New FREE Images Showing Older & Disabled People Getting Active

The Centre for Ageing Better and Get Yourself Active have launched a publicly accessible collection of 300+ free photos depicting older and Disabled people getting active!

Ageing Better created the age-positive image library as a way of showing ‘positive and realistic’ images of people aged 50 and over. The library provides an alternative to commonly used pictures, which are often offensive and unrepresentative.

Ageing Better is urging the public to use these new photos to challenge negative stereotypes. Find out more.

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Grants of up to £50,000 Available to Support the Housing Needs of Vulnerable People (UK)

UK registered charities, Community Land Trusts and housing co-operatives will soon be able to apply for grants of up to £50,000 to support their work in tackling housing issues affecting vulnerable people. The grants are being made available across 11 UK regions through the £4 million Nationwide Building Society Community Grant Scheme. The program will fund between 50% to 100% of the total cost of projects lasting up to two years to help prevent people from losing their home, help people into a home or support people to thrive within the home environment. Up to 20% of the amount requested can be used to cover core costs. Funding can also cover costs such as staff and volunteer costs, small-scale capital costs, and building works. The fund opens to applications on the 25th April 2022. Grants of up to £50,000 Available to Support the Housing Needs of Vulnerable People (UK)

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BBC Children in Need Launch New £10 Million Fund for Black-led Youth Social Action (UK)

BBC Children in Need, working in partnership with BBC Radio 1Xtra, have launched a £10 million programme to empower Black children and young people through youth social action. The ‘We Move: Youth Social Action Fund’ is open to not-for-profit organisations across the UK currently working with disadvantaged children and young people, at least 75% of whom self-identify as Black, to empower them to use their voice to tackle subjects that matter to them. This could include activities such as influencing, fundraising and volunteering. The programme will provide £1 million per year for 10 years. Grants of up to £15,000 for unregistered organisations and up to £50,000 for registered organisations will be available for projects lasting up to 18 months. The deadline for applications is the 20th June 2022. BBC Children in Need Launch New £10 Million Fund for Black-led Youth Social Action (UK)

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FREE Online Course, Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills

Friend, people in any situation could benefit from counselling, those with the correct understanding, knowledge and skills can provide them with support to improve personal well-being. Counselling is a type of talking therapy that allows a person to talk about their problems and feelings in a confidential and dependable environment.

Our free online course, Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills qualification explores this concept and introduces you to the core counselling skills used in everyday life. Funding in your area is only available for a limited time so to avoid disappointment we strongly advise that you sign up now

Start The Free Course

Develop the skills to support people in times of crisis or distress…

What you will learn

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FREE Webinar: Can You Be 100% Health & Safety Compliant All the Time? 

In our upcoming free webinar, Can You Be 100% Health and Safety Compliant All the Time? on 21 April at 2.00pm, our experts debate whether this is a possible, or even desirable, goal for organisations to have. After all, health and safety law doesn’t demand that all risks be eliminated; it requires employers to find “reasonably practicable” solutions to reduce them.

During this session, we’ll draw on our extensive knowledge of working closely with organisations of all sizes and sectors to explore whether a ‘box-ticking’ approach is enough to sufficiently mitigate risk, plus how to ensure any measures introduced in your workplace aren’t overly restrictive to the point that they inevitably hamper productivity and ultimately your bottom line.

To find out how to compliantly strike the right balance, join WorkNest’s Director of Health & Safety Services, Nick Wilson, alongside Principal Health & Safety Consultant, Scott Crichton, as they discuss how organisations can take a sensible, proportionate approach to workforce health and safety management and debate pertinent questions such as:

• Is it possible, or even desirable, to be 100% compliant 100% of the time?
• Is it better to strive to be compliant or safe?
• How do organisations identify “reasonably practicable” safety measures? And what falls outside of this scope?
• What are the top five most common mistakes employers make with regard to risk assessments, and how can you get these right?

Register now

If you have a particular question(s) relating to any of the points above, we welcome you to submit them in advance via the registration form. Our experts will endeavour to answer as many as possible during the session.

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Donate To Feed Ukraine

Find out how you can help here

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Locality Convening Series of FREE Online Impact Workshops for Community Organisations in London

Locality would like to invite you to a series of impact workshops and mini clinics over the next two months.

Each will feature different perspectives on measuring the social impact of your work with an interactive workshop on story of change, practitioner input and space for discussion with your peers.

Each workshop will broadly focus on a different London recovery mission. We want to shine a spotlight on how London’s community organisations contribute to these missions.

If your organisation works within one of the missions and you are taking the first steps in learning how to better measure your social impact (or just if you are generally interested) then this is for you.

There’s also the chance to book on our bespoke mini clinics where our experts will work through a basic theory of change with you – see below for details of how to join those.

You can sign-up to our Spotlight mailing list here.

Mental Health & Wellbeing / Healthy Place, Healthy weight

Thursday 21 April 2pm – 3.30pm

Book now

New Deal for Young People

Thursday 5 May 2pm – 3.30pm

Book now

Good work for all Londoners

Wednesday 25 May 2pm – 3:30pm

Book now

The events are free of charge – funded by City Bridge Trust, part of the London Spotlight Programme.  Note that the events are interactive workshops rather than webinars (so please be willing to have your camera on and contribute your valued ideas!)  

Previous attendees asked if they could have a one-to-one or small-group mini clinic to further develop their story of change. We have a limited number of places on these mini clinics available. Please contact us if you are interested.

“The support that project like us received from Locality is amazing and very helpful.  The workshop is very empowering for us to thrive in our service.” 

