Information
Bulletin www.worcesteralliance.org.uk April 2011
Welcome to your update on what’s happening with the Worcester Alliance – the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) for Worcester – and its member organisations.
In this Issue
1. Dates for your diary 2. Single Sustainable Strategy Consultation 3. University of Worcester 4. Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust 5. Climate Change & Transition 6. Community Engagement Forum 7. Nexus Housing 8. Charity & Voluntary Sector 9. Warndon & Gorsehill 10. Worcestershire County Council
1. Dates for your diary
Worcester Alliance Management Group meeting
To date, none scheduled
Worcester Alliance Forum meeting
To date, none scheduled
Warndon & Gorsehill Forum
Thursday 16th June 2011 – venue TBC (Contact Francesca Davies – [email protected])
Community Engagement Forum
Tuesday 14th June 2011, 6pm-8pm West Mercia Police HQ, Hindlip, WR3 8SP
(Contact Deb Fletcher – [email protected])
Transition Worcester Core Group meeting
Tuesday 10th May 2011 7.30pm-9.30pm The Guildhall, Worcester, WR1 2EY and Tuesday 14th June 2011 7.30pm-9.30pm The Guildhall, Worcester, WR1 2EY (Contact Ruth Johnson – [email protected] 1 2. Single Sustainable Community Strategy
Consultation on the Single Sustainable Community Strategy for Worcestershire
You may recall the document ‘Worcester Forward’ which to date has been our Sustainable Community Strategy for Worcester setting out our vision and priorities for the city. This will not be updated but instead, along with the other five district councils, we will have a chapter in the proposed County Single Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) which was approved last September by the Worcestershire Partnership.
The purpose of the SCS is to set out the strategic vision for the future of Worcestershire and to focus on activity needed in the short term to improve the quality of life of people who live, visit or work in the County.
Having a single SCS enables County and District Local Strategic Partnerships (LSP’s) to streamline their processes and articulate priorities in light of reduced resources. It also improves links between countywide theme groups and the delivery of priorities in districts, and helps establish a robust local vision to underpin future and flexible partnership delivery arrangements.
Following agreement by the Worcestershire Partnership Board a 12-week consultation period on the three draft priorities that have been identified for Worcestershire will now follow.
This consultation will run from Thursday 14th April to Thursday 7th July 2011.
Alongside gathering priorities on a countywide level, District LSP’s have been identifying their own priorities on a local level. These are included for information and where identified comments are invited directly to their LSP Manager – please see attachments.
It is proposed that for the future monitoring arrangements of the revised SCS there be a small number of high level outcome measures which will provide an overall assessment of the progress towards the vision and the three main priorities. In addition to these would be a larger number of proxy performance indicators which would be established to assess delivery against the targets within the three priorities related to local decision-making partners.
Your contribution and comments on Worcestershire's draft priorities are welcome including some specific questions where your views would be particularly valuable. Your comments will be carefully considered and a note of what action has been taken will be published on our website at the end of the consultation period.
Responses and any comments about this consultation should be returned by writing to the Worcestershire Partnership, County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester WR5 2PN or by email to [email protected] and should be received no later than 5pm on Thursday 7th July 2011.
The consultation document will also be available on the Worcestershire Partnership website at: www.worcestershirepartnership.org.uk 2
A summary of responses to this consultation paper will be published on the Worcestershire Partnership website within three months of the closing date of this consultation. Unless you specifically state that your response, or any part of it, is confidential, we shall assume that you have no objection to it being made publicly available.
For further information on this consultation document please contact Alan Smith [email protected] 01905 822836.
3. University of Worcester
University’s Men’s Basketball Team Take Championship Title for Fifth Time
The University of Worcester’s Men’s Basketball Team has been crowned British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) champions for the fifth time. The Team beat Durham 76-70 in the final of the annual contest to take the title. The championships were held in Sheffield at the weekend.
Mick Donovan, Head of the University’s Institute of Sport and Exercise Science, said: “This is an incredible achievement. It is the fifth time in the last seven years that Worcester has now won the basketball championships, a clear demonstration of the talent and commitment of our young players.”
The team were coached by Paul James, who is also head coach of England Men’s and BBL side, Worcester Wolves.
Basketball plays a significant role in the University’s sport-related educational outreach work and has been an integral part of the University’s highly successful Learning Through Sport outreach programme for children.
The University also runs the European MSc in Basketball Coaching in partnership with the Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education and the Lithuanian Basketball Federation endorsed by FIBA Europe and significantly the University is due to host the World Ranked Lithuanian National Team in their preparations for the 2012 Olympics. Each year an estimated 100 students apply from around the world for basketball bursaries and scholarships at the University, of which only a handful are awarded.
