A free conference is being organised for small charities, featuring six speakers who are experts on different small charity topics, plus guest speakers from Lloyds Bank Foundation and John Ellerman Foundation. The conference - with The Small Charity Friendly Collective, supported by gunnercooke LLP - will take place online on Wednesday 1st May. This will be a day of learning, sharing experiences, and connecting with others, and thinking outside the box. Topics covered include governance, finance and fundraising, campaigning, communications, employment, and more. Places are free for small charities, and you can attend the whole day (9:45am - 15:15) or catch up on recorded sessions later. Read more, including the conference schedule and speaker bios, here.

Bath Spa University are holding a Careers Fair on May 1st, and are inviting local Third Sector organisations to join and publicise their workplace and opportunities to students. The fair is specifically for organisations that are charities, social enterprises or in the public sector. The fair will be attended by students from all courses available at Bath Spa University, although they will be particularly targeting their promotions to students from science courses such as psychology, sociology and criminology. Bath Spa University has a vibrant and diverse community of students and their strapline is “Professionally Creative”. They have a diverse student group, with 66% female, 15% BME ethnicity and 29% with a disability. The event will be held at our Newton Park Campus on the 1st May between 3pm and 6pm. It is free of charge, and you can book your slot via this link. If you would like to attend, please confirm via the link by Tuesday 16th April. If you have any questions, do reach out to the Employer Engagement Team via employer-services@bathspa.ac.uk

Funds Online is an online platform that allows you to browse a library of over 8,000 funders, giving a total of £8 billion. Searching for funding via Funds Online makes fundraising just that much easier, allowing you to compare a variety of different funding types and sources, and filter by your criteria. This brilliant resource would usually cost your organisation at least £500+ per year, but anyone working or volunteering for a 3SG member organisation can access this resource for free! Simply sign in to our website*, head to our Resources page, and book a day to access Funds Online, via the rota. To help you make the most out of Funds Online, The Directory of Social Change often hold free, 30 minute webinars with a Funds Online expert. These webinars help you familiarise yourself with the platform and share tips and tricks to utilise Funds Online for the best results. The next free webinar is taking place on Wednesday 10th April, 12:30 - 1pm - you can register here. *If you work or volunteer for a 3SG member organisation, but don't have a login for the 3SG site, you can create one here. If you have any questions or need assistance, please get in touch via contact@3sg.org.uk

Beyond Equality is a national charity working to improve men's wellbeing. They are currently looking for local organisations working with men across Bath and North East Somerset, to collaborate with on a fully-funded project to promote positive masculinities. Beyond Equality have a team of local facilitators trained to deliver a series of three transformative workshops looking at mental wellbeing, healthy masculinity and building supportive communities. The workshops are fully-funded by Movember, so they are looking for organisations to partner with to deliver these locally, that can provide a venue, a screen and men to attend. This is an opportunity for men in B&NES to access safe conversations about their wellbeing and to build the tools to support themselves and others. If your organisation works with local men that could benefit from these workshops, please get in touch with Dominic via dominic@beyondequality.org More information can be found on the community programme section of their website -https://www.beyondequality.org/programs/connectionasresilience - and on the leaflet below.

The 10th annual community Dragons' Den took place at Westfield Sports and Community Centre on Friday 22nd March, where pitches from local community organisations wowed the audience and support for some brilliant local projects was secured. Ten winners received £500 each to do something great in the community, alongside continued support to secure more resources and ensure the community projects can really come to life. The winners are... Fosseway School – To create a polytunnel for their pupils to learn gardening in Off The Record – To provide listening support to young people at the Hope House Wellbeing Centre Norton Radstock Amateur Boxing – To update their equipment so members can train harder, better, faster Writhlington Village Hall – to put on events for families to enjoy and take part in Midsomer Norton and Radstock Silver Band – To make learning music accessible to more local young people SWALLOW Charity – To hold an evaluation day and learn how their members want to be supported within the community Radstock Wellbeing Group – A weekly wellbeing group from Bath Mind, to bring in professional support and develop wellbeing activities Welton Primary School – To set up an after school gardening club Natural Theatre Company – To start a creativity group focused on wellbeing and theatre Youth Connect South West – To renovate their music room to make it better for the young people Big Local Radstock & Westfield hold community at the heart of everything they do, and encourage anyone with a great idea for their community, to get in touch for help to make it happen. The 10th annual Radstock and Westfield Dragons' Den was supported by Somer Valley Rotary, Quartet Community Foundation and the High Sheriff of Somerset, and of course the Community, for their brilliant engagement and support in making Radstock and Westfield an even better place to live.

The Women's Work Lab are recruiting for their April 2024 Bath programme, supporting unemployed mums receiving benefits to become work ready and are thrilled to be offering more opportunities this year. Their bespoke classroom training and work placements focus on building confidence, ambition and employability skills. The Women's Work Lab specialises in unlocking potential and laying the foundations for a brighter future. Outcomes for participants include new careers, positive role modelling for their families and communities and the creation of a vital support network. Applications are open now and The Women's Work Lab would love to hear from any women who you are connected with that you think would be a good fit. They are keen to reach out to as many community groups as possible to hear from women who may be interested in taking part. Typically they work with mums who have experienced barriers to work such as lone parenting, domestic abuse, poor mental health or children with additional needs. There is plenty of information on the website. The Women's Work Lab will be following a shortlisting process for all applications which will then be followed up with an informal interview before formally offering places on the programme. The main things you need to know: Course Dates Free 12 week part time programme starting April 25th 2024. We are open to mums who are unemployed and are currently in receipt of Universal Credit (or comparable benefits). Now able to accept applications from mums who might be working part time or those who aren't eligible to receive benefits. Applications welcome from across Bath providing mums can get to Clore Learning Centre, (Above World Heritage Centre), Swallow Street, Bath, Somerset, BA1 1NH If you have young children the job centre should be able to help with additional childcare via the Flexible Support Fund. Speak to your job coach. Travel expenses provided for the training and work placements Mums can apply via our website www.womensworklab.co.uk Paige Josham, Programme Manager at The Women's Work Lab, is also happy to attend upcoming events, speak to your organisation and service users, and answer any questions.

