Community Group Awards Are Back!

Laura/ 15th April 201918th April 2019/ Grants

Rotherham Federation will be presenting the Community Group Awards at the RMBC Tenants Open Day which will be held at the New York Stadium on 10th July 9.30am – 2pm.

We are inviting member groups to apply for the awards which will have both a Gold (£150) and Silver (£50) award in each of the 6 categories.*

The Categories are;

Involving People
Making a Difference
Policies
Finance
Governance
Communication

Applications are available here (all highlighted sections of the PDF can be filled in!) and the criteria can be found here. The criteria shows how you score your group. For scoring please start from 1 and work up to the full 6 points, whatever you score yourself you have to be doing that criteria and all the numbers below it.

Please return your applications to us by email or to Springwell Gardens Community Centre, Eastwood View, S65 1NH

The closing date for the applications will be 31st May 2019.

Good Luck!

*Please note these awards are only for Rotherham Federation organisational members to apply for

The Great British Spring Clean Grant

Sarah Fletcher/ 14th February 201911th April 2019/ Grants

Keep Britain Tidy are running “The Great British Spring Clean” from 22nd March 2019 to 23rd April 2019. Litter picking is needed for all areas and communities are coming together to clear up rubbish as well as building community pride/spirit. Rotherham Federation of Communities are offering £200 per group to help bring the community together and clean up your local area.

For an application form please contact Sarah Fletcher on 01709 368515 or email sarah.fletcher@rotherfed.org. Closing date for application is Friday 8th March 2019

Voices and Choices Evaluation

Steve Ruffle/ 24th January 201924th January 2019/ Announcements

In April 2016 Rotherham Federation won £401, 800 from the Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund to deliver its Community Voices and Choices project. The 36-month project adopted the Community Organiser approach seeking to address the lack of social capital, building community strength and empowerment in eight of Rotherham’s most deprived communities.

This is the final evaluation of the project produced in January 2019.

VOICES AND CHOICES FINAL EVALUATION REPORT Download

A Vision for Social Housing

Steve Ruffle/ 12th January 201911th April 2019/ Announcements

Shelter has produced a comprehensive report on ‘Building for our Future- A Vision for Social Housing’ in January 2019.

Amongst a number of recommendations to improve social housing, the report calls for a stronger voice for tenants including support for independent tenants organisations like Rotherham Federation. A key recommendation of the report is that “residents of social housing must have a voice with national, regional, and local government. Government should support the establishment of an independent tenants’ voice organisation or tenants’ union, to represent the views of tenants in social housing within national and local government. It should involve as wide a range of tenants as possible.“

Rotherham Federation of Community fully endorses this report and supports the recommendations made within it.

The Full Report – A Vision for Social Housing

RMBC Cabinet to Recommend 1% Rent Reduction

Steve Ruffle/ 12th January 201912th January 2019/ Announcements

At their meeting on 21st January 2019, RMBC Cabinet will approve a recommendation to the full council of council house rent reductions of 1% this year.

Whilst this is great news for hard pressed tenants, this will continue the squeeze on funding needed to deliver services required in the HRA Business Plan (services for council house tenants).

The Full Report

More Voices and Choices

Steve Ruffle/ 8th January 20195th February 2019/ Announcements, Grants

Tbe Big Lottery Fund is awarding £272,732 to Rotherham Federation of Communities (Rotherham Federation) for a further 3 years to enable residents living in eight of Rotherham’s poorest and most excluded areas to become engaged in local life, have an effective voice and be empowered as a community to influence change in their area. The project will train and directly employ 3 full time Community Organisers from our local communities in Rotherham to undertake this work.

Steve Ruffle, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation said “this project will meet continue the excellent community organising work we have been undertaking during the last three years. We are using the innovative Community Organisers approach to involve local people in planning and delivering community change.” Community organisers will help support local people get their views listened to, support them to run their own activities and bring community groups together.

Rotherham Federation supports communities to grow and develop, working with them to build their sense of belonging, community pride and spirit. We work with and through grass roots community groups that are committed to bringing communities together, giving all communities a voice and creating local solutions to local issues.

The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK and are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery for good causes and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £33 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.

For more details of the More Voices and Choices project funded by the Big Lottery Fund contact Steve Ruffle on 01709 368515 or by email at steve.ruffle@rotherfed.org. The Federation is based at Springwell Gardens Community Centre.

Derek Corkell

Steve Ruffle/ 15th December 20183rd January 2019/ Announcements

Derek Corkell was born in May 1934 and died on 14^th December 2018 after a long illness. He was a member of the Rotherham Federation of Communities board between 2007 and 2013, He was both Vice Chair and Company Secretary of the Federation at different times. Derek was also a Board member of Tenants and Residents of England and chair of Windy Ridge Tenants and Residents Association in Aughton.

Derek was passionate about involving allunderrepresented groups in what the Federation did – he was an important architect in supporting the establishment of Rotherham Deaf Futures group. Derek always encouraged people to work together – in relation to the council, our landlord he always promoted our role as critical friend, challenging when need be but never falling out for the sake of it.

Can You Help Us?

Steve Ruffle/ 2nd December 201810th April 2019/ Surveys

We are evaluating our community voices and choices project (community organisers) – we would like to find out what local volunteers think about the project and what difference it has made to you.

Complete this survey which will help us shape the way we work over the next 3 years.

Link to Online Survey here

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP

Community Organiser Regional Meet Up

Steve Ruffle/ 29th November 201829th November 2018/ Meeting

Community Organisers Regional Meet Up hosted by Co-Collaborative Ltd. Building on the one-day Introduction to Community Organising training, community listening’s and previous network gatherings, this is an opportunity to ask ourselves;

What we can do together that we cannot do on our own?
How can we use the power of the Yorkshire network to strengthen what we are doing, support each other and to take-action on the things that together we care about most?

Nationally
The national network is already mobilising around the issue of benefits sanctioning and Universal Credit – is this an issue you care about? Find out how you can get involved in our national campaign.

A buffet lunch will be supplied.

Who can attend?
Anyone who is a member of Community Organisers
Anyone who has completed the one day Introduction to Community Organising workshop
Individuals in your communities that would benefit from the one day Introduction to Community Organising workshop

Get your tickets here

Board Elections 2019

Steve Ruffle/ 4th November 201826th November 2018/ Surveys

2 positions on the Trustees Board are open to election and one co-optee position will be reviewed. Elections are up for representatives from Wentworth North (presently Sue Fox) and one Community of Interest position (presently Kim Addy).

Nomination forms out Week Beginning 3rd December 2018

Nomination forms returned Friday 25th January 2019

Candidate Interviews Week Beginning 28th January 2019

Ballot papers out 4th February 2019

Ballot papers returned 15th March 2019

Election Results Announced at AGM 26th March 2019

Rotherham Federation is a charitable company support communities to grow and develop, working with them to build their sense of belonging, community pride and spirit. We work with and through grass roots community groups that are committed to bringing communities together, giving all communities a voice and creating local solutions to local issues.

Trustee Nomination Form 2019 (word file)

Please speak to Steve Ruffle the Chief Executive Officer if you want more information about being a trustee – either by phone on 01709 368515 or by email at steve.ruffle@rotherfed.org