Blog
Mike Wild
Yesterday morning I went to the briefing where the City Council announced their budget plans for the next 2 years. The key message is bleak: beyond the £170m cut from the Council’s annual budget in 2011, they now have to cut a further £80m per year. Manchester, it was said, has been hit hardest out of all the boroughs in Greater Manchester and out of all the major cities outside London.
I don’t…
Neglect
Recently I attended a neglect summit organised by Manchester Safeguarding Children Board. A summit seems like a heady title but felt fitting for the task at hand. The summit was facilitated by Professor Jan Howarth who is working with several LSCB’s around issues of neglect and has led several research projects and written books on multi-agency approaches to neglect.
Neglect remains the…
So, it’s out. The specification for Youth Fund 2013-15 (R3) is now out there; if you’ve not seen it yet then go to: www.manchestercommunitycentral.org/manchester-youth-fund-and-play-fund-…, where you will find all the documentation and how to get support.
There’s lots of ways in which Youth Fund Round 3 is an evolution from previous rounds. The Council has demonstrated a willingness not just to…
REMINDER : JSNA Deadline
This is a reminder from Neil Bendel (Public Health Manchester) The deadline for submitting suggested topic themes for the refreshed Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) is Friday December 7th. There are additional areas tabled for consideration from the Director of Public Health :
TB in children
Transport/Active travel
Early detection/prevention of cancer
Alcohol…
Recently, Walt and I participated in the Annual Conference and AGM of the Educational Centres Association (ECA), held in Leicester. The ECA supports LSEN in our work, and is a key educational organisation at a national and European level, which has been putting the learner at the centre of education for very-nearly 100 years.
York educational settlement, circa 1938 (I didn't take any photos of…
Esther Rantzen, Chair of the Silver Line Trustees, together with officers from the Manchester City Council, today launched the Helpline for older people in Manchester. The telephone number is:
0800 328 8888 for advice, information and friendship.
The concerns raised in our previous blog were partly answered:
The trained volunteers based in the Midlands will be dealing with the 'befriending' side…
Hi, and welcome to the new VYM Blog. Although this is entered as Ross’s blog, VYM is much more than Ross Grant, but more of that later. In particular though, it is also Sarah Gilston, VYM’s much valued Communication Support Worker, without whom you would receive very limited communication from VYM, and there's the Board of Trustees that governs and supports VYM staff.
Those of you familiar with…
Hello All,
Macc and VYM facilitated a meeting last week to discuss the Department for Education National Prospectus Funding Programme for the voluntary sector. Over 50 organisations expressed an interest about this opportunity and over 25 organisations came to the meeting to discuss the opportunity.
The funding programme itself seems designed to enable only large or national organisations…
The Silver Line – helpline for Older PeopleThis will be a pilot for three months in Manchester and the Isle of Man. The pilots are funded through Comic Relief. Depending on the outcome of these pilots the Trustees hope to launch a National Helpline by the Summer 2013.Esther Rantzen is Chair of the Trustees. The Helpline is for older people (no age limit) in the area, who seek information, advice…
Last week, I participated in Townstock - a two day event focused on how citizens and communities can engage in and actively take control of the regeneration of their towns and local areas. It was a very interesting event, with speakers from various sectors and initiatives, giving examples and sharing experiences from across the country. Participants were encouraged to share and capture…
Are you planning to nominate an individual or a learning project for an Adult Learners Week Award in 2013?
The deadline for nominations is Thursday 13th December 2012 – so don’t hesitate – or you will be too late!!!
Nominations don’t have to come from a provider of learner or even a tutor – anyone can nominate someone for an Award as long as the person you are nominating is over 18,…
Mike Wild
One of the dangers for me in writing a blog is that I'll end up writing only about things I'm angry about (there seems to be quite a lot at the moment) and it will become a terribly depressing read. However, I'm not going to apologise for the bleak picture I'm about to paint because it's what's really happening to people in our communities.
The other day I went to a briefing by Manchester…