Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service

The Guardian has launched a new award just for social enterprises. The awards seek out the UK’s most promising social enterprises who look set to make a big impact. The Guardian will award four outstanding finalists by showcasing the winning ideas at the Guardian Social Enterprise 2011 summit, where delegates will vote for the overall winner.

Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is delighted to be involved and will be represented on the judging panel.

The deadline for entries is 11.59 on Friday 14 October 2011 and the competition results will be announced at The Guardian’s annual summit on the 8th November 2011.

For further information about the awards and for a full list of entry criteria please visit the Guardian website

A governing document is a charity’s instruction manual, and every charity has one. It sets out the purposes of the charity and the rules the trustees must follow, and could take the form of, for example, a constitution, trust deed or Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Trustees need to regularly review their governing document to ensure it is up to date and enables them to run the charity effectively.  If you need more information, please see the Commission’s guidance CC36 – Changing your Charity’s Governing Document.

Internet Rangers – one month to win up to £4,000 for your school

BT Internet Rangers Schools Award

If you think you know a school or a young person that has helped or plans to help people within your community to get online, they could be in with a chance to win some incredible awards. There are cash awards of up to £4,000 available for schools and laptops and iPads available for young people up to the age of 16.

For more information, to apply or nominate please visit the BT website

Remember that IAITH in collaboration with Trinity Saint David University College will bear fruit in February 2012 with the first intake of students to its new Welsh-medium postgraduate certificate course in Language Policy and Planning.

The course consists of two 30 credit modules – Essential Language Planning and Promoting Welsh – with IAITH staff leading the teaching team. It is an ideal course for those already involved in language issues in Wales as well as students who are considering language planning as a carer option.

For more information contact Christine Jones on c.m.jones@tsd.ac.uk or calling 0300 5001822. Some bursaries are available. see leaflet here 

Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations are preparing for a regional forum event to be held on November 8th where they will have a presentation on the document and a chance for people to ask questions. In addition to this, the event will aim to update members about the progress being made around the mental health measure and triage system being rolled. The document is available for download here

CMW are in the process of putting out three tenders for a Music Participation Programme. We will contract organisations working with and seeking to engage with young people not in education, training and employment (NEETs) and those at risk of becoming so, to run music engagement activities. This project is part of Reach the Heights, a European Social Fund project.

Reach the Heights aims to strengthen the position of young people in Wales between the ages of 11 and19 in relation to opportunities for learning, advice, support and guidance, including those who are not in education, employment or training, or are at risk of not becoming so. In February 2009, Reach the Heights was awarded up to £27 million from the European Social Fund to support two projects First Footholds and Routes to the Summit.

This project falls under Routes to the Summit, which aims to raise the skills and aspirations of young people aged 11-19 years. The project delivers against Priority 1 Theme 2 of the Convergence European Social Fund by providing enhanced information, advice, guidance and support for young people through a wide range of opportunities for gaining skills useful for learning and employment.

Community Music Wales is a joint sponsor of Reach the Heights.

Full information and all tendering documents can be found on the Sell2Wales website

Information can also be found on the Community Music Wales website

The ABMU Third Sector Compact sets out how the Health Community and Third Sector within ABMU want to work together to improve services for local people. Its value comes from the commitment of organisations that sign up to working in partnership to deliver better services. This is the first of its kind in Wales to date. ABMU Third Sector Compact

The Neath Port Talbot ‘Pre-Deposit’ LDP is to be published for consultation for a period of 6 weeks – beginning on Monday 5th September and ending on Monday 17th October 2011. The Pre-Deposit Plan sets out the Authority’s vision, strategic options, preferred strategy and key policies which will shape the way in which the County Borough will develop in the period to 2026. The document has been produced following consultation and participation with stakeholders, and its publication presents an important opportunity for all those interested to submit representations (either in support or objection) to its content. The Pre-Deposit LDP and associated documents including the Sustainability Appraisal (incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment) and Habitats Regulation Assessment will be available for inspection on the Council’s website and printed copies of the documents will be available for public inspection at each of the Civic Centres, One Stop Shop at Pontardawe and at any of the libraries within the County Borough. The closing date for submissions is midnight on 17th October 2011. Once the consultation has ended, Councillors will consider all responses and the work will then go forward to shape the next stage of the plan – the Deposit Plan. If you would like this information in another language, or if you wish to discuss this further, then please contact the LDP team either by e-mail on ldp@npt.gov.uk or by phone on (01639) 686421

The Charity Commission has four new online forms, with in-built guidance and available in both English and Welsh. The forms will make it easier for charities to find out if they need the Commission’s permission to amend their governing document, pay trustees or use their permanent endowment. If they need this consent, they can then apply through these forms. They will join the online forms the Charity Commission have already produced for winding up, applying to vest land in the Official Custodian and registering a merger of charities.

1. Amendments form – This is an interactive form that allows trustees to find out if they need permission to amend their governing document or if they just need to tell the Charity Commission that changes have been made.
2. Trustee payments and expenses – Like the amendment form this covers a variety of different circumstances which include paying trustees for services, connected party payments and employing a trustee. The form will tell you if the Commission’s consent is needed, or not, to make a payment. If not, the guidance can be printed for the charity’s reassurance.
3. Spending permanent endowment – The guidance for releasing PE has been made much simpler. If the Commission’s consent is needed to spend PE, then charities can apply through the new online form.
4. Transfer of capital from one charity to another (Charities Act Section 74) – Trustees can use the online form to tell us that permanent endowment is being transferred to another charity.

Neath Port Talbot CVS and Enterprise in the Valleys are holding a Youth Volunteer Awards Evening on 9th November 2011 at Neath College and we are inviting organisations and members of the public to nominate those young people aged between 11 and 25 years that they feel deserve recognition. The awards celebrate the hard work and dedication of young people across the County Borough of Neath Port Talbot. There are ten Award Categories which are as follows:

• The Big Heart Award
• TATA Steel Eco Award
• Safer Neath Port Talbot Partnership Sports Award
• Neath Port Talbot College Student Volunteer Award
• Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service Community Award
• Neath Chamber of Trade Spirit Award
• Neath Market Traders Federation Triumph Award
• Enterprise in the Valleys Group Award
• Buffoon Film and Media’s Under 16 Volunteer of the Year Award
• Nettie Bettie’s Coffee Lounge 16-25 Volunteer of the Year Award

If you would like to nominate an individual or a group please take a look at the guidelines and then complete the attached nomination form, returning it to the address below or go to the website and complete nomination forms online. The deadline for nominations is 21st September.