3SG welcomes new employee, David! We're really excited to announce a new addition to our team - David - who joins us as 3SG's new Social Prescribing Project Manager. David joins us on a 12 month contract, as part of an exciting project with The Active Way. As the 3SG continues to grow and develop our focus, we are excited to be starting a new chapter as a team of 5 whilst continuing to offer support to our members in a variety of ways. David’s official first day was Wednesday, so our Operations and Content Coordinator, Emma, took the opportunity to ask a few questions to find out more about David and his motivations behind joining 3SG. You can read the full Q&A below: What are you most looking forward to doing as part of your role? Working collaboratively with the amazing people in B&NES to create a flexible Social Prescribing (SP) framework that offers a more person centred and holistic approach. There is an abundance of SP activities/services within the region and I am excited to learn more about the offerings and how this can support individuals on their personalised journeys. I have already met some amazing people (currently day 2), and it is a privilege to be part of the amazing 3SG team. Tell us a little bit about yourself Having lived in Bristol for 5 years from 2018-2023, I moved to Bath in Spring of 2023. Marshfield was the village I grew up in before attending The University of Manchester (2009-2013). I was fortunate enough to participate in a year’s exchange programme at The University of Sydney in 2011/2012. Post University, I lived in London for just over 2 years, before returning to Sydney in 2016. Something was calling me back to the West Country, and despite my family living in Australia, I returned in 2018. Lover of the outdoors, with or without the dog (Bronx Black lab pointer-mad). Keen runner, hiker, cyclist with the occasional triathlon thrown into the mix (swimming isn’t my strong point). Used to play football for many years during the winter months, and still play cricket for Marshfield CC (when injury free). Lover of good food, with the majority of my income spent on food & coffee. Castle Farm, at the top of Midford Hill being a favourite of mine. Other recommendations include Oak, The Gallimaufry (Bristol), Noya’s Kitchen, The Mint Rooms, Watchhouse & Society. What interested you about working for 3SG? Have you had any previous involvement/experience with Third Sector organisations? Having spent the last several years working for local authorities, I am looking forward to working as part of a smaller team. Furthermore, I am excited to be spending more time working with providers on a daily basis, and having more interface with people accessing services. I worked as a project manager for Second Step (Bristol MH charity). I was fortunate to work with Golden Key (GK), Big Fulfilling Lives Scheme, which was an amazing programme supporting those with Multi Complex needs. I also worked on the Changing Futures Bid, with Bristol being awarded additional funding post the GK programme. For the last few Christmases (excl. 2023) I have volunteered at Caring in Bristol for their Christmas project. It is an amazing charity with a large volunteer network. This project brings people from all walks of life together, and it is an amazing experience. Tell Us a Fun Fact About Yourself? Completed a sky dive (over The Remarkables, Queenstown) and a marathon (Christchurch) within a 24hour period. I restrained from telling my parents beforehand (skydive), as the anxiety they would have had, would have far exceeded my own. Running a marathon in Christchurch, and in a cotton T-shirt is not advised. David is keen to get out and about and stuck into his new role, and is launching this project with an initial mapping exercise, for which we kindly request your input via this short survey. The project will collaboratively develop a Social Prescribing (SP) framework & wider vision for SP within B&NES. Initially, the project team will engage with key stakeholders to understand the amazing SP work currently being delivered. The initial mapping exercise will also look at any gaps or duplication in service provision. Another key aspect of the project is to understand the referral process in more detail. In addition, the project will be aligned to key priorities such as the theme of prevention. If you do have any further questions or would like to get in contact with David about anything Social Prescribing related, please email david@3sg.org.uk or call 01225 683087.

Below is a selection of current funding opportunities available to charitable organisations across B&NES. The 16 opportunities below are listed in order of closing date, and separated into two sections; Local and National. Local Opportunities Local Energy Scheme – West of England Combined Authority 🪙 Feasibility Grants of up to £25,000 and Development Grants of up to £50,000 The Local Energy Scheme supports and funds renewable energy projects across the West of England. The funding is intended to: support the up-front costs associated with identifying projects and undertake pre-feasibility; enable technical feasibility and business plan modelling; project design to a developed stage to secure planning permission and/or create a financial investment plan. Deadline: Midday on Tuesday 26th March 2024 - Find Out More Bath & North East Somerset Council - Ukraine Support Fund 🪙 Up to £500, or up to £2,000, depending on grant type Projects that support the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in B&NES are available. There are two types of grant, depending on whether your support is a one-off event, or service provision. Deadline: Friday 31st May 2024, or earlier if all funds have been allocated - Find Out More Bath Rag's Top Two 🪙 Usually between £2,000 - £5,000 Every year University students vote for the key charities they would like to support through student fundraising activity. Applicants must demonstrate their local impact within Bath and North East Somerset. Deadline: 5pm on Friday 5th April 2024 - Find Out More National Opportunities Re-rooted: Safety and Security for Refugees and Asylum Seekers – Comic Relief 🪙 Up to £200,000 for 3-5 years Organisations that specialise in supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK are invited to apply for this flexible, core funding. Deadline: Midday on Tuesday 26th March 2024 - Find Out More National Grid and Localgiving - Community Matters Fund (STEM Educational Support) 🪙 Up to £5,000 National Grid and Localgiving have teamed up to offer a £250,000 funding pot for groups that inspire children to engage with STEM subjects, beyond what is covered by the regular school curriculum. Open to registered charities and nonprofits. Grants to be distributed in April. Deadline: Wednesday 27th March 2024 - Find Out More The DPO Centre Charity and Community Fund 🪙 Up to £10,000 of funding towards any of their consultancy services This fund provides access to data protection consultancy services at a highly reduced rate, enabling worthy causes to access expertise. All sizes of UK based organisation, no matter the focus (excluding political) are eligible. Deadline: Sunday 31st March 2024 - Find Out More The Woodroffe Benton Foundation Small Grants Programme 🪙 Between £500 - £2,500 This programme is available to smaller charities with projects which improve the quality of life and social engagement for older people. Any UK charitable organisation is eligible, including those not registered as a charity. Deadline: Sunday 31st March 2024 - Find Out More Small Grants Programme - Sport England 🪙 Between £300 - £15,000 This programme seeks to develop opportunities for communities to get more people physically active. This may be a new or existing activity, that will support inactive and less active people become more active. Projects supporting those in greatest need will be prioritised. A variety of nonprofit organisations are eligible, including registered charities, CICs, social enterprises, constituted community organisations, schools and more. Deadline: Sunday 31st March 2024 - Find Out More Summer Play Schemes Grant - The Woodward Charitable Trust 🪙 Between £500 - £2,000 Funds for summer playschemes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds between the ages of 5-16 years. Open to locally-based UK registered charities with an annual turnover of under £100,000. Grants cannot cover over 50% of the total cost of the scheme. Deadline: Midday on Friday 5th April 2024 - Find Out More Stephen Lloyd Awards 2024 🪙 £25,000 These awards are for early-stage projects addressing a social or environmental problem in an innovative manner. Open to charities, social enterprises and individuals with a unique and scalable approach. Winners also receive pro bono support. At the shortlist stage the Awards will also make up to ten awards of up to £2,500. Deadline: Friday 5th April 2024 - Find Out More Impetus Grant round: Youth Employment 🪙 £100k in unrestricted grant funding per year, for two years The Impetus Connect Fund was set up to partner with charities that support young people from ethnic minority and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds into employment. This fund is for organisations that support young people to find work or develop work related skills, and primarily work with young people from ethnic minority and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Open to UK-registered charities and social enterprises with at least 5 members of staff. Deadline: 11:59pm on Sunday 7th April 2024 - Find Out More The Barclays Community Football Fund 🪙 £1,000 Access Grant Community sports groups working in areas of high deprivation are eligible to apply for an Access Grant to spend on increasing underrepresented young people’s access to play. Eligible organisations must be delivering services to beneficiaries from one or more priority group, located in IMD areas 1-3 (this includes Twerton, Whiteway and Fox Hill in Bath, and some areas of Peasedown St John). Deadline: Friday 12th April - Find Out More Arts Council - Museum Estate and Development Fund 🪙 Between £50,000 - £5million This £28.3million fund for infrastructure and maintenance of museums. This is an open-access capital fund targeted at non-national Accredited museums based in England. The funding should be used to undertake vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance backlogs which are beyond the scope of day-to-day maintenance budgets. Expressions of interest are currently invited, before a full application stage opening in late May. Deadline for Expressions of Interest: Midday on Thursday 18th April - Find Out More Arts and Mental Health Grants Programme – The Baring Foundation 🪙 Between £20,000 - £50,000 This funding is for arts organisations who would like to develop new participatory arts opportunities for men with mental health problems. Eligible organisations must be UK-based, established arts organisations with an annual income over £75,000. Deadline: Midday on Tuesday 23rd April 2024 - Find Out More The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust - Ann Rylands Small Donations programme 🪙 Up to £5,000 This programme makes grants to smaller charities to support core costs. Applications are accepted from organisations which offer practical and emotional support to improve the health and care of certain groups of high-risk people, including: older people; those with disabilities; those in need of palliative care; and those facing challenges with mental health, social exclusion or homelessness. Charities registered and operating in the UK, with an annual income over £50K, but under £2million, are eligible. Deadline: Unknown - Find Out More Defib Grant - Department of Health and Social Care 🪙 c.£750 match funding The Department of Health and Social Care is currently running a £1 million match funded Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund, aimed at increasing the number of AEDs in public places where they are most needed and to help save lives. Organisations must be based in England, and be ineligible for the Department of Education scheme. Deadline: Unknown - Find Out More More funding opportunities can be found via the BaNES Funding Journal - Click Here 3SG member organisations also benefit from free access to our Funds Online account, allowing you to search a library of over 8,000 funders giving a combined total of £8 billion. If you're a member, head to the Resources page here to find out more.  You can find out more about 3SG membership here, or get in touch via contact@3sg.org.uk

