Children and volunteers from Rosegrove Neighbourhood Watch enjoyed a fantastic day at Evergreen Forest School, West Bradford, on Sunday 7th June 2026.

The trip provided local children with the opportunity to explore the outdoors, learn about nature, meet animals, discover woodland habitats and take part in a range of exciting hands-on activities. Throughout the day, children enjoyed woodland adventures and wildlife habitats and developed new skills through outdoor learning.
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The government just named its cultural investment priorities. Lancashire now has eight of them.

Last week, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published its new Culture Priority Places list - 81 local authority areas across England identified as priorities for cultural investment, targeted specifically at the places where deprivation is highest and cultural engagement is lowest. For Lancashire, the news is significant.
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Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool were already on the list as existing Arts Council Priority Places. They’ve now been joined by six more: Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Preston, Rossendale and Wyre. That’s eight Lancashire places in total on a list of 81. A significant concentration for a single county, and a clear signal that the scale of need here has been recognised at the highest level.

National Volunteers Week, 1–7 June 2026

Across Lancashire, the arts and culture sector depends on the generosity of thousands of people who give their time, energy, and enthusiasm to keep festivals running, theatres lit, galleries open, and creative communities alive. From Blackburn to Lancaster, Burnley to Lytham, volunteering sits at the very heart of what makes our cultural life so rich.
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But volunteering offers far more than the satisfaction of giving back. For those looking to build a career in the arts - or simply to develop new skills and connections - it can be one of the most powerful professional development tools available. And increasingly, the evidence points to meaningful health benefits too.

Our volunteers are the heart of Neighbourhood Watch. Every day, they make a positive impact in their communities by supporting neighbours, promoting community safety, tackling local issues, and helping to bring people together. Their commitment, passion, and hard work deserve to be recognised and celebrated.


Do you know a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer who consistently goes above and beyond?

​We are absolutely delighted to announce that The-Oasis C.I.C. has been crowned **Best Health and Wellbeing Business in Lancashire** at the England's Business Awards.

To say we were shocked would be an understatement. When our name was called out as the winner, we genuinely couldn't believe it. It was an incredibly proud and emotional moment for everyone involved with The-Oasis.

Since we started, our mission has always been simple: to provide a safe, welcoming and supportive space where people can improve their mental health, reduce isolation, build confidence and feel connected to their community. To have this work recognised with such a prestigious award means the world to us.

At NAVCA, we want to make sure the support we offer reflects what our members need and value. That's why we are running a member engagement survey, to hear from you about your experience of being a NAVCA member.


The short survey asks about how you personally engage with NAVCA and what’s working well, as well as where we could do things differently. We want to hear your views on networks, events, influencing work, how we communicate, and more. 


Your feedback helps shape our future work and may be used anonymously in our annual reports or on our website.


We want to hear from as many people as possible, so everyone in your organisation is welcome to complete the survey. ​

This new initiative captures and maps key moments from the life and reign of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, creating a lasting record for future generations.


The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee Secretariat is seeking support in promoting this project across communities within the county. They hope to inspire individuals to contribute their personal memories to the Digital Memorial, which serves both as a tribute to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and as a valuable public history archive.
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Get Grants Newsletter - June 2026
Welcome to the Get Grants June 2026 Newsletter! 


June is here, and we’ve got a full month of Training Courses and FREE Events lined up for you.


We’re also running FREE Meet the Funder & Expert Events this month with Tesco Fruit & Veg Grants and Localgiving - a great chance pick up top tips advice to support your fundraising!


Our In-Person Bid Writing Training Course is also back in Birmingham this month. Join John Ellery for practical guidance to help build your confidence with bid writing.


Next month, Mike Zywina returns with our NEW Stronger Bid Writing MASTERCLASS exploring why funders say no and how to learn from rejections, with top tips to create higher-quality applications for your organisation. ​

​Pelvic Floor Symptoms? Help & Support Is Available

Our free upcoming events and opportunities 
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Small Charity Week is right around the corner! Whether you’re planning your next campaign or trying to make sense of AI, here’s our free events and resources to help you build skills, save time and strengthen your impact.

Campaign Creator: Our new 5-day email seriesLaunching Monday 22 June

To mark Small Charity Week, Media Trust is launching a free 5-day email series designed specifically for small charities.
Campaign Creator will guide you through building a campaign from start to finish, whether you're raising awareness of an issue, promoting a service, recruiting volunteers, fundraising or simply encouraging people to take action.
Expect short, practical tips, useful templates and resources designed exclusively for charities. By the end of the week, you’ll have some great new ideas and the foundations of a campaign ready to go!
Sign up today to receive your daily email from 22–26 June!

Sign up for our Campaign Creator email series

A great start to the year
We’re really pleased to share an update on our Charity Support events programme for 2026.
We’ve already hosted two webinars so far this year - one for charity founders and one for fundraisers. These online sessions have helped charities build new skills in a way that’s easy to attend and fits around busy schedules, making expert insight accessible wherever you are.
Our in‑person Fundraising and Founders Forums continue to offer something really special. These sessions are designed to help attendees:

• Connect with peers who truly understand the charity journey
• Share experiences, challenges and ideas in a supportive space
• Build confidence and develop new skills to take back to their organisations
• Hear directly from industry experts

If you value honest conversations, peer learning and practical insight, these forums are for you.

​We want to understand what matters most to carers who have or who are supporting someone with a learning disability. Your answers will help us share carers’ views. We want to understand what matters most to carers who have, or who support someone with, a learning disability.


By taking part in this short survey (around 3 minutes), you can help us make sure carers’ voices are heard. Your answers will help us share carers’ views with the Lancashire Learning Disability Partnership Board.


👉 Survey link: Short survey for carers – Fill in form

Upcoming FREE Virtual Events!

We’re heading into May with a few FREE events coming up to keep you inspired, connected and energised throughout the month.


Join our Meet the Funder session with The Eveson Trust and The Portal Trust to hear their latest insights, explore useful resources and discover current funding opportunities.


We’re also closing the month with our Virtual Fundraisers Networking Event on Thursday 30th April, 11am - 12pm, a space to share fundraising challenges, exchange ideas, and connect with others in the sector, or simply drop in and listen.


Our Introduction to Trusts and Foundations Workshop will also be running, giving you practical guidance and a chance to win a FREE place on our full course.

Holiday Activity & Food programme aims to provide a range of enjoyable activities and nutritious meals for primary and secondary school aged children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals.

The England-wide Holiday Activities and Food Programme is funded by the Department for Education and distributed through Lancashire County Council. Rossendale Leisure Trust were asked by Rossendale Borough Council to become the lead body, responsible for HAF in the borough.

 All activity providers were Rossendale or Lancashire based, ensuring the scheme supported local businesses as well as local families.  
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From Grip & Go at Adrenaline, Tubing at The Hill, Multiskills at local schools, Emma’s Crazy Creature, Hula hooping with Laura from The Valley Hoopers are just a couple of fun activities the children took part in over Summer and Winter as part of HAF.