There are plenty of volunteering opportunities available at Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces across the country.

By logging onto the only website devoted to the nation’s best parks and green spaces at www.greenflagaward.org.uk you can access more than 600 events taking place throughout the year. There are a huge variety of activities to suit everyone, whether you fancy a spot of volunteering, a ‘fungal foray’, a woodland workshop or a chance to enjoy the bountiful wildlife to be found on a guided walk.

The Green Flag Award scheme, which is managed by the Civic Trust urban regeneration charity, recognises quality parks and green spaces across the country. Green Flag Award-winning sites, which this year number 554, are judged to be welcoming, safe and well maintained, with the strong involvement of the local community. Sites are judged annually to maintain the high standards required to fly a Green Flag.

Britain’s first ever National Beanpole Week will be held between 19th and 27th April 2008. It will celebrate native coppiced woodland and the ancient tradition of coppicing, together with the beanpoles and other excellent products made from eco-friendly coppiced wood.  

The week, which is being run by the Small Woods Association, will be launched at a free Beanpole Festival at the Green Wood Centre near Ironbridge in Shropshire, on Saturday 19th April between 11am and 4pm. Other special events will be held nationwide. 

Coppiced woodland is very important because it is a source of sustainably produced wood and provides a unique and valuable habitat for animals and plants such as dormice, warblers, nightingales, wood violets and primroses. In addition, the production and use of coppiced wood supports hundreds of jobs in the countryside and keeps many ancient skills and traditions alive. 

“When we use products made from coppiced wood, such as hazel beanpoles, we help protect the environment, wildlife and our ancient traditions,” said Judy Walker, Executive Director of the Small Woods Association. 

People in Britain have been using products made from coppiced wood for thousands of years. However, despite their impressive quality, these products have been largely displaced by alternatives, like imported bamboo beanpoles. As a result, the amount of managed coppiced woodland in Britain has fallen by around 90% during the 20th century, from around 230,000 hectares in 1905 to an estimated 23,000 hectares in 1997.  

National Beanpole Week aims to help reverse this drastic decline by increasing the demand for products made from coppiced wood. Organisers are calling on everyone to do their bit to support Britain’s coppiced woodlands by going along to a special Beanpole Week event, or simply by buying hazel beanpoles made from coppiced wood. 

“Hazel poles make the best and most handsome beanpoles for any garden or allotment. They are also part of an ancient tradition of sustainable production in coppice woodlands which are one of the great wildlife treasures of Britain. By using hazel beansticks you are buying local, buying sustainable and buying beautiful,” said celebrity gardener Monty Don, in support of National Beanpole Week. 

Coppicing is an ancient method of sustainable woodland management. The most commonly coppiced trees are hazel, alder, ash, birch, oak, field maple, hornbeam, small-leaved lime, sweet chestnut, sycamore and wych elm. 

Coppiced trees are harvested by having their stems cut down close to ground level. When new shoots emerge, they are allowed to grow for a few years before being harvested again. 

This growing and harvesting process is ongoing and can continue on the same tree for many hundreds of years. Coppicing usually extends the growing life of trees - the oldest trees in woodland are often the coppiced ones. Woodland near Westonbirt in Gloucestershire includes a coppiced lime tree which is 48ft in diameter and at least 2000 years old.

In order to be of maximum benefit to the countryside, coppiced woodland needs to be carefully managed. 

“The ongoing management of coppiced woodland is really important because if they’re not maintained, coppiced woodlands become derelict and less valuable to the countryside and environment in general,” said Richard Thomason, a project manager with the Small Woods Association.

Coppicing is good for the environment because it is an eco-friendly, sustainable way of producing wood. 

“Products made from coppiced wood are often produced and sold locally - reducing the need to transport them over long distances, which causes pollution,” said coppice worker, Rebecca Oaks. 

“So you can be kinder to the planet and cut your polluting ‘beanpole miles’ when you buy locally grown hazel beanpoles instead of alternatives which have been shipped over from the other side of the world,” she added. 

Wildlife benefits from coppicing because managed coppiced woodland provides a rich habitat for plants and animals, including endangered dormice. 

The countryside benefits because coppicing keeps ancient skills and traditions alive and supports rural employment. Coppiced woods provide work for a broad range of rural craftsmen and women, including beanpole, hurdle, spar and charcoal makers.  

