PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, August 30, 2023

NEWS

PCN Networking Event – Save the Date!

We are now hosting the above events on a regular three monthly basis and we are pleased to say they are growing in popularity and we have had some very positive feedback from recent events.

We have provisionally set Thursday, October 5 for our next event and we are at present discussing possible themes and speakers and fixing a venue.

Please could you reserve the date in your diary and more details will follow in due course?

FUNDING

Suicide prevention funding launched

The Department of Health and Social Care has today (25 August) launched a £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund for 2023-24 to 2024-25.

The purpose of the fund is to support suicide prevention in the voluntary and community sector and help them meet additional demand for services. It will also support the delivery of new, preventative activity that can help to prevent suicides and save lives.

The application period is from today (25 August) until 1 October. Applications must be made online via the Find a Grant portal, unless exceptional circumstances apply.

Guidance on the fund can be found on GOV.​UK. The guidance provides full details of the objectives of the fund, the eligibility criteria, and what the application process involves.

TRAINING

Adult Safeguarding Training

There are two free safeguarding sessions being put on in partnership with Lancashire Adults learning and Preston City Council. The first one will be held at Farringdon Park Community Centre on Monday September 11^th. The second will be held online (via Zoom) on Tuesday September 12^th.

Anyone who wishes to book on, please contact Dot Halliwell on 07521044549.

Three Free Online Courses

‘We Find Any Learner’ are currently offering three of their most popular online courses completely free. The courses are as follows:

Counselling Skills Level 2

Mental Health First Aid Level 2

Understanding Autism Level 2

The only criteria to attend is that you are at least 19 years old, reside in England, and are not currently enrolled in an apprenticeship programme.

EVENTS

World Mental Health Day

As some of you will know, there is a World Mental Health Day event planned for the Flag Market in Preston City Centre on Saturday, October 7.

There will be a variety of stalls and activities throughout the day and the event represents a good opportunity to engage the wider public and promote the various services that can potentially help people with their mental health.

More details will follow nearer the time but please find attached booking form if you are interested in becoming involved.

Man Cave

There are still spaces for 4 more partners to have stall for this session. Please contact tasha@strive2thrivelancs.co.uk ASAP to book a stall.
To raise awareness and challenge the stigma of men and boys accessing support.

St Catherine’s Hospice Drop In Sessions

Though based in South Ribble, our friends at St Catherine’s Hospice cover the Preston area and have advised us of two regular drop in events which look to be a very useful resource for people in the city.

Details on the attached flyers. (Flyer 1) (Flyer 2)    

Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness

Our thriving member group No Whispers are offering a Level 1 Certificate CPD Accredited Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness training course next month.

It’s taking place over two evenings, Monday October 16 and Monday, October 23,  at the Lancashire FA in Leyland PR25 2LF.

The venue has free parking and member groups or representatives based in Preston are very welcome.

To book a place, click this link and for further info, contact karen@no-whispers.co.uk 

Information & Assessment Day at Pukar Disability Resource Centre

Find out about services and opportunities going on at Pukar Disability Resource Centre this term. This event offers a lot for parents/carers, as well as support and advice regarding your child’s learning. Please see attached flyer for more information.

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, August 31

1pm-3pm: The Foxton Centre Art Exhibition

This afternoon is also the Foxton’s Open Day and will be their last large event before they close the building for renovations and an exciting new build that’s coming their way in 2024. It will be a friendly celebration day, reflecting back on over 50 years of supporting the community.

Location: The Foxton Centre, Knowsley Street, PR1 3SA.

All welcome.

Friday, September 1 

1pm-4pm: School Uniform Bank. Open for collections. Hosted by Larches and Savick Community Association.

(also Saturday, September 2 10am-Noon)

Location: The Hub, St Bernards.

Friday, September 1

5pm – 9pm: Man Cave

To raise awareness and challenge the stigma of men and boys accessing support.

Venue: The MET (Mobile Events Tent), Fylde Road, Preston, PR1 1DP.

Sunday, September 3

Noon-7pm: Family Fun Day

Enjoy yourselves before the schools go back! Bouncy castle, stalls etc.

Location: Preston Community Hub, Samuel St, Preston PR1 4YE.

Wednesday, September 6

7pm-8.30pm: Volunteer Evening at Grimsargh Wetlands group.

Location: Grimsargh Village Hall.

Registration and more details via this link

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, August 23, 2023

NEWS

Have Your Say

Preston City Council are looking to improve the facilities at Ashton Park, Waverley Park and Moor Park. They are inviting people to have their say on the proposed changes. They are holding two in-person sessions tomorrow(Aug 23) at 9am and 12pm at West View Leisure Centre, PR1 5EP. Since it is quite late notice, you can input your feedback online via this link.

JOB VACANCY

Employability Advisor

Lancashire Community Finance are looking to recruit an Employability Advisor to provide tailored employment support to economically inactive individuals to address barriers to gaining employment with personalised support for individuals to achieve and sustain work, including supported job searching, restoring self-confidence for work, and skills development. You can find the full job description and details of how to apply here.

RESOURCES

AI for Charities

I (Glenn) recently attended a webinar put on by Charity Excellence which talked about how charities can use AI to their advantage. We have mentioned charity Excellence on our news update a few times recently, but they have just started circulating their AI toolbox, a list of AI services that they offer, which I thought I would share with you all.

Support for Bengali speaking carers of dementia sufferers

iSupport is an internet based support package for those looking after dementia sufferers.

The package has now been translated into Bengali and is available for a three month trial period by contacting emily.fisher@ucl.ac.uk

This will be of interest to many of our members who work within the BAME community and more details are available via the attached flyer.

Preston Masonic Hall

One of our newer members, Preston Masonic Group, kindly invited our Development and Communications Officer Tony Dawber to have a look round their base at Preston Masonic Hall which is centrally located in Saul Street, just by the Court Buildings.

It has a sizeable main function room with adjoining bar and lounge and a number of other well appointed rooms.

All these rooms are available for hire and importantly, the group say they particularly welcome charity organisations and offer heavily discounted rates for such groups.

If you are interested in hiring one of the rooms, contact Sharon Bowman on masonic@ashlarhouse.co.uk

The group are also very actively involved in charity work and are keen to increase their contacts within the local community.

EVENTS

Volunteer Recruitment Day

Our friends at ICANN are always on the look out for new volunteers, and are planning on running a volunteer recruitment day on September 21^st. This is to introduce potential volunteers to the work they do and how they can get involved. Please circulate this event to anyone who would be possibly interested in joining them as a volunteer.

Intact Centre

The Summer holidays are coming to a close but our friends at The Intact Centre are still hosting a busy programme of events which are continuing as the schools prepare to reopen their doors.

You can find full details on the attached flyer.

It’s well worth noting the Intact Centre Café is now fully open and serving delicious food and drinks from 9am-2pm Monday to Friday with a different ‘Meal of the Day’ available each day for just £3.50.

The Centre also has carbon monoxide alarms available as part of a free energy pack you can pick up at any time.

Workforce Strategy Event

As you may be aware, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) is developing a five-year Workforce Strategy that takes account of the whole area and the shared vision for health and care and services. 

Programme lead Joe Hannett of Community Futures, who many of you will have heard deliver an excellent address on his work to our recent PCN networking meeting, has advised us of two forthcoming sessions on the strategy.

Members of groups in our sector are encouraged to attend one of these sessions and offer their views.

The online sessions will take place on Friday, September 8 with session 1 running from 9.30am-10.30am and Session 2 from 11am-Noon. Just choose the one you prefer.

Teams links here(9:30am) and here(11am).

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, August 23

1pm & 4pm: The Harris Ragtag Roadshow

Rag & Tag are cheeky and inquisitive friends who love to reuse, create and play – and their world is created almost entirely out of scrap! They travelling in their van scrappy as they encourage young and old to be green, get creative and have fun.

The Roadshow is a mobile scrapstore with walkabout characters called Rag & Tag, pop-up creative activities, children’s theatre, loose parts play and more.

Location: Bus Station Plaza (This is part of the launch of Encounter Festival Creative Scrap Store)

Free Tickets via Eventbrite

Friday, August 25 (also August 26 and September 1, same times, and September 2 10am-Noon)

1pm-4pm: School Uniform Bank. Open for collections. Hosted by Larches and Savick Community Association.

Location: The Hub, St Bernards.

Registration: Not required. All welcome. 

Thursday, August 31
1pm-3pm: The Foxton Centre Art Exhibition

This afternoon is the Foxton’s Open Day and will be their last large event before they close the building for renovations and an exciting new build that’s coming their way in 2024. It will be a friendly celebration day, reflecting back on over 50 years of supporting the community.

Location: The Foxton Centre, Knowsley Street, PR1 3SA

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, August 16, 2023

NEWS

Joint Networking Event

A host of community focused networks in Preston are getting together to host a joint networking event on Tuesday, September 19.

Organised in partnership with Preston Wellfest, Preston Community Network, Preston Youth Forum, Preston Community Action Forum and Preston Food Hubs Network, the event will be held in the Mobile Event Tent, which will be located on University Square, 43 Fylde Road, Preston PR1 7DP.

Between 10am and Noon, there will be an opportunity for community organisations to network together. There will then be a break for lunch between Noon and 1pm with light refreshments provided. Between 1pm and 3pm the tent will open to the public, so they can find out more about the fantastic community groups and organisations we have across the city and how they can get involved or access support.

During this time, a ‘speakers corner’ will operate for any group wishing to spend a few minutes saying something about what they do. This will be bookable on the day.

If you would like to attend please email your name and organisation to rosie.paterson@lancashire.gov.uk as soon as possible, as places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

If you would like to have a stall or banner space at the event please state this in your email, indicating whether you will be attending all the event or just the am or pm slots.

You can also book via this link

Digital Inclusion

Selnet and Lancashire’s Digital Skills Partnership to support vulnerable residents aged 18 and above who are Digitally Excluded has proved a big success.

The project is due to closer soon but before it does, organisers are having one last push for the remaining devices to be gifted to those are digitally disadvantaged.

If you have already been involved or if your group have not yet used the service, you can still do so, and details are available via this link

If you have any questions, contact Yvette Holden at Selnet on yvette@selnet-uk.com

or 07958 432165.

Safeguarding Training – Member Request

This is an important issue for VCFSE groups and it is essential that mandatory safeguarding training is up to date for nominated safeguarding officers.

This is a particularly tricky issue as regulations are constantly changing and training frequently needs to be updated.

Level 1 and 2 training and Mental Capacity Act (MCA) training is easily accessible and can be done online for free.

However  Levels 3 and 4 are more difficult to access and can incur significant costs.

We would like to ask all our members who have safeguarding leads if providing Level 3 and 4 training for them is proving an issue. And if PCN were to look at providing access to such training, would you be interested in utilising this?

Please drop us a line to tonyd@prestoncn.org or glennm@prestonnc.org and let us know ASAP and we will action accordingly.

FUNDING

UKSPF Sports and Leisure Fund
Our good friend Rob Larcombe of Preston City Council, who many of you will have seen when he addressed our recent PCN networking event to talk about his role as PCC Leisure Development Officer, has advised us of a great funding opportunity for sports and leisure projects in Preston.
The UKSPF Sports and Leisure Fund will provide a competitive community grants scheme that will be made available to voluntary and community groups to encourage greater participation in sports in the city, parks, and green spaces.
Attached is a guidance document with an expression of interest form, providing information about eligible projects and how to apply.

Hardship Grants

Lancashire Community Finance is continuing to provide grants to local residents experiencing financial hardship and who are unable to meet their day-to-day needs. The grants are part of a wider package of support that includes social welfare advice covering money, debt, benefits, and housing issues. Due to high demand, the grants are likely to be fully distributed by 15^th September, and so we encourage organisations wishing to refer their service users do so as soon as possible. Please see attached leaflet for more information.

HMRC Funding Programme

Our friends at Community Futures have passed on details of a new funding initiative by HMRC for VCFSE groups.

The aim is to give such groups the chance to develop their services so they can help their users with their tax affairs and assist them in building a beneficial relationship with HMRC.

For full details, please click on this link.

SURVEY

NCVO Survey

The above organisation have launched a survey to study the impact of inflation on charities delivering public services, specifically those funded by contracts and grants from central and local government and public bodies

Underfunding of these services is a longstanding problem for the sector, and it is now being exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.

Voluntary infrastructure bodies are working together to make the case to Government for sustainably funded public services and this survey is intended to help build evidence of the current problems and influence government.

Click on this link to take part. NCVO Survey.

RESOURCES

ACEVO

Following on from last weeks organisation Association of Chairs, Annie Wynn from Let’s Grow Preston has advised of an interesting group for Chief executives of charities. Their mission is to inspire and support civil society leaders through connection, skills and influence. They do charge for membership, but also have a free newsletter that is sent every three months. https://www.acevo.org.uk/newsletter/

EVENTS

Webinar: Co-op solutions to the climate emergency

Another webinar from the Preston Co-op Development Network
This webinar showcases two co-ops helping to overcome the climate emergency through the creation of community renewable energy co-ops.

Eventbrite

Plungington Table Top Sales

Come and grab a bargain at Plungington Community Centre at our monthly Table Top Sale every second Saturday of the month.

It is free entry with refreshments available. Dates are currently September 9, October 14 and November 11. For more information, please see leaflet attached.

DS Youth 

A reminder that long standing PCN member group DanceSyndrome’s new inclusive, accessible dance collective for young people from age 14 begins on Monday, September 11.

The ‘DS Youth’ weekly are held at Bangor Street Community Centre, Blackburn but are open to anyone in the Preston area, particularly those with learning difficulties or a disability who may not be able to access anything suitable in their own locality. 

Please see the attached flyer for further details.

Please note the existing adult DS Collective continues to rehearse in Preston every Wednesday.

Self-Harm Discovery Days

A number of our member groups deal with the problems and effects of self harm and therefore may be interested in a series of ‘Discovery Days’ hosted by the Self-Harm Improvement Collaborative at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

The aim of the events is to gain a clear understanding of the experience of service users in Lancashire who are self-harming and currently access support, what is working well and where the gaps are.

The dates for the discovery days are:

Tuesday, September 19 – Children and Young People

Thursday, September 21 – Adults

Monday, September 25 – Older Adults

All three workshops will run from 9am-4.30pm at the Lancashire FA County Ground, Thurston Road, Leyland PR25 2LF.  Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

If you would like to attend please complete this form and select the day/s you wish to attend https://forms.office.com/e/cL5R1xfjEp

For more info, contact lisa.atkinson@lscft.nhs.uk

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Saturday, August 19

10am: Adoption Information Event.

Come along to an event and find out if this is for you. In addition to our experienced social worker, we will also have an adopter available to chat to about their experience of adoption and the process and are happy to answer all your questions.

Location: Online only.

Registration: To book onto this event click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

Saturday, August 19

12pm – 6pm: Charity Family Fun day 

The Hunters, Hennel Lane, Walton Park, Preston, United Kingdom

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, August 9, 2023

NEWS

PCN Training

Thank you to those who have already said they are interested in our Comms, Website and Social Media training programme that we are currently looking at putting on for all members. We are just once we have a date, we will let you know. If you are interested in the training session, please let us know.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

The intact Centre are currently giving away free energy packs including a Carbon Monoxide alarm.

This is a great initiative that not many people think about, as CO is known as the ‘silent killer’, get yours from the Intact Centre now.

JOB VACANCY

ICANN Advocacy

ICANN are currently recruiting for two new advocates to join their team. They are looking for hardworking, motivated, and enthusiastic individuals to work across Lancashire, on a range of projects including Benefits Assessment & Appeals Advocacy Service. If you, or anyone you know would be interested in this job, you can find a full job description on Indeed here.

RESOURCES

Grants Online Newsletter

For those that don’t know, GrantsOnline offer a free newsletter sent out every month highlighting multiple grants that are currently available. Whilst the rest of the site is paid for, we thought some of our members would appreciate the free newsletter.

https://www.grantsonline.org.uk/

Association of Chairs

We have been made aware of a resource to help support the various Chairs and Vice Chairs throughout the charitable sector. The website has various guides, webinars and runs networking events where you can meet other chairs and learn how to help your organisation. There is a small charge of £60 per year to join, but they do have a couple of free downloadable guides on the website.

https://www.associationofchairs.org.uk/

EVENTS

Co-Op Webinar

Our friend John Atherton of the Preston Co-Operative Development Network has advised us of a free webinar about Co-op Solutions on Tuesday 19^th September.

This webinar will showcase examples of how co-ops can be used to overcome community challenges. Whether you want to create and improve community spaces or provide local employment opportunities.

Book now

The Princes Trust

The Princes Trust are holding a recruitment event on the 16th August from 11am-3pm at Preston Fire Station. If you have any young people who would really benefit from attending, then please bring them down and they can find out more information about the programme and sign up for it. If you have any questions or want more information please contact Abbie Winward from Lancs Fire and Rescue Service (abigailwinward@lancsfirerescue.org.uk).

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, August 10

1pm – 3pm: Reptile Encounters at The Foxton Centre.

Location: The Foxton Centre, Knowsley St, Avenham, Preston, PR1 3SA.

Registration: Not required.

Friday, August 11

10am-4pm: DS Youth dance taster event

Open to all from Preston area, especially those with a disability.

Location: Bangor Street Community Centre, Blackburn BB1 6NZ.

Registration: Call 07597 942494 or email cyp@dancesyndrome.co.uk

Saturday, August 12

2pm-3.30pm: Annual Butterfly Walk organised by Grimsargh Wetlands group.

Location: Grimsargh Wetlands, off Preston Rd, entrance opposite Elston Lane.

Registration: Via this link

Tuesday, August 15

9.30am: Adopting with Concurrent Planning Information Event

Want to find out more about this innovative route to adoption combining fostering and adoption? Adopting with Concurrent Planning is a service for babies and young children who enter care and are likely to need adoption, but who also still have a small chance of being reunited with their birth family. Our carers are dually approved as both foster carers and adopters. 

Location: Online only.

Registration: To book your place click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, August 2, 2023

NEWS

PCN Training

We are planning to run a couple of short sessions in the near future on media, communication, websites and social media. A couple of groups have already said they would like to attend so I thought I would open it up to everyone. There is no fixed date as of yet, but to express your interest in attending, please e-mail me at glennm@prestoncn.org.

Deepdale Community Association

We have recently been working with Irfan over at Deepdale Community Association on a variety of things including governance and registering domains. As a result of this, we have just helped them set up their own e-mail domain and they have asked us to let you all know their new e-mail address so you can all update your contact lists – info@prestondeepdale.org. Their old e-mail will still be manned until the end of August.

Let’s Keep Talking

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has recently launched the latest phase of its ‘Let’s Keep Talking’ campaign, primarily targeting young people aged 11 – 18.

The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around young people’s mental health, whilst signposting to support services via the Healthy Young Minds website.

Please find attached a toolkit has which been produced for use by organisations within Lancashire to help spread the word.

APPEALS

Relate

Our newest member – Relate Cross Pennine provide relationship counselling services across Lancashire and Yorkshire. They are currently looking for a room to hire in the Preston area so they can provide in person services to residents at a convenient location. So if anyone has any rooms available that can house 3-4 people in an evening for sessions, please get in touch with Diane@relatecp.org.uk or drop us a message here at PCN and we can help organise.

Work Experience

Great Places Housing Group have advised us of a lady that is looking for some work experience within a data analysis team after recently completing a qualification in it. If anyone has any opportunities in this, please get in touch with Stacey at Stacey.fletcher@greatplaces.org.uk.

RESOURCES

Charity Excellence Framework

This organisation have lots of help and resources to help you with funding bids, governance and just general help. They have some handy self assessment tools and are using AI to help with bids. Registration is free and highly recommended.

https://www.charityexcellence.co.uk/

EVENTS

Healthy Relationships

Safenet’s Healthy Relationships team are running free workshops this summer to young people aged 16-25 at the Haven Central Lancashire. These workshops will promote healthy and non-violent relationships and give young people a safe space to ask questions to a domestic abuse worker. For more information, please see the poster attached.

