pRINCE CAESAR
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCE CAESAR, DIRECTOR OF BAK UP CIC
I am Prince Caesar director of BAK UP CIC and Chair of NBCT (Northamptonshire Black Communities Together)
Currently, we have completed the following projects Ageing Well , MHLDA and currently running Hypertension and Arial Fibrillation campaign predominantly within Black, Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities.
What are your hopes for the VCSE in the future?
That the VCSE will continue to make steady progress towards a more diverse representation on boards and leadership roles with VCSE organisations.
Establish grant making criteria that prioritise diversity, equity and inclusion. Encourage funding bodies to offer dedicated grants and financial support to ethnic minority led and serving organisations. Expand and enhance capacity building programs tailored to specific needs of ethnic minority needs. Access to funding and resources that specifically target ethnic minority social enterprises and startups. Cultural competency and training across the VCSE sector to ensure organisations are sensitive to the needs and perspectives of ethnic minority communities. Accessible user-friendly digital platform information and support in multiple languages.Jo Moore
CHRISTOPHER DUFF
A MESSAGE FROM CHRISTOPHER DUFF, CHIEF EXECUTIVE AT AGE UK NORTHAmptonshire
Hello, I am Chris Duff, Chief Executive of Age UK Northamptonshire. We are dedicated to improve the quality of life of older people throughout Northamptonshire. We have services and clients in every part of the county, supporting over 8,000 new clients last year. We are keen to collaborate with others to help deliver 'joined up' services.
The Older Peoples Thematic Group was set up at the start of the Assembly in April 2021 and we have met most months since then. The group membership is a good mixture of organisations from across the county, locally focussed and offering a range of different skills and approaches.
The Group is currently finalising our report, which reviews the research and statistics available in relation to the challenges faced by older people in the County. We have proposals in five key areas:
Supporting the growth of community centred activity and networks
A focus on prevention, working with younger older people, from 50+
Specific initiatives for those with health conditions
More access to local transport options to get people out to appointments and activities
Engaging with local areas, with a strong evidence base and local insight
How long you have been involved with the VCSE?
I have been involved from the start of the Assembly in early 2021.
What are your hopes for the VCSE in the future?
I am working for the VCSE Assembly because I hope that, together, we will represent the interests of all our clients, service users and patients effectively. I want the statutory bodies to see the voluntary sector as effective and essential partners. I also hope that the voluntary sector will be a coherent team, working together well. I believe only the Assembly can make this happen.
Matt Foreman
A message from Matt Foreman at Home start Daventry and SOuth Northants
I am the Scheme Manager for Home Start Daventry and South Northants, and have about thirty years’ experience of working in the voluntary sector, having previously worked in engineering. Being involved in my local community is important to me, I have been a trustee at local charities and a school governor – and always seem to end up as the chair.
I have seen the benefits of VCSE organisations working together, both for themselves, but more importantly for their beneficiaries.
Sarah Hayle
A message from Sarah, CEO of Community Law Service
Sarah is the Chief Executive at Community Law Service (CLS), a specialist social welfare law advice service providing casework and representation in the fields of welfare benefits, debt, housing and immigration. Sarah has worked at CLS for 30 years and for many of those years, worked as a welfare benefits caseworker. Sarah has a keen interest in supporting vulnerable individuals to assert their legal rights, believing high quality advice can have a significant, positive, impact on the lives of individuals. As such, Sarah has strategic oversight of the organisation, ensuring services are agile and meet the current needs of the local community which CLS serves. As Co-Chair of the Advice Thematic Group, Sarah leads the work of the group, to identify local trends and key issues impacting our community and the organisations delivering advice locally, and will take such issues to the Assembly and local decision makers, to highlight issues and affect change as needed.
Sarah Hiller
A message from Sarah Hiller at Northamptonshire Mind
Hello, I am Sarah Hillier – CEO Northamptonshire Mind, Chair Mental Health Northants Collaboration and The Mental Health Thematic Lead. All of the roles that I hold, work towards collaboration and improving mental health across Northamptonshire.
I have been leading the Mental Health Thematic , since it was established in Jan 2021. Our thematic is open to any VCSE organisation that is working in or around the field of mental health . Our aim is to create a collaborative environment where we share information from our sector and the system. We offer meetings and workshops in order to engage operational and strategic members. These workshops and meeting provide an opportunity to share experience, support each other and build knowledge. Our bi-monthly workshops are informal , we share information , hold discussions, reflect and learn form each other. The bi-monthly meetings are recorded, we invite relevant speakers and address sector issues we wish to take forward to the assembly .
Chris Holmes
a message from chris holmes, Chief Executive at northamptonshire sport
It’s my privilege to work for Northamptonshire Sport as Chief Executive, a role that includes getting the right strategy in place, having the governance for making the best decisions, building key partnerships and supporting a great team of people. To date, my career has all been in roles focused on helping more people be active – through sport, exercise or leisure. Beyond work I can’t think of anything better a bike with a few hours to spare, a surfboard with nobody looking or idiotically long runs in our cracking countryside! Even better, of course, if done with family and friends
Mark Major
A message from Mark Major, CEO of Carers Northamptonshire
Mark has been both a Young Carer and a Carer and has worked for over 30 years in Social Care and Health, of which 26 years has been in the Voluntary Sector, with the last 16 being as CEO of Northamptonshire Carers. Mark also does wider work within the Health and Care system, as part of Integrated Care Northamptonshire, chairing a number of boards and workstreams and working on several partnership projects including a systems transformation programme around older people called Ageing Well.
