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News & Events
Introducing the County Durham Compact The Compact is a partnership agreement between the public sector and the voluntary and community sector in County Durham. Both sectors have the shared aim of making County Durham the best possible place in which to live and work and the County Durham Compact outlines the commitments that the two sectors have made to deliver the outcomes that meet this objective. The Compact embraces a common set of principles that underpin working practices. They are to agree to work together in ways that promote: · Respect for each other and our communities. · Operating in an open and honest manner · Recognition and value of the independence of the voluntary and community sector · The value of the diverse nature of communities in County Durham · Ensuring that everyone, no matter what their circumstances is treated equally and fairly · The empowerment of people and communities to deliver change that meets their need · The values of volunteering and the appreciation of the impact that volunteering activity has on our society · The Compact identifies five mutually agreed outcomes which are: · A strong diverse and independent voluntary and community sector · Effective and transparent design and development of policies, programmes and services · Responsive and high quality programmes and services · Clear arrangements for managing changes to programmes and services · An equal and fair society To help meet these outcomes both sectors have identified and agreed undertakings. At the end of the document there is a section that offers advice to both sectors on how to make the Compact work and how to resolve differences including the provision of the contact details of organisations that may be able to offer advice and guidance on Compact issues.
"Support for Teesdale and Wear Valley Voluntary and Community Groups Will Continue" Say 2D Charity Trustees Teesdale and Wear Valley's local Council for Voluntary Service, 2D, has pulled out of merger talks with the other County Durham District Voluntary Councils. Trustees of the Charity fear the move will lead to less support for Voluntary and Community Groups in the area. The Crook based charity has been providing support for local groups since 1996 and has won several quality awards for its work. Every year 2D staff and volunteers help hundreds of groups and associations make a difference in their communities. Durham County Council asked for merger talks after a report said it should provide funding to a single countywide organisation. 2D Trustees decided that the plan being discussed risked reducing the support available to people in Teesdale and Wear Valley, so they have decided to withdraw 2D from the discussions. Ian Lyle, Chair of the 2D Board of Trustees, said "It is a real regret that we haven't been able to make these discussions work. We had hoped that people in communities across the county would benefit from our experience and the high quality support we deliver in Teesdale and Wear Valley. "We were worried the move to a county-wide organisation would leave the communities we have worked with all these years without the support they want and need. The decision to leave the talks means we can continue to deliver the services that so many voluntary and community groups in our area rely on."
This is a bit of good news for the Dales after five programmes aimed at children aged from 5-13 yr olds have been hit after applications for funding from the Big Lottery and Children in Need failed. The 2D Board of Trustees has committed to continuing the participation work, the project with post holder Robert Fothergill was due to finish at the end of September as the contract will not be continued, a victim of the government cuts. At a 2D board meeting on the 20th May it was agreed that this work was integral to the service delivery of 2D and would continue until at least March 2012 with internal investment. Michele Armstrong CEO for 2D said "four young people involved in the project, Mathew Burdess, Nathan Hanratty, Vicki Armstrong and Sienna Tomaszko expressed their concern over the loss of the project and the lack of support they would have in being able to participate and have their views taken seriously. The trustees of 2D listened to their comments and looked at the needs of our beneficiaries. This is a big investment for 2D, Children and Young people are the volunteers and leaders of the future and we recognize that this must be supported". The Crook based charity has been providing support for local groups and individuals since 1996 and has won several quality awards for its work. Every year 2D staff and volunteers help hundreds of groups, associations and individuals make a difference in their communities.
Community Festive Fair 2011- Date Announced! Following on from last year's successful event which attracted 1,500 visitors and 110 stalls, we are pleased to announce that the 2011 Community Festive Fair is going ahead on Saturday 19 November at Bishop Auckland College. For further information or to express your interest in booking a stall contact 2D on 01388 762220 email a.cairns@2d.org.uk
http://www.facebook.com/2Dsupport We have also set up a 2D Page to create a public presence on Facebook. Facebook Pages are visible to everyone on the internet. On Facebook pages people become 'Fans' instead of 'Friends'. Please follow the link below to become a fan and keep checking for updates on: · Info bulletin news · Values, aims, mission · What services we provide · How to engage with 2D · Sector issues · Events You can become a fan by 'Liking' the page and then you can 'Share' the page with your Facebook friends then people can see you're a fan of 2D by looking at your profile or news feed. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crook-United-Kingdom/2D-Voluntary-and-Community-Support/194052983971860
APPLICATIONS NEEDED!! AAP Small Grant Funds... NEW!! Three Towns Action Partnership 3 Towns Older People Support (3TOPS) Healthy Lifestyles and Wellbeing Small Grants Fund The overall aim of the grants scheme is to support local groups/organisations working within the 3 Towns Action Partnership area and in doing so improve the health and wellbeing of local older people. The minimum grant will be £50 with a maximum of £400.
