22ndDecember 2015
Active Essex – Community Games
ECL - Sensory Grants
Dementia Day – Save the Date
Stay Well This Winter
Volunteer Essex Website Official Launch
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
from the staff and volunteers at
Maldon & District Community Voluntary Service
Active Essex – Community Games
After 4 successful years of Community Games events in Essexcommunities are once again invited to apply for funding to host a multi-sport community event in 2016. The funding criteria this year has been restructured to give a greater focus on the sport element heading into the Rio Olympic Games 2016.
The Community Games aims to get people to stage their own events and to bring communities together to take part in sporting and cultural activities where the community can organise their event in a way that works for them. Whatever the focus, the community games should provide an opportunity for everyone to participate.
Community Games applications must include 2 physical activity/taster activities, 2 competitive sport activities and an Opening/Closing ceremony.Further details of this criteria and suggestions can be found in the application form at
The closing date for applications is 26th February 2016.
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ECL - Sensory Grants
As part of the Increasing Independence programme, Essex County Council awarded a new contract to ECL to co-ordinate services across the county for people with visual, hearing and dual sensory impairments.
The contract sees ECL Sensory Service working in partnership with voluntary sector providers to develop and deliver a wide range of services, including:
•Information, advice, guidance and emotional support
•Registration and data collection
•Reablement and rehabilitation, including specialist equipment support and daily living skills training
The Invitation to Tender (ITT) process has now begun for ECL - Sensory Grants 2016 – 2018.
In order to view and/or complete the Grant Application document register at:
Closing date for submissions is 12 noon on Monday 29th February 2016.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Bravo helpdesk on 0800 3684850 in the first instance and if additional information or support is required please email r
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Dementia Day – Save the Date
Essex County Council is planning to hold a Dementia Day on 20th January 2016. The aim for the day is to showcase the commitment across Essex to raise awareness of dementia, develop dementia friendly communities and work together to transform the lives of people living with dementia.
Dementia remains a national priority and with currently 20,000 people in Essex living with dementia, estimated to rise to 30,000 by 2025 we need to ensure people in Essex are not isolated from community activity. It is vital that health and social care, with local communities, work together to reduce the stigma associated with dementia and take actions to transform the community response to this long term condition.
Essex County Council are looking for as many events, social media posts and fundraising activities as possible to take place and wants to demonstrate the commitment across Essex to developing a network of support for people living with dementia.
Examples of eventsto hold on 20th January are:
• Hold a dementia friends session
• Plan an activity such as a walk, tea party, or perhaps something different
• Hold a “wear blue day” to raise awareness or signify the commitment to the day
• Use social media to share messages and promote the dementia friendly network
• Fundraise for a local charity
• Encourage staff to volunteer at local schemes.
For more information contact call 0333 0131 844 to discuss plans further and to let ECC know of any planned activity so that it can be included in their communications.
For more information or to view the entire Essex County Council Provider Newsletter go to
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Stay Well This Winter
A new leaflet and poster supporter packpublished by Public Health England is no available to order. The pack is a quick and easy way to provide the printed resources you, and other local supporters need to promote ‘Stay Well This Winter’ and can be ordered free of charge from the PHE Campaign Resource Centre (CRC). It can be ordered by anyone and contains 50 leaflets and 4 posters with blank panels so it can be customised to meet local requirements.
Pack contents include:
A3 posters:
- 1 x Are you expecting a baby?
- 1 x Parents with child aged 2, 3 or 4
- 1 x Parents with child in yrs 1 and 2
- 1 x Over 65s or have existing health condition
8 page leaflet:
50 x 8 page ‘Stay Well This Winter’ leaflets - covering flu jabs, warm homes and pharmacy messaging
‘Stay Well This Winter’ resources are available to download and order at the PHECampaign Resource Centre.
Thermometers – There are a limited number of ‘Stay Well This Winter’ thermometers available to order for services targeting over 65s and other risk groups directly. The thermometers are due to be dispatched in early January
and are only available while stocks last. If you would like to place an order or for more information please
Social Media - Social media is a great way to make an impact by giving people the motivation and urgency to act. The social media toolkit can be found here.
If you have any queries please
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Volunteer Essex Website Official Launch
The Volunteer Essex website will be officially launched by 14 Volunteer Centres across Essex on Thursday 14th January 2016. The events will take place in local Libraries and ribbons will be cut by local dignitaries at 11 am. In Maldon the event will take place in the Library, Carmelite House, White Horse Lane from 10:30 am and will be attended by the Maldon Mayor and Mayoress as well as website designer Luke Pipe.
Please join us to celebrate this important milestone and to find out more about how the website can be used to reach volunteers and to promote volunteering. Visit the site at
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The views expressed in this E-Bulletin are not necessarily endorsed by Maldon and District Community Voluntary Service. Whilst every effort is made to promote accurate information, we accept no liability for error or omission. Member groups are welcome to reproduce or forward items appearing in this Bulletin