3 4. Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
We can now advise of the appointment of four Trust Directors for the new Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust that has been created to manage community and mental health services in the county.
Director of Finance – Robert Mackie is currently Acting Chief Executive of Walsall PCT
Director of Quality (Executive Lead Nurse) – Sandra Brennan is currently the Director of Quality and Executive Lead Nurse for NHS Worcestershire
Director of Service Delivery - Jan Ditheridge is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Director of Strategy and Business Development – Simon Trickett is currently the Director of Communications and Corporate Development for NHS Worcestershire
This follows the appointment of the Chief Executive Sarah Dugan, Chairman Chris Burdon and four non-executive directors:
The appointment of the Director of Medical Development and Board Secretary will be made shortly.
The non-executive directors began in their roles on 1st April 2011, before assuming their full non-executive responsibilities on the new Board when the Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust is formally established on 1st July 2011.
Martin Connor is a qualified accountant from Worcester. He is currently a non- executive director for the RAC Pension Scheme and Chair of their Audit and Governance Committee. He is also the Treasurer of DIAL, a Worcester-based disability charity that provides information and support for people with disabilities and their families. Mr Connor previously worked for the Department of Work and Pensions and spent 20 years working for the RAC in a variety of senior management roles. Jill Gramann who is from Kidderminster, is a Magistrate and currently the Chairman of the Kidderminster Bench. She ran her own marketing research company, focussing on customer satisfaction as well as the development of new products and services, for over 30 years. Mrs Gramann has recent experience of working with Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust as a member of review panels hearing appeals by patients on section under the Mental Health Act. She is a former Director and Trustee of disability charity SCOPE, and currently fulfils the same roles with the British Institute of Learning Disability. Peter Lachecki who lives near Upton-upon-Severn, has his own marketing and management consultancy and has held previous senior marketing and general management roles at Kraft Foods, both in the UK and Internationally. He is also a non-executive director for Gloucester Cathedral Enterprises and is a member of the governing body of King’s School in Gloucester.
4 Colin Phillips from Worcester is a qualified barrister and is currently a non- executive director of Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. He has recently been appointed to the Board of Trustees for Sight Concern in Worcestershire and has previous experience of working in the voluntary sector with roles as a Governor for two schools in Worcester and as a local Councillor.
5. Climate Change & Transition
Contacts: Robert Wilkins [email protected]
Ruth Johnson Sustainability Officer, Worcester City Council [email protected] www.transitionworcester.org.uk 01905 722 056
Food Group News and Plant Swap The food group are currently planning their next event – Plant Swap on 30th April 2011. Come and see us outside the Guildhall from 11am -3pm, we’ll have some interesting plants to swap (and some to give away for a donation!). Please contact Rod Howell to find out more on 01905 425596
Climate Week – Our Climate Challenge
“Save the planet, save the pounds: Develop a green idea to save money or make money”
Our hardy team of 6 embraced the Climate Challenge set by Climate Week and have come up with a fantastic proposal (see our website for more details!).
As well as submitting an excellent proposal to the national judging panel, being part of the world’s biggest live environmental competition had been fun too. Comments 5 made by the team included ‘we’ll definitely do it again’, ‘we don’t mind if we win or not, it was a great thought process to go through’ and ‘it really was challenging!’ It seems as though the Climate Challenge has achieved a great deal. Thanks to all the team, who stuck out 5 hours together!
Transition Worcester's AGM Our AGM was held on Wednesday 20 April 2011. Why not have a look at our website www.transitionworcester.org.uk for a summary of how this evening went? We had an open space forum after the business side of the evening was complete.
Eco-Communities Conference Eco-Communities Conference - Wednesday 25th May 2011 - University of Worcester City Campus - 9.30am -4.00pm
This day will be a great opportunity to learn from two projects, one Worcester based and the other Oxford based. The day includes a choice of four interactive workshops and will be focused on practical action. Workshops are: * Whole school & community approach to Learning for Sustainability * Eco-Homes: engaging local families and visitors in sustainability * Partnership working for community action on climate change * Supporting energy saving & sustainability in community buildings
This interactive, one-day event is aimed at those who work in the field of supporting communities – including schools, public buildings, community centres and community groups- with improving their sustainability, particularly minimising waste, reducing carbon emissions through energy use and creating greater awareness of sustainable living.
The fee of £60 includes attendance at all the conference sessions, lunch and refreshments and online access to all the presentations after the event. There are only 85 places so people are urged to get booking as soon as possible (closing date for bookings is Wednesday 18th May 2011) through the booking form available at http://www.transitionworcester.org.uk/?p=2323 .
