Our team has been working with our local communities and people to help place those who want to help out during the COVID-19 pandemic where they are needed. We now have a bank of volunteers who are ready and keen to assist local groups and organisations supporting people, and are asking those groups who need volunteers to get in touch with us so we can match them with volunteers.
News
Crowdfunder: All Platforms Free During COVID-19
Crowdfunder has announced that, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the work being done to support people across communities, they have now made all their funding platforms FREE to use. The free platforms are available for charities and other third sector organisations (with a dedicated section for foodbanks), businesses (including social enterprises) and communities, and can be used to raise funds.
National Lottery Community Fund Scotland COVID-19 Update
The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland has released an update on their activities and support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key points include: the fund is “open for business”, with their teams all working from home, and will continue to award grants as planned, and they remain open to all applications as usual, but over the next 6 months they will prioritise applications related to COVID-19.
Creative Breaks Funding Programme: Open for Applications
The Creative Breaks funding programme is now open to applications from third sector organisations operating in Scotland, to develop and deliver short break activities for carers, the people they care for, or for both the carers and the cared-for people together. A total of £600,000 is available. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Thursday 4th June.
COVID-19 Third Sector Response Forum: Next Meeting
Unfortunately, during the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are cancelling third sector forums held at our office until the end of June. Instead, we are hosting the COVID-19 Third Sector Response Forum every 2 weeks online, using Zoom. The next meeting takes place on Thursday 30th April, 1pm – 3pm, and can be accessed via the Zoom link, or with the meeting ID: 968 735 400.
NCSC “Stay Safe Online” Training Package
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has produced a new e-learning training package on cyber security: “Stay Safe Online”. The training package is completely free and takes less than 30 minutes to complete. It was designed to be easy to use, with a non-technical audience (who may have little or no knowledge of cyber security) in mind.
St Andrew’s First Aid Online Training Courses
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, St Andrew’s First Aid are offering online first aid courses. The online first aid training can be accessed for 12 months after purchase, allowing people to refresh their skills whenever suits them. There are 3 online courses, at a discounted rate of £15 (plus VAT) per course.
Thinkuknow Resources for Parents and Carers
Thinkuknow, the online safety education programme from the UK National Crime Agency, has released information for parents and carers around cyber security and safety online for children and young people. While particularly relevant during the current lockdown and school closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, these resources can be used at any time. Home activity packs are also available for children and young people as young as 4 years old to over 14 years old.
Consultation on Falkirk Local Development Plan 2
Falkirk Council has begun updating its Supplementary Guidance notes in association with the preparation of the Falkirk Local Development Plan 2 (LDP2), and is looking for comments on the guidance notes. The deadline for responses is Friday 22nd May.
Falkirk Third Sector Forums Update: New Zoom Forum
Unfortunately, during the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are cancelling third sector forums held at our office. At the moment, this will be until the end of June. However, we are running a bi-weekly COVID-19 online forum using Zoom: the COVID-19 Third Sector Response Forum.