“There are now over 500 coppice workers in Britain and their numbers are increasing each year, so if you want a living, working countryside then supporting local coppice workers by buying their products is a must,” said Paul Hill-Tout, Director of Forestry Commission England.                                                                                                                       

To find out more about National Beanpole Week, and discover where you can go to a special event or buy hazel beanpoles and other products made from coppiced wood, visit www.greenwoodcentre.org.uk, e-mail marketing@greenwoodcentre.org.uk or telephone 01952 432769. 

ENDS

Contacts
For additional information, photos, to arrange interviews, etc., please contact: Luke Rowlands, Media Support Assistant, National Beanpole Week, Small Woods Association, Green Wood Centre, Station Road, Coalbrookdale, Telford, TF8 7DR, Shropshire - Mobile (9am-7pm): 07966 729775 - E-mail: Luke@ecocognito.com

James Caan, entrepreneur and ‘dragon’ on BBC 2’s Dragons’ Den,
is backing a new competition for health groups supporting their local community. The Dragons’ Den style scheme, PITCH YOUR PROJECT, is looking for organisations that benefit the health, wellbeing and fitness of their community with the support of volunteers. Whether it’s running a sports club, befriending scheme, or patient support group, if the project has an unusual idea for making a difference with volunteers, they could win £1000 cash when they pitch their project to a panel of experts.

James Caan, who listens to innovative ideas on the BBC show, said:

“We have so many people on Dragons’ Den who pitch a variety of business ideas, so this project
is an interesting opportunity to learn about ideas for improving people’s health and wellbeing. My advice to organisations pitching
is to prepare by putting yourself in the shoes of the Dragons and thinking about the sort of questions they might ask. Nothing can compare to the challenge of pitching your idea to a panel of experts in front of a camera. It really sorts the wheat from the chaff.”

Five shortlisted projects will be given £500 to develop a pitch as well as receiving face to face advice from a panel of experts under the watchful eye of the camera.

Project Manager Jane Dawson says:

“This project
is all about discovering new ways of making the most of volunteers’ time in the delivery of health and wellbeing services. The panellists are looking for innovative, effective ideas. The charities and community groups will have support from the Dragons and a fantastic opportunity to develop and grow.”

PITCH YOUR PROJECT
is run by national volunteering charity, TimeBank, in partnership with the NHS Foundation Trust Network. The projects may be either inside or outside of the health system and can be based in the community or within an institution. The competition
is initially running in Northumbria and
Sheffield Healthcare Trust regions.

To find out more or apply please go to www.journeystohealth.org or you can ring Jane Dawson on 0845 456 1668 or email her at j.dawson@timebank.org.uk

Leaders Together is a new mentoring scheme matching senior professionals in the voluntary sector with leaders of Refugee Community Organisations.

The TimeBank project aims to increase the capacity of grassroots Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs) by tapping into the different knowledge and skills of mainstream voluntary sector organisations.

Leaders from London based RCOs are matched in one to one mentoring relationships for a total of 24 hours over a six month period. Mentors share their own professional experience with their mentee, supporting them with specific work-related goals.

The project needs mentors who are working at a senior level within the voluntary sector. They can be working in areas such as fundraising, finance, human resources, senior management, development, communications or policy. Mentors should have leadership skills and management experience which they can draw on to offer their support.

Andy Gregg, chief executive of London Advice Services Alliance has just registered to be a mentor. He says:

“I would like to become a mentor with Leaders Together because I am interested in working with refugees and their community organisations. Having worked in the voluntary sector at a senior level for over 20 years, I have substantial experience and knowledge of all aspects of governance and management which could be useful to the leader of an RCO. I know the guidance I have received throughout my career has had a huge impact on my personal development, so I hope my insights will contribute to my mentee’s development of their potential and their organisation. I’m also looking forward to meeting new people from a different part of the sector and gaining fresh perspectives.”

Leaders Together is running in London. To find out more and to register to become a volunteer mentor or mentee on the Leaders Together project, please contact Sophie Walrafen on 0207 700 8130 or visit www.leaderstogether.org.uk

Charities can register now to take part in the Everyclick.com Charity Challenge, for the chance to win a Clear Channel national outdoor advertising campaign at 1,500 UK poster sites. For more information please visit http://charities.everyclick.com/charities

The competition, which runs from 14 January - 14 March 2008, will tally the amount money charities can raise for their cause by using Everyclick.com.

Everyclick.com and Clear Channel are challenging charities to raise as much money as possible for their cause over a three month period by inspiring their supporters to use Everyclick.com’s search engine, which gives money to charity every time you search. The winning charity will recive a national outdoor advertising campaign on over 1,500 sites across the UK.

