Signpost November 2007
From Norfolk RCC
Contents |
Village and Community Hall Advisory Service
Norfolk Rural Community Council provides an advice and support service to all village and community halls throughout the county. Working within the national network of rural community councils led by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) we aim to provide a comprehensive service that offers help to rural volunteers.
The Village and Community Hall Advisory Service has been delivered by Veronica Savage for the last 7 years. Veronica currently leads a team of 4 Project Officers who provide a first point of contact for all community hall committee members. Anyone who needs to access this service should contact the appropriate officer from the list below:
North Norfolk Carolyn Heydon carolyn@norfolkrcc.org.uk
West Norfolk & Breckland Janice Howell janice@norfolkrcc.org.uk
South Norfolk Jon Clemo jonathan@norfolkrcc.org.uk
Broadland & Gt Yarmouth Margrete Thorsen-Moore margrete@norfolkrcc.org.uk
Or telephone our Dereham offices: 01362 698216.
Keith Saxton from Rockland St Mary Parish Hall asked for our help in 2006 and made the following comment:
“Our hall is small but very important to the community. Without the help of NRCC we would not have achieved success with lottery funding. The application forms are so daunting to start with but seeking the advice and support from NRCC gave us the confidence to proceed. Now we have a fabulous little hall”
We are here to help so please get in touch if you have any queries or questions about the community hall in your town or village.
Insurance for Community Halls
One of the frequently asked questions from Community Hall Managers relates to insurance providers. NRCC cannot advise directly about insurance matters as it is not registered with the Financial Services Authority but the following list of contacts will point you in the right direction for finding out about insurance policies designed specifically for village and community halls.
Please remember to check that quotes obtained relate to all needs of a hall and that the policies offer a like level of cover.
Allied Westminster (Villageguard) Tel: 01937 845245 Aon Insurance Ltd (Village Hall Scheme) Tel: 0845 600 1682 Norris & Fisher (Insurance Brokers Ltd) Tel: 01794 518855 Village Halls Plus Group Tel: 0845 478 6383
The recommended minimum level of Public Liability insurance cover is £5m
Funding Fair 2007
Friday 30th November 2007 at Swaffham Assembley Rooms 10am – 3pm A free event for all voluntary and community groups, town and parish councils, to share good practice and to talk to funders and other support services. There will also be information stands from a variety of funders and one to one advice surgeries. For more information and booking please contact: The Community Development Team, Breckland Council 01362 656861 or email catherine.lang@breckland.gov.uk
Norfolk Supporting People Consultation
Through the Supporting People programme a wide range of housing support services are provided to help over 17,000 people in Norfolk to live as independently as possible. These services include sheltered housing, hostels, domestic violence refuges and floating support. A new strategy plan has been drafted and is out for consultation until January 10th 2008.
Norfolk Council's Supporting People Team wants people to read the draft and to tell them what they think. The Consultation Draft asks questions about the key issues about how the Supporting People programme works. How far does it meet the needs of vulnerable people across the whole community? Have they got the right kinds of services? Where are the gaps?
You can get a copy of the consultation strategy document by phoning Supporting People on 01603 729245 or you can view or download it from www.norfolk.gov.uk/supportingpeople (follow links to the strategy page).
Goodbye to the Local Network Fund
The Local Network Fund started life in 2001 and though initially meant to be a five year programme has been giving out grants for nearly seven years. The LNF grants committee met for a final time in October and the last three awards given illustrates the scope of this very successful programme; Cranworth Playing Field Association received £3,239, Harford Parent and Toddlers Group, £1,881 and Fleggburgh Youth Club £3,231.
The aim of the LNF was to give grants to small, local community and voluntary groups providing activities and services for children and young people. It has been targeted at the more disadvantaged areas of Norfolk but because support and decision making has been informed by local knowledge it has meant that funding has helped a very wide range of projects across Norfolk including rural areas where the need is not always so apparent.
Nearly three million pounds has been distributed during the last six years. Over the last two years a million pounds has been awarded to 245 groups across Norfolk with an average grant of £4,000.
There is national recognition of what has been achieved and it is hoped that there will be funding for a continuation grant similar to the Local Network Fund to ensure that small groups working with children and young people can continue to provide great activities and services. We hope that the County Council realises the worth of LNF and provides the money for it to continue.
2007 Rural Services Survey Headlines
In March this year Norfolk Rural Community Council sent a survey form to all Norfolk parishes with a population below 5,000 in order to find out what changes had occurred in local services since the last survey held in 1997.
• The return rate in 2007 was 64% contrasted with 82% in 1997. • In 1997 60% of parishes had a Post Office; by 2007 this had fallen to 45%. • Only 32% of parishes had a village shop in the 2007 survey, but surprisingly 10% reported they still had a butcher. In 1997 and 2007 butchers seemed to the one specialist shop that was holding its own. • Home milk deliveries have fallen from 88% in 1997 to 72% in 2007. This contrasts with home deliveries by supermarkets which did not figure in 1997 but now reaches 63% of parishes. • Electronic communications has also emerged in the ten years such that 70% of parish council clerks have email contact, 40% of villages have a website and 57% reporting Broadband connection. • Over half of parishes, 53%, in the 2007 survey had neither a school nor childcare facilities. Out of school activities has risen from 4% in 1997 to 20% in 2007. • With affordable housing one of the major rural issues, 30% of parishes reported carrying out a local housing needs survey and 24% said they had a proposal for affordable housing in their parish.
To read the full report please visit www.norfolkrcc.org.uk
Norfolk Charity Vouchers launched for Christmas
Many Norfolk charities should be able to look forward to a small Christmas bonus this year! North-Norfolk based, not-for-profit company 'Anglia Giving' is launching a Norfolk version of its successful national 'Charity Vouchers' service. People buy the vouchers as Christmas gifts, like high-street gift vouchers, and the recipients choose any Norfolk-based charity to donate them too. Great for charities across Norfolk and great for people looking for something different to buy for friends and family this Christmas! The service is being run in association with the Norfolk Community Foundation. For more information call Freephone 0800 652 3168 or go to www.norfolkcharityvouchers.org.uk.
