WEST SOMERSET VOLUNTARY SECTOR FORUM

Tuesday, 15th July 2014, 10.30 am, West Somerset Council Offices, Williton

MINUTES

Page 1 of 7

Subject / Notes
Present / Kathy Morton (CLOWNS), Lorna Scott (Forum 21), Barbara Middleton (ATWEST), Alison Clark (MIND - Somerset Community Care Matters), Chris Moore (WHEELS), Andrew McCausland (Home-Start West Somerset / Hope Centre), Justin Speirs (Somerset Rural Youth Project), Angie Keirle (Somerset Care & Repair), Peter Wellstood (PALS), Joyce Fisher (PALS), Cindy Beynon (Somerset Drug and Alcohol Services), Jim Kent (Somerset Older Citizens Alliance), Angela Summers (West Somerset Council), Cllr Robert McDonald (Williton Parish Council), John Bazley (Somerset County Council), Beth Prince (Somerset Waste Partnership), Lisa Redston (Taunton Deane Borough Council), Olivia Gore (Big Lottery Fund), Samantha Magne (Big Lottery Fund), Tony Brice (Engage, Guest), Alex Caisey (Engage, Guest), Katrina Midgley (Engage, Manager), Jan Ross (Engage, Development Worker), Rob Culligan (Engage, Volunteer).
Apologies / Dave Jackson (YMCA), John Hellier (In The Mix Youth Project), Chris Phillips (Somerset County Council), Rosie Parry (Somerset Parent Partnership Service), Anna Statham (Compass Disability Services),
Maria Knight (Compass Disability Services), Elaine Ross (Minehead Youth Theatre), Anna Hill (Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner), Cllr Maureen Smith (WSC and Transition Minehead & Alcombe), Jenny Lennon-Wood (Minehead Development Trust), Roger Hall (Porlock Futures), Nik Harwood (Somerset Rural Youth Project), Andy Symons (Somerset Drugs and Alcohol Service).
Minutes of meeting 23rd April 2014 & Matters Arising / Subject to ‘Somerset Youth Trust’ being corrected to ‘West Somerset Youth Trust’ (page 6), the draft minutes were agreed as an accurate record and were signed-off by Katrina Midgley as Chair. There were no matters arising that were not covered elsewhere on the agenda.
West Somerset Council – Angela Summers, West Somerset Council / Unfortunately David Jackson, Centre Manager, Beach Hotel, was unable to attend to give the planned briefing on the YMCA’s activities in West Somerset. Angela Summers, West Somerset Council, kindly stood in as a last-minute replacement and covered the following three topics:
Health & Well-Being Directory – Angela displayed the ‘Health & Well-Being Directory’ - detailing the local services delivered by the community and voluntary sector in West Somerset for the benefit of people seeking help with their health and wellbeing - that was now available on the Council’s website and had been circulated to all local GPs. Any additions or updates to entries in the Directory should be sent to Angela.
Hinkley Point C Community Impact Mitigation Fund – Angela explained that discussions on the ‘strike price’ were still continuing at a national/international level and needed to be concluded before a final decision would be taken by EDF on whether to proceed with Hinkley Point C. However, EDF had started work on the Hinkley Point C groundworks which meant that substantial Section 106 monies were released in May 2014 and then on an annual basis each May, to fund projects to mitigate the impact on local communities of the Hinkley Point C development. Full details on the Community Impact Mitigation Fund (CIM) were now available on the Council’s website, including a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section. Angela gave a brief tour of the website section. The application process begins with a two-page ‘expression of interest’ form on the website, to which WSC aimed to respond within around five days. Key factors in assessing submissions would be their geographical location, with reference to a set of graded ‘Priority Impact Zones’, and how far the proposed scheme met various other criteria such as ‘Quality of Life’, ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Extent of Benefit’. The WSC website should be the first port of call for groups considering a potential application but Angela emphasised that she and her colleague James Holbrook (01643 703704) were very happy to answer any questions from groups working up an application. In response to questions, Angela explained:
·  That 40 ‘expressions of interest’ had been received in the first round. Some had been ruled ineligible against the criteria, some were subject to further work (in particular securing other sources of funding) and three full applications had been completed that would be considered by the CIM Board in August.
·  During these early rounds, the criteria would be kept under review to ensure their appropriateness.
