RE: Acts 435 Update and Story of the Month

Hi Greg,

 

It’s on the Diocesan Website – I sign off the forms and do all the admin and we regularly get funding through.

 

Blessings

Ed

 

Ed Saville

Lead Officer - Social Responsibility Blackburn Diocese

Tel: 01254 503275

Mobile: 07912227144

ed.saville@blackburn.anglican.org

St Mary's House, Cathedral Close, Blackburn BB1 5AA

This e-mail and any attached files are confidential and may also be legally privileged. They are intended solely for the intended addressee. If you are not the addressee please e-mail it back to the sender and then immediately, permanently delete it. Do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it,

The Blackburn Diocesan Board of Finance Limited (by guarantee)

Registered in England

Registered Company Number 225457 

Registered Charity Number 247647

Registered Office Church House, Cathedral Close, Blackburn BB1 5AA

 

From: Greg Smith - Together Lancashire - PCAN [mailto:pcaninfo@gmail.com]
Sent: 23 September 2013 09:44
To: PCAN BLOG; PCAN facebook group; TL Blackpool Facebook Group; TLB Blog; Burnley Blog; Burnley facebook
Subject: Acts 435 Update and Story of the Month

 

Does anyone know of any Lancashire involvement in the ACTS 435 scheme?

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Jennifer Herrera

 

*****   STORY OF THE MONTH  *****

 

Topically with the start of the academic year our success story of the month comes from Suffolk where £35 was given through Acts 435 for school shoes:

 

V. came to us at the REACH Resource Centre in need of help for food.  Her partner works locally and only part time and minimum wage.  They are in receipt of Working Tax Credit, but when there was a mix up, a teary V came in to see us.  Fortunately we were able to help her sort out the issue with tax credits, supply her with food from the Foodbank and provide her with some emergency electric via a local support fund.  She still needed to get her son kitted out for his new school at the beginning of September and did manage some items, but was over the moon to receive money just in the nick of time to purchase a decent pair of school shoes.  An overjoyed V said "Thank you so much for the excellent and friendly service."

 

That’s what our participating churches and charities are seeking to do – serve others in a friendly, loving and effective way.  With poverty in the UK constantly in the news at the current time, there is a huge opportunity for churches to reach out to the needs of individuals and families in their local community, struggling to get by.

 

First Welsh requests posted! 

We are excited to announce that we have had our first requests posted in Wales.  You can view them here: http://acts435.org.uk/give/all-cats/wales/

Whilst the majority of our requests are still in England, we hope our small activity in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland expands soon as the word spreads.

 

Our Little Acts go a Long Way campaign has been running for 5 weeks now, though received more of a formal launch by our patron The Archbishop of York at the beginning of September.  He will also be contributing a guest blog next week so hoping that we can engage people in conversation as we gather new fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter.  It has raised interest with an interview on Premier Christian Radio a couple of weeks ago and a mention in the local press, but we are still seeking to get some interaction on the subject of Little Acts that go a Long Way.  Do keep the campaign in your prayers.

 

Finally, I just wanted to let you know that we have made a couple of changes to the categories by which requests can be filtered.  We have added White Goods and Furniture as a separate category rather than grouping it in housing, we have encompassed Bedroom Tax within the wider term Benefit Changes/Sanctions and corrected the oversight of not having a specific category for People with Disability.  We hope this all adds value to those reviewing our live requests with a view to donating.

 

Thank you for your time and have a good weekend.

 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

Kind regards

 

Jenny Herrera

 

Executive Director

Acts 435

 

Please email admin@acts435.org.uk if you wish to unsubscribe.  

 

 

 

 

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Acts 435 Update and Story of the Month

Does anyone know of any Lancashire involvement in the ACTS 435 scheme?

