Tuesday 11 June / 9.30 to 11.30am / Hackney CVS, The Adiaha Antigha Centre, 24-30 Dalston Ln, E8 3AZ

ELBA, Hackney CVS and Tower Hamlets CVS will be hosting an AI workshop on using AI to support funding applications. This will be an exciting opportunity for charities and corporate volunteers to come together to discuss utilising AI technologies across the third sector in East London.

If you have any questions about the session please contact Ruth, ruth.hislop-gill@elba-1.org.uk or Zakia, zakia.sheba@elba-1.org.uk

We have finished a 6-month process of developing a new strategy. You told us that Tower Hamlets CVS is useful and provides a vital service to voluntary & community groups in Tower Hamlets. You also said that you wanted a greater emphasis on partnership working, on equity and on making sure that voluntary & community groups take part in and are able to influence local decision-making. We listened to what you said and developed three core strategic objectives.

Voluntary & community groups in Tower Hamlets will have:

• A stronger voice
• Access to the resources they need
• Increased confidence, connections & skills.
  

A short summary can be found here. We have put a lot of thought into how we will deliver on these objectives in a challenging funding environment and have created a detailed strategic and business plan with a fundraising strategy. We will be unveiling plans in future bulletins to work in some of the ‘cold spots’ in the borough, and to make sure that statutory partners are listening to you.  

For more information, please email info@thcvs.org.uk.

Sunday 23 June / 1.00 to 5.00pm / Victoria Park Bandstand

On June 23 come on down and celebrate Pride month at the annual Pride Picnic. The hosts for the afternoon will be The Bleeding Obvious with The London Gay Men’s Chorus.

Enjoy a great family afternoons at Vicky Park's famous bandstand as the Victoria Park Bandstand Season returns for summer 2024. Concerts take place every Sunday until 28 July. 

Monday 24 June / 6.00 to 8.00pm / Feldy Community Centre, 18 Aberfeldy Square, E14 0XA

Join the Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum an evening of dialogue, discussion, and community building. This event is a great opportunity for people of all faiths and none to come together, share their experiences, and learn from one another.

There will be a variety of speakers from projects and initiatives around the borough including:

• London Fire Brigade - Summer Campaign
• LBTH Family Hubs Team
• Met Police - Hate crime statisitcs

This meeting is open to everyone. Let's celebrate our diversity and work towards a more inclusive and understanding society together, making Tower Hamlets a great place to live, work and study.

Wednesday 26 June 9.30 to 10.15am / Online

elop's Quick Connect sessions have been created to support the sharing of information on their mental health support services for LGBT+ people, support spaces to connect with others, and how their training and education services can best support you and your teams to improve access to LGBT+ communities with bite-sized briefings to fit into your day and start conversations.

The Equalities Hub is key to the new direction for the Council’s equalities provision, providing a central strategic focus, responding to the community’s needs and issues. The Hub will be vital to bringing about a more coordinated approach to equalities in the borough. If you want to find out more on how to get involved or if you have information you would like to share with the networks please get in touch.

Thursday 13 June / 9.45am to 12.45pm / Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA

Reaching residents most at risk of loneliness - A Connection Coalition networking and learning event for VCS, NHS and Council staff with an interest in loneliness and social isolation in Tower Hamlets. Get to hear about what others are doing, learn about new resources supporting your work, make useful connections and network over a light lunch. This event is organised by the Public Health team, Tower Hamlets Council.

Wednesday 19 June / 2.00 to 4.00pm / St Bart’s Hospital, West Wing Conference Room, Ground floor West Wing, EC1A 7BE  / Click here to book

Thursday 5 September / 10.00am to12.00pm / Langthorne Health Centre. 13
Langthorne Road, Leytonstone, E11 4HX / Click here to book

Worried about cancer coming back or spreading? Join Cancer Psychological Services for a free workshop to understand more about fears of cancer recurring or spreading, practice helpful strategies & connect with other people Open to All: patients, relatives, friends, professionals.

For further information call/text 0778 380 5759 or email cancerpsychologicals.bartshealth@nhs.net

Having a chat with an old friend or checking in on your elderly neighbour can make a big difference to their wellbeing. Even the smallest gesture can create a meaningful connection for someone, especially if they’re feeling lonely or isolated.

Just Say Hello is a new local campaign about encouraging conversations and connecting with one other, by taking time out to say ‘hello.’ Partners, organisations or members of the community across Tower Hamlets are being invited to use the Just Say Hello resources in their own way – whether it’s attending an event at a local community centre, hosting a ‘pop up’ coffee shop with your neighbours or dropping into a new class, there are many ways to make new connections. Click here for more information and resources.

