October includes a number of national awareness events – with Black History Month probably the most notable.
To mark Black History Month, Sobus are collecting stories from BAME led community and voluntary organisations to discover how and why they started, who they support and what they’ve achieved.
By sharing these stories, we can build understanding – and from this, develop stronger bonds and trust relationships with others.
If you would like to share your story, please contact Sobus: info@sobus.org.uk
There will be a range of local events and activities in the borough to celebrate Black History Month. H&F Council has compiled some of these on their website. You can find out more by visiting: https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/articles/news/2022/09/black-history-month-events-october
A combination of Brexit, the impact of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine are continuing to push prices up – causing yet more hardship for residents in Hammersmith & Fulham that so many local voluntary and community groups are supporting.
All of us are feeling the effects of increasing prices of gas and electricity and the worrying costs of everyday food items. Like many of you – I’m making changes at home – turning down the heating and not having it on for as long as I used to, and nagging my daughter when she leaves all the lights on! Many of our older residents can remember times without central heating, where jumpers, cardigans and woolly socks were a necessity rather than a fashion statement. My parents first had central heating in 1968 – something regarded as the height of luxury (along with wall-to-wall carpeting). My mum can recall, “Before then, we didn’t have radiators or heaters – we had a coal fire in the living room and that was it. All of my life, in autumn and winter it was just a given that we would be cold at night. We had bed socks and hot water bottles to keep us warm, and dressing gowns and slippers were an absolute must in the mornings!”
But when it comes to food costs, we have generations who have become reliant on fast food, ready-meals, cheap carbohydrates and out-of-season fruit and veg – and it’s something of a rude awakening for many to realise that some of our entrenched behaviours might just need to change. Read on
The theme for Black history Month (BHM) 2022 is “Time for change: action not words”.
“To ensure real change, we need real support from our allies. It’s time to reset your mindset and support us with actions, not words. Join with us, see something, say something, don’t be a passive bystander”. Black History Month online
In the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, the council and some local organisations have organised a range of activities that include series of talks to exhibitions.
Sobus is in the process of creating a publication on local black and ethnic minoritised – led organisations. We are currently interviewing local organisations that operate within the borough. We would like to extend an invitation to organisations who would be willing to participate. If you would like to share your history of operation within Hammersmith and Fulham, please contact Sharon Tomlin by emailing sharon.tomlin@sobus.org.uk by Friday 7th October.
BHM will run from 1st October through to 31st October 2022.
In the meantime, please see below some links on further information.
Black History Month: London Brough of Hammersmith and Fulham
https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/articles/news/2022/09/black-history-month-events-october
Parkview Community Champions, White City Community Centre – Friday 28th October 2022
Afternoon of celebrations 1pm – 5pm
Contact: carmella@upg.org.uk or call 07593 582 886
Black History Month
Are you thinking about contacting your local MP about an issue or cause? Here’s some information on how they can help and how you can reach them. Read it here.
The next VCS Health and Wellbeing Forum will be held on Tuesday 25th October. As October is Black History Month, we will be looking at health inequalities, and also marking National Menopause Day (18th October) we will be looking at how menopause is regarded in different communities, and the support that is available to women going through this transition. We hope to see you there!
Please find a pdf copy of the presentation slides here.
Also mentioned during the presentation were the following useful links:
- Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Westminster NLHF Webinar Sign Up form
- What we fund | The National Lottery Heritage Fund
- Contact details for Patricia Lichst patricia.lichst@heritagefund.org.uk and Jasmine Bullock Jasmine.Bullock@heritagefund.org.uk
For further support with funding, including advice and feedback on applications, please contact your local CVS:
- KCSC- support@kcsc.org.uk
· SOBUS – info@sobus.org.uk
· One Westminster – info@onewestminster.org.uk
If you have not already done so may I ask you to take a few moments to complete the session feedback form, this is extremely helpful in planning future sessions.
We look forward to seeing you at future Meet the Funder events.
Kind regards,
The KCSC Team.
In the current environment capacity building is ever more important – in fact critical! We need only need to survive inflation, we need to provide even more support to our communities which in turn is placing pressures on funders. Funders themselves may be facing depreciation in their investments –and this follows Covid. So in real terms money is very tight not just tight. Consequently, organisations will have to show what they can do and how they will remain sustainable even in the short term.
Capacity building is not just about the capacity of a nonprofit today — it’s about the nonprofit’s ability to deliver its mission effectively now, and in the future. Capacity building is an investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of the organisation. Read on
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