Promote mental health and wellbeing in the workplace with Buckinghamshire Mind

Buckinghamshire Mind, the mental health charity, is offering a suite of training courses to help you take care of business by raising mental health awareness and improving workplace wellbeing.

As an expert mental health partner, Buckinghamshire Mind specialises in delivering professional training courses to support people to live well in their communities and thrive at work. Now, the charity is calling on local businesses to manage the mental health of their employees by booking training courses.

Andrea McCubbin, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Mind, says: “We know that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. The biggest cause of sickness absence in the UK is stress, anxiety and depression, with mental ill-health costing employers £34.9 billion each year. Improving the management of mental health in the workplace will allow employers to save 30% or more of these costs. The Buckinghamshire Mind MHFA course will empower delegates to identify, reach out to and help someone within their organisation who may be experiencing a mental health issue.”

Training courses will build employees’ confidence around mental health, stop preventable issues, encourage a faster recovery from long-term mental health problems and promote a mentally healthy working environment.

For more details, contact Sophia Hobbs, Buckinghamshire Mind’s Training Lead, on 07496 100977, email [email protected], or visit https://www.bucksmind.org.uk/services/training-services/.

Local van hire company comes to Hospice’s rescue

Last month Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity (FNHC) made an appeal for help to fund a new furniture delivery van for the charity’s Furniture Showroom in Chamberlain Road.

Haddenham and Aylesbury-based vehicle hire company 3B Hire and Servicing came to the rescue within a few days of the appeal, after seeing the Bucks Herald article on Facebook.

“I know the charity well and the great work they do,” says Ross Batting, owner at 3B Hire and Servicing. “I have always looked for opportunities to get involved with charities and this just felt right. Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity is a fantastic charity and everyone I have met involved with FNHC has been so welcoming. I can’t wait to start building a relationship for the future.”

The furniture collection and delivery van picks up donations of furniture and white goods from donor’s homes, and also provides home delivery of items bought from the Furniture Showroom. It’s an essential part of the FNHC retail team’s customer service.

“This is an incredible gift,” said FNHC’s Head of Retail, Lily Caswell. “We have been blown away by the generosity of Ross and Tim at 3B Hire and Servicing. It’s a massive relief to know that we can rely on having this perfect brand new furniture van, which will be maintained and serviced by 3B for the next year, giving us complete reliability and peace of mind, and at no cost to the charity.”

Seymour Taylor Celebrates CSR Award

Leading Wycombe-based Accountancy firm Seymour Taylor is celebrating a double achievement in corporate social responsibility

They have already earned official approval with a silver accreditation from CSRA, the UK’s first CSR Accreditation scheme, and this success has been recognised with a further CSR Award which will be presented at a prestigious international ceremony at RADA (the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) in London on July 22nd.

As a result of this success, the company has established itself as a leader in corporate social responsibility - a business commitment that is quickly growing in importance and numbers.

Responsible, caring companies are in a privileged position of being able to help others less fortunate and the CSR awards pay tribute to the companies that achieve this in the most effective way.

Managing Director Simon Turner said “At Seymour Taylor, corporate social responsibility is very important to us as a business as our team love to give something back to the community which we have been a part of for over 100 years. Whether that is supporting charities, local sports groups, clubs or events or looking at our environmental impact as a whole, we realise how important CSR is and are always looking at ways to build on and develop what we do in this area. We are delighted to have won an award and look forward to meeting the other winners on the day.”

Magic Little Grants Fund

The Magic Little Grants Fund gives local charities and community groups the chance to apply online for a £500 grant to deliver projects across Great Britain that encourage people to be physically active. 

Successful projects will support and inspire people to participate in sports or exercise with the primary aim of improving the physical health of participants. Thanks to an award of £550,000 from Postcode Community Trust, funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, more grants than ever before are available.

Information on the Magic Little Grants Fund:

Applicants must either be in their first year of operation or have an annual income under £250,000. Preference will be given to projects that encourage social cohesion and help vulnerable people to overcome barriers to participation in physical activities.

