IT Community Champions – Beyond Beginners project will be holding a jam-packed FREE road show at West Bridgford Library on Monday 1st July 2013.
The day starts at 9:30 am until 2.00 pm.

There will be IT engineers from Purple Zebra, an IT support service, and fantastic IT tutors on hand to help. Come along with any computer related queries or technical problems. We will also be demonstrating throughout the day with iPads, iPhones, tablets, Kindles, netbooks, laptops and dexterity equipment.

This will be a great chance to try out the latest technology and see what is available and suited to you. It will be a good opportunity to expand your IT knowledge and get help with any computer problems.

Find us at:
West Bridgford Library
Bridgford Road
West Bridgford
Notts
NG2 6AT

For any further information contact Kerry Smith or Jane Jackman.
Telephone: 01623 727600

Email: ksmith@rcan.org.uk or jjackman@rcan.org.uk

Rural Bassetlaw Befriending Scheme (RBBS) offers a variety of stimulating activities for the over 50’s in Bassetlaw. Such as recitals by the Village Harmony choir from Sturton Le Steele, belly dancing with the Rosehips and bird feeder making with the RSPB.

The Rural Bassetlaw Befriending Scheme arranges monthly coffee mornings followed by a light lunch at Goodwin Hall for the over 50’s who are isolated or lonely and reside in Bassetlaw. We like to keep the activities different and enjoyable for all. Future planned activities include a walk in the park leaving from Goodwin Hall, a pub lunch and more. Our next event will take place on Tuesday 25th June with refreshments from 10.30 am.

RBBS also offer a befriending service to those in their own homes to support and provide information to older people experiencing loneliness and isolation in rural Bassetlaw.

For more information please contact Jane Jackman on 01623 727600 or email jjackman@rcan.org.uk

It’s been a long, cold winter, but with the arrival of (slightly!) better weather, we are looking forward to further development of Newstead & Annesley Country Park.
We wanted to let you know that there has been an enormous amount of work going on behind the scenes over the winter, and that there are more exciting developments to come!

To read the Newsletter please click here

Want your voluntary organisation to get ahead of the game? Don’t miss the new free training events

The FREE events are to be held on

Tuesday 2nd July 2013 - in Lowdham WI Hall, 1 Main St, Lowdham, Nottinghamshire NG14 7AG (opposite the Magna Carta Public House), from 10.00am to 3.30pm

And Thursday 4th July - in Newstead Centre, Tilford Road,
Newstead Village, Notts, NG15 0BS, from 10.00am to 3.30pm

If you recently missed the Business Doorstep Programme, here’s what some people have been saying about Nottinghamshire training event aimed at helping organisations get ahead.

"Very enjoyable and informative, good facilities, good guest speaker, good opportunities to network and share, thank you"
"A great fun action packed day Very informative"
"A good programme, good mix of presentation and exercises" Opportunities for networking always good. Excellent speaker - very inspiring"
“Very useful and thought provoking conversations”
“Excellent networking opportunities”
“Liked the Action Plan as a tool to focus our thoughts on the future!!”

The events are open to all voluntary groups, including Scouts, Toddler groups etc.

With funding for organisations becoming increasingly difficult it is important to keep up to date with the best ways of financing your organisation. That is why 32 organisations have already joined the South Nottinghamshire Alliance Business Doorstep Programme. At the end of the programme organisations taking part should have a much better understanding of the way business works and also take practical steps towards making their organisation more business minded. They will:-
• Be using important tools and tips for working with even the smallest of local businesses in their area – in many cases based on the same street.
• Have some examples of the things businesses do which could benefit their operation.
• Be making good links and connections with organisations that support the voluntary and community sector in their area to help strengthen what they are currently doing.
• Have the chance to work out where their organisation is now in terms of both relationships with the business community and the broader financial and organisational health of your group.

In addition, over the coming months the organisations will be able to take advantage of professional support in delivering their own action plan and share their successes.

If you are not interested yourself, but know someone who might be then please pass this on, thank you very much.

If you want to know more about the programme or to sign up to the training on 2nd or 4th July please contact:- Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire, Tel: 01623 727600 or Email: Melanie Saxton at msaxton@rcan.org.uk or by filling out the attached booking form and returning to Melanie Saxton, Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire, Newstead Centre, Tilford Road, Newstead Village, NOTTINGHAM, NG15 0BS

To download a booking form, please click here

An updated suite of seven essential documents for the volunteers who manage England’s 10,000 village halls is now available from ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England).
The charity runs a national advice service for village halls, helping them to cut through red tape and stay on the right side of the law.
The service is delivered through the 38 county-based rural community councils who make up the ACRE Network and is supported by AON (UK) Limited. ACRE is grateful to Jonathan Dawson, Solicitor, for his input and support in producing the model documents.
Electronic copies of the seven documents, which help volunteers to ensure their halls are well-managed, are available from Network members. For a small charge, ACRE can provide hard copies by post.

The documents are:
Transfer of Freehold Land and Trust Deed
Lease of Land and Trust Deed

Both of the above would be used by groups setting up a new hall charity, they are approved by the Charity Commission and groups registering a hall charity using one of these documents are likely to go through more smoothly and possibly quicker. They will become unincorporated trusts.

If a hall charity wants to become incorporated (i.e. a charitable company limited by guarantee) it can use the model Articles of Association for a Village Hall. It could choose to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and use Charity Commission approved CIO Constitution.
The Hiring Agreement should be used by all halls as it is the contract between the hall charity and the hirers of the hall. It safeguards both parties as it sets out what can and can’t be done, what licences are held by the hall and how certain issues should be dealt with such as fire or accident.
The Preliminary Declaration of Trust can be used by groups fundraising to build a hall. It safeguards the funds and sets out what should be done, for instance, with the funds if the group doesn’t reach their target and the hall is not built.
The Occupational Licence is for a hall charity to use if they want to let space for a year or so that is not used for charity purposes to another group for instance if a group want to set up a community shop, post office or nursery in an unused room. Using a Licence means that security of tenure of charity land and property is not being given to a commercial organisation.

To request a copy of either of these documents, then please contact Pam Baker at
pbaker@rcan.org.uk