The Teesdale Action Partnership (TAP) are running 2 grant schemes: Children and Young People The Teesdale Action Partnership (TAP) Small Grants Scheme is to support local groups of Children and Young People (CYP) to develop new and innovative projects in Teesdale and enable CYP to benefit from positive activities. The groups of CYP need to be supported by an agency; however it aims to give CYP a real voice in decision making. Priority will be given to those applications that are clearly CYP led and that align with the priorities of the TAP and the Local Children's Board. Groups can apply for grants from between £50- £1500. Contact 2D for further information or download below. TOPS Small Grants Fund is to support local groups/organisations working within the TAP area who are improving the lives of local older people. Groups can apply for grants from between £50- £1,500 depending on the criteria. Priority will be given to those applications that cover the following identified issues; access to and the promotion of services such as transport issues and activities for older people. Click here for an Application Form Or contact TVHC on 01833 640458 Weardale Action Partnership (WAP) -Small Grants Fund The overall aim of the Small Grants Fund is to support local groups working within the WAP area. Groups can apply for grants from between £50- £1,000 depending on the criteria. Click here for an Application Form 2D's Commitment to a Quality ServiceAs part of 2D's ongoing commitment to strengthen its portfolio of quality accreditation, we are proud to announce our renewal of the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action Quality Award. In 2006 we were one of the first 6 members to achieve the rigorous quality award in England and Wales and the first in the country to successfully complete the renewal process. The award recognises the impact and effectiveness of 2D in 5 key areas of voluntary and community service delivery; supporting groups to identify need and improve service provision, assist groups to function more effectively, facilitate networking, communication and collaboration, enable third sector views to be represented and ensure the sector has an integral role in local planning and policy making. 2D achieved the renewal with an enhanced score demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement. Michele Armstrong Chief Executive Officer of 2D said "we are thrilled with this award because to achieve it organisations must demonstrate the quality and impact of their services. We went through a rigorous process that included an external audit and interviews with service users and stakeholders. The fact that we are the first to receive it in the country is also an achievement 2D should be proud of!" The 6 Volunteer Centres in County Durham have been awarded 'Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation' (VCQA) to recognise the fantastic service they provide to local Community & Voluntary groups. They have been working in partnership towards Volunteering England's VCQA to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of Volunteer Centre services across the county. The vision and ability of six Volunteer Centres to come together to achieve VCQA demonstrates the power of partnership to not only strengthen the work of individual Volunteer Centres, but ensure a uniform high standard of good practice. To be able to achieve the quality mark the team needed to evidence the core functions of a Volunteer Centre outlined through six key areas of work including Brokerage, Marketing, Policy Response & Campaigning, Good Practice Development, Strategic Development and Supporting organisations to develop new opportunities. Each Volunteer Centre will use the 'Volunteer Centres County Durham' branding but will continue to focus & operate in their locality that is the previous district council areas: 2D (Teesdale & Wear Valley), CAVOS (Sedgefield), Chester le Street CVS & Volunteer Bureau (Chester le Street), Derwentside CVS & Volunteer Centre (Derwentside), Durham City CVS & Volunteer Centre (Durham) City) & East Durham Trust (Easington).
A failure to properly communicate your marketing message can hit you in terms of manpower, funds and success. At these difficult times some groups and organisations can struggle to manage their communications with little or no budget. Any organisation wanting to take advantage of the digital age will need professional skills, resources, information and contacts. Messages must make sense to the right people and make them take notice. Whether the job is to lead a rallying cry for action, engage the community through consultation, develop a new brand identity or plan a social media campaign, we have the skills and the expertise in place. We are a charity with over 7 years experience of producing a wide range print and promotional material for the local community. We work across a range of media to develop powerful and effective marketing and communications for your organisation/group/business. From web development to print design, logo design and brand development, newsletters and leaflets, brochures and annual reports, media relations, strategic planning, advertising and copywriting - 2D has the skills and the experience to provide a full communications service. 2D is not for profit and will be transparent in its pricing structure and will negotiate on your behalf with any partner agencies to ensure you get the best deal available. We strive to create communications which are effective, powerful and beautiful. We want people to remember and cherish our communications, not ignore them. To find out more about what we can do for you, give us a call 01388 762220 At 2D we care about what we do, we deliver projects with intelligence and enthusiasm across different disciplines and platforms.
