Latest News & Events

Friday 25 June 2010

Bluestone opens to the Third Sector

A number of representatives from voluntary and community Groups across Pembrokeshire recently enjoyed a morning of activities and networking at Bluestone.  Bluestone kindly offered to run an open day just for the Third Sector and the invitation was extended to PAVS members and to the wider sector via the PAVS website and e-mail newsgroups. 

Those who attended had a chance to try out some of the on-site activities such as archery, laser clay and high ropes course.  The day started with a tour of the activity centre before the group headed to the Steep Ravine to have a go at the activities.  After a lunch cooked over the camp fire at “CampSmokey” when there was plenty of time to chat and network, the group had a guided tour of the accommodation and village.

Janet from the Pembrokeshire South East Energy Group commented, “It was great day out and we met many other people working in the voluntary sector.”

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Thursday 17th June 2010

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR VOLUNTARY GROUPS

VOLUNTARY groups across South West Wales are to benefit from a new partnership of dedicated support aimed at helping the flourishing voluntary sector turn groups into sustainable enterprises. The Collaborative Communities project will give support to hundreds of organisations to help them develop, meet market opportunities and generate income.

£5 million has been secured from the EU’s Convergence European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Assembly Government, by a unique regional partnership. The partnership behind the project is made up of the County Councils and County Voluntary Councils in Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea.

The dedicated team has a wealth of experience and is committed to working with organisations and providing them with all the support they need to move away from grant dependency.

Regeneration chiefs say they are delighted with the funding, which will breathe new life into the voluntary sector and act as a catalyst for further investment.

The partners joined together at the South West Wales Regional Funding Fair at Ffos Las for an official launch of the scheme.

The event, part funded by the EU Convergence programme, provided an opportunity for organisations to network and see what support is available in the region, from Convergence and other funding sources.

Carmarthenshire Council Leader Meryl Gravell said: “I am absolutely delighted that funding has been secured for this exciting project.  It will bring real benefits to hundreds of voluntary organisations and enable them to become sustainable enterprises.  This will in turn lead to job creation and foster a growing entrepreneurship culture.  This is innovative work to support and develop the Third Sector and we will be working closely with people, groups and partners to ensure the best results.”

Stuart Griffin, Project Manager, for Collaborative Communities said: “The Collaborative Communities project will help groups to develop and meet market opportunities.  It is about building them into sustainable enterprises, creating jobs and improving the quality of life for people in the region”.

To register any projects for support please e-mail contact@collaborativecommunities.org.uk

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Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA)What does ISA mean for the Voluntary Sector?

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been created to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults.  The ISA Vetting Barring Scheme (VBS) was introduced in Oct 09 and full implementation for ISA registration is planned for July 2010

Some key features include:  Anyone wanting to work or volunteer regularly with children or vulnerable adults will be required to register with the ISA. Employers will also be legally required to check that new employees are ISA-registered. When a person becomes ISA-registered they will be continuously checked and their status reassessed against any new information which may come to light.

There are a number of implications for organisations who manage staff and volunteers within the sector. 

For more information about ISA you can visit the WCVA's webpage here (opens new window).

Future Jobs Fund

Pembrokeshire County Council has successfully tendered for the UK Government-funded Future Jobs Fund programme to initially provide 60 job opportunities for young unemployed people between October 2009 and March 2010, with every chance of a further 50 placements being secured in the New Year.  Whilst the majority of placements will be within the Authority itself, voluntary and community groups are also being invited to put forward placements within their organisations offering young people an opportunity to gain employment-related skills.

Placements are for 25 hours/week at minimum wage for up to 26 weeks and are open to 18-24 year olds who have been signing on for more than 39 weeks.  The Local Authority will employ each young person on the Future Jobs programme and all salary costs will be covered by the Fund.  The host organisation will be expected to provide a good quality placement opportunity, with appropriate on-the-job supervision and training.  The young person will also be required to attend the Pembrokeshire County Council Programme Centre in Pembroke Dock for additional skills training – this could be basic skills support or whatever is needed to help that person get into full-time employment in the future.  This will be in addition to the 25 hours placement. 

