The Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) would like to offer the chance for voluntary sector leaders to sign up to an online peer support session. You can sign up for your first session here – dates are currently available up to the end of September. These 90 minute sessions, for up to 10 voluntary sector leaders at a time, will give you the opportunity to explore and discuss the challenges you are currently experiencing, precipitated by the COVID-19 outbreak. They understand that you may be facing huge stress and uncertainty, and hope that these sessions will offer a space to share experiences, dilemmas and worries. One leader who has already taken part commented that: “It was really powerful to be part of one of these sessions … incredible to hear about the wide range of experiences and challenges faced by colleagues and to identify together commonality within that diversity.” As a by-product of this work, IVAR will also feedback to funders the kinds of challenges that voluntary sector organisations are currently facing. This will help funders to think about what kind of support they need to be offering, and how. If you are unable to attend, but would like to be kept informed about future dates please email vanessa@ivar.org.uk.

Greetings from Time Bank Plus As Lockdown restrictions continue to ease, we are able to offer a number of opportunities for people to get involved and meet safely with others this summer. We are also able to welcome a maximum of 2 people at a time in the Time Bank office during opening hours (Tuesdays 2 – 6pm & Wednesdays 10am – 12). We ask that people wear a mask inside, observe social distancing and use hand sanitiser when they enter and leave the office. Our Annual General Meeting will take place by Zoom starting at 2pm on Tuesday 8th September. We hope that holding this meeting online will help to encourage many of you to attend. Here’s the Zoom invite: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7105896091?pwd=MnpFMDU0Q0Q2dzRBTmtaWkRPTGRPUT09 Meeting ID: 710 589 6091 Passcode: 888061 Feelgood Walks These walks are taking place every week on alternate Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They are gentle walks, suitable for all levels of fitness. We practise social distancing and there is a maximum of 6 people per walk in accordance with current guidance. The dates this month are: Tues 4th August 12.30 – 1.30 Weds 12th August 2.30 – 3.30 Tues 18th Aug 12.30 – 1.30 Weds 26th August 2.30 – 3.30 We will also consider providing one-to-one or 3-person walks for people who feel they need to build up more gradually to walking in a larger group. Booking is essential as places are limited – please email us at least 2 days in advance at timebankplus@gmail.com to book your place. You will need to provide a phone number (preferably mobile) where we can contact you to discuss your requirements. We’d also love to hear from anyone who’d like to volunteer to assist or lead a walk. Sustainable Gardening & Food Growing Our gardening team is now up and running and we are able to take on a small number of suitable gardening jobs on Tuesday mornings. Gardening is a great way to meet others in a safe, outdoor environment and to learn useful skills. Please get in touch if you’d like to help out. Our allotment at Bath City Farm is also available for additional volunteers to help with food growing. Guitar Group The Guitar Group are now meeting up outdoors in Twerton every fortnight on a Wednesday lunchtime, and have space for a couple of new members. Please get in touch if you’d be interested in joining or assisting with this friendly, self-run, beginner-level group Southside Food Co-op The Food Co-op provides boxes of fresh, locally grown veg every week (or fortnightly if preferred) on Wednesdays, and delivers them to your home. This is available to anyone living in South or West Bath (eg Twerton, Whiteway, Odd Down, Oldfield Park, Newbridge & Lower Weston). The quality of veg is fantastic at this time of year – it’s all freshly picked and is grown mostly on the edge of Bath near Solsbury Hill. The price, for those people on a lowish income (below £18,000 pa for a single person, £25,000 for a couple or £30,000 for a family), is £4.50 for a small box, £5.50 for a medium box and £7 for a large box. For those who are better off, we charge £6 for a small box, £7 for a medium box and £9 for a large box. All these prices include the cost of delivery. We trust people to let us know and