village viewpoint - moulton...in this edition: a change of look for nacre with some new faces latest...
TRANSCRIPT
In this edition: A change of look for NACRE with some new faces
Latest news on the Best Village Competition
Olive our new online ordering system for oil
How we can help groups carrying out a Neighbourhood Plan
Some future NACRE training events: PAT testing workshop, social media masterclass, gathering evidence for Neighbourhood Plans, setting up community shops or pubs
How the Daily Mile could help our children get fit
Share unwanted food through the Olio app
Northamptonshire’s new Sustainability and Transformation plan
Funding news including: latest on LEADER, Sport England’s New Families Fund, Tesco’s Bags of Help, PCC Making Northants Communities Safer fund
Northamptonshire ACRE The Hunsbury Hill Centre, Harksome Hill
Northampton, NN4 9QX
Telephone: 01604 765888 Email: [email protected] Web: www.northantsacre.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1080038
Company Limited by Guarantee England no. 3937576
summer 2017
Village Viewpoint The Magazine of Northamptonshire ACRE
Action with Communities in Rural England
The lovely gardens at Deene Park, near Corby
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Do you have some time to spare? Are you interested in helping villages improve their quality of life especially for the disadvantaged?
Northamptonshire ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is an independent charitable organisation that provides advice and guidance to rural communities throughout the County. The charity’s mission is to eradicate social isolation and deprivation in rural areas. Northamptonshire ACRE is part of the national ACRE network of 38 rural community councils across England.
The Charity functions with a Board of Trustees who support the management team. We are keen to increase the diversity of our Trustee Board and In accordance with our Equal Opportunities Policy, we wish to encourage applications from all groups in society.
We are looking for dynamic individuals, who have an interest in rural affairs. An understanding of the charity and voluntary sector would be beneficial but not obligatory.
Successful applicants will be team players who can engage in the development of the strategic direction the Charity has recently set out. Trustees are not paid a fee, but travel expenses are reimbursed.
Charity No: 1080038 Company no: 3937576
To find out more about the work that Northamptonshire ACRE carries
out or to have an informal discussion about the role of a Trustee for the
charity, please contact Elaine O’Leary:
Email : [email protected]
or
Telephone: 01604 825881
Become a Trustee of Northamptonshire ACRE
and help us make a difference
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ACRE
(Action with rural communities in England)
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Village Viewpoint is the magazine of Northamptonshire ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England). The views and opinions that appear in Village Viewpoint are not necessarily those of the Editor and ACRE staff. While contributions for publication are welcomed, publication cannot be guaranteed. Advertisements are accepted under ACRE conditions regarding rates and copy/artwork. Published by Northamptonshire ACRE.
FEATURES INSIDE
4 ACRE News: New look and new faces for the charity
8 Best Village Competition 2017
11 Olive - our online bulk oil buying scheme
13 Rural Wellbeing Service out and about
15 Good Neighbour Schemes - what are they?
16 Neighbourhood Planning
18 Neighbourhood Plan services
19 Community Facilities update
20 Future training events and workshops
23 News around the county including Well for Life roadshows
28 The Daily Mile for school children
29 Olio - the food sharing app
30 National News including Rural Coalition
32 NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans
30 Funding News including Eco boiler grant, LEADER and Making Northants Safer Communities fund
37 Our services
40 Contact Us
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ACRE NEWS
A new look for the charity!
You may have already noticed but there is something new about Northamptonshire ACRE.
Like many people at the start of a new year we decided to refresh our wardrobe. We looked at our old complicated logo that seemed like a good idea at the time and decided it didn’t send the right message about us. More ‘village of the damned’ rather than ‘village
support’! So we’ve got a new logo. It’s less cluttered, more professional, and highlights the acronym by which many of you know us - NACRE. We hope you’ll agree it’s an improvement. Our thanks go to Adam Alexander of Abandoned Art Studio who provided the design. A new look for a new year, that we hope will be productive for Northamptonshire’s rural communities. And to go with our new logo we will be launching a new website. An example of the new home page is shown here. It has a fresh, modern feel and looks great on smart phones as well. It has been produced by 1PCS Ltd, a web design company based in Mawsley. We are still posting to our old website at http://northantsacre.org.uk/ at the moment so please check it out for the latest events and news. Once we have finalised all the information we want to transfer to our new website and completed the layout, we will be going live with it. We will keep you updated!
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And new faces too!
We are delighted to welcome some new members of staff at Northamptonshire ACRE:
Dawn Howard - Rural Wellbeing Fieldworker: Dawn joined NACRE in August last year as our second Rural Wellbeing Service fieldworker. Since then Dawn has been getting up to speed with the Wellbeing Service, visiting villages where our Information Bus has already been and meeting those the service has helped as well as establishing partnerships with service providers.
She has also been working with Linda Hook, our other Wellbeing Fieldworker, to set the Information Bus timetable for the next three months of visits to villages. The timetable is available on our website: http://northantsacre.org.uk/rural-wellbeing-service/information-bus-timetable/
If you are interested in hearing more about the Wellbeing Service or would like to ask about the bus visiting your village, please contact the team on 01604 825883.
Rebecca Breakwell - Rural Officer: Rebecca joined the charity in October last year as our new Rural Officer. She is responsible for supporting villages with guidance and support on the wide range of issues that may impact on rural life whether getting better broadband to setting up a community shop.
In particular Rebecca is keen to help parishes who may be considering carrying out a Neighbourhood Plan and as a result has been busy setting up our new Neighbourhood Plan workshops, of which you can find out more elsewhere in the magazine. Rebecca’s background is in planning and development and is the ideal person to talk to about community planning. You can contact her on 01604 825884.
Rufia Ashraf - Rural Wellbeing Administrator Rufia has recently started with the Rural Wellbeing Service as an administrator for the project. She will be supporting the two fieldworkers in collating data around the services provided, the support given and any referrals passed on. Rufia will also be providing a regular newsletter to partners and villages visited.
