We are going to take the opportunity over the holiday season to close Macc at 4pm on 24th December and we will reopen on 2nd January 2025.

We know that many of our friends and colleagues in the local VCSE sector will be working harder than ever over Christmas providing practical support and help across the city.

Macc’s team have put in place a rota to respond to emergency enquiries. If you have an urgent problem that you think Macc can help with, you can contact us during the Christmas period via email: christmas@macc.org.uk or telephone 0333 321 3021 and leave a message. This will be regularly monitored by members of Macc’s management team.

For cost of living and other resources, please visit our website here

To attend our training courses / webinars participants must be from voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations within the city of Manchester unless otherwise stated.

This session focuses on the legal obligations of managing volunteers.

The session aims to give coordinators of volunteers a better understanding of their legal obligations in managing their volunteers effectively. It covers employment law, health and safety and lone working.

The course is appropriate for trustees, committee members and paid staff responsible for making decisions about volunteers.

At the end of this session, learners should be able to:

• Identify areas of the law that relate to involving volunteers
• Recognise ways to reduce risks and potential legal challenges around involving volunteers
• Understand how to create good practice in involving volunteers in your organisation

We invite you to participate in an important conversation aimed at fostering communities where everyone feels safe, valued and connected. This event will bring together a diverse group of participants, including community leaders, frontline staff, volunteers, statutory colleagues and representatives from across various sectors, to share insights and explore best practices.

Together, we will look at actionable solutions that enhance safety and well-being in our neighbourhoods. By leveraging the collective knowledge, experience of our attendees and harnessing the power of place within our local communities, we aim to cultivate environments that not only promote cohesion but also ensure that all individuals feel a genuine sense of belonging.

During the event we will hear from Jeannine Burke (BeParTOfChanGe), Damian Dallimore (GM Violence Reduction Unit Director and GM Lead for tackling serious and organised crime), Julie Wharton (Hideaway Director) and more to be announced.

Are you a voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) who want to explore corporate partnerships? If so, this Zoom session will offer a unique insight from a business perspective into this type of work.

BAM Construction UK are a leading construction management company working in the public and private sector. They construct, refurbish, extend and repurpose buildings from their network of offices across England, Scotland and Wales.

Katie Tilyard from the company joins us to share about their experiences of working with the VCSE sector, offering her insights and top tips for groups. Working on social value projects for BAM now, she has previously worked for Sheffield Business Together which works in partnership with Business in the Community and the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce connecting meaningful business partnerships with VCSEs.

Attending this session will enable you to:

• Hear directly from a business about their experiences of working with VCSEs
• Gain inspiration hearing about successful partnerships
• Explore with other VCSEs how their relationships with businesses came about
• Have the opportunity to discuss progress and get feedback on current approaches you are taking in this area of work
• Make connections to enable collaboration and support for future projects

This webinar will have interactive and discussion-based elements, and will broadly cover:

• Different methods of recruitment
• How and why data and research on volunteering can influence recruitment and retention
• Developing a volunteering programme
• Reward and recognition for volunteers

In June 2024, Anushka Swannell, a Volunteer Development Worker at Macc, has done a piece of research on ‘The Current Climate of Student Volunteering in Greater Manchester.’ We invite you to the launch event for this research, where she will outline her findings and key policy recommendations. There will also be opportunities for you to discuss your experience as a student volunteer, or involving student volunteers, and how we can improve this in future.

This event aims to bring together a diverse range of voices involved in student volunteering: volunteer managers; university and student union staff; VCSE sector staff; volunteer development workers and students themselves.

Together we will learn about Anushka’s findings from her extensive research and hear about how we can implement the policy recommendations produced. It is vitally important that all members of the sector impacted by student volunteering attend, because by discussing common issues faced, we can find real solutions.

This is a great opportunity for cross-sector collaboration, support and learnings to involve students more widely into the Manchester community.

All the hard work that goes into recruiting volunteers is often lost due to lack of management.

We will use a variety of learning methods to help you ensure that your volunteers are managed well.

This course is suitable for paid staff and volunteers who have a responsibility for managing volunteers.

We can deliver in-house training direct to your organisation. If you have a number of people requiring the same training or development it can often be more affordable to arrange a workshop at your own premises. Get in contact with us: training@mcrcommunitycentral.org

On our training calendar you can search for current up to date training opportunities available in Manchester

If you are unable to find a suitable course or need further assistance please contact the Training Co-ordinator 0333 321 3021, or click here to send an email

To get in touch

Telephone information service: 0333 321 3021

• Support line open Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm
• Calls are charged at the same rate as a local call, whether made from a landline or mobile phone

Email: info@mcrcommunitycentral.org

Web: www.manchestercommunitycentral.org