Do you want to have a say in an exciting new project happening in Merthyr?

When: Friday 3rd November between 10 - 12.30.

Where: Cefn Coed Community Centre. Old Drill Hall Road CF48 2NA

To RSVP: email jo@thesocialchangeagency.org

Marks and Spencer’s and the Social Change Agency want to hear from locals about what really matters to them. This is the start of a two year project by M&S who are trying to lend a helping hand to your community, but before they start, they need to hear about issues from locals: that’s where you come in.

Are you local to Merthyr Tydfil? Do you have friends and family in MerthyrTydfil? What would you like to see change to enable the local community to be happier and healthier?

This is your chance to really be heard. Put aside 2.5 hours of your week, have your voice heard and be part of an exciting plan to help your neighbourhood.

To RSVP or if you have any questions, simply email: jo@thesocialchangeagency.org.

We are looking forward to meeting you and listening to what really matters in Merthyr.

Feel free to forward this to your local friends and family.

Latest news

20/10/2017 - The Henry Smith Charity Re-launches Grants Programmes

The Henry Smith Charity’s Main Grants programme is now open for applications following a review of its guidelines and criteria.

The Henry Smith Charity distributes over £28 million a year in grant programmes designed to reduce social and economic disadvantage in the UK.
Following a review of its grant procedures, the Funder has refined its Main Grant programmes, separating it into two defined funds under the same new strategy that aims to work with people for whom other sources of support have failed, been inappropriate or are simply not available.
This will be achieved through the following priorities:

• Increasing resilience - empowering people, encouraging integration and personal independence, helping people to recover and move on.
• Creating opportunities and life chances - raising aspiration, equipping people with new skills, unlocking and enabling potential, and providing the means to improve life circumstances.
• Empowering communities - strengthening and connecting communities and making people feel valued, providing opportunities for social connections and relationships, encouraging participation and inclusion.

The Charity’s grants programmes now stand as follows:

• The Main Grants: Improving Lives Fund is the largest of the Charity’s funds, and will support the work of established charitable organisations with incomes of up to £2 million. Funding is available for projects that help people when other sources of support have failed, are inappropriate, or are simply not available.
• The Main Grants: Strengthening Communities Fund is designed to support small charitable organisations working at grassroots level in the most disadvantaged areas of the UK.
• The County Grants programme provides grants for smaller organisations working with disadvantaged people and communities in one of eight English counties. Groups should note that funding for Surrey is not available until early 2018.
• The Holiday Grants for Children programme provides grants for recreational trips and holidays for groups of children aged 13 and under in the UK who are disabled or disadvantaged. These are one-off short grants.
• The Christian Projects grant programme awards grants to projects that explicitly promote the Christian faith in the UK.

Grant sizes are generally between £10,000 and £60,000 and are for charities and not-for-profit organisations, including social enterprises that are based and working in the UK.
There are no deadlines. Applications are considered on a regular basis, depending on the fund applied to. 

Fixed Term Vacancy with Alzheimers Society

Details are available here

Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust - Trustee Vacancy

Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust have a vacancy for a new Trustee.  Closing date is 5 November 2017.  Further details are available  here

Vacancy - Wales Co-op is currently recruiting Digital Trainers

Further details are available from:   https://wales.coop/careers/job-ad/associate-digital-inclusion-practitioner-trainer/

Trustees Week events - strengthening governance in third sector organisations / Digwyddiadau Wythnos Ymddiriedolwyr - gryfhau llywodraethu ym mudiadau trydydd sector

As part of Trustees Week 2017, Third Sector Support Wales will be holding a series of events on the theme of governance.

Good governance is crucial to the running of any third sector organisation, but in a fast-changing environment which places increasing pressures on organisations, trustees need accessible guidance to support them in setting and maintaining high standards of governance.

The events will look at the latest regional and national developments in relation to governance and feature talks on the new Charity Governance Code and PQASSO, the quality mark for the third sector.

The events will take place in three different locations across Wales during November and December:

• 14 November 2017 (9.30am-12.30pm), Baglan Community Church, Port Talbot
• 16 November 2017 (9.30am-12.30pm), Colwyn Bay Cricket Club, Colwyn Bay, Conwy 
• 8 December 2017 (9.30am-12.30pm), Crundale Community Hall, Crundale, Pembrokeshire

For further information and to book your place visit http://thirdsectorsupport.wales/


Fel rhan o Wythnos Ymddiriedolwyr 2017 bydd Cefnogi Trydydd Sector Cymru yn cynnal cyfres o ddigwyddiadau ar thema llywodraethu.