Any enquiries relating to this event can be directed to Stacey Passey [email protected] 01905 766737
Keeping in touch with Transition Worcester Are you on Facebook? Do you use Twitter? Please ‘like’ or ‘follow us’ on each site; it's a great way of keeping in touch with people regularly. It also gives you a good chance to join in conversations very easily as we often post news items that we hope will be of interest to our followers. So, join in, comment when we post something you like, or even something you don't like, and enjoy keeping in touch with the Transition Worcester community. It'll be great to see you on there! www.facebook.com/transistionworcester www.twitter.com/transitionworc
6 6. Community Engagement Forum
Next Community Engagement Forum meeting will be held on Tuesday 14th June 2011 6.00pm – 8.00pm West Mercia Police HQ, Hindlip.
For more details please contact Worcester City Council’s Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator [email protected] 01905-722425
Forum founder Deb Fletcher with Chair Robbie Porter
Robbie Porter, Chair of the forum, would like to extend an invitation to the next meeting. Topics for the next agenda include West Mercia Police’s Community Engagement, Young Carers from the Worcester’s Youth Forum and Worcester City Council’s Planning department on the city’s Masterplan.
7. Nexus Housing
Nexus Housing News
Local Offers We have been working with our customers to develop two ‘Local Offers’ that are an extension of the Tenant Services Authority National Standards:
Blackpole Local Offer – this is focusing on addressing issues raised by residents in a survey last year in the Goldsmith Road and Saddlers Walk area of Worcester. We have worked with residents in the area to join forces with a neighbouring Residents Association and now have a strong committee in place, ‘The BFG’ (Blackpole and Fairmount Group). The Committee are now working with us to draw up an action plan that will focus on how to improve the garage courts and reduce anti-social behaviour in the area. Working Together Better – this project involves us working closely with our customers to deliver the Group Customer Service Excellence Strategy.
Extension of Financial Support Project We have decided to extend our Financial Support Project that provides benefits, income, debt and savings advice to our customers for a further twelve months. The 7 project has been extremely successful since it started eighteen months ago and over the next year, we will be reviewing our Income Management and Financial Support services across the whole Group to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of our customers.
New Projects Our Board have recently approved funding the following new projects for the next twelve months:
Nexus has now become a full funding partner of the Worcestershire Family Intervention Project. We have topped up our ‘Community Fund’. This fund is held by our Customer Panel that makes decisions on applications from customer and community groups and other external agencies for financial support of community based projects. We have been able to provide financial support to Armchair, a local furniture recycling charity that is used by many of our residents.
For further information about these projects or Nexus Housing, please contact: Catherine Cole, Assistant Director, Nexus Housing, 2 Apex Park, Wainwright Road, Worcester, WR4 9FN. Telephone: 01905 342600 Email: [email protected] or visit our website www.nexushousing.co.uk
8. Charity and Voluntary Sector
Volunteers’ Week 2011 – Worcester’s Volunteering Fair
Come and celebrate Volunteers’ Week 2011 with us at The Guildhall on Friday 3rd June 2011. Previous events have been a lot of fun and have been very successful for networking.
We are therefore inviting organisations to register to join us for this event. Due to the limitations imposed on us by the space available, successful registration will be on a ‘first come – first served’ basis so do register early! Any organisations able to have interactive displays will be particularly welcome.
Details of the event are noted below:
Event Times: 10.30am – 2.30pm Refreshments: Tea and coffee provided throughout the day Access: Guildhall building open from 9.15am Parking Guildhall car park for loading/unloading only. Facilities: The nearest car park to the Guildhall is Copenhagen Street car park. Cost: £5 per table (cheques made payable to Worcester Volunteer Centre) Cancellation: A cancellation charge of £20 will be made for failure to attend on the day or cancellations with less than 5 working days notice. 8 If you would like any more information, please contact Bev or Sally [email protected] 01905 24741 www.worcestervolunteercentre.org.uk
St Richard’s Hospice
St Richard’s Hospice Snowdrops Community Care Centre is now open offering help to even more people in the county. The hospice received £600,000 towards the cost of the building from the Government and the remaining £374,000 was raised from Trusts and grants, generous donations and from hospice reserves.
The new building will allow staff to support extra patients in the community and more carers and family members. Plans include expanding and developing group work and offering nurse-led clinics and joint clinics with other specialists. The Family Support Team plans increasing pre-death support for the growing number of patients and families; more meetings and drop in sessions and an increase in bereavement support.