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, August 3 (and August 10, 17 and 24) 

10am-2pm: HAF Summer activity sessions for 5-7 year olds.

Location:  Preston East Neighbourhood Centre, Brookfield Primary
School, Watling Street Road, PR2 6T.

Registration: Not required.

Thursday, August 3 

1pm-3pm: The Foxton Centre presents BINGO.

Location: The Foxton Centre, Knowsley St, Avenham, Preston, PR1 3SA.

Registration: Not required

Friday, August 4

6.30pm: Adoption Information Event.

Why not come along to an event and find out to see if this is for you.  In addition to our experienced social worker, we will also have an adopter available to chat to about their experience of adoption and the process and are happy to answer all your questions.

Location: Online only.

Registration: To book onto this event click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, July 26, 2023

NEWS

1 Embrace Lancashire

We were delighted to hear this week that our member group Embrace Lancashire have been successful in obtaining funding from the National Lottery’s Awards for All scheme.

This will enable the group to plan a new series of events for those with a disability who are isolated and need support, particularly those with sight or mental health issues.

We are particularly pleased as we worked closely with Embrace Lancashire when they were putting together their grant application, and are really happy that their very worthwhile and vitally needed project can continue.

2 Wellfest Event

A heads up for a what should be a great networking and info event being put together by the Preston Wellfest network of health and wellbeing organisations.

It will take place on Tuesday, September 19 in Preston and the plan is to throw the floor open for part of the event for any groups to get up and deliver a presentation.

We at PCN will be taking one of the spots, and we would be delighted if some of our member groups joined us in offering a small presentation on the day.

If you are interested, drop us a line at tony@prestoncn.org or glennm@prestoncn.org and we’ll let the organisers know.

3 Invest In Youth Project

This project targets young people aged 14-24, and as part of the project, Selnet have been awarded two contracts to deliver employability support to economically inactive young people in Preston and help them overcome their personal barriers to economic activity.

Selnet are now inviting your organisation to express an interest in becoming a delivery partner in their projects.

Register your interest via this link, which also provides more information and details about the two projects.

Don’t hang around though as the closing date for registering interest is next Monday, July 31.

JOB VACANCIES

Trust House Lancashire

Trust House are looking to hire an Admin Assistant, as well as a Children’s Play Therapist. This could be a great opportunity for you or someone you may know. You can find all information regarding the two roles and how to apply on their website, here.

FUNDING

1 Funding Opportunity for Groups Supporting Low Income Households

Our thanks to Clare Compton from the National Lottery Community Fund who has advised about a new Government funding scheme they are administering which is for organisations that support low income households and individuals under pressure due to the Cost of Living Crisis.

You can apply for between £10,000 and £75,000, and to be eligible your organisation must already run critical services around at least one of the following:

• food and emergency supplies – like food and baby banks or the provision of hot meals, clothes or toiletries
• emergency shelter – like night shelters or other accommodation for people experiencing homelessness
• safe spaces – like domestic abuse services and youth services
• warmth – like warm rooms and spaces
• financial and housing advice – like giving people advice because of the increased cost of living.

Your organisation must also be facing both increased demand and costs for the services provided.

Applications must be submitted by noon on October 16, and you can apply for funding even if you have an existing grant that has already been varied due to cost of living increases.

You can find more information here.

SURVEYS

Recovery College

Have you recently attended a session at The Recovery College in Preston?

If so, you are eligible to take part in a large survey exercise being conducted by the Recovery College national network aimed at improving their service in the future.

There’s a small payment for those who take part, so it’s worth looking at.

See attached flyer for details.

EVENTS

1 Gifts & Talents Show

Our member group, Release CIC are planning to run a Gifts & Talents Show. This is to help establish a platform for collaborative working opportunities between VCFSS within Preston, Leyland & Chorley. They will invite a minimum of fifteen VCFS service providers to participate in their event. Services will be asked to produce an art/craft based activity which represents beneficiaries and teams individually or as a group, such as: a poem, artwork, craft activity, song or dance session. To register your interest in the event, please fill in this survey.

2 Pop Up Sale

Rebuild with Hope are running their popular Pop Up Sale on Thursday 3^rd August at Plungington Community Centre. There will be many heavily discounted items for sale and all proceeds will go straight back into Rebuild with Hope. More details can be found on their flyer.

3 The Foxton Centre

Lots of events going on at the Foxton Centre over the next couple of weeks. These include a Farm Day, Reptile Encounters, and young persons football training. There are too many leaflets to put on to this singular e-mail, so click here to be taken to a folder containing all the leaflets. They will also of course be on the events page of our website.

4 #UsGirlsCan

Our friends at Strive2Thrive have advised that a few places have become available at the #usgirlscan event they are organising which takes place in the MET mobile event tent at Morrison’s Deepdale tomorrow, Thursday, July 27.

Details on attached flyer.

5 Art Exhibition

A quick heads up for an art exhibition this Sunday being hosted by Access All Areas, a collective of young disabled producers based in Preston.

See attached flyer for details.

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, July 27

11am-1pm: Family Fun Event.

Location: Haslam Park, Bristow Avenue, Preston PR2 1JE.

Registration: Call either
01772 539444 or 01772 531948 or email cfwprestongroups@lancashire.gov.uk to book a place.

11am-5pm: #usgirlscan event for 11-18 year olds. Meet friends, talk about body positivity, build confidence. Provided by Strive2Thrive and Truce2 Train. Lunch and snacks included.

Location: The MET (Mobile Event Tent) on Morrison’s Deepdale car park PR1 6US.

11am-3pm: Farm Day at The Foxton Centre.

see many varieties of animals such as calves, pigs and many more!

Please note: Children under the age of 18must must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Location: The Foxton Centre, Knowsley St, Avenham, Preston -PR1 3SA

5pm-7pm: FAM Local Partnership update. Find out about the great work by groups involved with the Fishwick and St Matthew’s Partnership. 

Refreshments provided.

Location: The MET (Mobile Event Tent) on Morrison’s Deepdale car park PR1 6US.

Registration: Not required. info via info@strive2thrivelancs.co.uk.

Sunday, July 30
Join your local mental health charity Lancashire Mind for the unforgettable Morecambe Cross Bay walk on Sunday 30th July as they take to the sands to raise vital funds for better mental health in Lancashire.

Tickets are just £15 each which includes a £10 donation to Lancashire Mind.
Find out more and book. For bookings of over 5 please contact emmabateson@lancashiremind.org.uk

This is a great walk to enjoy with friends, family or colleagues. Boost your wellbeing, spend time together and help someone living with a mental health condition in Lancashire.

Tuesday, August 1 (and August 8, 15 and 22) 

10am-2pm: HAF Summer activity sessions for 8-11 year olds.

Location:  Aug 1 and 22 – Moor Nook Neighbourhood Centre, Burholme Rd, PR2 6HN.

Aug 8 and 15: Preston East Neighbourhood Centre, Brookfield Primary
School, Watling Street Road, PR2 6T.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, July 19, 2023

NEWS

Skill Exchange

Our very own Tony Dawber will be speaking at the Community Action Forum Skill Exchange on July 21st. It promises to be a great event with other speakers from the National Lottery Community Fund and UClan Social Prescribing Unit.

You can book your tickets to the event here.

FUNDING

Community Energy Efficiency Programme

A quick reminder regarding something which we distributed in last weeks News Update – Preston City Council are looking to grant fund an organisation for £160,000 to deliver community measures across the city to promote energy efficiency, combat fuel poverty and tackle climate change. This will be funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the previous deadline for applications has now been extended to Friday July 28th 2023.
If you are interested in making an application you can access further information and access the online application form here:  UK Shared Prosperity Fund – Preston City Council. If you decide to make an application, please also email ukspf@preston.gov.uk to let them know you are intending to apply.

EVENTS

1 It’s all happening in the MET

Our very busy member group Strive2Thrive have teamed up with partner group XConversation to provide a fantastic series of events for young people which will all take place in the MET (mobile event tent) which is currently located in the car park at the Deepdale Morrisons.

Please see attached flyers(1 & 2) for details, and note #usgirlscan is the only session that requires booking as there will be fitness aspects so require a form to be completed.

2 DS Youth 

Long standing PCN member group DanceSyndrome have launched a fantastic new inclusive, accessible dance collective for young people from age 14 who are interested in developing their dance skills and moving on towards performing.

‘DS Youth’ are new weekly sessions starting from Monday, September 11, and while they are held at Bangor Street Community Centre, Blackburn, they are open to anyone in the Preston area in particular those with learning difficulties or a disability who may not be able to access anything suitable in their own locality. 

In advance of this, DS Youth re holding a Free Taster Day on Friday, August 11 from 10am – 4pm at Bangor Street. 

Please see the attached flyer for further details.

Please note the existing adult DS Collective continues to rehearse in Preston every Wednesday and are currently preparing for their forthcoming performance at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.

3 Haslam Park

There’s a great series of summer events taking place at Haslam Park organised by Lancashire County Council and their partners.

They include a family fun day and a series of regular activities for different age groups.

4 The Harris Summer Events

The is a whole host of other free summer events going on in association with The Harris. This includes multiple sessions with our other member group Let’s Grow Preston. All sessions can be found on the poster attached.

You can also book the individual sessions here.

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, July 20

10am – 2pm: Vision-Zone Information Day

Location: The Plunginton Centre, Preston.

Galloway’s are delighted to work with Optelec in June and July to bring you ‘Vision-Zone’, a range of information days to share opportunities, advice and guidance. 

Get involved to learn more about Galloway’s services and our partners. Optelec will demonstrate the latest technology designed specifically for those with visual impairments at each event.

For more details, please get in touch with their Learning Skills Team by calling 01772 744 148 or emailing talkingtogether@galloways.org.uk 

Noon-4pm: Developing public speaking skills

Event for young people, provided by Strive2Thrive and XFoundation. Ages 10+. Lunch provided.

Location: The MET (Mobile Event Tent) on Morrison’s Deepdale car park PR1 6US.

7pm-10pm: Creative Drama Workshop

Event for young people, provided by Strive2Thrive and XFoundation. Ages 10+. Burger and chips tea provided.

Location: The MET (Mobile Event Tent) on Morrison’s Deepdale car park PR1 6US.

7pm-10pm: Disability Equality NW Summer Social

Location: New Meadow St Labour Club, 193-195 North Road, Preston PR1 1YQ.

Registration: Not required. Free, all welcome, refreshments and entertainment. Contact safetyfirst@disability-equality.org.uk

Friday, July 21

10am-1.30pm: Community Action Forum Skills Exchange.

Location: UCLan.

Registration: To reserve a place at the CAF Skills Exchange, please visit registration page at CAFskillsexchange.eventbrite.co.uk. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation and venue details ahead of the event.

Refreshments will be provided.

10.30am-Noon: Improve your Creative Engagement with Young People

For groups working with young people.  Hear and exchange ideas on best practice.

Location: The MET (Mobile Event Tent) on Morrison’s Deepdale car park PR1 6US.

Saturday, July 22.

10am: Adoption Information Event.

Organised by Cartitas Care. An  experienced social worker will be available to talk you through the process and answer any of your questions.  To book onto this event click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, July 12, 2023

NEWS

PCN Networking Event

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our Networking Event last Thursday. It was great to see so many of you and I hope you all were able to create some new connections. A feedback form will be sent out to those who attended in the next couple of days. For all those interested, we have already started planning our next event for October and would love to see all of you there.

FUNDING

1 Grantfinder

Many of you will have attended the superb funding networking event hosted by Sir Mark Hendrick MP a fortnight ago.

Sir Mark’s office have offered VCF groups in the area access to the fantastic Grantfinder facility which is such a rich source of info on funding opportunity.

If you would like to arrange a session using the facility, please contact PCN on either of our usual email addresses and we will get to work trying to arrange this for you.

2 Lloyds Bank Foundation

We have been advised by our friends at ICANN of an excellent fundraising opportunity via the Lloyds Bank Foundation.

All details via this link.

This could be a great opportunity to collaborate with other groups in a joint bid. Please take a look at the details and if you are interested and would be willing to join other member groups in a bid, let us know and we’ll try to co-ordinate. Contact us via the usual emails.

3 Heritage Lottery Fund

We have been made aware of a new fund available to help with species recovery and habitat restoration. Grants start from £250,000 for individuals and organisations in England with fully planned and costed projects ready for immediate start. This could be a great opportunity for some of our member organisations. If you are interested, you must submit an expression of interest by 24^th July. More information on the fund can be found here.

4 Community Energy Efficiency Programme

Preston City Council are looking to grant fund an organisation for £160,000 to deliver community measures across the city to promote energy efficiency, combat fuel poverty and tackle climate change. This will be funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the previous deadline for applications has now been extended to Friday 28^th July 2023.

If you are interested in making an application you can access further information and access the online application form here:  UK Shared Prosperity Fund – Preston City Council. If you decide to make an application, please also email ukspf@preston.gov.uk to let them know you are intending to apply.

SURVEYS

1 Exercise During Cancer

One of our members has passed on the attached survey which is being carried out by NHS physio Susan Saul in a research project.

It should only take a few minutes to complete and you can access it via this link

EVENTS

1 Open Day at  St Bernard’s – Larches & Savick Community Hub

Fingers crossed the weather will be OK for the above event, which takes place from Noon-4pm at the Hub on Elswick Rd, Larches, PR2 1NT.

All are welcome and there is still availability for local groups/charities to reserve a table/gazebo to promote their own services at the event. Call Luke on 07368 417566 for details.

2 Let’s Talk Safety

The Safety First team at DENW are collaborating with Strive to Thrive to give you a chance to share your thoughts and ideas about personal safety issues for disabled people.

See attached flyer for more details.

3 Soup Making

The regular Friendship Friday meetings at DENW on Church Street are always popular but there should be a bumper turnout this week when it will feature a soup making demo with Donnovan from Sanctuary Cookalongs

Please see attached flyer for details.

4 The Foxton Centre Summer Programme

Our friends at The Foxton Centre have released their Summer Programme for the upcoming months. The activities are for anyone aged 8-18 and include arts & crafts, movie nights, football and many others!

They also have their community/family events open to anyone – these are running throughout the Summer. For information on their entire Summer programme, click this link.

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Friday, July 14

Noon-3pm: Soupmaking demo at Friendship Friday meeting. 

Location: Disabiliity Equality NW, 104-4 Church St, Preston, PR1 3BS.

Saturday, July 15

Noon-4pm: Open Day at St Bernard’s – Larches & Savick Community Hub

Location: Elswick Rd, Larches, Preston, PR2 1NT.

Monday, July 17

1pm-3pm: Preston Youth Forum Meeting

Location: The MET (mobile event tent), Morrisons Car Park, Blackpool Road, Preston.

Come along to hear from all the services offering summer youth provision.

Tuesday, July 18

3.30pm-5.30pm: Let’s Talk Safety

DENW Safety First team and Strive to Thrive invite you to share your thoughts and ideas about personal safety and issues for disabled people.

Location:  The MET (Mobile Event Tent) on Morrison’s Deepdale car park PR1 6US.

Registration: Not required, all welcome. Free pizza tea provided.

NB: Limited availability for transport for those who cannot get there independently. Please contact safetyfirst@disability-equality.org.uk or telephone 01772-558863 to book.

Wednesday, July 19

7pm: Adopting with Concurrent Planning Information Event.

Adopting with Concurrent Planning is a service for babies and young children who enter care and are likely to need adoption, but who also still have a small chance of being reunited with their birth family. Organised by Caritas Care.

To book your place click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, July 5, 2023

NEWS

1 PCN Networking Event

Our next networking event is tomorrow at 10am. Come down and meet some of our other member groups and find out about the services they offer. There are still some spaces available so if you haven’t already, please e-mail glennm@prestoncn.org if you wish to attend.

Venue: Gujarat Hindu Society Community Centre, South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JN.

Please note – There is ample parking at the venue. However, please make sure to only park in the yellow bays marked as GHS.

We would love to see you there.

2 VCFSE

The above group continues to work tirelessly to advance our sector’s voice and role as a valued partner in the fast evolving health and care system.

News, updates and feedback forms can be found here and if you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Gorner stephanieg@communityfutures.org.uk 

FUNDRAISING

1 Funding Newsletter

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust have put together a Funding Newsletter detailing a selection of opportunities, many of which our PCN members would be eligible for.

We’ve attached a copy of the Newsletter for you. Please get in touch if you have any queries and we’ll endeavour to get them answered for you.  

TRAINING

1 Suicide First Aid Lite

There are still spaces available on the Suicide First Aid Lite training session with Lancashire Mind, this coming Monday, 10^th July, from 9.30am to 1pm.

The training, will take place in Room 9, The Exchange, County Hall, Fishergate, Preston. PR1 8XJ.

For more information or to book, please contact Lancashire Mind.

2 Making Every Contact Count

This is a fantastic project which seeks to offer staff and volunteers from your group the chance to upskill their knowledge on health and wellbeing issues, so they can in turn cascade this knowledge on to service users and contacts.
It’s all free, so check out the attached background info. We also attach an application form for you.

3 Youth Mental Health Training

There’s an exciting free online evening course in the above and it represents a great opportunity to gain news skills and information to support our young people between the ages of 8 – 18.

There are four live sessions and delegates must be 16 years and over. The course will fill on a first come first served basis.

Click this link for full details. 

EVENTS

1 Wellbeing Day

Our friends at Pukar Disability Resource Centre are running a Wellbeing Day on Thursday July 11. they have many different activities going on throughout the day. This is a great opportunity to take some time for yourself.
See the poster for more information.

2 Education and Employment Fair for Resettlers

Lancashire County Council and Future U are holding an Education and Employment fair for Resettlers on the 6^th July from 1pm-7pm at County Hall, Preston. It’s a great opportunity for people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to get some personalised advice and guidance. Anyone interested can book via the QR code and find more details on the flyer.

3 Community Action Forum Skills Exchange

This will take place on Friday, July 21 on the UCLan Preston Campus.

This event is designed to respond to your suggestions for topics relevant to CAF members, and to your offer to share your expertise and build collaborations.

The event will include interactive workshops led by experienced facilitators and opportunities for networking.

To reserve a place, visit the registration page at CAFskillsexchange.eventbrite.co.uk. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation and venue details ahead of the event.

If you have any questions or require further assistance, contact EngageUCLan@uclan.ac.uk

4 Summer Social

Keep open your diaries for our good friends Disability Equality NW’s Summer Social next week.

DENW’s events are always popular with group in our sector so get down there if you can. Flyer with more details can be found here.

5 ‘Gifts and Talents Show’
A preliminary heads up about an event being organised by our member group Release to Victory.
It sounds like a great opportunity to showcase your or your group’s talent. Full details can be found here.

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, July 6

10am-1pm: PCN Networking Event focusing on the Integrated Care strategy.

Location: Gujarat Hindu Society Centre, South Meadow Lane, Preston PR1 8JN.

Registration: Free, all welcome. Email glennm@prestoncn.org to confirm attendance.

1pm-7pm: Education and Employment Fair for Resettlers

Lancashire County Council and Future U are holding an Education and Employment fair for Resettlers on the 6^th July from 1pm-7pm at County Hall, Preston. It’s a great opportunity for people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to get some personalised advice and guidance. Please see more details on the flyer below and share with you communities.

Friday, July 7

10am-1pm: Women’s Empowerment Day Event

Top speakers, networking and meal.

Location: St Cuthberts Church Centre, Lytham Road, Preston PR2 3AR.

Registration: Via this link here.

Tuesday, July 11

11am – 3pm: Well-Being Day.

Chai and Chat, guided relaxation, breathing exercises, bread making and more.