If you would like more details about the Wellbeing Service or to request a visit by the bus to your village, please contact the team on 01604 825883.
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Volunteers wanted
Do you have some time to spare?
Are you interested in helping villages improve their
quality of life especially for the disadvantaged?
If so, then we need you! We are looking for volunteers to help us in our work with rural communities:
Becoming a trustee of the charity
Being a Good Neighbour as part of our Rural Wellbeing Service
Becoming a judge in our Best Village Competition
Helping to promote good energy practice and our bulk oil scheme, Olive, as an Energy Champion.
Working with us, as a Friend of the Hunsbury Hill Centre, to obtain funding for renovating the outbuildings in order to promote rural and community activities
If you would like to know more about any of the above or just want to drop in and talk about what you can offer as a volunteer, please contact Elaine O’Leary on 01604 825881 or email [email protected].
David Wall - a new volunteer:
David contacted us to offer his skills as a volunteer and we were delighted to have him join us. David sent the following information about himself: I’ve recently started volunteering for Northamptonshire ACRE. I’ll mainly be helping out with some of the ongoing administration, and working on some specific projects as needed.
I’m a long-time resident of Northamptonshire, growing up in different rural and urban areas of the county. I moved away for about 10 years in total while studying in Birmingham, Scotland, and Australia, but returned about nine years ago and until recently I was teaching at the University of Northampton. So I’ve seen how the county has changed over the past 30 years or so, and I have an interest in how it develops.
Many Parish Council clerks will already have heard from me as I’ve been updating our records about our member communities. And some of you might run into me if you’re involved with other NACRE projects in the future. Please say ‘hello’ if you do, and feel free to suggest any ideas about issues or projects we should be getting involved with.
You can contact David at [email protected].
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Northamptonshire Best Village Competition.
The Northamptonshire Best Village Competition (BVC) is kindly sponsored by Hollowell Funeral Plans and has been running for many years. During the time it has been running, we have seen many villages in the county win the prestigious Overall Best Village award.
The competition is a great way for a village to promote itself and to evidence its community involvement and initiatives. BVC allows residents to show why they like living in their village and enables them to share their pride with others in the county. It’s also a great way to engage with residents in your area and maybe even use the information for future community or neighbourhood plans!
The competition is open to all villages with a population up to 6,000 and this year there are 3 categories based on village population size:
Under 999 - Small
1000 - 3500 - Medium 3501 - 6000 - Large
And as a further incentive, last year the prize money in all the categories was increased. Now the Overall Best Village winner receives £1,000 and there are prizes of £250 for each category winner.
The judges are interested in all aspects of village life including: community and social activities local communication the village website the provision for young people and more senior residents the involvement of local businesses sustainability general tidiness the welcome given to visitors
Are you proud of your village? Want everyone to know what’s so good about it? Then why not enter next year’s competition? That’s exactly what Blisworth did this year and they won the prestigious prize of 2017 Northamptonshire Best Village, with Braunston named as runner up.
Representatives of Blisworth are seen here receiving their trophy and certificate from Paul
and Annette Hollowell.
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Each year the winners are awarded their prizes at the Best Village Competition Presentation Evening in July at the Hunsbury Hill Centre. If you didn’t take part in this year’s competition but fancy being present at next year’s Presentation Evening as a winner, then get in touch! If you would like more information about the competition and how to enter, please contact the competition co-ordinator, Barron Walton, on 01327 312950 or via email at [email protected] or David Scudamore on 01604 762230.
Judges Wanted!
Do you enjoy village life and are you interested in the community spirit it fosters?
Maybe you like finding out what other villages are getting up to or talking to people who share similar interests?
If so you might be just the person to be one of our Best Village Competition judges. Our team of judges visit 3 to 4 villages during the year, assessing them for the competition. Full training and instructions are given to all judges and mileage expenses are paid.
If you are interested and would like more information, please email Barron Walton, Northamptonshire Best Village Competition Co-ordinator at: [email protected] or tel. 01327 312950.
The Barns at Hunsbury Hill
The Hunsbury Hill Centre Limited is the trading arm of Northamptonshire ACRE. It runs all our wedding, business and social events at the site and any surplus generated from the events comes back to the charity to support us in the work we do with rural communities.
But we felt the old name didn’t do enough justice to what our lovely site is like. So last year we changed the name of the trading arm to The Barns at Hunsbury Hill complete with a new logo (left) and a new website: http://hunsburyhillcentre.co.uk/. Why not check it out?
And if you would like more details about hiring any of the barns for meetings, please email [email protected] or tel. 01604 702444. We offer reduced rates for community groups and pubic sector organisations.
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Olive - our online bulk oil buying scheme Our Bulk Oil Buying scheme has been running since October 2011 and was developed with the aim of helping people in homes, community buildings and businesses in rural Northamptonshire save money on their oil, particularly those in fuel poverty.
Our scheme enables us to bring people together to make the most of their collective buying power by ordering larger quantities of oil in one go. We are able to negotiate substantial discounts on the cost per litre of oil. These savings are passed on to members of the scheme.
But our old paper based system was time consuming and heavy on admin and NACRE resources. It didn’t give us much of a chance to grow the membership, which would help us to negotiate for even better savings from the oil delivery companies.
So last August 2016, we decided to move to a new, more efficient, online ordering system called Olive. Olive is run on our behalf by a company called eSmartMetrics.
Olive is already successfully operating in our sister Rural Community Council in Derbyshire and they are so pleased with what it has delivered and how it has helped them to grow their membership, that on recommendation we decided to go with the same system. Olive allows you to:
Register and maintain your details on the system
Record your payment method - debit or credit card or direct debit.
You can place your order for that month at any time
Every month eSmartMetrics collate all the oil orders, negotiate with the oil suppliers for the best price, send you an automated email with the details of the price per litre and the total cost for your order.
You then have 24 hours to cancel the order
If you want to continue, payment is automatically taken for your order and the order is placed with the suppliers
The oil is usually delivered approximately 10 working days later.
