Guy Dobson, our VCSE Advice Officer writes:

"Small Charity Week is a national celebration of the vital role small charities play across the country. The week shines a light on the big impact that these organisations make, at a time when communities are under pressure and demand is rising, so their role has never been more important.

​"We'd like to use Small Charity Week to offer opportunities for one-to-one support conversations to VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) organisations across Gloucestershire.  We can use this time together to begin to help you with issues such as organisational development, governance, community engagement, or funding.

"To book a 20-minute appointment between Monday 22^nd June and Friday 26^th June, please use the button below."  

You can also visit the VCSE Support page on our website, or contact cdt@grcc.org.uk to find out more about the full range of support, networks, and services we offer the VCSE sector in Gloucestershire. 

Clare Edwards has joined GRCC as our new Rural Housing Enabler for the Borough of Tewkesbury.

Clare has wide experience in planning, including policy, appeals, and enforcement, having worked for local authorities and in the private sector.  Clare's last role was as a senior consultant in a private planning consultancy. 

"I'm passionate about trying to deliver more affordable housing for people who need it," said Clare. 

"The shortage of rural affordable housing in Gloucestershire has reached crisis proportions.  I'm sure my broad experience in planning will help me in enabling communities, developers and planners to work together to create more affordable housing projects in Tewkesbury Borough."

You can contact our Affordable Housing team via affordablehousing@grcc.org.uk

Our Community Autism Support and Advice (CASA) project is funded to provide one-to-one support for a limited number of adults with autism, but impacts very many more autistic adults through the groups and drop-ins which it runs.  

The drop-ins offer a regular social space with activities such as crafts, games, and quizzes, facilitated discussions about aspects of life with autism, and a chance to form social relationships and make friends.  The CASA team regularly see people's lives transform as they gain social confidence.

"I was an example of this process myself," said Dominic, our Autism Peer Worker.   "I started as an attendee and I was in a very bad place then, I was quiet and I didn't want to participate.  CASA was such a welcoming environment, it gave me the confidence to speak up and find my voice, to be myself rather than who people expected me to be."

Dominic progressed from attendee, to volunteer, to paid support worker.   "Through volunteering I found the thing that I was good at, that I'd never explored before... welcoming people, promoting engagement, ensuring everyone has a good time, building a sense of community, helping people build skills they need to interact with the rest of the world."

"Recently a new person, Bathsheba, started coming to one of the drop-ins that I support.  Initially she was very shy, but the drop-ins have helped her to gain the social confidence to start her own handyperson business, which is going really well!"

"Another drop-in member has recently found the confidence to start to write their own poetry and share it with the group."  

Dominic facilitates the Gloucester and Forest of Dean CASA drop-ins, and there are also groups in Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, and online.

Our Annual Physical Health Checks Project coordinator Summer Vergara has been in post for nearly a year now - and is currently working with 36 Gloucester GP practices, more than four times as many practices as were participating in the project a year ago.  

Summer's role is to encourage patients who are on the serious mental illness (SMI) register at GP surgeries to book and attend the annual physical health check that they are entitled to. This is important because patients with SMIs have a higher incidence of physical health problems than the general population, and a shorter life expectancy. 

“Personal support can really make a real difference - here's a recent example from one of the surgeries that I'm working with," said Summer. 

"The patient was initially reluctant to have their health check due to anxiety about leaving home and going to the GP. Through a  conversation on the phone, I encouraged them to book their appointment, discussed the importance of their health check, and offered support to attend. On the day, I met  the patient in the GP waiting room and offered reassurance and space to talk as the patient appeared quite anxious.

"Then I attended the appointment with the patient, and they were able to have the physical check-up, and discuss their physical and mental health concerns. The patient was grateful for the support - and my help had enabled them to have an annual health check which they otherwise would have missed out on."

Would your group or community organisation like to learn more about Scam Awareness - protecting yourself from being tricked, defrauded or impersonated online?

Our ACORN Project offers an informative, relaxed and accessible workshop on Scam Awareness for groups in Gloucestershire, including top tips such as watching out for mis-spelled URLS on websites (e.g. gooogle.com), emails seemingly from known people but using an unfamiliar email address, and red flags such as pressure to act urgently, or offers that appear too good to be true.  