Location: Pukar Disability Centre, 3 Oakham Court, PR1 3XP

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, June 28, 2023

NEWS

1 PCN Networking Event

If you haven’t already seen our invitation, we would love to invite you to our July networking event on Thursday, July 6^th at 10am. There are still some spaces available, and this would be a great opportunity for you to meet both us, and some of our other incredible member groups.

Venue: Gujarat Hindu Society Community Centre, South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JN

We hope to see you there.

2 Release Mates Wins Award
It was a memorable night for our member group Release Mates as they travelled down to London last week and were crowned winners of the one of the winners of top national accolade the Stephen Lloyd Award.

“This is a huge opportunity for us as the awards do not only bring £25,000 in funding, but also the pro bono support of social enterprise solicitors, impact measurement experts, a pro bono safeguarding team and much more,” said David Dunn – Release Mates founder.

Release Mates only started up relatively recently and PCN assisted in their initial steps of forming as a group and getting up and running.
For the full news article, click here.

3 Preston Youth Zone

This is as many of you will know a big development coming soon to the city and it’s so important that the young people living in Preston have a say in how it works and what it offers.

The Preston Young People’s Development Group aim to do this, and if you or any member of your group want to be part of the group, you are invited to attend one of a series of forthcoming open meetings. See flyer for details.

4 Flood Defences

You will have seen the extensive work going on along the River Ribble in recent months, particularly around the Broadgate area, as the Preston and South Ribble Flood Risk Management Scheme progresses.

Please find attached the latest newsletter from the scheme.

If any particular aspect of the scheme is impacting on you or your group, please let us know here at PCN and we’ll do our best to raise the issue.

SURVEY

New Hospital
Many of you will be aware that plans for a new hospital to serve the Preston area are well under way. According to many media reports, South Ribble has emerged as the clear favourite for a site for the project.     
We would like to ask our members their views on this and if there is a strong feeling on the issue, to put forward those views at this stage to the appropriate authorities to ensure the VCF sector’s voice is heard.
To achieve this aim, we would like as many of you as possible to complete this short survey. It should only take a few minutes and we would be very grateful of your assistance.

TRAINING

1 FREE ‘Train the Trainer’ programme 

The Making Every Contact Count (MECC) project aims to set up a method of helping deliver consistent and concise healthy lifestyle information and help individuals to engage in conversations about their health.

The first step will be to engage staff in comprehensive training opportunities, so they can cascade their acquired knowledge and skills across their own services and organisations.

A series of free training opportunities are coming up, and organisers hope for as big a take up as possible.

Please find attached a leaflet giving further background info on the project along with an application form.

Please contact us here at PCN if you need any further details and we’ll try to help or out you in touch with someone who can assist,

2 Network for Justice

Our good friends at ICANN have pointed out that the Network for Justice group are currently offering an excellent range of training opportunities in addition to their usual info and events resources.

They list one-off and rolling funding opportunities and training courses, many of which are free, on the likes of dealing with complaints and cyber security.

For all details, check out the info section of their website at https://nfj.org.uk/

3 No Whispers Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Training

Do you want to learn more about Child sexual exploitation? Do you need to understand how this issue is part of Safeguarding?

Our member group No Whispers have arranged a child sexual exploitation awareness Level 1 Accredited training course covering these and other related issues.

It is taking place over two evenings at Lancashire Football Association, Leyland, on October16 and 23. 

For further information, cost and booking details please click this link

4 Mental Health First Aid Champion Training

Our good friend Annie Wynn of Let’s Grow, who as you probably know is a tireless worker in our sector, has advised us of the above.

There’s still just time to register for the final cohort of the training which you can do by following this link.

EVENTS

1 Meet The Funders

Arts Lancashire in partnership with Preston City Council are bringing key funders of arts, culture and community projects to the Guild Hall this Monday, July 3, for a programme of talks, workshops and one-to-one sessions designed to help you identify and apply for funding for your next art, culture or community project. 
The event runs from 10am to 2pm and is open to individuals and organisations from across Lancashire.

Speakers include representatives from the National Lottery Community Fund,
Arts Council England, Crowdfund Lancashire and My Funding Central.

Click this link to register and for more info.

2 Big Afternoon Tea

A heads up about the Big Afternoon Tea event coming up at the end of next month.

Organised by Preston City Councillors, it’s for all Over 60s residents of Brookfield and Ribbleton and will be held in the MET (mobile event tent) which will be in the car park at the Blackpool Road Morrisons.

Details on attached flyer.

Weekly Round Up
Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.
As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Wednesday, June 28

1pm – 3pm: Meet the Medics: A chance to meet NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and 3^rd year UCLAN medical students, who want to hear from disabled people, where you can discuss your life experiences of healthcare services.

Everyone is welcome – bring a friend.

There will be a BSL interpreter at this event.

Location: Disability Equality NW, 103 Church Street, Preston PR1 3BS

2.30pm-4pm: Harris Libraries Project meeting: To discuss the project and fine art.

Location: Ribbleton Library.

New volunteers and participants in the project all welcome.

If you are interested, please e-mail S.Schiavone@preston.gov.uk directly.

Friday, June 30

Noon onwards: Preston City Games: Football, netball and rounders competitions.

Location: UCLan Sports Arena.

Registration: To enter your business, charity or community group, click this link

Monday, July 3

10am-2pm: Meet the Funders event: Arts Lancashire in partnership with Preston City Council are bringing key funders of arts, culture and community projects to Preston Guild Hall for a programme of talks, workshops and one-to-one sessions designed to help you identify and apply for funding for your next art, culture or community project. 
Location: Preston Guild Hall, 

Registration: Click this link

11am-1pm: MS Society Lunchtime Social Meet-up.

Location: Booth’s Cafe, Garstang PR3  1EF

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, June 21, 2023

NEWS

1 Appeal for raffle prizes/stall holders

Our friends at St Bernard’s – Larches & Savick Community Hub are holding an Open Day on July 15 from Noon-4pm at their base on Elswick Rd, Larches, Preston, PR2 1NT.

They would really appreciate any offers of help or donations of raffle prizes so if your project, club or business could help donate prizes, please email the group on stbernardscommunity123@gmail.com .

The group are also looking for more stallholders, which can be individuals or local businesses selling cakes, craft, handmade jewellery, games to raise funds for your own groups. It’s £20 per stall. Email to book.

2 ICANN Service Changes

Our good friends and longstanding PCN members ICANN have advised that funding for their form filling service is coming to an end on June 30.

They are making efforts to land further funding but until these efforts are successful, the following form filling charges will apply from July 1.

£35 will include:

• Up to 45 minutes advice via telephone/video call 
• Digital download guides as applicable 

£60 will include:

• Up to 90 minutes advice via telephone/video call 
• Digital download guides as applicable 
• Electronic and hard copy notes to complete form in full 

ICANN have stressed they will continue to provide support for WCA/PIP assessments and appeals as before.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1 Migrant Help UK

The above group now operate a community grant scheme open for groups to apply for who are supporting asylum seekers, refugees and those working with survivors of modern day slavery.

If your group or someone you may know would benefit from this scheme, more information on how to apply is attached.  

2 Free Funding Resources

Charity Excellence have circulated a whole host of different resources and online directories that can help with funding. Please note – to access these resources, you must first register and log in to the Charity Excellence website(It’s free).

Funding Finder

Help Finder

Data Finder

60+downloadable funder lists

8 online health checks.

APPEALS/PETITIONS

1 Funding Petition

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has responded to feedback from the many small charities they deal with in which these groups said they urgently needed more help to deal with rising demand for their services as financial pressures continue to mount.
In response, they are gathering as many signatures as possible for a letter they are sending to the Prime Minister from small charities flagging up the situation.

You can add your signature via this link but please hurry as their deadline is 5pm today, Wednesday, June 21.

2 Suicide prevention funding in England  

As part of their Saving Lives Can’t Wait campaign, Samaritans UK are calling on the  Government to save local suicide prevention funding in England.

The group have launched a petition to help save local funding and are seeking support from volunteers to sign it and share the link if they feel able to.

Click the link here to add your support.

SURVEYS

Appeal to Blind and Partially Sighted People

We know several of our groups offer services for those with sight issues and these groups may be interested in two appeals for help from RNIB. Firstly, they want to listen to the experience of blind and partially sighted adults who use technology eg. AI, wearables and advancing apps etc. 

To do this, they have arranged a series of online discussion groups and can dial you into the call if needed.

Groups will take place on:

• Wednesday, July 12 & July 26 from 10am – 12:15pm.
• Thursday, August 10 and August 24 from 5:30pm – 7:45pm.
• Monday, September 11 and 25 from 2pm – 4:15pm.

If you are interested, please complete this online form: Voice of The Customer focus groups sign up form or call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 and ask to sign up to the Voice of the Customer Focus Groups.

By sharing your experience, you can help RNIB to get a true understanding of how they can create solutions that will improve the daily lives of people with sight loss.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact customervoice@rnib.org.uk. 

Secondly, the group are also looking for adults with one or more eye conditions to complete their quarterly Connect Voices Tracker survey.

This latest survey explores the experience of support they may have received eg from a hospital eye clinic, optician, Social Services, a charity such as RNIB or Guide Dogs, or a local blind society.  

They will use the feedback to help identify the key challenges people are experiencing, to improve the support they provide and direct work to influence society on issues that really matter to blind and partially sighted people.

The deadline is June 30 and you can use this link to complete the latest Connect Voices Tracker survey or call RNIB Helpline to register for Tracker survey on 0303 123 9999.

TRAINING

Suicide Prevention Training

In response to members’ requests, Preston Wellfest are hosting a Suicide First Aid Lite training session on Monday,  July 10, from 9.30am to 1pm.

Lancashire Mind will be delivering the training, which will take place at Room 9, The Exchange, County Hall, Fishergate, Preston. PR1 8XJ.

If you would like to book a place, you can do so using this link, but please note that there are only 20 places available, which will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

EVENTS

Meet The Medics

There is scheduled to be a meet the medics event on 27th June at Disability Equality North-West. This could be a great opportunity to as both the Medical Students as well the NHS ICB want to hear first-hand accounts from people about their experiences of healthcare – whether it be GPs, Pharmacies, Community Engagement teams or Hospitals and their Urgent Care.

Weekly Round Up

Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Wednesday, June 21

7pm: Streets Paved With Gold.  Free performance of Windrush play.

Location: UCLAN Media Factory, Kirkham Street, Preston PR1 1JN.

Tickets: Eventbrite

Thursday, June 22 – Sunday, June 25

The Battle of Bamber Bridge – 80th Anniversary

Thursday: Railway Children Return. Free film screening at 7pm, Methodist Church, Station Road. Bamber Bridge. PR5 6ED.

Tickets: via this link eventbrite

Friday, June 23: Commemorative Event: 4pm-8.30pm: University of Central Lancashire Fylde Road Preston PR1 2HE

Book your free ticket on eventbrite

Saturday, June 24: Main Celebration Festival at Ye Olde Hob Inn, 9 Church Rd, Bamber Bridge, PR5 6EP

Details available on South Ribble Borough Council website.

7pm: ‘Choc’late Soldiers from the USA’ – free Film Screening

Methodist Church, Station Road. Bamber Bridge. PR5 6ED

Book your free ticket on Eventbrite.

Sunday, June 25: 10.30am: Commemorative Service at Bamber Bridge Methodist Church.

1.30pm: Re-walk the site of the battle up the main street in Bamber Bridge from Ye Olde Hob Inn, 9 Church Rd, Bamber Bridge, PR5 6EP.

Friday, June 23

10am-1.30pm: Third Sector Conference  

A conference in Preston, bringing together groups and individuals from the third sector (charities, community and voluntary organisations), with a host of guest speakers, who will cover a variety of topics.

Location: Salvation Army, Preston. 

Tickets: Eventbrite

Saturday, June 24

10am: Adoption Information Event

Ever thought about Adoption?  Why not come along to an event and find out to see if this is for you.  To book onto this event click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

Sunday, June 25

10am-4pm: Pamper Day for Refugee and Asylum Seeker Women. Manicures, nail polish, massage. Creche facilities.

Location: English Martyrs School, PR1 7DR.  

Ladies Only, booking required.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, June 14, 2023

NEWS

Our next PCN Networking Event
If you received our extra update, you will be aware that we have set our next PCN networking event for Thursday, July 6.
We’ll be holding it at the Gujarat Hindu Society Community Centre on South Meadow Lane. Hoping to kick off around 10am and winding up by 1pm.
 Speakers include Joe Hannett of Community Futures, who will give an update on the excellent work of the VCFSE Assembly in shaping the sector’s role in the new Integrated Care Board system, and Rob Larcombe who is Preston City Council’s Leisure Development Officer.
There will also be time for some relaxed networking and a chance for us to update you on Preston Community Network’s activities.
It’s free and everyone is very welcome.
We hope to see as many of you as possible on the day and more details will follow in the next few days.

Development of Youth Strategy in Preston
 
You may well be aware that Preston Youth Forum (PYF) are working in collaboration with Preston City Council to develop a youth strategy for the city.
The aim is to gather the views of young people and professionals to help develop the upcoming youth strategy, and many groups working with young people are already involved in the process.
PYF chair Dave Clayton, who also operates our member group Wot Wud U Do, has suggested putting together a brief workshop which he and colleagues can take out to youth groups to illustrate what the project involves and how youth groups or individuals can get involved.
Dave is especially keen to get the voices of young people with a learning disability and autism or young people from faith and religious groups in Preston.
If you are interested in hosting a workshop, please let Dave know by emailing him at Dave@www.wotwududo.co.uk.
Alternatively, if you are holding your own event where you could ask young people what issues affect their health and wellbeing and what they think might be needed to address these, he would also love to hear from you.

APPEAL

Windrush 75 Festival – Can You Help?
As many of you will know, the Windrush 75 Festival takes place this Saturday from Noon to 4pm at Avenham & Miller Park

The Windrush Festival, hosted by the Windrush Initiatives, has been taking place in Preston for the past 9 years.

Windrush 75 Festival is an event that marks the arrival of the first 492 passengers of Empire Windrush that left Jamaica on May 24 1948 and arrived at Tilbury, Essex on June 22, 1948.

Adrian Murrell of Windrush Initiatives, who has been key in organising the event, has been inundated this week with requests for Gazebos to be used at the event.
He would love anyone who can help by providing a gazebo to contact him. If you can help, email Adrian on 07545 181920.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

VCFSE Suicide Prevention Grants 

We have been advised by local HS contacts that The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) have issued some info re the forthcoming VCFSE suicide prevention grants.  Nationally there will a £10million grand fund for VCFSE sector to support the national suicide prevention strategy
To receive updates and information you will be required to sign-up to the following to receive information and updates:

 
Preston City Council has launched a competitive commissioning round to identify partners to deliver key elements of Preston’s investment plan for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Preston City Council received an allocation of £5.2m from the UKSPF to invest in projects that will benefit the city’s businesses, residents and communities by building pride of place and increasing life chances.
This first commissioning round covers five priorities identified in Preston’s investment plan which share a focus on business innovation and the transition to a low carbon economy. These priorities are:

• Research and innovation support for local businesses.
• Support for local businesses to decarbonise and invest in low carbon technologies.
• Support to grow the democratic business sector in Preston.
• International trade support for local businesses.
• Support for community measures to reduce the cost of living by improving household energy efficiency.

The commissioning round has now gone live and will close at 5pm on Friday, June 30. Projects are expected to commence in July 2023 and run to end March 2025.
For more information and to submit online application(s) for each of the five projects, please visit UKSPF

Shared Prosperity Fund

Preston City Council has launched a competitive commissioning round to identify partners to deliver key elements of Preston’s investment plan for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Preston City Council received an allocation of £5.2m from the UKSPF to invest in projects that will benefit the city’s businesses, residents and communities by building pride of place and increasing life chances.
This first commissioning round covers five priorities identified in Preston’s investment plan which share a focus on business innovation and the transition to a low carbon economy. These priorities are:

• Research and innovation support for local businesses.
• Support for local businesses to decarbonise and invest in low carbon technologies.
• Support to grow the democratic business sector in Preston.
• International trade support for local businesses.
• Support for community measures to reduce the cost of living by improving household energy efficiency.

The commissioning round has now gone live and will close at 5pm on Friday, June 30. Projects are expected to commence in July 2023 and run to end March 2025.
For more information and to submit online application(s) for each of the five projects, please visit UKSPF

EVENTS

The Battle of Bamber Bridge – 80th Anniversary

A series of events have been arranged to mark the 80th anniversary of The Battle of Bamber Bridge, one of the most remarkable, tragic and dramatic events ever to take place in our area.
If you are unaware of the background behind this, do try to look it up. It’s an incredible story.

Events are as follows:
Thursday, June 25: Railway Children Return. Free film screening at 7pm, Methodist Church, Station Road. Bamber Bridge. PR5 6ED.

Tickets: via this link eventbrite

Friday, June 26: Commemorative Event: 4pm-8.30pm: University of Central Lancashire Fylde Road Preston PR1 2HE

Book your free ticket on eventbrite

Saturday, June 27: Main Celebration Festival at Ye Olde Hob Inn, 9 Church Rd, Bamber Bridge, PR5 6EP

Details available on South Ribble Borough Council website

7pm: ‘Choc’late Soldiers from the USA’ – free Film Screening

Methodist Church, Station Road. Bamber Bridge. PR5 6ED

Book your free ticket on Eventbrite

Sunday, June 28:  10.30am: Commemorative Service at Bamber Bridge Methodist Church

1.30pm: Re-walk the site of the battle up the main street in Bamber Bridge from Ye Olde Hob Inn, 9 Church Rd, Bamber Bridge, PR5 6EP

Pamper Day for Refugee Women

Calling any refugee and asylum seeker women
The Kind Communities Group have arranged a Pamper Day for you which has been kindly funded by Lancashire County Council.
Please see flyer for further details.
Booking form via this link.

If you are interested, please book early as appointments are on a first come, first served basis. 

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, June 7, 2023

NEWS

Whay

A mobile phone app to help young people access support around mental health, involvement in crime and relationship advice has been created following feedback from Lancashire’s young people.

Whay: What’s Happening Around You was created by Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to offer free resources for young people on a range of matters including mental health, knife crime and sex & relationships.

You can find out more information on the app here.

Whay is available on both Apple and Android app stores.

SURVEY

Young People’s Mental Health
The Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) which is responsible for buying healthcare services for its residents is currently working hard to plan and buy extra mental health support services for children and young people.
A survey has been created to help inform the development of young people’s mental health services
The survey is now live until Sunday 25th June. and can be found here.  

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY

ICANN Advocacy

Our friends at ICANN are looking for some brand-new volunteers to join their team. It is open to anyone over the age of 18, and free training will be provided. They have a range of volunteer roles on offer, you can find out more information or fill in an expression of interest form here.

They will also be running a Volunteer Training Day on Wednesday, July 5 for anyone interested.

EVENTS

1 Preston Youth Zone

Preston youth Zone are running a public information event on Thursday June 8 at 6pm – come along to Preston Town Hall to find out more. You could play a key role in the plans for this state-of-the-art facility.
Book a place: seangleaves@onsideyouthzones.org

2 Lancashire Mind
Join Lancashire Mind for the unforgettable Morecambe Cross Bay walk on Sunday 30th July as they take to the sands to raise vital funds for better mental health in Lancashire.

Tickets are just £15 each which includes a £10 donation to Lancashire Mind.

Find out more and book.

For bookings of over 5 please contact emmabateson@lancashiremind.org.uk

Weekly Round Up

Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Wednesday, June 7

5:45pm-9pm: Mind Lancashire – Suicide First Aid Lite

The SFA Lite virtual half day suicide prevention course is designed to provide learners with the essential knowledge and skills needed to save lives.