·  The next deadline for formal applications was 1st September, with subsequent deadlines bi-monthly from that date.
·  Joint applications were particularly welcomed.
·  Angela would seek clarification on how any unallocated CIM monies would be treated at the end of their period.
Healthy Living Fair – WSC had been exploring with Williton Health Surgery the possibility of running a ‘Healthy Living Fair’ to coincide with the flu injection session at the surgery in October, which would be attended by 800-1,000 residents. (An outline of the proposed event had been circulated prior to the meeting.) Angela was seeking the views of Forum members prior to progressing the idea. There was good support for the proposal from the Forum and members reported favourably on similar events held elsewhere. A key point from these other events was that the Fairs and the injection sessions had been held in the same building. Angela would look to incorporate this feature in to the proposed Williton Event. Williton was seen as a pilot by WSC that could then be replicated elsewhere.
Big Lottery Fund – Olivia Gore and Samantha Magne, Big Lottery Fund / Olivia opened the slot by welcoming the fact that there continued to be an active voluntary sector network/forum in West Somerset – a feature increasingly being lost elsewhere in the region. Olivia explained that the BIG Lottery Fund was the largest such scheme in Europe, distributing lottery monies to community-level projects working in the fields of: ‘Health’, ‘Education’, ‘Environment’ and ‘General Charitable Activities’. The organisational structure of BIG had changed, with the main assessment centres being in Birmingham and Newcastle; but some local offices continued, with Olivia and her colleague Samantha working out of Exeter. BIG’s two main general funds were:
‘Awards for All’ – Provided small grants (£300 to £10,000). Recent changes had been that smaller organisations (under £30,000 turnover per annum) could now apply for repeat funding; and that feasibility costs were now eligible. Olivia advised potential applicants to allow for around 4-5 months from start to finish for an Awards for All application.
‘Reaching Communities’ – Grants in excess of £10,000 and there was no longer an upper-limit – although individual awards in excess of £500,000 would have to be for something exceptional. Grants could be awarded for up to £100,000 of capital expenditure. The scheme’s two-stage application process normally took ten weeks for the first-stage (25-30% success rate); following which a second-stage (70-80% success rate) would normally take 3-4 months.
Olivia commented that West Somerset had done well in securing BIG funding in the past – with Home-Start West Somerset and Somerset Rural Youth Project being examples of successful applicants – but that it was a national competition for funds with no set regional pots. Olivia emphasised the importance of clearly identifying ‘need’ and ‘outcomes’ in working up an application and recommended strongly that any group should make early contact with herself or her colleagues in order to maximise the potential for success and to avoid wasted effort. The general advice line number was 08454 102030 and BIG’s website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk had all the application forms plus guidance on successful applications.
Olivia briefly explained that some other, more targeted, funding streams – ‘Coastal Communities’ and ‘Re-thinking Parks’ - were also available. Finally, before handing over to her colleague Samantha, Olivia encouraged attendees to take part in a major consultation exercise on how the £4billion available from 2015-2020 should be allocated.
Samantha provided a briefing on the Strategic Programmes that were targeted at five specific social policy issues: ‘Early Years’, ’18 Better’, ‘Multiple & Complex Needs’, ‘Head-Start’ and ‘Talent Match’. The funding was intended to achieve step-changes in how the specific issue was being tackled. Unfortunately Somerset was not an area eligible to apply for Strategic Programme funding, but Samantha argued that groups in Somerset should be looking to work with and share learning with similar groups elsewhere in the country that were using Strategic Programme funding to develop their approaches.
Samantha also outlined how, by working through Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), BIG was match-funding European Social Fund monies in order to promote social inclusion and the removal of barriers to employment. Samantha explained that West Somerset was within the Heart of the South West LEP and that the voluntary sector’s input in to the LEP was through the South West Forum.
A discussion followed Olivia’s and Samantha’s joint briefing, which focused particularly on the eligibility of ‘core funding’ for BIG monies. Olivia explained that BIG now allowed ‘full-cost recovery’ which went some way to addressing the point.
Somerset Drug & Alcohol Service – Cindy Beynon / Cindy introduced herself as the Services Manager for CRI Somerset Drug & Alcohol Services (SDAS). SDAS was a new umbrella organisation that started on 1st February 2014 and managed service delivery through three organisations:
·  Crime Reduction Initiative (CRI) that tackled criminality resulting from drugs and alcohol misuse through health care and social interventions.
