May 1st, 2012
Norfolk Social Enterprise Keystone Green ventures Bikes is launching monthly bike maintenance courses from Saturday 28th April. The courses that last 4 hours aim to teach basic bike maintenance to help keep you and your bike on the road. The courses that will run throughout the summer will be held on the last Saturday of each month at The Green ventures Bike shop on Brunel Way, IP24 1HP. The course will cover topics such as setting up gears and brakes through to changing tyres and tubes, all of which will be done on your own bike, helpful tips and advice will also be given to keep your bike in good working order. The price of the course will be £20.
Jim Strutton Project Co-ordinator said
‘The course is an ideal way to find out how to keep you and your family’s bikes on the road. The great thing about the course is that throughout it you will be working on your own bike so you will not go away having to think how what you have learnt in the morning relates back to your own bike, and with small groups of 8 on each course you will benefit with one on one time the trainer’.
The shop has recently finished running free bike maintenance courses that have been funded by Moving Thetford Forward and helped those furthest from the job market gain experience in bike maintenance, update their cv, and gain work experience, this resulted in a number of those that attended the course going on to full time employment in the town.
Alan Flack Deputy Chief Executive said
‘The experience we have gained in running maintenance courses over the last year and having seen the effectiveness of them in terms of passing skills across to people made us decide to run the monthly courses. With rising costs of fuel we feel more and more people will be turning to pedal power for those shorter journeys in and around town and by members of the public attending the course it will help keep them and their family’s bike safe and on the road’.
The Keystone Green ventures Bikes shop has now been open for over 2 years and recently increased it’s opening hours to 6 days per week now opening Monday to Friday 10:30 to 4:30 and Saturday 10:00 to 2:00. The project that was set up in 2009 with funding from Thetford Healthy Town has kept over 50 tonnes of bikes from going to landfill and has progressed from just selling refurbished bikes and spares to stocking a range of new bikes,
May 1st, 2012
Twenty Fellowships to exceptional individuals who have the potential to take on a significant leadership role in the wider social sector are now open for applications.
A Clore Social Fellowship is fully-funded and includes a bursary element for individual Fellows or their employers. CSLP will also cover the direct costs associated with the Programme, including tuition fees, accommodation and travel costs for residential courses. http://www.cloresocialleadership.org.uk/fellowships-2013
May 1st, 2012
HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS, THE HIT ITV SHOW IS BACK!!
After a decade away, the classic all-time favourite is back. And it’s bigger and bolder than ever before.
Holly Willoughby will be surprising the nation and we want you to be part of it!
We all know people who would like a surprise treat so this is your chance to make that dream come true.
Do you want to treat someone to the surprise of a lifetime?
Maybe someone who’s lost touch with a family member whom they’d love to be reunited with?
Maybe it’s a teacher, superstar student, soldier or hero in the emergency services who deserves a special reward?
Or perhaps it’s an unusual marriage proposal your fiancé will never forget?
No surprise is too big or too small!!
So if you’d like to nominate someone special in your community or you want to surprise a family member or friend… CONTACT US NOW!
surprisesurprise@itv.com
You’re about to change someone’s life forever. What are you waiting for?
PLEASE BE AWARE THE CLOSING DATE FOR ALL APPLICANTS IS 24TH JUNE 2012. IF YOU OR YOUR NOMINEE ARE UNDER 18 YEARS OLD THEN PLEASE INCLUDE THE NAME AND PHONE NUMBER OF A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN. THE APPLICATION PROCESS IS SUBJECT TO THE PROGRAMME RECRUITMENT TERMS AND CONDITIONS AT WWW.ITV.COM/TERMS
May 1st, 2012
Village SOS Roadshow 2012 helps you unlock the potential in your village
Social Enterprise Norfolk will be there offering one to one support.
In many rural communities across the UK, vital services are being lost or withdrawn. Around 400 village shops and 700 rural pubs close each year; remote areas of the UK are unable to access broadband; vulnerable people are left stranded without access to basic services like post offices, healthcare, shops and schools.
But a growing number of communities are taking matters into their own hands, turning the threat into an opportunity and setting up community owned and run enterprises. Across the East of England, local people are setting up enterprising projects like shops, pubs, and transport schemes to help reverse the trend of rural decline for their community.
If you could help rally your community into saving or setting up an enterprising service in your village, help is at hand. The Big Lottery Fund’s Village SOS project is hosting a second series of the hugely popular Village SOS Roadshows. The one for our region is being held in Norwich and is completely free and will take place on 31st May at the Holiday Inn, Norwich, from 10am to 3:30pm.
For more information on the Village SOS event please visit http://www.villagesos.org.uk/uk-event/village-sos-roadshow-holiday-inn-norwich
We look forward to seeing you there.
May 1st, 2012
This event is a rare opportunity for policy makers, business owners, academics and researchers to share the learning from much acclaimed Professor Monder Ram. OBE,.Director of CREME, Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Enterpreneurship.
As diversity across our region is becoming more prominent, its impact on our changing economic environment is being noticed. The aims of this event are to identify ways to bridge gaps in knowledge, overcome prejudices, foster collaboration and open up new markets for local businesses.