Registration Link

Thursday, June 8

10:30am – 2:30pm: Pop-up Sale of Quality High Street Fashion and Accessories

Rebuild with Hope are hosting their next Pop-up Sale of Quality High Street Fashion and Accessories at Plungington Community Centre. High Street Goods at heavily discounted prices available for one day only.

Children’s clothes, baby clothes, toys, adult clothing, homewares, accessories and gifts.  All stock is sourced and made available from well-known High Street Retailers.

All proceeds will go to the Rebuild and Hope Foundation and Bispham Community Centre.

Cash and card payments accepted.

6pm – 8pm
Public Info Event – Preston Youth Zone
Come along to find out more. You could play a key role in the plans for this state-of-the-art facility.
Location: Room A, Preston Town Hall PR1 2RL
Book a place: seangleaves@onsideyouthzones.org

6:30pm: Adoption Information Event

Find out more about Adoption and what this entails. 

Caritas will also have an adopter joining them to talk about their adoption journey and to answer any questions you might have.  To book onto this event click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, May 31, 2023

NEWS

1 UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Preston’s programme for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund has been approved by the city council. The programme will roll out over the next two years and will focus on strengthening local communities and the voluntary sector, supporting local businesses and assisting people into good jobs through employment support and skills development.   

Preston City Council had received an allocation of £5.2m from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund for its investment plan which was approved by Government at the end of last year.

More information on the fund can be found in this article.

2 Preston Flood Risk App

The Environment Agency and its construction partner VolkerStevin have launched a new phone app to help Preston residents get the latest updates on the Preston and South Ribble Flood Risk Management Scheme.

The Engage App is free, easy to use, and will help you to stay informed about important developments as the flood scheme progresses. The app will also issue automated notifications, so you’ll never miss an important road closure or diversion update.

You can find out more information and instructions of how to download the app by clicking here.

EVENTS

1 Rebuild With Hope Pop Up Sale
June 8 @ 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Our friends at Caritas Care have asked to remind our members that Rebuild with Hope are hosting their next Pop-up Sale of Quality High Street Fashion and Accessories at Plungington Community Centre on June 8 at 10:30am. High Street Goods at heavily discounted prices available for one day only.
All proceeds will go to the Rebuild and Hope Foundation and Bispham Community Centre.
Cash and card payments accepted.

2 Preston City MELA
The Programme for this years Preston City Mela has been released. It will be held on Saturday June 17 at 10am in Moor Park.

This long standing, vibrant celebration of arts, music, dance, culture and heritage is back to give you a touch of South Asia in its 26th year!
Find the programme by clicking HERE.

3 DanceSyndrome

Our thoughts may be turning to summer breaks and holidays, but our friends at DanceSyndrome are staying busy throughout the coming months.

They have a busy programme of regular weekly events which will be of particular interest for those wanting to keep youngsters occupied during the holidays.

Please find attached flyer showing the full list of events plus contact details.

4 Vision-Zone Information Days 

Our member group Galloway’s have joined up with the Optelec group to put together a series of ‘Vision-Zone’ information days over the next few weeks to share opportunities, advice and guidance for the visually impaired. 

These events will also include news on the very latest technological developments.

The first three are just outside our area, but here are the details just on case any of you are in the vicinity at the time and might want to drop in, the details are:

• Cherish Centre – Southport – Monday, June 5. 10am – 2pm.
• Victoria Street – Morecambe – Tuesday, June 6, 10am – 2pm.
• The Ecumenical Centre, Skelmersdale – Wednesday, July 5, 10am – 2pm.

The Preston event takes place at Plungington Community Centre on Thursday, July 20 from 10am-2pm.

For more details, please get in touch with the Galloway’s Learning Skills Team on  01772 744148 or by email on talkingtogether@galloways.org.uk 

Weekly Round Up

Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, June 1

11am – 1pm: Grange Park HAF May Half Term Teddy Bear Picnic

Let’s Grow Preston are hosting the Community Gateway Association Teddy Bear’s Picnic at the Hub on Grange Park during the May half term.

Please call 01772 531948 or e-mail cfwprestongroups@lancashire.gov.uk to book your place.

Friday, June 2
7pm – 11pm: SoundSkills Fundraiser

This event will feature an array of local talent, including The Echoes, playing rock ‘n’ roll for you to dance to, Lace, a young North West alt rock band, Annette Walker, a prolific local talent and Stef Portersmith, singer of all and any songs you’d like to listen to. There will also be a raffle and a buffet.

Sadly, the building that houses Soundskills is in need of a major refurbishment. The roof is leaking and some of the wood is rotten, the carpets need replacing and the whole thing is tired and in need of attention. This fundraising event will go towards helping them refurbish the building.
Tickets via Eventbrite

Monday, June 5 

12.30pm-2.30am: MS Society Lunchtime Social Meet-up.

Location: The Ribble Pilot, Docklands PR2 2YN.

Wednesday, June 7

10am-11.30am: Living Well Hub: drop in service for those living with serious or terminal illness and their family and friends. Expert advice, chance to chat etc.

Location: Living Well Hub, The Mill Cafe, St Catherine’s Hospice.

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, May 24, 2023

NEWS

1 IOPC Youth Panel

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) Youth Panel gives young adults a voice and opportunity to influence and change the police complaints system across England and Wales.

The youth panel was set up in 2018 and has made a huge impact since then, and you now have a chance to join the panel.

Anyone aged 16-25 years can apply and organisers are particularly seeking members from across all communities.

If anyone in your group is interested, please see the attached document for further details on how to apply. 

2 Good Luck Release Mates

Our member group Release Mates has been shortlisted as a finalist for the prestigious Stephen Lloyd Awards.

The group were nominated by one of their funders and have made it to the final 10 of 97 applicants.

The awards evening is in London on June 22 and we are sure you will join us in wishing David and his colleagues the best of luck on the night.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY

1 Community Hub Grant

Our friend Harmesh at Lancs BME Network has forwarded details of Community Hub Grant offers available for those groups dealing with migrants and asylum seekers.

Registered organisations managing existing hubs or other constituted groups, charities, faith groups, CICs, not-for-profit organisations and partnerships with not-for-profit organisations are eligible to apply.

For more details, please see here.

NEW RESOURCES

1 Healthy Relationships course

Our partners at Lancashire County Council are now offering a ‘Healthy Relationships’ course as part of their Wellbeing Service.

Please find attached a leaflet giving full details.

2 WHAY

What’s Happening Around You (WHAY) has been created by the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to offer free resources for young people on a range of matters including mental health, knife crime, sex & relationships and many more. 

This fantastic app aims to provide vital support for people who are turning to online resources for help and give them a reliable, safe source of information that can be tricky to find on the internet. It also contains a directory of local events and community groups for people to take part in.

Please see attached poster for more details.

TRAINING

1 Compassionate Conversations

The team at St Catherine’s Hospice are now able to offer Compassionate Conversations training sessions to community groups and volunteers.

This two hour free training session helps to build the skills and confidence to enable open, honest and sensitive conversations around end-of-life, loss and bereavement, while identifying ways to help and support others.

The group can deliver the session for up to 12 participants at a time in a community space, or at a host organisation venue and would need a room with projector/screen, Wifi and preferably hot drinks/refreshments, as it can be an emotional session.

If you’re interested then please email communities@stcatherines.co.uk

The training is solely for volunteers or members of community groups, though if paid members of staff would like a session delivering then we can arrange a bespoke package with our clinical educators at a cost.

SURVEYS/APPEALS

1 Bereavement Café

The Compassionate Communities project at St Catherine’s Hospice is also looking to set up a monthly bereavement café in Preston which will operate in a similar way to the existing ones in Leyland and Chorley.

They are looking to partner with a community organisation that would be willing to host the café and help operate it on in the long term.

St Catherine’s can provide Compassionate Conversations training for any volunteers from the partner organisation.

If any of our groups can help or know of anyone who can help with this really worthwhile project, please contact us at PCN and we will put you in touch with St Catherine’s.

2 Bipolar Study

One of our stalwart friends Annie at Let’s Grow has put us in touch with Megan Brown who is working as a therapist on a new research trial as part of the local NHS trust.

They are looking for help from 16-25 year olds across Lancashire who may be at risk of developing Bipolar.

The young person must be help seeking and present with one of the following:

– a brief period of mania (less than 7 days)

– OR depression and features of cyclothymia (up and down moods)

– OR have a 1^st degree relative (mum, dad, sibling) with Bipolar and have some depression

The study is open to referrals now. Please see the attached leaflet for details.

EVENTS

Weekly Round Up

Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Friday, May 26

Toddler Session: Potted prehistory. 

Time: 10am

Location: Ribbleton Library, Ribbleton Hall Drive, Preston PR2 6EE.

Explore and create your playful pottery.

Roundtable event for providers.

Time: 2pm – 4pm

Location: Room A, Preston Town Hall, Lancaster Road, Preston PR1 2RL.

Open to professionals working in youth field. Hosted by Preston Youth Forum.

Registration: via this link

Tuesday, May 30

Maypole Dance Workshop with Malkin Morris

Time: 10am and 12.30pm

Location: Preston Markets (Under Canopy)

Drop in for some family fun!
How about learning a traditional Maypole dance during May half term to live music with members of Malkin Morris, a north west processional clog Morris team?
Make sure you book the time best for you and feel free to drop in during this time!

Registration via this link

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, May 17, 2023

NEWS

1 Mental Health Awareness Week: 15^th – 21^st May

This week is #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek. The week is run by The Mental Health Foundation and this year, the theme is anxiety. Its important to keep an eye on friends, family and colleagues to check they are doing okay. We have multiple mental health organisations within our network, including our newest member – Lancashire Mind.
To find out more info about this week, along with downloadable social media posts and other resources, click here.

2 Youth Provider Roundtable – Friday May 26, 2pm – 4pm

The Preston Youth Forum is a collective of organisations from the public and 3rd sector who have come together to share information and work in partnership to improve support available for young people. The Youth Forum would like to reach out to other youth providers to hear your views on the challenges facing young people and services alike before they reach out to young people themselves to hear from them directly.

The hope is that with this informed view, the city can develop a coordinated strategy for improvement which will impact positively on young people in Preston.

Tickets can be found via Eventbrite.

3 Preston Food Hub Network

On Wednesday May 24(9:30am arrival), there will be a meeting at Ascension Church, PR2 6UA Brookfield to outline the funding available to support schools, community & faith groups, organisations, and food banks.

They will also have guest speakers from FareShare and Sustain to talk about wider community food related initiatives and support available.

Light refreshments will be available.

For more information and to confirm attendance, email V.Fletcher@preston.gov.uk.

FUNDING

Lancashire Culture and Support Fund

The Lancashire Culture & Sport Fund has been developed to support culture and sport projects in the community with the aim of improving people’s health and well-being and cultural experience.

This is a funding programme focused on encouraging community involvement and activity within Lancashire. Projects go live on the designated crowdfund platform and raise money through pledges of financial support.

More information can be found on the eligibility criteria.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITY

Visual Impairment Training

Our friends at Galloways Society For The Blind are putting on some free Visual Impairment Awareness training aimed at any professionals, volunteers, carers, friends and family. They have sessions held all over Lancashire, but their session in Preston is on 7th June at their offices in Penwortham. For more information, and to book tickets for any of their sessions, click here.

EVENTS

1 Pop-up Sale of Quality High Street Fashion and Accessories

June 8, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm

Rebuild with Hope are hosting their next Pop-up Sale of Quality High Street Fashion and Accessories at Plungington Community Centre. High Street Goods at heavily discounted prices available for one day only.

Children’s clothes, baby clothes, toys, adult clothing, homewares, accessories and gifts.  All stock is sourced and made available from well-known High Street Retailers.

All proceeds will go to the Rebuild and Hope Foundation and Bispham Community Centre.

Cash and card payments accepted.

2 Living Well Hub

A free monthly drop-in offering advice and information to all, held on the first Wednesday of the month(Next session June 7), 10am-11.30am, upstairs at The Mill cafe in the hospice grounds.

For people living with serious illness or in the last 12 months of life and their family, the Living Well Hub provides a chance to speak with local experts and professionals, covering issues such as legal, financial, wills, benefits and more.

More information can be found here.

Weekly Round Up

Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, May 18 (and every third Thursday each month)

10.30am-Noon: Lancashire Medication for your Mind: Support for those on mental health medication.

Location: Online only.

Registration: Contact Dawn at makingmentalhealthpositive@gmail.com for sign on QR code.

Thursday, May 18

6.30pm-8.30pm: Roundtable event for your providers. Open to professionals working in youth field. Hosted by Preston Youth Forum.

Location: Preston College, Saint Vincents Road, Fulwood PR2 8UR.

Registration: via this link

Saturday, May 20

10am: Fostering Information Event

Lucy will be there to chat you through the fostering and what this entails and answer any of your questions. 

Location: Online only.

Registration: Click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

Tuesday, May 23

10am: Adoption Information Event.

Location: online only.

Registration: To book, click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, May 10, 2023

NEWS

Digital Freedom 2023

Selnet and Lancashire ‘s Digital Skills Partnership have secured funding through Lancashire County Council, enabling distribution partners, including Preston City Council, to make applications for digital devices on behalf of individuals who are digitally excluded across Lancashire. A limited supply of devices (predominantly tablets), are available, along with free internet connection.  Awards will be made on a first come, first served basis where the application and narrative clearly show the need of the individual and will then be distributed across Preston.

You can find more information about the scheme, and how to apply here.

APPEALS FOR HELP

Room wanted

Our member group Lancashire Women are looking to rent a couple of one to one rooms and maybe a group room within the Preston city centre or Avenham areas for two to three days per week.

They need the rooms for two vital projects they are delivering which support women who are involved with or at risk of becoming involved with the criminal justice system.

If you can help, please contact programme manager Kara Raynor on kara.raynor@lancashirewomen.org or by phone on 07727 696055.

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY

MPACE JWO

The Lancashire BME Network are looking for Preston based organisations to bring about both system and behaviour change in both the community and Macmillan. The project can only bring about these changes if the system allows a collaboration that considers the barriers facing both parties. Through raising the awareness of what services are available via a trusted partner (delivery partners) the project has the basis to begin the conversation.

To apply, or submit an expression of interest, click here.

SURVEYS/RESEARCH

Research Project – Bipolar

Our good friend Annie Wynn at Let’s Grow Preston has advised us of a very valuable project run by a lady called Megan Brown which is aimed at tackling bipolar disorder among young people.

She is looking for volunteers to take part in a research trial and would love to hear from anyone willing to help.

More info and contact details on the attached poster.

Drive Project – Social Exclusion

On a similar vein, the Drive Project are looking to conduct short interviews with young people on the subject of social exclusion.

If you can help with this very worthwhile initiative, please use the QR code or contact details on the attached poster.

PLACEMENTS

Pharmacy Students

The team who organise the undergraduate Masters in Pharmacy degree programme at UCLan are looking to include some placement opportunities for students within the local community. 

They aim to encourage first and fourth year students to develop their communication skills in real life situations, engage with people from different backgrounds and gain an insight into the organisations supporting the local community.  

The placements, which are supported with payments under the Health Education England Education & Training Tariff would be for short periods eg one day a week for 4 weeks per student for first years and one full week for fourth years, and would run through the academic period January to April.

We know several of our members work in the health field so if this is something you would be interested in or would like more information about, please complete this short form

EVENTS

Long Covid Peer Support Group

The face-to-face and online Long Covid Peer Support Groups based in Bamber Bridge have changed facilitator and are now managed by Karen Haworth from Brain Breakthrough CIC. 

Karen is a sufferer of Long Covid herself and has a keen interest in providing peer support and signposting opportunities to others who are struggling with the condition.

Full details via the attached poster and if booking, don’t forget to advise Karen whether you prefer an online or face to face meeting.

Weekly Round Up

Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, May 11 (and for the next five Thursdays, same time and venue).

10am-Noon: Wellness and Recovery Workshop.

Location: Christ Church, Berry Lane, Longridge PR3 3JA.

Registration: Via this link.

Thursday, May 11

1pm-2.30pm: Drop-in Info session on the MET tent facility. Led by Strive2Thrive.

Location: Disability Equality NW, 103/4 Church St, Preston PR1 3BS.

Tuesday, May 16

1pm-3.30pm: Tea and Chat for Mental Health Awareness Week.

Location: DENW, 103 Church St, Preston PR1 3BS.

Registration: Not required but contact to advise any access needs: hello@disability-equality.org.uk

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, May 3, 2023

NEWS

1 Safenet Newsletter

Our friends at Safenet have recently released their Healthy Relationships Newsletter. Safenet provide incredible confidential support for domestic abuse victims. You can find their newsletter here.

CONSULTATIONS

1 County Strategy Consultation

As part of the development of Lancashire 2050, the county’s new overarching strategy, the Lancashire Skills and Employment Strategic Framework first published in February 2021 is being refreshed.

As part of this exercise, a consultation with employers, providers, and partners is being rolled to gain feedback on priorities and benefits.

Consultation events are being held at Samlesbury Hotel, Preston New Road, Preston PR5 0UL on Friday, May 26 from 10am-1pm and Thursday, June 8 from 2pm-5pm.

Click this link to book a place.

FUNDING

1 Household Support Fund

Preston City Council have re-opened the Household Support Fund for applications from residents of Preston to apply for help & assistance with energy/food and wider essentials such as clothing. More information can be found here.

2 Safer Lancashire Neighbourhood Fund

There’s a great grant opportunity now open to applications in the shape of the Safer Lancashire Neighbourhood Fund.

Voluntary organisations and local councils can apply for between £1,000 and £10,000 from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, for projects based around the PCC’s priorities which are:

1. Getting Tough on Anti-Social Behaviour
2. Disrupting and Dismantling Organised Crime
3. Tackling Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence
4. Cracking Down on Burglary and Robbery
5. Targeting Dangerous Drivers.

See the application criteria for more information or application form to apply.

3 Grant Opportunities – The Funded Team

Part of the national Edukit organisation, The Funded Team regularly send us grant opportunities, many of which could prove very useful for our member groups.

We’ll try to flag up any particularly attractive grant opportunities each week but in the mean time, you can call the group on 0203 191 6696 or have an online chat with them by clicking this link and a representative will be happy to let you know what’s on offer right now.

TRAINING

1 Training Opportunity

There’s a very attractive and fully funded training opportunity now available to organisations across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

‘Train the Trainer – Chat to Change’ is being offered by Active Lancashire.

This course will provide an organisation with a Trainer who can deliver ‘Make Every Contact Count’ training across their organisation and educate colleagues on delivering healthy lifestyle information.

There’s an info session for anyone interested at Girl Guides NW HQ, Preston PR2 5PD on Thursday, June 8 from 9.30am-4.30pm. Refreshments and Lunch will be provided.

Please see flyer for further details. There’s also an application form here which you must complete and return by May 26.

EVENTS

1 Preston Speaking Club

Caritas Care, Plungington Community Centre are running Preston Speaking Club on Thursday May 4th. The club is dedicated to helping individuals develop their public speaking and leadership skills through a programme of regular meetings, speeches, and feedback. Their flyer can be found here.

2 Recovery College – May programme

While not directly members of PCN, The Recovery College do loads of valuable work and they always have a hectic programme of events which we know are useful to many of our members.

We’ve therefore attached a flyer detailing the group’s programme for May. Contact details are provided here to obtain further details.

Weekly Round Up

Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website here.

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, May 4

6:30pm-8:45pm: Preston Speaking Club

Location: Caritas Care, Plungington Community Centre, Brook Street, Preston, PR1 7NB.

Registration: Free tickets on Eventbrite.

Friday, May 5

1pm-3.30pm: Disability Equality NW Coronation Party.

Location: DENW, 103 Church St, Preston PR1 3BS.

Registration: Contact to book/advise any access needs: hello@disability-equality.org.uk

Sunday, May 7

11am-5pm: Preston Community Hub Coronation Street Party.