Early Bird entries, priced £50, are now available for next year’s Bath Half which will take place on Sunday 16 March 2025. The Bath Half, first held in 1982, is one of the UK’s most prestigious half marathons, the largest sporting and community event in Bath and the largest charity fundraising event in the south-west. The 2024 edition took place yesterday, Sunday 17 March. Andrew and Mel Taylor, founders of Running High Events Ltd, who have organised the event for the past 25 years, step down after this year and London Marathon Events will take over for the 2025 event. Hugh Brasher, Event Director for London Marathon Events who is in Bath today, said: “The Bath Half started less than 12 months after the first London Marathon and is a much-loved event. We are excited to be taking over from Andrew and Mel and we will be working with local groups, charities and the Council to make the event bigger and better than ever. We’re delighted to offer everyone this special £50 Early Bird entry for 2025.” Enter the 2025 Bath Half on with the £50 Early Bird offer now here. Early Bird entries available only for a limited time.

This week the Chancellor announced the Spring Budget, setting out spending plans before the next general election. Some of the announcements, such as funding for community cultural projects, will be welcome news for 3rd Sector groups, however the consensus is that this has been a missed opportunity for the government to recognise the vital role of the voluntary sector. One key piece of good news is the extension of the household support fund for six months to September 2024 – a further £500M. See headlines below courtesy of NAVCA*. Headlines • Extension of the Household Support Fund for a further six months to September 2024. • 2% reduction on employee national insurance contributions. • Public spending will increase by 1% higher than inflation over the next parliament. • The Long Term Plan for Towns is extended to 20 new places. Political Overview There is welcome news on the extension of the Household Support Fund for a further six months, and for those in employment a further reduction of 2% on employee national insurance. However, the budget was limited in scope and whilst there was much political rhetoric there were few real new announcements. Currently, there is no additional funding for adult social care, local authorities or education, and only very limited investment in housing in a couple of areas. There was no announcement on the timing of the Comprehensive Spending Review which is due during the calendar year. The 1% increase in government spending over inflation is insufficient to meet increasing demand and rising costs, and sticking to this will require significant cuts to unprotected departments of around £20Bn per year by 2028. This will put further pressure on all aspects of public service delivery and limit the discretionary funding available even further. However, various commentators including the credit rating agency Moody’s think that it is unlikely that these spending cuts for unprotected departments are realistic or even achievable in the next parliament, due to the existing spending commitments in place. Announcements such as the abolition of the non-dom tax status and its use to fund the cut in national insurance, will tie the hands of any future government. General Economic Situation Inflation, currently 4% is expected to fall to below 2% within a few months. The Office for Budget Responsibility [OBR] expects growth to be 0.8% this year, and 1.9% next year – higher than previously expected. Underlying debt will fall as a share of the economy to 92.9% in 2028/29, with borrowing falling over next five years to 1.2% of GDP. Paul Johnson of the Institute of Fiscal Studies [IFS] says that this will depend on implementing extremely tight spending plans which will imply cuts for many public services. The OBR reports that tax as a share of GDP will fall slightly this financial year (due to the cut in national insurance in January). It then rises gradually in every year of its forecast, rising to 37.1% of GDP in 2028-29. This is the highest level since 1948 and 4 percentage points above pre-pandemic levels of 33.1%. More people will pay tax in each of the tax bands as tax allowances remain frozen. Public Services Public spending will increase by 1% higher than inflation over the next parliament. Paul Johnson of the IFS has commented that keeping planned growth in day to day spending at 1% per year in real terms over next parliament, with bigger increases for health, defence, and childcare, means that other public services will need to be cut by an estimated £20Bn per year by 2028. An extra £2.5Bn for the NHS in 2024-25 to improve performance and reduce waiting times. A public sector productivity plan costing £4.2Bn, for public services to invest in IT systems, new technologies such as AI and reduce the amount of administration carried out by frontline workers. Of this £3.4Bn will go to the NHS for digital transformation, including making the NHS app a single front door for patients and rolling out universal electronic patient records. This is predicted to generate £35Bn in savings by 2030. The remaining £800M is expected to generate £1.8Bn in productivity improvements from other public services over the next five years. There will be £230m for drones and new technology including facial recognition to free up police officer time. £75M for extension of the Violence Reduction Unit model across England and Wales. Household Finance The Household Support Fund will continue for the next six months from April to September 2024 with £500M to be distributed via local authorities. For people in receipt of DWP advance loans the time for the repayment programme will increase from 12 months to 24 months, from December 2024 onwards. The £90 fee for debt relief orders is abolished. The High Income Child Benefit Charge will move to assessment by household in April 2026 and the threshold for it to apply will increase to £60,000 from April 2024. Charities The Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Bill currently in the Lords, is introducing new protections for consumers who take out subscription contracts. The government will amend existing Gift Aid legislation by Statutory Instrument so that charities can continue to claim Gift Aid while complying with these new protections. The government’s intention is that these amendments to the Gift Aid regime will be in place by the time the relevant provisions of the Bill come into force. Tax From April 2024 employee national insurance will be cut from 10% to 8%, and self-employed NICS from 8% to 6%. This has been funded in part by the abolition of the non-dom tax status from April 2025, which will raise £2.7Bn per year by 2028/29. The sunset clause on the Energy Profits Levy will be extended by a year to March 2029, raising £1.5 billion Alcohol duty remains frozen until February 2025 and the freeze in fuel duty will continue. The VAT registration threshold is increased from £85,000 to £90,000 which will take around 28,000 small businesses out of paying VAT altogether. Full expensing [a capital allowance] will be extended to leased assets. Draft legislation will be published shortly. A duty on vapes will be introduced from October 2026, alongside a one-off increase in tobacco duty. This will raise a combined £1.3 billion by 2028/29. Other Measures Nurseries and preschools future funding