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Last month with Olive our customers saved: 1.99 pence per litre against the average price quoted by suppliers
Giving a saving of £19.93 on an order of 1000 litres And 5.31 ppl against the highest price quoted by suppliers
Giving a saving of £53.10 on an order of 1000 litres. If you would like to know more or want to joint the schemed, check out our website at http://northantsacre.org.uk/bulk-oil-buying-scheme/ or call 01604 765888 or email: [email protected].
Be smart, don’t run out of oil next winter!
Do you ever find yourself getting low on oil because you are not sure how much is left? Would you like to be able to monitor your oil levels without the aid of a stick? And know how much oil you are using each day both in litres and money? If so we can help.
eSmartMetrics offers a small, very clever little smart meter, the olive tank sensor, that uses the latest internet technology to understand your home’s heating oil use and deliver your smart heating oil solution.
The olive sensor is installed on your tank, the olive modem is connected to your broadband and your account is set up. By logging on to your account you can:
Track your oil usage as defined by you – over time, in litres, £’s, you choose Monitor the impact of lifestyle changes and weather on your heating oil costs Get alerts for when your tank levels are getting low or change significantly
You can even set your own level at which the sensor alerts you that your oil is getting low.
And for a limited time only, we are making these oil smart meters available to our Olive oil members at a special price of:
£99 (£20 saving on the RRP of £119) plus FREE delivery and £10 off your next oil order
For more information call 01604 765888, email: [email protected] or log into your Olive account and check out the dashboard.
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Rural Wellbeing Service is out and about again
Our Rural Wellbeing Service continues to gather momentum. This 4 year, Lottery funded project is particularly aimed at those older rural residents who are isolated or lonely.
With our Information Bus (shown below) we continue to visit villages and
provide FREE, friendly help and advice on:
Health & wellbeing concerns
Transport issues
Energy efficiency in the home
Financial matters including benefits
Home improvements & security
Support for carers
Our two Fieldworkers, Linda Hook and Dawn Howard, are always happy to welcome visitors to the bus and will be pleased to discuss any queries or issues you may have. If you need more than just advice they can also signpost you to the appropriate organisation that may be able to help further as well as arrange for those services to be delivered.
Both Linda and Dawn are DBS checked, which means they can also visit any resident in their own home who may not be able to visit the bus. So if you have a relative or friend who might benefit from speaking to Linda or Dawn, please give them a call on 01604 825883 or email: [email protected].
Information Bus timetable The latest timetable for our Wellbeing Information Bus is now available to download at: http://northantsacre.org.uk/rural-wellbeing-service/information-bus-timetable/. We are moving across the county and as well as villages in the Wellingborough and Kettering area, we will now be visiting a number of villages in the Daventry District. If you would like a visit to your village from the bus please contact Dawn or Linda on 01604 825883 or email: [email protected]
The Fieldworkers are also happy to arrange for partner organisations to accompany them on the Information Bus. Some organisations who have been on the bus are DeafConnect, Healthwatch and Community Law. If you would like to speak to one of the fieldworkers about being on the bus, please call 01604 825883 or email [email protected]
Linda
Dawn
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Good Neighbour Schemes
Good Neighbour Schemes are about local volunteers providing day to day support to other residents in their village who may need help on an occasional or regular basis.
The schemes bring together informal care in a village or community that so often already goes on there and bridges gaps in services for vulnerable individuals with non-critical needs, to ensure they don’t become critical.
Although the whole community can benefit from the scheme, they are primarily aimed at helping elderly, vulnerable and isolated people in their village.
What do they offer? Your scheme can offer as much or as little as your community wants, for example:
Dog Walking Helping with shopping Assistance to fill in forms, write letters, reading or
help to use computers and the internet Gardening
Household tasks: e.g. tuning televisions, changing lightbulbs or fitting smoke alarms Befriending Giving lifts to GP surgery, clinic or hospital, a Day Centre or other appointments
But each village decides how big or small their scheme is.
How we can help:
Many other Rural Community Charities like us have helped villages in their area to ‘formalise’ the informal care that so often goes on unnoticed and they are very successful. We know they work and we would like to see Good Neighbour Schemes start in Northamptonshire. We can :
Provide a free comprehensive toolkit developed by the ACRE network Assist with obtaining funding for specific items such as a laptop, mobile
phone, or DBS checks Put you in touch with other schemes around the country Help with publicity and marketing
Interested? Why not call Rebecca Breakwell on 01604 825884 or email [email protected] for more information.
As the song goes, everybody needs good neighbours!
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Neighbourhood Planning
What development plans are covering your neighbourhood currently? Do they reflect the kind of aspirations you have for your neighbourhood and do they address sufficiently the issues and opportunities you know are there?
Neighbourhood planning is not a legal requirement but a right which communities in England can choose to use. Some communities decide that they can achieve the outcomes they want through other planning routes, such as incorporating their proposals for the neighbourhood into their Council’s Local Plan.
However doing a Neighbourhood Plan enables communities to play a much stronger role in shaping the areas in which they live and work and in supporting new development proposals. This is because unlike the parish or village plans that communities may have prepared, a Neighbourhood Plan forms part of the development plan and will sit alongside your area’s Local Plan. More and more communities are realising the benefits of having a Neighbourhood Plan. They allow a community to choose to set planning policies that are used in determining planning applications and can also allow them to grant planning permission through Neighbourhood Development Orders and Community Right to Build Orders for specific development that complies with the order.
Neighbourhood Plans don’t just have to be about development. There are many reasons to do one but here are a few as suggested by residents who were undertaking a plan:
To control/stop encroachment on the village envelope
Help with housing needs
Reassess service provision within a neighbourhood
Maintain historic integrity & good design of the area
More rational & structured response to planning applications
Resolve traffic issues
Access to Community Infrastructure Levy (25% for NP communities)
Galvanise the community - help engender a community spirit that may
be lacking
Protection of rural and green areas
Develop evidence based expansion based on what has been agreed by
the community
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Neighbourhood Plan workshops We have recently run two very different Neighbourhood Plan workshop/masterclasses aimed at different points of the Plan process. The first one was about why a group should consider doing a plan. The second was a masterclass from Heritage England. We aim to run similar workshops in early 2018 and you can add your name to the attendee lists.