The Job Centre will identify eligible applicants, who will then be referred to FutureWorks (at Pembrokeshire County Council).  PCC will then “match” applicants to jobs on the placement register BUT it is the placement organisation that will interview and recruit the candidate, so you will have the final say in who is placed within your organisation.  An Employment Coach will also be assigned to the young person to provide mentoring, support and guidance throughout the placement, so there is plenty of help available.  For more details about what is expected from a placement provider, see the information sheet saved here.

If you are interested in providing a work placement opportunity, the first step is to complete the Work Placement Provider Application Form (saved here) and return it to Richard Drummond either by

e-mail (richard.drummond@pembrokeshire.gov.uk) or by post to Richard Drummond, Pembrokeshire County Council, Training & Development, London Road, Pembroke Dock, Pembs.  Pembrokeshire County Council will then assess the application for suitability and, if it is OK, it will be logged on the placement register. 

For more information, contact Richard Drummond (FutureWorks Employment Coach) on 01437 776433 or by e-mail to richard.drummond@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Knitting again!

The PAVS “V” Team have been knitting again for charity. This time they have been knitting miniature hats; not for elves but for smoothie bottles!

Innocent, the company that make fruit smoothies, began the Big Knit in 2003 to raise money for charity. Knitters across the UK knit miniature hats which then go onto the smoothie bottles. For every bottle sold (through Sainsbury’s), which is wearing a hat, 35 pence is donated to charity. The monies raised from the Big Knit 2009 will be used to fund projects with Age Concern and Help the Aged such as advice centres offering information on healthy eating and living activities as well as cooking clubs and get-togethers where older people can sit down and enjoy a meal in each other’s company.

The PAVS team have knitted almost 30 hats already and there are still a few days to go before the deadline, and you will be able to see the hats will be in store from 4th November.

Members of the V Team with their knitted hats

PAVS “V” Team Save with the Credit Union

A selection of the PAVS Volunteer Team has recently been trained to volunteer with the Haven Credit Union. As part of the PAVS Employee Volunteering Scheme members of staff will be volunteering on a regular basis in the new Credit Union collection point in the PAVS offices on High Street, Haverfordwest. The collection point is open to the public from 11am-1pm every Tuesday.

What is a Credit Union?

Credit Unions are non profit making financial co-operatives, offering their members an easy and convenient place to save, and access to low cost loans when required. 

They encourage their members to make regular contributions into savings accounts that create a central pool of funds.  This is used to provide loans back to the membership at very favourable rates.  The interest generated from the loans is used to cover administrative costs, with any surplus returned to the members as dividends.

Unlike other financial institutions owned by groups of stockholders whose interests include a necessary return on their investments, Credit Unions are owned totally by their members and the money stays within the local community.

In Pembrokeshire there are two credit unions that members of the public can join and you can start saving with as little as £1.

Haven Credit Union - visit the website here www.havencreditunion.org.uk   

Landsker Community Credit Union (which also covers part of Carmarthenshire) visit the website here http://landskercreditunion.co.uk  

PAVS "V" Team with their Haven Credit Union paying in books

Volunteer Team Knit for Oxfam

The Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services' Volunteer Team (known as the 'V' Team) has knitted and crocheted eighty 9 inch squares since April. The squares will be sent to Oxfam to make a giant blanket of 250,000 squares knitted by people across the UK . Each square will represent a pregnant woman who would have survived to care for her baby if she had received the basic medical care she needed. Oxfam will present the giant blanket to the UK Government ahead of an important meeting in September, where world leaders will discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals aimed at halving world poverty by 2015. After it has been presented the giant blanket will be divided into smaller blankets and sold at Oxfam shops and festivals to raise money.

Some of the V Team couldn't even knit or crochet when the project began. The more experienced knitters helped the learners by teaching them in their lunch breaks and even taught each other different, more complicated, stitches. Much of the wool used was from remnants donated by members of staff or bought from local charity shops.

If you are interested in any kind of volunteering please visit the Volunteering pages.