won’t be asking anyone for evidence of income! We use any income raised to provide veggies to those in urgent need. Please email timebankplus@gmail.com to let us know if you’d like to order a veggie box and please provide a phone number for us to contact you. We will need at least 2 days’ notice. Payment needs to be in advance by bank transfer or direct debit. Borrow It The Borrow It Library of Things is open on Tuesday afternoons from 2 – 6pm and Wednesday mornings from 10am – 12noon. Please ring beforehand on 01225 442813 or email timebankplus@gmail.com to let us know what you’d like to borrow, so we can prepare it and sanitise it. Just knock on our shopfront door and we will pass the item to you. Click here for more info and our catalogue of things: http://timebankplus.co.uk/wp/?page_id=586 Online groups We are continuing to run a number of online Zoom groups. All groups except Knit & Natter are held on a weekly basis. If you’d like to join, please email us and we’ll send you a Zoom invite. Help is available if needed with setting up and using Zoom (see below). Mondays (fortnightly) 12 - 1pm Knit & Natter Group. Please note the new meeting time for this group, which was formerly on Wednesdays. Get out your wool and knitting needles or crochet hook, make a cup of tea and sit down for a friendly online session with a small group of others. Expert advice is available if needed. The next 3 sessions will be on 3rd August, 17th August & 31st August. Tuesdays 2 – 3pm Time Bank Social Café, Games & Quizzes. This is an opportunity to meet up socially on Zoom for a chat and to play games, The Friday games group has now been incorporated into this session. Thursdays 2 – 3pm Creative Writing Group. This is a very friendly and supportive group of people who are writing and sharing short pieces of prose or poetry. There is a different topic each week and we have an online forum where members of the group can post up their writings. Alternatively, a member of the group is willing to offer advice on people’s writing, if they’d prefer not to post it on the forum. Internet Support Our helpful IT volunteer is offering individual advice and support with internet problems, downloading or using apps. If you are struggling with Zoom or other IT problems, just email us with your phone number and he will talk you through the issues you are having. WhatsApp Groups The Time Bank WhatApp group helps people to stay connected, share information, exchange ideas or ask for help. Please email us with your mobile number if you would like to join. Our WhatsApp Foraging Group is a space where people can swap info and tips on edible plants and wild foods, exchange recipes and get ideas and inspiration. Please email with your mobile number for the joining link. Keeping in touch In addition to the above activities, we are continuing to keep in touch with our members and offer regular or occasional phone calls to anyone who’d like a friendly, supportive chat. This can be particularly helpful to those people who don’t have a smartphone or internet, such as members of our Lunch Club . We’d also really like to hear your thoughts on what other opportunities, groups or activities you’d like us to run. Volunteering opportunities We are currently looking for assistance with gardening & food growing, driving for the Food Co-op, running Zoom groups and helping with walks or other outdoor activities. Please get in touch if you can help. Free Training Opportunities These free training courses are now held online via Zoom and can be attended by any member of Time Bank Plus. Upcoming topics are: Mental Health & Wellbeing (3 sessions); Safeguarding; Boundaries; First Aid. Please follow this link for further details: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?hl=en#search/training/FMfcgxwJWrZRBmGDGTSFMWdPBfxrDKFB Helpline 0300 247 0050 Finally, here is a B&NES Helpline number which you can ring for access to: - Volunteer support such as collecting shopping and prescriptions and offering regular supportive phone chats - Money and benefits advice services and housing issues - Up to date info on food delivery services throughout B&NES - Food Banks and food & meal deliveries to elderly and vulnerable people - Services for the most vulnerable, carers, domestic abuse and other family issues 0300 247 0050 The helpline is open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm. Please note: for medical advice you need to ring 111. Take care and keep well, from Time Bank Plus

