Hello, welcome to our December newsletter – the last newsletter of 2023! It has been a busy year for charities and I’m sure you’re ready for a well-deserved break. We’re nearly at the finish line, hang in there!
If you have been tasked with creating a festive quiz this year and need some inspiration, or if you just fancy a little break, take our quick London-themed quiz here!
Please note that London Plus will be closing on the evening of December 22nd, and reopening on January 2nd. Until then, we hope you have a lovely break. See you in the new year!
Hopefully you find this newsletter useful. As always, if you have any suggestions for the next one, feel free to contact Henry at info@londonplus.org.
London Plus News
Winter Preparedness Workshop
Following on from our Winter Preparedness Blog, take a look at this summary of the Winter Preparedness Workshop, which was hosted by the London Communities Emergencies Partnership and the Greater London Authority. The workshop discussed various ways in which we can prepare for the winter months. On this page you can find recordings from the event, along with a range of useful resources.
Cost of Living Documents
Check out our cost of living resource page for all our cost of living documents, all of which serve different purposes:
1. Help & resources
2. Good practice
3. Data
4. Evidence and insights toolkit
Who Cares?
London Plus Chief Executive, Martin Brookes, has written a blog on the recent closure of The Cares Family. He argues that the voluntary and community sector needs to rethink its attitude to charity failure.
A Voluntary Life
London Plus Chief Executive, Martin Brookes, gives a reflective account of the ways that volunteering has impacted his life in 2023.
Opening Hours
London Plus will be closing for a week over the Christmas period, and we have taken this opportunity to talk about staff wellbeing – take a look!
News
Felix Project Volunteering
Felix is London’s largest food redistribution charity, rescuing surplus food and delivering it to almost 1,000 community organisations across London. This winter there is a rising demand for food aid support. Join Felix Project volunteers and make a huge difference: help Felix fill millions of empty plates this festive season.
Vision for Volunteering
Vision for Volunteering have released a new explainer video. Want to find out more about the vision? Check it out!
Human Rights
The British Institute of Human Rights has a new London-based human rights programme in partnership with Just Fair. The programme aims to develop the use of human rights-based approaches for voluntary organisations. To start, they are running a number of open days.
Cost of Living & the Environment
Is the rising cost of living impacting the climate? London Councils explore the impact of the cost of living crisis on carbon emissions.
Charity Awards
Charities can now enter for the Charity Awards! Entry is free and a great way to spotlight the work you do.
Cost of Living & Donations
For many, the festive season is a time for giving. New poll data suggests that 25% of the public will give less to charity this Christmas due to the cost of living crisis.
End Rough Sleeping
The London Charter to End Rough Sleeping seeks to get people together to end rough sleeping. Sign the Charter to show your support!
Volunteering for Health
This blog from NHS England talks about the Volunteering for Health programme, which seeks to get people volunteering in the interest of health and wellbeing.
Age-Friendly London
Take a look at the Mayor of London’s plan to make London a more age-friendly city for people aged 60 and over.
Events & Training
NAVCA Annual Conference
Thursday 16th May, 10:30am, 2024
The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action annual conference, happening in Birmingham, will look at the future of local infrastructure in the voluntary and community sector.
Going Green
Thursday 21st March, 2024
The Going Green conference from the Directory of Social Change will discuss how to create a more sustainable voluntary sector.
Resources
Cost of Living Support
Looking for cost of living support for you or your organisation? Take a look at this page from the Greater London Authority, which contains useful cost of living resources available from the mayor, government, local councils, charities, and advice centres.
Writer Support
The Royal Literary Fund supports writers to deploy their talents for wider community benefit, including by working directly with community organisations.
Social Media Impact
Want to create a greater impact through social media next year? Check out this blog from Charity Digital.
Employment & Collaboration
High Trees has created this guide for community organisations delivering person-centred employment support. It provides guidance on setting up your service, working with beneficiaries and monitoring and evaluation. Also see this guide on collaborative working from the same organisation.
Punjabi Communities & Mental Health
Taraki works with Punjabi communities to reshape approaches to mental health, and have a range of online resources.
Warm Space Toolkit
This toolkit provides a framework for organisations that want to develop or evaluate a warm space.
Poverty Data
Trust for London regularly release data on poverty in London. Check out the latest data here.
Winter Wellbeing
Good Thinking’s guide to winter wellbeing gives tips on how to stay mentally healthy during the winter months.
Funding
Green Match Funding
Big Give’s Green Match Fund is open for applications. In this scheme, they will match donations for environmental charities.
Deadline: Tuesday 16th January, 2024
Innovate Now
This fund from City Bridge Foundation and Do it Now offers support to black-led charities and social enterprises.
Deadline: Wednesday 10th January, 2024 [rolling]
Charity Governance Awards
Enter your organisation into the Charity Governance Awards for a chance to win a £5,000 unrestricted grant.
Deadline: Tuesday 6th February, 2024
Lloyds Bank Foundation
The Lloyds Bank Foundation’s Specialist Programme offers grants to charities that help people overcome complex issues, such as homelessness, domestic abuse and addiction.
Deadline: Thursday 25th January, 2024
Sport England
The Small Grants Programme from Sport England seeks to develop opportunities to get more people physically active.
Deadline: Sunday 31st March, 2024
Disability Justice
The Disability Justice Fund from Trust for London will fund initiatives that work towards developing a strong disability justice movement.
Deadline: Monday 4th March, 5pm, 2024
Reports
Charity Data
How can small charities be better supported with using data? Datawise asked this question to 36 charities and wrote this report on their findings.
Cost of Inequality
The Equality Trust has written a report on the cost of inequality, both socially and economically.
Surveys
Infrastructure Collaboration
The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action are looking for examples of successful collaborative work between local Council and voluntary organisations.
Welfare Advice
Advice UK has released this form for London-based organisations interested in free help to improve the quality of their social welfare advice.
Charity Research
This survey from Charities Aid Foundation asks charities about the cost of living crisis, charity banking, and their use of artificial intelligence.
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