will rise with a combination of inflation, earnings and the National Living Wage. The hourly rate providers are paid to deliver the free hours offers for children aged 9 months to 4 years, will increase for the next two years in line with the figures used in the Spring Budget in 2023, an estimated additional £500M. The Long-Term Plan for Towns is extended to 20 new places across the UK, providing £20M of endowment style funding over a 10 year period. The full list of towns is: Royal Sutton Coldfield, Darlington, Runcorn, Canvey Island, Thetford, King’s Lynn, Ramsgate, Eastbourne, Harlow, Newton-le-Willows, Rawtenstall, Wisbech, Carlton (Gedling), Bedworth, Arbroath, Peterhead, Kirkwall, Rhyl, Derry/Londonderry, and Coleraine. The government is providing an additional £5M for the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund. Devolution There will be a new North-East trailblazer devolution deal which comes with a funding package potentially worth over £100M. The government has finalised the first of the Level 2 Devolution powers agreements with Surrey County Council, Buckinghamshire Council and Warwickshire County Council. £6M from community regeneration projects with the King’s Foundation to pilot how community led regeneration projects anchored around heritage assets and sustainability considerations can complement government’s wider place-based initiatives for levelling up, subject to business case approval. £100M has been allocated to levelling up culture projects (subject to business case), recognising the important role that culture and pride in place have to play in levelling up. DLUHC will publish a full list and explanation on gov.uk. For more information see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-budget- 2024 Headlines courtesy of NAVCA (The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action)* Further reading: Pro Bono Economics have compiled a detailed analysis of the Spring Budget: read Inching forwards, weighed down here Civil Society consider how the budget has failed to deliver for the charity sector - click here to read The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset collects local reactions to the budget here UK Fundraising reports on charity sector reactions to the budget here Key points from the budget and an analysis of what it means for charities can be found at NCVO - click here to read Statements from national charities: Age UK The Trussell Trust The British Heart Foundation CPRE The Countryside Charity Mind Barnardo's Carers UK Refuge Step Change YMCA

The B&NES Strategic Evidence Base is an evolving document with updates made on an ongoing basis. As such, B&NES Council are pleased to advise that the SEB has now been republished. A summary of the key findings is detailed below, and the republished full report can be found here: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/strategic-evidence/document-library/strategic-evidence-base-summary-and-full-report These documents are designed to be used to support decision making and strategic planning across the area, and may be of great use to those making funding applications. This information can be used to support and strengthen bids and applications. This useful resource provides detailed insight into areas such as population, health, inequality, growth, emissions and housing. The key themes updated as part of this republication are: Population (to incorporate new mid-year estimates) & Live Births Education Housing  (Vacant dwellings) Wellbeing Childhood weight There is also a feedback form where you can provide comments on the SEB: https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/seb-feedback Strategic Evidence Base Key Findings: February 2024 Population & Live births In 2022 the population of B&NES was estimated to be 195,618, a 10% increase since 2012. This growth is not a result of natural change, but rather inward migration, largely students from across England and Wales. The shape of the population is largely driven by the high number of university students attending the two campus-based universities in the area. Since 2012 the gap between births and deaths in B&NES has been narrowing, even showing some signs of a natural decrease in several years. Live births are at their lowest level since at least 2008 in B&NES. Furthermore, there has been a notable natural decline in the population during 2022 owing to deaths exceeding births by approx. 200. Education Pupils in B&NES attained higher grades compared to regional and national figures in all stages of education except Key Stage 2 (KS2), which dropped below national figures for the first time since 2015/16. Girls consistently performed better than boys at all key stages. The attainment gap between Free School Meal (FSM) and non-FSM pupils is consistently larger across all key stages in B&NES than the gap seen nationally. Nationally, the attainment gap widens as pupils move through the education system whereas in B&NES the attainment gap at EYFS is the largest, having increased sharply in 2022/23. KS2 attainment in the FSM cohort is the worst in the country and Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFS) attainment in the FSM cohort is 3rd worst in the country. Key Stage 4 (KS4) attainment in the FSM cohort is broadly in line with national. Pupils make good progress between KS2 and KS4, with pupils in B&NES achieving on average a quarter of a grade higher in each qualification compared to similar pupils across the country. EYFS and KS2 attainment in B&NES is lowest in the Black and Other ethnic groups and is below national levels. KS4 attainment & progress is lowest in the Black ethnic group and again is below national levels. Whilst numbers in these cohorts are relatively low, this is a trend seen for a number of years, particularly at KS2 and KS4. Persistent school absence increased sharply in 2021/22, both in B&NES and nationally. However, rates remained lower in B&NES compared to national. Nationally this was driven by increases in illness absences including Covid-19. Suspensions are higher in B&NES than national, especially when looked at by ethnicity, where Black and Mixed race pupils have higher suspension rates. Housing: Vacant Dwellings Between 2014 and 2022 the number of vacant dwellings in B&NES increased by 54% (from 1,598 to 2,461) and the number of long-term vacant dwellings almost doubled (from 423 to 828). However, the estimated number of dwelling stock has increased by only 9% over the same period (from 77,519 to 84,661). Wellbeing Average ratings of personal wellbeing have worsened across all indicators (happiness, life satisfaction, worthwhileness, anxiety) in B&NES and nationally since 2021/22 and remain below pre-Covid levels. Anxiety levels in B&NES have been higher than national for much of the last decade. Childhood weight In 2022/23, nearly 30% of Year 6 children resident in B&NES were overweight or obese (inc. severely obese). This compares to a national figure of 37%. Following the pandemic, there has been an increase in the percentage of Year 6 pupils who are obese, both nationally and in B&NES. There is a higher proportion of boys living with obesity, however recent data has shown an increase in the percentage of girls who are obese. Deprivation is also a significant factor, with more than twice as many children categorised as obese or severely obese in the most deprived areas in 2022/23, compared to the least deprived areas.