Volunteers are needed to transport vegetables from allotments/gardens to food projects that need them. Initially a 3-month project, August – October, that aims to get surplus crops from local growers to people in need of fresh food. We’re looking for a small number of volunteers all across B&NES to collect surplus crops from designated collection points and deliver them to identified community projects who are supporting people who will benefit most. Most collection points will need a weekly pick-up, including at weekends, and the drop-off points will be as local as possible, but may be a few miles away. Please email food@transitionbath.org for more information

The Commissioning Teams working across Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES) and Health, commission organisations (providers) to support and work with young people. Those providers have worked very hard over COVID Lockdown to ensure this happens. In order for Commissioners to have a measure of how well young people felt they have been supported , a short online survey has been complied that asks young people who are service users of the following services, CAMHS, Education Equals, Mentoring Plus, Off the Record, Short Breaks , Southside, Youth Connect about their experience of working with their provider during Lockdown. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LK85FT5 Providers can send out to the Parent/s Carers of young people 11- 18 to ensure the necessary parental consent. If your providers are working with over 18’s, the link can go out directly to service users. The survey is anonymous, will not be made public and will only be shared with colleagues in B&NES and within Health who commission providers who work with children and young people. The responses given will help commissioners and providers to work together to look at how support can be offered in a variety of ways to young people, in case there are any future Lockdown restrictions. If you consent for your child/young person to compete the survey, please share this link with them. The survey will not take more than a couple of minutes to complete. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LK85FT5 The survey opens on Aug 1st and will close on Sept 1st

The National Lottery Community Fund Community Covid Response Fund will be closing on the 17th August 2020. If you’re planning to apply for the Government allocation of funding to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund (CCSF), you must apply by 12 noon on 17 August 2020. The National Lottery Community Fund is aiming to finish distributing these funds by the end of October 2020. After this, you can still apply for emergency National Lottery funded grants in England to help your community through COVID-19. The focus however will be on funding for organisations supporting people and communities who experience disproportionate challenge and difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, specifically for user-led equality groups supporting: • Black, Asian, minority ethnic and refugee (BAMER) communities • Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer + (LGBTQ+) communities • Disabled people. This is for six months’ emergency funding, for small and medium organisations and for between £300 and £100K.

Join Creativity Works this summer for 31 days of creative activity with their online Creative Wellbeing Challenge. They'll be exploring the Five Ways to Wellbeing creatively [Connect; Be Active; Keep Learning; Take Notice and Give] with prompts and ideas for you to explore how creativity can continue to support your wellbeing as we go through the transition of lockdown easing. They'd love you to join them! It's free and everyone is welcome. How you can get involved Sign up to join in - you'll receive a weekly email for the duration of the creative wellbeing challenge which will include themes and creative activities to try. The challenge runs from 01 - 31 August Try out the creative ideas - there is one for each day of the challenge Share your creations with us on social media: Twitter/Facebook/Instagram [remember to tag us!] Get your friends, family, colleagues involved in developing ideas & sharing wellbeing tips Post up some of your own ideas Why take part? Some of the benefits are... Trying new creative activities is excellent for the body and mind, and the benefits will last longer than the challenge itself Innovative approach to team building / Family fun Happy you! Happy team/friends/family! Happy organisation/community! It’s Fun & It’s Free Evidence based and proven approach to wellbeing It'll be exciting, illuminating and uplifting and you'll learn new skills and discover new places along the way We'd love as many people as possible to take part - so why not join with a friend, family member or work colleagues? They hope that you'll join in! Sign up below! http://www.creativityworks.org.uk/get-involved/creativewellbeingchallenge/

Bath Vegan Food Bank really needs your help as they're running low on food! Could you organise a food collection in your neighbourhood? No car needed, you’d just drop one of our flyers, which will show your name and your chosen collection date and time, through your neighbours’ letterboxes and then pop round a week or so later to collect any donations left on doorsteps - then we come to collect from you! Please get in touch if you can help: Email: info@vegansagainstworldhunger.org Tel: 07367 400636 Bath Vegan Food Bank is a Vegans Against World Hunger project which has been set up to help people in Bath who are struggling to put food on the table and buy other essential items. We deliver vegan food and toiletries parcels directly to the homes of people who are struggling financially, whether they are vegan or not. Our delivery areas are currently BA1, BA2 and BA3. Please get in touch if you live in these areas and need our help. If you’d like to help Bath Vegan Food Bank reach more people, there are a few simple ways you can do so: • If you drive a car, live in or near Bath, have a spare couple of hours a week and fancy a change of scene while helping those in need - please get in touch for a no-strings chat about becoming a volunteer driver (collections and drop-offs are contact-free) • Donate money via our JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bathveganfoodbank • Donate vegan food (including vegan pet food) and/or toiletries, please get in touch to arrange drop-off or collection • Help spread the word about Bath Vegan Food Bank to anyone in Bath who might be able to help us, or who might need our help, including by liking and sharing this post.