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Jennifer Herrera

 

*****   STORY OF THE MONTH  *****

 

Topically with the start of the academic year our success story of the month comes from Suffolk where £35 was given through Acts 435 for school shoes:

 

V. came to us at the REACH Resource Centre in need of help for food.  Her partner works locally and only part time and minimum wage.  They are in receipt of Working Tax Credit, but when there was a mix up, a teary V came in to see us.  Fortunately we were able to help her sort out the issue with tax credits, supply her with food from the Foodbank and provide her with some emergency electric via a local support fund.  She still needed to get her son kitted out for his new school at the beginning of September and did manage some items, but was over the moon to receive money just in the nick of time to purchase a decent pair of school shoes.  An overjoyed V said "Thank you so much for the excellent and friendly service."

 

That's what our participating churches and charities are seeking to do – serve others in a friendly, loving and effective way.  With poverty in the UK constantly in the news at the current time, there is a huge opportunity for churches to reach out to the needs of individuals and families in their local community, struggling to get by.

 

First Welsh requests posted! 

We are excited to announce that we have had our first requests posted in Wales.  You can view them here: http://acts435.org.uk/give/all-cats/wales/

Whilst the majority of our requests are still in England, we hope our small activity in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland expands soon as the word spreads.

 

Our Little Acts go a Long Way campaign has been running for 5 weeks now, though received more of a formal launch by our patron The Archbishop of York at the beginning of September.  He will also be contributing a guest blog next week so hoping that we can engage people in conversation as we gather new fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter.  It has raised interest with an interview on Premier Christian Radio a couple of weeks ago and a mention in the local press, but we are still seeking to get some interaction on the subject of Little Acts that go a Long Way.  Do keep the campaign in your prayers.

 

Finally, I just wanted to let you know that we have made a couple of changes to the categories by which requests can be filtered.  We have added White Goods and Furniture as a separate category rather than grouping it in housing, we have encompassed Bedroom Tax within the wider term Benefit Changes/Sanctions and corrected the oversight of not having a specific category for People with Disability.  We hope this all adds value to those reviewing our live requests with a view to donating.

 

Thank you for your time and have a good weekend.

 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

Kind regards

 

Jenny Herrera

 

Executive Director

Acts 435

 

Please email admin@acts435.org.uk if you wish to unsubscribe.  

 

 

 

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Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.3408 / Virus Database: 3222/6691 - Release Date: 09/22/13

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Preston Christian Action Network - Meetings for Autumn 2013 - email to whole network

 This Autumn instead of a regular full network meeting we are planning three events which will be an opportunity for PCAN members to come together:

***********************************

on Tuesday October 8^{th  from 7pm at}  

Fulwood Methodist Church....Garstang Road/Watling Street Road. Preston PR2 8EA

What can we do about Poverty in Lancashire?

Church Action on Poverty and Together Lancashire invite you to an evening to explore the causes and issues... and campaigning responses. 

 Click here to download full details;

***********************************

^{On Thursday 24th October from 7pm}

^{At Central Methodist Church, Lune Street}

^{Developing a Listening Ministry for Preston}

^{with Guest Speaker from the Listening Centre in Salisbury}

^{who will share the story of their work.} 

On behalf of the PCAN Listening sub group and Central Methodist Church I would like to invite you to an evening at Central Methodist on 24 October at 7pm. 

For nearly 2 years we have been focussing on developing listening skills and thinking about how important listening is in the city of Preston.  We know it happens in so many ways and at different times through different people but there have been discussions about a more formalised listening ministry for the many people who are lonely, isolated, bereaved, rejected or just struggling.  So on 24 October we're going to have an evening where we'll have a time of worship, share the vision, hear personal testimony and have a presentation from someone who has been running a listening ministry in Salisbury for 10 years (as well as sharing other stories).  It will be an opportunity to think about if and how we might make this vision become a reality. Publicity will be available from end of September but please put the date in diaries and spread the word.

