July & August 2022 AirS Newsletter  Rural Matters Through a Sussex Lens |
| Welcome to our latest ‘Summer’ Newsletter, we are combining our July and August news for this one issue this summer and so we have quite a bit of news for you: The Queen’s Green Canopy project is still going strong; Mark Whitaker has an update on tree planting events in East Sussex and this month we also hear from the Lord Lieutentant’s QGC team in West Sussex who have been running their own West Sussex QGC Campaign since it started last year. Robert Horn, our Village Halls Facilities Advisor has had an extremely busy two months providing training and workshops to hall trustees and Parish Councils. The training programme which he has devised specifically for these two audiences continues into the Autumn see the Village Hall section for details of our Autumn Training programme; our Autumn Village Hall Conference and other Village Hall news. In other news we hear from Faustina Bayo, our Senior Community Development Officer and her latest work on supporting the Uckfield Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and news of a very exciting event happening this Autumn that our Village Agents are helping to organise for the Making it Happen Project. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing we hope you are having a lovely albeit very hot and dry summer! The Queen’s Green Canopy – support and inspiration to plant Jubilee trees The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) initiative is still encouraging you to plant trees to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, and this coming autumn is the perfect time! Hopefully the ground will have a little more moisture in it before then. With the extremely dry weather this summer don’t forget to keep all trees that were planted in recent years well-watered. It takes them a few years to get fully established. And while it’s not a good time to plant new trees now, we encourage you to plan ahead. Whether you’ve got your own garden to plant in or not you can get involved in community tree planting. Sources of support and inspiration for your own tree planting If you are part of a school or community group have you thought of planting an orchard as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy Jubilee tree planting initiative? Brighton Permaculture Trust has over ten years’ experience of helping people across Sussex to plant and maintain orchards, and can provide a package of support to schools and community groups with the whole process of planning, planting and maintaining a new orchard – which can be small or big! See Our work with orchards and fruit – Brighton Permaculture Trust Take a look too at the fantastic and ambitious tree planting for the Queen’s Green Canopy in Eastbourne Eastbourne Jubilee Green Canopy (eastbournejgc.org) a recently launched 10-year project to regenerate the slopes of the South Downs. They are working with the equally amazing Treebourne, Trees for Eastbourne (treebourne.org) an inspiring project that has already planted over 17,000 trees with community involvement in Eastbourne since they started up only three years ago! Alternatively, if you’re in Brighton & Hove and are interested in getting involved in community tree planting see Plant Your Postcode a great project working to plant trees across the whole of the greater Brighton area. With Council support, residents’ associations and community groups can get vital help to green their area. Community tree planting at Meads Village allotments  The community-owned Meads Village allotments in Eastbourne ran an open day on 2 July where Deputy Lieutenant John Smith JP planted a cherry tree to contribute to the Queen’s Green Canopy and celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. The allotment site has an interesting recent history having been saved by the local residents.For more on this story see: https://www.ruralsussex.org.uk/eastbourne-meads-village-allotments-queens-green-canopy-planting/ Queen’s Green Canopy – Help us spread the word!  We want everyone to plant a tree for the Jubilee so we’ve produced a poster and would love your help in publicising this valuable tree planting project either by emailing it to interested groups or by putting it on a local noticeboard in your village hall, school or community. For a downloadable pdf just click on the link below to download the poster from our website. Thank you!Share our poster to encourage QGC tree planting | Action in rural Sussex For guidance on tree planting for the Jubilee as well as information on what’s been happening across East Sussex for the Queen’s Green Canopy visit Queen’s Green Canopy | Action in rural Sussex There’s news about our recent tree plantings here News | Action in rural Sussex If you have planted a commemorative tree please send us any photos or stories so we can feature them on our website. mark.whitaker@ruralsussex.org.uk West Sussex Schoolchildren Plant Jubilee Memories  Pupils at St Mark’s Primary School with Vice Lord Lieutenant Sir Richard Kleinwort School children across West Sussex have been helping create a Platinum Jubilee legacy for generations to come by planting trees for the Queen’s Green Canopy. More will be planning to take part in the scheme when the planting season re-opens in the autumn, with the Woodland Trust offering to supply free trees for schools and community groups. A team of West Sussex Deputy