Tell us about your organisation, how you started and what you do?

I-Enter skills is a small-scale charity, located in Wolverhampton. Established as a company in 2010, and registered as a charity in 2013, our work focuses on the following services:

• Education Support – basic skills in literacy and numeracy.
• Financial Advice – money management, debt management advice.
• Capacity Building Training – preparing clients to develop essential soft skills for life: confidence building, assertiveness, negotiation and decision making.

Main activities
Over the years since its creation in March 2010, I-Enter skills has developed a Job and Business Preparation Support Mentoring Service. We provide information, advice, and training for the communities in Wolverhampton to gain access or move closer to, further training, self-employment or paid employment markets.

What has been your greatest achievement?

In 2011 we delivered a project through a grant from the National Lottery’s Awards for All. Since then, I-Enter Skills has received European Social Fund (ESF) and successfully delivered projects in 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Over the past 12 years, we have raised more than £200,000 for our business mentees through our networking with the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs and British Business Banking.

What is your experience of support received from WVSC?

Our first point of contact is WVSC. We’ve had support in finding the right kind of funding and support in developing the right policies and procedures. WVSC redacted the first draft of our constitution and provided support for the charity registration process.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt about working with people in Wolverhampton?

It’s a city full of incredibly diverse people and even though it gets bad press, it’s an amazing place to live and work.

What are some of the challenges you face and how can WVSC help to support your organisation in the future?

Funding constraints and discriminatory behaviour from some funders toward grassroots minority organizations.

Where can we find out more?

Contact: Dr. Desire Mutumba – I-Enter Skills
Email: infos@intelligentskills.org.uk

Would you like to be featured in our Voluntary Sector Focus? Contact Sharon Nanan-Sen on snanan-sen@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk for more info!

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Tell us about your organisation, how you started and what you do?

The Padendere Community Sewing Group (Padendere means ‘On the Nest’) was set up to be a safe space where migrants and refugees can support each other through sewing, knitting, craft work and exchanging knowledge and skills for people to build connections and tackle social isolation through creativity. I was once an immigrant and struggled on my own for several years until opportunities came. I attained a Master of Arts with Merit in Design and Applied Arts, focusing on Fashion and Fabric in 2017. I wanted to pay back the community that helped me so much. I have creative skills to share, and people are interested to learn.

We received some funding and set up a project to support women and girls in Wolverhampton from many different cultural backgrounds. We aimed to tackle isolation, mental health challenges, and depression, which is prevalent among the migrant and refugee communities in Wolverhampton but also among women from all backgrounds. We aimed to use connectivity and creativity as a way of building community resilience. Whilst doing our creative activities, we would share stories, talk about problems that we are facing and give and receive emotional support. As the pandemic unfolded, we moved our sessions online and became a core part of the women’s weekly routine.

What has been your greatest achievement?

Our greatest achievement was to get funding and because the pandemic came and we went into lockdown, we were able to learn how to use zoom. We were able to teach through zoom without training. People sewed masks for their families, which they learnt through this group. We fought depression, and loneliness and brought smiles to their faces.

What is your experience of support received from WVSC?

WVSC has helped me with advice on how to apply for funding and information.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt about working with people in Wolverhampton?

It brings the community together and makes asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants feel welcome and part of the community. Working together helps individuals to stop stereotyping.  The people of Wolverhampton become friendlier and it’s a better place to be.

What are some of the challenges you face and how can WVSC help to support your organisation in the future?

Some of the challenges facing us are that there is no continuation of the group because of a lack of funding. Some of the machines we bought in 2019 are broken or need servicing; the place where we run the group needs heating; volunteers need funds for transport – the list is endless if we are to run our group to a successful result. WVSC can help us with how we can apply for funding and become successful.

Where can we find out more?

Mary Thomas: makatho@live.com

Would you like to be featured in our Voluntary Sector Focus? Contact Sharon Nanan-Sen on snanan-sen@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk for more info!

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St Peters’ Physical Activity Project

This is opportunity for an organisational partner to play a key role in a pilot project aimed at increasing levels of physical activity within St Peters Ward, with a focus on working with children aged 9-11, their families and local schools  Please note the deadline for proposals is strictly Midday on 23^rd June 2022.