Charities can register for the challenge on Everyclick.com, where they will be asked to supply details of the size of their donor base. This information will place the entrants in to one of three categories: small, medium or large charities. Everyclick.com will then keep a tally of how much is being raised for each charity entrant throughout the three month challenge period, which starts on 14 January 2008 and ends on 31 March 2008.

The average amount raised by each supporter will then be calculated to find the winner in each category. A panel of independent sector experts will then select one of these three finalists to win the overall prize of a free national outdoor advertising campaign. The panel will judge the entrants on money raised and the innovative and imaginative ways they have encouraged their supporters to use Everyclick.com. The two runners-up will receive free advertising on Everyclick.com.

Everyclick.com works like any other search engine, allowing users to search for information, news and images but users can specify which of the UK’s 170,000 charities they would like to support through their clicks. Everyclick.com then makes monthly payments to every registered charity. The Charity Challenge comes at a time when a new, improved version of the Everyclick.com site is being launched, which taps in to the social networking phenomenon and encourages users to become “fundraising teams”.

Everyclick Facts

• Everyclick.com is a search engine that has been purpose built to automatically donate 50% of its revenue to charity
• Launched in June 2005, it has to date 82,000 registered users and 1,200 corporate users
• § Everyclick.com is a Hitwise Top 10 Award winner, winner of the Netimperative “Best Start Up of the Year” Award and is ranked as the eighth most visited search engine in the UK
• The site is free to join and free to use, there is no cost to the use or the charity
• All search results are powered by Ask.com
• A special agreement with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) everyclick.com enables uses to support any of the UK’s 170, 000 charities. The money is allocated by intelligent software and is distributed to charities every month by CAF

Raleigh International, the charity that runs challenge and adventure expeditions, is celebrating the efforts of its 30,000 volunteers on 5 December 2007, World Volunteer Day. 

Since the charity began in 1984 volunteers from diverse backgrounds and nationalities have joined expeditions in remote regions spanning five continents.  The volunteers have included 16,185 young people between the ages of 17-24 from the
UK and 2,325 from other countries; 2,746  volunteers from the host countries, as well as over 2000 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. These volunteers have been supported by  7,737 qualified volunteer managers, aged 25 or over.  In total, volunteers from over 80 nations around the world have worked with Raleigh International.  

 Raleigh’s volunteers have been privileged to work in some of the world’s most challenging and remote locations across a total of 45 countries; from Chile to Mongolia, and Siberia to
Botswana. Today volunteers have the opportunity to work in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Malaysian Borneo or, from 2008, the Southern states of India.  

The 30,000 volunteers have assisted local people in some of the remotest areas of the world by working on environment and community projects.  The latter includes constructing over 700 schools, building playgrounds, community centres and clinics.  Our volunteers have constructed bridges across canyons and installed gravity water feed systems which have provided rural villages with their first drop of fresh running water.  

The environmental projects have seen
Raleigh volunteers working with host communities to make a positive and genuine difference to the ecology of the host country.  Projects have included building facilities for scientists and park rangers and constructing infrastructure for eco-tourism, such as nature trails in national parks.   

All of
Raleigh’s projects are developed and delivered in partnership with government ministries, NGO’s and local communities to ensure sustainable development.   These have involved establishing facilities which promote employment or vocational skills training, and education or activities that promote alternative means of income generation which do not contribute to environmental degradation.  

“Volunteering with
Raleigh is not just about giving your time, or professional skills,” commented Stacey Adams chief executive. “It’s also about giving a piece of yourself; the real success of a Raleigh International expedition lies is the personal journey that each individual takes as they tackle their weaknesses and rise to new challenges, supported by the rest of their team.” 

“The positive effect that we believe our volunteers have on the host country has been borne out by a recent academic study by Bryan Mitchell at the
University of
Birmingham,”
Adams added.  

“He concludes that
Raleigh volunteers help rural communities come together working towards a common goal, and this helps those in the host country gain confidence. We always ensure that our volunteers work alongside the local community to provide them with wanted and sustainable facilities that the whole community can benefit from in the future.”   

NOTES TO EDITORS

Raleigh International works with local NGOs, communities and government ministries in all of its expedition countries 

Raleigh International’s expeditions are open to ‘venturers’ aged 17 to 24 and ‘volunteer managers’ aged 25 and over, from the
UK and abroad.  Raleigh International runs approximately 10 expeditions a year – to Malaysia, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, as well as the exciting new expedition to
India adding to the list of far-flung destinations from February 2008.  

