This episode of the Durham Community Action podcast also focuses on the Cree network (the subject of this month's Did You Know).

We chatted to service users at RT Projects, Just for Women and Dene Valley Community Partnership about what the Cree means to them and the impact it has had on their health and wellbeing.

In our latest audio case study we chat to Graham Easterlow at East Durham Trust about the Horden Minewater Project.

The project is looking at how a former County Durham coal mine could be used to grow food and support local businesses in Horden. A feasibility study will explore various ways to use heat from the mine water and examine the infrastructure already installed.

Volunteering involving organisations (VIOs) are the heart of communities, involving local people both as beneficiaries and in the delivery of services.

Often, service users or clients make the transition to volunteer. By engaging and nurturing the people who have been in receipt of a service and have the capacity and interest to offer more, your organisation can benefit from invaluable 'first hand' experience, which will allow you to shape future provision accordingly.

VIOs are faced with various challenges when it comes to recruiting and managing volunteers. Careful consideration must be given to the needs of clients/service users as organisations ultimately have a duty of care to them. These organisations often support disadvantaged and vulnerable people in their work so it's important that volunteers - including those with lived experience - are suitably skilled and trained to deal with any potential circumstances which may arise.

Durham Community Action has produced a guide to assist organisations in the recruitment of individuals who have personal experience of the issues your organisation focuses on. Although the guide looks specifically at people with lived experience, it can be used as a  framework for any organisation recruiting volunteers to roles where they’re likely to be supporting vulnerable people.

For a full copy of the guide please email volunteeering@durhamcommunityaction.org.uk

The County Durham Environment Awards, organised by Durham County Council's Environment and Climate Change Partnership, recognise the great work and commitment towards caring for the natural and built environment through sustainable innovation, design and volunteering across the county’s communities and businesses. 

Entries this year are now being accepted until Friday 6 October, in the following categories:

• Sustainable Built Environment
• Responding to Climate Change
• Communities and the Environment
• Environmental Community Action
• Green Business
  • Large Company (50 and above staff)
  • Small Company (below 50 staff)
• Nature and Places and Spaces
• Schools and Colleges
• Volunteer Group of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year Over 18
• Volunteer of the Year Under 18
• Active Outdoors

Officers from the North-East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) want to empower victims and raise awareness of the complex scams being used to dupe people out of their hard earned cash.

Work at the NEROCU continues to pursue fraudsters and bring them to justice, but officers are also determined to make sure the public feel confident and capable of challenging scammers to help catch them in the act and report them in real time.

The crime type, known as courier fraud, often targets vulnerable and elderly people via calls to their landline or mobile telephones from withheld numbers from someone purporting to be a police officer or figure of authority.

This criminal then proceeds to inform the victim of fraudulent activity on their bank account and sometimes claims that their bank staff are involved.

The criminal then directs the victim to attend their local bank to withdraw a large amount of cash and to return home where it will be collected by a police courier for examination – who is actually a criminal associate..

Temporary Detective Sergeant David Holcroft, from NEROCU’s Proactive Economic Crime Team (PECT), said the best thing for people to do is to accept nothing and challenge everything. Voluntary and community organisations can help by sharing information with staff volunteers and service users on how to protect yourself as well as how to report an incident.  

Rural and local communities across England will be supported in setting up local energy projects that will provide local jobs and deliver energy security, thanks to a new £10 million government fund.

Both urban and rural communities will have the chance to win a portion of a new £10 million Community Energy Fund - new government grant funding to help communities develop local renewable energy projects. The Community Energy Fund will open to applications in the early Autumn.

This funding will help to kickstart projects including small-scale wind farms and rooftop solar partnerships, as well as battery storage, rural heat networks, electric vehicle charging points, and fuel poverty alleviation schemes - all proposed, designed and owned by local people.

Look out for more information coming soon

This fund offers grants to organisations from the Tees to the Tweed.

Fund will consider application for grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 for organisations to:

• Support those living in, or at risk of fuel poverty
• Promote energy efficiency – advice and information
• Promote the Priority Services Register
• Raise awareness of the dangers, signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has made available a £10 million grant fund to support suicide prevention activities delivered in England by voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in 2023 to 2025.

Full application guidance can be found on the Government's website; the deadline for applications is 1st October.

Consultation on budget proposals for 2024/25 and Medium Term Financial Plan 2025 - 2028

Have your say on budget proposals for 2024/25, as well as on how Durham County Council meet the financial challenges they face over the next four years.

Closing date 20th October

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Regenerating Horden - Horden Masterplan

Following the Regenerating Horden - Horden Master plan consultation, Horden residents are being invited to find out about proposals aimed at helping regenerate the community. 

You can attend a public consultation drop in session to find out more:

• Mon 25 Sep 12.00 - 4.30 Horden Hub House
• Mon 2 Oct 10.00 - 2.00 Horden Salvation Army Hall
• Fri 6 Oct 9.00 - 12.00 Horden Library
• Mon 9 Oct 9.30 - 12.30 Horden Family Centre

The VCSE Barometer Survey builds insight into real-time trends, changes and challenges in the UK Voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.

Findings are shared every quarter with national policy and decision makers, local infrastructure organisations and the VCSE sector. The more local organisations take part, the more useful data can be accessed and analysed on a local level.    

Wave 4 runs from 13-27 September 2023 and includes topical questions on wellbeing.

Across County Durham various organisations work together with people who experienced mental health difficulties and their carers to change the way the support within communities is provided.

Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) want to ensure everyone gets the right help, at the right place, at the right time.

They are looking for people aged 18+ who are currently accessing community mental health and wellbeing services and would be keen to share their experiences with them.

They would like to hear all stories, either uplifting or frustrating, so they can understand what helps and what needs improvement.

They are flexible with their approach to this engagement (one to one conversation in person, via phone, on-line, etc.)

If you are interested, please contact: kalina.bellis@pcp.uk.net or hannah.farran@pcp.uk.net