Background

• Levels of physical activity within Wolverhampton are low compared to national and regional averages. This has a wider impact on the health and well- being of our communities.
• A partnership consisting of: Schools covering St Peters ward, Black Country and West Birmingham CCG, Public Health and WVSC have secured funds to pilot a programme aimed at increasing levels of physical activity within the ward – one of the most deprived in the City.
• Our focus will be on children aged 9 -11 who are living or attending school, in St Peters Ward, and their families; although our wider aim is to bring about sustainable change that will lead to an increase in physical activity levels across the wider ward community
• Our initial aim is to increase levels of physical activity from less active (less than 30 minutes a day), to fairly active (30 -59 minutes a day) and active (60 minutes + a day).
• The projects focus will be on Children, their families and the wider community who are classed as “less active”.
• Once identified, funding of 60K has been secured to deliver the co-produced interventions – it is envisaged that these will be purchased, through the project steering group, from appropriately skilled and qualified organisations in the City.

This opportunity

Co-production, including in the design of interventions, and agreeing what success will look like and how this will be measured will be a key element of the project.

We are seeking a local delivery partner, which will engage with children, their families and other stakeholders, including schools, to:

• Design and agree interventions that will bring about sustainable change in levels of physical activity among children, their families and more widely across St Peters Ward.
• Oversee and report on delivery and impact, including measurable results, to the projects steering group.

This role will involve:

• Working with the schools in order to establish effective processes for engaging children within the cohort, their families and school staff.
• Working with children and their families to identify barriers and solutions to physical inactivity.
• Working, including within the schools, to establish focus groups to guide the direction and delivery of the project
• Identifying the cohorts of children and families that will directly engage as participants within the project
• Establishing and using method/s to measure the projects impact on those directly involved and more widely across the ward
• Working with focus groups and participants to agree the interventions that will be delivered and how they will be sustained beyond this pilot period.
• Continuing to work, over the pilots lifetime, including within schools, in order to gauge the impact of the interventions on levels of physical activity
• Liaising regularly with the project steering group, providing verbal and written updates on progress and highlighting key areas of learning.

These activities are indicative – this is a pilot project and so we will expect our chosen partner to adopt a very flexible approach in order to meet the needs of children, their families, schools and the wider ward area in order to maximise the projects positive impact on physical activity levels, along with other impacts and learning.

To apply

Please respond, in writing to: Ian Darch at idarch@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk using the heading Physical Activity Project.

Please tell us – in no more than 1500 words:

• Your organisation’s experience of tackling physical inactivity in terms of individual participation
• Your understanding of how travel and the built environment can impact on physical activity levels
• Your experience of working in, and knowledge of Wolverhampton and the challenges that the City faces
• Who will be carrying out this work, their qualifications and experience?
• The approach that you will take in delivering this work.
• How you will measure impact.

Any staff involved in the delivery of this work will require an up-to-date enhanced DBS Certificate.

Timescales:

09/06/2022:  Tender released

23/06/2022 @ Midday: Deadline for proposals

27/06/2022: Successful applicant informed

04/07/2022: Preliminary work begins.

01/09/2022: Implementation plan agreed with steering group

01/11/2022: First interventions identified and delivery commences

01/01/2023: All interventions underway

1/03/2023: Interim report on progress and impact

31/07/2023: Final interventions

31/08/2023: Final report produced for steering group

Payment

Up to £30,000 is available for the delivery of this work. 

Payment will be made as follows on receipt of invoices:

25% on commencement

25% on agreement to implementation plan

25% on receipt of satisfactory interim report

25% on receipt of final report

For an informal discussion please contact Ian Darch on 01902 773761.

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Tell us about your organisation, how you started and what you do?

SNJ stands for Success ‘n’ Joy. We spread Success ‘n’ Joy to communities locally and across the miles in India. We started out in 2004 and have been working actively in The Black Country since 2015. We deliver Lifelong learning (Education & Training) and Well Being (Health) through our various projects.

Our current projects are Essential Digital Skills to make this a digitally inclusive community and Bringing People Together to combat loneliness, anxiety & depression. We run Chat & Chai sessions every day of the week on Zoom thus encouraging housebound carers and others to share their experiences, make friends & meet people. These sessions have proved to be very successful!

What has been your greatest achievement?

Our greatest achievement has been our work during the pandemic. We trained communities to use their smart phones smartly to stay connected. We rose to the challenges of the pandemic by ensuring that the needs of vulnerable people were met throughout. We ran Check & Chat sessions, provided Domestic Violence & Bereavement Support and delivered Shop & Drop – delivering English & Asian food to individuals & families.

What is your experience of support received from WVSC?

We have worked with WVSC more actively since joining the network recently. It has been a rewarding experience to work with colleagues from across the sector and gather ideas for community development.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt about working with people in Wolverhampton?