People in Bath and North East Somerset are first to benefit from joined-up health and social care enabled by innovative technology from Bath-based software provider The new Compassionate Community Hub set up to provide support for people in Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) during the Covid-19 pandemic has been working with local software provider RIVIAM Digital Care to transform the way Virgin Care, BaNES Council and local third sector organisations such as Age UK BaNES, Citizens Advice BaNES and Bath Mind can co-ordinate a joint response. Vulnerable residents in BaNES are the first to benefit from RIVIAM’s Wellbeing service which will soon be further enhanced following the company’s successful application for £48,450 funding from Innovate UK. People who are self-isolating, shielding or just in need of help can contact the hub, which is managed by Virgin Care, BaNES 3SG – representing local third sector organisations – and BaNES Council. Professionals from different organisations are able to collaborate and co-ordinate the most appropriate support for people online quickly using RIVIAM. This new streamlined digital process replaces emails, spreadsheets and phone calls. Since April 2020, approximately 1500 cases and just under 6500 calls for food parcels, medicines, advice and wellbeing have been managed by the hub on RIVIAM. In June, RIVIAM was awarded funding by Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation Agency, to extend its current Wellbeing platform to allow health, social care and third sector organisations using RIVIAM to set and share tasks and instant message each other about cases – all securely with strict security measures. Each organisation will continue to use its own IT system but RIVIAM acts as a secure ‘digital bridge’ to share information and collaborate with others. Paul Targett, Managing Director, RIVIAM Digital Care, says: “People only want to tell their story once and to receive a timely, personalised response from different agencies working together. Enabling health, social care and third sector organisations to co-ordinate care delivery with each other is more important than ever.” “With RIVIAM Wellbeing, organisations in different sectors can collaborate as one team harnessing their collective power to deliver for people in need. The funding from Innovate UK allows us to enhance the technology we’re already providing in BaNES and develop a new way for health and care teams to communicate, improving services and making taxpayers money go further.” Claire Thorogood, Head of Contracting & Performance, BaNES Council, says: “Providing a system whereby partners can share information securely and work more collaboratively has been and will continue to be crucial to the success of the Hub. This has transformed how we have worked in partnership.” “RIVIAM has contributed to the success of the Hub because all partners can track the support we offer to individuals to best meet their needs. It also enables staff across all organisations to work more flexibly whether that is from the Hub or at home. We welcome this additional funding that has been secured.” Michael Plows, Manager of Community Volunteering Services Bath and North East Somerset, Virgin Care, says: “The Compassionate Community Hub is an excellent example of a strong working partnership, created through the Council, Virgin Care, 3SG and other third sector partners across different organisational boundaries all coming together and making a real difference to the local population.” “RIVIAM has been instrumental in the success of our collaborative approach allowing us to streamline the digital processes in a shared and secure way. Paul and his team at RIVIAM have pulled out all the stops to get the platform up and running in such a short space of time and we are all looking forward to the additional capabilities provided by RIVIAM via the Innovate UK grant.” Les Redwood, CEO Citizens Advice BaNES, one of the organisations using RIVIAM says: “At Citizens Advice BaNES, we have been working with other charities and third sector organisations over the last year to bring together a partnership with BaNES Council, Virgin Care and the Clinical Commissioning Group to provide a more effective and efficient service to residents, patients and clients all across BaNES. The dreadful challenges of Covid-19 galvanised these partnership discussions into greater action and the Compassionate Community Hub was born. Ten organisations were quickly and effectively working together to provide an emergency response to Covid-19.” “The ‘glue’ that pulled all this together was the revolutionary technology platform that was created and delivered to support this crucial work – RIVIAM’s Wellbeing service. This, without doubt has enabled the initiative to become a huge, unique, nationwide success story, and to deliver a far more effective and efficient solution for the Local Authority, lead healthcare provider and local third sector partners.” James Carlin, Director, 3SG, says: “RIVIAM has been key to the success of the Compassionate Community Hub. For the first time, we have been able to work collaboratively on one platform without the need for phone calls or emails. This makes for more accurate partnership working and a better service for residents in all parts of Bath and North East Somerset.” Kate Morton, CEO, Bath Mind, one of the organisations using RIVIAM, says: “The establishment of the Compassionate Community Hub in response to the pandemic has been an amazing achievement. Ensuring a collaborative, multi-agency approach to community service provision has been vital to meeting the needs of the BaNES community, and RIVIAM has been instrumental in this. It has allowed all organisations to work in a more efficient and coordinated way and so provide a flexible, timely response to our communities.”