St Richard’s Chief Executive Mark Jackson said, “It’s fantastic to see this lovely building which has grown so rapidly since the first turf was turned in August last year. We are really looking forward to opening the Snowdrops Centre to help us care for more people in the community. We are very grateful to all those who donated to make this possible.” He added, “We already care and support more than 2,100 patients and family members each year. These are mainly patients living with cancer and increasingly other life-threatening diseases such as Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and cardiac failure. However there are many more people dying from other causes who would benefit hugely from general palliative care as well as their families and carers. This new building will allow St Richard’s to use our expertise to help even more people.”
The St Richard’s Nurse Specialists, Hospice at Home carers and Family Support Teams will help more people and meet the increasing demand for care across the community as identified in the NHS Worcestershire End of Life Care Strategy. A Carers’ Project will also expand to help far greater numbers of people across the community. St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and supports their families. Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 16-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers.
In the In-patient Unit specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if they so choose, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is grateful for all donations towards the £5m they need to raise this year to continue their work. For more information please visit www.strichards.org.uk
9 Charity event
Charity event on Friday 1st July 2011 in aid of Worcester Breast Unit and Worcester Three Choirs Festival 2011
Please see attachments for application form and details of polo day at Beaufort Polo Club. For more information, please contact Debbie Liggins 01905- 616200
Sight Concern Worcestershire - “LOOK AFTER YOUR EYES!”
That’s the message from Sight Concern Worcestershire, as they launch a new project called EYES RIGHT.
Over fifty per cent of sight loss in the UK is avoidable but it’s so easy to take sight for granted and far too many people don’t look after their eyes. Often, deterioration can be halted and sight can be saved if the problems are detected early – that’s why it is so important to have regular eye tests.
The aim of the EYES RIGHT Project is to improve the eye health of people in Worcestershire and the Eyes Right team, headed by Irene Hodgetts, will be out in the community delivering free workshops to encourage people to look after their eyes. This will include advice on keeping eyes healthy by eating beneficial foods, giving up smoking and by offering a simple screening test to check eye health and, where appropriate, recommending a full eye test or further advice.
If your community group would like a visit from the Eyes Right Team then we’d like to hear from you - please contact Irene Hodgetts at Sight Concern Worcestershire [email protected] 01905 723245 `
FOR RENT - Worcester Office Space available
Asha Women’s Centre is based at 10 Bath Road in Worcester WR5 3EJ at the old doctor’s surgery - Haresfield House. We are a small charity and need to generate income from our lovely centre.
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We have 2 separate self contained and secure office suites to let. 1. Ground Floor - just refurbished
Two linked (open doorway) rooms (approx 3.25m x 5.3 m each) with toilet, kitchen sink, own front door £450 per month incl VAT
2. First Floor
Two rooms (approx 3.2m x 5.67m & 2m x 2.9m) with toilet & sink (approx 1m x 2.9m). Shared access to car park and own main door on first floor £360 per month incl VAT
We can also offer (at additional cost): Car parking spaces
Reception service
IT & broadband
Meeting rooms and interview rooms on a sessional basis
Catering
Cleaning & Maintenance
Utilities
Annual rent increases apply in line with our lease. If you are interested and require further information or would like to visit, please contact Jane Fish, Finance & Admin Manager on: 01905 767552 [email protected]
9. Warndon & Gorse Hill
Warndon, Gorse Hill & Tolladine News
Building at Warndon Community Centre is rapidly developing as work continues on creating the new centre which will bring benefits and opportunities across the whole Warndon community. Whilst the new structure has been growing outside the next few weeks will see the joining of the old and the new as building works begin to change the inside of the old centre.
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March marked the end of a packed winter environmental project in Warndon that has seen local communities come together to plant up to 80 trees and over 2000 wildflowers on the park.
On another note, a group of young people and senior citizens who worked together to create the mural which adorns the wall of the Warndon Community Centre on a 'Generations Together' project have won a Tryangle Award in the citizenship and community category. On Thursday 17th March 2011, 4 young people and 5 older adults went to receive the award at the Council Chambers. They all really enjoyed the event, which recognised their efforts and creativity.
The local Fairfield Learning Centre's recent range of new courses (including hairdressing, horticulture, sports coaching, business, child-care and retail - which are aimed at adults who want to learn new or build on existing skills) has seen 150 enrolments this January, a 22% increase on last year. A local youth group has recently been using the hair salon facilities once a week under the expert instruction of a tutor from the centre.
Offenders are working across the area carrying out community pay-back work targeting some key ‘grot spots’, while the local environmental warden continues to respond rapidly to problems such as fly-tipping and litter across the area. The Community Safety Partnership are also working to deliver a new smart water home safety campaign in the area in order to protect up to 500 homes from burglaries.