Games, Food, Music & Stalls. All welcome.

Location: Samuel Street, Preston, PR1 4YE

Tuesday, May 9

6:30pm: Adoption Information Event – Join us to find out more about Adoption and what this entails.  We will also have Rob joining us to talk about adoption as a single person. To book onto this event click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

Location: Online.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, April 26, 2023

NEWS

1 Blaze Arts

We hope you will give a big PCN welcome to Blaze Arts who are now on board as one of our newest members.

The group have joined just at the right time as it gives us a chance to spread the word about a new project they have just launched for disabled young people in Preston called Access All Areas.

Aimed at those aged 16-25 and identify as disabled, the project hopes to allow those involved to take part in creative activities, meet and work with professional artists, visit museums and events and play a fuller part in community life.

More info and contact details via the attached flyer.

2 Autism Connect

It is always great to see new groups coming onto the scene in Preston and trying to make a real difference.

One such group and one of our new PCN members is Autism Connect.

Run by Cllr Daniel Duckworth and Emma Watkis, who recently won the coveted Lesley Finley Memorial Award for her work with autism groups, Autism Connect are just finding their feet and now run fortnightly social sessions for those living with autism.

New faces are very welcome and there are more details via the attached flyer.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Household Support Fund

Are you, your group or your service users struggling with high energy bills and the rising cost of living?

If so, help is now at hand with the latest round of Preston City Council’s Household Support Fund opening to applications from residents from 9am next Tuesday, May 2.

Assistance is available to address energy/food bills and also to help purchase wider essentials such as clothing.

Applicants MUST reside in the Preston area and applications must be made online, though staff at PCC Vulnerable Support can assist with completion of the form if needed.

More information is available via the attached leaflet.

Co-op Local Community Fund

Each year community groups and charities can apply to become Co-op Local Community Causes for one year, and three Preston groups will be chosen this year.

Applications are being accepted from May 9 and you can click this link for further information about applying and how the fund works.

If you have any queries regarding applications, please email Preston Co-op Member Pioneer David Carthy at david.carthy@coop.co.uk and he will be happy to help.

Refurbishment Grant

We have been advised that applications are now being accepted for Youth Investment Fund Refurbishment Grants of up to £150,000.

This Government funded scheme aimed at improving facilities and premises used by youth groups, is open to any groups involved in youth work subject to various criteria.

Find out more via this link

Thanks to our friend Harmesh Chauhan at Lancs BME Network for pointing this out.

SURVEYS

Suicide Bereavement Survey

Health Education England (HEE) have been working to develop dedicated suicide bereavement training for counsellors and therapists working with adults.

Due to the success of the training and feedback received, HEE is now considering developing a training package specifically for people who support children and young people bereaved or affected by suicide.

To progress the work, HEE are assessing the current situation re training in this area, and have requested as many groups or individuals as possible working in the VCFSE or health sector to complete a short survey, which you can access via this link

It should only take two minutes and any help appreciated.

EVENTS

1 Mandala

Our friends at Mandala are expanding their work in the community by adding a new group in their venue for building community, challenging isolation, loneliness and developing new skills through lovely meditative arts and crafts activities.

They are also happy to arrange to meet people outside the venue so they don’t have to walk in on their own.

More information on their sessions can be found on the attached flyer.

2 Let’s Grow Preston Spring Fair

Our Member group Let’s Grow Preston will be running a spring fair on Saturday. The weather is scheduled to be fair and slightly warmer. A perfect opportunity to meet the amazing people at Let’s Grow Preston.

Weekly Round Up

Below you will find a summary of events happening this week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, April 27

10am-11am: Zentangle Doodles Class.

Location: The Wellness Cafe @ Bamber Bridge Methodist Church.

Saturday, April 29

5am-8am: Dawn Chorus Walk. Join Intact to see and hear the songbird symphony guided by expert ornithologist Graham Clarkson.

Location: Dobcroft Urban Wetlands. Meet at Intact, 9 Whitby Avenue, Ingol PR2 3YP.

Registration: via Eventbrite

Saturday, April 29

10am-4pm: Let’s Grow Preston Spring Fair.

Location: Ashton Walled Garden, Ashton Park, Peddlers Lane, Ashton, Preston, PR2 1HL

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, April 19, 2023

NEWS

1 Emergency Alert – IMPORTANT

This Sunday, April 23, there will be a national UK Emergency Alert test.

This new system which is being rolled out by the government will notify all phones with an alert sound, including phones set to silent.

It has been rightly pointed out that this exercise could therefore cause worrying issues for abuse victims and survivors who have a secret phone that they may hide from an abusive partner.

Please could you advise any such people you may know of to take action to prevent the phone from activating, such as switching it off or putting it in airplane mode.

The Refuge group have kindly provided a video to inform victims and survivors how to deal with the issue and you can access via this link

Please share this info with as many of your members and contacts as you can.

2 PCN Networking Event

A big thank you to everyone who attended our networking event. We had a great time meeting you all and hearing all your ideas for the future. Our next networking session will be around mid-July. We hope to see you all there.

SURVEYS

1 PCN Survey

Thank you to those who have already filled in our survey. We would love to be able to provide some extra training opportunities to our members. Before we set up this resource, we would love to hear what kind of training you would like and how you would like it delivered.
Please complete the survey on the following link, it will only take a couple of minutes: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZYQM3C3

We are going to study the replies/feedback in the next few days, so if you haven’t already filled in the survey, please could you do so by the weekend. It would be great to take your views on board.

EVENTS

1 Wellbeing and Recovery Workshops

There’s a new six-week programme of Wellness and Recovery Workshops starting on Thursday, May 11.

They will be based at Christ Church, Longridge, which is of course outside the city but is easily accessible by bus or car so may be of interest to our members and their users.

The Wellness and Recovery workshops are great for anyone 18+ with mild mental health difficulties or those struggling with their mental wellbeing and looking to start their recovery journey.

To book a place, click this link

Flyer attached with more info on the programme.

2 Preston Careers Fair

As you may know, The Preston Careers Fair takes place next Wednesday, April 26, at PNE FC’s Deepdale Stadium from 10am-2pm.

It’s open to anyone and everyone and fi you want to book a stall to advertise your own vacancies, you can do so.

For more info, se this link

https://www.ukcareersfair.com/event/preston-careers-fair 

Weekly Round Up

Great to see lots of events this week, check them out below. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also keep an eye on the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, April 20 

10am-Noon: Disabled People and Safe Relationships Workshop for Partners. Short free workshop for relevant services. Refreshments.

Location: Disability Equality NW, 103-104 Church St, Preston PR1 3BS.

Registration: Please contact safetyfirst@disability-equality.org.uk or Tel: 01772 558863 (opt 2) for further info.

2pm-3:30pm: ICANN Online Session – Learn how to make a successful PIP claim.

Information and tips and the opportunity to be able to ask questions on everything from eligibility to form filling, getting medical evidence, preparing, and attending assessments, challenging decisions, and preparing and attending appeal tribunals.

Registration: Free tickets on Eventbrite 

Friday, April 21

10am: Toddler Session: Playtime in the Past: A trip back in time with your toddler.

Location: Ribbleton Library, Ribbleton Hall Drive, Preston PR2 6EE.

10am: An online Audience with a Foster Carer – Lucy will be there with Jane, one of the groups longstanding foster carers who will chat to you about fostering and what motivated her and her family to get involved. To book onto this event click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk

Saturday, April 22

10am: Online Adoption Information Event – Ever thought about Adoption?  Why not come along to an event and find out to see if this is for you.  To book onto this event click here, ring 0800 652 6955 or email recruitment@caritascare.org.uk.

Wednesday, April 26

10am-2pm: Preston Careers Fair. Includes VCFSE sector opportunities.

Location: PNEFC, Deepdale Stadium, Preston PR1 6RU.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, April 12, 2023

NEWS

1 PCN Spring Networking Event

Thank you to all those that have confirmed their attendance for tomorrow. We cannot wait to see you all. We will be kicking off at around 10am and should be all done by 12:30ish. If you haven’t confirmed your attendance and you still wish to come, please drop us an e-mail. The address for the venue is below:

The Northumberland Hall,

St Cuthbert’s Church Centre,

Preston,

PR2 3AR.

There is ample parking to the rear of the building which can be accessed via St Michaels Close.

2 How To Bid For Public Contracts

We all know groups in our sector face lots of tough challenges in these difficult times, and one of the most challenging is competing for public contracts.

In a rapidly changing sector, this can be really daunting even when your group have fantastic services to offer.

But a new programme has now been launched to provide training, advice, guidance  and other assistance for VCFSOs on what is available to bid for and how to construct your bid.

Full details via this link

3 Voting Registration Deadline Looms

We know a lot of our member groups are helping those not currently registered to vote to get sorted before the forthcoming local elections.

You must register to vote by April 17 and if you want to apply for a postal vote, you must do so by April 18.

As you may know, if you vote in person, you now need to show an accepted form of photo ID when you attend at a polling station.
If you don’t have photo ID, you will need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.
The deadline to apply for this document is April 25.

Our friends at Disability Equality NW can help if you have any issues with this.

If you need assistance, call into DENW at 103 Church Street, PR1 3BS between 9.30am-3.30pm on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Alternatively, you can call them on 01772 559963 or email hello@disability-equality.org.uk for further information.

In order for DENW to help, you will need to be registered to vote and will also need a recent passport style photo of yourself and your National Insurance number.

SURVEYS

1 PCN Survey

Thank you to those who have already filled in our survey. We would love to be able to provide some extra training opportunities to our members. Before we set up this resource, we would love to hear what kind of training you would like and how you would like it delivered.
Please complete the survey on the following link, it will only take a couple of minutes: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZYQM3C3

FUNDING

1 Home Upgrade Grants
Our partners at Preston City Council have advised that grants are now available to help support the installation of insulation and renewable heating technologies, such as air source heat pumps or solar thermal panels.

Grants are based on averages, but the average is expected to be around £18,800 per property.
Eligible properties are low income households ie less than £31,000 pa or those not heated by gas central heating, oil or LPG, but certain other properties are also eligible.

This may well be of interest to members and service users so please pass on the info if you can. More details via this link.

EVENTS

1 Wellness and Recovery Workshops

The Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust are offering six weeks worth of wellness and recovery workshops starting on Thursday May 11^th at Christ Church, Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3JA.

The Wellness and Recovery workshops are great for anyone over 18 with mild mental health difficulties or those struggling with their mental wellbeing and looking to start their recovery journey. You can find more information and book on to the 6-week course here.

Weekly Round Up

With Easter weekend all over now, events are starting to pick up again. Please also check out the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

As always, please check with the event provider to make sure that the event is still running.

Thursday, April 13

10am: Preston Community Network Spring Networking Event.

Location: The Northumbria Hall, St Cuthbert’s Church Centre, Lytham Road, Preston PR2 3AR.

Registration: RSVP to mailto:tonyd@prestoncn.org or mailto:glennm@prestoncn.org

Friday, April 14

10.30am-Noon: Embrace Lancashire coffee morning. Cakes and refreshments for those not fasting.

Location: Pukar Disability Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, Preston PR1 3XP.

Registration: Not required. Non-members welcome.

Wednesday, April 19

1pm-2.30pm: Meet the Medics. Chance for disabled people to meet UCLan medical students on placement.

Location: Disability Equality NW, 103-104 Church St, Preston PR1 3BS.

Registration: Not required. All welcome. 

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, April 5, 2023

NEWS

1 PCN Networking Event

Thank you to all those that have confirmed their attendance to our networking event on Thursday, April 13^th at 10am at The Northumberland Hall, St Cuthbert’s Church Centre, Preston, PR2 3AR. We are very excited to welcome two fantastic speakers to the event – John Atherton (Preston Co-operative Development Network) and Davinia Jackson (Citizens UK). We would love to see as many of you there as possible – if you have not received our invitation, please let us know via e-mail.

2 The MET

The MET – it stands for Mobile Event Tent – is a fantastic community resource set up via a collaboration between UCLan and Preston City Council which will shortly be coming into operation.

It’s a versatile, heated space in which any number of community events can be staged and by definition it’s mobile and can be set up anywhere in the city and its environs.

There’s a short video, which you can access by the following link, which showcases the MET and its capabilities. https://vimeo.com/759181814 

The MET will be on site at the Morrisons car park on Blackpool Road from July 1-31 and more details of how to make use of the MET will follow soon.

SURVEYS

1 PCN Survey

We would love to be able to provide some extra training opportunities to our members. But firstly, we need to find out about your organisations main needs and how we can assist in that.
To help us with setting this resource up, complete the survey on the following link, it will only take a couple of minutes: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZYQM3C3

FUNDING

1 Phoenix Way

The Phoenix Way (TPW) is a national collaborative partnership created during the Covid pandemic as a response to the structural inequalities which Black and racially minoritised communities and community groups face in relation to accessing grant funding. 

TPW has now launched its first emergency round of funding for such groups, focusing particularly on those groups working with and supporting children and young people and impacted by the current cost of living crisis.
A total of £1million is available in this round and applicants can apply for grants of £20,000.

You can find out more about the fund, eligibility criteria and information about how to apply via this link https://www.ubele.org/our-work/the-phoenix-way
And make a note for your diary as TPW will launch a further funding round in Summer 2023.

2 Funded Team

In case you are not aware, Funded Team are a good resource for locating funding opportunities.

They are particularly useful for organisations who support migrants, refugees or those who have faced inequality because of race or ethnicity, or who work to alleviate poverty or to advance educational opportunities for vulnerable or deprived children.

They have advised of at least two good grant opportunities which are currently live, so to find out more call them on 0203 191 6696 or visit their website at https://www.funded.team/ where there is a chat service available.

VACANCIES

1 DanceSyndrome

Our friends over at DanceSyndrome have made us aware of an opportunity for an experienced Fundraising and Grants Project Manager to join their team. This is a part-time role (16 hours per week) based in the North West with flexibility for both office and home working.

Salary: £32,000 – £35,000 pro rata.

For more information regarding the role, and a full job description, click here.

To apply for the role, please send a CV and covering letter to the Managing Director, Julie Nicholson on julie@dancesyndrome.co.uk with “Job Application” as the email subject.

2 Patient Safety Partners

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust are seeking two Patient Safety Partners to sit on their Patient Safety-related committees/sub-committees.

These are volunteer roles and an opportunity to bring the voice of our communities into a space that can influence how as a Trust, they shape themselves and keep their service users safe.

Please find on the attached poster more details of the role and the contact details.

3 Mental Health Training

Select Training CIC have been in touch with us to advise that they are stepping up their efforts to improve mental health literacy across communities in Preston.

Their aim is to tackle the mental health crisis through education by providing affordable, quality Ofqual regulated mental health first aid training to community groups, schools and charities.

The group also offer the Mini Medics Mental Health course to schools and other youth groups aimed at children between 8 and 13. 

Please see attached poster for more details.

EVENTS

1 Let’s Grow Preston

Our member group Let’s Grow Preston have a ‘Plant a Pea’ event on April 6. They will also be running free gardening sessions over the Easter Holidays in Waverley Park. These sessions run from Mondays-Wednesdays at 10am-3pm. They will also be running some extra special sessions on the 11^th and 12^th April.

2 Community Health Information Day

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and as part of this national event, a Community Health Information Day is being held at the Preston Community Hub, Samuel Street, Preston, PR1 4YE next Tuesday, April 11 from 11am to 3pm.

The Bowl Cancer Screening Programme’s team will be bringing along their ‘inflatable bowel’ to illustrate their work, and there will be an opportunity for free health checks including a blood pressure check, along with a range of stallholders including Quit Squad, our remember group Pukar Disability Resource Centre, North West Ambulance and more.

Please see attached flyers for details.

Weekly Round Up

Easter is coming this week, and many of our members close over the holiday period. This means there are not as many events as usual. Please also check out the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Please Note: It is probable that most of the weekly events will not be running over Easter. Make sure to double-check with the event runners to see if they are still running.

Thursday, April 6

30 minute slots between 11am and 12:30pm: Preston Community Hub and Let’s Grow Preston ‘Plant a Pea’

In Partnership with Let’s Grow Preston, Preston Community Hub are inviting children to come together and learn about planting.

Location: Preston Community Hub, Samuel St, Preston, PR1 4YE

Registration: To register interest, please email hub@prestoncommunity.co.uk

Saturday, April 8

12noon – 2pm: Family fun day Preston Markets

Bring your little ones down to Preston Markets on Saturday 8 April for some Easter themed, family Fun with our Easter egg hunt and face painting.

Location: 28 Market St, Preston PR1 2AR

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, March 29, 2023

NEWS

1 PCN Networking Event

Just a quick reminder that our next networking event will be on Thursday April 13^th at 10am at The Northumberland Hall, St Cuthbert’s Church Centre, PR2 3AR. Thank you to all those who have already reserved a place. We sent over the invitation last week, if you didn’t receive this, please let us know via e-mail. We hope to see you there!

2 Charity Excellence Framework

Charity Excellence Framework have launched a free AI Bid writing service. This is a tool that enables anyone to create funding bids quickly and simply. They have created a page on their website to explain how this works and how to get the best out of the AI program – you can find this here.

3 Trading standards Safe Trader Scheme

The Scheme is primarily aimed at helping elderly or vulnerable residents find reliable and honest traders to carry out work around the home, and in turn helps to prevent residents falling victim to rogue traders. They are currently looking at ways that they can promote the scheme within Lancashire and therefore they are trying to visit community groups within the county.

To find out more about the scheme, visit https://safetrader.org.uk/home/

4 No Whispers CIC 1^st Anniversary

There was a great turnout at our member group No Whispers CIC’s first anniversary event which took place last night, Tuesday, March 28.

On an evening of celebration in the lovely venue of the Lancs FA headquarters in Leyland, those gathered were welcomed by Karen Livesey and her colleagues from No Whispers and heard a series of short presentations.

There was then an informal period of networking and of course a fantastic birthday cake which was cut up and distributed among the assorted attendees after a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’.

In closing the event, Karen echoed the views of all present in hoping No Whispers CIC, which specializes in a range of accessible child sexual exploitation awareness training resources, continues to go from strength to strength in the future.

SURVEYS

1 PCN Survey

We are very aware that our members need access to free or low cost training resources in many key areas and we see it as our role to try to provide these.

To assist us in setting this resource up, complete the survey on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZYQM3C3

VACANCIES

1 Fishwick and St Matthews Big Local Partnership

The Fishwick and St Matthews Big Local Partnership are currently looking to recruit a new Community Engagement Officer to support the Partnership with their work. This is an excellent opportunity for a pro-active person who would like to make a real difference for voluntary sector organisations and residents in the Fishwick and St Matthews area of Preston. The postholder will be located at UCLan and they will also have the opportunity to establish better links between the university and the wider community in this part of Preston.

Further information can be accessed here: https://www.uclan.ac.uk/jobs/community-engagement-officer. Please note that the closing date for applications is Sunday 2^nd April.

2 Fishwick Rangers Youth & Community Development Scheme

are really excited to be recruiting a Project Officer to join their team. They are looking to recruit someone to deliver the MPACE (Macmillan Preston Area Cancer Engagement) project which aim to address inequalities in Cancer services and create access to opportunities for those whose ethnicity and culture can be a barrier to engagement and participation.
More information can be found on the job description here.

FUNDING

1 Lancashire Community Finance

Lancashire Community Finance are working in partnership with NatWest bank and Responsible Finance to provide small grants to local residents through a new Hardship Grant Fund.
Please see this link for more information.

EVENTS

1 Recovery College

Please find here the timetable for Recovery College @Deepdale for April 2023.

Please feel free to access the offers yourself or forward the information to anybody who you feel may benefit from them.

If you have any further questions or queries, contact details are on the timetable.

