|
Welcome to the Autumn 2025 Think CO e-newsletter from the Gas Safe Charity. Autumn seems to have arrived early in many parts of the UK. Leaves have started turning yellow and blackberries have become overripe. Even though the summer warmth has left us, people probably haven’t put their boilers back on or lit their coal fire just yet. Early autumn is an excellent time to get gas and other appliances serviced and to have chimneys and flues swept before they get used for the first time in months – Think CO’s top tip. In your role as a CO aware worker or volunteer, it’s a great opportunity to remind your clients to get this done or to chase landlords for a tenant’s annual gas safety check if it hasn’t been done in the last year.  Another month gone by and suddenly Autumn is upon us.
It's not officially Autumn yet, but the weather is telling us something else. We have been very fortunate in having a long spell of summer weather, so it's now time to dig out the woolly jumpers and waterproofs. I shall certainly be packing an abundance of these in readiness for a trip to the Isle of Mull. As many of you probably know, Scotland can give you all 4 seasons in one day! Fingers crossed for some decent weather. I recently saw a news items advising people on how to plan for Christmas. Yes, apparently it is only four pay slips or pension payments away! It does bring home how soon the expensive season will be upon us. The Craft group will be making Christmas items, such as boxes, bags and, more importantly, chocolate truffles to put in the boxes. Doubt they will last until then! The knitting group is also looking at producing festive themed items. All sounds very interesting. Good Things Foundation update - what have we been up to.  Here’s a quick round-up of what we’ve been working on recently to drive digital inclusion forward:
 As we move into autumn, we’re poised to highlight the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) with National Inclusion Week – a timely reminder of the role we all play in creating a fairer, more inclusive voluntary sector.
We will also be at the Labour Party conference at the end of September, showcasing the impact of our members as well as lobbying for a better partnership between government and civil society, building understanding of the Civil Society Covenant, and positioning voluntary organisations and charities as a critical partner in creating change together. For more on both of these, and others, in this edition of Membership Matters we also share a number of exclusive offers and events coming up for our members including: expert-led webinars, wellbeing support, details of our Annual General Meeting, and the launch of the Civil Society Almanac 2025.  It has been a difficult few weeks, with a rise in racist incidents and a sense that such behaviour is becoming more normalised.
The far right rally in London at the weekend drew around 110,000 people and gave a voice to racist hatred. In communities nationwide, hate crime is increasing, alongside a worrying perception that it is acceptable to single out people who ‘don’t look British.’ Union Jack and St. George flags have been used as a symbol of far right support, with an insidious veneer of “but it's our national flag” in the face of criticism. It is scary, unnerving, and threatening. Many of you will have experienced aggression, or be supporting people who have. You’ll see communities feeling unsafe, feeling frustration with the wider establishment response, or feeling unsure about what we can do. Our role as local infrastructure organisations is to support strong, united communities, which is more important than ever. We are here to listen to and support people, and to build a sense of a shared, positive, inclusive place. We can focus on the positive, call out the aggression, and amplify anti-racist voices. I have been looking for people and places offering me hope, and we can do the same in our roles. Bolstering each other and our community is our superpower right now. I have attached some thinking from the Emergencies Partnership team as they too call out the threat of violence and reality of unrest. This is an internal tool for the Emergencies Partnership team, but might be useful to inform your thinking. I also wanted to share this useful guide from New Ways - When Hate Spills Into Workplaces - A Leaders Guide. It has practical, active steps we can take, and is a piece I certainly find useful to reflect on. It's easy to feel inadequate, and that whatever we do is insufficient in the face of such significant problems. Let’s know that what we has impact, and know that what we do to support inclusive, resilient, thriving communities matters.  below is the August newsletter. As with previous editions, readers are encouraged to share it with anyone who may benefit from its contents.
The newsletter includes the latest updates from VIC, and all back copies are available to view on the organisation’s website. Further news and information are regularly posted on the VIC Facebook page and group. For those who require printed copies, the team can be contacted on 01706 833180. Digital copies of all newsletters, along with the latest news, can also be downloaded from the VIC website. Both the website and Facebook page are updated regularly with further details on VIC’s services and activities. First up, volunteering! In consulting with members around the new RVS volunteering platform, we heard that members would like us to create a campaign that showcases the importance of local infrastructure in supporting volunteering in communities. We are starting to make plans, but we need your input and ideas? Firstly, we are gathering information about what you do around volunteering, how many roles you advertise, how many VCSE groups you support, and more. This will help us to paint a picture of how crucial NAVCA members are in nurturing a thriving and inclusive volunteering culture locally. Secondly, if you can contribute to our campaign, we'd like to hear from you. Jump to the section below to find out how to feed back - we'd love to hear from you.
