Grants for your group - or for people you know
- £180,000 to strengthen rural churches FUNDs ready and waiting! - HLF building bursaries scheme - isn't it time you got involved?
Are you looking for computer hardware or software? A programme run by the Charity Technology Exchange may be able to help you get what you need.
Eligibile charities can gain access to donations of the latest technology from major companies including Microsoft, Cisco and Symantec.
Although there is an administraion fee, Charity Technology Exchange says that charities will still make savings of 92-96% on typical retail prices.
Fiona Cowan
10 February 2010
The HLF Building Bursary Scheme
This bursary scheme aims to:
- improve the quality of skills available to the heritage sector by providing new entrants or existing staff with work-based training opportunities
- develop innovative, exemplar training schemes which promote diversity in the workforce
- enable heritage organisations to work in partnership with other agencies; and disseminate good practice.
The scheme offers to provide bursaries of up to £15K over 12 months to enthusiastic and committed applicants who want to developing their skills in order to work in the built heritage sector in England and Wales.
Bursary placements are hosted by placement providers who are committed to providing a rich learning experience for the trainee. Placement providers may be public or private organisations, companies or sole traders, who have agreed to deliver training and support the trainees during their bursary placement.
As a trainee, you will be assigned a supervisor from your placement provider who will be your daily contact during your placement.
The East Midlands needs both providers and bursary applicants - funding is ready and waiting!!
If you wish to discuss this programme, please contact Clara Willett, Bursary Scheme Manager as soon as possible. The Traditional Building Skills Bursary Scheme, PO Box 1179, Herts, HP23 6WR.
£180,000 programme to strengthen rural churches
The Arthur Rank Centre launched a £180,000 training project to strengthen churches in the countryside in response to an urgent call from church leaders, in May 2009.
'Rural Life and Faith' could benefit 13,000 churches of all denominations and will equip them for a modern role in villages and the countryside. ARC will spend £180,000 over three years to fill major gaps in training provision which threaten the life and work of the rural church.
The ARC, a charity which supports the rural community and its churches through a programme of community and social projects, resourcing and training, is resopnding to an urgent call from church leaders to strengthen churches in the countryside. These churches are still a vital component in many country communities, but often suffer with few resources and have large benefices or team ministries, with thinly spread and shared trained leadership.
Dr Jill Hopkinson, National Rural Officer for the Church of England, who will be heading the project, said: 'The church is a vital force in vibrant village communities. But ARC has identified big problems in training provision through research, our teaching and training activities, the experience of the National Rural Officers and their networks and calls from church leaders. The message is that rural training and development (particularly for lay people) is insufficient and inadequate.
'Rural Life and Faith responds to that need and will build new skills, confidence and competence specific to rural situations. The idea is that rural churches will respond more readily to opportunities, and maintain a flourishing Christian presence in their communities.
'This exciting project will make up a large part of our ongoing work as the churches' rural resource unit in the coming three years. We are very excited and thankful that the idea has received such unprecedented enthusiasm and support from funders.'
Four grant making trusts (Allchurches Trust, the Maurice and Hilda Laing Charitable Trust, the Henry Smith Charity and St Peters Saltley Trust) are providing £180,000 of funding for the project.
The first part of the work (research to map the existing provision of training for mission and ministry across England) will begin immediately and the first training modules will become available to churches in 2010.
For more information please contact:
Rev Dr Gordon Gatward
Director, ARC
024 7685 3060
Arthur Rank Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire CV8 2LZ
This article appears courtesy of the summer 2009 edition of Village Viewpoint magazine, published by Northamptonshire ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England)
Fiona Cowan
2 January 2010