Hello everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the South Forum e-newsletter.

Featured in this edition:

• South Forum AGM & Meeting Dates
• Sunderland CVS and South Forum Drop-in Session
• Money Matters & Budgeting Skills Course
• UK Online Centres
• Comic Relief Disadvantaged Communities Programme
• Lakeside Neighbourhood Watch Initiative
• Date's for the Diary
• What's on in Sunderland's Children's Centres
• Fantasy Football South Forum Monthly Manager

If you require any information to be shared or circulated to our members please contact me on lorna@southforum.org.uk or on 0191 522 8447.

Lorna

South Forum Annual General Meeting 2008

On Wednesday 17th September the South Forum held its Annual General Meeting at St Chad’s church. 37 people attended the meeting including a mix of residents and representatives from voluntary, community and statutory groups. Thank you to everyone who attended.   Stuart Porthouse was re-elected as Chair of the South Forum. To view a list of the new South Forum Management Committee click here

Sunderland South Forum Monthly Meeting Dates

The next meeting is to be held on:

Wednesday 15th October at 6.00pm (Buffet to commence at 5.30pm)  

Portland College ,

Weymouth Road,

Chapelgarth,

Sunderland,

SR3 2NQ

Please note that due to requests from south Forum members who find it difficult to attend day time meetings we are trying out an evening South Forum meeting with an informal buffet from 5.30pm Meeting to start at 6.00pm.

The speakers at the forthcoming meeting are:

Hannah Stratton (Timebank) - At the meeting we will have speakers from Timebank, a national volunteering charity who will be promoting their employee volunteering scheme they have in partnership with T Mobile.

The scheme involves T Mobile staff volunteering in the community for two days each year. Employees with a range of skills can come and help your organisation in a number of ways. In addition Hannah will be talking about Team Challenges where a group of employees can come in a work on larger projects.

Michelle Brunton (SES) - SES is an enterprise development agency targeting its work within hard-pressed communities offering business start-up support. Each year SES helps start over 200 new businesses and continues to work and help launch social enterprises. Some of the services available are marketing, loan and grant funding, bookkeeping, financial management and forecasting and many more. Michelle will be giving a presentation on how SES can help and assist business start-up. For more information on SES please see our website www.southforum.org.uk and click on the 'Local Jobs' section.

If you are unable to attend the meeting on 15th October but would like to express an interest please contact me.

Please click here to download a list of the forthcoming South Forum monthly meeting dates for the following year. The South Forum monthly meetings will take place in each ward, once the venues have been arranged they will be made public in due course.

Sunderland Centre for Voluntary Service and Sunderland South Forum Drop-In Session.

Sunderland Centre for Voluntary Service will be holding a drop in session for voluntary and community groups from 10.00am to 12.00noon on Thursday 9th October at Lakeside and Gilley Law Community Centre.

Please pop this date into your diary!

If appropriate please could you display the attached poster or forward to anyone who may be interested.

There will be a range of information and support available such as:

• Assistance in developing a fund raising strategy
• Advice on possible funders and how to apply for funds
• Support with funding applications
• Help with sustainability - finding alternative ways of raising income and minimizing expenditure
• Free factsheets on a variety of topics
• Advice on good governance
• Advice on setting up a new group
• Advice on constitutions

If you would like any more information please do not hesitate to contact the South Forum on 0191 522 8447 or email Anthony on anthony@southforum.org.uk or alternatively click here to download a poster.

Plains Farm & Humbledon Community Initiative will be starting a new course in Money Matters and Budgeting Skills.

Would you like help to balance the books?

Would you like to know how to plan a budget?

Do you have problems with debt?

Do you know your rights where money is concerned?

Do you know what APR means and how to work it out?

Can you work out how much money you save when a shop has a sale?

Would you like to learn more?

A six week course that will help you manage your money better. The course will begin on Friday October 17th between 1.00pm – 3.00pm.

For further details or interested in signing up, please call 0191 525 0007.

UK Online Centres

UK Online Centres and the Jubilee Centre have joined forces to give the UK public access to computers and the internet, as well as advice on using them. Millions of people find that using computers and the internet makes their lives better and easier. It can save time, money and hassle, and its fun too.

