Our DAISI team continues to work hard to improve digital accessibility, equity, support and innovation throughout Gloucestershire - here are a few snippets of DAISI news this month:

• many thanks to the ITSA Digital Trust for giving us another big batch of high-quality refurbished laptops for distribution to individuals in need and social projects throughout the country
• welcome to Nina Sethi as the chair of the DAISI Partnership
• welcome to several new DAISI Partnership members, including the Nelson Trust, Green Square Accord, and Northleach Teen Space
• a waiting list is open for the next 11 week course at our Bourton-on-the-Water IT Skills drop-in group
• we have set up a new Digital Foundations skills drop-in at Ebrington Village Hall
• our digital needs survey of Tewkesbury Borough has received hundreds of responses - the survey is still open here
• we're looking for extra volunteers - for details, please click on the thumbnail of the flyer on the left
• we have two full-time paid jobs available to work on our new lottery-funded ACORN project (see the "We're Recruiting" section below)

If you'd like to find out more or get involved in the DAISI Partnership, email digital@grcc.org.uk

Our Community Development Team can give funding advice to voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations throughout Gloucestershire.

For example, team manager Angela Gilbert and VCSE Advice Officer Guy Dobson recently helped The Indian Association in Cheltenham find grants to help cover the £80,000 cost of essential building repairs at their Hindu Community Centre.  

"I approached Angela and Guy for advice, and they supplied me with a list of possible funders, and helped me with checking the forms," said Kanu Patel of the Indian Association.  "It was quite time consuming, spreading over months, but as a result, we managed to secure grants from Build Back Better, Enovert Community Trust, Summerfield Charitable Trust and the National Lottery, and we were able to start the work.  As our building is over 100 years old, it needs constant repair.  Angela and Guy have helped me on many occasions."

For VCSE funding advice or other help, contact our Community Development Team via cdt@grcc.org.uk or call 01452 528491.  To see everything we do at GRCC, use the button below.

Our Rural Affordable Housing team has been boosted by the arrival of two new staff.  Pictured left to right are Sarah Walker and Frances Evans, who both bring a wealth of local authority and housing association experience to the team, joining fellow Rural Affordable Housing Enabler Tim Gwilliam, and Head of Operations Barbara Pond.  

Rural Housing Enablers work with parish councils and local communities to identify the level of need for affordable housing, proactively identify possible sites, link with developers, and involve the community in the design and delivery of affordable housing.  They are keen to hear from rural residents, community groups and parish councils who want to work to create more affordable housing in their area, and landowners who might have possible "rural exception sites"'.  

Sarah Walker will be covering all rural areas of Gloucestershire along with colleague Tim, while Frances Evans' post is specifically to work in the Tewkesbury Borough Council area.  

For our new "Parish Spotlight" column, this month we've been speaking to Bisley-with-Lypiatt Parish Councillor Lesley Greene about the very active nature conservation work that her Parish Council (PC) is involved in.  

 "We're a fairly small parish of about 2000 people, and very rural as we consist of three small villages," said Lesley.  "In our Neighbourhood Development Plan, which GRCC helped us with, concern about nature and wildlife came very near the top of the list of local people's concerns."

This prompted the PC to set up a Local Nature Action Plan, steered by a very active group of about a dozen volunteers.  In August, with help from Megan Amadou of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, they ran a day-long "BioBlitz" nature survey at the village allotments, which involved over 60 people and resulted in an extensive list of species identified.

"The results of the survey were brilliant," said Lesley.  "We were thrilled and surprised to spot a Peregrine and a Hobby, and four species of bats.  Sadly, butterfly numbers were down compared with previous butterfly surveys at the site, so we will step up our support for butterflies, and we plan to repeat the BioBlitz next year."

Use the button below for more details, and if other parishes are interested in setting up a Local Nature Action Plan or running a BioBlitz day, they are welcome to contact Bisley-with-Lypiatt parish clerk Heather Finlay for more information. 