Working with people from across the Black Country has been a pleasure. People are truly grateful for the support we provide. One participant, who looks after their spouse who has dementia gave us the feedback on our Zoom sessions saying, ‘These sessions have kept me sane!’ The most important lesson we have learnt is to listen to the needs of people and respond. This is exactly what we did during our Shop & Drop project. Many Asian families asked for Asian food and we provided the same.

What are some of the challenges you face and how can WVSC help to support your organisation in the future?

Our biggest challenge is to secure funding to respond to the needs of the community. We were unable to do any social events to fundraise. We need ample warning of funding opportunities so that we don’t have to burn the midnight oil to meet the application deadlines.  We would also like more technical training sessions e.g. Jamboard and other gismos which we do not even know about! The two main ways WVSC can support us is through training and development and funding, funding, funding! We’ll take care of the rest! We are delighted to share the images of the opening of SNJ Learning Centre at 200 Dudley Road in the iconic building of Lakshmi Sweets & Restaurant by the Mayor of the city Greg Brackenridge! Drop in for a chat & chai!

Where can we find out more?

Neena Julka, SNJ Charitable Trust – Success & Joy, let’s spread it around!
200 Dudley Road, Blakenhall, WV2 3DT
Email: snjtrust@gmail.com
Mobile:  07823 891071
Website: www.snjcharitabletrust.org

Would you like to be featured in our Voluntary Sector Focus? Contact Sharon Nanan-Sen on snanan-sen@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk for more info!

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Notice is hereby given that the directors / trustees of Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC) are calling an Extraordinary General Meeting at the above date and time for the purpose of considering a change of name of this charitable company following a decision at a meeting of the Board of Directors / Trustees on Wednesday 25^th May 2022.

The EGM will be held at 16 Temple Street Wolverhampton WV2 4AN (or another nearby venue if numbers of people wishing to attend exceed the capacity of this venue – all members will be notified of any change of venue in advance of the meeting).

• Register to attend the EGM in person via Eventbrite here

SPECIAL RESOLUTION 21-06-22:

That Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (Company no. 2288239, Charity no. 700910) change its name from Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council to Wolverhampton Voluntary and Community Action.

The change of name is being proposed:

• following a review of the work and strategic direction of Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council and a refresh of the organisation’s guiding principles.
• in order to:
  • update the organisation’s name to better reflect the range of work it carries out.
  • avoid the confusion that exists for some people (including employees and volunteers from voluntary and community organisations, and statutory partners) as well as for members of the general public between WVSC and the City of Wolverhampton Council
  • re-assert the independence of the organisation

Members can vote in person at the meeting or click here to download a Proxy Notice form to appoint a Proxy to vote on your behalf, and then either:

1. download it, complete by typing directly into the form, save it to your device and then email as an attachment to info@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk
2. print it, complete it by hand and then post to WVSC, 16 Temple Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 4AN
3. print it, complete it by hand, scan the completed form, and email as an attachment to info@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk

The Proxy must be a representative of another WVSC member organisation attending the meeting, or the meeting chairperson (Steve Clay) – see Proxy Notice form for more information.

Am I a member?
Our membership consists of all voluntary and community organisations based in Wolverhampton and working with Wolverhampton residents.

Signed

Ian Darch (Company Secretary)

• Download a copy here: Notice of EGM
• Download a copy here: Proxy Notice Form

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Tell us about your organisation, how you started and what you do?

Secret Angels is a small non-profit organisation established on the 2^nd April 2021 in Wolverhampton to empower communities and transform lives by helping residents in deprived areas to tackle fuel and food poverty.

Set up with one aim in mind – to make a lasting difference in the lives of the needy so that one day they may help others. We work in some of the most deprived communities in Wolverhampton and with some of the most socially excluded and hard to reach people. We are with them every step of the way to transform their lives, and their communities, for the better. As volunteers, we’ve come together to help drive this dream forward and eventually become a charity. At present we are working retrospectively.

Our current ongoing projects are;

• Walk for Health
• Emergency Food Packs
• Digital Inclusion
• Clothes Bank
• Befriending Service

Upcoming projects;

• Youth Activities
• Workshops (IT, Health and Wellbeing, Cooking, etc.)

What has been your greatest achievement?

As a small charity, we are vital and have made a HUGE impact within a short space of time. We work with individuals and organisations to sustain and support communities to thrive and have achieved the following by forming partnerships;

• Secret Angels Food Bank – launched April 2022
• Helping the Homeless December 2021 – Winter Care Kits & Food Parcels
• Macmillan Coffee Morning October 2021 – raised £3575
• Small Charity Week June 2021 – made an impact by showcasing our work and amazing volunteers over Social Media. Secret Angels was chosen as one of the 10 Small Charities to receive a £50 donation from the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) supported by Social Value UK and sponsored by Policy Bee Insurance.