Previous participant – Youth provision, Hackney

“Thanks for the session today on developing a social impact framework – really useful especially with regards to the smaller, community projects we deliver and reporting back to funders.” 

Previous participant – Schools partnership, West London

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10 Tips to Survive Hard Times in Business – Post Covid19

The past few years has affected every business in so many ways. Any business can be prone to tough times but how do you survive those difficult times and whether through the storm post Covid 19? It is crucial to ‘be prepared’ just like the boy scouts would say.

So what steps can you take to be prepared as a business.

Below are ten useful tips that have proven useful to many businesses in these extraordinary times.

1) Cash Flow Management

Making sure your customers are invoiced regularly and promptly is key to maintaining a healthy cash flow. Needless to say it is vital to chase up all late payments to ensure credit terms are not exceeded. Similarly, expenses have to be kept in check to avoid unnecessary spending. A good bookkeeping/accounting system should be in place to keep track of both income and expenditure

2) Credit Control

All credit customers must be credit checked to avoid bad debts and high-risk customers. If their business fails it will most definitely affect yours. The same goes for suppliers as well. You need reliable suppliers to avoid letting down your own customers.

3) Cutting Costs

Look for areas of wastage in the office such as paper usage and consider going paperless or by using cloud solutions. Also review energy consumption, internet and telephone providers. Is it possible to switch to a cheaper provider without losing quality? 

Staffing costs can also be reviewed to increase efficiency or promote working from home, part-timing and flexi-working. All these could reduce costs in the long run.

4) Marketing Strategy

There is a temptation to cut down on marketing during difficult times but the truth is there is a lot of competition out there. You cannot therefore afford to cut-down on marketing but you can consider switching to a more effective marketing system that best suits your business.

5) It is good to talk                                                

In difficult times, the temptation is to keep mute and under the radar. The reality is you must keep in touch with your bank, suppliers, customers and employees. They can help you identify problems before they arise, and also help them feel confident in your business. It is good to talk.

6) Get Online Get Noticed

It goes without saying that a business with no internet presence is planning its own funeral. The internet can be an inexpensive way of advertising your company. Websites, twitter, Facebook, monthly newsletters, WhatsApp, Instagram can all help promote your business. Keep them updated and you could be in for a pleasant surprise!

7) Pricing

A regular review of your pricing to make it more competitive can help you maximise your profits and stay competitive.

8) Spend wisely

Avoid the temptation to buy on impulse things that you probably do not need or may never use in your business. Sometimes what you have currently can do the job just as well. Leasing equipment can be a useful way of buying new without splashing out too much. Besides the costs are all tax deductible.

9) Expand Your Customer/Supplier Base

It is always a good idea not to put all your eggs in one basket. Make sure that as with a wider customer base, you also have a range of suppliers. That way you are not vulnerable to the whims of a particular supplier or customer for that matter.

10) Don’t Wait, get assistance now

Finally, don’t wait until things have reached a crisis point. At times like this you need an ally that can help with planning and putting the right structure in place.

We at Maisanda & Co Chartered Management Accountants are ready and willing  to work with you and your business to identify any areas of concern for effective resolution and regular monitoring. We specialize in SMEs and have a vibrant team based in Sobus, Freston Road Hub, Kensington.

Please feel free to contact us for all your accounting, payroll, tax and business advisory needs.

Article written by: Ily Maisanda ACA, ACMA, CGMA, M.Sc. CEO, Maisanda & Co

ily@maisanda.com

Tel: 02089613888

You will be able to download lots of free business advice and subscribe to our monthly newsletter from our website.

https://www.maisanda.com

You can also download our FREE Maisanda & co app on both apple and android.

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Community Connect Invite

Community Connect is a new grass routes initiative in Hammersmith and Fulham, aiming to regularly connect local businesses, voluntary organisations, residents, the council, police and anyone else who wants to better this borough. We meet on the last Tuesday of the month, at 11am-2pm at the Dawes Road Hub. Community Connect invite

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Fuel Poverty in H&F, by Sharon Tomlin, Sobus Community Organiser

The impact of fuel poverty today is wide reaching across households in the UK as energy bills as of April 2022 have faced huge increase for most. The picture is no different for residents living in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham that is now considered part of the nationwide cost of living crisis.

According to the organisation, “End Fuel Poverty” the definition of fuel poverty is “the condition by which a household is unable to afford to heat their home to an adequate temperature”

Residents of Hammersmith and Fulham have been sharing the concerns and challenges in meeting living costs and the impact both personally and within families. The choice between heating and food has revealed the huge gaps – decrease in income whether from being lower paid or changes in welfare benefits for those facing fuel poverty. Below are some thoughts shared.

  • Pre-payment meters: feeling ashamed when purchasing fuel top ups on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis as many are on fuel debt repayment plans that are on higher rates to those paying through the standing orders or direct debit
  • Contacting energy suppliers: feeling helpless and disempowered when trying to contact suppliers and not being able to get through. Phone calls are costly especially when calling from a PAYG mobile phone.
  • Most reported poor living conditions in properties that are fuel inefficient with problems such as damp, moulds and general poor insulation
  • Tariffs: residents reported that tariffs ought to be fairer in that many are not equitable to especially to those that are on pre-payment meters owing to the imposition of higher costs
  • Debt repayment: to consider changing the way debt is taken to be more proportionate for those on pre-payment meters with a repayment plan who experience paying more when topping up with less energy that last for the week

The stories kindly shared by residents of Hammersmith and Fulham have suggested that dialogue ought to be continued as this has highlighted the need to involve community more widely to engage the experiences of those organisations supporting residents from the frontline. Sobus plans to do so.

Current support available to residents in the borough include:

 

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