Dear potential contestant, dare I say potential winner… You are invited to apply to our 10th Dragons’ Den, taking place on the evening of Fri 22nd March!  Held in Westfield Sports and Community Centre. 6pm to 8pm (doors open at 5pm for contestant set-up). Our Dragons’ Den community event is designed to enable residents and organisations to receive support and funds to carry out projects that will benefit and improve the communities within Radstock and Westfield (including Writhlington, Clandown, Tyning and Haydon). Residents, groups and organisations are invited to apply to take part to win up to £500 each – and make good things happen in our community! The first 15 applicants will be given the opportunity to pitch, so get your applications in ASAP! The community* decides! Applicants will be making their pitch to the audience (made up of residents), who will vote for their favourite 5 projects. There will be up to ten winners! There will be cake! There will be fun and a chance to connect with the community and stakeholders (last time from Quartet Community Foundation, TNL Community Fund, Somer Valley Rotary, and 3SG). The application form is simple and quick to fill in, all you need is an idea to make our community an even better place to live! If you would like to talk your idea through please contact Rob, our worker: robwicke@radstockwestfield.org.uk /  07901950114 *Please note that only people who live, work or volunteer in the Radstock and Westfield area are able to vote – map here: About Us – Big Local | my Radstock | my Westfield (radstockwestfield.org.uk) Importantly, it’s local people who will decide which projects are the priorities. We believe that from small acorns, grand oak trees will grow, creating opportunities to inspire, engage and entertain local residents – 90 projects have already been supported… will you be the 100? Application closing date: 5pm, Fri 1st March.

Are you struggling with data analysis and not sure how to optimise your data’s potential? Look no further! Pro Bono Economics (PBE) can provide you with pro bono support from our register of 900 dedicated volunteer economists to help with your data needs. PBE’s Data First Aid service is here to provide you with the help you need. The service was designed to match expert economists with charities to help them with short-term ad hoc data tasks, which can be completed in 1-5 days over a period of up to 5 months. Previous projects have included: • Analysing datasets to identify and illustrate key messages • Creating user-friendly dataset templates for data collection and analysis • Developing data visualisations to be used as a reporting tool • Short pieces of research How does it work? Step 1: Tell us your data request by filling out our submission form. Step 2: If PBE can help you, the team will work with you to develop a short volunteer brief, describing what you need and what the objectives are. Step 3: PBE will upload your brief on its website and publicise it to over 900 volunteer economists and match you with the best economist available. Step 4: The economist will work directly with you to fulfil your needs. PBE goes to great lengths to identify and match qualified economists with suitable expertise to meet an organisation’s specified data needs. One recent example was the pairing of charity St Michael’s Fellowship with PBE volunteer Morgan, a data analyst from the private sector. Morgan dedicated 25 hours of work to addressing their impact measurement needs. The result was a dataset tool that substantially automated the charity’s data collection and analysis efforts. Another case study example that demonstrates the benefits to charities can be found here. PBE have availability to help right now. Tell them what you need on their website so they can match you with the right expert. You can also contact the team on projects@probonoeconomics.com.

