East Anglia is one of the driest regions of the UK, receiving about one-third less rainfall than the average for the rest of England; we actually get less rain than some areas of Spain! Here at CAN we help promote Anglian Water's awareness-raising campaigns.
Loneliness Awareness Week (15th to 19th June) is highlighting one of the great social scourges of our modern society. Community Action Norfolk is at the forefront of combating social isolation across our county, with a range of projects encouraging and enabling individuals to become involved in activities in their local communities.
One of the strengths of the voluntary sector is the way it adapts and transforms to stay relevant and engaging. Keeping your service users or clients informed and engaged is crucial, and never more so than in a time of change. For all VCSE organisations whose main activity is direct delivery to service users a major concern is maintaining contact with, and support to, their vulnerable clients.
This week (Monday 1st to Sunday 7th June) is Volunteers’ Week (link). celebrating the time, skills, experience and goodwill given by people up and down the UK.
At CAN we’ve seen the spectrum of community groups forming in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, seeking to help their vulnerable and isolated residents. We have, and are, helping many of them with safeguarding, insurance and legal advice and volunteer management, under the auspices of our existing Good Neighbour scheme network.
There are some inspiring examples of communities coming together during the Coronavirus pandemic, and one south Norfolk town has shown how it can be done.
We know that many voluntary and community groups are experiencing severe operating constraints currently, not least the inability to engage directly with clients and service users. One of the great characteristics of the VCSE sector, however, is the ability to adapt and improvise to meet the need.
There is a great tradition of the community coming together in times of crisis. We are starting to see a number of community initiatives emerge or be talked about in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a fantastic statement on the caring nature of our communities.
There are around 10,000 village halls across England and many are crucially important to local communities, but their upkeep and improvements cost money.