Northamptonshire Carers recently celebrated 30 years of working with Carers and Young Carers across Northamptonshire during which time they have grown to be one of the largest local charities with over 19,000 Carers currently registered with them.
The Carers Thematic or Carers Partnership as part of the Voluntary Sector Assembly is a vital cog in the wheel as Carers make up approximately 1 tenth of the counties population looking after at least another tenth as some Carers look after more then one person.
The cost of replacing the care and support that Carers give nationally would be £152 billion, That’s the cost of a second NHS and would equate to £1.5 billion in Northamptonshire. Carers look after family members and friends with a multitude of illnesses, long term heath conditions, frailty, mental health and learning and physical disabilities, and those with issues related to alcoholism or substance misuse.
As a Thematic we work closely with Partners in the Voluntary and Statutory Sector to promote Carers needs and issues and to provide services and support that can help them.
I am proud to be part of that cross thematic and systems work and to support our counties Carers and those they look after.
Elaine O’Leary
A message from Elaine O’Leary, CEO of Northamptonshire ACRE
I am Elaine O’Leary, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), a countywide, independent charitable organisation working with rural communities in Northamptonshire to improve their quality of life, especially for those disadvantaged by their rurality. Our aims are to help reduce rural isolation and vulnerability, make life more affordable for those living in rural areas, and assist in the delivery of improved services for their residents. Through community engagement and development we support these communities across a wide range of topics from community planning to developing sustainable food projects or running a village hall as well as helping groups to access funds for local projects. We also collaborate regularly with other organisations to ensure a joined-up, partnership approach to service delivery.
I have worked for Northamptonshire ACRE for 12 years, 7 of them as the Chief Exec. I have previously worked in the County Council’s children’s residential care, which I enjoyed very much and then 20 years for an IT company in the private sector, which I didn’t enjoy quite so much! Working in the voluntary sector is very different to working in the other two sectors and is often a challenge but engaging with our wonderful rural communities makes it a worthwhile one.
The Rural Thematic was set up in March 2022 and we aim to meet every 2 – 3 months. We have expanded our remit to include sustainability issues so are now called the Rural and Sustainability Thematic. Membership of the Thematic is a mixture of groups including parish councils, West and North Northants councillors, VCSE organisations and individuals with an interest in rural or green themes. We always welcome new members so if you have an interest in either rural or sustainability issues then please join us. We keep members updated with the latest information pertaining to rural or green topics, have regular speakers and are currently working on a report to highlight the necessity for any policies, initiatives or strategies (whether at Unitary, health or local level) are rural proofed.
I have been involved with the Assembly since it started.
I am passionate about the wonderful rural communities in our county and ensuring they are not forgotten so being part of the VCSE Assembly is vital to help make that difference for those communities. By being part of a larger body, I believe it helps to ensure the interests of all residents are effectively represented in the county. If we want the statutory bodies and funders to see the voluntary sector as an equal partner, one that is collaborative, professional, and essential and who should be funded accordingly, then the Assembly is the only body who can help make this happen. And I would urge anyone in the VCSE sector to join us and be part of this exciting journey towards a better and more sustainable future for Northamptonshire.
Connie Penn
A message from Connie Penn, Interim lead Arts, Culture & Heritage Thematic Group
I am Connie G. Penn, Founder and Operations Director Northants Youth Music 23. (NYM 23) Voluntary. - After 30+ years running a successful consultancy in card-based payments, I am now focused on dedicating my time to helping young people continue to develop their musicianship post formal education
Northants Youth Music 23 aims to create rehearsal and performance opportunities for singers and musicians (aged 18-30) to facilitate their continual development of classical to jazz music, regardless if they are starting out in a career in music, already have achieved some success, or just want to continue to sing or make music for leisure.
We aim to:
Help young people to further develop their musical talent, post formal education.
Identify locations where young musicians can perform; collaborate with other musicians and build new friendships and connections; develop musicianship.
Facilitate singing and music workshops to give young people the opportunity to gain experience in planning, marketing and staging performances, in addition to actually performing.
Bring music to more young people to give a sustainable sense of well-being through socialisation and the power of music, which is known as a great component for healing, by looking at opportunities to create some youth choirs, bands and orchestras.
Miranda Wixon
a message from the Chair of The VCSE Assembly Northamptonshire
Miranda Wixon, Chair of VCSE Assembly in Northamptonshire. Free spirit, Queens Nurse, community and social activist who has led many national and local action speaking out against inequality in all its forms notably food and rural. Miranda works tirelessly for the rights of every individual to be free from poverty and supported within active communities. Chair, Trustee and Volunteer for many national and Northamptonshire based VCSE organisations including Peoples Postcode Lottery and Northamptonshire ACRE. Founder of the Community Larder movement in Northamptonshire. Provided 40,500 food boxes into 91 villages in Northamptonshire during the lockdowns. Founder and first chair of Think Local Act Personal making personalisation a priority. Founder and former chair of the Care Providers Alliance to raise standards in social care. Chair and Founder of Healthwatch Brent bringing the communities voice to health. Founder of the United Kingdom Home Care Association making care a professional business. Campaigner and former trustee of Hourglass campaigning against adult abuse. Active member in faith community. Parish Councillor in Towcester Town Council and Roade Parish Council.