Below is a selection of current funding opportunities available to charitable organisations across B&NES. The 24 opportunities below are listed in order of closing date, and separated into two sections; Local and National. Local Opportunities Quartet Community Foundation Express Grants 🪙 £500 - £5,000 Quartet Community Foundation Express Grants aim to support local grassroot groups and small to medium sized organisations. Eligible activities include projects and services that strengthen communities experiencing inequalities and disadvantage, and/or improving the lives of local people who face difficulties with limited access to appropriate services. Deadline: The programme will be paused from mid-February to the end of March 2024 (exact dates to be confirmed) - Find Out More B&NES Community Contribution Fund 🪙 £500 Small grants of £500 are available to organisations supporting residents with the ongoing cost of living crisis, including through the provision of Warm Spaces. Applications encouraged from groups and organisations helping with access to food, Warm Spaces, and any other community initiatives that relate to helping with the cost of living challenge. Deadline: Friday 16th February - Find Out More Bath Women's Fund 🪙 £15,000 main grant and two smaller grants of £4,000 which will be awarded in June 2024 This year's theme is: 'Increasing the resilience of women and/or girls facing barriers such as health issues, mental health difficulties, poverty, or addiction. Full guidance for applicants here. Deadline: Expressions of Interest to be received by 5pm on Tuesday 20th February - Find Out More The Society of Merchant Venturers Charity 🪙 £500 - £5,000 In addition to their commitment to supporting education, care for older people and social enterprise, SMV has a tradition of supporting a broad range of local causes that benefit Greater Bristol - Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The primary areas supported are social needs; youth; education; environment; social enterprise; health care; culture and the arts; and projects that will benefit Greater Bristol and its economic development. Deadline: 5pm on Monday 18th March - Find Out More Bath and North East Somerset Council - Ukraine Support Fund 🪙 £500 - £2,000 Charities, community groups and voluntary groups in Bath and North East Somerset that are supporting displaced people from Ukraine can now make an application for a grant from a new round of funding. A total of £15,000 is available Deadline: Friday 31st May, or earlier if all funds are allocated - Find Out More National Opportunities Smart Energy GB in Communities - National Energy Action 🪙 Between £7,500 – £15,000 and £15,001 – £25,000 Coordinated by the charity National Energy Action (NEA), grants are available for charities, housing associations and public sector organisations who can reach adults who are without essential digital skills, primarily those who are aged 75+, to help them understand how to better manage their energy use with the help of a smart meter. Deadline: 12 midday on Friday 9th February Find Out More The Screwfix Foundation 🪙 Up to £5,000 The Screwfix Foundation offers local registered charities and not for profit organisations funding up to the region of £5,000. The purpose is to support projects that improve, repair and maintain homes and community facilities used by those in need throughout the UK. Deadline: Saturday 10th February, for outcomes by 30th March. Friday 10th May, for outcomes by 30th June - Find Out More Impetus and The Henry Smith Charity - Engage Fund 🪙 £100,000 Two organisations that support young people who are from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed in school, work and life, will be awarded £100,000 in core, unrestricted funding per year for at least two years. Deadline: Friday 16th February - Find Out More King Charles III Charitable Fund 🪙 Up to £5,000 a year UK registered non-profits, particularly those working in the countryside or in heritage and conservation, are invited to apply for a small grant of £5,000. Approximately 100 community based organisations will be supported each year. Organisations must have an annual income under £1 million, have been active for at least 2 years, and have less than 6 months free reserves. Organisations tackling food insecurity, food waste or food poverty are unfortunately ineligible. Deadline: Monday 19th February - Find Out More CABWI 🪙 Up to £35,000 a year The aim of this fund is to promote learning and development that enables young people and adults to gain additional skills and confidence to enter the labour market. Applications are welcome to cover both project and/or core costs, and Living Wage salaries. Open to registered charities, CIC's, social enterprises, and cooperatives including Community Benefit Societies, with a turnover under £1 million. Deadline: 6pm on Monday 19th February - Find Out More Energy Redress Scheme 🪙 £20 million fund, minimum grant request £20,000 Registered organisations can apply for grant funding to deliver energy related projects that meet the scheme priorities. The Innovation and Carbon Emissions Reduction Fund is also open to CIC's, Community Benefit Societies, and Co-operative Societies. Activities that can be funded through the Energy Redress Main Fund (minimum £50K grant request) and Small Projects Fund might include crisis support, training and education on energy issues supporting vulnerable consumers, installation of energy saving or renewable energy measures, and delivering energy advice and support. Deadline: Friday 20th February - Find Out More Heritage 2033 National Lottery Programme 🪙 £10,000 - £10 million The National Lottery Heritage Grants fund projects that connect people and communities to the national, regional and local heritage of the UK. Funding is for all types of heritage projects. There is two sets of guidance, one for applications for funding between £10,000 - £250,000, and another for £250,000 - £10 million. Deadline: No deadline - Find Out More The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust 🪙 £1,000 Open to registered UK charities with a minimum income and expenditure of £100,000 (maximum £1 million), working with communities in the UK including those in society who face the greatest challenges and whose opportunities are most limited. The priority for this round of funding is Disability, specifically projects and initiatives that improve employment and training. Deadline: Wednesday 28th February - Find Out More The Delamere Dairy Foundation 🪙 £1,000 - £5,000 Charities and other non-profit organisations working to benefit local communities are eligible to apply to this fund if their purpose fits with the objectives of the Foundation, which include: The advancement of agriculture and of environmental protection; the advancement in life of young people by developing their capabilities so that they may mature as contributory members of society; the relief of financial hardship; the advancement of education; the relief of sickness. Deadline: Thursday 29th February - Find Out More Jerwood Foundation 🪙 £1,000 - £60,000 Supports excellence and emerging talent in the arts in the UK and welcomes funding applications from organisations with a focus on making art available for public benefit and working with their Collection. For projects starting, or opening to the public, from 1 June 2024 - 1 March 2025. Deadline: 5pm on Friday 1st March - Find Out More Prudence Trust 🪙 £10,000 - £200,000 Prudent Trust's new funding round offers between 5 to 8 grants for youth mental health organisations with an annual income of more than £250,000 across the UK to deliver evaluation projects. Two stage application. Deadline: Expressions of interest by 4pm on Friday 8th March - Find Out More Help the Homeless 🪙 Up to £5,000 Open to registered charities with an annual turnover under £500,000 looking to fund capital projects with a focus on homelessness. Deadline: 5pm on Friday 15th March - Find Out More The Matthew Good Foundation 🪙 £15,000 between five shortlisted projects Direct funding only to small and growing local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises that are making a big impact on communities, people or the environment. Average income must not exceed £50,000 in the last 12 months. Applications received in this funding round will be awarded in May. Deadline: Friday 15th March - Find Out More The Bailey Thomas Charitable Fund 🪙 £250 - £10,000 Grants are available to charities and organisations that aim to aid the research into learning disability and to aid the care and relief of those affected by learning disability. Grants are not given for research into or care of those with mental illness, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, nor ADHD, if they do not also have learning disabilities. Deadline: No deadline - Find Out More Fat Beehive Foundation 🪙 Up to £2,500 Open to registered charities with income under £400,000, working to improve their digital presence. Their funding priorities for the first quarter of 2024 are Social Justice, Refugees and Housing. Deadline: 5pm on Friday 29th March - Find Out More National Heritage Memorial Fund 🪙 Dependant on need This fund awards grants to safeguard the UK’s most important heritage, which is either at risk or of memorial character. Heritage projects of all sizes are funded, and there is no limit to the percentage of funding that can be applied for, however NHMF operates as a fund of last resort. Deadline: 11:59pm on Sunday 31st March - Find Out More Foyle Foundation - Main Grants Scheme 🪙 Usually range between £10,000 - £50,000, with some larger grants possible The Foundation is set to make £23m-worth of single grants over the next two years to UK registered charities and schools, for Arts, Learning, Community Small (below) Grants, State Schools Libraries and Health that will be completed by 2025, when the Foundation will close. Deadline: Applications at any time - final deadline 31st January 2025 - Find Out More Foyle Foundation - Small Grants Scheme 🪙 £2,000 - £10,000 The Foyle Foundation will complete its grant giving programme in 2025, thereby marking 25 years of giving to the fields of the Arts, Learning, Community Small Grants, State Schools Libraries and formerly Health. The Small Grants Scheme is open to registered charities with income under £150k pa, to support the performing or visual arts and for projects that facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and learning. Core funding with priority to support local charities delivering services to the young, vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or the general community. Deadline: Applications at any time - final deadline 31st April 2025 - Find Out More Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust 🪙 Up to £35,000 Registered animal welfare charities demonstrating an active re-homing and rehabilitation policy (unless animals are endangered species), and are involved with conservation of wildlife, are eligible to apply to this fund, which may support: general running costs; feeding, capture, neutering and release of feral cats and dogs; assistance with vets fees; costs associated with the direct protection of endangered species; and supporting the purchase or improvement of property. Smaller charities are favoured. Deadline: Wednesday 1st May - Find Out More VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme - Department for Culture, Media and Sport 🪙  £25.5 million scheme The £25.5 million aims to help voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in England improve their energy efficiency. Eligible organisations must be delivering frontline services or operating a hub, and have been in operation for 2 years. Eligible organisations can apply for the cost and delivery of an independent energy assessment. Deadline: August 2024 - Find Out More More funding opportunities can be found via the BaNES Funding Journal - Click Here 3SG member organisations also benefit from free access to our Funds Online account, allowing you to search a library of over 8,000 funders giving a combined total of £8 billion. If you're a member, head to the Resources page here to find out more. You can find out more about 3SG membership here, or get in touch via contact@3sg.org.uk

