.org.uk/funding/food
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
Woodland Trust awards grants for community tree planting
initiatives: www.treeforall.org.uk
Funding tips
Show how your proposal offers definite advantage to the funder, and helps them realise their own objectives.
Make your application concise but don't assume the funder knows more about your proposal / organisation than you tell them.
Spell out how the service you offer translates into tangible, practical benefits.
Ensure that your figurework is accurate and realistic budget.
There are invariably many applications that the funder has to read through, so s/he may be looking for reasons to reject applications.
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
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
Community Spaces supports community schemes to improve
residential areas' green and open spaces: www.community-spaces.org.uk
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:
Representative Democracy?
Britain is the only European democracy that elects a government with the support of less than 40% of the population - almost two thirds of the electorate does not support the chosen MPs. With a general election due this spring, how did Coventry and Warwickshire voters fare in 2005?
2005 General Election MP Votes Electorate %
Coventry North East Bob Ainsworth 21,178 70,225 30.2
Coventry North West Geoffrey Robinson 20,942 73,180 28.6
Coventry South Jim Cunningham 18,649 68,884 31.8
North Warwickshire Mike O’ Brien 22,561 75,435 29.3
Nuneaton Bill Olner 19,945 73,440 27.2
Rugby & Kenilworth Jeremy Wright 23,447 83,303 28.1
Stratford-upon-Avon John Maples 28,652 84,581 33.9
Warwick & Leamington James Plaskitt 22,238 81,205 27.4
Please
contact us with any information or feed back:
E-mail - info@sustainabilitylinks.org.uk
Post - Sustainability LINKS, 3 Park Road, Bedworth CV12 8LH