Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service

Flexible Support for Business (FS4B) is a new FREE service available to support your business. Backed by the Welsh Assembly Government it provides an opportunity for businesses to access a range of free support services to help start up and grow businesses.

Services provided include:

• Financial and business planning
• Funding
• Specialist support

The service has now been launched throughout Wales and to raise awareness of the support available a week of Business Advice Surgeries are scheduled to start of July 13^th.  If you would like to book an appointment at your local Flexible Support for Business office please visit www.business-support-wales.gov.uk/adviceweek or call 03000 6 03000.

Places are limited so please call by June 26^th at the latest to guarantee an appointment.

The UK government has now produced leaflets on Swine Flu available in 15 languages for local faith communities to be aware of measures to take regarding this outbreak.  This information is available for all to access and download from the Welsh Assembly Government website at http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/protection/communicabledisease/swine/advice/leaflets/info/?lang=en

To order more copies of leaflets on swine flu, either translations or alternative formats, you can send the order form (details can be found on the last page of the English Leaflet) or simply call 08001 513 513 to make an order.

Are you interested in our local industrial history and heritage?

Aberdulais Falls, near Neath, is one of the oldest industrial sites in Britain.

Run by the National Trust, volunteers - the Friends of Aberdulais Falls - play a vital role in the upkeep of the property.  Their efforts have raised over £100,000.

Fancy joining them?  Opportunities exist in a variety of activities:

• Gardening and landscaping,
• Guiding and stewarding
• Archaeological & historical research
• Tearoom and home baking
• The Waterwheel Singers’ mixed choir

For more information call Vic James on 01639 636674 or call in for an application form.

CDC met with Children in Need late last year to advise them on their new grant giving programme called ‘Fun and Friendship’. This is a programme specifically working with disabled children aged between 12 - 18 years and awarding grants to projects that give disabled young people opportunities to just do what other young people do and that projects must demonstrate disabled young people’s participation and leadership. The ‘Fun and Friendship’ grant programme has now been launched with a closing date for applications as 31st July 2009. For more information see http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/grants/funandfriendship.shtml

From Neath Port Talbot CBC website:

First time buyers in Neath Port Talbot’s renewal areas can now apply for energy efficiency grants. Sandfields East and Aberavon and the Upper Amman Valley are set to benefit from £50,000 funding from the Welsh Assembly to help first time buyers reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint by installing such things as new central heating boilers and loft and cavity wall insulation. Grants of up to £5000 are available for first time buyers who have purchased homes since 27th June 2007. These must be existing properties not new builds.http://www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=2482&pr_id=3580

From the WEFO website:

Two projects investing over £40 million to help economically inactive people back into the labour market and into learning will receive a £10 million boost, John Griffiths, Deputy Minister for Skills, announced on Monday June 22nd. The funding boost for the Wales Council for Voluntary Action’s (WCVA) Engagement Gateway and North Wales Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) projects will enable the schemes to be rolled out to support people in East Wales. The additional funding is made up of £4m from the European Social Fund and match funded by the Welsh Assembly Government with further funding from other organisations across Wales.  For more information go to: http://www.wefo.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?action=newsdetail&ID=2612

From the Welsh Assembly Government Website:

A new plan to help homeowners facing repossession was launched by the Deputy Minister for Housing, Jocelyn Davies AM on 24 June. In light of the current economic climate, the Mortgage Rescue Action Plan has been produced with a number of partners including Local Authorities, Housing Associations and the Council of Mortgage Lenders to provide support to struggling families and to make sure they know what help that is available. http://wales.gov.uk/news/latest/090624mortgagerescueactionplan/?lang=en

Community Transport was officially launched on Monday 22^nd June at the Gnoll Park visitor centre by the Director of CTA Wales, Betsan Caldwell.

The Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee has agreed to undertake an inquiry into the use and regulation of sunbeds in Wales and is calling for those with an interest or expertise in this area to submit written evidence. Please find attached the background and guidance for witnesses.

Insight Out Wales has been developed for new media graduates who want to start a new or develop an early stage business in Wales.  It has been created by NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and is run in partnership with Creative Business Wales, part of the Welsh Assembly Government.  Your business idea must be based on new media content creation or distribution and could be using music, interactive media, gaming, animation, film, video, web and mobile entertainment technologies or be multi-platform. For more information contact  Claire.heat@wales-uk.com, 029 20436110, www.nesta.org.uk The deadline for applications is 6 July 2009. The course will run from October 09.