2 Let’s Grow Preston

Our friends at Let’s Grow Preston will be running free gardening sessions over the Easter Holidays in Waverley Park. The sessions run from Mondays-Wednesdays at 10am-3pm. They will also be running some extra special sessions on the 11^th and 12^th April. Please see this link for the downloadable flyer.

Weekly Round Up

Not many events this week as many of our groups start to get ready for Easter. You can find below the events happening within the next week. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also check out the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Thursday, March 30 

10am-11am: Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust Zentangle Group

Paper and pens will be provided for use during the session however you are welcome to bring your own if you would prefer. This group is suitable for everyone – whether you be a beginner, expert, or something in between

Location: Bamber Bridge Methodist Church – Wellness Café Area.

Saturday, April 1

11am-12noon: Let’s Clean Up Our Park from Let’s Grow Preston. Litter picking session, as well as sowing wildflowers in the Community Garden and free refreshments.

Location: Waverley Park

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, March 22, 2023

PCN NEWS

1 A Date for Your Diary – Our Next Networking Event

We are pleased to advise that our next PCN networking event will take place on Thursday April 13^th at 10am.

We are planning on a relaxed, welcoming and inclusive event with two speakers then an informal networking session and ending with light refreshments.

Please see the attached invitation for more information.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the day.

2 Our New Colleague

We are delighted to announce that Glenn McDonnell has officially started work here at PCN as a Project Worker. Glenn has been in charge of our member group ICANN’s web presence for some time now and is very familiar with the VCFSE sector in the Preston area, and also has experience in administration and other fields.

You can reach him via email at glennm@prestoncn.org

GENERAL NEWS

1 FSI (Foundation for Social Improvement)

We were sad to note that we have received news that the Trustees of the FSI have announced that they have reluctantly decided to formally wind up the charity.

We are sure you will agree the FSI has been a wonderful resource for our sector, particularly of course in delivering high quality training and support.

Our grateful thanks to the FSI for all their work and we wish everyone associated with the group well at this difficult time.

2 Team Fresh

Our gym-based member group Team Fresh have launched a major fundraising drive in an effort to broaden and strengthen their work in the fields of youth, mental health and our community in general.

Please follow the attached link for more details of this exciting project and how you can help.

https://gofund.me/a4a77012

SURVEYS

Integrated Care

As we all know, the Integrated Care strategy currently being thrashed out will have a huge impact on our sector and we are trying to keep you posted on developments on a weekly basis.

The Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Partnership carried out a survey late last year on the draft strategy and are now doing the same with the final strategy document.

You can complete the short survey via the following link:

https://www.healthierlsc.co.uk/icp/get-involved/strategy

Counselling Survey

Debbie Kent is a key member of the team at our good friends at CancerHelp Preston Ltd.

Debbie is undertaking further study building on her counselling degree qualification and as part of this has drawn up a questionnaire to look at mental health provisions for people working in organisations.

Please could you spare five minutes to assist her by completing the questionnaire?

You can do so by following this link.

VACANCIES

Our member group Preston Domestic Violence Services(PDVS) have just advised us of an exciting opportunity as an Outreach Support Officer.

The group are recruiting for several roles within their organisation, for this and other vacancies, please see our website: Here

FUNDING AND INFO

1 Preston Community Network Funding Event

A huge thank you to everyone that attended our Funding Info Event on March 17^th. We had a great time meeting you all and hope to hold our next funding info event within the next few months. Keep an eye out for updates.

2 ENWL Storm Arwin Community Fund

The above was launched in the wake of the damage caused by Storm Arwin by Electricity North West Ltd (ENWL) to make funding available to communities in the region affected by the storm.

We have been advised that very few applications have been received by groups in the Lancashire area and fund administrators are keen to get the money out to those who are eligible.

The funding will not support solar panels but would support the batteries to store the electricity in, and can also fund generators or equipment that will make their community building a warm and safe place for the community to go to in the event of another power outage such as the one caused by Storm Arwin.

Please see the attached info sheet for more background and how to apply.

EVENTS

1 Strive 2 Thrive Anniversary Celebration

One of our members Strive 2 Thrive are holding a special event to mark their first anniversary on Friday, March 24.

It will take place at Crossgate Church, St Mary’s St North, Preston PR1 5LG.

To register attendance, follow this LINK

To book an info stall, email tasha@strive2thrivelancs.co.uk

2 Job Fair at Preston Community Hub

Our friends at Preston Community Hub are proud to be hosting their first ever job fair on Tuesday March 28. Local residents of Preston will have an amazing opportunity to meet prospective employers at their community centre.

Time: 11am-2pm

Venue: Preston Community Hub, Samuel Street, PR1 4YE.

3 Weekly Round Up

Listed below are events coming up for the next week or so. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also check out the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Friday, March 24 

4.30pm-7.30pm: Strive 2 Thrive Lancashire CIC Evening of Celebration marking the group’s first anniversary.

Location: Crossgate Church, St Mary’s St North, Preston PR1 5LG.

Registration: Link to book on Eventbrite

To book an info stall, email tasha@strive2thrivelancs.co.uk

Tuesday, March 28

12.45pm-2.45pm: Getting into working in an early years setting; Info session.

Location: Pukar Disability Resource Centre. 3/5 Oakham Court, Preston PR1 3XP.

1pm-4pm: Autism Acceptance Week event.

Location: Room A, Preston Town Hall.

Registration: To book an information stall or provide an activity or performance, email dean@disability-equality.org.uk

7pm-10pm: No Whispers CIC Birthday Celebration. Info, stalls, resources and a cake!

Location: Lancs FA, Thurston Rad, Leyland PR25 2LF.

Registration:  Book your place on Eventbrite

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, March 15, 2023

GENERAL NEWS

1 Our Next Networking Event

We are about to set a provisional date for the next PCN networking event, which will take place next month.

We are planning on a relaxed, welcoming and inclusive event with Tony Dawber giving a general update on PCN’s progress followed by two interesting speakers then an informal networking session and ending with light refreshments.

We’ll be sending out more formal invitations in the next few days and look forward to seeing you all on the day.   

2 Welcome to Glenn

A piece of very good news.

We are delighted to advise that Glenn McDonnell will be joining the team here at PCN as Project Worker.

Glenn has been in charge of our member group ICANN’s social media and web presence for some time now and is very familiar with the VCFSE sector in the Preston area, and also as experience in administration and other fields.

He will be based with Tony Dawber at Preston Town Hall from next week and we will provide his full contact details as soon as he is in post.

We are sure you will join us in welcoming Glenn on board.

3 VCFSE Assembly Task and Finish Groups

As many of you will know, the introduction of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) will have a huge impact on our sector.

It is absolutely key that we have as much representation as possible in the rolling out of the ICB system to ensure not only that the sector can play a full part in the set up but also that it has access to any available funding.

Our good friend Joe Hannett is playing a key role in the process and has advised that following discussions at the first VCFSE Assembly, plans are now going ahead to establish four Task & Finish Groups.

The aim of these groups is to develop proposals for the ICB to fund initiatives and services in the VCFSE to help tackle some of the big system pressures facing health and care across Lancashire & South Cumbria.

The plan is to get the Task & Finish Groups up and running throughout the Spring and to have costed proposals ready by May 31 to take to the ICB.

The first meeting of each group is scheduled for the week commencing March 27, with a recommendation that the groups then plan meeting each fortnight for 4-5 weeks to develop the proposal in time for the deadline.

Please find attached full details and a short from to complete if you are interested.

Please email your completed form to stephanieg@communityfutures.org.uk

SURVEYS

Child Sexual Exploitation

As part of National Child Exploitation Awareness Day which takes place this Saturday, March 18, our member group No Whispers CIC want to raise awareness of the issue and gain people’s responses via a short questionnaire. 

It will only take a few minutes, so if you can help please could you complete the survey which is accessible via the attached link. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RnwliVeA1EZExQnh3fL9qIGAbXCP7Hq8HNbO0l7r9qg/edit

VACANCIES

1 Freelance Community Facilitator

There’s still just time to get your application in for a freelance community facilitator to support the 2023 programme of the MET (Mobile Event Tent). Details attached.
The part time vacancy with Preston City Council is for a maximum 70 days, and to apply, please submit a CV and covering letter outlining how you will meet the brief and two references from similar projects delivered over the last 12 months to Richard Baxter at r.baxter@preston.gov.uk.

Please hurry though as the closing date is this Friday, March 17.

2 Opportunity at Sahara

Our good friends at Sahara are seeking to appoint a female Part Time Administrative Officer. Please see attached for details or check out the Vacancies section of our website where you will find full details of this and many other vacancies.

FUNDING AND INFO

Preston Community Network Funding Info Event

We look forward to welcoming those members who have already booked for the Funding Info Event at the Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, PR1 3XP this Friday, March 17.

We still have two half hour one-to-one slots left at noon and 12.30pm so if you want to book one for the chance to obtain confidential expert advice on funding opportunities from National Lottery Community Fund and Lancashire County Council officials, please drop me an email at tonyd@prestoncn.org

EVENTS

1 Embrace Lancashire Get Together

At the very same venue and the very same time as the PCN Funding Info Event, our member group Embrace Lancashire are hosting an informal coffee morning.

The event at Pukar at 10.30am this Friday, March 17 is a chance for members and non-members alike to call in for a chat.

Embrace Lancashire brings together partially sighted people in the South Asian community and beyond so everyone is welcomed to call in and there’s no need to book ahead.

2 Happy Birthday to Strive 2 Thrive

One of our newer members Strive 2 Thrive are holding a special celebration to mark their first anniversary on Friday, March 24.

It will take place at Crossgate Church, St Mary’s St North, Preston PR1 5LG.

To register attendance, follow this link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1-year-anniversary-strive-2-thrive-lancashire-cic-tickets-527727596447

To book an info stall, email tasha@strive2thrivelancs.co.uk

3 Pukar Events

The Pukar Centre are also hosting a series of events themselves including Well Being sessions and courses and info sessions on teaching careers at various levels. Check out the Events section of our website for details.  

4 Weekly Round Up

Yet another busy week of events coming up and they are listed below as ever. Registration is not required unless stated. Please also check out the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Thursday, March 16 

10.30am-Noon: Session of Lancashire Medication for Your Mind via MS Teams. Online group for adults who’ve been prescribed mental health medication to learn from one another other ways they can support their wellbeing alongside taking their medication. Via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/520365466117

Friday, March 17

10am onwards: PCN Free Funding Advice Day. With reps from the National Lottery Community Fund and Lancs County Council.

At Pukar Disability Resource Centre.  3/5 Oakham Court, Preston PR1 3XP.

Registration: Pre bookable half hour slots at Noon and 12.30pm still available. Email tonyd@prestoncn.org

10am: Free Toddler Session. Exploring shapes in art and life. Hosted by UCLan and The Harris at Ribbleton Library, Ribbleton Hall Drive, Preston PR2 6EE.

10.30am-Noon: Free informal coffee morning and chat hosted by Embrace Lancashire.

At Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, Preston PR1 3XP.

Saturday, March 18

12.30pm-3.30pm: Caritas Care annual Tea Party at Plungington Community Centre, Brook St, Preston PR1 7NB.

Free but donations will be gratefully received to support the services provided by the Community Centre. 

If you would like to sponsor this event or find out more, please contact Becky Pow on 01772 732313 or email beckypow@caritascare.org.uk

Tuesday, March 21

10am-11am: Online Adoption Information Event, hosted by Caritas Care.

Registration: Via this link https://www.caritascare.org.uk/event/adoption-information-event-2/

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, March 8, 2023

GENERAL NEWS

Women’s History Month

In case you weren’t already aware, Women’s History Month has now begun and UCLan are hosting a busy programme of events to mark the occasion.

Please see attached the flyer with full details.

FUNDING AND INFO

1 Preston Community Network Funding Info Event

Thank you to those members who have already booked for the Funding Info Event on Friday, March 17.

We still have a few places left so if you would like to book an informal half hour one-to-one slot in which you can obtain confidential expert advice on funding opportunities, please drop me an email at tonyd@prestoncn.org with a preferred time and I will sort the rest.

The event is at the Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, PR1 3XP.

Officials from the National Lottery Community Fund and Lancashire County Council will be in attendance and the venue is fully accessible.

If you can’t make it in person for whatever reason but would still like to book a slot, just let me know and I’ll arrange an online appointment on the day.

I look forward to hearing from you and let me know if you need any further info at all. 

2 Get Grants Training and Funding

Thanks to our friends at the Lancs BME Network for reminding that the Get Grants community have a range of training opportunities and funding info events coming up.

Please see this link for details https://www.getgrants.org.uk/upcoming/

3 Ask Me Anything Service

On a similar theme, the Ask Me Anything Service offer an ever expanding range of very useful services for our sector, including funding and training opportunities and bid writing services.

Full details via this link

https://www.charityexcellence.co.uk/Home/BlogDetail?Link=Find_Free_Help&dm_i=6MG6,QCH6,3ZZQC5,39OVU,1

VACANCIES

Freelance Community Facilitator

Preston City Council is seeking to appoint a freelance community facilitator to support the 2023 programme of the Mobile Event Tent.

There are details of this attached or you can check it out along with a number of other newly posted vacancies on our website at https://prestoncn.org/job-vacancies/

EVENTS

1 Read Easy Birthday Celebration

A reminder that the Read Easy group’s second birthday celebration is set to go ahead at 7pm this Friday, March 10 at Deepdale Labour Bowling & Social Club, 287 Skeffington Road, Preston PR1 6RX.

It should be a lovely evening and if you wish to attend, please email  prestonrecruitern@readeasy.org.uk to let them know you will be there and advise any dietary requirements.

2 Caritas Tea Party

There’s another big event coming up very shortly with the Caritas Care Annual Tea Party taking place at Plungington Community Centre, Brook St, Preston PR1 7NB a week on Saturday, March 18. Please see attached flyer for details.

If you would like to sponsor this event or just want to find out more, please contact Becky Pow on 01772 732313 or email beckypow@caritascare.org.uk

3 Free Info Event

Thanks to Janet Cullingford from our friends at ICANNM for advising that there are a few tickets left at the special price of five for £5 for tomorrow morning’s info workshop on ‘Understanding Your Charity Audience Better.’

Click on the link to get signed up.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understand-your-charitys-audience-better-tickets-439137571297

4 Weekly Round Up

There’s another busy week of events coming up and they are listed below as ever. Registration not required unless stated. Please also check out the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Thursday, March 9

4pm-6pm: Lancashire BME Network Online AGM. 

Registration: Members only. If you are a member and have not received an invitation, please email on Office@lancashirebmenetworkorg.uk

Friday, March 10

7pm: Read Easy 2nd Birthday Celebration.

At Deepdale Labour Bowling & Social Club, 287 Skeffington Road, Preston PR1 6RX.

Registration: email prestonrecruitern@readeasy.org.uk to advise attendance and any dietary requirements.

Saturday, March 11

Time TBA: Sponsored Walk in aid of Strive 2 Thrive and Jade’s Bag charity.

Location: Preston to Blackpool.

Details and info: email info@strive2thrivelancs.co.uk

Thursday, March 16 

10.30am-Noon: Session of Lancashire Medication for Your Mind via MS Teams. Online group for adults who’ve been prescribed mental health medication to learn from one another other ways they can support their wellbeing alongside taking their medication. Via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/520365466117

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, March 1, 2023

GENERAL NEWS

1 Urgent – Projector Appeal

Sanctuary Cookalongs are having an International Women’s Day celebration this coming Tuesday, March 7.

Are there any community groups that can lend a projector to the Catherine Beckett Centre for the event and help set it up to show a few presentations?

I know I’ve made this request before for other groups and several of you have been kind enough to offer projector so if you have one, please email me ASAP at tonyd@prestoncn.org and we’ll get this sorted.

2 Ukraine Vigils

A POIGNANT vigil was held at Preston Flag Market on Friday evening to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Members of Ukrainian Hub Preston along with others from the Ukrainian community in the region were joined by a large number of local people for the event.

And as darkness fell over the city, the assembled group lit candles and heard speeches and prayers for those affected by the terrible conflict and united in the hope that peace would soon return to the region.

There were similar events held in various towns and cities across the North West, including the one pictured below which was held on Saturday morning in the square outside the Town Hall in Chorley.

Ukrainian Hub Preston meets regularly in a city centre location and holds frequent events to raise funds for Ukrainian groups both in the UK and in their home country, and it also acts as a central point for Ukrainians in the area to mutually support each other.

3 PPE Up for Grabs

I noticed a Facebook message advising that our member group Crossgate Hope have a  surplus of PPE. boxes of gloves hand sanitiser, aprons, masks available to anyone who wants them. Just call in if interested.

FUNDING

1 Preston Community Network Funding Info Event

Thank you to those members who have already booked for the Funding Info Event on Friday, March 17.

We still have a few places left so if you would like to book an informal half hour one-to-one slot in which you can obtain confidential expert advice on funding opportunities, please drop me an email at tonyd@prestoncn.org with a preferred time and I will sort the rest.

The event is at the Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, PR1 3XP.

Officials from the National Lottery Community Fund and Lancashire County Council will be in attendance and the venue is fully accessible.

If you can’t make it in person for whatever reason but would still like to book a slot, just let me know and I’ll arrange an online appointment on the day.

I look forward to hearing from you and let me know if you need any further info at all. 

2 Community Ownership Fund

We’ve been advised by the Lancashire MBE Network that the current application window for the Community Ownership Fund is open until April 14.

The fund exists to help local communities across the UK to take control of assets, amenities or facilities that are at risk of closure.

Groups can apply for up to £250k to purchase or lease a local asset or to help pay for refurbishments. All funds provided through COF must be matched £1 for £1 from alternative sources.

Find out if the fund is right for your organisation and more info via this link. Community Ownership Fund support 

SURVEYS

The Harris

You won’t need me to tell you the rebirth of The Harris is one of the biggest and most important projects taking place in the city at the moment.

The team aim to appear at more local events this year ahead of the 2024 reopening and would be grateful if any of you could spare a few minutes to take this short survey to give them some guidance on this.

 https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/853DZJQ

TRAINING

1 Free Street Harassment Training

Our thanks to Paul from Street Pastors who has pointed out that The Suzy Lamplugh Trust are offering a range of excellent free training opportunities on the subject of Street Harassment.

See this link for details.
https://www.suzylamplugh.org/Pages/Events/Category/events

2 PIP Upskilling Session

A Personal Independence Payment upskilling session being offered by the DWP on Wednesday, March 15 for anyone who supports people through the PIP journey or just wants raise their awareness.

Please see attached flyer for details.

Thanks to Sue Little at Preston City Council for advising us of this.

3 Hate Crime Resource

Our friends at Disability Equality NW have advised us about the excellent info resource on Hate Crime on their website. The resources are free to use and will be routinely updated.

Please click on this link to access https://disability-equality.org.uk/services/hate-crime-services/

Contact safetyfirst@disability-equality.org.uk or dean@disability-equality.org.uk for further information.

EVENTS

1 Preston City Mela

It’s that time of year again.

Plans are now in motion for the 2023 Mela which will take place on Moor Park on Saturday, June 17.

The organisers are sending out the booking forms early as this will help with planning and commissioning of the infrastructure for the site, and they are trying to get as much in place before the start of Ramadan later this month. 

Please see the attached message and form for full details.

2 Autism Acceptance Week

An event marking the above will take place on Tuesday, March 28 from 1pm until 4pm at Preston Town Hall Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 2RL.

It’s organised by Disability Equality NW and if you would like to book an information stall or provide an activity or performance, please contact Dean from the DENW Safety First team on dean@disability-equality.org.uk

 3 Living Well Hub

I’ve been advised that the Living Well Hub at St Catherine’s Hospice, which has been running virtually for the last three years on the first Wednesday of every month, is now back in person at The Mill Café.

It’s a one stop advice shop open to anyone living with a serious illness or their family/carers. Full details on attached flyer.