What Are The Benefits of an Integrated Care Record? Sarah and Emma tell us about the benefits of using ICR in the Care Coordination Centre and the Compassionate Community Hub in BaNES. Because colleagues can access information from services outside of their own, it helps them provide people with the support they need. It’s useful for colleagues, currently working from home, who are receiving and processing referral and having access to hospital records is helping the Health Access team better understand the needs of the patients referred to them. Watch Video Here.

This item is connected to a text field in your content manager. Double click the dataset icon to add your own content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click the Data icon on the add panel to your left. In the Content Manager, you can update your items, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up with fields and content. Add your own by editing each field, or import CSV files to your content manager. You can create fields for rich text, images, videos and more. Remember to click Sync, so visitors can see your collections on your live site. You can add as many collections as you need. Use input elements like custom forms and fields to collect info from your site visitors and store it in your content manager Collections. Make sure all your elements Connect to Data, and Preview your Live Site to check that everything is correctly binded.

Two students from the University of Bath have written an account of their volunteer experience whilst in lockdown. Loic and Alice were both befrienders on the 3SG Befriending scheme that has now been handed over to Bath Mind. Loci Estier talks about his time as a 3SG Befriender - please read about it on the SU Bath Website. Alice Denman talks about her time as a 3SG Befriender -please read about it on the SU Bath Website.

We have 1 space available for the above course which has just resumed after lockdown at the Parks department in Victoria Park, Bath. We are a therapeutic gardening charity and are offering this opportunity to those whose mental health would benefit from such a course, and who have a genuine interest in Horticulture. For further information and an application form please email info@growforlife.org.uk or call 07729906223 www.growforlife.org.uk

Here is an extract from the article but you can read it in full on the SU Bath website. Heavily involved in RAG from the beginning and as Chair of RAG for the last year, Lyam has built links with many local charities and groups which will last long beyond his time at Bath. He has spearheaded new volunteering activities, for example a trek in Italy without the help of an external company. One of his greatest strengths has been championing the scholarship scheme at University events, inspiring new students, as well as promoting the scholarship to students at his old College. Lyam England won the award for ‘Lloyds Champion of the Year.'

This item is connected to a text field in your content manager. Double click the dataset icon to add your own content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click the Data icon on the add panel to your left. In the Content Manager, you can update your items, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up with fields and content. Add your own by editing each field, or import CSV files to your content manager. You can create fields for rich text, images, videos and more. Remember to click Sync, so visitors can see your collections on your live site. You can add as many collections as you need. Use input elements like custom forms and fields to collect info from your site visitors and store it in your content manager Collections. Make sure all your elements Connect to Data, and Preview your Live Site to check that everything is correctly binded.

Bath Photography Festival are inviting people to share images of Bath that document the changes to the city and its surrounding landscape. Simply share your images of the city with @bathphotofest and use the hashtag #bathcityofchange. Alternatively, you can email your photos to bathphotographyfestival@gmail.com Bath Photo Fest plan to show selected images at the next Photography Festival in Spring 2021 and will invite a panel of photographers to choose submissions. Images owners will be contacted. Please spread the word, invite friends and family to participate and share the changes they have witnessed in the city. For more details visit: https://www.bathphotographyfestival.co.uk/