If you are feeling isolated and in need of mental health support, there are local services that can support you:

• Tower Hamlets Talking Therapies provides a range of psychological therapies and counselling services - 020 8475 8080
• Mind in Tower Hamlets provide advice and support, as well as free counselling for residents - 020 7510 4247/4248
• If you are feeling overwhelmed or struggling with your mental health, you can call the Tower Hamlets Mental Health Crisis Support number for free 24/7 on 0800 073 0003 

Click here for the new social isolation and loneliness directory. This guide summarises activities available for adult residents in Tower Hamlets, available through the VCS sector.

Vision Ability CIC, in collaboration with Huddleston Centre and St Mary's Secret Gardens are registering interested individuals with learning disabilities and autism and professionals from VCS organisations for training in the use of icons and picture symbols.  

Training sessions will take place in June and July, last 3 hours and can be arranged to fit your schedule. Please contact Owais Niaz, at info@visionability.org.uk or 07943722343 for more information and for bookings.

Thursday 6 June / 1.30 to 4.30pm / Click here to book

Monday 17 June / 1.30 to 4.30pm / Click here to book

This free-to-attend session, targeted at voluntary and community sector organisations, will offer participants an opportunity to deepen their understanding of ‘race’ and racism and to explore how anti-racism can apply to their work. In particular, participants will have an opportunity to:

explore understanding of racism, its root causes and how racism is maintained
explore what it means to be anti -racist and how to develop an anti-racist approach in work.
The sessions will be run by brap, an equality and human rights charity as part of a Tower Hamlets Together Partnership initiative to progress anti-racism across the health and care system in Tower Hamlets.

Please see the updated free VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) training offer with two *new* courses delivered by specialist’s nia: Black, Asian and minoritised Young Girls and Sexual Violence with nia and Sexual Abuse Awareness with nia.

Below is the most up to date offer of courses happening in June. Please share widely amongst your teams/networks:

• Violence with nia: Tuesday 11 June / 9.30am to 12.30pm / MS Teams
• Trauma Informed Practice and VAWG: Wednesday 12 June / 9.30am to 12.30pm / LBTH Town Hall
• Intimate Partner Violence: Thursday 13 June / 10.00am to 1.00pm / MS Teams
• *New* Sexual Abuse Awareness with nia: Friday 28 June / 10.00am to 1.00pm / MS Teams
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) awareness: Monday 24 June / 1.00 to 3.00pm / MS Teams
• Young People and VAWG: Tuesday 25 June / 2.00 to 4.30pm / MS Teams
  

All VAWG courses can be found by searching ‘VAWG’ on Learning Hub. For external staff please apply using this External Partner’s link.

Wednesday 19 June / @1.00pm / on Zoom

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people face many barriers when trying to access healthcare and mental health support services, preventing individuals from getting the help they need. This therefore exacerbates health inequalities and can cause premature death and lower life expectancy.

As part of the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance, Roma Support Group and Friends, Families and Travellers worked together to develop a new report on "Tackling Mental Health Inequalities for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller People".

This explores common mental ill-health experiences of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and provides information enabling better engagement between mental health services and people from these communities. This event presents the main findings, explores on factors enabling better engagement and invites attendees for a Q&A session.

North East London Training Hub in collaboration with North East London Health and Care Partnership are pleased to offer new Suicide Prevention training dates for 2024/25. Training open to all staff, students and carers in North East London.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST): Multiple dates available: A few funded places remain for this GOLD standard World Health Organisation endorsed Suicide Prevention course. ASIST is intensive 2 day training for care-givers and key community members. Click here to find out more and register.

Suicide First Aid Lite (virtually delivered 4hr workshop) / Multiple dates available: SFA Lite is comprised of 4 hours, interactive, small group workshop accredited by City & Guilds. The programme teaches the skills needed to identify someone who may be thinking about suicide and to pass the person onto a suicide first aider. Click here to find out more and register.

The ASK Workshop: Assessing for Suicide in Kids (face to face) / Multiple dates available: This one day workshop is targeted at staff working with and caring for children age 5 to 15 years of age. Click here to find out more and register

safeTALK - Suicide Prevention awareness training (face to face) / Multiple dates available: safeTALK is a half-day training in suicide alertness. It helps participants recognise a person with thoughts of suicide and connect them with resources who can help them in choosing to live. Click here to find out more and register.

