Advice for groups in Kirklees – Page 2

Community Buildings webinar, 20th April 2021

April 15, 2021Kirklees Council

Chestnut Centre

Community buildings in our local places are vitally important hubs for our communities. They are places which support people’s physical and mental wellbeing, as well as being welcoming spaces that connect people and organisations. The re-opening of these buildings in a safe and practical way is a key part of helping our communities through the government’s proposed roadmap out of lockdown.

On Tuesday 20th April at 5.30pm, Kirklees Council are hosting a third webinar to provide guidance on how to safely re-open your community building and what the recent changes in Covid-19 regulations mean.

If you have questions that you would like answering at this webinar then please send them to candc.projectteam@kirklees.gov.uk (ideally by 6pm on Monday 19th April). Even if you can’t make the session, please still send your questions through as it will be possible to watch the recorded session on YouTube after the event.

There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions via the YouTube chat system during the session, but it would be great if you can share your questions in advance so that we can do our best to help.

Watch the webinar live and see the chat on YouTube

We look forward to seeing you there.

Joanne Bartholomew, Service Director for Skills and Regeneration, Kirklees Council

Jill Greenfield, Service Director for Customers and Communities, Kirklees Council

Community buildings and activities

Have you recently got involved in making a difference in your community?

March 18, 2021Kirklees Democracy

Online workshops, March & April 2021

We’ve been running workshops with local people to hear your stories and talk about how more people can come together to make local places better.

Lots of the people who have participated in our workshops so far have been doing all sorts of great things in their community for some time. Now, we’re particularly interested in hearing from more people who have only got involved quite recently, and who have a story about this to share.

Could you help us find someone, perhaps from the organisation or group you’re part of, who might also like to join in a pair of workshops? We’re looking for people who have only recently become involved in their community, who were perhaps not confident to begin with, or who didn’t know how much they had to offer until taking that first step.

These workshops for Kirklees citizens are an opportunity to meet with other local people to look to the future. It’s a bit of an experiment for us. But what we know for sure is that now, more than ever, we want to work with and alongside each other in our local places.

How to take part

Participants will take part in two workshop discussions. You can register now for the first session:

Monday 29th March, from 2pm to 4pm

The workshops will be online via Zoom video call. They will involve a mixture of activities and small group discussions. It’s a safe environment and everyone will have a chance to talk.

You’re welcome to join in if this sounds like the right thing for you, Or if you can think of anyone who might be interested, please share this link with them:

Register to take part

The workshops will be run by the Kirklees Democracy team. We’re working with an organisation called the New Citizenship Project, who are supporting this work.

People Helping People – 17th March 2021

March 10, 2021March 10, 2021Kirklees Council

The next online People Helping People local network event is on Wednesday 17th March 2021 from 10.30am to 12 noon. It’s run by Third Sector Leaders Kirklees, to help small community organisations in local places across Kirklees to get together, meet each other, share what you are doing and learn what others are doing. It is another chance to share best practice and discuss how we might be able to support each other.

Find out about funding & opportunities for working with children & young people

At this People Helping People meeting, you’ll hear from the Kirklees Council Early Years Team and a new local charity, Kirklees Youth Alliance, You can find out about the latest funding and opportunities for working with children and young people in Kirklees, including putting on holiday activities and accessing other funding, like Children in Need.

There will also be an update on the latest funding opportunities and about other support and training that’s available, including:

IT support from Kirklees Council
training on scams and how to spot and safeguard victims (from West Yorkshire Trading Standards), plus opportunities to put on a range of consumer and safety workshops for your groups
Co-op Local Community Funding
Grants for walking and cycling

How to take part

This meeting will take place online and you will receive a link that you click to join the meeting nearer the time. You do not need any special software, or to download anything or set up an account. You should just be able to click and join.

People Helping People – register on Eventbrite

If you have any problems or questions about accessing the meeting, please contact comms@tslkirklees.org.uk

Community Champions – help to tackle misinformation

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021Kirklees Council

Can you make a difference in your community by tackling misinformation? Can you help encourage people in your local community to take part in the vaccination programme?