Feedback from this event will be forwarded to the National Ethnic Minority Advisory Group.
This event is free to attend but places are limited. Please register your interest by emailing
decere@uea.ac.uk before 01 June 2012.
The event takes place on Friday 08 June 2012 at Norwich Business School University of East Anglia
May 1st, 2012
Congratulations to everyone at Clinks care Farm for being one of fifty social enterprises named as a new radical by the Observer Newspaper
Read all about them here
May 1st, 2012
Localism Act – Community Rights Website – The Department of Community and Local Government (DCLG) has developed a separate website that provides information about the progress of the Community Rights – http://communityrights.communities.gov.uk/
Two Community Rights came into effect in April 2012:
· Community Right to Build – giving communities the right to build small-scale, site-specific projects without going through the normal planning application process
· Neighbourhood planning – giving communities more say about what can be built in their area
Two more rights are expected to come into effect between May and July 2012:
· Community Right to Challenge – giving communities the right to challenge to take over a council service they think they can run differently or better
· Community Right to Bid – giving communities the right to bid to buy and take over the running of local assets that are important to them
May 1st, 2012
The Cabinet Office and Nesta announced on 23 April 2012, the second round of the £10 million Innovation in Giving Fund, which aims to find and back innovative ideas for increasing levels of volunteering and charitable giving. More information at – http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/innovation-giving-fund-back-established-charities
Following the successful first round, which backed game-changing ideas to increase giving, the second round will include a search for established charities that want to use their expertise, networks, assets and capabilities to find new ways to engage people in giving. Innovation in Giving Fund winners from the first round were announced in February, details can be found at – http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/winners-innovation-giving-fund-announced-today
Over the next year, Nesta will support a group of medium and large charities with national reach to increase their impact through adopting and integrating innovations that support their mission. Approximately 10 charities will be selected to receive a share of £1.5 million.
Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said:
This fund is about supporting creative new ideas that will inspire more people to give time or money. I was very impressed by the quality of the first round and this next round is another chance to let some great ideas fly.
May 1st, 2012
National Citizens Service (NCS) – Summer 2012 recruiting now
NCS is an opportunity for 16 year olds to take part in outdoor adventure, to meet new people from all walks of life and make a real difference to their community.
Visit
https://nationalcitizenservice.direct.gov.uk/ for more information
May 1st, 2012
Liftshare, the free-to-use online car-sharing network, has beaten off competition from over 120 sustainable travel projects across the UK, France and Belgium to be selected as one of six finalists for the inaugural Eurostar Ashden Award for Sustainable Travel.
Each of the finalists was recognised for the outstanding quality of their local sustainable travel initiatives and now stands to win a share of £30,000 in prize money, when the ultimate winners are announced on 30 May 2012. If liftshare win, they will put the money towards their annual liftshare Week campaign.
Since Ali Clabburn launched liftshare in 1998, it has grown into a nationwide network which has been joined by almost half a million people. liftshare was selected as a finalist in the Eurostar Ashden Award for Sustainable Travel for their outstanding efforts to fill empty car seats on the roads, while offering a friendlier, greener and cheaper way to travel.
The liftshare car-sharing network removes about 100,000 journeys from the UK’s roads every day, and 86% of commutes on their system already have at least one suitable journey-match. It is also a great way to save money, as lift-sharing with just one other person can halve journey costs. The initiative has been warmly welcomed and used by hundreds of organisations around the UK, as it helps them encourage sustainable practices and increase accessibility, whilst saving money and reducing parking issues.
Ali Clabburn, founder of liftshare, says: “Our business is all about sustainable communities, so this recognition at an international level means a great deal to us. Ashden is a prestigious international environmental award scheme, so it is an honour to be recognised by them. And to be selected as a finalist in the first year of the Eurostar Ashden for a Sustainable Travel category is even more exciting.”
Nicolas Petrovic, Eurostar Chief Executive, says: “Launching this Award in partnership with sustainability experts Ashden has allowed us to showcase some of the most ground-breaking sustainable travel projects in the UK, France and Belgium. liftshare is a perfect example as they have consistently demonstrated excellence and an innovative approach through their car-sharing projects. By celebrating their achievement and successes, we hope to inspire even more people to travel sustainably and consider the environment when making their own travel choices.”
The 2012 Eurostar Ashden Award for Sustainable Travel culminates on 30 May at the annual Ashden Awards ceremony in London, where the achievements of all the finalists will be celebrated and where the ultimate winners will be announced.
The Eurostar Ashden Award for Sustainable Travel forms part of Eurostar’s Tread Lightly programme to reduce the business’s impact on the environment and encourage people to switch to more sustainable modes of transport. Since 2007, Eurostar has made substantial progress towards reducing carbon emissions, sourcing responsibly and recycling.
Eurostar has also pledged to reduce carbon emissions across its entire business by 25% by 2015. This ambitious new target will see Eurostar scrutinise every area of its operations including its supply chain and other areas outside its immediate business making changes where necessary.
For more information about the Eurostar Ashden Award for Sustainable Travel or Eurostar’s Tread Lightly programme, visit www.eurostar.com/treadlightly