Why do a Neighbourhood Plan
This workshop is aimed at parish councils and groups who are considering doing a NP and designated NP groups who have just begun the process. It covers topics such as:
Why do a plan and the historical context of Neighbourhood Plans
The possible impact of devolution on the planning framework
How to write polices when developing Neighbourhood Plan content
Using various local record offices to identify existing important environmental or historical sites in your neighbourhood.
Funding routes
The workshop was presented by Rebecca Breakwell and included speakers from a local planning authority and a representative of the Biodiversity Officer. We are hoping to run another workshop early in the new year. If you would like more details please contact Rebecca on 01604 825884 or email [email protected]
Making the most of your historic environment when developing your plan This masterclass was organised by Northamptonshire ACRE and run in conjunction with Heritage England and Locus Consulting. It is aimed at groups who are in the process of doing a Neighbourhood Plan and want to ensure their historic environment is included. The session covered: The value of heritage in shaping places Managing the historic environment The research and evidence relating to the historic environment that is
available including how to access it from the various record offices and archives
Translating that knowledge into policies Followed by a walking tour around Rothwell using
recording methods that can be applied to a Neighbourhood Plan.
If you are interested in attending a future event or would like to add your name to the attendee list, please contact Rebecca Breakwell on 01604 825884 or email: [email protected].
“Many thanks for organising the
Neighbourhood Plan Day yesterday,
it was very informative.”
From an attendee at the recent
masterclass on 10th July.
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Neighbourhood Plan services: Northamptonshire ACRE offers a comprehensive planning advice service both for parishes thinking about doing a Neighbourhood Plan or a group who is already a designated Neighbourhood Plan area. Our Rural Officer Rebecca, has many years experience of the planning process and can provide support and assistance in the following areas:
Support at an early stage with community engagement Community toolkit with templates and processes including a constitution Assistance with consultations and surveys (including Housing Needs) Preparation of business and project plans Evidence such as our OCSI Parish Profile reports Drafting planning policies One off specialist workshops with representatives such as Heritage
England, Local Wildlife Trust, Environment Agency, County Council and Public Health Northamptonshire
Below are our charges for assisting groups with a Neighbourhood Plan. Expenses are additional. Mileage is charged at 45p per mile.
Title Rate for members
Rate for non members
Description
Rural Officer daily rate
£300 per day The standard rate for one day’s work on a Neighbourhood Plan. Covers visit to group if required
£325 per day
Neighbourhood Plan package
1 day per month over 6 months assisting with all areas of a plan, including community engagement, consultation, evidence gathering, meetings and help with policies.
£1,500 for 6 days
£1,625 for 6 days
Organising launch meeting
Includes initial meeting to set up event, identifying key stakeholders, social media promotion, feedback and skills forms, facilitating launch meeting. Up to 2.5 days work.
£475 £500
Formulation of project plan
Development of a project plan covering all stages up to when the plan is made, with milestones
£165 £180
Formulation of consultation statement
Summarises all statutory & non-statutory consultation to pre-submission stage. Up to 4 days work.
£800 £850
Housing needs surveys
Varies Varies Costs depend upon the size of the village. Includes final survey report
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Community Facilities Update
Our Community Facilities Advisor, Frances Harris, is well known to all our community buildings members. She has been our Advisor for over 2 years and during that time has provided our members with invaluable assistance and knowledge on a range of topics affecting the running of a community building. Frances trained as a lawyer and spent almost twenty years as a legal and business affairs advisor in several industries including publishing and her legal
background has been very useful when dealing with some of the more interesting governance items that she has encountered during her work.
Frances provides invaluable advice and support on a variety of topics pertinent to village halls particularly around governance and legislation issues for only £40 per year. All community facility members receive bi-monthly newsletters that are always packed with useful information including details of any funding pots that might be of interest to our members. Below are a couple of the items she covered in her last newsletter: Discretionary Rate Relief Frances was keen to hear of any problems village halls might be encountering around the rate relief on halls. Small businesses are entitled to rate relief and this can be 100%. So, where there is a small business and a village hall charity in a community the business can be receiving 100% and the hall only 80% relief. However, national ACRE has advised that it is important to protect the 1988 Act legislation, which sets out the 80% mandatory and 20% discretionary for charities rather than village halls being aligned with small businesses. It is important for a hall committee to make a good case to the local authority for the 20% relief and our Village Hall Information Sheet 24 provides useful information on this topic. Frances would like to hear from members about their experiences – good or bad. Community RePaint Community Repaint is a UK wide network of schemes that collect unwanted surplus and leftover paint, diverting it from the waste stream and redistributing it to individuals, families and communities in social need. An estimated 50 million litres of paint remains unused annually. Resource Futures, who manage the network, offer support to community projects, local authorities and waste management companies. The project celebrated its 20
th
Anniversary in 2013 and has its own dedicated website: http://www.communityrepaint.org.uk
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Future training events and workshops The following training events and workshops are taking place at the Hunsbury Hill Centre during September and October 2017:
Pat testing and electrical checks training
Tuesday 19th September from 1.30pm to 5pm.
Cost £97 per person
Aimed at village hall committees, schools, community centres and pubs, this practical, hands on course will identify your responsibilities to correctly inspect and check electrical equipment as part of your Health and Safety obligations and teach you how to carry out your own: Electrical appliance risk assessment PAT testing Electrical safety checks See the following advert for the details. To book a place email [email protected] or tel. 01604 825888.
