Free Event - Cat Care

FREE event on 5th October. Pets are so important to many people in both improving wellbeing and also reducing isolation.

• Info about £5 neutering & microchipping
• FREE cat care and neutering advice
• FREE cat carrier loans for neutering appointments
• FREE transport for neutering appointments

See Poster

New Community Coordinator for Merthyr Tydfil

VAMT is pleased to welcome Claire Williams to the role of Community Coordinator for Merthyr Tydfil.

Claire joins the established team of 5 Community Coordinators across Cwm Taf, who provide information, advice and support to help people connect with community groups, services and activities in the local area, to improve their health, wellbeing and independence.

To find out more, or to make a referral contact Claire on 07580 866547 or email claire.williams@vamt.net.

Aviva Community Fund open to applications

Community groups have been invited to apply for grants of up to £25,000 for projects focused on health and wellbeing, financial literacy skills or the environment.
Groups can apply for grants of £1,000, £5,000, £10,000 or £25,000 from a total funding pot of £2m put forward by the insurance company Aviva through its Aviva Community Fund, which is open for applications.

To be eligible, the groups must be non-profit, UK-based and have existed for more than six months. The projects must also be UK-based.

Groups applying for the £1,000 grants must have annual incomes of less than £100,000; those applying for the larger grants must have annual incomes of less than £1m.

This year, for the first time, Aviva is partnering with Crowdfunder UK to allow groups to raise money as part of the application process.  Applicants can ask people to vote for them to receive a grant. This year, as well as seeking votes, they will also be able to raise money for the project from the public, inviting them to donate.

Aviva has set up a Facebook community group to allow applicants to chat about their experiences and share tips and advice.
More information about the fund can be found on the Aviva website.
Applications close on 9 October.

Digital Skills Grants totalling £100,000 made available.

 Funding is available to charities and other organisations to help improve the digital skills of unemployed people and improve their employment prospects.   

It will be made up of five grants of £20,000 each.

The deadline for applications is 1 October.

Clarion Futures are managing the funding - further information is available by contacting them here: http://www.clarionhg.com/charitable-foundation/clarion-futures-communities/

Inspiring Digital Activities - Mental Health

Digital Communities Wales are running an Inspiring Digital Activities course focused around Mental Health.   The course will run from 10-2 16^th October.

Further details and to book on please see the link below

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspiring-digital-activities-mental-health-focus-merthyr-tickets-49940369991

Global Village Seeking New Trustees

For further information please click here

Co-op Foundation - Webinar tomorrow from WCVA

Aim To give community organisations an insight into the Co-op Foundation and decide if the fund is right for them and how to make a successful application  Content In this webinar Ella Smyth from the Co-op Foundation, will offer advice and information about the Community Spaces fund. Through this fund, organisations that own or manage a community space (e.g. a community centre, a community park, garden, woodland etc.) can apply for interest-free loans of up to £50,000 alongside some grant funding. Please do ensure you have read the guidelines before attending to ensure you are eligible to apply before you sign up for the webinar. The webinar represents a great opportunity to gain valuable insight into the Co-op Foundation and the Loans for Communities scheme.  Learning outcomes By the end of the webinar participants will: Have an improved understanding of the Co-op Foundation Be better equipped to make a successful application Who this course is for This session is for community organisations who are interested in knowing more about Co-op Foundation’s work and specifically the Community Spaces programme. Find out more and book a space

Healthy and Active Fund Roadshow - 2 October Merthyr Tydfil

Healthy and Active Fund Roadshows

Welsh Government, Sport Wales and Public Health Wales have come together to deliver the Healthy and Active Fund (HAF) which aims to improve mental and physical health by enabling the adoption of healthy and active lifestyles across Wales.

Phase 1 of the HAF will provide £5million of financial support, over a period of 3 years (April 2019 – March 2022), to projects that strengthen and develop community assets.
Priority will be given to projects that actively promote the reduction of inequality in outcomes for one or more of the following groups:

• Children and young people
• People with a disability or long term illness
• People who are economically inactive or who live in areas of deprivation
• Older people and those around the age of retirement from work

Statutory and non-statutory bodies, as well as organisations that have the structure and capacity to deliver the objectives of the HAF are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants will need to demonstrate value for money, along with a clear business case for the continuation of the project beyond initial funding. Clear evidence of partnership working and engagement with the local community in the development of proposals will also be required.

