Kirklees Council

Befriending Partnership – Can you help?

Kirklees Council

Lady talking on a mobile phone sitting at home.

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

Register your interest in being a telephone befriender

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

Kirklees 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

 

Local Democracy Week 2020

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

Kirklees 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 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

Kirklees Council

hand reaching out behind glass

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

Kirklees Council

Chestnut Centre

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.

Watch the webinar and see the chat

Watch the webinar

Kirklees Council guidance

Covid-19: Re-opening of community facilities (PDF)

Government guidance

COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of community facilities

 

 

Chickenley Community Centre’s community response

Kirklees Democracy

In spring 2020, Kirklees Council more than doubled the funding that ward councillors have available to support local projects in their area. Through this extra £30,000 of funding per ward, councillors are able to support the groups, projects and volunteers who are such a vital part of the community response to Covid-19. We’re sharing some stories from different wards, so you can see how councillors are using these funds in our local places.

In Dewsbury East, councillors have supported Chickenley Community Centre to provide food and other help for people in local places across the ward, including Chicklenley, Shaw Cross, Earlsheaton, Hanging Heaton and Dewsbury town centre.

Councillors knew that like a lot of other places in Kirklees, local communities would be affected by the coronavirus lockdown. They were asked by Chickenley Community Centre to support setting up a food bank, and have provided £5,000 of funding to the scheme. Among other things, the project is distributing food vouchers and food parcels across the ward.

In this short video we asked Paul Moore, Community Centre Development Worker, to tell us about their work. A small group of volunteers have made the project possible. Together with support from Kirklees Council, the One Community foundation and the Charities Aid Foundation, they are providing far more than food for local communities.

Ward project budgets – your councillors can help

Learn more about councillors

 

Growing Great Places – free workshops in July 2020

Kirklees Democracy

Growing Great Places montage

The community response in Kirklees to the Coronavirus has been incredible, with so many mutual aid and volunteer groups providing support to thousands of people across neighbourhoods and communities.

Through our Growing Great Places crowdfunding programme, Kirklees Council are offering support to local groups groups who have ideas for projects that can make our local places even better. If you and others in your neighbourhood have developed ideas over the past few months which you want to turn into a new project, this programme could well be the opportunity you’re looking for.

Pledges of up to £5,000 are available for successful crowdfunding campaigns.

Growing Great Places is run by Kirklees Council’s Democracy Service and our partners Spacehive. Spacehive are a crowdfunding platform working with local organisations on projects seeking to make neighbourhoods more sustainable, inclusive or accessible.

Take part in a free online workshop

If your volunteer group have an idea for a project in your local place, such as a community garden, pop-up market or cycle hub, Spacehive are hosting two free online project creator workshops where you can learn more.

For more details on how Growing Great Place works and how we can help you bring your projects to life, please register for your free place:

Wednesday 15th July – 12 noon

Wednesday 23rd July – 4pm

 

Find out more about Growing Great Places

Growing Great Places – community crowdfunding

Growing Great Places – Spacehive

 

Domestic Abuse briefing

Kirklees Council

Kirklees safeguarding week

It’s Safeguarding Week in Kirklees and across West Yorkshire. To support this, Kirklees Council have produced an online training resource around Domestic Abuse.

We realise that unfortunately some of you who are helping others at this difficult time have come across domestic abuse whilst supporting people in our communities.

You can listen to the briefing on YouTube (it is just over 20 minutes).

The briefing is designed to help with basic awareness, with reference to the increased risk of domestic abuse during Covid-19.

Kirklees Windrush Day 2020: e-resource pack

Kirklees Council

Windrush

It’s only in recent times that stories of the Windrush Generation have begun to be shared more widely, as an important part of British history. Since 2018 there has been an official Windrush Day to acknowledge and celebrate not only the journeys made from the Caribbean but also the cultural impact the Windrush Generation made, which has so enriched our local communities.

The 22nd June is Windrush Day and whilst planned local events and exhibitions can’t go ahead, this hasn’t stopped a range of partners collaborating on an e-resource pack, which is full of useful information.

This online pack includes history and facts, stories and recollections, book recommendations and reviews for both adults and children.

You can find out how to become a member of the Kirklees Libraries, which will then give you access to a special collection of e-books with stories, biographies, cookery and poetry.

The pack also contains lots of links to fun activities, with access to resources for making decorations, traditional Caribbean cooking recipes and crafts.

Interested in music? You can also find out about the huge contribution the Windrush Generation has made to popular music.

The online resources have been brought to you by the Jamaica National Council Huddersfield, the BAME Network and the West Yorkshire Archive Service.

Access the e-resource pack:

Kirklees Windrush e-Resource pack (PDF)

 

Other resources and organisations:

Kirklees Libraries – online resources

Kirklees Community Cohesion

Jamaica National Council Huddersfield

West Yorkshire Archive Service

 

 

Growing Great Places – community crowdfunding

Kirklees Democracy

Growing Great Places crowdfunding

We know that local places really matter to our citizens. People make places great.

Lots of new ideas for how we can support each other and stay connected have come from our towns, villages and neighbourhoods during Covid-19. Growing Great Places crowdfunding could be a way for you to get a great idea off the ground in your local place.

The programme is run by the Democracy service at Kirklees Council. We want everyone to be able to have a real stake in the places where we live, work or visit. By running a crowdfunding campaign with Growing Great Places, you’ll have the opportunity to involve backers in your project, spread the word, and connect with others who care about your local place.

How much can you crowdfund for?

You choose your own crowdfunding target. Kirklees Council and our partners at Spacehive are here to support you and make sure that your campaign has the best chance of succeeding. We offer lots of advice and support. If local people back your idea, groups could also receive a pledge of up to £5k of funding from Kirklees Council (and up to 2.5k for citizens).

Who can crowdfund?

Local organisations, informal groups and citizens can start a crowdfunding campaign. If you’re part of a mutual aid group without your own bank account, you may be able to work with a community organisation to run a crowdfunding campaign for your project.

What can be crowdfunded

Growing Great Places is for projects that bring people together to get involved in making our local places even better, through your local energy, skills, assets and creativity.

Kirklees Democracy

Find out more

We’re keen to hear from anyone who might like to start crowdfunding soon, so we can learn how to support you best. Please email: GrowingGreatPlaces@kirklees.gov.uk

Growing Great Places website

Blogs about Growing Great Places

hashtag lets pull together

Extra help for local campaigns

Both Kirklees Council and our partners at Spacehive are doing more to support groups who are crowdfunding at this time. Spacehive have waived their standard 5% fee until 20th June 2020 for projects who are raising funds during lockdown and are offering an extension of up to two months to give people more breathing space. Kirklees Council are being more flexible about the percentage of project costs that we can pledge to fund.

Spacehive have also relaxed their criteria so that organisations can crowdfund for running costs (so even if your project isn’t right for Growing Great Places, you could still run a campaign). You can find out more on the Spacehive website about how mutual aid groups and community organisations across the country are crowdfunding to support others during Covid-19.

Spacehive – Helping your community cope with COVID-19