As a registered charity Raleigh International is completely dependent on fundraising activities and as such asks all venturers and volunteer managers to contribute towards the charity’s work and expenses through fundraising. Venturers are asked to raise £2,995 for ten weeks, £2,250 for seven weeks, £1,750 for five weeks and £1,500 for a four-week expedition, while volunteer managers are asked to raise £1,950 for a 13-week expedition and £1,350 for an eight-week expedition. 

Raleigh International is a leading expert in structured gap year expeditions and one of the very first organisations to self-assess and certify itself as BS8848 compliant, the new British Standard for overseas expedition safety. 

Venturers, volunteer managers and members of Raleigh International’s staff are available for interview and comment. High-resolution images are also readily available. For more information about Raleigh International, please contact Anne Consedine on 0781 804 8438 at anne.consedine@raleigh.org.uk

More copies of the pocket guide ‘Introducing funding and finance’ are now available. Produced for the Finance Hub by the NCVO’s Sustainable Funding Project, the guide includes advice, checklists and a series of exercises that groups and advisers can use to work through the issues involved in developing a sustainable approach to fundraising. To order a free copy call NCVO Publications Tel: 0800 2798 798 or download from our website.

Introductory guides - Funding and Finance

A pack for funding advisers working with new and small to medium-sized voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises. Each of the six guides contain practical information on a specific area of funding or finance, including case studies, tools and signposts to resources to assist organisations in their search for long-term financial sustainability.

Have you been successful in winning Local Authority contracts? If so, SCEDU (Sheffield Community Enterprise Development Unit) would like to hear from you. SCEDU commissioned by the Finance Hub are currently researching what is the current and best practice in third sector contracting with the public sector, and also what the barriers are in gaining Local Authority contracts.

This piece of work will also draw out possible benchmarks to help third sector and public sector organisations learn from what works and what doesn’t. Case studies are being developed, using examples of organisations that have been successful in being awarded 3 year contracts. These will be available in the coming months.

To take part in the survey please click on the following link: 
SCEDU survey on local authority grants
SCEDU - Sheffield Community Enterprise Development Unit

Press Release from Turner PR:

THINK Consulting Solutions - the UK’s leading voluntary sector consultancy - has launched a new intelligence and analysis unit.

THINK Intelligence aims to restore the discipline of ‘grantsmanship’ - the craft and skill of identifying, researching and building relationships with and applying to grant funders as part of an integrated policy covering trusts, foundations, Lottery bodies, statutory funders at all levels of UK government, and the European Union.

Tony Elischer, managing director of THINK Consulting Solutions, says: “It is rare for the discipline of grantsmanship to be separately identified within an organisation’s fundraising strategy and portfolio of activities. It is more common for charities to spread their grant winning responsibilities among individual departments according to which sources of funding they apply for.

“It is often the case that one of the largest sources of grant income - statutory bodies - is dealt with entirely by service delivery or operational staff and it is not even seen as a legitimate function of fundraising.”

The problem with this approach, Elischer says, is that it leads to duplication of work and lowers the quality of grant application writing as there is not a single focus of expertise in the charity.

“Organisations that do not approach their grant funding in a holistic and integrated way, allowing their fundraising team to lead in this area, are missing a trick,” Elischer says.

“At the very heart of a successful and sustained grant programme lies the creation, nurturing and sustenance of a variety of personal relationships between individuals and the grantmaking bodies - just the sort of relationships that fundraisers strive to build with other types of donor but which are so often lacking from the grant fundraising.”

THINK Consulting Solutions has appointed Kate Green, formerly head of fundraising partnerships at Oxfam, as director of THINK Intelligence. She takes up her position on at the beginning of November. Green will be able to call on four regular freelance researchers as well as a roster of ad hoc freelance bid writers.

Green says: Green says: “The new intelligence and analysis service for fundraisers is an exciting development for the sector as a whole. I believe that we can supply charities with information and help them apply that knowledge to their strategic decision making processes.

“I am particularly pleased to be able to develop the grantsmanship service as an integrated part of THINK Intelligence and be able to offer charities and other organisations the knowledge and support for the applications to grant funders that enables an integrated approach to fundraising from all income sources.

“It’s not just about having the knowledge but being able to make it work effectively for you to maximise your income generating potential.”

THINK Intelligence also aims to provide a far higher level of analysis than just the bare statistics that are usually the result of research commissioned by charity fundraisers from research consultants.