Through the Community Champions scheme voluntary organisations will deliver a wide range of measures to protect those most at risk – building trust, communicating accurate health information and ultimately helping to save lives. The Community Champions will tap into their local networks to provide advice about COVID-19 and the vaccines.

Funding is available now for community groups to apply to the Community Champions fund.

Community organisations have until Monday 1st March 2021 to submit their application to round 1 of the grant scheme.

You can download the Community Champions application form online. See the Kirklees Together blog for more information:

Applications open for round 1 of the Community Champions scheme – Kirklees Together

*Please return your form to candc.projectteam@kirklees.gov.uk before the deadline.

Round 2 of the grant scheme, which is due to go live in the coming weeks, will be open for smaller grants of up to £1000. Community groups can apply for this money to develop their own targeted campaigns to help reach communities in all of our local places.

Growing Great Places crowdfunding – spring drop-ins

February 11, 2021February 11, 2021Kirklees Democracy

The Growing Great Places community crowdfunding programme is back this Spring. Got a great idea to help your community recover, reconnect and thrive? Growing Great Places can help you to get your idea off the ground. Successful projects could also receive a pledge of up to £5,000 from Kirklees Council.

Springtime is about green shoots and sowing seeds, where new life grows and recovers after the cold winter months. In similar way we know that people in our local places are coming up with great new ideas to help their community recover and thrive.

Kirklees Council are now launching the Growing Great Places spring funding round to support groups anywhere in Kirklees who are aiming to start a project this summer.

Got an idea that will help people’s health and wellbeing in your local place? Want to reconnect people to grow friendships and tackle loneliness? Setting up new activities to support young people? If you’ve got a great idea for helping your community build back better, Growing Great Places can help you generate support from residents, businesses and Kirklees Council to make it happen.

Drop-in sessions – March 2021

Spacehive and Kirklees Council are running free drop-in sessions where you can get advice and support. We’ll be on hand to answer your questions and to share advice about running a successful crowdfunding campaign. Our online sessions include different breakout rooms where you can get the support that’s right for you. So whether you’re almost ready to get started with your project, or just working on some ideas, we can help.

The deadline to have your project ready to crowdfund is 21st April 2021. Come along to one of our drop-in sessions in March to get all the support you need to get your project ready in time.

Register to take part

This is a great opportunity to further develop the spirit of community you’ve already done so much to grow.

Growing Great Places

Funding for citizens and organisations during Covid-19

How can more people come together to make local places better?

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021Kirklees Democracy

Illustrations from our workshops

Online workshops, February 2021

We know that mutual aid groups and community organisations have made a huge difference in our local places over the past year. So we hope you’ll want to be part of these workshops about how we can help more people feel confident in their ability to make our local places even better.

Please come and share your experiences, listen to other people’s stories and make new connections.

You will take part in two workshop discussions. You can register now for one of these first sessions:

Tuesday 16th February, from 2pm to 4pm
Thursday 18th February, from 10am to 12 noon
Saturday 20th February, from 10am to 12 noon
Wednesday 24th February, from 5pm to 7pm
Friday 26th February, from 10am to 12 noon

We’ll arrange the second session with you later, at a time that’s suitable for you.

The workshops will be online via Zoom video call. They will involve a mixture of activities and small group discussions. It’s a safe environment and everyone will have a chance to talk. We hope you’ll want to join in.

Register to take part

The workshops will be run by the Kirklees Democracy team and an organisation called the New Citizenship Project, who are supporting this work.

People Helping People – 27th January 2021

January 21, 2021January 21, 2021Kirklees Council

People Helping People network

The next online People Helping People local network event is on Wednesday 27th January 2021 from 10.30am to 12 noon. It’s run by Third Sector Leaders Kirklees, to help small community organisations in local places across Kirklees to get together, meet each other, share what you are doing and learn what others are doing. It is another chance to share best practice and discuss how we might be able to support each other.

What funding & investment do you need to thrive in 2021?

Join other community organisations to discuss your views on what funding and investment is needed to support local groups in places across Kirklees. Hear from other local organisations, share experiences, find out what funding is available now and get help to apply.

