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Love, Protect and Respect Sandwell Parks During Love Parks Week 2021

July 29, 2021by Libby Mahoney in Blog, VCS Feature tagged ,

Sandwell’s welcoming, safe and well-maintained parks provided a vital lifeline for many during lockdown, and now we can Love, Respect and Protect our parks during the annual Love Parks Week, which runs until 1 August 2021.

How can you get involved in Love Parks Week?

Love Parks

Sandwell has 14 parks and green spaces which have been designated Green Flag status, awarded by Keep Britain Tidy to places that are well looked after and that look great. Sandwell’s list includes a park in each of the six towns, a cemetery and a crematorium, as well as Sandwell Valley Country Park and community-run Warley Woods.

For more information about parks in Sandwell, visit https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/info/200249/parks_in_sandwell

Protect Parks

Sandwell Council asks local people to behave sensibly when they visit our parks and open spaces, to respect the plants and resources, and to report any anti-social behaviour they observe to the police or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Respect Parks

Visitors can follow this code to respect their local parks:

  • Be friendly and share the space
  • Respect those working in the park
  • If the bins are full, take your litter home
  • Care for nature – do not cause damage or disturb wildlife
  • Keep your dog under control, and bag and bin dog poo – any bin will do.

Councillor Maria Crompton, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member Strong & Resilient Communities, said: “We are very proud to have Green Flag status for 14 of our parks and green spaces. They are a great place for a picnic, for children to keep active on play equipment, a walk with the dog or just a quiet sit down on a bench for a while.

“Our parks are for everyone and we hope to continue to have many visitors not just during Love Parks Week but throughout the year.”

Councillor Rajbir Singh, Leader of Sandwell Council, said: “We hope that the many families who visit our parks over the summer holidays will also Love, Protect and Respect them, even after Love Parks Week has finished. Our parks team work really hard throughout the year to maintain and enhance what we have on offer. And I would also want to thank our many active Friends groups, who volunteer and make such an important contribution to our parks across the borough.”

Love Parks Week is delivered by Love Parks, Keep Britain Tidy and People’s Postcode Lottery.

Are you interested in enhancing your Digital Skills and Employability prospects?

July 29, 2021by Stuart Ashmore in VCS Feature tagged

Do you need something to help kickstart your career?

Look no further than this FREE traineeship happening NOW from 4 Community Trust.

Once you finish the Traineeship you get a £50.00 VOUCHER of your choice at the end of the course!

4CT will help guide you in all things digital, together with help in building your confidence in the workplace.

If you just missed out getting a level 2 in English and Maths and got a level 1 instead, then there’s good news, as they will be part of the Traineeship for you!

The programme is broken down into 12 weeks and will not affect students GCSEs.

The programme is run at 4 Community Trust, 63A Crosswells Road, Oldbury B68 8HH.

These subjects will be implemented in the training for your Digital Skills in the workplace and Employability Skills.

In order to be eligible for this programme you must be aged between 16-24.

If you have any questions, please call 4 Community Trust on 07902 924437 or head to bit.ly/4CTmarketing NOW to sign up

Electronic Signature on Charity Accounts

July 28, 2021by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Did you know...?, VCS Feature tagged ,

The Charity Commission have recently updated the accounting and reporting guidance regarding e-signatures.

Unless your governing document has specific requirements on the matter, e-signatures can now be used on both accounts and reports kept by the charity and those filed with us.

To read the full guidance requirements click here.

Active Black Country would like to hear about your training and skills needs.

July 22, 2021by Stuart Ashmore in VCS Feature tagged

Are you a group that is delivering, or has delivered, sport or physical activity as part of your offer to your communities/members?

If so, then Active Black Country is keen to hear about the current/future training and skills needs for your organisation.

There is a short survey for groups/organisations to complete that will help Active Black Country to understand the impact of the pandemic on Black Country organisations and help to inform their future delivery plans. And every completed survey will be entered into a prize draw to win £50 Decathlon voucher for your organisation.

The survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ND63BDZ  and will close for submissions at 7pm on 11th August 2021.

Vision 2030 Grants helping SWEDA to deliver digital training and devices

July 21, 2021by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Did you know...?, VCS Feature tagged , ,

SWEDA has been awarded an SCVO Sandwell Vision 2030 Grant courtesy of the grant programme which is available to voluntary and community groups in Sandwell. Through the project SWEDA is working hard to bring IT and Digital devices to clients in an easy and accessible way.

In addition to free training by way of an introduction to IT, internet access and mobile devices, the organisation has been able to expand its services with a loan scheme of tablets, laptops and internet dongles for clients to use free from home, which has strengthened skills and confidence.

So far, despite the pandemic, SWEDA has successfully supported over 40 clients as part of the project. In addition to introducing IT and online services, there have been more well-being calls and contact with vulnerable clients who are struggling with isolation and loneliness.

To make a referral or to learn more about the IT Project or the services of SWEDA, please contact the team on 0121 525 2558. All clients will have an assigned Mentor and have access to a variety of opportunities and support.

Sandwell Children’s Trust consultation with parents and carers of children with disabilities

July 19, 2021by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Children & Young People, VCS Feature tagged , ,

Sandwell Children’s Trust would like to gain the views of parents and carers of children with disabilities to inform their Short Breaks Programme, commencing in April 2022.