You can use computers and the internet to do your grocery shopping, keep in touch with family and friends, find a job, book a holiday, help with homework and look up all sorts of information – from football results to weather forecasts, celebrity gossip to family health.

The UK online centres across England staffed by the people who can give support as you need it and the Jubilee Centre is one of them.

It doesn’t matter who you are, if you’ve never been near a computer or the internet before, or even if you’re unsure about the whole thing – The Jubilee Centre are here to help.

Why not give it a go and see what all the fuss is about?

Come along to the Jubilee Centre or Sainsbury’s Car Park in the Launch Pad on Friday 24th October between 10.00am – 3.00pm and join in the fun.

To find out more information contact Margy at the Jubilee Centre on 0191 522 8447.

Comic Relief’s Disadvantaged Communities Programme

This programme aims to give local people the power to change things in their community. It is aimed at grassroots community organisations affected by poverty or disadvantage, and focuses on small scale local projects started by local residents to make their community better.

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for projects and activities run by people who live in communities affected by poverty and disadvantage. Prospective applicants must be able to demonstrate the work they do can achieve one or more of the following outcomes:

• Change things for the better
• Get better services for their communities
• Become more involved in local decision making
• Run their community groups more effectively

The Disadvantaged Communities Programme will fund:
• Running costs, including core and project costs
• Contributions to equipment and simple refurbishments to community buildings
• Activities which help local people be more involved in decision making
• Activities which improve how effective the group is

Application forms are available to download from the Comic Relief website and, as there are no application deadlines, completed forms can be submitted at any time.

For further information or to make an application.

visit: http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/application/dc-preview.php

Lakeside Neighbourhood Watch Scheme

What is Neighbourhood Watch?

Neighbourhood Watch is one of the biggest and most successful crime prevention initiatives ever. Behind it lies a simple idea, and a central value shared by millions of people around the country:

Getting together with your neighbours to take action can cut local crime.

Everyone knows that the police are there to fight crime, but they need your help to do an effective job. Neighbourhood Watch (or Home Watch as it is known in some areas) is all about an active partnership with the police. Neighbourhood Watch schemes can:

• cut crime and the opportunities for crime
• help and reassure those who live in the area
• encourage neighbourliness and closer communities.

For more information go directly to the crime education website http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/nbhwatch.htm

A new Neighbourhood Watch scheme has been set up in the Lakeside area. It covers Lakeside Village, the Towers and the private houses. To get involved in your local Neighbourhood Watch initiative please contact Mick Ross (Housing Manager) at Gentoo on 0191 525 5000.

Date’s for the Diary

What’s on in Sunderland’s Children’s Centres

Please click here to download Sunderland’s Children’s Centres South and East Cluster activity timetables for the September to December term.

If you have any queries or require more information please contact:

Children’s Services

Sandhill centre

Grindon Lane

Sunderland

SR3 4EN

0191 520 5505

cis@sunderland.gov.uk

Fantasy Football

September Manager of the Month Award

So far we have signed up 24 participants and our Friends League comprises a great mix of residents and staff from local and city wide agencies.

The SSFFL September Manager of the Month award goes to Rachel Anderson.

Up for grabs this month were 2 free tickets to the eagerly anticipated ABBA MANIA extravaganza on Sunday November 2nd at the Sandhill View Theatre.

Rachel is the Community Engagement Officer within Digital Challenge.

The Digital Challenge programme is setting the vision for a digitally enabled Sunderland. It will lay the foundations for this transformation by leading the way to a 21st century Sunderland. Services will be delivered where, when and how they are needed and wanted - this could be in the home, a local community point, face to face, or remotely using technology as the enabler.

For further information on Digital Challenge go to http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/digitalchallenge/  or you can contact Rachel direct on 01915614214

Thank you to Lisa Clinton School of Dance who kindly offered this months prize. To order tickets for the ABBA MANIA show on Sunday November 2nd at the Sandhill View Theatre please contact Lisa on 523 8743.

Congratulations Rachel and enjoy the show!

Its not too late to get involved in the competition so please contact us if you would like to join.

Please feel free to distribute to your friends, family and colleagues with their permission.