A West of England Mayoral Combined Authority initiative, Social Economy West will support and grow the social economy in the region, helping organisations to overcome increasing demand amid the cost-of-living crisis. It will provide charities, third sector organisations, social enterprises, and co-operatives with the resources, expertise and guidance they need to: Explore opportunities for growth Effectively manage increasing demand on services Build economic resilience and enhance environmental sustainability Manage risk more effectively Diversify income streams What support can organisations benefit from? 3SG is working with experienced third sector organisations, Voscur, CVS South Gloucestershire, School for Social Entrepreneurs and Bristol & Bath Regional Capital, to deliver five key support activities to businesses, including: 1-2-1 coaching and support Demand-led themed workshops Expert mentoring from social entrepreneurs Opportunity to join peer networks A comprehensive Accelerator programme Who is eligible for support? To be eligible for support, organisations must be located in the West of England Combined Authority Region and have a core social mission. This could include organisations such as: Social and community enterprises Charities Voluntary and community sector organisations Housing associations Co-operatives and mutuals Informal self-help initiatives Social finance and support providers Alternative business models How do I find out more? If you'd like to find out more about the support on offer, please email the team. How do I apply for support? To apply for support, please fill in the application form here and one of our team will get back to you shortly. A West of England Combined Authority initiative, delivered in partnership with Business West and expert partners to support the social economy across the region. This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK, investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit this webpage.

The University of Bath Students’ Union RAG charity applications are now open! Every year University students vote for the key charities they would like to support through student fundraising activity. If you would like to apply to be one of the 2 charities supported by student fundraising efforts in the 2024-25 academic year, please complete this form Bath RAG Top Two 2024/25 Application Form The deadline for applications is Friday 5th April at 5pm. Please read the RAG Top 2 application guidelines carefully before applying. If you are one of this year's Big 4 you cannot apply again for next year. RAG-Top-Two-Application-Guideline-2024.pdf (thesubath.com) In previous years the University has had four charities – the Big 4. For the next academic year this will change and RAG will be supporting two charities – the RAG Top Two. The RAG Committee decided that by focusing on two charities, the money raised can make a bigger difference in the activities of each charity. All money raised by the end of the year will be split equally between the two charities. Past fundraising activity has included Cereal Dating, Zombie Apocalypse, Fireworks at the Rec, Santa Dash, Bath Half and more. See RAG’s Instagram page for details of their activities. The process and timings are as follows: Monday 5th February – Applications officially open for the RAG Top Two for the 2024-25 academic year Friday 5th April – Applications close at 5pm Monday 8th April to Friday 26th April – Applications are reviewed and a shortlist of 10-20 charities are selected for student voting Monday 29th April – Voting opens for students to choose their RAG Top Two charities for 2024-25 Friday 3rd May – Voting closes w/c Monday 6th May – Successful and unsuccessful charities notified by email Wednesday 31st July – Last day that SU fundraising activity will count for the RAG 2023-24 Big 4 charities Thursday 1st August – First day that SU fundraising activity will count for the RAG 2024-25 Top Two charities September 2024 – The new academic year starts and student volunteers for RAG will begin active fundraising for the new Top Two Please get in touch at su-fundraising@bath.ac.uk if you have any questions. Good luck with your application!

Your Park Bristol & Bath has celebrated its second awards ceremony to honour the incredible park volunteers from across Bristol and Bath. Your Park Bristol and Bath, a Charity founded in February 2019 as part of the national Rethinking Parks programme, transforms how communities can benefit from and support parks and green spaces. They do this by improving access, supporting nature's recovery, and organising mental health community initiatives. On Saturday 03rd February, Your Park celebrated some outstanding volunteers with a ceremony at the Bristol Beacon. Over 100 volunteers attended the awards ceremony, including smaller community groups which make a huge difference to their local parks. The awards are split into two sections, each with a small number of categories. Your Park celebrated six individual park volunteers who made an outstanding contribution to their green space and local community. The categories were Bristol & Bath Volunteer of the Year - People aged 25 and over, Bristol and Bath Young Adult Volunteer of the Year - People aged 16-24 years, and Bristol and Bath Young Volunteer of the Year - People aged under 16 years. Simon, a Youth Worker involved with the Hartcliffe Club for Young People, who were winners of Young Volunteers of the Year Award, said: “It was amazing to see this group of young women’s work and patience rewarded. As we had lunch together, they were instantly asking what the next project was and whether we could litter pick the harbour side?” The second part of the awards, The Community Impact Awards, saw groups of volunteers being recognised for their efforts which fall into three categories: Community Connecters, celebrating projects that have brought people together from all sections of the community, Happy and Healthy, celebrating projects that have improved local people’s health and well-being, and Nature Lovers, celebrating projects that have transformed their park for nature. One park from Bristol and one park from Bath were announced as the winners for each category, alongside the volunteers who made the work possible. Manor Woods Valley Group, located in Bristol, winners of the Nature Lovers category said: “A big thank you everyone for your hard work that has made this possible.” Finally, shortlisted groups from the Community Impact Awards (Community Connecters, Happy and Health and Nature Lovers) took part in the Community Choice Award, an award where the project with the most votes from their community won £200 towards their work. Redcatch Community Garden, located in Knowle, Bristol, were the winners of the Community Impact Award and have received the park funds. Redcatch Community Garden received 301 votes out of nearly 1000. Redcatch Community Garden, winners of The Community Impact Award and Community Connectors Award said: “We are absolutely delighted to win two awards. Huge thank you to the individuals and panel who voted for us, we are thankful and grateful for this recognition and motivated to continue all we do for our community.” The winners of all the awards received vouchers for garden centers and certificates of thanks. Judy Gowenlock, Awards Manager, said: ‘The awards are about celebrating all that volunteers do, across our cities, for their parks and green spaces. Many residents of all ages and backgrounds give up their free time to make our parks and green spaces more welcoming places to be, places which benefit our health and places which support nature. It has been inspiring and heartwarming to read the nominations for all the individuals and groups and I would like to say a big thank you to them for all that they do. We finally wanted to say a huge thanks to Hargreaves Lansdown for sponsoring the awards.” Your Park Bristol & Bath works closely with the two local authorities, Bristol City Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council, who are responsible for the upkeep of the 2,000+ hectares of local parks and green spaces, but the charity operates completely independently.” If you would like to volunteer and make a difference in your community get in touch with Your Park today: www.yourpark.org.uk/get-involved. The event was made possible by sponsorship from Hargreaves Lansdown. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Press release from Your Park Bristol & Bath