^{Rev. Sue Griffiths – Central Methodist Church}

***********************************

Wednesday 20th November - 10am - 4pm (provisional)

in partnership with Preston City Council and Preston Faith Forum

"Faith in the Community - Partnership in tackling local poverty"

This is a strategic event and an opportunity for Church Leaders and activists to meet and engage with senior people in the Council, and the other statutory services. If we want to give a good impression that Christians are eager to work together with others for the welfare of our city it is important to have a good turnout of clergy and other leaders from a wide range of church backgrounds. Please mark the date in your diaries now and encourage others to attend.

for more details click here

 

 

 

 

 

Shalom

Greg Smith

Development Co-ordinator Together Lancashire / Preston Christian Action Network

Phone - Mobile 07726177044

Together Lancashire, registered office Church House, Blackburn BB1 5AA

Registered Charity no 1147848 Registered company no 07966145

Together Lancashire Website http://www.cuf.org.uk/together-lancashire

See also PCAN Website www.pcan.org.uk or and

BLOG http://prestonchristianactionnetwork.blogspot.com/ (you can sign up there to receive news and information updates by email)

Funded by 

Garfield Weston Foundation - Funding Advice Session

 

The Community Foundations for Merseyside & Lancashire in partnership with Garfield Weston Foundation are running an information and advice session to provide more details about funding available for registered Charities in Lancashire.

When? Tuesday 22nd October 2013 10:30am-12 noon

Where? Gujarat Hindu Society, GHS Centre, South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JN

Hear what Trustees are looking for, information on the application process and some application tips from Community Foundation grant managers.

This Information session is by booking only as limited places are available. To book your place please contact Tina Kennedy or Joan Ford on 0151 232 2444 or 

joan@lancsfoundation.org.uk

or 

tina@lancsfoundation.org.uk

More about Garfield Weston:

http://www.garfieldweston.org/

Predicted Financial Impact of Benefit Changes in 2015/16

 

We (LCC) have obtained results from the Local Government Association that detail the predicted effects of welfare benefit reforms. In 2015/16, it is estimated that the income of households claiming benefit will be on average lower by £1,615 a year (excludes the impact of universal credit). Five of the 14 Lancashire authorities were placed in the top 50 for estimated average losses. A total of 233,800 claimant households in the Lancashire 14-area are predicted to lose £402.1m in benefits in 2015/16 as a result of these changes.

 

13 of the 14 Lancashire local authorities are predicted to have a higher average loss per claimant household than the national outturn of £1,615. Only West Lancashire, with an average of £1,522, is expected to experience an average loss that will be lower than the norm.

One year on from the Paralympics, has anything changed?

New post on The Community Mission blog

 

 

 

http://communitymissionblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/one-year-on-from-the-paralympics-has-anything-changed/

Who Benefits

Who Benefits is a new campaign which Housing Justice encourages you to join and support

 

http://www.whobenefits.org.uk/page/content/who-we-are

The British Gas Energy Trust : Help for people in fuel debt / pverty

 

 

The British Gas Energy Trust Organisational Grant Programme

This may be of interest to money / debt advisers / advocates

http://www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/

The British Gas Energy Trust is an independent Charitable Trust (and one of a number of grant-making schemes) managed by Charis Grants.

The Trust's objective is to help British Gas customers meet arrears of gas or electricity charges and other household bills and costs (example: beds, cookers, washing machines, fridges, boiler repair or replacement) by providing direct grants to individuals and families on a discretionary basis.

As a result of a £20m donation from British Gas in 2011, the Trust established a grant programme to fund specialist advice workers to deliver energy awareness and fuel debt advice across areas of high fuel debt in the UK.

This programme has now been extended for another 2 years with a further cash injection of £10m.

The assessment criteria are based on a priority of need, which takes into account the customer's financial circumstances, and the context within which the arrears arose (example: reduction in working hours or loss of employment, relationship breakdown, rise in cost of living, sickness/illness, unexpected birth of child or death of a partner).

The chances of a successful application rely heavily on the expertise and support of the trained fuel debt advisers, who will have to obtain the necessary referrals from both internal sources and external agencies.

In order to avoid unnecessary delays when submitting the application, the customer must supply:

• an actual meter reading taken on the date the application is submitted (not necessary for those on prepayment meters)

• copy of a recent fuel bill

• proof of income (dated within last 3 months)

The application process itself takes several weeks (8-10 weeks) to complete and the customer must continue to make payments for their ongoing usage during that time.

If an award is successful, the customer will have to wait another 2 years before re-submitting a new application; if the customer is unsuccessful, there is no right of appeal, but they can re-apply after 6 months (or less if there is a change of circumstances). They will be informed why their application has failed.

