The role of a volunteer driver is a very rewarding position, providing transport for social journeys and health appointments for people in the local community, but recruiting for the role can sometimes be challenging.

To help create awareness about the role, we spoke to Jack Ball, Volunteer Officer at Supportive about the main challenges they face in recruiting volunteer drivers, the benefits of the role and how volunteering impacts their service.

The Community Growing and Food Network facilitated by DCA met for their first in person session of the year this month, kindly hosted at Pioneering Care Centre.

This included a talk by staff and their head gardener volunteer along with a tour of their community garden which is used as a multi-generational space that is accessible to everyone and includes an outdoor gym.

Sarah Doherty joined us from Step Together Armed Forces Community Programme and told us all about their gardening project at the Recovery Centre, Catterick, some of the mobility challenges their service personnel endure and how the space is adapted to make it accessible to all.

There were lots of great discussions, questions, making connections and sharing of experiences together.

To keep updated with the network, you can join the Community Growing and Food Network Facebook group

On 19^th March 2025 delegates gathered at Jubilee Fields Community Centre in Shildon to celebrate the impact that community buildings make to the places that we live and work.

The Energy, Sustainability and Community Buildings event also brought people together to look at enhancing energy efficiency in community buildings and hear about a new County Durham energy company being developed to support them.

Read the report from the event here

You can also download the presentations from the event from our website here

Durham Community Action have launched the Rural Durham Community Research Network with a series of workshops taking place over the last few weeks.

The network brings together local communities, VCSE organisations and community groups across Teesdale, Weardale and Derwent Valley who have an interest in leading their own community research.  

The network will build capability, confidence and knowledge so that communities can lead their own research. This year we have £30,000 funding available to support community research.

Don’t miss our online introductory session and free community research training available for anyone brand-new to community research or anyone who has led research before but has an interest in learning more.

We’re beginning to develop and establish the network with local communities. If you would like to get involved please get in touch by emailing jemma.austin@durhamcommunityaction.org.uk

Read our latest blog to find out more and sign up for our next events or training sessions

Julie, our County Durham Poverty Truth Commission Project Worker, is writing a series of blogs to track the journey of the Poverty Truth Commission and those involved in it.

The latest blog focuses on the launch event on 11th March - read it here

You can also read all the past blogs here 

This month we also have a blog from Alana, a student who has carried out some work experience with the County Durham Poverty Truth Commission - read about her experience here

Greggs Foundation Community Grants programme is looking for applications from County Durham in their latest funding round.

The aim of this programme is to help build stronger, healthier communities by supporting community organisations who are providing services which address their local needs enabling people to widen their networks, reduce isolation, and build their knowledge, confidence and opportunities.

Grants are available of up to £20,000 per year for up to two years.

Grants are to cover core costs which are essential running costs, for example rental costs or salaries.

For more information visit Greggs Foundation Community Grants Programme

We are also running a Virtual Information Session about the grants on Monday 28th April from 10.30 - 11.30am - book your place here

Tesco and easyfundraising have come together again to give a little help to good causes in our area this May - by offering up five £1,000 funding pots.

This month, thanks to the Tesco Community Pledge, when your network of volunteers and supporters shop with Tesco via the easyfundraising website or app, your organisation will not only raise free funds, but  will also be placed in a draw to receive a £1,000 bonus.

You can register your organisation with easyfundraising using the link below. Then ask everyone connected to your organisation to sign up in support and encourage them to try it out with a Tesco shop. Tesco will give £10 if it’s their first-time shop, and 50p for each subsequent shop they do* and your organisation will then be entered into the draw to win £1,000.

Sign up here: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/durham

*New customers can raise £10 on their first shop over £50, existing customers raise 50p per shop over £50

We are running a range of virtual funding information sessions throughout the spring and summer for representatives of voluntary and community groups across County Durham.

Funders include Greggs Foundation, Point North, Karbon Homes, Believe Housing, Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Key Fund, Sir James Knott Trust, Lloyds Bank Foundation, BBC Children in Need, National Lottery Fund, The Clothworkers Foundation, and The Ballinger Charitable Trust.

Visit our Training and Events page for more information and to book your place. 

The Ethical Property Foundation is offering this free webinar to help charities and voluntary organisations manage risk effectively. Attendees will receive a free resource kit and have the opportunity to request follow up advice. 

The webinar takes place on Tuesday 20th May from 12.00 - 1.00pm via Zoom

The next meeting of the Share and Learn Community Buildings Network will take place online on Thursday 22nd May from 10.00am.

The focus of the meeting will be ways in which you can increase your unrestricted income, and understanding what you can and can't do in regards to trading.

Look out for more information coming soon. 

2nd - 9th June 2025 marks National Volunteers’ Week – a special time each year to celebrate and recognise the incredible contribution volunteers make across County Durham and the UK.