Mae llywodraethu da yn hanfodol wrth redeg unrhyw fudiad trydydd sector, ond wrth i’r amgylchedd allanol newid yn gyflym gan roi pwysau cynyddol ar fudiadau, mae ar ymddiriedolwyr angen arweiniad hwylus i’w cefnogi i osod a chynnal safonau uchel wrth lywodraethu.

Bydd y digwyddiadau yn edrych ar y datblygiadau rhanbarthol a chenedalethol diweddaraf sy’n ymwenud â llywodraethu ac yn cynnwys siaradwyr ar y Cod Llywodraethu newydd i Elusennau yn ogystal â PQASSO, nod ansawdd ar gyfer y trydydd sector.

Bydd y digwyddiadau yn cael eu cynnal mewn tri lleoliad gwahanol ar draws Cymru yn ystod Tachwedd a Rhagfyr:

• 14 Tachwedd 2017 (9.30am- 12.30pm), Eglwys Gymunedol Baglan, Port Talbot
• 16 Tachwedd 2017 (9.30am-12.30pm), Clwb Criced Bae Colwyn, Bae Colwyn, Conwy
• 8 Rhagfyr 2017 (9.30am-12.30pm), Neuadd Gymunedol Crundale, Crundale, Sir Benfro

Am fwy o wybodaeth ac i archebu eich lle ewch i: www.cefnogitrydyddsector.cymru

World Mental Health Event - Merthyr Tydfil - Wednesday 18th October

Job Vacancies at Carers Trust South East Wales

Carers Trust South East have a number of job opportunities available including a Community Care Worker

Follow the hyperlinks above for more details.

St Tydfil Shopping Centre is giving groups in the Merthyr area a chance to apply for £500 worth of vouchers to spend at the shopping centre as part of its St Tydfil Cares Community Fund.

                                                             

This time the vouchers are for use at Iceland to help a group organise a festive event. Perhaps a group would like to arrange a Christmas lunch for those who are less fortunate, or a care home would like to organise a party for Merthyr’s older generation. Whatever the reason, St Tydfil Shopping Centre would like to hear about it.

If you would like to nominate, please email StTydfil@pmwcom.co.uk explaining what event or activity you would like support for. One group will then be chosen from all the nominations to receive the £500 worth of vouchers. 

Nominations can also be made by sending a letter to:

St Tydfil Community Fund

c/o PMW Communications

PO Box 167

Bideford

Devon

EX39 9DU

The closing date for nominations is Sunday 12th November.

For more information please contact Sally Burfoot on  sally.burfoot@pmwcom.co.uk 

'WORKING WITH GYPSY, ROMA & TRAVELLER COMMUNITIES’ - TRAINING DAY

Please find details of an event being organised by Romani Arts here

VAMT AGM

The VAMT Annual General Meeting will be held at 11 am on Friday 10th November at Bessemers Hotel. 

The guest speaker will be Councillor Kevin O’Neill, the Leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. In addition, there will be a presentation by David Davies, the High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan. 

We will also be presenting the Nicola Park Award 2017 for “Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering in Merthyr Tydfil”. If you wish to nominate there is still time. Nomination forms are still available in English  and Welsh and are open to nominations for a group or an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to volunteering in the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil.

The agenda and reply slip for the AGM can be found here

St Tydfil Cares Community Fund

St Tydfil Shopping Centre is giving groups in the Merthyr area one last chance to apply for £500 worth of vouchers to spend at the shopping centre as part of its St Tydfil Cares Community Fund.

 This time the vouchers are for use at Iceland to help a group organise a festive event. Perhaps a group would like to arrange a Christmas lunch for those who are less fortunate, or a care home would like to organise a party for Merthyr’s older generation. Whatever the reason, St Tydfil Shopping Centre would like to hear about it.

If you would like to nominate, please email StTydfil@pmwcom.co.uk explaining what event or activity you would like support for. One group will then be chosen from all the nominations to receive the £500 worth of vouchers. 

 Nominations can also be made by sending a letter to:

 St Tydfil Community Fund

c/o PMW Communications

PO Box 167

Bideford

Devon

EX39 9DU

The closing date for nominations is Sunday 12th November.

 St Tydfil Cares Community Fund Terms & Conditions: The closing date for nominations is Sunday 12th November. Any entries received after that date will not be counted. The judge’s decision is final. The winning group will be required to attend a photo presentation at St Tydfil Shopping Centre. The photo will be distributed to the media. St Tydfil Shopping Centre reserves the right to award the prize to a runner-up if contact is not received from the selected winner after 10 days. The winner is required to be involved in a follow-up photo call showing how the £500 vouchers were used. It is the winner’s responsibility to check the store’s voucher terms and conditions. The prize does not have a cash alternative.

Samaritans Recruitment Drive for Volunteers

Please find details of the Samaritan's next recruitment event here

Descriptions of the volunteer roles available are here