You may already be aware of the work of the VCS Emergencies Partnership and the plans to develop a Local Intelligence Network, which is now receiving some grant funding from DCMS. 3SG is a member of NAVCA, and has been categorised as the Local Infrastructure Organisation for Bath and North East Somerset and will be included in the Local Intelligence Network and receive a small amount of funding for this work. What is the VCS Emergencies Partnership? The Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VSC EP) is made up of a range of organisations within the sector. The Partnership was established in 2018, in the wake of Grenfell and the other tragic events of 2017, to improve coordination at national and local levels before, during and after emergencies. The VCS EP is co-chaired by Mike Adamson, CEO of British Red Cross, and Jane Ide from NAVCA. Bringing together local, national and global expertise from the sector, the VCS EP helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies, so that people can rebuild their lives. The Partnership also has an influencing role and gives a voice to those at risk of or affected by disasters and emergencies in the UK, so that they are at the heart of any response. In response to COVID-19, the VCS EP is developing four key areas of work: - A national platform, to gather intelligence dynamically on unmet need and needs that are emerging. These insights will be shared with the voluntary and community sector to help the VCS EP develop responses and allocation of resource, with a focus on those who are most vulnerable. - Request for support service, to enable local organisations to seek additional support from the VCS EP for any needs which cannot be met through existing local networks. - Five regional multi-agency cells (MACs), across England, to help members of the VCS EP connect and pool resource in response to requests for support and emerging unmet need. - One national volunteering cell, to maintain an overview of capacity across the voluntary and community sector and provide a single point of contact for the government and statutory agencies to engage volunteers for large-scale national requests. DCMS has awarded a grant of £4.8m to the VCS EP which will contribute to these four areas of work. One of the key elements in this work is the development of the Local Intelligence Network. What is the Local Intelligence Network? The Local Intelligence Network is core to the delivery of the VCS EP’s key areas of work in the pandemic. First and foremost, it will help ensure that no individual or community is left without badly needed help during the pandemic, by working collaboratively to address any needs for additional support or resource that cannot be met through current local arrangements. Second, it will gather intelligence on emerging and changing needs through the course of the pandemic to inform national understanding and planning. Third, it will help the VCS Emergencies Partnership develop robust and sustainable approaches to future responses to emergencies, with local infrastructure at the heart of such responses. The Local Intelligence Network will be made up of local infrastructure organisations, drawn from the membership of NAVCA, ACRE and NCVO, and will work as a mechanism for reporting and acting on unmet need arising due to Covid-19. It builds on the natural role of local infrastructure in gathering intelligence, convening resources and co-ordinating response, and is designed specifically to enhance that work – it does not duplicate or replace it. How does the Local Intelligence Network gather intelligence and help meet local need? Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) across England have been grouped into geographical clusters, and each cluster has nominated one of its members to act as a Local Liaison Lead which for the West Of England will be Chris Head from WERN. The Local Liaison Lead works with the LIOs in their cluster to gather requests for help that cannot be met by the LIOs, and the cluster works collaboratively to try to meet those requests. If the cluster cannot meet a request, the Liaison Lead will feed it in to the VCS EP process to find solutions at either regional or national level. The work of the Liaison Leads, supported by the local infrastructure organisations in their cluster, provides intelligence at national level on emerging and changing needs as the course of the pandemic progresses. What is 3SG's role within the Local Information Network? We will use our intelligence and information on current and emerging needs; and knowledge and understanding of how a sustainable local emergency response with local infrastructure at the heart of it can be planned and developed in the future. We are identifying issues and challenges in the community that you cannot meet alone, either because additional resource is needed or because they are challenges that need to be resolved at national level. About the Local Information Network grants As part of the grant to the VCS EP made by DCMS, the sum of £1.3 million is being committed to the Local Intelligence Network. The grant funding for the Local Intelligence Network is being administered by NAVCA. The purpose of the grant funding for local infrastructure is to continue to support the local response to the Covid-19 pandemic, by: - helping to address needs that can’t be met locally; - developing and learning from VCS work during the first three months of COVID; and - improving understanding of the ways to make national and local response work together effectively. The grant is available to cover the cost of staff time to: - liaise with your Local Liaison Lead at least weekly to obtain and share intelligence; - share local intelligence with your local sector regularly and ensure any issues or unmet community needs are raised through your Local Liaison Lead; - attend events, focus groups and briefings, and collaborate with other LLLs, NAVCA and other VCS EP Partners to support the design and development of a sustainable platform for future emergency response. What next? This is the first time in many years that a government grant programme has been given directly to support local infrastructure organisations, and it is significant that in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis the essential role of local infrastructure has been recognised in this way.