Whether your organisation is large or small, National Volunteers’ Week is the perfect opportunity to say a big thank you to the volunteers who give their time, energy, and passion to support our communities.

At Durham Community Action, we’re encouraging organisations to start planning how you’ll mark the week – and we’d love to hear about it!

You Don’t Need a Big Budget to Make a Big Impact

Celebrating your volunteers doesn’t have to cost a lot. In fact, some of the most meaningful ways to recognise their efforts are free or low-cost.

One especially powerful idea is to create short case studies or volunteer spotlights. Share their stories, highlight what they do, and show the real difference they make to your organisation and the people you support. These can be written articles, quotes with photos, or even short video clips – perfect for newsletters, websites, or social media.

Even a simple thank-you post can go a long way. The most important thing is making your volunteers feel seen and valued.

Resources to Help You Plan

Need inspiration? The official Volunteers’ Week website is full of helpful resources – from customisable graphics and banners to celebration ideas of all sizes. https://www.volunteersweek.org

Share Your Plans with Us

We’d love to spotlight how Durham’s amazing organisations are celebrating Volunteers’ Week. Whether you're highlighting a volunteer story or hosting an event, let us know so we can help share your good news.

Email us at volunteering@durhamcommunityaction.org.uk or tag us on social media using #VolunteersWeekDurham.

Let’s come together to shine a light on the power of volunteering in our communities. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned!

Community Buildings – a Guide to Property Ownership and Leases has been produced by Durham Community Action to help navigate legal and property issues.

This guide is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to provide practical help for people who carry responsibility for community buildings.

The initiative is a collaboration between Durham Community Action and Sintons Law which explains the different ways in which a charity can legally hold a property, and the rights and responsibilities associated with these.  It identifies how and why a property might need to be registered with HM Land Registry, provides help to understand a lease and looks at some of the issues which specifically arise for charities who have property.

The learning in the guide is drawn from legal casework undertaken with community organisations in County Durham with key themes translated to build wider understanding for trustees and others running community buildings.

For a free copy of the guide please email info@durhamcommunityaction.org.uk

Following the launch of the new toolkit, we spoke to Tom Wills from Sintons Solicitors about legal advice for community buildings:

Sintons Solicitors - Legal Advice for Community Buildings Podcast

Zurich Municipal have produced a new guide: Making sure your property insurance is right for your organisation.

The right property insurance is crucial for housing associations, government buildings, local authorities, education, and charities. The guide is designed with these audiences in mind and covers essential topics for property owners:

• Your obligations under the Insurance Act 2015: Understand your responsibilities and how to present your risks accurately. This includes giving a fair presentation of risk, carrying out a ‘reasonable search’ of risks, ‘Signpost’ key information and making a full disclosure
• Specific information we need: Learn what details about your property are crucial for us to assess your insurance needs, including construction, external wall systems and property use.

You can access the guide here: Essential Property Insurance Guide for Your Organisation

The ‘Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ (‘the SORP’) ensures consistency and transparency across the sector, making charity accounts comparable, understandable and useful for donors, beneficiaries, and the public alike.  

It has been updated following an extensive development process informed by the views of engagement partners and a sector specific SORP Committee.  

The SORP-making body is now inviting comments on the draft as the feedback will help shape the final version, which is expected to be published in autumn 2025 and effective from January 2026.  

The SORP has been updated to reflect changes introduced by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland – and in particular to reflect changes to how charities will need to recognise certain types of income and certain types of leases in their accounts. The consultation is seeking views on how the revised requirements are explained in the context of charities. Charities are also encouraged to ready themselves for these two changes, the substance of which is already decided.

The SORP-making body is keen to hear the views of charities, preparers, auditors and independent examiners of charity accounts, trustees, employees and beneficiaries of charities and others who may use charity accounts including donors, funders, financial supporters and other stakeholders. 

The consultation on the ‘Exposure Draft of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ will run from 28 March 2025 for 12 weeks.  

The Connecting County Durham Project was initiated to help resolve issues with the directory offer from Locate and Family Information Systems. 

These directories will be replaced by a single system providing access to all the different services' information available in County Durham. 

It will help people from across our community find what they need to live well, including things like toddler groups, health and wellbeing activities for the whole family, groups for people with special educational needs and disabilities and services for our older population. 

You can take part in a survey to provide your feedback on the proposed changes here:

Connecting County Durham Process Survey

Durham County Council's new consultation and engagement platform, Let’s Talk County Durham launched on 15 January.

This new space for residents, businesses and organisations will help people to be actively involved in matters that affect them and the local area.

As the platform develops, there will be more ways to participate including surveys, map-based surveys, commenting, quick polls, as well as the ability to vote to help with prioritisation. There will also be the ability to put forward ideas and proposals and join in discussions on other proposals that have been put forward.

By registering on the site, you can create your own personalised account, to make the most of its features and get alerts on subjects or geographical areas of interest to you.

Visit: www.letstalkcountydurham.co.uk