·  Turning Point that provided recovery services.
·  Developing Health and Independence worked on housing issues/crisis intervention.
Services were primarily delivered via ‘Hub’ venues, with the first Hub in West Somerset due to come into effect in the autumn. Use was also made of other community venues, home visits and a ‘Wellbeing Bus’ to prove accessible services. The bus would be visiting Minehead on a fortnightly rota (once a driver had been found!). The approach was one of “Assertive Outreach”, getting into the community to engage hard to reach clients and new client groups. These could be: new and emerging drug users; steroid users; or addicts of over the counter medication. Services included access to needle exchange, naloxone and blood borne virus testing. The objective was to respond to an initial referral and provide an assessment of the individual’s issues/needs within five days. A tailored programme would be designed and Cindy outlined what form such a programme could take.
In response to questions, Cindy:
·  emphasised that SDAS was very much looking for joint working with other agencies;
·  explained that SDAS offered training and talks to support other groups (for example youth clubs) in dealing with alcohol and drugs issues
·  agreed that such a programme of intervention took a long-time to prove its effectiveness;
·  and offered to return in a year’s time to provide an update on SDAS.
Contact details for SDAS: Phone Number: 0300 303 87 88 Email:
Cindy’s presentation would be circulated with the meeting’s minutes.
Information Exchange and Any Other Business / Somerset Waste Partnership Beth announced that she was now the Partnership’s ‘Community Engagement Officer’. Recent activity had included working with the West Somerset Food Cupboard and Beth was keen to work with other local groups – an open invite for her to give talks etc. on recycling.
Engage – Jan had assisted in a successful ‘Awards for All’ application of £10,000 for the Exford Play Area and Somerset Community Foundation had recently approved grants totalling £20,000 for a number of schemes in West Somerset and Taunton Deane. A new LARC fund was being introduced, although with highly targeted criteria.
Katrina reported on a very successful 2014 West Somerset Volunteer of the Year Awards event. The awards ceremony itself was held on 6th of June, with thanks to the YMCA for free use of their Beach Hotel facilities.
Katrina and Jan provided an update on Engage’s role in Taunton Deane. A weekly pop-up Volunteer Centre was now running in Taunton Library, Jan was providing development advice and DBS checks were again now again available from Engage. Engage’s six-month contract would shortly expire and it was intended to submit a bid to provide services to Taunton Deane Borough Council on a long-term basis.
Transition Minehead & Alcombe – Lorna advised the meeting that TMA were developing a co-operative housing project – further details available from Maureen Smith.
Forum 21 – Lorna updated the meeting on the new community woodland on North Hill where the licence had been signed with the Exmoor National Park Authority. Volunteers were being sought to help support the project. Another ‘open homes’ event was being planned for September/October with the focus on ‘passive; forms of energy saving. The Onion Collective was undertaking a consultation exercise in Watchet – Lorna to supply details to Rob for circulation.
Somerset County Council – John advised the meeting that Simon Clifford had recently been appointed as the new SCC Director for Customers and Communities; SCC was supporting five ‘Our Place’ projects; the Volunteers Week had been very successful across Somerset; and that SCC was undertaking a strategic review of “social value”.
Somerset Rural Youth Project – Justin reported that SRYP was celebrating 15 years of running its ‘Wheels to Work’ moped loan scheme and was now also able to provide associated accredited training.
MIND / Somerset Community Care Matters – Alison reported that, subject to passing a legal audit, Somerset Community Care Matters would have a new three-year contract.
CLOWNS – Kathy was delighted that 500 bookings had been made for the summer play schemes – an increase on last year and almost fully booked. The scrap store was developing further with particular thanks to businesses such as Mulberry and also close working with the Taunton scrap store.
Minehead EYE – Kathy reported that Minehead EYE had an extensive programme of activities running through the summer.
ATWEST – Barbara reported that ATWEST was generally fine, although there continued to be a need for additional car drivers/owners to take part in the community car scheme. ATWEST had been unsuccessful in a funding application to the Lloyds Bank Foundation and Barbara asked about the experience of other groups in recent applications – prompting a general discussion on the issue.
Taunton Deane Borough Council – Lisa said how pleased she was to have been invited to the Forum and would very much welcome a similar initiative in Taunton Deane.