Whilst the primary focus is to complete and submit applications for British Gas customers, we will still be able to help non-British Gas customers i.e. EDF, Npower by referring them to their own utility trusts and schemes for help with fuel debt, energy efficiency, and tariffs.

N.B. A customer with any other supplier will be able to apply on the BGET application form.

 

 

 

 

Shalom

Greg Smith

Development Co-ordinator Together Lancashire / Preston Christian Action Network

Phone - Mobile 07726177044

Together Lancashire, registered office Church House, Blackburn BB1 5AA

Registered Charity no 1147848 Registered company no 07966145

Together Lancashire Website http://www.cuf.org.uk/together-lancashire

See also PCAN Website www.pcan.org.uk or and

BLOG http://prestonchristianactionnetwork.blogspot.com/ (you can sign up there to receive news and information updates by email)

Funded by 

St WILFRID'S, PRESTON: FAITH & JUSTICE TALKS 2013

 

 

 

"AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

download the poster here

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/89023969/Who%20is%20my%20neighbour-%20poster.pdf

Fw: Preston Area Churches - forcoming events

To:  Churches in the Preston Area
 
1.  Food (tins) urgently needed - details below - The Salvation Army are VERY short of supplies for food parcels for needy families.  Please make this a priority for your Church (particularly if you have a Harvest Celebration coming up), more supplies are needed week by week.
 
2.  Saturday 21st Sept. 9.30am St Joseph's, Preston - first of Series of Talks on 'And Who is My Neighbour'.   See poster attached.
 
3.  Saturday 21st Sept. 2pm at St John's Minster, Preston - Launch of Preston Arts Week
 
4.  Tuesday 24th Sept. 7.30pm Faith Forum - Concert at Gujarat Hindu Centre
(poster was attached to last mailing, on 02.09.13)
 
5.  Friday 27th Sept. 7pm at St John's Minster, Preston - Prayers for the new Bishop of Blackburn, Julian Henderson.      

(Thurs 10 Oct - Consecration at York Minster, 
 Sat 19 Oct - Blackburn Cathedral - Welcome to Lancashire)
 
6. Forward Notice: Prayer Breakfasts continue . . next one . .
Saturday 2nd November 8am St Matthews Mission Hall.

Theme: 'Helping the Needy'.  Please note it in your diary, further details nearer the time.
 
 

St WILFRID'S, PRESTON: FAITH & JUSTICE TALKS 2013

"AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?"

A short series of talks based around Luke 10: 25-37 and some Christian responses.

21 September 2013: "Foodbanks and food poverty in the UK today "

Joey Ferrigno and Eamonn O'Brien, University of Manchester

Foodbanks are, sadly, now a fact of life. Why is this, and what can be done to address the scandal of food poverty in the UK? Students at Manchester University have set up the first student-run foodbank in the country and will tell us about their experience .

12 October 2013: "Catholic Social Teaching (and where it comes from)"

Steve Atherton, Justice and Peace fieldworker for the Archdiocese of Liverpool

Catholic Social Teaching in scripture and tradition, and as set out in the social encyclicals, forms the bedrock for many practical Christian initiatives today yet many are unaware of its content or of how the teaching influences action.

9 November 2013: "Helping the stranger in today's world"

Louise Zanre, Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service, London

JRS is an international Catholic organisation set up in 1980 by Fr Pedro Arrupé SJ as a spiritual and practical response to the plight of refugees. Its mission is to accompany, to serve and to plead the cause of refugees and forcibly displaced people.

14 December 2013: "Those on the margins of a society" (THOMAS)

Fr Jim McCartney, CEO of the THOMAS Project, Blackburn

THOMAS strives to provide a multidimensional approach to recovery from drug and alcohol addictions, encompassing rehabilitation, support intervention and advice intended to transform lives, driven by compassion and giving hope to each individual.

All talks take place in St Wilfrid's Parish Centre, Chapel Street, Preston on Saturdays at 9.30am (coffee is available from 9.00am) and will include a time for questions and discussion, and will end by 12 noon.