Harnessing social media for your hall
Wednesday 4th October, 10.15am to 1.00pm
Cost £35 members, £45 non-members
This workshop is aimed at making social media work for your village hall but it is also suitable for Parish Councils who want to make more use of the various media platforms to promote what they do. It covers:
What is social media and why use it for community buildings? Breaking down the myths and explaining the jargon A practical look at creating and using a Facebook page Twitter – what is it and when to use it Other social media – You Tube, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin,
Snapchat, The dos and don’ts of social media etiquette
The workshop is delivered by NACRE’s Rural Officer Rebecca Breakwell and our Community Facilities Adviser, Frances Harris. For more information or to book a place, please email [email protected] or tel. 01604 825888. Attendees at the recent workshop had this to say: “Even as a social media user I have learnt lots of new things. I am excited to set up new pages for the Community Centre. Thank you ladies for a great morning” .
“Excellent workshop, very informative”
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PAT Testing and Electrical Checks training
Tuesday 19th September 2017
1.30pm - 5pm
at Northamptonshire ACRE, Hunsbury Hill Centre NN4 9QX
Course cost £95pp (normally £120 +VAT)
Keeping your village halls, community buildings and work place safe
Understand your responsibilities and learn
how to carry out your own:
Electrical appliance risk assessment
PAT testing Electrical safety checks
Requirements to attend: common sense & just a half a day of your time!
Quick Test
Safety with simplicity
Be Informed! Gain a clear understanding of the
requirements for Village Halls, Community
Buildings & Parish Councils to correctly inspect
and check electrical equipment as part of your
Health and Safety obligations.
And
You are required by law to ensure
that the electrical equipment you
supply in your community building is
safe!
The IET code of practice recommends visual
inspection and PAT testing when appropriate
as a means to ensure the safety of your
appliances
PAT Testing Equipment - microPAT Package discounted to £200+VAT to course
delegates. Ask Quick Test on the day for more details.
To book your place(s) email [email protected]
or telephone 01604 825888. Limited places. Book Now!
A previous community building
course delegate said . . Excellent course & well worth the time spent. Learnt so much more
than I thought I would.
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Future training events and workshops
Gathering the right evidence for your Neighbourhood Plan
Thursday 12th October 10.30am to 3pm Cost TBC
You are writing your plan but you need evidence: What sort of evidence needs to be included? Where do you go to get it? Who should you speak to? How do you write policies to reflect the evidence?
This workshop will cover developing appropriate questionnaires, gathering quantitative data to support your plan, consulting existing documents, plans and strategies in your area, writing well evidenced policies and using evidence from sources such as heritage, biodiversity, flood management and transport sources. Speakers will include a Planning Officer and representatives from an area that has a ‘made’ Neighbourhood Plan.
Please contact Rebecca Breakwell for more information: [email protected] or 01604 825884. The full agenda will be issued shortly.
Commmunity Shops & Pubs - Do it yourself!
Tuesday 24th October 2017 from 10am to 1pm Cost TBC
Village pubs and shops are closing every week. They can be the glue in the village, performing a pivotal role in the community. If you have a shop or pub in your village that is closing and you would like to know what can be done, this workshop is ideal for you:
Why set up a community shop or pub? How to engage your community and getting their support Recommended process to follow including:
Selecting a suitable legal structure Suggested models to run your enterprise Navigating the planning minefield Raising required finance
Speakers who have ‘been there and done it’ from community shops in the county
We hope to have a speaker from Plunkett
Please contact Rebecca Breakwell for more information: [email protected] or 01604 825884. The full agenda will be issued shortly.
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY
Well for Life Roadshows We are working in partnership with Daventry District Council, Daventry & District Forum and First for Wellbeing to offer a series of free roadshows to local residents across the Daventry district. Each roadshow will feature a variety of service providers with promotional stands offering advice and information (and freebies!) on a wide variety of subjects, from adult learning to welfare and health, sports, leisure and relaxation. There will be fun activities, free refreshments and cakes and a chance to enter a raffle to win a hamper. Our first event was held at Ravensthorpe Village Hall and the final one will be at Moulton’s new Community Centre on Thursday 28th September. All roadshows take place in the village hall from 11am to 2pm. And everyone is welcome. You don’t have to be over a certain age or even be a resident of Daventry District to be able to attend. So why not come along, find out what services are available to you locally and countywide and have some fun!
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Free transport is available on 28th September to residents in surrounding villages and Daventry who may otherwise find it difficult to attend. DACT (Daventry Area Community Transport) can be booked to take a resident to and from Moulton Community Centre. Call DDC on (01327) 871100 for more details or to book a place.
The next Well for Life Roadshow is at Moulton Community Centre on Thursday 28th September.
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Do you live in the Daventry District? As a result of their Ageing Well Strategy, Daventry District Council approached us to look at the possibility of developing Good Neighbour Schemes in their district. Following a number of workshops, we have had several villages express an interest in starting a scheme and in fact Moulton is already our first Good Neighbour community, which is fantastic!
Plus: Daventry District Council is offering grants of up to £1000 for each scheme set up in their district to help them get started, while funds are available.
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The pages before and below give more information about Daventry District’s involvement. And alongside this we provide a free comprehensive toolkit to help your village get started as well as mentoring support through the process.
So if you are in the Daventry District and would like to know more call Rebecca Breakwell on 01604 825884 or DDC on 01327 871100.
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Give Us This Day Our Daily Mile
According to recent NHS figures for England in 2015-16 almost 1 in 10 children in primary reception class were classed as obese. By the time they leave primary school, aged 10 to 11, this rises to almost one in five. The reasons for this are complicated but one factor is that children tend to be less active than in previous years.
And this can be even more of a problem in rural communities where children might not live close enough to walk to school, the school might lack the facilities for effective PE, or might simply struggle to fit regular PE classes into an already crowded curriculum.
The Daily Mile at http://thedailymile.co.uk/ is a simple idea developed in a primary school in Stirling and has been shown to help tackle this problem. Each day, on a signal from their teacher, children down pencils, go outside, and run a course that has been measured out around the school. It takes about 15 minutes, doesn’t involve time to change kit or set up equipment, is fully inclusive, social, and non-competitive. And it means that every child in the school averages at least a mile a day.