Lieutenants leading on the Queen’s Green Canopy Campaign in the county is calling on all schools to get involved. Among young people to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee” are pupils from St Marks Primary School in Staplefield who, supported by the Vice Lord Lieutenant Sir Richard Kleinwort, have put in a Cox’s Orange Pippin apple tree in the school grounds. They will now be helping to nurture the tree and at the same time are learning about the history of the village and surrounding area which had a long held reputation for its production of apples. The Queen’s Green Canopy project has helped pupils learn more about The Monarchy and also about the importance of tree planting and tree conservation to the environment. Said Reception Teacher Claire Price: “”We really enjoyed planting the tree and felt happy and excited about the apples growing. Barney was worried that the tree wouldn’t grow, but we have been into the garden since to have a look an can see that it is doing very well. Some children felt a bit shy and didn’t want to put the soil in and others were concerned that they wouldn’t get a turn. In the end everyone who wanted a turn got a turn and everyone is looking forward to being able to eat the apples.” Other schools across the county who have supported the campaign so far also include The March Primary School in Westhampnett, St Mary’s Primary School in Washington, Reflections Small School and Oak Grove College in Worthing and Rumboldswhyke Primary School in Chichester.  Tree planting at Wild Heart Hill, Findon Community PlanningUckfield Neighbourhood Plan  Action in rural Sussex worked with Uckfield Parish Council and the Uckfield Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to plan and successfully run three public drop-in sessions in May. These sessions were put to enable local residents and interested stakeholders to be brought up to date on the progress and work done to date on the Plan.The Steering Group consists of local residents and Uckfield Town Councillors and they were present to listen to their views of residents and to take on their comments to enable us support them progress to the next stage of their plan making.  The session was planned and laid out in a story telly way that allowed attendees to come up to speed, share their views on what the Group has got right, what needs amending and what the missing gaps were. It was also an opportunity for the Steering Group to appeal for more volunteers to join the various working groups.Views were sought on the following key documents which were all summarised with pictures to make easy reading and understanding; The Character Assessment and Area Profiles The Local Green Spaces Key Views Community Facilities and The Draft Policies The sessions were a success with more than 90 comments forms completed!  Faustina Bayo – Faustina Bayo, Senior Community Development Officer for AirS and Holly Goring – Clerk of Uckfield Town Council and member of the Uckfield Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group facilitating the Drop-in session at the Uckfield Civic Centre. Last Chance to Complete Our Survey  This is a final reminder inviting you to take part in our survey so we can better understand the needs and aspirations of your groups and their communities. The survey aims to identify areas for local people to work on together to become stronger and more resilient. What is your vision for a sustainable community? Click on the link below or scan the QR code to complete the survey. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Airs-service  Village Hall Service Village Hall Conference – Autumn 2022Tuesday 4 October, Wadhurst, East Sussex  Action in rural Sussex are very excited to announce that our Sussex Village Hall Conferences are back for 2022. The first of which, took place at Lodsworth Village Hall in West Sussex earlier this year and we can now confirm that our East Sussex Conference will take place on Tuesday 4th October at Wadsworth Commemoration Hall at 9.30am finishing mid-afternoon. The exact programme is still being drawn up, but subjects covered will be: Parish Councils collaborating with Village Halls Community Resilience The Energy Crisis and what Village Halls can do about it Music Licencing Community Energy Projects Our conferences are always extremely popular and give Trustees and Committee members the chance to meet each other face to face; share experiences and stories; take part in workshops and listen to inspirational talks.Subscribers We are offering two free places per subscribing hall (however we will ask for a £5 donation per person towards the lunch on the day). Click here to login and register for your place Non subscribers Can purchase tickets for £25 excluding VAT. To purchase tickets or to subscribe to the service, email us at: villagehalls@ruralsussex.org.uk Queen’s Jubilee Village Hall Fund Update There is no more news on this fund but we will keep you updated as soon as anything changes. The initial plan was for the £3m to be distributed among 125 halls. However over 1,400 halls across England have already completed the Expression of Interest form at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PG2BVCC We would recommend that halls continue to sign up even though it is already oversubscribed as this helps to demonstrate to the government the volume of needs of Community Buildings. Rising Energy Costs in Village