Demystifying Self-Harm (Virtually delivered 3 hours) / Multiple dates available: This workshop will allow the space for participants to have open conversations about self-harm, including unpacking our own feelings and attitudes around self-harm (including thinking about our own faith, beliefs, life experience) and acknowledge them so that we are informed of how they may present and impact the support we provide. Click here to find out more and register.

For more information and other mental health and suicide prevention training, please visit www.nelsuicidepreventiontraining.co.uk.  Please promote across your organisations and networks. 

Monday 3 June to Sunday 9 June

Volunteers' Week celebrates the amazing contributions volunteers make to communities across the UK. The celebration starts on the first Monday in June every year. It’s a chance to recognise, celebrate and thank the UK’s incredible volunteers for all they contribute to our local communities, the voluntary sector, and society as a whole.

What happens during Volunteers’ Week? From open days to celebration events, every year hundreds of online and in-person activities take place across the UK to mark Volunteers’ Week and celebrate volunteers.

This year Volunteers’ Week will culminate in The Big Help Out, from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June, where people across the UK will get the chance to experience a range of volunteer taster sessions.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) invite organisations that manage a venue to register as a Cool Space for summer 2024. Any community space that has an area open to all, is cooler than outdoors when it’s hot and can provide free drinking water and seating space for rest and recovery is welcome to join the initiative.

Please fill in or distribute the registration form. The GLA will review the information and add it to our Cool Spaces map for 2024.

Wednesday 19 June / 9.30am to 4.00pm / Toynbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street, E1 6LS

The London Communities Emergencies Partnership  (LCEP) invite you to celebrate and highlight the invaluable work the voluntary and community sector do in planning and responding to emergencies in London. LCEP was setup to provide community-centred, coordinated response for any Londoner impacted by an emergency and have been working alongside London’s community organisations to deliver on this ambition.

The event promises to be a day filled with insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and community building. You'll learn how charity and community groups have responded to previous emergencies and gain practical takeaways on enhancing diversity, equality, and inclusion. You will also explore future risks and climate resilience and hear the latest research on human behaviour in disasters. It's a unique opportunity to network, share experiences, and bring back valuable tips to strengthen your organisation's emergency preparedness. 

Saturday 25 June @3.00pm / via Zoom

Join the Greater London Authority (GLA), London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP), Bloomberg Associates and other partners for an online webinar  You’ll be discussing what are climate risks, the London Climate Resilience Review, the London Climate Change Partnership and more.

This webinar is primarily designed for community, voluntary, faith and belief, and equality sector partners. We welcome participation from local authorities and other public sector partners. #LCAW2024

Thursday 18 July / 1.00 to 4.00pm / Mile End Hospital, Garden Area, E1 4DG

Back again for another year, join Tower Hamlets Together in a summer afternoon connecting and learning with our wonderful teams and services across our Tower Hamlets health and care partnership!

Meet people working across Tower Hamlets, learn about each other's programmes and services, and enjoy refreshments, lunch, giveaways, wellbeing activities, and games in the Mile End Hospital Gardens. Open to all staff working in health & care setting in Tower Hamlet – do share widely. Limited places – register early!

Do you run a service or project which supports integrated care that you would like to tell health and social care colleagues about? Why not apply to host a stand?
If you are interested in hosting a stand at the event, just complete the short online form here, outlining how your stall will demonstrate and benefit integrated working across the THT footprint. Closing date for applications:  28 May @5pm

Wednesday 3 July / 2.00 to 6.00pm / Tower Hamlets Town Hall, Grocers Wings 1, 2 & 3, 160 Whitechapel Rd, E1 1BJ

Join the Tower Hamlets Together - Health Care Careers and Jobs Fair 2024, an exciting event focused on health care careers. Whether you're a student exploring options or a professional looking for new opportunities, this fair is the perfect place to connect with potential employers and learn about different career paths in the health care industry. Don't miss this chance to network, attend informational sessions, and discover your next career move. See you there!

Wakefield Tetley Trust Small Grants opened on Thursday 16 May to small charities, community groups and CIC, especially those working at grassroots and community level who support marginalised communities and individuals. Charities and community groups working with marginalised communities may be under financial stress, so they will fund project costs or core costs including staff salaries and running costs.

Wakefield Tetley Trust offer grants from £500 to £6,000. Please note that grants of £6,000 will be exceptional; most awards will average £3,000. Please keep this in mind when making your application and get in touch first to if you intend to apply for the maximum amount.