The benefits aren’t limited to increasing children’s activity. It helps concentration and learning when they get back to the classroom; it improves relationships as kids can chat with classmates and teachers in a different way, and encourage each other while on the move; it helps build confidence as they succeed in exercise each day, and get fitter; and it’s fun to be out in the air and on the run.
This year Northamptonshire ACRE will be promoting The Daily Mile in our member communities. We hope to work with Northamptonshire Sport, NCC Health and Wellbeing, and Everyone Active, to encourage and help local schools to adopt the scheme. We’ll be providing resources and support for Heads, teachers, and parents and guardians, to help explain the benefits, address concerns, and get things started.
If you work at a school and want to adopt The Daily Mile (http://thedailymile.co.uk/) get in touch on 01604 765888 and we can help get you started; if your school is already running it (literally!) let us know how it’s going; or if you are a parent keen to see it at your child’s school you can point their Headteacher in our direction too. This year let’s get our children more active, fitter, and happier.
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OLIO - the food sharing app
The shared cup of sugar or windfall box of apples for the 21st
century!
Food waste and food poverty are among the most pressing social issues of the past few years. WRAP, the waste and recycling advisory body estimates that in 2015 7.3million tonnes of food was thrown away by households in the UK, including 4.4m tonnes that was ‘avoidable’, and could have been eaten at some point
before going in the bin.
This adds up to an average £470 being spent per household each year on edible food that ends up in the bin. At the same time, the Food Foundation (http://foodfoundation.org.uk/) estimates that over 8 million people in the UK suffer food insecurity, which varies from
worrying about being able to secure enough to eat having to compromise on the quality or quantity of their food, to cutting down on food, or even skipping meals through financial necessity.
Rural communities can be especially vulnerable to these problems. They might be poorly served for shops, with limited public transport, making it difficult for local residents to buy groceries. So when people do make shopping journeys they might tend to buy in bulk, increasing the likelihood of having too much of certain items that then go to waste.
Northamptonshire ACRE has become an ambassador for Olio: OLIO is a free app: https://olioex.com/ that connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. If you have something that you are not going to use:
Download the app at https://olioex.com/ (did we mention it’s free).
Open the app, add a photo and description of the produce
Say when and where it can be picked up.
Or if you are looking for something browse the items listed nearby,
request what takes your fancy
Arrange to pick it up via private messaging.
Why not download the OLIO app (https://olioex.com/) and encourage your local shops, pubs, or cafes to set up a drop-box so there are more places to leave items. And ask residents to download and use the app too or contact us on 01604 765888 for more details. Not only can we help reduce food waste and food insecurity, we can get to know our neighbours better while doing so. A win for everyone!
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NATIONAL NEWS
Significant increase in Green Belt houses
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) recently published its annual ‘Green Belt under siege’ report that reveals a significant increase in houses planned for the Green Belt, and yet more than 70% of the proposed houses are not expected to be ‘affordable’ for those who need them.
In total, 425,000 houses are now planned for Green Belt land. This is an increase of 54% on March 2016. Although CPRE recognises the urgent need for new homes, it recently illustrated that rural affordable housing provision is in steep decline, exacerbating an already stark affordable housing shortage. CPRE believes that Government should help councils build again and help fund genuinely affordable homes, including on small rural sites. Download the report at: http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/housing-and-planning/green-belts/item/4623-green-belt-under-siege-2017.
Rural homelessness a growing problem
Homelessness is on the rise across England with the highest rates in urban areas. However a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research, Right to home? Rethinking homelessness in rural communities’ has found that rural homelessness is a growing problem with over 6,000 rural households becoming homeless last year. Between 2010 and 2016, predominantly rural local authorities recorded a 42 per cent increase in rough sleeping.
The report recommends central government should develop a new national homelessness strategy to tackle the problem and building more affordable homes alongside putting in the right support from government would do much to tackle this issue. Download the report at: https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/right-to-home.
Rural Coalition urges ministers to stop sidelining rural issues
The Rural Coalition, of which national ACRE is a member, has stated that urgent action is needed to tackle the impact of austerity on local services. Unless the government acts, rural areas risk becoming enclaves of the affluent and the coalition is urging ministers to ‘up their rural proofing game’.
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The coalition issued the warning in the form of a statement identifying the key principles, policies and actions which it says the government must apply to secure a 'living, working countryside'.
Seventeen per cent of England’s population live in rural areas, supporting some 520,000 businesses, employing nearly 3.7m people and generating £404bn every year for the national economy. Yet the Rural Coalition warns that many rural dwellers feel ‘left behind’ or ignored with key services cut back because of public sector austerity and private sector cost-cutting and efficiency savings including, most notably adult social care and buses.
The statement calls for a planning system and funding regime that delivers a meaningful increase in the number of affordable homes outside of towns and cities. It also calls for fair distribution of funding between urban and rural areas for all services including healthcare and transport, and an industrial strategy that realises the potential of rural areas.
To find out more about the Rural Coalition and to download the statement go to: http://acre.org.uk/our-work/rural-coalition. If you would like to know more about rural proofing download the government’s recently issued ‘Rural Proofing: practical guidance to assess impacts of policies on rural areas’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rural-proofing.
Government fund to 'unlock' £1bn for fibre broadband
The new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund aims to make internet buffering and painfully slow download times a thing of the past. The fund, which had £400m of public money committed to it last year, was launched on 3rd July and seeks to support the rollout of cutting-edge fibre-based connections across the country. The government hopes that with matched funding from the private sector and other sources such as local authorities the fund could end up being worth £1bn+ over the next 4 years.
However the Countryside Alliance said the fund would mainly benefit those living in urban areas. Head of CA policy Sarah Lee said: "The unlocking of this funding to deliver fibre to the home will be a huge boost to those who benefit. "But the fund will fail to deliver broadband to the final 5% in the countryside where there is already market failure.” For more details: http://www.rsnonline.org.uk/services/broadband-fund-does-little-for-rural-areas
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Sustainability and Transformation Plans
Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) - Have you heard of these? Do you know what they are? How will Northamptonshire’s STP
impact on your access to health services?