Halls & Community Buildings ACRE is working with Utility Aid to support Village Halls with the rising costs. Because community buildings are counted as commercial premises they are not covered by the Ofgem price cap. Utility Aid is the largest energy broker in the not-for-profit sector. Together the two organisations are trying to build a picture of how halls have coped so far and what plans they have for the future. The aim is to help lever more funding into the sector and save energy and money in the long term. If you would like to take part in the survey please go to https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/TNXZ5X7 and the closing date is 19th August. AirS ran a training session last month on energy saving for village halls incorporating various ideas and strategies for saving money together with advice on which improvements will result in the best savings. If you would like to see this training session repeated, please contact us. AirS Training Programme Update Scheduled Courses SEPTEMBER Meetings and AGMs: A workshop looking at what makes a good committee, a productive meeting and ultimately a successful charity. Other topics will include Individual roles, Sub committees, AGMs & EGMs, voting protocol and what to do when things go wrong. Risk Assessing your Village Hall: A session to give a better understanding of Risk Assessment and Management, the processes involved, recording findings, when to review with practical demonstrations and exercises. OCTOBER Making changes to your Governing Document: The extent of trustee liability, examine ways of managing the risks, look at existing protection exists and what can be added. Writing a successful Funding Application: To consider how and why funding is there, preparation, ways to get your application just right, what to do when you are not successful and current opportunities. NOVEMBER Incorporation for Community Buildings – What is a CIO and how to make the change: The different options, reasons for changing, what are the impacts, the process, timescales and costs. PAT Testing: A course designed to deliver the necessary training to become a competent person capable of carrying out PAT testing, using a variety of testers. This course starts with an overview of the topic and looks at the legal requirements, Physical checks, Electronic tests, Testing frequency, Using the AirS tester, Recording the findings, buying your own tester. DECEMBER Secretarial Duties for a Village Hall committee: A short workshop looking at the duties of being secretary of a small charity, best practices, meetings, training the trustees. The Role of the Chairman: An examination of the duties of a chairman, the skills required, getting the best out of your trustees and avoiding the pitfalls. For further details of the above courses, costs and how to book click here Future Courses – Register Your Interest If you would like to attend training on any of the below topics, please register your interest by emailing us at villagehalls@ruralsussex.org.uk Once we have enough interested parties we will be in touch with scheduled dates. Trustees Roles & Responsibilities: A training course that covers the different types of trustees, their roles and their specific duties, risk management, policies & procedures, finding the right trustees, skills audit, pitfalls and problems. This is a great course for those who are new to trusteeship but also a refresher for those who have been doing it for years and want to be sure they are doing things correctly. Trustee Liabilities and Health & Safety for Village Halls: To workshop to look at the extent of trustee liabilities, examine ways of managing the risks, look at what protection exists and can be added. An overview of Health & Safety legislation that applies to Village Halls Parish Councils, Village Halls and Playing Fields: A clear guide to better understanding and co-operation. A workshop which explores the myths and misunderstanding between councils and charities, the role of Custodian, land ownership, looking at the similarities and differences, how they can help each other and what it means when a council is the Sole trustee. This is suitable for trustees, local councillors, clerks and anyone juggling more than one of these roles. Local Councils acting as Sole Trustee: A course only for councils that are Sole Trustees or are considering taking on this responsibility. It covers Organisational structures, Custodianship, how the need for a Sole Trustee arises, conflicting loyalties, practical tips, finances & insurance, rules for meetings, sub committees, VAT, rates & grants, leases, long term options We are also planning to deliver the courses listed below Finances & Marketing for Community Buildings: Legal obligations, Procedures and Good Practice, Marketing and do you need it, Principles & Strategy, Practical issues, Unique Selling Points, Effective ways to promote Safeguarding for Village Halls: All halls should have a safeguarding policy and appoint someone to take the lead. This is the course for that person and will take you through the legal requirements and what it means for a Community Building. Starting a new community project: Looking at different types of organisational set up, the advantages and disadvantages, governance and model documents, how to formally register, startup funding, finding partners, trustees etc. Community Development Big Sparks Event The Making it Happen project is preparing for a big, county wide event celebrating all things community led! You are invited to come along to see lots of varied and exciting activities that communities across East Sussex have developed as well as get ideas and support for your own community aspirations! The save the date flyer is below with all the information you need. Do put it in your diary as it promises to be an innovative and informative event.  