2D Administrating AAP Small Grant Schemes... Weardale Action Partnership (WAP) Small Grants Fund The overall aim of the Small Grants Fund is to support local groups working within the WAP area. Groups can apply for grants from between £50- £1,000 depending on the criteria. Three Towns Children and Young People Small Grant Fund There are still funds available for groups working with children and young people in the Three Towns area; priority will be given to applications that align with the priorities of the AAP and also compliment elements of the 11 Key Improvement Priorities from the Local Children's Board. Groups can apply for funds up to £1000. Teesdale Older People's (TOPS) Small Grants Fund This grant is to support local groups/organisations working within the Teesdale Action Partnership (TAP) area who are improving the lives of local older people. Groups can apply for grants from between £50- £1,500 depending on the criteria. For an application pack contact TVHC on 01833 696650 or email tops@teesdale.co.uk For more information or an application pack on any of these funds contact 2D on 01388 762220 or Click here for further details
A green-robed Father Christmas made a special appearence at our Community Festive Fair on Saturday 20th November. Over 1,500 visitors attended the event which took place from 10:30am to 2.30pm at Bishop Auckland College, making it the biggest attendance to date!
There were lots of new faces who we hope went away knowing a little more about what services, opportunities and activities are provided on their very own doorstep! The Your Choice programme, which is made up of local voluntary, community, education and business organisations, were on hand to help guide people onto the right career path, whether that's volunteering, training or employment opportunities." If anyone would like further information on what services are available in their own community or how to get involved get in please contact the 2D on 01388 762220 Top of the page
If you missed the Radio Teesdale programme "2D - The Helping Hand", a documentary about how 2D has developed over the years; it is available on the link below which will take you to the 'Listen Again' section of the web site. The documentary features a history of 2D, and interviews with Peter Irving, Treasurer of 2D, Jim Welch from BLIND, Trish Greensmith from The Chyrelle Addams Breast Cancer Appeal Trust and a children and young people's interview from the 2D AGM. 2D have signed up to The Mindful Employer Charter.
The Charter is one element of the MINDFUL EMPLOYER® initiative. MINDFUL EMPLOYER is led by employers and aimed at increasing awareness of mental health in the workplace and supporting businesses in recruiting and retaining staff by giving:
For further information on becoming a Mindful Employer visit: www.mindfulemployer.net The Shape of Things to Come The 'County Durham Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Infrastructure Review' was commissioned by the One Voice Network with the aim of "setting out options for structure and service delivery of VCS infrastructure in 1. Existing and emerging needs for support Many of the identified VCS support needs in 2. The organisation of The VCS in 3. Lessons from elsewhere In some areas infrastructure organisations are at various stages of pursuing mergers (for example 4. Future scenarios for the development of VCS infrastructure There is no clear consensus about the future development of VCS infrastructure, either amongst VCS infrastructure organisations or external stakeholders. VCS infrastructure organisations seem to be quite pessimistic about the future, particularly about the likelihood of being 'forced' to merge, although the future may be more open than is imagined. The research concludes that there is a case for changing the organisation of
2D Gains Matrix Accreditation 2D have again broken new ground by becoming the first infrastructure organisation in County Durham to be awarded the Matrix accreditation for the delivery of advice and guidance. The Matrix Standard is the unique quality framework for the effective delivery of information, advice and/ or guidance on learning and work. Michele Armstrong, CEO says "undergoing this process has helped 2D move forward with fully committed staff that are aware of their role and where they fit into the organisation. The overall result means our staff are competent and our clients get the best possible service". All the staff at 2D would like to thank all the volunteers, members and representatives from groups who gave their time .Their contribution was invaluable and helped to give the assessor a complete picture of how 2D operates with our members and partner organisations alike. "As a result 2D were successful and have now attained the Matrix accreditation, once again many thanks for your time and input". Michele Armstrong. 2D Role as an Intermediary Handling Donations from Charitable Trusts Some grant making trusts limit their giving to registered charities. This can cause problems for groups who are non- registered charitable groups. 2D may be able to help by offering to accept those grants and passing them on to the non- registered charitable groups. 2D must comply with the following formalities in order to stay within the law:
Unfortunately the complexities of this process however the law surrounding this subject is far from simple and 2D must take great care that we are acting legally. For further information contact 2D on 01388 762220 Would you like to make a difference within your local community? Have you ever considered making a donation to a local The County Durham Foundation provide financial support for individuals, grass-roots groups and other good causes. Last year alone they gave out £2.7m to good causes across our County and this year they need your help to support even more people. As little as £10 a month could help pay for:
You can even give your support to your very own good cause, town or village that's close to your heart and receive all the tax advantages you'd get for giving to a charity. Chief Executive, Gillian Stacey said, 'We're here to provide the means for local people to support local projects. These days giving to the larger national and international charities is very well publicised and often people aren't aware that they can also put something back into the community in which they live and work. That's where we come in.'
For more information about giving to County Durham Foundation please call Simon on 0191 383 0055 or visit their website www.countydurhamfoundation.co.uk where you can even donate money online.
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