Funding can be used to launch new projects, support existing ones, or cover core costs associated with ongoing work. The deadline for applications for Magic Little Grants 2019 is midnight on 30th November 2019.

Find our more information here >

Magnificent Seven world challenges support pioneering local charity

Local fundraisers are undertaking a remarkable series of expeditions across the globe – to support an innovative charity that is pioneering support for young children with autism. The “Magnificent Seven” are taking on challenges including walking all the way around the world, running a marathon on the Great Wall of China, climbing to Everest base camp, and cycling around the island of Mallorca.

Funds raised will support Puzzle Centre, based in Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, which helps children and families struggling with the challenges of autism – and aims to set up a national centre for excellence in Milton Keynes.

Global expeditions include:

• Author and adventurer Tom Fremantle circumnavigating the globe on foot
• A long-term member of Winslow Rotary Club Don James climbing to Everest Base Camp in Nepal
• Puzzle Centre friend Lee Burgess cycling around the Spanish island of Mallorca – a total of 194 miles – in a single day
• Travel blogger Jordan Simons battling gravity when he competes in the Jin Shan Ling Great Wall Marathon in China
• Puzzle Centre trustee Guy Brogden and his son Archie running the Milton Keynes Marathon
• Christian Dixon running his first ultra-marathon, 69 miles along Hadrian’s Wall from Carlisle to Newcastle

For more information please contact Sarah Dolder, Fundraising Manager, on 01296 711547, or email [email protected]. To find out more about Puzzle Centre please visit www.puzzlecentre.org.uk.

Do you have an idea to improve health and social care?

Bucks HSC Ventures is seeking entrepreneurs to join its summer workshop programme to help develop new health & social care products, services and innovations.

There is support available if you have an idea to improve the health and social care for individuals in the areas of:

• Best Start in Life
• Prevention
• Age Well

People with products, services and innovations for the above areas can access two workshops to help them develop their ideas.

Learn more about Bucks HSC Ventures and how it can help you to help others.

Best of Buckinghamshire’s rising sports stars receive SportsAid boost

Three SportsAid grants have been presented at the Bucks Sporting Lunch Club business network, which took place at Dorney Lake on Friday May 3rd 2019. Buckinghamshire teenagers Izzy Tucker, a volleyball player, Ilse Owen, who competes in para equestrian dressage and Joe Murphy, a rower, were all presented with their grants by 2003 Rugby World Cup winner and former Wasps star Simon Shaw MBE.

Steve Perry, a SportsAid trustee, from B P Collins in Gerrards Cross said at the event:

“Over the past six years, with the support of our local business sponsors, SportsAid has been able to help many local young people achieve their sporting potential. The variety of elite sports people competing in Buckinghamshire is fantastic to see - from volleyball, to para dressage, right through to rowing. Although the awardees compete in very different sports, each one has a complete dedication to what they’re doing, and why we believe they deserve these grants. We look forward to following their careers and hope that one day they will reach the top of their sporting dreams.”

IBB Solicitors’ legal brochure for charities

IBB Solicitors have produced a legal brochure for charities that includes information on:

• Charity Commission compliance and regulation
• Employees and volunteers
• Trustee duties and training
• Fundraising law
• Data protection and GDPR

Download the brochure here >

Tesco Centenary Grants

Tesco community grants fund thousands of local projects across the UK. Projects that bring benefit to their community will get the green light – these range from improving community buildings and outdoor spaces to buying new equipment, training coaches or volunteers and hosting community events.

Grant programmes include:

Bags of Help grants

Bags of Help is Tesco’s local community grant scheme where the money raised by the carrier bag charge in Tesco stores is being used to fund thousands of community projects across the Great Britain. The projects must meet the criteria of bringing benefits to the community.

Learn more about this grant here >

Bags of Help Centenary Grant

Tesco Bags of Help Centenary Grants are two special voting rounds of the Tesco local community grant scheme and offers a unique opportunity to benefit more people. To be eligible to apply, projects must be in England, Scotland or Wales and provide a significant benefit to communities across the voting region

Learn more about this grant here >

Send us your charity news

The next charity newsletter will be around late August/early September. If you have any news for inclusion, email [email protected].