Kirklees Council – Page 2 – We are with you

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

Supporting Communities fund

December 15, 2020December 18, 2020Kirklees Council

TSL Kirklees are accepting applications from local groups

Kirklees Council have provided Third Sector Leaders Kirklees with a grant of £60,000, which is available for local groups who are supporting people in crisis or financial hardship.

This is funding from the Local Welfare Provision budget. It’s in addition to the £32,000 previously provided for emergency food supplies at the weekends during lockdown and helping local groups to continue to support people.

What the fund can be used for

The Supporting Communities fund can be used by community groups in Kirklees for:

Supporting people in financial hardship
Providing food and essential supplies
Set up costs and membership of food share schemes (for example, Fare Share)
Building financial resilience

How to apply

The application process is very simple and grants can be approved and given very quickly.

If you would like to find out more, chat through your ideas and apply please contact Bridget Hughes, Supporting Communities Lead:

Email: bridget@tslkirklees.org.uk

Tel. 07540 434573

Supporting people in crisis – TSL Kirklees

Funding for citizens and organisations during Covid-19

Support for individuals facing financial hardship

November 18, 2020November 18, 2020Kirklees Council

As you are supporting friends, neighbours and communities throughout the community response to Covid-19 we know that many of you will come across people and families in need of financial support.

There are many support services and organisations across Kirklees who can respond to this need, such as the Local Welfare Provision team, local hardship funds or Third Sector Leaders Kirklees.

If you are supporting someone (or know someone) who is in financial difficulty as a result of Covid-19, we recommend that you inform your local Anchor Organisation about this and ask for help.

Your Anchor Organisation should be aware of local hardship funds and how to access them. If a specific circumstance is particularly difficult, they will also be well placed to ask for help or find support where necessary.

You could also consider making a referral through the Covid-19 Community Response helpline. This should help to identify any additional support needs.

There is also financial support available through Third Sector Leaders Kirklees. You can find out more about this by emailing bridget.hughes@tslkirklees.org.uk or speak to your Anchor Organisation.

Wellness Service – helping people live healthier, happier lives

November 11, 2020November 18, 2020Kirklees Council

The Wellness Service at Kirklees Council helps people to live healthier, happier lives and supports people to feel more able to look after themselves. They have a range of support services, all free of charge.

Get support with:

Improving mental wellbeing
Improving physical wellbeing
Steps for life and active for life
Stop smoking
Support for carers
Healthy weight
Connect to local groups

If you or someone you know might benefit from one of these services, now is the time to act.

As with many services the Wellness Service is currently restricted from providing the usual support sessions, but they are still open and ready to support adults 18 years+.

They are holding one to one consultations by phone appointment and these can be arranged by telephone or by completing the referral form.

To make an appointment:

Telephone – 01484 234 095

Online: Refer yourself (or someone else) to the Wellness Service

Find out more about the Wellness Service

Looking after each other’s wellbeing during Covid-19

Auntie Pam’s – support is still available for mums-to-be

November 11, 2020November 11, 2020Kirklees Council

Being able to provide help, guidance and information for mums-to-be is at the very heart of what volunteers at Auntie Pam’s do. They believe that the health and happiness of pregnant women is just as important as the baby’s, which is why they are here to help every step of the way.

Of course, during lockdown appropriate safety measures need to be in place, which means that the usual Auntie Pam’s venues in Dewsbury and Huddersfield can’t open at this time.

Help and support is still available though and local women can contact the amazing Auntie Pam’s volunteers via telephone, email and social media.

If you know anyone who might need support, a kindly ear or guidance, Auntie Pam’s is a good place to start.

Contact:

Email – auntiepams@kirklees.gov.uk

Facebook – Auntie Pam’s Supporting Mums to be (use messenger)

Telephone a volunteer between 11am and 2pm Monday to Friday:

Dewsbury – 07716 843 440
Dewsbury – 07716 843 492
Huddersfield – 07817 579 995
Huddersfield – 07779 993 764

Find out more about Auntie Pam’s

Befriending Partnership – Can you help?

November 10, 2020November 25, 2020Kirklees Council

Could you make time for a 30 minute conversation that can make a huge difference to someone’s life?

The Befriending Partnership are continuing to help tackle isolation through their telephone befriending service. Set up part of the amazing response from community organisations in Kirklees during the coronavirus lockdown, this vital service is supporting older people and vulnerable adults.

The partnership is led by the Yorkshire Children’s Centre and Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees. They are still receiving daily referrals for people who are at home and feeling lonely. This is a key time when we’re once again more isolated from each other and when we’re heading towards the colder winter months. They really need more volunteers.

Could you give up a small amount of your time to have a conversation with someone in need?

Full training (via Zoom) and support will be provided to help more people take up this important role. Not sure how to use Zoom? Support will be provided to help you.