NHS organisations and local councils have come together in 44 geographical areas covering all of England to develop proposals to improve health and care. They have formed new partnerships – known as sustainability and transformation partnerships – to plan jointly for the next few years and are led by senior figures from different parts of the local health and care system. The proposals the partnerships have been working on are designed around the needs of whole areas, not just individual organisations, and the latest thinking is set out in 44 Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs).
Northamptonshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan: Northamptonshire’s STP sets out how health and social care in our county will change over the next 5years. The STP sits alongside the county’s Health & Wellbeing Strategy, Supporting Northamptonshire to Flourish and builds upon previous work to shape services in a joined up way. It describes how health and social care in the county can be improved to bring real benefits to individuals and communities. It was published in December 2016.
The full STP along with a summary document Northamptonshire’s STP 2016-2021: How we will Support Local People To Flourish can be viewed and downloaded at: http://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/health/health-and-wellbeing-board/Pages/STP.aspx.
But not everyone is enamoured of the new STPs. The National Health Action Party - a campaign group that claims it is fighting to save the NHS from being turned into a US-style health service - believes the STP proposals appear to run contrary to the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act. They state that changes are being put in place by “stealth” with no explanation as to their purpose. Read the Chronicle and Echo article for more details: in http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/northamptonshire-s-five-year-nhs-vision-was-drawn-up-by-stealth-claims-campaign-group-1-7820241
However an NHS England spokesperson said: “All the STP proposals were published before Christmas. These documents are the starting point for a conversation. All areas have been asked to intensify their engagement with patients, the public and staff as they work to turn ideas into plans.” So make sure you do get engaged if you would like to have your views heard.
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FUNDING NEWS
ECO Boiler grant scheme
Have you heard of the Eco Boiler Grant scheme, which is part of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO)? As the name suggests, energy companies (who have in excess of 250,000 domestic customers) have a legal obligation to provide support and take part in
ECO. It means energy providers, including traditional suppliers like British Gas, EDF Energy and Scottish Power, must provide funding to help families on low incomes who live in the country’s fuel poorest areas save money by heating and insulating their homes more efficiently.
The boiler grant scheme aims to help UK households lower their energy bills by becoming more energy efficient. If you know of someone in your village who is receiving one of these qualifying benefits: State Pension Credit Income based Job Seekers Allowance Income Support Universal Credit Income related Employment and Support Allowance Working Tax Credit Child Tax Credit has an inefficient boiler and it is older than 7 years, they could be eligible to apply for a boiler grant to install a brand new energy-efficient gas, oil or LPG boiler. Eligible households don’t get a cash payout, but they may get a free boiler, or a significant contribution towards a new boiler. To see if someone is eligible they should contact their energy supplier or one of the many organisations that can help (free of charge). This article from Which is helpful: http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/boilers/article/can-i-get-a-free-boiler.
Big Lottery Reaching Communities fund The Big Lottery has confirmed that the Reaching Communities Buildings programme closed in January 2017 as they are looking at the most effective way of supporting ideas which centre on places and spaces. However, community building projects can still access small scale funding through the Reaching Communities programme, which offers up to £100k as part of a project proposal. More information can be found at: https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_reaching_communities
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Grants available for Business Development, Food
Processing and Tourism Infrastructure
In January 2017 Defra launched £120 million of RDPE (Rural Development Programme for England) Growth Programme funding through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). Calls are currently open, inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) applications for Tourism Infrastructure, Food Processing, and Business Development projects. The funding is intended to create jobs and growth in the rural economy.
Defra’s Rural Payments Agency (RPA) delivers the grants, working with the ESIF sub-committees in Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) areas across England. Each ESIF Sub-Committee has identified how much of its allocation of EAFRD funding it wishes to assign to each of the three National Calls, reflecting the local investment priorities to support jobs and growth in their area.
Details of the eligible activities and who can apply are in three applicant handbooks at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rdpe-growth-programme. The calls remain open until January 2018, subject to the availability of funds.
Other funding streams
Sport England Invites Applications to New Families Fund Sport England has launched a major new investment programme to increase the number of opportunities currently available for families and children to do sport and
physical activity together. All projects must target children aged between 5 and 15 years with a specific focus on children between 5 and 10 years of age. Grants of between £50,000 and £500,000 are available for projects that particularly focus on families in lower socio-economic groups. The grants can cover both revenue and capital costs for projects. The deadline for expressions of interest is 31 August 2017 (3pm). https://www.sportengland.org/funding/families-fund/
First Steps Enterprise Fund This is a £300,000 pilot fund, making a loan-grant package available for small community-led charities and social enterprises based and working in communities in England, looking for their first loan to help them grow their services and become more sustainable. A loan-grant package of up to £30,000 (90% loan and 10% grant) is available. The loan element is charged at 5% (fixed) to be repaid over a period of four years with an optional capital holiday for the first year. http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/firststeps
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New fund launched to make Northamptonshire safer
Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Stephen Mold has given £100,000 to the Community Foundation to award to projects focusing on preventing crime in the County. The Making Northamptonshire Safer Communities Fund will offer grants from £3,000 up to £10,000 to support the Police and Crime Plan objectives; Keeping the young safe, Putting victims first, Protecting people from harm and Community Partnerships. Email Rachel McGrath [email protected] or call the grants team on 01604 230033 for more information. http://www.ncf.uk.com/apply-for-a-grant/grant-finder/making-northamptonshire-safer-fund
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Community Branch Fund for Post Offices The £20m Community Branch Fund for Post Offices with no other suitable retailer within half a mile, is now open for applications. The Community Branch Fund offers investment for sub-postmasters to support the growth of their Post Office business and help to underpin the long
term viability of their business. It can be used for a wide range of improvements such as changing the branch format to open plan, new signage, or gearing up for new services such as Click & Collect. Funding is also available for Outreach and Satellite services. Most applications are expected to be below £10,000(or below £2,000 for Outreach or Satellite Services). The fund will only be open whilst there is still money available. It is anticipated that the fund will not run beyond March 2018.http://postofficecommunityfund.co.uk/
Tesco Bags of Help The money raised from the 5p bag charge in Tesco stores in England, Wales and Scotland is being used to support community participation in the development and use of open spaces. Projects that will get the green light as a result of the funding will include volunteer training, physical improvements of open spaces, equipment purchases, community events and sports and leisure activities. The green charity Groundwork, administers the local funding and assess applications to ensure they are eligible. Tesco then shortlist groups who go forward to the in-store vote. Three local community projects will be voted on in Tesco stores each month across Tesco regions. The project receiving the most votes from all stores in their region receives a grant of up to £5,000. The second placed project up to £2,000, third placed up to £1,000. http://www.groundwork.org.uk/Sites/tescocommunityscheme Community Asset Fund – Sport England Sports clubs and community organisations can now apply for investment from the Community Asset Fund, Sport England’s new capital fund dedicated to enhancing the spaces in local communities that give people the opportunity to be active. Sport England has also produced a guide and accompanying document to explain more about the new Community Asset Fund including tips and advice for developing your project or idea.