 
 
 
Further information:

1. The Salvation Army in Preston is in urgent need of non perishable food supplies to make food parcels.  Our cupboards are currently empty..... well nearly! We have lots of tins of soup and beans!

We are now having to go out and buy food supplies to make up parcels.  We are providing over 300 parcels each month to people in need therefore any help we can receive would be greatly appreciated!!!

We are in need of the following:

Pasta/Rice, Noodles, tinned spaghetti, tinned toms, tinned meat, tinned fish, rice pudding/custard, tinned vegetables and any other packet products.

Thank you for your help during this time. If your church, school or group do a Harvest Festival or collection donations to this would be much appreciated.

The Salvation Army, Harrington Street, Preston PR1 7BN

Ring 01772 555425 to check opening times for delivery of donations.

Sticky Faith: brilliant day event for Youth workers, children's workers, schools workers, Ministers, par

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Alison Parker

To: undisclosed-recipients:

Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2013 1:35 PM

Subject: Fwd: brilliant day event for Youth workers, children's workers, schools workers, Ministers, parents

On Saturday 9th November in  Preston there is a really good day to equip adults to help children, young people and students to grow a faith that sticks for life.

This event is built on the research and experience of the Sticky Faith project from USA, but is designed by local youth and children's workers to be relevant for you.

I would really recommend this day for churches wanting to put into practice the baptismal promises of the church community for each child to grow in the knowledge and love of God.

If you want to reador download the audio version the Sticky Faith book then visit your local Christian bookshop or online retailer.

or sign up for emails and resources from www.stickyfaith.org

There is a cost for the which includes lunch, but you do need to register in good time to be sure of a place and indeed of some food!

The venue is accessible from Preston bus and train station and by car.

Thank you, and happy new Methodist Church year.

Alison

--

Alison Parker

Methodist North West and Mann Regional Learning & Development Network (Coordinator)

Landline: 01524 840027

mobile:07799900474

The Cornerstone, Sulyard Street, Lancaster, LA1 1PX
Skype: alisonparkerskype

WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE IN GANGS CONFERENCE

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Dave Wiles

To: wiles119@aol.com

Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 9:03 AM

Subject: WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE IN GANGS CONFERENCE

There are still some places left at this important FREE conference - please consider your involvement and do share with your contacts and through other social media networks...

 

Many thanks - dave

 

WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE IN GANGS CONFERENCE

A FREE OPEN SPACE EVENT: We are all learners, we are all teachers, we are all experts and we are all novices! The 'Open Space' process used at this event will enable dialogue, learning, exploration and networking amongst those who work with young people who are in gangs.

When: Tuesday 1^st October 2013, 10.30 (for 11.00) until 15.30

Where: Carrs Lane Church Centre, Carrs Lane, Birmingham, B4 7SX

Who is the event for: Anyone who is working with young people who are in gangs or at risk of becoming involved in gang life (practitioners). This could include: youth workers, social workers, volunteers, paid staff, teachers,

Directions: see http://www.carrslane.co.uk/travel

Application and Booking: Sponsored by Worth Unlimited and it is free (lunch will be provided). There will be a £20 charge if you don't turn up on the day. To book on line go to http://worthunlimitedgangs.eventbrite.com.

Findings/Outcomes: These will belong to the group and will be circulated after the event. Worth Unlimited will be using them in an action research programme that they are developing with the Jerusalem Trust

 

Dave Wiles

Kite Flying Consultancy
'For People Working With And For People'

Land: 01225 873 846       Mobile: 07799108339
EMail: wiles119@aol.com        Web:  www.kiteflyingconsultancy.co.uk

Blog: http://kiteflyingconsultancy.wordpress.com/

Impact of the Welfare reform and benefit cuts policies

As mentioned at the social forum recently we are still trying to gather anonymised case studies of peoples encounters and difficulties with JC+ and the other benefits agencies... Our questionnaire is at

 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/storiesfromprestonbenefitcuts

 

If you are willing to share your stories please click the link and tell us what you can... Please circulate this widely.. Thanks..