How to take part

People Helping People – register on Eventbrite

If you have any problems or questions about accessing the meeting, please contact comms@tslkirklees.org.uk

Support grants for community venues who have closed due to Covid-19

December 18, 2020January 5, 2021Kirklees Council

Do you run a community centre or other community facility? Business support grants are available for voluntary and community organisations in Kirklees who generate a significant part of their income through activity that has been legally forced to close (or has been significantly impacted) due to Covid-19 restrictions.

You could apply for financial support if:

You have been required to close your community venue due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Your organisation has remained open but has been severely impacted by Covid-19 restrictions.
You have lost income due to the restrictions, such as losing out on hall hire fees or not being able to operate a café or other community facility.

What kind of organisation can apply?

Support is available for:

community centres
community buildings
community facilities
faith-based venues

There is more than one type of support grant available depending on your circumstances. Please read the eligibility criteria carefully before applying. You could be eligible for support whether or not you usually pay business rates. The amount of funding will depend on your circumstances.

What about other organisations?

This is business funding, which is also available for community organisations who have a commercial aspect to their work. Not every type of community activity can be supported (for example, the grant cannot be used to replace income from donations). If you’ve lost vital income due to Covid-19, please check to see if you can apply.

Kirklees Council are continuing to work closely with Third Sector Leaders Kirklees on other ways to support voluntary and community organisations over the coming months. If you’re not eligible for a business support grant, there may be other ways that we can help.

Find out more and ask for advice

If you’d like advice about whether your voluntary or community organisation is eligible for a business support grant, please contact:

business.enquiries@kirklees.gov.uk

You can find more information and online application forms at:

Coronavirus: Help for businesses

Third Sector Leaders Kirklees offer free advice and support for voluntary and community organisations and can connect you to other people and organisations:
Third Sector Leaders Kirklees

Funding for citizens and organisations during Covid-19

Green Doctor – Fuel Poverty Awareness Course

December 17, 2020December 17, 2020Kirklees Council

Groundwork’s Green Doctor is a free service that helps households to stay warm, stay well, save money on their household bills and reduce carbon. Groundwork are offering free training for community groups, to help you support people where you live.

Helping people stay warm and well

Millions of households in the UK live in fuel poverty yet very few people understand the scale and severity of this complex issue. Each winter thousands of people die as a direct result of being unable to afford to heat their homes.

The Green Doctor service is completely free and provides valuable assistance to many vulnerable households. It may be an elderly person needing help switching, a young family applying for energy grants, or someone suffering from a health condition that’s made worse by the cold who is struggling to heat their home.

People who live in a housing association home or in council housing, those who rent privately and people who own their own home are welcome to participate in the Green Doctor scheme. The aim is to help people make the most of their income and to empower people to make informed decisions about energy use.

Fuel Poverty Awareness Course for community groups and frontline workers

In order to increase awareness of this free service, the Green Doctors are running a series of presentations and training sessions for community groups and frontline workers.

Presentations cover topics such as:

Switching supplier
Tariffs
Payment options
Smart Meters
Energy efficiency
Damp / Mould / Condensation advice
Additional support
Carbon Monoxide
Green Doctor service

Register to take part

Fuel Poverty Awareness Course – 6th January 2021 from 12 noon to 4pm
Fuel Poverty Awareness Course – 20th January 2021 from 12 noon to 4pm

Groundwork – North East and Yorkshire

Support fund for local groups – Christmas and New Year

December 15, 2020December 15, 2020Kirklees Council

In 2020, vital community groups and organisations in our local places have found it especially difficult to generate income to support their work. Key events over the Christmas period usually provide essential funding for many smaller organisations in particular. Without the local Christmas lights switch on events, lunches, Christmas fairs, carol concerts and other seasonal activities, some groups are finding that this support has all but disappeared.

Kirklees Council have provided an extra £50,000 to help community organisations meet some of these challenges. The extra funding has been added to councillors’ Ward Project Budgets. This is funding that Kirklees Councillors distribute to organisations and projects in their local area,

Who can apply?

Voluntary and community organisations who usually arrange festive events and activities over the Christmas and New Year period to generate income for their organisation.
Constituted groups can apply for up to £1,000.

What can groups apply for?

Essential costs of keeping current activities going.
Running costs due to loss of income – for example, insurance, utility costs, maintenance or transport costs.
Contributions towards volunteer expenses or staff salaries.
New or improved IT systems or software.