Details of how the HAF will operate, criteria and objectives as well as what we expect to see in applications, will be shared at a series of roadshows across Wales. Details of roadshow locations and how to register can be found at:
Merthyr Tydfil:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sioe-deithiol-y-gronfa-iach-ac-egniol-healthy-and-active-fund-roadshow-registration-49886416615?aff=affiliate1

Please feel free to share details of the fund and accompanying roadshows via any appropriate contacts and should you have any queries please feel free to contact HealthyandActiveFund@gov.wales

Tenovus Cancer Care - Volunteers Needed 25th/26th September

On  25^th and 26^th September, Tenovus Cancer Care have been invited to promote our Big Birthday Raffle and sell raffle tickets at Tesco in Merthyr And we’re looking for help over the two days to sell raffle tickets and raise vital funds to support the work we do.

We’re looking for people to give any time between 10am and 4pm, however little or long you can spare. Even an hour could be a huge help!

If you’d like to volunteer simply call us on 029 2076 8850 or email volunteer@tenovuscancercare.org.uk . We look forward to hearing from you!

Quiz Night - Fundraiser for the Merthyr Tydfil Community Trust

A “Quiz Night” will be held on Thursday 25th October at 7pm at the West End Bowls Club, The Walk, Merthyr Tydfil.

It is being organised by VAMT to raise funds for the Merthyr Tydfil Community Trust which is a charity that supports local voluntary and community groups. It makes small grants to small groups that make a big difference to them. 

Please support us by coming along and entering a team. To register email Carol Hindley or phone her on 01685 353900.

Tackling Loneliness and Isolation

Tackling Loneliness and Isolation is a cross-cutting objective of the 

Cwm Taf Well-being Plan. One of the first steps is to find out what is going on at the moment to combat loneliness and isolation, what works best and what needs to be done in the future to connect people better. 

It would be great if you could complete this short survey https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LonelinessandIsolation The deadline is 5th October. 

Following that a meeting will be arranged where we can discuss the findings and make proposals to tackle this issue. If you have not already expressed an interest in this work and would like to do so, please email Ian Davy

Have a look at the latest edition of Inform

The latest edition of VAMT's quarterly magazine has been published. Have a look
click here

If you would like to receive a paper version in future please email Ian Davy

Help for Community Green Spaces

The Community Land Advisory Service Cymru has received new funding from The Environment Minister, Hannah Blythyn AM to support all community led green space projects.

 We are here to help you find land, acquire more land, do deals with landowners (including local authorities) to allow to use of land and to help you get all the necessary permissions including planning. We are also about to partner up with Cardiff University Law School to enable additional legal support and template documents. Our press release on the new Programme can be found via this link.

If you need any land or planning advice for your community green space project, please email or call us on the details below.

Lucie Taylor MRTPI      CLAS Cymru Coordinator | Cydlynydd Cymru CLAS
Tel |Ffôn 02921 960966
Tel |Ffôn 077801 15292
For more information on the Community Land Advisory Service in Wales (CLAS Cymru) visit our website.

Weekly 50+ Activity Hub

Early Intervention Youth Fund

A Home Office Fund  has been released to Police and Crime Commissioners to tackle serious violence related to young people.  Whilst it is stipulated that the bids need to be made by Police and Crime Commissioners, it is instrumental that this is done in partnership with key stakeholders from the public, third and voluntary sector.  With that in mind we are writing to ask if your organisation and any network of organisations you belong to would be interested in submitting a bid proposal in partnership with us. Please take the time to read the attached  letter which provides important information and application guidelines.

We are mindful that there is not much time to make the proposal, and with that in mind we ask that you outline any early thought to us by midday this Friday. Please feel free to contact us (Sian Rees 07814518766 / Daniel Jones 07866592799) to discuss further.

We have attached the Early Intervention Youth Fund Prospectus to give you more information and extracted the main questions  from the online fund application form to help shape some of your thought.

Local Giving Wales - event on 26 September

Just a reminder that Local Giving Wales are holding a session at the Voluntary Action Centre on 26 September between 2:00pm-3:30.  If you'd like to attend email training@vamt.net

Further information on Local Giving is here

MSE Charity open to applications - building financial capability skills

MSE Charity is currently accepting applications to its ‘Building and Developing Resilience’ theme for projects focused on building financial capability skills.

It is assisting groups who support mental health, well-being, cooking well for less, training others, independent skills and peer mentoring.

Projects must commence from January 2019 onwards.

The maximum grant available is £7,500. The MSE Charity will consider full project cost recovery but does not cover the organisation's core funding.

