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Gift Aid Emergency Relief Campaign

Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) are campaigning to help charity supporters give more, and to better support the fantastic charities in the UK to meet the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis.

The sector is currently facing one of the biggest financial crises yet. This has resulted in huge falls in income, increased levels of demand for services. Therefore, needing to do more to respond to Covid-19 and care for the most at-risk and marginalised individuals and communities has created a perfect storm.

CAF are part of a coalition of charities, campaigning for a two year Gift Aid Emergency Relief package. The campaign proposes a 5% increase of Gift Aid from 20% to 25% and that the Small Donation scheme, which makes claiming gift aid easier for small charities, be extended to many more. This change could result in an additional £450m to help the sector survive the crisis and recover.

To read more about the campaign and join, click here.

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Interim ‘Adequacy’ Agreement for Data Protection

Paul Ticher, author of Key Guides: Data Protection – for voluntary organisations gives us an update on how the charity sector will be affected by Data Protection changes due to Brexit. To read Paul’s article, click here.

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Small Charities ‘Showed up and Stuck Around’ During Pandemic

Civil Society have reported that The Value of Small in a Big Crisis report finds that small charities responded effectively because they are distinctive in who they serve, how they carry out their work, and the role they play in their communities. Click here to read more information on the report.

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A letter from Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP

New support and advice to help small businesses trading with the EU

We have been busy bolstering the support available to small and medium-sized businesses to help you navigate the new ways of doing business with the EU and to ensure you’re able to trade smoothly.

Last week the Government announced a £20 million SME Brexit Support Fund to help small and medium-sized businesses adjust to new customs, rules of origin and VAT rules when trading with the EU. This will open for applications next month. We are continually rolling out more tools to support businesses as they operate under the new rules, I urge you to take a look at the range of guidance and support already available on gov.uk/transition.

For any further queries or general business advice please contact our dedicated business support helplines. There is specific guidance and assistance on moving goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland on GOV.UK.

Thank you for your continued efforts to adapt your business to the new changes. Together we will take advantage of the opportunities that being an independent trading nation brings.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP

Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Helpline numbers

You can contact the government’s Business Support Helpline for free business advice.
England: 0800 998 1098
Scotland: 0300 303 0660
Wales: 0300 060 3000
Northern Ireland: 0800 181 4422

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Living Medicine: Self Care Basics

Living Medicine shows how we can feel better, manage long-term conditions and treat minor ailments with foods, herbs and simple lifestyle changes. Discovering the wonderful ways plants support our bodies reveals a new world in which we are part of, and can work with, nature. Understanding how to use food remedies gives us control and helps us feel good. We update this global cultural knowledge for today’s safe use and to pass on to family and friends. Click on the links below to find out more:

Basics of Self Care How to be healthy

Coughs, Colds and Allergies

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Your Creative Lowdown

Welcome to this week’s Creative Lowdown, and wow do we have a cracking line-up of creative events for you. From a virtual exhibition showcasing mesmerising work from British Chinese artists, to exclusive live interviews with some of our best-loved performers, and a powerful short film celebrating girl power, there are loads of fantastic creative opportunities at your fingertips. So – unearth your diary, dust off the cobwebs and start making plans!

Click here

Are you organising a creative event or activity? We want to hear about it! Just enter the details in this easy form for your chance to be featured in a future Creative Lowdown.

Submit your creative event

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New Black & Ethnic Minority Community-led Foundation Backed by Major Charities

A new foundation led by and supporting Black and Ethnic Minority communities is being created and will start its development phase at the beginning of next year.

Baobab Foundation will be “a new type of foundation, led by the communities it serves”, and aim to address the chronic underfunding of community organisations led by people of colour. Read on

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Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy & Engagement

H&F Council has been supporting residents throughout the Covid-19 pandemic including working with community partners and voluntary organisations across the borough.

The vaccine rollout now offers welcome relief during a period which, for many of us, has been challenging and distressing. In H&F over 18,000 people have already had the vaccine without incident.

But the introduction of the vaccine has also highlighted some concerns. There are lots of questions that people are asking, including how effective and safe it is, who should have it first and what the side effects might be.

These are all reasonable questions. So, having a discussion about why all residents should look to having the vaccination when the opportunity arises over the coming weeks and months, is really important.

H&F would like to help by providing reliable sources of information about the vaccine from people who work as doctors, nurses and vaccine researchers. Read more

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Kashif Shabir: ‘Charity in the Islamic Faith is Much More Than Giving Money’

In 2020, Kashif Shabir set Muslim Aid UK on an ambitious transformation journey.

The interim chief executive talks to Emily Burt about reimagining the charity’s purpose.

When Kashif Shabir began consulting on a major transformation programme at Muslim Aid UK, it was “in absence of understanding the depths of its problems” – and with no idea he would soon become a director of the charity, and within a year take the helm as its interim chief executive.

Despite harbouring some reservations about the organisation at the time, he felt a sense of responsibility that compelled him to take on the challenge. “There is no doubt the charity is an institution of our community,” he says.

Read on

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Consider Charging for Your Services, Charities Urged

A paper from the research consultancy nfpSynergy says that although it is a potentially controversial subject, it can help improve outcomes.

Charities that have seen their income levels fall should consider the idea of charging their service users, according to a new report.

A paper published by the research consultancy nfpSynergy says charities offer a diverse range of services and therefore the potential implications of charging for the work they do vary enormously.

It says that although deciding to introduce a charge “can elicit strong views, even outside of a pandemic”, evidence suggests there can be significant benefits of doing so.

Read on

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