4 Weekly Round Up

There’s another busy week of events coming up and they are listed below as ever. Registration not required unless stated. Please also check out the weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Thursday, March 2

10am-12.30pm: Adult Social Care Roadshow at Preston Town Hall.

Info on vacancies and what it’s like to work in this field.

Sunday, March 5

4.30pm-5.30pm: Online Ramadhan Seminar exploring how a healthy diet and regular physical exercise can help prevent and potentially reverse illness without the need of medication.

Registration free but call 07504 234836 to register and obtain link details.

Tuesday, March 7

7pm: Online Fostering Information Event. Meet Rebecca, Caritas Care’s Fostering Service Manager, who will talk about Caritas Care, the process and the support you will receive throughout your fostering journey.

To book your place, click HERE

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, February 22, 2023

FUNDING

1 Preston Community Network Funding Info Event

Following the resounding success of our previous funding info event in December, we would confirm that a further event is has now been arranged for our members.

The event has been set for Friday, March 17 at the Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, PR1 3XP.

Officials from the National Lottery Community Fund and Lancashire County Council will be in attendance and the event will again take the form of pre-bookable half hour one-to-one slots in which you can obtain confidential expert advice on funding opportunities but in an informal, relaxed setting.

The half hour slots start at 9.30am through to the last slot at 3.30pm and we still have some slots left both in the morning and afternoon, so if you wish to book one, just email me at tonyd@prestoncn.org advising your preferred time.

I will then get back to you with confirmation and more details.

2 Refugee Week

Lancashire County Council have arranged a small scale funding scheme available to help any groups arranging events to mark National Refugee Week in June.

Please see this link for details.  

https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/grants/refugee-week-grant-scheme/

3 WEA Community Grants Programme

The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) has launched Year 2 of its Multiply Community Grants programme with funding available in the Lancashire County Council area.

The Multiply programme aims to help less qualified people develop a range of everyday skills such as managing household finances and improving employment prospects.

Groups making successful applications are expected to measurably improve adult functional numeracy levels locally.

As with Year 1, grants are available of between £10,000 and £25,000 to eligible VCSE organisations.

I’ve only just been advised of this and I must warn you time is very tight as you must get your grant application in by Friday, March 10.

If you are interested, you can obtain more info, check eligibility and apply via this link

https://www.wea.org.uk/lancashire-multiply-community-grants-open-application or by emailing multiplylancs@wea.ac.uk

VACANCIES

Energy Champion

Our good friends at Preston Citizens Advice, who are longstanding members of PCN, are looking to appoint a full time ‘Energy Champion’ to strengthen their team.

Please see the attached ad or check our website vacancies section for full details of this and a range of other vacancies.     

EVENTS

1 Anniversary of Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Many people from Ukraine, young and old, have arrived in the city after fleeing the terrible conflict in their home country.

This Friday, February 24, marks the first anniversary of the Russian invasion and a candlelit vigil has been arranged to mark the date. The vigil will be held at 6pm at the Flag Market in the centre of Preston.

Our member group Ukrainian Hub Preston will be in attendance and hope to see as many of you as possible at the event on what will be a very poignant day for the Ukrainian community in the area.

2 Headway Meetings

Our longstanding member group Headway Central Lancashire have for many years done tremendous work offering support to those who have suffered an acquired brain injury or major trauma injury and their family and friends.

If you are not already aware, they arrange different events every Tuesday at various venues on a rota basis.

Full details of these very popular events on the attached table.

3 RNIB Discussion Groups

The RNIB, which work with many of our member groups from the visually impaired community, have asked us to advise that they are organising a series of discussion groups relating to Rehabilitation Services.

Please see the attached flyer for more info. The RNIB have promised to forward to me further details ie dates, times and specific subjects, as soon as these are confirmed.

4 Caritas Care Tea Party

Make a date in your diary for next month’s Caritas Care Annual Tea Party. Cakes galore so don’t miss it! See attached flyer for more details.     

5 Weekly Round Up

There’s another busy week of events coming up and they are listed below as ever. Registration not required unless stated. Do also check out the growing number of weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Thursday, February 23

2pm-4pm: The Lancs and South Cumbria Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise group online meeting.

Registration via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/516631618077 

Friday, February 24

Noon-4pm: LGBT Awareness Day at The Haven, Blanche St, Preston PR2 2RL. Speakers, buffet and more.

Book a place via

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-awareness-day-tickets-503438386767?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

6pm: Candlelit vigil to mark first anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine at Preston Flag Market. All welcome.

Saturday, February 25

10am-11am: Online Adoption Info Event hosted by Caritas Care.

Registration via this link https://www.caritascare.org.uk/event/adoption-information-event/2023-02-25/

Tuesday, February 28

6pm: Online network gathering for all groups in Preston who work with sanctuary seekers. Hosted by Preston City of Sanctuary.

Email prestoncityofsanctuary@gmail.com to advise of attendance.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, February 15, 2023

LATEST NEWS

1 Visual Impairment Info Day

There were inspiring stories to hear and lots of useful info to pick up at yesterday’s ‘Better Together’ Sight Loss Info Day for visually impaired members of the BAME community.

A great turnout at the Pukar Disability Resource Centre heard representatives from a range of groups including the RNIB and Galloway’s Society for the Blind deliver a series of informative talks.

What proved to be a very successful and well appreciated event saw a host of subjects covered including developing cooking skills, how to utilise the ‘Alexa’ system to your best advantage and the latest technology and reading devices available to the visually impaired.

  One of the displays at this week’s sight loss information event

2 Important – Your Right to Vote

A reminder that from May you will need photo ID to vote at polling stations, and our friends at Disability Equality NW can help if you have any issues with this.

If you don’t have a UK issued passport or driving licence, a Blue Badge or an Older Person’s or Disabled Person’s Bus Pass as photo ID, you’ll need a document known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

Don’t worry, it’s free and if you need help in applying for it, or if you need assistance registering for a postal vote, call into DENW at 103 Church Street, PR1 3BS between 9.30am-3.30pm on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Alternatively, you can call them on 01772 559963 or email hello@disability-equality.org.uk for further information.

In order for DENW to help, you will need to be registered to vote and will also need a recent passport style photo of yourself and your National Insurance number.

VACANCIES

PCN Vacancy

There’s still just time to apply for the Project Worker vacancy here at PCN.

The job is 37 hours per week, salary £25,409 per annum, but job share applications are welcomed and flexible working or a reduced hours contract will be considered.

Application forms can be requested by emailing admin@prestoncn.org or writing to Preston Community Network, c/o ICANN, Howick House, Howick Park Avenue, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 0LS.

Closing date is next Monday, February 20 at 9am with interviews in the week commencing Monday, February 27.

Please see the vacancies section of our website for further details and also details of a range of other vacancies in the sector.

FUNDING

1 The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF)

We have received a message from the above outlining a range of exciting and potentially very interesting funding opportunities the NLCF are offering in the next few months.

They are particularly looking forward to welcoming applications for grants to support community activities to celebrate The King’s Coronation, the 75th Anniversary of Windrush and also the Eurovision Song Contest, particularly projects supporting Ukrainian communities to reflect the fact the UK is hosting Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine.

For full details, please click this link to our website where you can read the full message from the NLCF.

https://prestoncn.org/news/a-message-from-the-national-lottery-community-fund/

I know the Windrush angle and the Ukraine offer will interest many of our member groups who may be interested in the Funding Info event detailed below.

2 Preston Community Network Funding Info Event

Following the success of our funding info event in December, we are pleased to advise that a further event is has now been arranged for our members.

As with the previous event, officials from the National Lottery Community Fund and Lancashire County Council will be in attendance and the event will take the form of pre-bookable half hour one-to-one slots in which you can obtain confidential expert advice on funding opportunities but in an informal, relaxed setting.

The event has been set for Friday, March 17 at the Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, PR1 3XP.

The half hour slots start at 9.30am through to the last slot at 3.30pm and if you wish to book one, just email me at tonyd@prestoncn.org advising your preferred time.

I will then get back to you with confirmation and more details.

COST OF LIVING/ENERGY CRISIS

1 Energy Costs

I was pleased to join an online update meeting on the Cost of Living Crisis organised by Preston City Council’s community engagement team last week.

On behalf of our members, I brought up the specific issue of energy bills for charity groups as they have been particularly hard hit.

I have had reports from members who had found they were on a higher VAT rate than they should have been paying and were also being charged for a Climate Change Levy they were not duty bound to pay.

Neither of these issues had been pointed out by their energy broker and they had to sort the admin to rejig their account themselves.

In addition, other members have found themselves tied in to an expensive energy company and have found it hard to change contracts.

My thanks to Annie Wynne of our longstanding member group Let’s Grow Preston for providing the following links which give info on utility bills assistance for charities.

https://www.ncvo.org.uk/about-us/our-services/trusted-suppliers/office-services/utility-aid/#/

https://charitiesbuyinggroup.com/services/utilities/

https://www.ugp.co.uk/charity-energy-supplier/

I’m going to put together a resource on our PCN website on this issue with as many details and info as possible so if you have any more useful info, links, details of grants  or any useful tips, please email them to me on tonyd@prestoncn.org and I’ll add them to the resource so all our members can access as much help as possible.

2 Urgent – Lancashire BME Network Grants

The above group are looking to hand out a small number of grants to Lancashire BME Network member organisations that are responding to the cost of living crisis.

The grants are for £1,000 each and you can apply by sending an email to projects@lancashirebmenetwork.org.uk stating in a maximum of 200 words what work/activities your organisation has undertaken in the last few months and how this small grant will help/enhance your work.

Member groups can also nominate another organisation that may not be a member of the Lancs BMEW network.

However, please hurry as the deadline for all responses is tomorrow, Thursday, February 16 at 4pm.

SURVEYS

The Harris

As many of you will know, The Harris will reopen next year after a £16 million project to restore the building as a community, cultural and learning space.

As part of the project, your views are being sought and as a follow up to the open  consultation event at Preston Town Hall this week, the project’s administrators would be grateful if you could complete this short survey https://tks6gkya.paperform.co/ 

In addition, if any groups want Harris representatives to call to see them to advise more details of the project and hear their views, please email nic@wearebird.co.uk

EVENTS

1 City of Sanctuary

An in person special event is being organised by the Preston City of Sanctuary (PCOS) group on Tuesday, February 21 from 10am to Noon at the Salvation Army, Harrington Street, Preston. PR1 7BN

The aim of the event is to celebrate the work of the various organisations in Preston and South Ribble who are working with sanctuary seekers.

Rebecca Joy-Novell of the Lancashire CC Refugee Integration Team will speak about her group’s work and it is hoped the event will also be a springboard to promote the work of PCOS.

For those unable to attend, an online event will be held on Tuesday, February 28  from 6pm which will also follow up in issues raised at the in person event.

Please email prestoncityofsanctuary@gmail.com  to advise of attendance or to obtain log in details for the online event.

2 Birthday Time at Read Easy

The Read Easy group have now rebooked their second birthday celebration which is set to go ahead at 7pm on Friday, March 10 at a new venue which is Deepdale Labour Bowling & Social Club, 287 Skeffington Road, Preston PR1 6RX.

It should be a lovely evening.

Read Easy have also advised that applications are still being accepted for a number of vacancies within the group. Please see our website at https://prestoncn.org/job-vacancies/ for full details.

The group would particularly like to fill the Co-ordinator vacancy as quickly as possible so please pass the details to anyone who might be interested.

3 No Whispers Also Celebrating a Birthday

The above group are well established and are now on board with PCN, and invite all members and contacts to their own birthday celebration at the end of next month. Please see attached flyer for details.

4 Stalls Available at DENW Event

Our friends at Disability Equality NW have given advanced notice that their Annual Information Day is now set for Tuesday, August 22 at Plungington Community Centre and they are inviting local groups to book a stall and/or an activity in order to promote their work in supporting disabled people.

A limited number of stalls are available so if you wish to book a place, please email melanie@disability-equality.org.uk as soon as possible.

5 Weekly Round Up

There’s another busy week of events coming up and they are listed below as ever. Registration not required unless stated. Do also check out the growing number of weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Thursday, February 16 

1030am-Noon: Session of Lancashire Medication for Your Mind via MS Teams. Online group for adults who’ve been prescribed mental health medication to learn from one another other ways they can support their wellbeing alongside taking their medication. Via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/520365466117

5.30pm: Vigil and minute’s silence for victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria at Preston Flag Market. All welcome.

Friday, February 17

10am: Toddler Session. Sensory play with apples and painting. Hosted by UCLan and The Harris at Ribbleton Library, Ribbleton Hall Drive, Preston PR2 6EE.

Tuesday, February 21

10am-Noon: Network gathering for all groups in Preston who work with sanctuary seekers. Hosted by Preston City of Sanctuary at The Salvation Army, Harrington Street, Preston. PR1 7BN.

Registration: email prestoncityofsanctuary@gmail.com to advise attendance.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

LATEST NEWS

1 Your Right to Vote

Did you know from May 4, 2023, voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in local elections, and that from October this will also apply to General Elections?

You can use a UK issued passport or driving licence, a Blue Badge or an Older Person’s or Disabled Person’s Bus Pass as photo ID, but if you don’t have any of these, you can apply for a free voter ID document, which is known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

If you need help with your photo ID or in applying for Voter Authority Certificate, or if you want to register for a postal vote, call into Disability Equality NW between 9.30am-3.30pm on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, call them on 01772 559963 or email hello@disability-equality.org.uk for further information.

In order for DENW to help, you will need to be registered to vote and will also need a recent passport style photo of yourself and your National Insurance number.

2  HIV Awareness Initiative

A brand new initiative headed by ‘Patricia, The Little Sexy Bus,’ was launched this week to raise awareness about HIV, test people who might be at risk and promote the use of the new PrEP treatment.

As part of the ‘Be PrEped’ initiative by our member group Renaissance UK, in partnership with Lancashire Sexual Health Services and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, ‘Patricia’ has started a tour of various sites across the North West to mark National HIV testing week.

The project was officially launched at a well attended send off at The Fatima Centre on Garstang Road with the Mayor of Preston Cllr Neil Darby cutting the ribbon to officially get Patricia on the road.

The vehicle is an exhibition van equipped with a safe, clinical space, awning for those sunny days, fully accessible inner consultation room, hot and cold running water, TV and literature.

The bus is now travelling round the region spreading the word about HIV and the new PrEP treatment which promises to be a major weapon in the fight against HIV.

VACANCIES

PCN are Hiring!

There’s still just time to apply for the Project Worker vacancy here at PCN.

The job is 37 hours per week, salary £25,409 per annum, but job share applications are welcomed and flexible working or a reduced hours contract will be considered.

Application forms can be requested by emailing admin@prestoncn.org or writing to Preston Community Network, c/o ICANN, Howick House, Howick Park Avenue, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 0LS.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday, February 20, 2023. Interviews, w/c Monday, February 27, 2023.

Please see the vacancies section of our website for further details and full job description.

FUNDING

1 VCSFE Preparing for Transformation Funding Opportunity – But Hurry!

Apologies for the very short notice but we have only just been advised of this ourselves.

As part of their plan to transform adult mental health services in the region, Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB are looking to support a range of VCSFE groups involved in providing services in this area.

The ICB has engaged the support of Spring North to help them facilitate a fair and transparent process, and the 2022/23 Opportunity has three distinct lots.

1. Co-designed Training to Tackle Mental Health Inequalities. Five opportunities, up to £40k each.
2. VCFSE Sector Engagement and Coproduction Coordinators- 4 opportunities, up to £50k each.
3. Locality based Community Support Grants -up to £5k for small grassroots organisations/up to £75k for medium to large VCFSE organisations.

Clearly, the third section is of most interest, but a warning that the timetable is very tight

Returned applications must be in by Friday, February 17 with all applications to be assessed by the following Friday and the schemes to be mobilised by the beginning of next month.

You can access more info, full details of each Service outline and application forms via the following link: 2023 OPPORTUNITY PORTAL – VCFSE Preparing for CMH Transformation

Any queries with regards to funding, schemes or processes should be directed to one of the following emails angela.allen@springnorth.org.uk ,  martin.hartley-smith@springnorth.org.uk or alysia.moorhouse@springnorth.org.uk

If members would have liked to apply but have for whatever reason not been able to, please could you email me on tonyd@prestoncn.org with any feedback as to why this is the case.

Any response would be gratefully received and would be very useful to us and our contacts.

2 Preston Community Network Funding Info Event

Following the success of our funding info event in December, we are pleased to advise that a further event is now being arranged.

As with the previous event, officials from the National Lottery Community Fund and Lancashire County Council will be in attendance and the event will take the form of pre-bookable half hour one-to-one slots in which you can obtain confidential expert advice on funding opportunities but in an informal, relaxed setting.

The event has been provisionally set for Friday, March 17 at the Pukar Centre and further details including how to book a slot will follow shortly.

3 Idox Resource

Lancashire County Council have reminded us that their Idox resource which offers comprehensive advice and info on funding sources for VCF groups in the Preston area is available to any groups that wish to utilise it.

Please follow the link below to access the resource and sign up

https://www.idoxopen4community.co.uk/lancashirecc

COST OF LIVING/ENERGY CRISIS

Energy Cost Update

Things are still very worrying especially with winter energy bills now arriving.

Please be advised that we are working with Preston City Council, Lancashire County Council and other agencies and will hopefully provide a full update on resources and info available to you or your group in next week’s news update.

EVENTS

1 Toddler Sessions

A series of themed monthly Toddler Sessions has been arranged at Ribbleton Library in conjunction with UCLan students.

The first session takes place next Friday, March 17 and for details of this and future sessions, please see attached flyer.

2 Better Together Event

This is open to visually impaired people in the BAME community who reside in Preston, and is also open to their family, friends, and carers.

The free event is taking place next Tuesday, February 14 at Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, Preston, PR1 3XP.  Lunch will be provided.

3 Weekly Round Up

There’s plenty of events this week as things really pick up with spring around the corner. Details below and please also check out the growing number of weekly events in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Thursday, February 9

10am-Noon: Racial Equality in the Workplace. Online info/discussion with key speakers. Registration: email office@lancashirebmenetwork.org.uk

1pm-3pm: Hate Crime and Third Party Reporting training session at Disability Equality NW, 103 Church St, Preston PR1 3BS.

Registration: Call 01772 558863 or email safetyfirst@disability-equality.org.uk

Saturday, February 11

10am-4pm: Angel Party fancy dress event, hosted by Release Into Victory as part of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week. 

At St Mary’s Community Centre, Broadfield Drive, Leyland PR25 1PD. Games, stalls, children’s events. All welcome.

Tickets via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/angel-fancy-dress-party-tickets-480445865517?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Tuesday, February 14

9.30am-12.30pm: Branding Workshop and info event. Hosted by The Harris at Room A, Preston Town Hall, Lancaster Rd, Preston PR1 2RL.

Your chance to offer your views on the future of the Harris as the reopening approaches next year.

Registration: Contact harrismarketing@preston.gov.uk for invitation details.

10am-2pm: Better Together info event for visually impaired people in the BAME community who reside in Preston.

Also open to their family, friends, and carers. Free, all welcome.

At Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, Preston, PR1 3XP. 

1pm-3pm: Hate Crime Awareness Event with Lancs Police and the Safety First team. 

Location: Disability Equality NW, 103 Church St, Preston PR1 3BS.

Headway Central Lancs walking group. Time and location TBA.

Registration: Pre-booking required. Call Headway on: 01772 791460 or 07557123493, or email services@headwaycentrallancashire.org.uk.

Wednesday, February 15

10am-2pm: Ex-Forces Personnel and Families Work and Health Fair.

At UCLan Student Centre, Fylde Rd, Preston PR1 2HE.

1pm-2.30pm: Meet the Medics. Come and meet third year UCLan medical students who want to hear from disabled people on their life experiences of healthcare services.

