In response to the cost of living crisis DanceWest is producing a programme – Dance by Donation. 

We are offering the following classes every week for adults in return for a voluntary donation.

The classes take place every week Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and are led by our award winning team of professional DanceWest teachers. 

 

Tuesday: 11.30-12.30 Dance for Dementia for adults 60+ 

Tuesday: 13.00-14.00 Yoga & Mindfulness adults 18+ 

Wednesday: 11.30-12.30 Seated Exercise for adults 60+ 

Thursday: 11.30-12.30 Seated Yoga for adults 18+ 

 

The classes take place at our new studio located at: Sands End Arts and Community Centre, Peterborough Road, SW6 3EZ. 

 

Please could I ask the classes to your network of adults that might benefit from the classes. 

We are asking everyone to sign up in advance by email: admin@dancewest.co.uk or via: 07494513079. 

 

 

‘Getting Ready For Your Crowdfunding Campaign’


Thurs 22nd Sept | 12:00 – 13:00 | Speaker: Rosie Oldham, Head of Fundraising and Communications at London homelessness charity Thames Reach


Getting ready for the Big Give? The Christmas Challenge and other crowdfunding campaigns are great for charities to raise awareness and funds when they are successful, but also require a lot of work and planning.

During her session Rosie will be sharing tips and advice on:
• Crowdfunding – is it right for you, what are the key things to consider?
• Who is your ‘crowd’?
• Timeline for a successful campaign
• Creating fundraising materials and messaging for your campaign
• Campaign plan including some practical examples
• What you need to do during your campaign


CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP




 

Following the sad news that the Queen has passed away, many of you may now be working out the implications for your organisation, staff and beneficiaries. No date has been set for the state funeral as yet, but here are some key things for your charity to consider over the coming days. Read more here.

During the cost of living crisis, many more individuals will reach out to charities for vital support. We understand the pressure on services and staff alike, so we’ve put some of our key resources in one place. Click here to see.

 

Charities have urged the incoming prime minister, Liz Truss, to work with the sector to support communities during the cost-of-living crisis. Read more on the Civil Society website here.

Hello, We are back!

So many new, amazing things to tell you.

  1. We have an office!

@ Brompton Library
210 Old Brompton Road SW5 0BS

Nearest transport: Tube: Earls Court. Bus: C1, 328, 74

Monday-Friday 10am/4pm

  1. Autumn schedule

We are ready with our Autumn schedule and soon we will be sending out the September calendar. We will have activities remotely and face to face.

  1. Women’s Hub

Once a week every Monday we will offer a Women’s Hub from 12pm to 3pm – a space where women can come to do activities but also socialise or seek information and advice. Starting from 19th September!

  1. Out & About

We will continue to offer a monthly outing and in this month is…Buckingham Palace on Friday 30th September. Stay tuned and reserve your ticket!

  1. Volunteers

We are looking for two volunteers to support us during our activities. Watch out for the application form!

  1. Social Media

Follow us on Twitter: @ForWomenCIC and Instagram: @forwomencic

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Shop and Donate CIC is a social supermarket fighting food waste and food poverty, where the customer’s contribution goes towards supporting food banks, key workers and helping vulnerable residents affected by COVID-19.

What is a social supermarket?

A social supermarket is a shop that sells discounted food to people on a lower income. We operate as a traditional supermarket but at reduced prices (e.g., selling at 70% less than high street prices).

How does Shop and Donate work?

With Shop and Donate you can shop for groceries or buy a box for another person online and we can deliver for £6.75, next day delivery anywhere in the UK.

If you come to our physical store you can subscribe to our loyalty program where you can get £15 worth of groceries for only £5 and your 10th purchase is free of charge.

Reducing the costs of food ensures our customers are well fed and can afford other essentials such as housing and utility costs. This along with the low-cost products distinguishes it from the other supermarkets. The food is still in good condition and would otherwise be sent to landfills by big retailers for a variety of reasons including items packaged and weighed incorrectly and over-production.

How the loyalty program works

For just £5 you can get £15 worth of groceries or 10 items. Along with this, we also offer each customer a loyalty card where they can get every 10th order for free.

Items you can take:

  • 4 x Low-value items
  • 3 x Medium-value items
  • 3 x High-value items

Why are the items categorised?

All of the items are categorised by Low, Medium & High-value based on a mixture of retail price, volume, “use by” / “best before” dates, and the demand of the stock. This way we can make the best use of the stock we have and ensure fairness. For example, it would not be very fair if one member took 10 jars of coffee leaving none for anyone else!

What products we have

The food sold in our supermarket is very varied. We have breakfast (tea, coffee, cereal), tinned goods, pasta, rice, and fresh fruit and vegetables, plus some toiletries.

Where you can order from

Our customers have the option of buying products directly from our physical or online supermarket as well as from our e-commerce partners, such as Too Good To Go, Deliveroo, Karma Life, Amazon, and eBay.

Our team and suppliers

Overall, we have a team of about 15 people who are dedicated and of various experiences and ages. As well as volunteers who are experienced in admin, finance, HR, customer service and fundraising, we are already connected to a variety of suppliers who can provide us with goods. The goods are sourced from mainstream supermarkets, local shops, donations from members of the public, and food redistribution organizations such as Fareshare, Giving World, Banquet, and supermarkets like M&S and Lidl.

Come and join us!

The social supermarket runs from our office based in Victoria, however, we are looking to expand the supermarket and reach more people. This will also provide a great opportunity for members of the local community to become involved in the project, as we will be able to provide them with voluntary and work experience opportunities in addition to also offering access to affordable low-cost food and products.

£6.00 for £15.00 worth of shopping -10 items 

£12.00 for £30 worth of shopping -20 Items

£24.00 for £60 worth of shopping -40 Items 

We sell on shop and donate .org/ eBay/Deliveroo/Shopify Amazon  

We deliver anywhere in the UK next Day -£11.07 

The concept of a “elevator pitch” isn’t new.  The idea is that a slick salesperson can persuade or win over a client in the time it takes a lift to go from the ground to the top floor with an exciting, compelling or persuasive pitch – but it’s not something that we in the voluntary and community sector tend to always do well, or think is the right approach for us.

Networking or pitching?

It’s not the case that your elevator pitch should be trotted out every time you meet someone.  Quite the opposite in fact.  Pitching is something you do when you know a person is interested in your offer and you need to grab their interest and get over the key points of your offer quickly.  Networking is about building relationships for the long term.

The best example I can provide for you is Daphine Aikens, the founder and former CEO of Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank.  Daphine would often be invited to meetings or events where she would come into contact with other organisations, business people, notable and high net worth individuals.  At those events, Daphine never spoke about what support HF Foodbank needed – instead, she focussed on sharing straightforward stories about the people the organisation was supporting and what they had experienced that brought them to Foodbank.  Time and time again, this resulted in individuals reaching out to Daphine afterwards to ask how they could help or work together.

So when do we need an elevator pitch? Read on

Citizens Advice have started a series of monthly briefings on the impact of the cost of living crisis on their clients and the issues they are presenting with. CA are using these data to monitor the full effects of the crisis and to use it as evidence to Government. The second meeting in the series [17.08.2022]: existing inequalities are being amplified by the crisis. You can access a dashboard with all the information via: https://public.flourish.studio/story/1634399/

Read on