How to get involved

Anyone can call the telephone befriending phone line on 01422 252 040
or email enquiries@ageukck.org.uk

Find out more

Read our blog about the Befriending Partnership

How the Befriending Partnership are connecting people during lockdown and beyond

If you’re part of mutual aid, you’re part of local democracy

October 9, 2020October 9, 2020Kirklees Democracy

Online event – Thursday 22nd October, 6pm to 7.30pm

Have you been involved in a mutual aid group or community organisation in your neighbourhood during covid-19? By being an active citizen in your local place you are part of your local democracy. You are making decisions about what happens in your neighbourhood and working with others to make it happen. This October we’re talking with active citizens about whether you feel part of local democracy now, and listening to your ideas about what would help you and others to stay involved in civic life.

You are every welcome to join in our online discussion workshop to share your experiences and ideas with other mutual aid participants and members of Kirklees Council’s Democracy Service.

Register to take part in our online discussion

This is part of a series of online events and covid-safe activities to celebrate Local Democracy Week 2020 in our local places. See our full programme to find out what else is on…

More local democracy events and activities in Kirklees

Community Buildings webinar, 8th September 2020

September 4, 2020September 9, 2020Kirklees Council

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 our recovery from the coronavirus outbreak.

On Tuesday 8th September at 6.30pm, Kirklees Council are hosting a second webinar to provide guidance on how to safely re-open your community building. We will also be sharing and discussing some more of the lessons we’ve learnt from community buildings that have already opened in local places across Kirklees.

If you have questions that you would like answering at this webinar then please send them through before Tuesday 8th September. 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. Please email your questions to: tamsin.macdonald@kirklees.gov.uk

The webinar panel will include:

Joanne Bartholomew, Chief Operating Officer, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing – Chair of the meeting.
Donna Roberts, Lead Infection & Prevention Control Nurse, Kirklees Council
Emily Parry-Harries, Head of Public Health, Kirklees Council
Jaime Nalson, Venue Management, Kirklees Council
Jane O’Donnell, Head of Health Protection, Kirklees Council
Jill Greenfield, Director of Customers and Communities, Kirklees Council
Jonathan Quarmby, Facilities Manager, Kirklees Council
Lisa Newbold, Community Services Manager, Local Service 2 You, Chestnut Centre (To be confirmed)

There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions to the panel 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.

Message from Joanne Bartholomew, 9th September 2020
Shortly after this session, the government made an announcement which we were not aware of in advance. It’s likely that this will change some of the points discussed in our webinar. It will take a few days for us to digest the information in the guidance when it is released. When it does and we have got our heads around it we will update the information on this page.

Our blog post from 14th July 2020 includes the YouTube footage of what happened at the first webinar and links to Kirklees Council and Government guidance on community buildings at that time:

Community Buildings Webinar – 14 July 2020

Community Response Hubs – take part in our evaluation

July 31, 2020August 20, 2020Kirklees Council

Many people have contributed to the amazing community response to Covid-19 in our local places. Mutual aid groups, voluntary and community organisations, ward councillors, Kirklees Council officers, volunteers and partners have been working alongside each other to keep people safe. We are all part of the co-ordinated Community Response in Kirklees – and we all have a stake in our local places.

Our response has been supported through place-based Community Response Hubs, with people working together in new ways. We really value the relationships that have been so vital for this work. We want to grow and strengthen those relationships as part of our recovery and for the future. We are still in the very early stages of beginning to work with and alongside citizens in a meaningful way in our local places. Your insights can help us go much further.

On behalf of our Place Based Working Board (which includes council, voluntary sector and health colleagues), I’d like to ask for your support in helping us to think about what has gone well and not so well with the hubs.

How to take part

If you’ve been part of the co-ordinated Community Response in our local places, please take part in the Community Response Hubs Evaluation by 21st August 2020 to share your personal experiences:

Community Response Hubs Evaluation – take part now

Thank you for helping us learn how we can work together well in our local places in the future – and thank you for everything you’re doing to help keep people safe.

Community Buildings webinar and guidance

July 10, 2020July 20, 2020Kirklees Council

This blog post was updated on 20th July 2020

Community buildings in our local places across Kirklees are vitally important hubs for communities, offering social, mental and physical support to citizens. Kirklees Council wants support the re-opening of these buildings in a safe and practical way as part of our recovery.

Community Buildings Webinar

On Tuesday 14th July 2020 from 6.30pm to 8pm Kirklees Council hosted a webinar to provide guidance on how to safely re-open community buildings, sharing advice about the things to consider, including how to decide when is the right time to re-open. We also discussed the lessons learnt from community buildings that have stayed open during lockdown. This learning can help everyone with the re-opening of community buildings in our local places.

The webinar panel included:

Joanne Bartholomew, Chief Operating Officer, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing
Jane O’Donnell, Head of Health Protection, Kirklees Council
Emma Griff, Facilities Management Officer, Kirklees Council
Jaime Nalson, Venue Management, Kirklees Council
Lisa Newbold, Local Services 2 You

There was an opportunity for people to ask questions in advance and via the YouTube chat during the session.