Rural small businesses in Tewkesbury Borough can apply for up to £24,999 of capital grant funding in Round 3 of Tewkesbury Borough's Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) grants.  

Hayles Fruit Farm near Winchcombe  massively boosted their apple juice production (pictured left) thanks to one of these small business grants, which enabled them to buy a new fruit press.  

The grants are administered by GRCC on behalf of Tewkesbury Borough Council.  If you have questions or need help with your application, please contact Louise Fletcher at GRCC - email louisef@grcc.org.uk or phone 01452 528491.

Applications must be received at GRCC by 9am on Monday 18th November. 

We're working with NHS Gloucestershire, running a pilot project called "Connect + Prevent" aimed at helping people stay independent and connected to their local community.

You should be a great listener with broad life experience, and previous experience of volunteering.   You'd be providing telephone support to identified individuals, and the minimum commitment is only 2 hours per week.  Full training will be provided, and times are very flexible. 

For further details please click the button below to download our flyer about the project, then give us a call or email us if you think you might be able to help.

Vivvy Maddocks has a new role at GRCC as our North Cotswolds Connecting Communities Project Coordinator. 

This new GRCC project is aimed at improving wellbeing for people aged 16 to 65 in the North Cotswolds area: "It's all about working with local partners, strengthening the infrastructure, and facilitating and enabling communities to be more resilient, help themselves, and thrive," said Vivvy, who was previously one of our Social Prescribers working in the Stroud and Berkeley Vale Community Wellbeing Service.  

Vivvy will also be coordinating our Community Information and Services Hub, which runs on the first Monday morning of every month at Jameson Court in Moreton-in-Marsh (see flyer for full details).  

Vivvy would love to hear ideas from people in the community for groups and activities that are needed in the North Cotswolds, and possible venues to run them.  Email Vivvy using the button below or call us on 01452 528491.

If you're working on a Neighbourhood Plan or Neighbourhood Development Order, you can apply for grant funding of up to £10,000 from the organisation Locality (see their website at neighbourhoodplanning.org)  If you are facing complex issues, they can also provide technical support from a specialist adviser.

If you are interested in finding out more about how GRCC can help you apply for this funding, and how we can help you with your Neighbourhood Planning, please contact Barbara Pond,  bpond@grcc.org.uk

This new grant scheme aims to invest in local communities to help VCSE groups and organisations create the conditions for healthy individuals and communities.

It is intended to be a flexible, light-touch, targeted grant scheme which aims to build community capacity.

• Application form
• Guidelines
• Additional info

To register for an online grants Q&A on Tuesday 5th November 2-3pm, email glicb.hciteam@nhs.net

This scheme proposes the development of a new M5 Junction 9a near Tewkesbury and the re-routing of the existing A46 around Ashchurch to Teddington Hands roundabout.

The scheme aims to help solve long-standing traffic issues and provide vital infrastructure to meet existing and future needs, including improving journey times and reliability for journeys between the M5 Junction 9 and Teddington Hands roundabout.

The public consultation runs until 2nd December.  

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service is updating its Community Risk Profile in order to rewrite their Community Risk Action Plan for Gloucestershire.  

They would like the views of as many people as possible about the risks that they need to be prepared to deal with.   You can take the online survey using the button below, until the closing date of 1st December.  

RoadPeace and the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership warmly invite you to a service to remember lives lost and people injured on our roads in Gloucestershire, on  Sunday 17th November, 2-4pm at Minchinhampton Church.

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a globally-recognised day, which always falls on the third Sunday of November.

More information and booking via the button below.

Armed forces veterans in Gloucestershire are now eligible for free bus travel, thanks to a scheme set up by Gloucestershire County Council working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus.  

If you've had contact with us, or support from us, or just visited our website to try to find information, we'd really love to know how we're doing!  Were we brilliant, just OK, or not very good?  All feedback, good and bad, helps us to shape our services to better fit your needs.