Bath Women’s Fund grant programme is now open to applications. Their 2024 theme is Increasing the resilience of women and/or girls facing barriers such as health issues, mental health difficulties, poverty, or addiction. As a Giving Circle, their grants are funded through collective giving by all their members and together they are involved in choosing the theme and choosing which organisation will be awarded the main grant of £15,000. Two other organisations will receive awards of £4,000. Bath Women's Fund will be awarding these in June 2024. If you are an organisation that supports women and girls in Bath and the surrounding area and think your work fits with the theme then … Read our guidance for applicants If you are happy with the guidance and meet all our criteria, please submit your Expression of Interest form (using the link in the guidance document or this QR code) by 5 p.m. Tuesday 20th February Further information, guidelines, and eligibility criteria can be found at: www.bathwomensfund.org.uk/grants

An increase in the demand for services, having to deliver more for less, navigating the cost of living pressures, rising overheads and ensuring teams are looked after, are all challenges that have been identified in the most recent 3SG Annual Third Sector Survey, released today. Unsurprisingly, the survey, which is carried out every year by Bath and North East Somerset Third Sector Group (3SG), revealed the top three pressures for the Third Sector were finances, capacity and staffing. The Annual Survey of charities, community groups and social enterprises ensures that the voice of the 3SG membership can be heard and assists the organisation in planning its support and advocacy work in the year ahead. 68 Third Sector organisations responded to the survey, which was made available towards the end of last year and the results analysed. This autumn will see the fifth annual sector survey, which will see 3SG shake up the format for further, in depth feedback. The key highlights from the survey include: 76% of organisations reported working at or over capacity, which has grown compared to 68% last year and over half surveyed said they are working over capacity to deliver services. Another significant increase has seen organisations seeking new income streams, up 16% - since the pandemic, those seeking new funding from trading activity has doubled. 76% of those surveyed had been seeking new income streams in the past year. Three quarters of organisations that responded reported being very or moderately concerned about long term funding. The percentage of those using reserves to cover core costs had increased from 32% to 39% and over 30% of those asked were holding reserves worth 0-3 month’s expenditure. Overall, the results saw the use of reserves for funding nearly doubling since the last survey. 66% were concerned about volunteering services, including recruitment and retention of volunteers - the organisations that responded are supported by over 4,600 volunteers. In a separate poll, 100% of those asked said that they had increased staff salaries to support members of their team with cost of living pressures. The overall percentage increase in the UK National Living Wage from April 2017 to April 2023 was approximately 38.93%, which has brought pressures to operational running costs and the dilemma of organisations wanting to take care of their staff. This, alongside little or no contract uplifts, is putting extreme pressure on the sector. One respondent said: “The challenges our staff teams are facing are not dissimilar to our clients.” Staff morale rated good or excellent had dropped from 66% to 43%, yet 59% were very or moderately concerned about staff recruitment compared to 75% last year. Becky Brooks, Director at B&NES 3rd Sector Group (3SG) commented: “Our thanks to all the 3SG members and local organisations that took part in the Annual Survey. This feedback gives us an in-depth understanding of the issues facing the Third Sector and increasingly so, from last year, the results show a sector that desperately needs core funding support and investment. It is really challenging, in the current climate, with proposed cuts to the Sector by the Local Authority to ask for investment, but statutory services are increasingly reliant on local charities to deliver services - and without support, those services simply won’t exist. “3SG has been asking the Council to bring us into those discussions and to be creative about ways in which services can be delivered, without sweeping and damaging cuts which will affect local people and the support they receive. “The Sector is clearly looking at ways in which it can adapt and grow, including greater collaboration and looking for alternative methods of funding. 3SG will be looking to support through various events - and we would also like to hear from local businesses who might be interested in supporting the sector through CSR and social enterprise.” Kate Morton, CEO of Bath Mind and Chair of 3SG’s Board of Trustees said: “3SG’s survey is unique in our region and is a powerful barometer of the challenges and ambitions of the B&NES Third Sector in 2023-24.  The results show that unsurprisingly, the same challenges remain - and unfortunately, these pressures are only getting harder to resolve. “In 2024 we need to be looking at ways in which we can work creatively and collaboratively to bring new initiatives to the table and to forge better relationships with the Local Authority and the Integrated Care Board, so that the Sector is truly heard and supported. There is work to be done on finding ways collectively to demonstrate the Sector’s social impact and value, because without the work of the Third Sector, residents will undoubtedly see a loss in services and a higher need which will struggle to be met.” To join 3SG or find out about how we support charities and Third Sector organisations with training, advice, support and networking events, visit: www.3sg.org.uk or sign up for the 3SG newsletter https://bit.ly/3SGNEWSLETTER

Round 2 of our Bath Spa Works: Third Sector Internships is now open! Bath Spa University are delighted to announce the relaunch of their internship scheme, specifically designed for Third Sector organisations. These opportunities provide invaluable experiences to students allowing them to enhance their key employability skills, whilst helping to support the growth of charities, social enterprise or a CIC. This year, Bath Spa University are offering the opportunity to advertise an internship, between 80-120 hours to help support your organisation. This internship could be supporting your organisations growth, or you may have a specific project in mind. Although these internships are not required to be paid at national minimum wage, Bath Spa University are able to offer the successful student an Employability Award of £1,000 to go towards their work with you. This Award will be paid directly to the student by the university. This second intake of proposals will be open from 8th January 2024 - 17th March 2024. However, proposal closure will be subject to change (early or extended closure) as determined by funding available. Funding is offered on a first come first serve basis and will be available until exhausted. Interested? Here’s how to get involved: Step 1: Complete this Employer Proposal form (click here for link) with an outline of your internship details. You must submit a proposal form otherwise you will not be eligible to receive the funding as part of Bath Spa Works: Internships. Step 2: Your form will be submitted to the Placements Team to review and approve if deemed appropriate (so please be as clear as possible in your description of the role). It can take up to 5 working days for forms to be reviewed. Step 3: Once your Proposal Form has been reviewed by the Placements Team, Bath Spa University will be in touch with the outcome and next steps. If/when your proposal has been approved, you will receive confirmation from the Placements Team. This confirmation will be sent via email. Step 4: Upload your opportunity! If approved, you will receive further details on what the next steps are. NB: There is limited funding so won't be able to accept all proposals. Decisions will be based on the quality of the opportunity for students and the organisation's need. Please take the time to read over the attached Bath Spa Works Internships - Third Sector: Employer Handbook, and for any internships that involve remote working, Bath Spa University also encourage you to take the time to read over this "Guide to working from home for students" from ACAS. Any questions in the meantime, please get in touch via placements@bathspa.ac.uk and please feel free to forward to any contacts who you know who might need an extra pair of hands! Bath Spa University look forward to hearing from you and to reading your proposals!