“When charities commission a piece of research, what they receive is hardly ever put into context by the researcher or is supplied with any recommendations of how to interpret or use it,” says Elischer.

“Most fundraisers are just not trained in research skills so not enough are turning their research into strategic plans and we intend to do something about that. On the other hand, some fundraisers are basing the strategic plans on the wrong type of research and we intend to do something about that as well.”

All of THINK Consulting Solutions’ research projects will now come under the banner of THINK Intelligence - including the World Markets Report, last published in March this year. And all THINK’s consultants will be available for ’secondment’ to THINK Intelligence’s projects.

bss, a not-for-profit organisation that provides outsourced contact centre and fulfilment services to the charity sector, today announces its purchase of Scottish based Capital Communications Group (CCG). CCG is a proven leader in the supply of direct marketing services throughout the
UK encompassing contact centre, fulfilment and response handling services as well as printing, mailing and telephone fundraising services for charities. bss has over 30 years experience working for the charity sector, running outsourced multimedia contact centres providing helplines, information and response handling along with comprehensive fulfilment and mailing services. The acquisition presents a wide expansion of the services bss offers including a 100,000 sq ft fulfilment and distribution facility as well as specialist mailing technology. 

The new combined organisation reinforces bss’ position as one of the
UK’s leading supplier of contact centre and fulfilment services to the public and charity sectors.  This includes expansion of bss’ workforce to almost 800 contact centre and fulfilment staff and broadens the range of services offered. Commenting on the acquisition, bss’ Chief Executive,
Peter Calderbank said “This acquisition dramatically strengthens the services we can offer and broadens our range. CCG is a very successful organisation and a great match for us. Together with bss’ 30 plus years of experience the new enlarged company will increase bss’ place as a market leader in the provision of outsourced contact centre and fulfilment services. With our enhanced operations on eight
UK sites we bring our clients benefits from greater scale, broader services and market-leading capabilities”

CCG’s Managing Director Colin Watson added “With both organisations demonstrating successful track records over the last two decades and with the ‘hand in glove’ fit of each company’s services, resources and culture – an even stronger and more powerful force in the provision of multi channel communication services has now been created. It is clear that both client bases can benefit from this acquisition and it now positions us as a leading national player in our field”. 

The new organisation will also enable bss to expand the myriad of contact centre and fulfilment services it currently provides to the charity sector. 

BRAP has been commissioned by the Finance Hub to undertake two national research projects that explore changes in funding of the third sector and the effects of those changes.

About the Projects

Do you think grant funding from local authorities has declined in recent years? The first of these projects, ‘The Decline of Local Authority Grants – Fact or Fiction?’ will explore the impact recent policy changes have had on the funding provided from Local Authorities.

The second, ‘Intelligent Funding – from vision to reality’ explores how funding bodies invest in the third sector to build capacity. Asking whether this works, this project will provide an in-depth examination of the potential to build real capacity in the sector.

Both projects will help funders improve the quality of their investment decisions as well as supporting third sector organisations to be better equipped to meet the requirements of funders.

How to get involved

From this month, BRAP will be contacting a selection of Local Authorities, Funding Bodies and Third Sector organisations across each of the 9 English regions to begin gathering evidence on both of these projects. This will be a unique opportunity to contribute to the debate and policy development regarding the financing of the third sector at the national level. BRAP is particularly keen to hear from any individuals or organisations who would like to contribute their expertise and views to the research. In particular, we would like those organisations to either take part in a ten minute phone interview, a ten minute online survey, or to contribute to a working group (third sector groups will be compensated for this). If you would like to take part or would just like to find out more, please contact:

Asif Afridi at asifa@brap.org.uk
Or Chris Allen at chrisa@brap.org.uk
Tel: 0121 456 7400

More details and online surveys can be found on the below website:

http://www.financehub.org.uk/two_national_research_projects_exploring_third_sector_funding.aspa

http://www.brap.org.uk/financehub

A study of four local authorities’ policies commissioned by the Finance Hub and produced by NAVCA explores the grant funding relationship between local government and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) as part of the local funding mix.

It provides snapshot examples of the grant funding relationship and grant funding practice of four very different local authorities, each of which recognises a need for, and has demonstrated a degree of commitment to, on-going grant provision.

These examples attempt to shed light on the nature of this commitment, the drivers for it and the perceived outcomes of it. The intention is to provoke discussion at national level and amongst local partners who are seeking to address VCS funding issues responsibly.

Download the report at http://www.financehub.org.uk/grantfundingcasestudies.aspa