What is your experience of support received from WVSC?

WVSC was my one stop shop, giving information to assist me on my path to pursuing my ambition – Secret Angels. I was really struggling trying to understand the registration process of a charity and I didn’t really know anyone or what else to do, then luckily I was introduced to Sharon and I haven’t looked back ever since.

My experience with WVSC is a very positive one, and it turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done and I am so glad that I was given the opportunity because I would not be here if it wasn’t for Sharon’s guidance and recommendations. This experience overall has helped me so much more than just to get recognition, it gave me the confidence and belief that if I want it enough and work hard enough, that I can get to be where I want to be, giving back to the community.

WVSC has a dedicated team and with Sharon’s help and support Secret Angels started to grow and develop when we carried out the Covid Community Champions project during the pandemic and were provided with PPE. Furthermore, we registered for the online events, discussion groups, newsletters, emails and updates which we find very useful.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt about working with people in Wolverhampton?

Born and bred in a deprived area in Wolverhampton, I love my City (Wolves Ay We!). Our city is diverse and cohesive. Who would have thought there are around 90 languages spoken within the city?

Growing up over the years I have seen more people and new communities come to live in Wolverhampton. We hope to support these communities to thrive and improve our understanding of the needs of our diverse and culturally rich city. For some people in Wolverhampton, life is far more of a struggle to survive in an age of austerity. Many families are on a low income or struggling with welfare cuts and recently the energy crisis, with food and fuel prices on the rise.

Asking for help often makes people feel uneasy because it requires surrendering control to someone else. Another fear is being perceived as needy. Some people are also afraid that they’ll be shunned or rejected if they ask for help. This is where our team of volunteers / helpers come in to open up the lines of communication, and build friendships so that asking for help later on when they really need it, isn’t such a big deal.

This has created a safer space for people to ask for help. It creates a sense of belonging; helping others can help us to make new friends and connect with our community.  Face-to-face activities with our volunteers at the food bank has helped reduce loneliness and isolation for many. We have also found that people are more likely to perform feats of generosity after observing another do the same. This effect can ripple throughout the community, inspiring dozens of individuals to make a difference!

What are some of the challenges you face and how can WVSC help to support your organisation in the future?

For Secret Angels to make progress against any deep-rooted challenges, we must work together to maximise resources and ensure that people are provided with opportunities to reach their potential and support their community. We can only do this by working together with residents and partner organisations to understand their priorities and embed those outcomes in all that we do. The main challenge we face as a new organisation is getting our structure and model right to start securing funding, where assistance with writing bids will be most welcome together with ongoing support.

Where can we find out more?

Contact: Alvina Ali
Email: info@secretangels.org.uk
Website: www.secretangels.org.uk

Check out our social media pages to see what impact we have made to date!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/secretangelsuk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/secretangelsuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/secretangelsuk
Instagram: https://instagram.com/secretangelsuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Jl0Aleo7ZoAQkvZpIYMRQ

Would you like to be featured in our Voluntary Sector Focus? Contact Sharon Nanan-Sen on snanan-sen@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk for more info!

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An innovative partnership of 15 Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Organisations and the Black Country NHS Trust, focusing on the development of skills and employability has supported over 300 local people in the past two months, with hundreds more expected to benefit in the months ahead.

The Skills Connect Partnership is a Government-funded project, administered by the West Midlands Combined Authority, which has received over £700K from the Community Renewal Fund (CRF) – (a pilot for the Shared Prosperity Fund, which will replace funding from the EU).

The partnership is led by Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC) and is one of only 8 projects funded by the CRF in the West Midland Region.

Ian Darch, CEO of WVSC said “we have a brilliant and diverse partnership, working across all our communities to help ensure that everyone can get the support they need.  Delivery partners expressed their enthusiasm: Suffia Perveen from the Ethnic Minority Council stressed the importance of “working together for a better tomorrow”; Adam Bhardwaj is delighted that Bilston Resource Centre has had the opportunity to make a difference through this project and said, “it has enabled us to deliver innovative programmes in the community, particularly youth aged 16+.” While Maria Billington from Gatis Community Space highlighted the opportunity to “put people’s needs first”.

The Haven are using the funds to support victims of domestic abuse to rebuild their lives and TLC College are delivering activities to introduce customers to work in “early years”.  Sarah Abbiss and Mahmood Khan from those organisations both stressed the importance of the project to local communities.  This was supported by the Director of Beacon Centre for the blind, Ian Burns MBE who said: “we are proud to be working alongside our community partners to make a difference “and Stephanie Mackey of the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust stressed the importance of the project in providing “great new opportunities for people within our communities to develop their skills within employment”.