Organisations with an annual turnover under £600,000 and a track record of delivery in Tower Hamlets are eligible to apply. Guidance and application forms are available here. Most applications are assessed within 6 weeks.

Deadline Applications can be submitted from 16 May and the programme will close when funds are allocated and no later than 4 November. The deadlines for applications are:

• Submit by Monday 27 May, for a decision on Tuesday 25 June
• Submit by Monday 08 July, for a decision by Friday 2 August
• Submit by Monday 02 September, for decision on Tuesday 24 September
• Submit by Monday 04 November, for decision at Tuesday 3 December
  

What is the Mayor’s Small Grants Programme? The Council’s has a vision to support and invest in a thriving and diverse voluntary and community sector to enable it to improve the lives of residents. To support this vision the Council launched the Mayor’s Small Grants Programme on Monday 11th December 2023.

The programme will provide £800,000 of annual grant funding between November 2023 – March 2027.

The Small Grants Programme is targeted at small sized organisations with a maximum annual income of £150,000, to ensure a wide range of organisations can access Council funding and ensure all sections of the community benefit.

What projects will it fund?

The Mayors’ Small Grants Programme was developed in partnership with residents and partners and consists of 5 themes:

• Mayor’s & Young Mayor’s - Youth Empowerment Fund – Support young people to design, bid and deliver projects for their peers
• Mayor’s Positive Activities for Young People – Support activities during school holidays
• Community events – Support events that brings communities together, celebrate our diversity, national and regional celebrations
• Mayor’s Capacity Building Programme – Support organisational development which strengthens local organisations’ ability to deliver services
• Community chest - Very small grants to support community events and activities
  

How can organisations apply?

All the information on how to apply is provided on the Council’s website. The website includes information on eligibility, how much funding is available, what the funding can be used for, bidding process and assessment process. The outcome of the previous round is also available on the website.

What support is available?

The Council is providing support on how to apply for the grants through online information events. Sign up for the events on the Council website.

If you have a question or need support, then please can get in touch with the Grants Team by emailing vcs@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

Closing date for applications: 28 June 2024

The VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme will help voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) across England to deliver more efficient services for people and communities by saving money on their energy bills. The next round of capital funding will open in April.

Applicant organisations must be a VCSE based in England and delivering frontline services. They must be able to demonstrate that they are financially sustainable, require support around energy and are not suitable for blended finance or loan support through other schemes.

The scheme is funded as part of a package of over £100 million of support being delivered by the Government to help frontline delivery organisations with the increased cost of living.

Application deadlines:
Independent Energy Assessment: Thursday 20 June 
Capital Grant: Friday 14 August 

The Migration Fund is delivered by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, supporting their vision of a world in which everyone is free to move, and no one is forced to move. They seek to support work contributing to:

• dismantling the hostile environment that migrants and diaspora communities face
• contextualising and tackling the root causes of injustice
• building collective power
• fostering solidarity between communities
• strengthening infrastructure
• exploring alternative futures
  

Funding of up to £60,000 per year is available for up to three or four years; and funding of up to £50,000 per year is available over five years.

Applications are welcome on a rolling basis. 

These grants are for existing members of the National Digital Inclusion Network to develop new or existing digital support services or to support people with their digital skills and access to data.

For more information about the Capability Grant and details on how to apply please see this page of the members' area: Digital Inclusion Capability Grant. Grant size £6,000.

For more information about the Impact Grant and details on how to apply please see this page of the members' area: Digital Inclusion Impact Grant. Grant size £3,000 or £6,000.

To sign up to become a digital inclusion hub to access these grants, please click here.

Barchester’s Charitable Foundation's funding focus is about connecting or re-connecting people with others in their local community. They support applications that combat loneliness and enable people to be active and engaged. Barchester’s Charitable Foundation help individuals with:

• Manual and powered wheelchairs
• Mobility scooters
• Specialised trikes / ebikes / bikes
• Car adaptations

Grants for individuals range from £100 up to £1,000. Please note that all applications for named individuals must be completed by a third party who knows the individual in a professional or community-based capacity. 

Barchester’s Charitable Foundation also help small community groups and small local charities. Grants for groups range from £100 up to £2,500. They can help groups with:

• Activity projects
• Equipment and materials for use by members
• Member transport
• Day trips, outings and group holidays in the UK

It takes us up to 10 weeks to process an application.