It’s Village Halls Week from Monday 25th to Friday 29th January – and village halls across England are being encouraged to sign an online record to mark 100 years of rural community action.
Many of you reading this will know about ThinkingFuel, our collective heating oil buying scheme. And you’ll know that the aim is to help support householders across Norfolk who depend on heating oil to heat their homes, and for whom the unregulated cost of heating oil is a constant worry.
Celebrating 100 Years Together: Village Halls Week - Monday 25 January to Friday 29 January 2021. Village Halls Week is a national celebration of the 10,000+ village halls which can be found across England, their volunteers and the difference they make to the rural communities they serve.
And if you are in any way involved in the running or organsiation of a village or community hall in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire or Bedfordshire then you won't want to miss the East of England Village Halls Conference on Monday 25th January. The link for more information and to register is below.
Village halls and community buildings are at the heart of our rural and urban communities. 2020 has been a tough year, with lockdown and compulsory closures for all. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has provided a special opportunity for those involved in running village halls across the East of England to share experiences, ideas, opportunities, and resources.
At CAN we work closely with the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk on the Big Switch and Save energy switching project. There are three important news items about Big Switch and Save that we’d like to convey to West Norfolk residents, and we’d be grateful for the help of VCSE groups and organisations working in the area to help spread the word.
Every VCSE organisation has a duty to safeguard volunteers, staff members, participants and donors, and to have appropriate and proportionate policies and procedures in place. Likewise, staff and volunteers themselves need to aware be aware of their individual responsibilities to themselves and to their clients, service users and hirers.
Our CANConnect service, working in partnership with Future Projects, operates throughout the former North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group area. CANConnect has worked regularly with Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Aylsham in offering social events aimed at bringing together people from across the area who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation.
Action Fraud, the Charity Commission and the Fundraising Regulator are warning the public to remain vigilant when making charitable donations this Christmas. Whilst the warning is directed to the giving public, it’s important for VCSE organisations themselves to understand the implications of potential impersonation fraud.