If your organisation works with parents and carers of children with disabilities the Trust would like canvass their views via this short survey

A short break is part of a continuum of services which supports disabled children and their families. The Trust’s vision is that throughout the short break offer it will strive to enable disabled children and young people to lead ordinary lives. Disabled children will be able to choose from a full range of services, activities including specialist provision, accessible universal and targeted provision.

The consultation will close on 6 August 2021.

Places of Worship and Community Centres backing vaccination drive in Sandwell

July 19, 2021by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Health & Wellbeing, VCS Feature tagged , ,

Sandwell Council is working in partnership with NHS colleagues and local community organisations to roll out the programme of pop-up vaccination clinics. Anyone over the age of 18 or over can go along to get vaccinated over the coming weeks.

Details of the latest batch of clinics is as follows:

Tuesday 20 July and Thursday 22 July at Victoria Park Skill Centre, Corbett Street, Smethwick, from 1.30 pm – 3.30 pm. (Pfizer only).
Tuesday 20 July and Tuesday 27 July at Church of God of Prophecy, Unit N, Park Lane, West Bromwich from 7 pm – 9 pm. (Pfizer only)
Thursday 22 July at West Bromwich African Caribbean Resource Centre, Thomas Street, West Bromwich from 7 pm  – 9 pm.(Pfizer only).
Tuesday 3 August at New Testament Church of God, 31a Church Street, Oldbury from 10 am – 3 pm. (Pfizer only).
Wednesday 4 August at Windmill Community Centre, from 10 am – 3 pm. (Pfizer only).

Details of clinics are also available online at www.healthysandwell.co.uk/clinics.

Anyone aged 40 or over who needs their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, can also go to Tipton Sports Academy, Wednesbury Oak Road, Tipton, Monday to Sunday from 8 am – 6 pm. (First and second dose Pfizer and AstraZeneca available).

Please make sure it’s at least eight weeks since your first dose.

 

Domestic Abuse is a Workplace Issue

July 15, 2021by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Health & Wellbeing, VCS Feature tagged , ,

In July 2020 Sandwell Council reported that the workplace can be an invaluable lifeline for people experiencing domestic abuse. Employers also have a duty of care and a legal responsibility to provide a safe and effective work environment, and tackling domestic abuse is an integral part of this.

The Domestic Abuse: Toolkit for Employers, has recently been updated to include new case studies, initiatives and information on the recently passed Domestic Abuse Act.  Published by Business in the Community, the toolkit is sponsored by the Insurance Charities and supported by the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse. It recommends a ‘four Rs’ approach by employers:

Recognise
Help everyone in the company to recognise the signs of abuse and understand that it is a workplace issue that everyone can play a part in tackling.

Respond
Have policies in place for what happens when a member of the team discloses that they are being abused.

Refer
Know where and how to refer people for help, information and support.

Record
Keep accurate details of what is said as this can be used as evidence if the police become involved.

The toolkit contains information and advice about how to spot domestic abuse, how to set out workplace policies and how to take appropriate action. It also gives practical examples of workplace support and how to start difficult conversations. The full toolkit can be downloaded from the Business in the Community website.

For more information and resources on domestic abuse, and other aspects of mental and physical health at work, please visit Sandwell workplace wellbeing page

A Tool for Leaders – Developing a Positive Safeguarding Culture

July 14, 2021by Libby Mahoney in Blog, VCS Feature tagged ,

Bond have created a discussion-based tool to support leaders of organisations to understand what a positive safeguarding culture looks like.

Bond explain that with recent failures in safeguarding in the international development and humanitarian sector it has shown that organisations cannot deliver good safeguarding practice without a healthy safeguarding culture.

Their discussion-based tool kit aims to support leaders of organisations to understand what a positive safeguarding culture looks like. It will help leaders to assess their organisational culture in relation to safeguarding and develop clear actions to help prevent all types of harm, including sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH).

Find out more about the tool by clicking here.

 

Gospel Oak Road Park, Tipton, consultation

July 13, 2021by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, VCS Feature tagged , ,

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) has secured funding through the West Midlands Combined Authority from Sport England to improve an area of land to provide an opportunity for local people to be more active, improve their wellbeing and potentially act as an area for education.

It is part of a wider project being managed by the West Midlands Combined Authority which also includes public spaces in Walsall and Coventry. The area of land adjacent to Gospel Oak, Tipton, has been chosen for the Sandwell project, and stakeholder engagement is required to enable ideas about the possible future for the site to be shared.

Following the stakeholder meetings which have taken place over the past year, Sandwell Council is now going out to public consultation to inform the final stages of the design of the park space on Gospel Oak Road. See attached documents:

Stakeholder information document
One-page adult feedback leaflet
One-page child feedback leaflet

The two double-sided single page leaflets are designed to be printed and filled out.

The information document provides stakeholders and interested parties with details of the site and an opportunity to share ideas for its possible development. It should be noted that additional stakeholder engagement sessions will be undertaken in the future once restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic are eased.

Responses and any questions can be directed to active_spaces@sandwell.gov.uk.

The deadline for responses is Saturday 31st July.

 

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