Feedback from ACORN's previous Scam Awareness workshops has been very positive, including

• "I liked the whole session"
• "Good presentation style"
• "Easy to understand workshop"
• "Lovely relaxed event"

For a list of other digital workshops which ACORN can provide for your group, take a look at their Digital Sessions leaflet.   To find out more, or arrange a workshop for your group, email digital@grcc.org.uk  

 "Volunteer Flood Wardens are vital to the communities they serve, acting as the eyes and ears on the ground before, during, and after flood events."

So says Lucy Eccles, our Community Resilience Officer, who recruits, trains and supports Volunteer Flood Wardens across most of Gloucestershire on behalf of the district and borough councils. 

"Volunteer Flood Wardens play a key role in helping their communities prepare for flood events, and acting as a communication bridge between the authorities and the wider community," said Lucy.

"This has been a really exciting year for the Volunteer Flood Warden schemes. In the past six months we've recruited 31 new volunteers, updated and refined our volunteer resources, and we've run the first ever Gloucestershire Volunteer Flood Warden Information Fair, which attracted over 60 participants!"

We asked some Volunteer Flood Wardens what motivates them to take on this really valuable volunteer role for their communities:

"Living in an area surrounded by floodplain, becoming a Flood Warden has helped me better understand flood risk while enabling me to share valuable local knowledge with the community,”  said Ian Parker, from Ashchurch.

"I think the turning point for me was not last winter but the winter before when we had really, really bad weather and first experienced the panic of flooding in the village," said Claire Wills, from Bishop's Cleeve.

"My background is Geography/ Ecology... I really like people and I like to be of help if I can be. The Flood Warden role pulls all of that together. The role also focuses my attention on what is going on in the environment around me," said  Nigel Adcock, from Woodmancote.

To find out more, or if you might be interested in becoming a Volunteer Flood Warden, please use the button below, or email cdt@grcc.org.uk

This vital role is about empowering individuals in the community through digital literacy, from the very basics, to helping them to access vital services, support, and social connections; particularly those most vulnerable and isolated.

We're looking for someone who is patient, enjoys working with people at their own pace, and making a real difference to their lives. This role is about helping individuals to feel confident using digital tools so they can access services, stay connected, and carry on doing the things that matter to them.

The closing date for applications is Friday 12th June, 5pm.

BT has launched an information video featuring Clare Balding which explains the switch-over to digital landlines, which will happen in all areas by January 2027.

The key message is that when your phone line provider contacts you about the switch, you do need to take action. 

For most customers, the changeover will just require them to connect their phone to their broadband router.  Customers without broadband can subscribe to a dedicated digital landline service. 

For those who use a telecare device or pendant alarm, extra steps are needed to keep the alarm working.  Additional help, including free engineer visits and backup power, is available where needed.

Full information is available from the Connected Together website via the button below.

Gloucestershire County Council is updating its Local Transport Plan which will set the priorities for how transport is planned, managed and improved across the county over the next 15 years and beyond.

The Local Transport Plan covers all forms of transport in Gloucestershire, including:

• Roads 
• Buses and rail 
• Walking, wheeling and cycling 
• Freight and goods movement 
• Transport infrastructure and services

Use the button below to find out more, take part in an online survey, or find out about local public engagement events which are happening across the county between 1st and 23rd June.  Responses to this stage of the process need to be submitted by 24th June. 

HEAT (Home Energy Advice Team) is a nationally-funded service to provide energy bill advice and support across the UK.  They offer help by phone and through home visits.  The service is open to anyone with energy-related problems, with a particular focus on vulnerable households.

HEAT can help with fuel vouchers, preventing disconnection, billing support, energy debt help, energy saving advice, access to grants and schemes, and more.  You can download an A5 poster for noticeboards here.

Contact HEAT via HEAT@thewisegroup.co.uk, call 0800 092 9002, or visit their website using the button below.

Eligible not-for-profit organisations in the Severn Trent water region can apply for a grant of £5,000–£20,000 to support their core costs for one year. 

The funding is for groups that offer essential services and wellbeing support to local residents, especially those supporting the most vulnerable.  The fund aims to help groups which urgently need financial support in order to continue current services.

The window for applications runs from 1st June to 11.59pm on 30th June.  Full details of the eligibility criteria and application process can be found on the Severn Trent Community Fund web page, via the button below. 

If you've had contact with us, or support from us, or only 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? 

Please use this online form to let us know.  All feedback, good and bad, helps us to shape our services to better fit your needs.   

If you're able to support our work financially, you can donate online here, or find out about leaving a legacy here.