Grow in Powys

Community

Where to find more help

Links to other sources of information

You don’t have to do it on your own. There is plenty of information and advice within easy reach on the internet. Just click on the links below.

Local help and information

Powys County Council – general information – to find a service go to www.powys.gov.uk scroll down to the "A-Z of services" and select from the index.

Powys County Council Community Regeneration gives community groups access to funding, skills and advice. Email jenni.thomas@powys.gov.uk.

Powys Community Centres and Village Halls – see the list of centres by selecting "community halls" from the services index at the www.powys.gov.uk web site.

Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations: PAVO provides a wide range of support and advice to voluntary organisations in the county on including:

Funding advice and support to help you develop the skills to prepare funding applications
Guidance on developing your project
Business planning and developing funding strategies
Preparation or amendment of governing documents
Charity registration
Developing policies and procedures
Engaging with your community and service users
Training
contacts for the Powys network of community organisations which support and advise volunteering (Powys Info-Engine – www.powys.info-engine.org.uk - provides lists of community organisations.)

Contact the Telephone Helpdesk on 0845 009 3288
Web site: www.pavo.org.uk
Postal address: PAVO, Unit 30 Ddole Road Industrial Estate, Llandrindod Wells, Powys LD1 6DF.

Village halls in Powys – to network with other halls and community hubs see the map of halls and community centres.

Wales Co-operative Centre – services include advice, development work help and training for community enterprises, credit unions and digital inclusion projects for community organisations – seewww.walescooperative.org.uk/contact us for local contacts.

General

Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) provides a range of resources and information sources –www.wcva.org.uk

Participation Cymru provides opportunities for networking with others involved community participation -www.participationcymru.org.uk/networks

VolResource is an excellent web site which provides a great deal of practical information and links to many other sites on voluntary sector governance and management. A good place to start searching.www.volresource.org.uk

National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has an extensive library of example policy documents, other resources and links. www.ncvo-vol.org.uk.

Directory of Social Change publications: A host of useful printed publications on a range of voluntary sector issues from the Directory of Social Change - www.dsc.org.uk/Publications

Governance

The Charity Commission: The guidance leaflet Hallmarks of an effective charity is also relevant to non-charities; it is one of many downloadable guidance leaflets at http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Charity_requirements_guidance/default.aspx Also see full list of publications below.

NCVO Code of good governance: The National Council for Voluntary Organisations provides a broad overview of good practice in maintaining good governance: www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/codeofgovernance

NCVO guidance on governance and leadership: http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/governanceandleadership

Resource Centre, Brighton and Hove: This is one of many voluntary sector sites which provides useful information sheets on a variety of governance issue: www.resourcecentre.org.uk/information

Charity and company registrations

The Charity Commission: The Commission provides model constitutions for straightforward charity registrations and detailed information on the (not entirely straightforward) application process.www.charity-commission.gov.uk. See the list of key document

Companies House: If you want to give your organisation "limited liability" protection you’ll need to download registration forms from Companies House. There is also extensive guidance on starting a company and reporting requirement at www.companieshouse.gov.uk

The Regulator of Community Interest Companies: There’s an information pack on setting CICs atwww.cicregulator.gov.uk

Employment and equalities issues

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS): publications on various aspects of managing people, including guides on discipline, absence, redundancy and performance appraisal. Free downloads are available at www.acas.org.uk.

Business Link: This Government website Business Link has some useful information on employment -www.businesslink.gov.ukand click on ‘Employing People’.

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC): information and advice about racial, gender or disability equality - www.ehrc.org.uk.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - www.hse.gov.uk

Information Commissioners Office - for registration under the Data Protection Action - www.ico.org.uk

Trades Union Congress (TUC) - access to model policies and guidelines on issues such as stress, bullying, redundancy, relocation, whistle blowing and diversity. www.TUC.org.uk

Unison - website for employers in the community and voluntary sector - www.unison.org.uk/voluntary

VolResource - www.volresource.org.uk

Funding sources and fundraising

There are thousands of charitable trusts funding community organisations. The list below includes a very small number of the more active funders which provide help in Wales.

Help with finding funding sources - Powys County Council Community Regeneration (email jenni.thomas@powys.gov.uk) and Powys Association of Voluntary Organisation (www.pavo.org.uk) are the best sources of guidance on how to identify who is most likely to support your project and about funders’ changing priorities and requirements.

Powys Community Grants Programme – download of programme Guidelines

Institute of Fundraising – national organisation with a Welsh Office providing guidance and training events for fundraisers - www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk

Big Lottery - www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/wales

Community Foundation in Wales – a source of mainly small grants - www.cfiw.org.uk

Comic Relief – source of grants which "change the lives of poor and disadvantaged people" -www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant

Entrust – the contact point for information and applications to the Landfill Communities Fund -www.entrust.org.uk/home.

Garfield Weston Foundation – a source of grants especially for community, youth and welfare projects in disadvantaged regions - www.garfieldweston.org

The Gwendoline & Margaret Davies Charity – important Powys-based trust which funds community projects (no web site); Plas Dolerw, Milford Road, Newtown, Powys, SY16 2EH; tel 01686 670404; email susan@daviescharities.freeserve.co.uk

The Henry Smith Charity – a substantial source of grant for disadvantaged groups -www.henrysmithcharity.org.uk

Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust – source of small grants for community projects in Wales -www.millenniumstadiumtrust.org.uk

Wales Council for Voluntary Action – funding schemes, training and information – www.wcva.org.uk

The Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund is administered by Wales Government; email planning.division@wales.gsi.gov.uk for the information pack.

Planning

Planning Aid Wales – a source of free information on all planning matters and, in some cases, help from expert volunteers - www.planningaidwales.org.uk

Beacons National Park – guidance on complex planning issues in the Park area, including making planning applications - www.breconbeacons.org/the-authority/planning

Powys County Council - for information on policies and applications select planning and building control links from the index of services at www.powys.gov.uk

The Planning Portal – a government site providing extensive advice and information about the planning system - www.planningportal.gov.uk

Project evaluation

The Charities Evaluation Service is a charity dedicated to monitoring and evaluation in the voluntary sector. The web site provides a variety of downloadable resources on conducting evaluations and links to other sites - www.ces-vol.org.uk

Joseph Rowntree Foundation: downloadable evaluation guide: Joseph Rowntree Foundation Guide - Evaluating Community Projects

Trading and community assets

DTA Wales: networking and contacts for asset-based development and community-based trading organisations in Wales: www.dtawales.org.uk

Locality (formerly DTA UK) – the national organisation supporting the grass roots development of community building assets: www.locality.org.uk

Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations: www.pavo.org.uk

Wales Council for Voluntary Action: See the comprehensive interactive guide It’s an idea but is it a business – A guide to third sector trading at the WCVA web site www.wcv.org.uk

Volunteering:

The Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) provides training, on-line advice and detailed information on developing volunteering policies and managing volunteers - www.wcva.org.uk/volunteeringtelephone helpline 0800 2888 329

Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly Criminal Records Bureau): For information about free criminal records checks for volunteers - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service.