Noticeboard

Venues

List of venues for hire in Gloucestershire (Word format).
If you would like your venue added to this list then please contact .

 

Jobs

If you’re looking for a job or want to advertise a vacancy see the GAVCA jobs section.

 

Other notices

Chairs Available

Dowty House have 8 meeting-room chairs available. The chairs are blue and in good condition, and can be yours for a donation to Dowty House.

For more information, email Jane Taylor.

 

European Blues Association

The European Blues Association is a non-profit organization and registered charity established to advance the education of the general public in the history and appreciation of African American music and culture. 

In furtherance of this objective, the Association has made provisions for the protection and preservation of an archive of material related to the music of peoples of African descent, including African American music and culture in general and Blues in particular.  It is housed at the University of Gloucestershire and for wider public access, a Resource and Activity Centre has been established in 2008 on the 2nd floor in the Music & Drama Library, Greyfriars, Gloucester. 

The Centre is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 4pm and our telephone number is 01452 503 775.  We actively seek to work with individuals, groups, and organisations working to achieve similar ends. 

 

Training room available

Age Concern Gloucestershire have a training room available for organisations to hire at very competitive rates, situated close to the Centre of Gloucester.  The room itself has all the equipment you would expect in a modern training room, and to 50 people can  be accommodated.  There is a disabled tiolet available and a lift for those unable to use the stairs.  Refreshments, including lunch, are available.

For a current price list, including a discounted rate for charities, to view the room, booking and further information contact: Pauline or Christine on 01452 422660 or email enquiries@ageconcernglos.org.uk

 

Community Projects Needed

The Gloucestershire County Council’s Social Care Corporate Contact Centre team is looking to do some community based work as part of its team building strategy.  The Centre is looking for community projects where teams of about 10 people can contribute some time to make a difference to a good cause within Gloucestershire.

Projects undertaken in previous years included decorating work at The Collies in the Forest of Dean and at Sue Ryder Cheltenham.  This year, the team would particularly like to work in a different area of the county, for example Tewkesbury, Stroud or Cirencester.  The team is available to work during September, October or November.

Any group interested in working with the Social Care Corporate Contact Centre should contact Karen Leduc, Volunteer Development Officer, by ringing 01452 332424 or emailing

 

Ethical Property Foundation Offer Free Lease Healthcheck

The Ethical Property Foundation can provide you with a free Lease Healthcheck. The healthcheck report is a concise summary of your liabilities written by a qualified solicitor.

Numbers for free healthchecks are limited. For further details please contact Regional Manager (Bristol) Patsy Newton - 0117 916 6455 / patsynewton@ethicalproperty.org.uk

 

Volunteering Placements needed for disabled people

Can Do is a national project which has been set up in 7 areas of England .It has been set up in areas where there is a Leonard Cheshire Unit. It is part of the V funding initiative and comes under Leonard Cheshire Disability and its aim is to challenge social exclusion for disabled people and raise disability awareness.

If you have a placement opportunity where a young disabled person can help with a personal development opportunity, or can help in another way, then please get in touch by emailing Andrew Wood at Andrew.wood@lcdisability.org or by ringing 07806 762916.

 

Mentoring and Befriending Support

The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation (MBF) is the national strategic body offering support to practitioners and organisations providing mentoring and befriending.

For more information, contact Melanie Merrill (South West Regional Coordinator for the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation) on 07983 525614 or by email to  mel.merrill@mandbf.org.uk, or visit the MBF website.

 

Free Legal Advice

LawWorks for Community Groups acts as a referral agency, matching small community groups, charities and social enterprises who cannot afford to pay for legal advice, with lawyers who will provide the legal assistance on a pro bono (free) basis. LawWorks are focused towards helping community groups that benefit deprived communities.

For further information, visit the LawWorks website or ring 020 7929 5601.

 

Young Mentors wanted by The Prince’s Trust

Mentors are needed to work with young offenders and support them make the transition into successful independent living.  Full training is provided.

For more information, visit The Prince’s Trust website.

 

Premier League Competition

Between September and November 2008, 20 community groups will win a Premier League Player to help raise awareness of their cause, plus a £4,000 donation. A further 100 community projects, charities or schools will receive donations of £4000.

To find out more, including how to apply, visit the Premier League website.

 

Volunteering in Tewkesbury Borough

The Volunteer Centre work for Tewkesbury Borough area is now being carried out by Cheltenham Volunteer Centre as 'Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Volunteer Centre'. Any enquiries should be directed to enquiries@volunteeringcheltenham.org.uk

 

Ethical Property Foundation – Property Advice for Charities

Problems with landlords or tenants? Looking for new premises? Want to earn more from your premises? The Ethical Property Foundation provides information, advice, expertise from the property sector, training and events and consultancy to charities and community groups. Many of our services are free for small organisations. For more information please see www.ethicalproperty.org.uk or contact our Regional Manager Patsy Newton on 0117 916 6455 / patsynewton@ethicalproperty.org.uk

 

Cheltenham Business Pride

Cheltenham Borough Council has recently launched ‘Cheltenham Business Pride’, a scheme aimed at developing business initiatives, building competitive local markets and providing a route for businesses to engage with the work of the council and the borough’s economic activities.

‘Business Pride’ has three objectives:

  • to listen and respond to local business needs

  • to provide grants for local business projects that benefit Cheltenham’s economy

  • to promote local businesses’ achievements in the local and national media

£50,000 has been made available as part of the initiative to match fund projects and further details can be found on the ‘Business Pride’ website www.cheltenham.gov.uk/businesspride.

 

Social Enterprise offering translation services

Easy Translations is a low-profit social enterprise offering translations and interpreting.

For more information, contact info@easy-translations.co.uk, ring 0845 200 7832 or visit the website http://www.easy-translations.co.uk/

 

Energy Assessments

Lugus Engineering is an Engineering Consultancy, accredited as Project Development Consultants by the BRE’s Community Sustainable Energy Scheme (http://www.communitysustainable.org.uk).  This accreditation allows the consultancy to perform assessments of projects of community based organisations and charities in terms of incorporating renewable energy systems into buildings.

These assessments will be funded by the BRE by 75% up to £5,000, and subsequently another grant is available for the installation of renewable energy systems for 50% of the project costs up to £50,000.

For more information, visit the website www.lugusweb.com

 

Five tips to improve your energy efficiency

Business Link have suggested five simple tips that organisations can use to improve their energy efficiency, and reduce costs:

  • Switch off computers, monitors and photocopiers when not in use.

  • Fit compact fluorescent lamps wherever possible (these use 5 times less energy than conventional bulbs and last much longer).

  • Review your insulation and draught proofing to keep you warmer in winter and cooler in summer, and cut costs.

  • Reduce room temperatures by 1% to reduce your heating bills by 8%.

  • Install time controllers on your heating systems and equipment to minimise out of hours wastage.

For more tips, visit the Business Link website: www.businesslinksw.co.uk/environment or call them on 0845 600 9966.

 

Accessible buildings

You can search the Access Database for information on the accessibility of buildings in the county.  The list includes a wide range of shops, restaurants, venues, village halls and other community buildings.  The database is available on the Gloucestershire Lifestyles website at www.gloslifestyles.co.uk.

 

Don’t Just Recycle…FREECYCLE

Freecycle matches people who have something to give away with someone who wants it.  If you’re having an office spring clean and you’re throwing out stuff, if it’s perfectly useable, why not register it on Freecycle.  When you want to offer something - whether it's a chair, fax machine, piano or an old door, simply send an email to your local group (shown on the website).  There are some excellent give-aways!  See http://uk.freecycle.org.