Throughout February a series of free health MOTs were delivered across the patch where many community members got involved to obtain a quick check on the state of their health, and subsequent signposting to relevant treatments and support.
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the biggest sporting event ever to take place in this country -but it's not just about two weeks of sport in London! It's a four year cultural celebration right across the UK. To begin the final countdown to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, Worcester Community Games will take place at KGV Playing Field's on Saturday 30th July 2011.The Worcester Community Games is a way to help bring our community together to take part in sporting and cultural events inspired by and in celebration of London 2012.
12 This event will be part of the countywide build up to London 2012.The aim is to inspire local people from all backgrounds to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games through participation in physical and cultural activities.
Olympian and Chair of the West Midlands Leadership Group for London 2012 David Moorcroft OBE at the Community Games launch, Stoke-on-Trent on 15th March 2011
Back: David Moorcroft OBE, Sarah Macky, Edd Terry Front: Sian Neville-Grey, Jude Langton, Sandra Kennedy
What’s On in your local area?
The Big Lunch Event @ The Tolly Centre - Sunday 5th June 2011
Unity in the Community Event @ KGV Playing Fields - Saturday 2nd July 2011
Worcester Community Games @ KGV Playing Fields - Saturday 30th July 2011
If you would like to contribute to future What’s On in Your Local area issues please contact your local Neighbourhood Coordinator, Francesca Davies [email protected] 07768 055 191.
You can also visit the blog page about all the local events in your area, covering Brickfields, Warndon, Tolladine, Fairfields, and Gorse Hill. Go to: www.worcesternortheast.org.uk
10. Worcestershire County Council
Worcestershire Viewpoint - Big reasons to sign up for local opinion panel
Big society, public sector budget cuts and major changes to council services are just some of the reasons why more people should sign up to a local research panel, according to Worcestershire County Council.
The Worcestershire Viewpoint panel gathers public opinion about services provided by the County Council, the county's six district councils, NHS Worcestershire and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service. 13
The next major survey is due to be issued in May, so anyone who wants to be sure of having a say is urged to register as soon as possible by visiting www.worcestershire.gov.uk/viewpoint
Recent surveys have asked for panel members' views about a wide range of subjects, from budget priorities and community safety to customer services and improvements to their local area. The results are used to keep key decision-makers informed about public opinion, concerns and priorities. The council says that residents' feedback is more important than ever as public sector organisations have to change the way they deliver local services.
Councillor Simon Geraghty, Worcestershire County Council's Cabinet Member for Planning, Economy & Performance, said: "There are so many reasons why people of all ages and backgrounds should sign up to Worcestershire Viewpoint. Panel members are guaranteed a chance to have a say about major changes to services, which is even more important in the light of public sector budget reductions and the move to create a stronger role for communities. The way that we and our partners provide services is changing, so it's vital that local people tell us what they think and feel about the changes and how we can do things in a more effective and efficient way. Signing up is easy, convenient and makes a real contribution to shaping policy."
Registering is a simple process at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/viewpoint, where more information is also available. Free internet access is provided in the County Council's network of public libraries and local Worcestershire Hub customer centres.
For more information, please contact Claire Bloss, Principal Research Officer 01905 822020 [email protected]
Worcestershire County Council is offering Worcestershire residents over the age of 18 the opportunity to borrow a bike for six months at no cost to see whether two wheels are better than four.
14 Why cycle? Cycling saves money, saves time and will help you work towards a healthy lifestyle. Cycling is often quicker than using a car during peak journey times and there is never a problem finding a parking space or change for the parking machine. Cycling will kick start your day and get you to work feeling energised and ready for the challenges ahead.
The bikes The bikes supplied are modern hybrids in a variety of sizes and styles equipped with pannier racks, lights, mudguards, a goody bag and a cycling map of Worcester. The bikes chosen for this scheme are comfortable, practical and have plenty of gears…perfect for whizzing around town or commuting to work. We strongly recommend that you use a helmet.
How does it work? You can borrow a bike for a period of six months after providing a refundable deposit of £75, photo ID and a proof of address. Your deposit will be refunded when you return the bike. If your bike is stolen the theft must be reported to the police and a crime reference number provided, otherwise your deposit will not be returned.
Visit: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cycleloanscheme or call 01905 619068
And finally from your editor…….
Many thanks to all who have contributed to this bumper April issue. Best wishes to you and your families for a happy, and hopefully sunny, Easter break. Deb
Community Engagement & Partnerships Coordinator, Orchard House, Worcester City Council. 01905-722425 Email: [email protected]
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