Changes Afoot in the Village Agent Team Some sad and happy news for our team as we prepare to say goodbye to one of our original village agents and welcome a new colleague!  Chiara was one of three VAs who started the team back in September 2014 and brought her experience and skills with her. She has shown her flair and commitment to the work but now retirement beckons, and the allure of more beach walks combined with voluntary work is leading her down a new path. We will really miss Chiara and wish her a long and happy retirement.  To fill Chiara’s shoes, we are welcoming Jo Peters to the fold. Jo has many years experience and has recently been a partner in our current Making it Happen project whilst working for 3VA. Jo’s decision to work nearer to her home is 3VA’s loss and our gain. We are really looking forward to Jo’s contribution to AirS and Making it Happen in Wealden. Guest FeatureApplause Rural Touring Company Bringing Professional Shows To Rural Communities Every month our newsletter features an item from other charities and organisations who work with and for the benefit of rural Sussex communities. This month’s contribution comes from Applause; a rural touring company which frequently puts on shows in Village Halls. If you think this might be of interest to your community read on:  Grimm Sisters Applause Rural Touring are an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation who exist to make the arts accessible to rural communities. They have been working with local communities for over 20 years enabling audiences to enjoy fantastic performances across the southeast, particularly in areas where there is no existing arts venue.Applause commissions and tours high-quality, professional shows to a number of different settings such as village halls, fetes, libraries, festivals and community centres…if there’s a space that you think would work well for a show then they can probably make it work!  Stinky McFish They understand the role and importance of culture in building communities and the wider benefits of live events: helping with social isolation, loneliness, inspiring young people and building close knit, healthy communities. As an ACE funded organisation Applause can offer subsidies to hosts/promoters to help make the performances accessible to all.Applause works with volunteer hosts and community programmers to select and book performances that are the most relevant and, therefore, the most interesting and enjoyable for the local audience. As a host, you may be someone that regularly organises events, someone that forms part of a local committee or simply someone that wants to create a shared, positive experience for your community. Whether you are a first-timer or an experienced host, Applause will support you every step of the way. There is an annual hand-picked programme of performances for indoor venues such as the ones mentioned above and an outdoor programme for community fetes and festivals. Plus, a sister project, Inn Crowd – for rural pubs. The current indoor menu available for touring from Autumn 2022/Spring 2023 is filled with theatre, family shows, puppetry, dance, music and more! Including Suitcase Shakespeare that sees two performers bring to life classic tales with just what they have in their suitcase, incredible large scale puppetry from The Zoo That Comes To You; The Mariner’s Song, a lyrical voyage which navigates ancient myth, family history, and life at sea and much more.  Mariners Tale Take a look at their current offering of shows hereApplause are always excited to welcome new hosts into their friendly hosting network, so do get in contact with them if you would like to enquire about programming a performance to bring live performance to your community. 01892 457 635 or touring@applause.org.uk, alternatively head to the hosting page of their website – www.applause.org.uk |
| If you require further information related to any of the items included in this newsletter, have any questions, or would like to suggest subjects for future issues, then please email Sarah Blake at info@ruralsussex.org.uk     Contact Us Please note that you are receiving this newsletter either because you specified that you would like to receive is when you first signed up to the Village Halls & Community Buildings Advisory Service; your organisation is a member or partner of AirS or you have signed up via our website or email invitation. Your contact details will only be used for the purpose of this newsletter (unless you stated that you would like to receive other information from us).Please let us know if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter by clicking this link: Unsubscribe from this list or emailing us at info@ruralsussex.org.uk Copyright © 2021 – Action in rural Sussex. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Action in rural Sussex, Suite F1, Waterside Centre North Street, Lewes East Sussex BN7 2PE Tel: 01273 473422 |
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