To find out more about the project, including how to benefit from the support available, please contact Gurpreet Sahota at WVSC on: gsahota@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk or any of the project partners listed below.

Partners of the Wolverhampton Skills Connect Partnership:

Access to Business – Simon Moore Simon@access2business.co.uk

Aladdin’s Education Ltd – Yusuf Shafi achieve@aladdinseducation.com

Arise Training – Maxine megwlv@outlook.com

Aspiring Futures CIC – Sofia Haider Sofia.Haider@aspiring-futures.co.uk

Beacon Centre – Helen Brown HBrown@beaconvision.org

Bilston Resource Centre – Adam Bhardwaj adam.bhardwaj@btconnect.com

Black Country NHS Trust – Stephanie Henderson stephanie.henderson3@nhs.net

Ethnic Minority Council – Suffia Perveen sperveen@ethnicminoritycouncil.org

Gatis Community Space – Maria Billington gatisgardeners@gmail.com

Jobchange – Pat Kemp pat.kemp@jobchange2007.com

The Haven Wolverhampton – Sarah Abbiss Sarah.Abbiss@havenrefuge.org.uk

The Refugee and Migrant Centre – Steven Bayliss steven@rmcentre.org.uk

The Workers’ Educational Association – Ian Cooper icooper@wea.org.uk

TLC College – Mahmood Khan mkhan@tlccollege.org.uk

YMCA Black Country Group – Louise Kumar louise.kumar@ymcabc.org.uk

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• Culture Central is among over 160 organisations across arts, culture, sport, civil society, youth, and heritage sectors to benefit from the £4.6 million Volunteering Futures Fund
• Funding set to increase volunteering opportunities for young people, and people who experience barriers to accessing volunteering, over next two years

Over 160 community organisations, including Culture Central, are set to support 7,800 new volunteering opportunities over the next two years, as the Government has confirmed the beneficiaries of a £4.6 million fund that will level up access to the benefits of volunteering across the country.

Culture Central in the West Midlands has been awarded £525,000 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, delivered by Arts Council England.

Culture Central, in partnership with Birmingham Museums Trust, Creative Black Country, Stoke Creates and Open Theatre will work together to deliver a regional and place-based, volunteering and development programme.

> More Details

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Tell us about your organisation, how you started and what you do?

Wolverhampton LGBT+ started in 2016. It was originally set up Wolverhampton Homes and has now become a registered charity supporting the LGBT+ community in Wolverhampton and the Black Country. We run multiple services and events including counselling, yoga, bi-weekly in person meet-ups, online social groups and have more recently launched a new walking group. In the coming months we are making some huge changes to benefit the community and partner organisations. Keep an eye on our socials for up to date information!

What has been your greatest achievement?

Everything we do as a volunteer-led organisation is a huge achievement but we are most proud of the feedback that we receive from the community. Each counselling session or walking group attendance makes the difference to our LGBT+ family.

What is your experience of support received from WVSC?

It has been great! Support from WVSC led to us launching our yoga service which has now been running for 3 years. We plan to work more closely with the WVSC team in the near future.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt about working with people in Wolverhampton?

Wolverhampton has some incredibly supportive organisations and staff; Gorgeous Radio, Compton Care, Paycare to name a few; we’re incredibly lucky to have such wonderful allies. The people of Wolverhampton are just brilliant but we find good news doesn’t spread easily; our lesson learned is simply keep shouting about what we’re doing!

What are some of the challenges you face and how can WVSC help to support your organisation in the future?

Wolverhampton LGBT+ has an amazing team of trustees, ambassadors and volunteers but the majority support us alongside holding full time jobs. Finding time to submit funding bids can be difficult and so we hope to work with WVSC on this more in the future.

Where can we find out more?

Contact: Kelly Walker-Reed
Email: info@wolverhamptonlgbt.org
WLGBT+
Paycare House, George St, Wolverhampton, WV2 4DX
Website: https://wolverhamptonlgbt.org/

Would you like to be featured in our Voluntary Sector Focus? Contact Sharon Nanan-Sen on snanan-sen@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk for more info!

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“Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, following the invasion of your country by the Russian state.

“We are appalled at the impact that this is having on the lives of people living in Ukraine, their relatives and their friends – our thoughts are with you.

“We pledge to do all we can to support people who come to our City from Ukraine and others that are affected by what is happening there.”

People and organisations across Wolverhampton are coming together to support the people of Ukraine – we have created a web page with a range of links & resources that may assist you in supporting the situation: wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk/ukraine

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