Location: Disability Equality NW, 103 Church St, Preston PR1 3BS.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, February 1, 2023

VACANCIES

1 PCN are Hiring!

We have had a very encouraging response so far to our advertisement for a Project Worker vacancy here at PCN, and a reminder that we are still accepting applications.

The job is 37 hours per week, salary £25,409 per annum, but job share applications are welcomed and flexible working or a reduced hours contract will be considered.

Application forms can be requested by emailing admin@prestoncn.org or writing to Preston Community Network, c/o ICANN, Howick House, Howick Park Avenue, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 0LS.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday, February 20, 2023. Interviews, w/c Monday, February 27, 2023.

Please see the vacancies section of our website for further details.

2 Peer Talk Volunteers Wanted

Our member group PeerTalk is still looking for Volunteer Meeting Facilitators to join its established support group which meets at the Intact Centre, 49 Whitby Avenue, Ingol PR2 3YP every Thursday from 11am – 12.30pm.

You can find out more about the role here: https://www.peertalk.org.uk/volunteer-with-us

Closing date for applications is this Friday, February 3.

LATEST NEWS

1 Disabilty Equality NW AGM and Awards Event

It was a great pleasure to attend the above at Plungington Community Centre yesterday, Tuesday, January 31 and it was wonderful to see so many people in attendance including the Mayor of Preston Cllr Neil Darby.

The presentation of The Lesley Finley Community Award was memorable and you will be able to find full details on DENW’s own website and social media channels very shortly.

2 The Harris

As many of you will know, The Harris will reopen next year after a £16 million restoration project.

As preparations continue, a branding workshop will be held at Preston Town Hall on February 14. Please see the Events section of our website for further details.

The Harris are also now inviting local people to play a part in how it operates and develops by becoming members of either a ‘Critical Friends’ group or a Programme Advisory Group.

Details on the attached flyer.

COST OF LIVING/ENERGY CRISIS

Energy News Update

The NCVO have issued their latest round up on help in tackling the energy crisis.

You can click on this link to access details

Find out more

APPEALS

1 Emmaus Looking for Menswear

Fellow member group Emmaus are urgently in need of good quality menswear to tag, size, steam-clean to raise funds in their charity clothing shop.

Please drop off your unwanted items to Emmaus on Fishergate any time from 9am-5pm  Monday to Saturday.

2 Don’t Get Tied Down

In these stressful times, Mandala’s range of classes, most of which are free, are a welcome resource. Flyer attached with details.

The group also run arts and crafts classes and have appealed for any donations of old ties which they use for making purses, gift bags, glasses and phone cases.

Drop them off at Preston Community Hub or bring them along to any Mandala class.

EVENTS

1 Wellness and Recovery Workshops

The Lancs and South Cumbria NHS Trust have announced the latest programme of the above events, which will be held at The Hub at Grange Park Community Centre in Ribbleton. Full details on attached flyer.

2 Better Together Event

This is open to visually impaired people in the BAME community who reside in Preston, and is also open to their family, friends, and carers.

The free event is taking place on Tuesday, February 14 at Pukar Disability Resource Centre, 3/5 Oakham Court, Preston, PR1 3XP.  Lunch will be provided.

Further details via attached flyer.

3 Social Prescribing Day

This NHS organised event will take place on Thursday, March 9 at St Mary’s Community Centre, Broadfield Walk, Leyland, PR25 1PD.

A follow up to a similar event last year which proved very successful, it is intended to provide info and guidance to local people on what services are available.

If you would like a free stall, please email lisa.tyler7@nhs.net by February 10 so arrangements can be made.

4 VCFSE Assembly Meeting

Thanks to Joe Hannett at Community Futures for advising that The Lancs and South Cumbria Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise group are holding an online meeting on Thursday, February 23 from 2pm-4pm.

Under discussion will be the development of existing and new VCFSE Place groups, and Lancashire & South Cumbria Place Directors of Health and Care Integration will discuss their plans.

Sign up via this link

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/516631618077 

5 Sponsored Walk

On Saturday, February 25 our new members Strive 2 Thrive will be leading a sponsored walk to raise funds for themselves and Jade’s Bag Charity.

All are welcome to get involved and further details will follow soon.

If you would like to get involved as a sponsor, please get in touch. More details including how to sponsor via this link https://www.gofundme.com/f/s2t-sponsored-walk-to-blackpool

6 Weekly Round Up

Just a couple of one-off event this week, the details of which are below. But please check out the growing number of weekly events which are in Section Two of the Events section of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Monday, February 6

11am: Launch of Renaissance UK’s Be PrEPeD campaign to raise awareness of HIV at The Fatima Centre, 228 Garstang Road, Fulwood, Preston PR2 9QB.

Registration: Please email phaley@ren-uk.com to confirm attendance.

Tuesday, February 7

6.30pm-7.30pm: Online Adoption Info Event hosted by Caritas Care.

Registration: via this link  https://www.caritascare.org.uk/event/adoption-information-event/2023-02-07/

SAP.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, January 25, 2023

VACANCY

We are pleased to advise that we are now accepting applications for a Project Worker vacancy here at PCN.

We are looking for an experienced development worker to work alongside the Project Lead to help build third sector capacity and connections in Preston.

The job is 37 hours per week, salary £25,409 per annum, but job share applications are welcomed and flexible working or a reduced hours contract will be considered.

Application forms can be requested by emailing admin@prestoncn.org or writing to Preston Community Network, c/o ICANN, Howick House, Howick Park Avenue, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 0LS.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday, February 20, 2023. Interviews, w/c Monday, February 27, 2023.

Please see the vacancies section of our website for further details.

GENERAL NEWS

Mobility Scooter

If you are in need of a good quality mobility scooter or know anyone who is, Disability Equality NW have one available which they are offering for sale on behalf of a member.

It’s yours for £200. Please contact DENW on 01772 558863 if you are interested. 

TRAINING/SUPPORT

1 Community Organising Training Event.

The group Citizens UK have arranged what looks like a very useful half day training event called An Introduction to Community Organising which is running next Tuesday morning at Preston Muslim Forum’s base in Deepdale.

Full details via this link: Preston Citizens Introduction to Community Organising Training. (actionnetwork.org).

Citizens UK are also running a series of community listening sessions in the next few weeks, starting tomorrow. Please see attached flyer for more details.

2 Amparo

Amparo, which is part of the Listening Ear charity organisation, offers support for those affected by suicide in Lancashire and other counties.

It is aimed at professionals who will encounter people who have been bereaved by suicide and who can potentially refer clients to the service.

They are hosting a series of zoom session covering the processes for referring people to Amparo and the support available.

Please see the links below for forthcoming Amparo briefings

28.1.23 – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/490372686907

01.02.23 – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/490372917597

08.02.23 – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/490375003837

15.02.23 – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/490375194407

22.02.23 – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/490375374947

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Find-a-Grant

This Government project has just passed its first anniversary and is looking to continue its success into the New Year.

More resources are now concentrated at the one site which you can access via this link  

Find a Grant

It’s worth a regular check for any group, large or small, across the sector.

EVENTS

1 The Harris

As many of you will know, The Harris will reopen next year after a £16 million restoration project.

As preparations continue, a branding workshop will be held at Preston Town Hall on February 14. It’s your chance to voice your views and opinions on The Harris in an informal, relaxed setting.

Please see the Events section of our website for further details.

2 Ex-Forces Work and Health Fair

The above is being held at UCLan next month and will offer a huge range of advice on employment opportunities and many other issues for ex-Forces personnel. Details on attached flyer.

Please spread the word if you can.

3 Caritas Care

It’s getting really busy at Caritas Care who have advised a series of one-off events which I’ve now included on our website, and I’ve also attached a flyer for their forthcoming tea party.

The group are also seeking foster carers and there’s details of how to find out more info in the Vacancies section of our website.

4 Pride Event

A reminder that there’s a big Pride event coming up next month, hosted by our member group The Haven. Details on attached flyer and for booking details please see the Events section of our website.

5 No Whispers Birthday Party

It’s a couple of months away yet but a heads up about member group No Whispers’ birthday party coming up in March. Details on attached flyer which includes info on what to do to set up a stall.

6 Weekly Round Up

Just the solitary one-off event this week, the details of which are below. However, I’ve added quite a few weekly events in the last few days so please check out Section Two of our website at https://prestoncn.org/events/

Tuesday, January 31

1.30pm-4pm: Disability Equality NW AGM at Plungington Community Centre, Brook St, Preston PR1 7NB.

If you plan on attending, please email heather@disability-equality.org.uk ASAP.

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, January 18, 2023

GENERAL NEWS

1 PCN Website

Due to technical issues at our website host’s end, our site was down for some time yesterday.

We apologise for this and for any inconvenience but would advise that the site was back up by yesterday afternoon and we do not anticipate any further problems.

2 Calling BME Groups – Central Lancashire Local Plan

The consultation period for the next stage of the above is currently taking place and to encourage participation from Preston’s diverse communities, members of BME groups are invited to a focused meeting on February 8 from 5pm-7pm in Room B at Preston Town Hall.

The purpose of the meeting is to outline the role of the Local Plan, how it is produced and the involvement needed in it, and there will be an opportunity for questions.

Please put the date in your diaries.

Public drop in events are also being held, and these are listed here: https://centrallocalplan.lancashire.gov.uk/consultations/preferred-options-drop-in-calendar/  

3 Lesley Finley Community Award 2023 

Our friends at Disabiltiy Equality NW have launched their search for candidates for the Lesley Finley Community Award for 2022.

The award is in recognition of former chair Lesley Finley who sadly passed away in 2013 and is presented to a disabled person who has overcome their own personal challenges to make a positive impact upon the lives of other disabled people.

The closing date for nominations is 3pm on Thursday, January 26 and the award will be presented at DENW AGM on January 31 from 1pm to 4pm at Plungington Community Centre, Brook Street, Preston, PR1 7NB.

For more info and a nomination form, call 01772 558863 option 2 or email dean@disability-equality.org.uk

APPEALS

1 Venue Appeal

Trust House Lancashire are organising an event for their volunteers and are looking for a venue to hold this. There will be a maximum of 20 attending. If you have a venue you can offer free or for a small charge, please email me at tonyd@prestoncn.org and I will put you in touch with the group.

2 Peer Talk Volunteer Appeal

Our member group Peer Talk, which meets at Intact in Ingol, are recruiting towards a training event that will take place on Friday, February 10.

More details on this will follow soon but in the mean time, please click this link for details of what volunteering with Peer Talk involves and how rewarding it can be. https://www.peertalk.org.uk/volunteer-with-us

3 Embrace Lancashire Work Appeal

Our member group Embrace Lancashire are trying to step up their programme of events and to support this, they are hoping to find small paid project work for limited hours they may be able to take on.

They have experience in admin and other office work.

If you can help or can point them in the right direction, please email embracelancashire@gmail.com

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Barnes Cotton Districts

We have been contacted by Sharman Birtles MBE, who is Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester and Chair of Trustees of a very long established charity called Barnes Cotton Districts.

The charity today looks after people on low income who live with, or are recuperating from, a permanent severe illness/disability or people requiring specific items of equipment relating to their health condition.

They cover Lancashire and the North West and are currently in the process of accepting applications for this year’s round of funding.

The charity’s website is currently being overhauled, so you must apply in writing to:  Jane Ryan, C/o Azets, Crown House, Bridgewater Close, Network 65, Burnley, BB11 5TE.

Guidelines for applications are attached.

COST OF LIVING CRISIS

New Resource

Local authorities across Lancashire and South Cumbria are among those offering cost of living support to residents. For updated information about the support you can receive from your local council, as well as Citizens Advice and other bodies, visit the NHS’s resource at https://www.lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/our-work/mental-health/support/debt-advice-and-support/cost-living-crisis

SURVEYS

1 Survey – Suicide in the Punjabi Community

The Sehhat group are carrying out an important survey exercise on suicide risk in the Punjabi community and anyone with a connection to this community are encouraged to take part. Please see attached flyer for details.

2 Friends and Relationships Survey

The Safety First team at DENW are working with local partners to improve the understanding of the needs of disabled people about friends and relationships.

To assist their work, they would be very grateful if you could take a few moments to complete this short online survey https://rli.to/tNO4f

EVENTS

1 Knit and Purl Jam Group

The above group is always very popular and will meet for the first time in 2023 this Sunday, January 22.

There are plans for new installations to join the ‘Wendolene’ creation, and the group are calling out for people to come and join them.

If you can knit, crochet, needlefelt, sew or have ideas and an artistic flair, come along.

The group are also on the lookout for donations of wool, buttons and other craft items.

If you want to donate, contact joeyrockartistmgmt@aol.co.uk and if you are thinking about joining but are a bit apprehensive about a first visit, contact Joey at the same email address and she will meet you at the door.

2 Change Minds

Change Minds is a fascinating ‘culture therapy’ programme that works with people living with mental health challenges via the shared experience of exploring historical mental health records going back more than 100 years.

A new series of workshops is about to begin with full details via the attached flyer. To register, click this link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/507458330527

3 Weekly Round Up

Here’s the usual round up of this week’s events. Registration not required unless stated. Further details of each plus the regular weekly events on our website at 

https://prestoncn.org/events/

Today, Wednesday, January 18

7pm-8.30pm: Online adopting with Concurrent Planning info event. Hosted by Caritas Care. Registration: https://www.caritascare.org.uk/series/adopting-with-concurrent-planning-information-event-2/

Wednesday, January 25

10am-Noon: Online fraud info and advice session hosted by Lancashire Victim Support. Register for a free ticket on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/victim-friendly-organisation-fraud-online-session-tickets-507280990097

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, January 11, 2023

WARM SPACES

1 Café at Plungington Community Centre

The weather is still very nasty and traditionally the coldest time of the year is late January and early February, so it’s welcome news, especially in these times of spiralling fuel bills, that the Warm Space initiative is operating across Preston.

I’ve been reminded this week that the café at Plungington Community Centre is open every weekday from 10am-2pm and everyone is welcome.

You can find other ‘Warm Spaces’ via this link.

https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/cost-of-living/warm-spaces/

2 Free Breakfast for Children

Any of our members based or operating in the New Hall Lane area might like to know that Cheeky Munchies Cafe at 412 New Hall Lane are offering school children a free breakfast of cereal and toast up to 9am on weekdays.

Please pass this message on to any families who will find this useful on cold mornings.

EVENTS

1 Expo

Our member group Selnet are hosting a major event at Blackburn Cathedral next week.

Social Business Expo was originally due to take place in September but was postponed due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

It has now been rearranged for next Tuesday, January 17 and will provide lots of opportunities to network, share ideas, best practice and learn from each other.

Full details via the attached flyer.

2 Safenet Newsletter

Our members and friends at Safenet are very busy in the next few weeks and  you can find details of the various training sessions, events along with other info on the attached newsletter.

3 Round Up of Events This Week

It’s been a slow start to 20323 but things are now getting going and below are the one-off events taking place this week.

A few new weekly events have now been added so please also check out section two of the events section of the PCN website which you’ll find via this link

https://prestoncn.org/events/

Monday, January 16

6pm-9pm: Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Training. Level 1 CPD accredited, at Crossgate Church, Ribbleton Lane, Preston PR1 5LG.

Registration: £125 per person. For further details and to book a place email karen@no-whispers.co.uk or contact Karen Livesey 07713 129242. Please note places are limited.

Course continues at same time Monday, January 23.

7pm-8pm: Online audience with foster carer George. Hosted by Caritas Care.

Registration: https://www.caritascare.org.uk/event/17752/

Tuesday, January 17

7pm-8pm: Online adoption Information Event. Hosted by Caritas Care.

Registration: https://www.caritascare.org.uk/event/adoption-information-event/2023-01-17/

Wednesday, January 18

7pm-8.30pm: Online Adopting with Concurrent Planning info event. Hosted by Caritas Care.

Registration: https://www.caritascare.org.uk/series/adopting-with-concurrent-planning-information-event-2/

TRAINING

Oliver McGowan Training Scheme

Our member group DENW have pointed out that the Oliver McGowan Learning Disability and Autism training programme have released their latest set of training opportunities.

Details via this link 

https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/learning-disability/current-projects/oliver-mcgowan-mandatory-training-learning-disability-autism

PRESTON COMMUNITY NETWORK

Weekly News Update: Wednesday, January 4, 2023

GENERAL NEWS

1 Café Appeal

I’ve just had a message from our member group The Harris who are arranging a small New Year get together for their volunteers this Saturday, January 7 from Noon till 2pm.

Kyra at The Harris who is organising the event said their usual venue is unavailable and was wondering if any PCN members have or know of a café or similar facility where they could meet.

It’s a very laid back event, just a chat and a coffee with no speeches or presentations, and they don’t mind sharing with other groups. They usually have around 20-30 volunteers at events like this.

If you can help, please drop Kyra a line on k.milnes@preston.gov.uk or alternatively contact myself at tonyd@prestoncn.org and I will put you in touch with The Harris.

Any offers or info gratefully received.    

2 Family Hubs

Over the last few weeks, I have been in touch with representatives from the newly created Lancashire Family Hub Network.

They have explained how the system, which is part of a national scheme, will work.

It therefore seems an opportune time to give a brief summary of what Family Hubs will do as they form a key part of the service network provided by local authorities in the near future.

Lancashire County Council has allocated funding to implement the Network, which is a multi-agency partnership aimed at:

• Bringing services together to improve access and improve the connections between families, professionals, services, and providers.
• Offering support to families from conception to age 19 or up to age 25 for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
• Building on what is already being delivered and providing an integrated, universal family support service where mothers, fathers, carers, children, young people and families can access the early help and support they need to build stronger and more resilient families.

In short, Family Hubs provide a central access point for integrated services so families know where to go and get help from fully trained staff.

They may be located in an actual building named a Family Hub, a building with another title or a virtual access point. 

As soon as I get further details as to exact locations, contact numbers and services available for the Hubs, I will pass these on to you.

Also, just to advise Lancashire Family Hub Network have noted my answers to a lengthy survey I responded to in respect of PCN member needs and concerns in this area which I hope they have taken on board.

2 Community Food Grant scheme

There’s still just time to get your application in for the next round of the Lancashire Community Food Grant Scheme.

The scheme is for community groups within Lancashire and is aimed at local
organisations within the voluntary, community and faith sector that deliver projects to
tackle food insecurity.
Groups can apply for up to £3,000 and there is a total of £127,000 funding available.
But please hurry as closing date for applications for the current round is a week on Sunday, January 15, 2023.
To apply for the grants and for more info, visit
https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/grants/community-project-support/lancashire-community-food-grant-scheme/

EVENTS

1 Recovery College

Many of you will be aware of the Recovery College which is located within the Preston North End FC stadium complex at Deepdale.

The organisation has released its January programme of events and while none are specifically run by our members, several items in the programme may well be of interest and I have therefore attached a copy which includes details of how to sign up for the classes and events.

2 Round Up of Events This Week

Thing are gradually getting back up to speed after the Christmas and New Year break.

I’m starting to get more notifications as we get back into normal routines but it’s still fairly quiet and I just have a couple of events listed which I’ve included below.

The Jan 16 event is run by Karen from one of our new members No Whispers so please support if you can.

The regular weekly events are now all back on as far as I know and you can see them on our website via this link

https://prestoncn.org/events/

Tuesday, January 10 (and every second Tuesday of each month)

Headway Central Lancs walking group. Time and location TBA.

For info and to pre-book, call Headway on: 01772 791460 or 07557123493, or email services@headwaycentrallancashire.org.uk.

Monday, January 16 (and Monday, January 23)

6pm-9pm: Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Training. Level 1 CPD accredited.

At Crossgate Church, Ribbleton Lane, Preston PR1 5LG.

Cost is £125 per person and for further details and to book a place email karen@no-whispers.co.uk or contact Karen Livesey 07713 129242. Please note places are limited.