New classes from Circle of Resilience

It’s been an interesting year for ThreeLeaves so far, running their Circle Of Resilience programme. Previously they were only running 4 classes a week as part of the Wellbeing element of the programme, they are now delighted to inform you that they have up to 7 classes a week running alongside their monthly workshops.

There is more too which you can find out about below.

Their new weekly schedule now looks like this…

Tuesdays

Mindfulness 2.30 – 3.15pm in Cleveleys and 7.15 – 8pm in Blackpool

Learn to focus your mind into the present moment and calm you anxious mind.

Qigong 3.15 – 4pm in Cleveleys and 8 – 8.45pm in Blackpool

A gentle and easy exercise to clear your mind and gently work out any physical tension and stress

Tai Chi 4 – 4.45pm in Cleveleys and 8.45 – 9.30pm in Blackpool

A little more intensive and focused than Qigong, Tai Chi takes developing focus, fitness and discipline to the next level

Saturdays

Live Happy Classes 12.30 – 2pm in Cleveleys only

Their Live Happy classes come in a series of 4, all with the purpose of helping you to find all the tools you need to live happier and give depression and low moods the boot. With these classes it doesn’t matter when you join you will never miss out.

For more information please visit their website

Nominate your local hero today

Do you know a community group that deserves special recognition for making your local area a better place to live? If so, then we would like you to nominate them to receive a Groundwork Community Award! 

There are fantastic examples of community groups who work selflessly and tirelessly to improve their neighbourhoods.  Thanks to their efforts our parks and open spaces are better looked after, libraries and heritage centres are being kept open, food banks and furniture projects continue to help people meet their basic needs and communities are blazing a trail in recycling and renewable energy.

We think it’s time that their commitment was recognised.

The Groundwork Community Awards will honour those small groups making a big difference to the quality of life in their local area.  We want to celebrate and reward groups who often get little recognition and support.  We also want to spotlight the power of doing good together so that we can inspire others to organise and get active in their own communities.

Our awards are simple to enter – you can highlight your own achievements or nominate a group you know to receive an award in one of 10 categories reflecting the huge diversity of projects and services being delivered by community volunteers.

The deadline for nominations is 25 August.

Shortlisted community groups will be honoured at our prestigious national awards ceremony in central London on the evening of 2 November and their stories will be widely promoted so that others can learn from their success.

Nominate your heroes now.

Funding to Help Disadvantaged Young People

Charities working with disadvantaged young people aged 13 or below can apply for funding of up to £5,000 from the Toy Trust.

Founded by the British Toy and Hobby Association, the Toy Trust- the industry’s charity- exists to raise money predominantly from the toy industry, its suppliers and friends; and distribute the money raised to charities helping disadvantaged and disabled children within the UK and abroad.

Funding is available towards projects that:

• Help disadvantaged children and their families to alleviate suffering
• Support children through awful experiences
• Encourage achievement through adversity
• Purchase vital equipment; provide care
• Bolster existing initiatives; initiate brand new projects
• Satisfy basic needs.

To be eligible the charity accounts must have unrestricted net assets of not more than £200,000 or of less than one year’s income.

Applications can be submitted at any time. http://www.btha.co.uk/toy-trust/

Bring Joy Foundation

The Bring Joy Foundation will make donations to not-for-profit groups, organisations and charities that can demonstrate their commitment to creating activities designed to improve the lives of the elderly.

What we fund

Events, activities or pastimes that bring the joy and fun back into ageing. This is open to groups or organisations across the UK that work with the elderly.

You must also be able to prove that you are a not-for-profit organisation.

http://www.bringjoyfoundation.org/apply/

Better Communities Fund

The Better Communities Fund is being run by GLL a charitable social enterprise that manages leisure centres, libraries and other community services.

The fund supports projects that help to get communities active and aims to help everyone to enjoy sport and physical activities, and to ensure that children and young people experience the benefits of a healthy lifestyle that participating in sport and physical activity can support.

Any non-profit local community group, charity or social enterprise in an area where GLL operates can use Crowdfunding website “Spacehive” to crowdfund for projects that encourage people to be more active. The fund provides up to £2,500 of matched funding that is pledged directly to a project on Spacehive.

A total of £40,000 is available and applications can be submitted at any time.

https://www.spacehive.com/Profile/Better/funds/BetterCommunitiesFund

Barbara Ward Children’s Charity Funding

Charities and organisations helping children who are disadvantaged in some respect can apply for grants from the Barbara Ward Children’s Charity.

Causes that have previously received funding include:

• Educational projects
• Holidays
• Care and respite
• Health and well-being
• Sport
• Play
• Leisure.

Grants may also be awarded to charities supporting adults with learning difficulties. Recent awards have ranged from £1,350 to £21,000 and have been used to support both one-off donations and project-related grants for 2-5 years.

Applications are accepted and assessed on a rolling basis.

http://www.bwcf.org.uk/

Community Development Lead

Children and Young People’s Community Development Lead, Lancashire Mind

Job Description

Hours: full-time, 35 hours per week
Starting salary: £25,694
Location: Chorley, with extensive travel across Lancashire

Do you feel passionately about enabling young people to build resilience enabling them flourish and succeed in life?

The Wellbeing Challenge has been funded by The Big Lottery to work with 500 children across 50 schools in Lancashire over three years. The Wellbeing Challenge will empower children with skills to support the wellbeing of their peers, resulting in resilient schools and reductions in the number of children that go on to develop mental health conditions.

We are looking for an optimistic, motivated and innovative individual to develop and implement the Wellbeing Challenge. You will lead a partnership, working effectively with a range of stakeholders to mobilise 50 sustainable peer led initiatives. You will also create a flexible accredited membership model to develop the business opportunities for the Wellbeing Challenge and Lancashire Mind.

You will passionately believe in mental wellbeing for all and have experience of leading and implementing sustainable community solutions.

Lancashire Mind is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community, particularly candidates with a lived experience of mental health conditions who fulfil all the criteria within the person specification.

The deadline for applications is 10am on Monday 3rd July 2017.
Interviews will take place on 14th July in Chorley.

The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

How to apply:

Download the attached recruitment pack for further details about Lancashire Mind and the Community Development Lead post, including the job description and person specification. Applications must be submitted using a Lancashire Mind job application form, which can be requested by emailing [email protected] We do not, under any circumstances accept CVs. The deadline for applications is 10am on Monday 3rd July 2017. Interviews will take place on 14th July in Chorley. Late applications will not be accepted.

Documents to download

Lancashire Mind Recruitment Pack (.pdf)DOWNLOAD

A history of the volunteer: how active citizenship became the big society

David Brindle examines the evolution, from medieval volunteer hospitals to ‘professional’ volunteer support, forever at the mercy of political rebranding.

One of the biggest surprises of the general election, apart from its result, was the return of our old friend “big society”. Far from letting go of an idea that didn’t so much fail to take off as crash and burn on the runway, David Cameron clambered back into the cockpit for another spin.

There was even a section of the Conservative manifesto entitled “Helping you build the big society”. This was, it said, “a vision of a more engaged nation, one in which we take more responsibility for ourselves and our neighbours; communities working together, not depending on remote and impersonal bureaucracies”. Realising that vision would require “a national cultural change, saying to everyone in Britain: ask what you can do for your community and your country”.

Passing over the sub-John F Kennedy rhetoric, the clear and defiant message from team Cameron was that big-society thinking – indeed, even the original brand, widely mocked as it was first time round – would be integral to the programme of a Tory government. An assertion affirmed in the Queen’s Speech, which proposed paid volunteering leave for workers in the public sector and large businesses.

Yet we should not be surprised. For the past half-century or more, UK governments of all political shades have sought to annexe the enormous power of volunteering for a variety of ends – not always successfully.

 

Read more

Deborah Terras is Second in the World!

Its official Deborah Terras is second in the World Biathle rankings in her age group. By Linda Markey

Deborah Director of URPotential is a constant inspiration to all who know her. She has supported the URPotential team and volunteers to get active. Involving us in This Girl Can campaign, delivering football coaching course that lead to volunteering or jobs and getting young people into crown green bowling. Supporting Park runs in Lytham & Blackpool. It is also a family affair with her husband and children excelling in sports.

She has utilised her sporting prowess to raise funds for local charities such as Leg it for Freddie completing as many mini triathlons as she could in 2 hours at Fleetwood baths to raise money for our ‘Leg It for Freddie’ campaign! on 16th September 2016. She was supported in this event by April Pollitt URPotential’s youth worker.

We at URPotential are incredibly proud of her and her dedication to sport and supporting others.

Pictured: Deborah Terras & husband Tony Terras representing Great Britain at the Biathle World championships in Sarasota Florida on Sunday 23rd October 2016

Recognition for Blackpool War Memorial

A Blackpool memorial has had its historical importance upgraded.

The war memorial at the cenotaph on Princess Parade is now classed by Historic England as a Grade II* listed structure.

The upgrade comes following a review from Historic England around the importance of all war memorials around the country, in the run up to the centenary of the end of World War I in 2018.

Following its re-classification, the war memorial is one of only five Grade II* listed buildings in the town, joining the Grand Theatre, Sacred Heart Church, Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and the Winter Gardens. The Blackpool Tower is a Grade I listed building.

There are estimated to be around 70,000 war memorials in the UK but at the beginning of the project there were only 12 listed at Grade I, 61 listed at Grade II* and around 2000 Grade II.  Historic England aims to double the number of listed war memorials before the Centenary of Armistice Day in 2018.

Being upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* demonstrates how architecturally important Blackpool’s war memorial is, and how it fits within the context of a huge network of memorials across the country.  In a report to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport five main reasons are explained for the memorial’s upgrade:

  • Sculptural interest: for the high-quality bronze sculptural plaques by Gilbert Ledward, a leading sculptor and President of the Royal Society of British Sculptors, illustrating the role of women both on the Home Front and in uniform, plus the rare depiction of a fallen German soldier;
  • Rarity: as a rare example of the depiction of women on a war memorial, including a wife and child left behind by enlisting men, a nurse, a grieving widow and a small girl, and an extremely rare depiction of a fallen German combatant;
  • Architectural interest: as a finely constructed and imposing white granite obelisk 30m tall, with well-crafted relief sculpture to the base of the obelisk and plinth;
  • Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the twentieth century;
  • Group value: with the Grade II listed North Pier and the Grade II Clifton Hotel.

Originally unveiled in 1923, the war memorial underwent a major restoration in 2007/8 when the stonework and bronzes were cleaned and the new memorial to civilian casualties to conflict; ‘The Choir Loft’ by Artist Ruth Barker was added.  The new memorial was unveiled by the Duchess of Cornwall who attended the re-dedication service on the 27th June 2008.

Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said “This is a fantastic recognition of all the work put in by the Council in partnership with the Fylde Ex-Service Liaison Committee over the last ten years.

“This town is synonymous with the Armed Forces and we are again looking forward to celebrating them during Armed Forces Week, which begins on Monday.

“We’re thrilled to have the upgrade to II* but we shouldn’t forget that this doesn’t change what’s really important about our war memorial – the role it plays in reminding everyone of the sacrifices made by local people in wartime”.

Joan Humble of Blackpool Civic Trust is also delighted by the news. “Blackpool Civic Trust has been working with Civic Voice and Historic England as part of the War Memorials Project and have been recording little known war memorials across the town.

“Some of them were in churches, some in community spaces or clubs but all of them are important in highlighting how our communities have played an important role in the many conflicts that these memorials commemorate.

“More importantly though, these memorials are evidence of tragedy within communities, particularly in WWI and WWII”.

The complete report on Blackpool War Memorial can be read at: http://services.historicengland.org.uk/webfiles/GetFiles.aspx?av=6D9514E9-5D50-4577-A60B-302FCFB7ED26&cn=8015DF33-16B9-47F4-BFB7-E64F0FED47E7