 

Shalom

Greg Smith

Development Co-ordinator Together Lancashire / Preston Christian Action Network

Phone - Mobile 07726177044

Together Lancashire, registered office Church House, Blackburn BB1 5AA

Registered Charity no 1147848 Registered company no 07966145

Together Lancashire Website http://www.cuf.org.uk/together-lancashire

See also PCAN Website www.pcan.org.uk or and

BLOG http://prestonchristianactionnetwork.blogspot.com/ (you can sign up there to receive news and information updates by email)

Funded by 

Hungry for More

 

The new CUF research on Food poverty is just out  see http://www.cuf.org.uk/hungry-for-more

CUF's Tackling Poverty Together Conference with ++Justin 13th November 2013

Together Lancashire may be able to offer some subsidy for train travel to this event...(Tip... unless you have a railcard its probably a lot cheaper to go down to London the night before )   Please contact us if you are interested..

----- Original Message -----

From: Church Urban Fund

To: pcaninfo@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, September 09, 2013 10:01 AM

Subject: Tackling Poverty Together Conference

If you are having problems reading this e-mail please click here

Tackling Poverty Together Conference: 13th November 2013 We are delighted to welcome Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, as our conference keynote speaker. The conference will inspire and equip Christians and churches who are working with the poorest people to transform their lives and communities. We want to celebrate and showcase what the church is doing to tackle poverty, and explore how we can respond effectively and appropriately to the needs around us. The day will include workshops on key issues such as asset-based community development, credit unions, urban theology, responding to universal credit and how to recruit and retain volunteers. Venue, the Old Town Hall, Stratford, home of the Olympics. Tickets are £10 each, which includes lunch and refreshments. Booking is now open. Spaces are limited so please book straight away at https://tacklingpovertytogether.eventbrite.com/ Poverty App and Look-Up Tool We have recently launched a new app that allows you to enter your postcode or your location via GPS and see where your parish ranks, nationally or within the diocese, on ten different poverty indicators including child poverty, pensioner poverty and life expectancy. This app and the accompanying web-based tool incorporates the latest Census data and other more recent data sets and reveals the marked inequality that exists in England. In affluent parishes, less than 1% of children live in poverty and boys can expect to live for 85 years or more. In the most deprived parishes, up to two thirds of children live in poverty and male life expectancy is less than 70 years. Poverty is heavily concentrated in the north of England and in urban and coastal areas, with almost half of all parishes in Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester in the 10% most deprived in England. By contrast, no parishes in Guildford, Hereford or Salisbury diocese rank in the 10% most deprived. The Tackling Poverty Together App is available from the Apple App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android. The new data is also available on the website. Read the 4-page summary report on Poverty in Numbers 2013 » How are churches responding to the issue of food poverty? Church Urban Fund has just published a new report about food poverty. This report, called 'Hungry for More: how churches can address the root causes of food poverty', reflects on how churches are responding to this growing issue.  Using responses to a recent survey, it explores whether churches are providing emergency relief, supporting people in crisis situations when they are unable to buy food, or whether they are helping to tackle the underlying causes of those crises and so contribute to a long-term solution to food poverty. Download our key findings here.  Forward this email to someone else Bookmark with: Facebook Twitter Google+ Follow us on Twitter    Become a friend on Facebook    Visit our Youtube page    Church Urban Fund, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ T 020 7898 1647    F 020 7898 1601    E enquiries@cuf.org.uk    W www.cuf.org.uk Registered Charity number 297483. Want to unsubscribe?

'£37 a week pay drop' in Lancashire

 

 

Workers in Lancashire are earning an average of £37 per week less than they were five years ago, a TUC survey has revealed. Earnings in the county have fallen by 8.3 per cent in real terms as wage rises have not kept pace with inflation and rising costs. The average hourly rate has fallen from £11.32 in 2007 to £10.38 in 2012. That means £37.63 per week less in workers' pockets. The North West is the hardest hit region in the UK. Here average hourly pay has fallen from £11.43 in 2007 to £10.52 in 2012 – an eight per cent real terms drop.

http://www.lep.co.uk/news/business/37-a-week-pay-drop-in-lancashire-1-6011665

News from CURBS for those involved in Children's work

From: CURBS Project

Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2013 5:50 PM

Subject: Re: Your term ahead

Hello CURBS friend,

 

As we start another new term and school year its often a time of mixed emotions for us personally and in our ministry with children...so please remember that the CURBS Project is here to cheer you on, offer you relevant resources and connect you with others working with children in our tougher communities across the UK.