Healthwatch are asking 3SG members to support a new campaign they are launching with CQC – #BecauseWeAllCare, encouraging the public to share their experiences, both good and bad, to help improve services. As well as promoting the benefits of giving feedback and why it’s so important, it will also be an opportunity to collect people’s views on key local issues. Why should you get involved? As health and social care services work to provide the best possible care during COVID-19, public feedback can play a crucial role to help us identify and address issues that affect the quality of people’s care. Together we can help services across B&NES improve the care they provide now, and in the future. Healthwatch are here to listen and act on public feedback to improve care for you and others – helping patients, key workers, and our communities. How can you encourage people to share their experiences? Support the campaign Following an experience with a health or social care service, patients and carers can share their feedback – both positive and negative - with their local Healthwatch or the CQC by completing an online form. By encouraging your followers on social media to complete the survey, sharing the campaign with local stakeholders and the public, or even putting up a poster where you work, you can help people share their experiences of care during COVID-19 – because we all care. Run your own campaign to get feedback As well helping you support the campaign, our #BecauseWeAllCare campaign toolkit also enables you to run your own campaign to encourage public feedback to your service. Get involved with #BecauseWeAllCare by downloading the stakeholder toolkit.

Are you supporting someone who is looking to improve their computer skills and would like to make use of the summer holidays to do this? Bath College are running one of their popular Computers for Work courses in August at the Twerton Learning Centre. It's free for anyone over the age of 19 who is unemployed, in receipt of benefits or earning less than £16,009 per year. The course is suitable for anyone who is already using MS Word and Excel at a basic level. It is ideal for people who are looking to improve their home computer skills for paid employment, charity work, social enterprise or self-employment. It is number 3 in our 5 step programme and a perfect lead in to our specific individual MS workshops. You will look at how to format a business letter, create a chart from a spreadsheet and customising MS Outlook and organising folders. It's running on the 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th of August from 09:45-13:00 and all sessions must be attended. It will take place at the Twerton Learning Centre on the High Street in Twerton, Bath which is easy to find with ample free parking and a bus stop directly outside. All social distancing practices will be adhered to throughout the course. If you would like to refer someone to attend the course, or would like more information, please contact acl@bathcollege.ac.uk or call 01225 328822.

A £9.5 million Covid-19 Community-Led Organisations Recovery Scheme is being delivered by Power to Change, Locality, The Ubele Initiative and Social Investment Business on behalf of the National Lottery Community Fund. Covid-19 Community-Led Organisations Recovery Scheme offers grants up to £100,000 to community organisations in England who are facing financial difficulties caused by Covid-19. The scheme is aimed at organisations delivering services in their local community to support people who are at high risk from Covid-19, with an emphasis on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME)-led or BAME-supporting businesses. The recovery scheme will open on Tuesday 28 July for applications from 10am till 1pm. And then for a further two rounds on Tuesday 4 August from 10am till 1pm and Tuesday 11 August from 10am till 1pm. Who can apply? Community organisations in England who are facing financial difficulties caused by Covid-19. For more information about whether your community organisation will be eligible, please read the guidance notes. What can you apply for? Up to £100,000 grant and business support to: help people and communities experiencing disproportionate challenge and difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 crisis provide services and support for vulnerable people, for which there will be increased demand as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Where can I find out more? You can find out more by reading the guidance notes and Frequently Asked Questions. Join us for a free webinar on Thursday 23 July from 3.30-5pm where you will be able to find out more about the fund and application process and take part in a live Q&A. Do you have questions about your application? If you have any questions about your application you can get in touch with delivery partner Social Investment Business: cclors@sibgroup.org.uk

Dates: Monday 27th July – Thursday 20th August (4 weeks) Time: 10am – 2pm Locations: Bath – St Michael’s Junior Church School, Twerton. BA2 1RW Keynsham – Castle Primary School, BS31 2TS Midsomer Norton / Radstock – Welton Rovers Football Club, BA2 2QD, Age: Aimed for families and children up to the age of 13. Capacity: 1,200 meals per week across BaNES Description: Families will be allocated an hour time slot to take part in sport and play activities from Bath Area Play Project, Bath City FC Community Foundation & Bath Rugby Foundation as well as recieve food education from Live Learn Cook and recieve a hot meal each day. Recruitment: Early distribution by the 3 local primary schools to targeted famiies from 6th – 12th of July. Open sign up via referal agencies and partnering organisations as well as website requests. Contact: Dan Hine dan.hine@bathrugbyfoundation.com