Nominations for the SMK National Campaigner Awards are open for 2020, and the deadline to nominate is 13 March. Each year, SMK celebrates the best campaigns and campaigners – whether working locally or nationally, and from individuals and community groups to people working in large organisations. Our interest is in finding those who have made change happen – most effectively, creatively and courageously. The SMK National Campaigner Awards is where we bring the campaign community together to champion and celebrate campaigning, demonstrating its value and acknowledging success. We want to push nominations as much as possible, especially as we are anticipating this year’s Awards ceremony to be the biggest so far! If you know of any great campaigns or campaigners, please nominate them, or let us know about it and we can nominate them. If you’ve done some great work, you can even nominate yourself! More info of the awards here
Hammersmith and Fulham GP Federation recently won a national award for their work in raising awareness of cervical screening as the borough was identified as one that has the lowest uptake rates in England. The Team reached out to the community in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham by working with most GP Practices through engaging with diverse groups and organisations in the borough. The aim was to target those that have not attended appointment when invited. Since 2018, over 1000 women attended a screening appointment as a result. The initiative was supported by working in collaboration with RM Partners, Sobus, the west London Cancer Alliance hosted by The Royal Marsden. For more information visit: Hammersmith and Fulham GP Federation – click here Jo`s Trust – click here By Sharon Tomlin, Sobus Community Organiser
As you may know, LBHF staff are able to volunteer locally for up to 2 days a year to support local organisations in Hammersmith & Fulham. At a recent staff event with the council, Sobus was promoting Comoodle as a vehicle for staff to offer their skills to local organisations – and a number of staff are keen to sign up! For further information, click here.
Like me, I’m sure many of you are busy with your budget for 20-21, and dealing with the day to day pressures of balancing service delivery with good governance, fundraising and supporting and developing our teams of staff and volunteers – there are never quite enough days in the week to get it all done! In the meantime, COVID-19 is making major headlines, as experts try to predict the course that this might take. The best evidence suggests that much higher numbers of the population will likely be affected, but the majority of people (over 80%) only experience mild symptoms (similar to having the Flu). Those with underlying health conditions and frail/elderly people are most at risk, so it would be prudent to make sure we’re following the advice available, and protecting both ourselves and the people we support as far as we possibly can. Do give some thought to how your business can adapt to a short term change – whether staff could work from home, whether phone or conference calls could replace meetings etc. In the meantime, keep an eye out for regular updates from the NHS and other central government departments for further advice. As the saying goes – keep calm and carry on!
Whether it’s reading bedtime stories, killing time on your commute or following tried and tested recipes, we’ve all appreciated a good book at one time or another. As the UK’s biggest charity publisher, it would be rude of us not to celebrate World Book Day, so here’s something special for you. Purchase your copy of Collaborative Working for only £2.75 – that’s including P&P! But be quick; offer ends next week (12 March). Discover more book bundles and special offers Happy reading!
Homes4Health programme provides free home energy visits and support to residents to help them keep warm, make their home energy-efficient, save money on energy bills and improve their health. Delivered by the environmental charity Groundwork London in partnership with the Council, this free service offers health and financial advice to some of Kensington and Chelsea’s residents – particularly young families and elderly residents and those with multiple health conditions. Interested? You’ll find more information here.