This fund will have a value of £15 million per annum with the anticipated size of bids between £1000 and £150,000. There is no deadline to apply and awards will be made from February 2017. https://www.sportengland.org/funding/community-asset-fund/.
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Parish Council Membership
Working with rural communities to improve the quality of life for all Northamptonshire ACRE
Membership is excellent value at £35 per year and assists the charity to
sustain its work providing you with the following benefits:
5 hours free Telephone & Email support per year.
Discounts on visits from our Rural Officer or Community Facilities Advisor
Electronic copy of our Annual Report
Priority invitations to Northamptonshire ACRE’s social events
Invitation to attend Annual General Meeting
E-bulletins providing you with essential information about rural issues.
Advice on Funding and application processes
All members can promote their news or events on our website, via our E-
bulletin service or in our magazine, free of charge.
Discounts on our ‘charged for services’ including Community Led Planning
packages.
Discounts on OCSI Profile reports highlighting key statistics in your
area
10% Discount on off peak bookings at the Hunsbury Hill Centre
You can also request practical advice on a range of rural issues such as:
Neighbourhood Plans and other community plans
Broadband, rural services, community transport
Health and wellbeing issues including our Rural Wellbeing Service
Social media training
Energy saving, fuel poverty and bulk oil buying
Plus you get to join others in voicing your opinion on matters affecting you and your community.
Please contact Elaine O’Leary on 01604 825881 for further details on any of the above or go to:
http://northantsacre.org.uk/available-services/northamptonshire-acre-memberships/parish-council-membership/
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Membership is excellent value at £40 per year and assists the charity to
sustain its work providing you with the following benefits:
5 hours free Telephone & Email support
Discounts on visits from our Rural Officer or Community Facilities Advisor
Electronic copy of our Annual Report
Priority invitations to Northamptonshire ACRE’s social events
Invitation to attend Annual General Meeting
Advice on Funding and application processes
All members can promote their news or events on our website, via our E-
bulletin service or in our magazine, free of charge
Discounts on OCSI Profile reports highlighting key statistics in your
area
£10 off Bulk Oil membership for Community Buildings in Northants.
Electronic copies of our bi - monthly nesletter Village Halls &
Community Buildings with all the latest news on grants, legal
regulations, charity news, maintenance and administration information
affecting community buildings.
Free electronic copies of ACRE Village Hall Information Sheets.
Exclusive to Community Facility members! 20% discount on ACRE’s
model documents for village/community halls, including a model hiring
agreement and a model deed of trust.
In addition, our trained Community Facilities Advisor offers: Assistance and practical advice with hall/charity management,
Access to specialist legal advice and information on legislation
Funding and grant application support and advice
Policies & Procedures
Please contact Frances Harris on 01604 825888 for further details on any of the above or go to: http://northantsacre.org.uk/community-facilities-membership/
Community Facilities Membership
Working with rural communities to improve the quality of life for all Northamptonshire ACRE
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The Barns at Hunsbury Hill is a beautiful 18th Century setting overlooking the picturesque Nene Valley. It's an idyllic quiet location full of unique character with converted barns, farm buildings, courtyard & landscaped lawns.
If you like the idea of a countryside escape that's only 2 miles from Northampton town centre and the M1 then the Barns is the perfect venue for your wedding, business or social event. It’s Northampton’s Hidden Gem...
Suitable for up to 150 guests, with disabled facilities and ample parking, we cater for a diverse range of private and corporate events in Northampton including conferences, training, parties, awards evenings, wedding receptions, and garden parties. We can offer traditional meals, BBQ's, hog roasts, and afternoon teas. Catering and licensed bar are available.
For 2017 & 2018 prices, information and availability please visit the website, www.hunsburyhillcentre.co.uk or contact the Events Team on 01604 702444
or email: [email protected]
The Barns at Hunsbury Hill
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Northamptonshire ACRE Contact Details “supporting rural communities”
Rural Team
Chief Executive Elaine O’Leary (01604) 825881
Community Facilities Advisor Frances Harris (01604) 825888
Rural Officer Rebecca Breakwell (01604) 825884
Rural Wellbeing Fieldworkers
Rural Wellbeing Administrator
Linda Hook (01604) 825889
Dawn Howard
Rufia Ashraf (01604) 825883
Administration & Support
Centre Co-ordinator Sarah Clarke (01604) 825880
Centre Caretaker James Davidson
Best Village Competition Coordinator Barron Walton (01604) 765888
Volunteer Support David Ward
The Hunsbury Hill Centre
Events Team
(01604) 702444 or
07967 127090
Email: [email protected]
Email unless stated: [email protected]
The Hunsbury Hill Centre, Harksome Hill Northampton. NN4 9QX
Tel. 01604 765888 Registered Charity no: 1080038. Company Limited by Guarantee no: 3937576
www.northantsacre.org.uk
The NACRE team is always ready to listen, offer advice and support to rural communities.
NACRE welcomes sponsorship and donations.