 

One of the key values of the CURBS Project is 'putting relationship at the heart of our understanding, learning and growth'. It is your relationship with children that has a deep impact as you share our live giving gospel...but this is a tough challenge and often at times seems to bear little fruit. CURBS is committed to supporting you and encouraging you so please use us! You are welcome to call or keep in touch through twitter, facebook or email. Its important that we have positive relationships around us as we seek to offer those to children and families.

 

All our resources are written by Christians connecting with children and are built on our CURBS approach that believes 'all children are created in God's image and that through positive relationships we build bridges to enable them to experience God's loving care'. They can be used in many contexts including sunday school, afterschool club, holiday club or all age gatherings. Here is a small selection of what is available on our website (www.curbsproject.org.uk):

 

Paradise Road will connect with children that love TV soap operas and stories! 

The sessions are based on Paradise Road - a mixed community with people of different ages, personalities and racial origins trying to learn how to on with one another. Themes explored include: bullying, loss/separation, disability, growing friendships, forgiveness, valuing others and building community. This resource for children aged 5-11 will help them develop constructive relationships, deal with difficulties and sadness in a positive way, and discover that God cares about the way they relate to others and others relate to them.

 

One Day Wonders includes 12 great themes for different times of the year and is especially for those of you who struggle to run a regular weekly group.Can be used primarily with children or for all-age events. Includes crafts, Bible stories, games, thinking activities—all designed to build relationships. All events have been tried and tested in real situations. We have had really positive feedback about this resource from people that have dipped in and out of the ideas through the year.

 

 

Unmasking Halloween is a resource focussed on exploring and reclaiming the positive aspects of Halloween, recognising that God is all-powerful. This pick and mix kit is for 5-11s and explores the different angles of this 'hot potato' and where we might draw the line. Explores aspects that hold a fascination for kids: the scary, the gross, the unknown, the dark. Looks at questions to weigh up and reclaims aspects of Halloween that we sometimes avoid. Includes a range of activities including discussion starters, crafts, games, baking, exploring the Bible, finding out activities..

 

And finally....some comments from people that have used our CURBS resources....

 

"Its great to have bible based material to draw from its allowed me to get others involved in doing bits which are easily laid out and that they can follow - that's new for our folk and hopefully is also helping to grow the Church".

"What really works is the fact that the Paradise Road stories start with an issue and then move to a Bible perspective rather than the other way round and this leads to lively and hopefully thought provoking discussion".

"...we used Peacemakers Holiday club material this summer, it was the best response we have had here about the material covered".

"We've been using CURBS resources for nearly a year now, and they are the only ones that are written with our kind of children in mind. Most other resources expect a far higher level of literacy, ability to concentrate and sit still, and general cultural literacy/experience than our children have".

 

Please also find below  an information flyer for an event we are hosting in November in Birmingham for those of you who are connecting with children and families of other faiths. Please pass this on to anyone who would be interested.

 

With many blessings for your term ahead,

 

Kate and the CURBS team

 

www.curbsproject.org.uk

follow https://twitter.com/CURBSProject

like www.facebook.com/curbsproject

 

 

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The Localism Act - What does this mean for your community organisation?

 

A free seminar hosted by Blackburn with Darwen Community & Voluntary Service providing an introduction to the new legislation and how it works in practice.

Localism is a key policy of the coalition government which has set out its vision for how the community can have more powers to run its own affairs.

This seminar will cover:

• The Localism Bill
• The Community Right to Challenge
• Community Right to Buy (Assets of Community Value)

This is event is free to attend and  aimed to help support and develop your Social Enterprise/Community Organisation.

Event Date: 

Thursday, 26 September, 2013 - 13:00 to 16:00

Contact Details: 

If you have any problems booking please email tracy@selnet-uk.com or call Tracy on 01772 200690.

Booking LInk: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/7503054839