Small to medium-sized non-profit organisations with a constitution can apply. This includes UK registered charities, community interest companies, social enterprises and credit unions. Applicants should have an annual income of less than £500,000 and have unrestricted reserves that are less than six months of their running costs.

The round is limited to the first 40 applications that are accepted or the deadline, whichever is soonest, so applicants are advised to apply as soon as possible.
The application deadline is 28 September 2018 (5pm).
Further information for all enquiries, including an eligibility quiz, is available at http://www.msecharity.com/

Volunteering Wales Grants - Further Information

Further information on the new Volunteering Wales Grants is available here

Inspiring Digital Activities Training - Mental Health Focus

Digital Communities Wales are running an Inspiring Digital Activities course focused around Mental Health. The course will run from 10-2 16th October.

Further details and to book on please see the link below

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspiring-digital-activities-mental-health-focus-merthyr-tickets-49940369991

Volunteering Wales Grants - new round opening 12 September

Announcing….a new round of Volunteering Wales Grants!
A new round of Volunteering Wales Grants is launching on 12 September, with opportunities for project funding of up to £20,000 for activity from 1 April 2019 - 31 March 2020.

Volunteering Wales Grants is a scheme funded by the Welsh Government to promote and improve volunteering in Wales. The scheme is administered by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and is designed to deliver the government’s commitment to identifying opportunities for more people to volunteer.

Prosperity for All
Grants will be allocated to projects that can demonstrate that they are able to make a contribution to delivering the Welsh Government’s strategy, Prosperity for All, which describes a long-term aim to build a Wales that is prosperous and secure, healthy and active, ambitious and learning, and united and connected. 

The strategy identifies five priority areas which have the potential to make the greatest contribution to long-term prosperity and well-being. These are early years, better mental health, housing, skills and employability and social care. They are areas where it has been shown that earlier intervention and more seamless services can make a real difference to people’s lives.

The Volunteering Wales Grants for 2019/20 will support volunteering projects that contribute towards achieving outcomes in one or more of the priority areas.

Volunteering by young people is encouraged and supported through this grant scheme and a percentage of the funding available has been ring fenced to support projects that exclusively recruit young volunteers aged 14 – 25.

How can I find out more information?
Information sessions will be taking place around Wales during October and November 2018 to promote the Volunteering Wales Grants.  VAMT hope to host one in Merthyr Tydfil - or contact VAMT 01685 353900 enquiries@vamt.net

Two Upcoming Litter Picks - Help your local environment

Two opportunities to help your local environment taking place in September:  one at  TaffFechan and one in Aberfan

Help and Support for your organisation from the Institute of Fundraising Cymru

Please find information on the Institute of Fundraising Cymru's two initiatives, open to local organisations: a fundraising health check, and Executive Coaching, here

Volunteers needed for Tenovus Cancer Care's Big Birthday Raffle

 As part of our 75th birthday celebrations, we’ve gone back to our roots to honour the original ten businessmen who founded Tenovus Cancer Care all those years ago!

Back in the day our founders launched a simple raffle with the grand prize of car and we want to pay tribute to them with our Big Birthday Raffle.  The lucky winner will drive away in a brand new MG3 Car!  Second prize is a holiday at Watermark’s luxury lakeside lodges and third Prize are 5 chances to win a £50 John Lewis voucher.
And here’s where we need you!  We’re looking for enthusiastic and committed volunteers to represent Tenovus Cancer Care within your local community by attending events from now until October and helping us to sell raffle tickets as well as raising awareness about the work we do – our 75th Birthday Champions.  You can read all about the raffle on our website here and the volunteer role here.

The money we raise from this raffle will allow us to deliver more cancer treatments on board our Mobile Support Units to those who really need it. It means people can gain invaluable help through our support services. And it means we can carry out even more vital research into finding new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

 If this opportunity is something you, or someone you know, would like to get involved with, then we’d love to hear from you! Email us at volunteer@tenovuscancercare.org.uk or call us on 029 2076 8331.

Free Tool Maintenance Course at Nant Llwynog, Bedlinog 19 and 20 September

Please find further details of this free two day course, provided by Keep Wales Tidy in English and  Welsh

Gardener's Question Time at Cyfarthfa Park

Friends of Cyfarthfa Park are holding a Gardener's Question Time Session on September 10th in the Bothy at Cyfarthfa Park.  Tickets are available from Heolgerrig Post Office, Toffs Hair Studio, and the Red House or you can pay on the door. 

 

Further details here