We've also been planning our autumn/winter training series, where we're hosting a series of training sessions for NAVCA members, to help you develop your skills and support your local voluntary sector. I'm so pleased to see that our session with the Charity Commission has been popular - there are still a few spaces left, so book your place today to avoid missing out. Myself and Lydia, our Projects Officer, have been working on making sure that our regular network meetings (such as volunteering, anti-racism, and climate) are as useful to members as possible. We have a volunteering meeting and an anti-racism meeting next week, and we'd love to see you there. And in another of our regular policy-orientated member conversations, we’re hoping you’ll join us to dig into the findings of recently released DCMS research into Local Civil Society Infrastructure. There's a lot going on, so do check out the NAVCA website Member Hub, where you can chat to other members, download hundreds of free resources, and sign up for all NAVCA events. The Rossendale Family Hubs September Newsletter is here! This month’s issue includes: Updates on the new Early Help Strategy Meet the Family Hub team – including our new Navigator and Support Workers Free flu vaccinations for 2- & 3-year-olds Stress Control Workshops from NHS Talking Therapies Better Habits sessions with Rossendale Leisure Trust Upcoming groups like Café & Connect, Baby Massage, and more   Our News - September 2025 is here! Dear Neighbour, The September issue of Our News is here! We've got lots to share this month including:
 This month, we have been busy out and about and behind the scenes.
Recently, we wrapped up our Disability Voices Phase 2 project, which is now heading into the analysis stage with the report due to be published in the coming months📃 Amongst our engagement work out and about across Lancashire, we are proud to be supporting an ongoing petition designed to protect independent patient voices after the Government announced its decision to abolish Healthwatch in the future. Scroll to find out more👇 Please see the link below for the latest Heads up Health Protection bulletin. Please could you share this with all your contacts who may find this information useful:   🎉 Your August Camerados Newsletter is Here – Movement Mischief and more!🎉
Hello, lovely movement folk! It's been a hot one, and Camerados all around the world have been seizing every opportunity to come together in the sunshine. Public Living Rooms have been popping up at festivals, parks, and community spaces near and far. Not even the Atlantic Ocean is a barrier! Some folk have even been travelling overseas to visit each other.   Welcome to the August Edition of Community Foundation for Lancashire Newsletter
We’re excited to bring you another round of stories and updates that shine a light on the people, projects, and partnerships driving positive change in Lancashire communities. This month’s newsletter features articles that investigate the importance of transparency in grant making, celebrate two of our trustees receiving honours from the King and much more. A special welcome to our new trustee Philip Rooney. The Lancashire Mental Health Partnership (LMHP) has released its latest Zine, packed with:
The Zine celebrates the voices of those with lived experience, alongside the dedication of local organisations and partners who are working together to build stronger mental health pathways across Lancashire.   YOUR LATEST NEWS FOR CARERS IN EAST LANCASHIRE
 The latest edition of our monthly newsletter is here.
There's a trend in the summer for specific types of crime to increase, often thanks to the warmer weather. That may come as a surprise, but opportunist criminals will take advantage our desire to get out, relax or travel. This August, find out what the risks are and how you can protect yourself whether at home, or away. As always, this issue also has a host local news and special offers too. We hope you enjoy reading it. P.S. Don't forget to share with your neighbours or to pass on any advice that might help someone you know.  The August edition of the Rossendale community bulletin is now available at Aug 2025 - Communities Bulletin
 We have so many great courses for young people aged 16-30 to get involved in. Courses are free and give people the tools to build their confidence, find a job or start their own business.
Highlights include:
Read on to find out more!  We made the UK government rethink benefit cuts
Over the past few months, we’ve been campaigning tirelessly to prevent cuts to disability and sickness benefits, alongside disabled people, charities and MPs across the country. We called out the cuts on social media and in the news. We briefed and met with MPs. And over 2,300 Mind supporters emailed their MP. Sadly, we weren’t able to stop all the proposed cuts. But we achieved a lot. Faced with massive pressure, the UK government was forced to make significant changes to its proposals to get the Bill through parliament. In this newsletter, we’re sharing what happened.  Welcome to our quarterly stakeholder newsletter, where we share key updates from our service and beyond. In this issue, you'll find:
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed