The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s (LCR CA’s) local investment plan for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) programme - the UK’s successor to EU Structural funds - has now been signed off by central Government.  

The local UKSPF investment plan includes a grants programme focussed on Digital Connectivity for Community Facilities.  VOLA has been appointed by the LCR CA to manage this programme.

The application process for the first grant round is due to open on Monday 30th January, with a 2-week response deadline.  Grants will be awarded to successful applicants before the end of March 2023.

Prior to the application launch, we will be holding two online (Zoom) briefing sessions for interested applicants on Monday 23rd January, 1.30 – 3.00pm and Tuesday 24th January, 10.00 – 11.30am.  (Same session being run twice.)

The briefing session will cover fundamentals such as the purpose of the fund, finer eligibility criteria and key requirements of applicants, the application process, etc.  In addition, it will provide information and tips on sourcing appropriate digital equipment (computer hardware, software, etc.), cyber security and other key considerations.

Please email jack.shields@volamerseyside.org.uk to register for the workshop.

Do you work in the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector operating in the Liverpool City Region (LCR)?

Do you deliver digital inclusion interventions/ activities, or otherwise have an interest in digital inclusion/ exclusion, with views to share about its impact on your local community or the client groups you work with?

If so, you are warmly invited to attend an online Digital Inclusion Listening Event being run by VOLA on Thursday 30th June, 10am – 12noon.   

You don’t have to be a specialist in delivering IT training, or have an IT suite open to the community, or anything like that. If you have an interest in Digital Inclusion in your local community, with views or ideas to share then you are very welcome!

• We want to hear about the good work that is going on at a local level and making a positive impact on Digital Inclusion across LCR communities.

• We also want to hear what people think is important in the area of Digital Inclusion, where there may be gaps, what help might be needed, good ideas, etc.

So please come along and share your insight, experience, thoughts and ideas. We will be delighted if you do!

To book your place, follow this link to the Eventbrite platform.  Once you have registered to reserve your place, you will receive an automated email to confirm your booking.  In this email, if you click on the ‘View the event’ button the Zoom link will become available 30 minutes before the meeting starts.  I will also send the link to everyone that has booked on a day or two before the event in case of any glitches.

Why are we doing this?

VOLA has been commissioned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCR CA), working in partnership with the University of Liverpool, to gather local insight and views on Digital Inclusion/ Exclusion from community and voluntary sector organisations across the city region. This is part of a wider piece of work being undertaken by the LCR CA and the University of Liverpool.

Alongside this 'listening event', VOLA will also be undertaking some research and mapping into current Digital Inclusion activities that are happening on the ground in local communities, so that the overall picture at a city region level can be brought up to date. This is will also hopefully identify areas of good or promising practice and innovation in the community, as well as places where they may be gaps that need to be addressed.

An online survey will be circulated throughout the sector later in June, which we strongly encourage organisations that deliver Digital Inclusion activities to complete; and we may also be in touch with some of you directly to discuss your provision DI further . More details on this will follow.

Is your organisation working to improve access to sustainable and affordable food in Liverpool City Region? Are you a voluntary, community, faith or social enterprise organisation supporting LCR residents to access food? Do you run a community farm, allotment or centre that grows, supplies and/or distributes affordable, healthy food in LCR?

If any of the above sound familiar for your organisation, it would be great to share your knowledge and insights of how we can develop a Liverpool City Region where everyone has access to affordable and sustainable food. VS6 Partnership, in collaboration with LCR Combined Authority, are holding an Affordable and Sustainable Food Assembly event in June to develop innovative and community focused solutions to food insecurity, with a view to supporting the developing of an LCR Food Poverty Reduction Strategy.

This event follows on from the first Sustainable and Affordable Food Assembly (2020) held with the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector and hosted by VS6 in collaboration with LCR Combined Authority which explored the issues and challenges facing LCR in developing access to sustainable and healthy food, particularly through the lens of COVID-19.

Attendees at the event will have the opportunity to provide their expert insights into how we can develop a more accessible and sustainable food system across LCR that will form the initial development of an LCR Food Poverty Reduction Strategy. Additionally, attendees will also be updated on progress of the previous assembly recommendations from 2020, VS6 work so far on mapping community food organisations across LCR and have an opportunity to be a part of the development of an LCR Food Network.

The event is being held online via Zoom on 16th June 2022, 1:30 – 4pm. To sign up, please go to the Eventbrite page here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vs6-sustainable-and-affordable-food-assembly-tickets-335228827447?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Ahead of the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor election on the 6th May 2021, VS6 are hosting a VCFSE Mayoral Hustings with the candidates

Ahead of the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor election on the 6th May 2021, the VS6 Partnership are delighted to be hosting a VCFSE Mayoral Hustings event with the main party candidates. 

In partnership with the sector, we have produced a VCFSE sector manifesto that will be circulated a week prior to this event. The manifesto is based on a series of thematic assembly events held during 2020 and following consultation events that took place earlier this month on a draft manifesto. 

The Hustings is a chance for VCFSE organisations across the Liverpool City Region to ask questions to the candidates, and discuss what is important, not only to your organisation, but also the sector as a whole. This election is of particular importance as the need for a strong leader is of paramount importance as we face a difficult and uncertain future following the pandemic. The sector has shown great strength and resilience throughout the last year. However, going forward we need political support if we are to continue to protect the vulnerable and help our communities. 

The Hustings will follow a question-and-answer style structure, with candidates also given the chance to address the sector during their opening statement. In order to organise a broad spectrum of question topics, we ask attendees to please submit potential questions and whether they would be happy to ask them during the event when registering. A selection of questions on the most common question themes will be selected and put to the candidates. We will contact you directly pre-event if your question has been chosen. 

We are pleased to announce that Sally Yeoman, Chief Executive of Halton and St Helens VCA, Vice-Chair of VS6 (and also a NAVCA award-winning Chief Exec of the year 2020) will be chairing the event. 

We will be joined by the following party candidates: 

• Steve Rotheram (Labour) 

• David Newman (Liberal Democrat) 

• Gary Cargill (Green) 

• Katie Burgess* (Conservative) - representing Jade Marsden

*Katie Burgess is the Liverpool City Mayor Conservative Candidate, stepping in for Jade Marsden the Metro Mayor Candidate for this event

Book your place here

The VS6 Partnership would like to invite you to our Liverpool City Region VCFSE Draft Manifesto 2021-2024 Consultation assemblies taking place on Monday 8th March and Monday 22nd March 2021.

The purpose of this event is to share with you our 2021 – 2024 VCFSE manifesto for the City Region and to gather your views and feedback on the manifesto in advance of the upcoming LCR Metro Mayoral elections in May. The manifesto has been developed following VS6’s sector engagement over the past few years, drawing out key areas and recommendations for action from publications developed following various events held with the sector to ensure that the manifesto is produced in collaboration with those it represents.

At our VCFSE Manifesto Assembly events we will be asking for your input to further develop the manifesto to ensure that it reflects the kind of city region we want to see for our VCFSE organisations, beneficiaries, and communities.

There are two events, each dealing with a different section of the manifesto to ensure that there is enough time to go through each section in enough detail. The first event on the 8th will deal with the first two sections around developing a healthy and sustainable VCFSE ecosystem and driving inclusive economy principles for the sector. The second event on the 22nd will deal with the final section on championing our communities.

Following this, we will formulate a final draft of the manifesto with a further chance to endorse and sign up to the final version before we ask the LCR Metro Mayor candidates to commit to its implementation at a Mayoral Hustings event later in April.

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

The VS6 Partnership would like to invite you to our Liverpool City Region VCFSE Draft Manifesto 2021-2024 Consultation assemblies taking place on Monday 8th March and Monday 22nd March 2021.

The purpose of this event is to share with you our 2021 – 2024 VCFSE manifesto for the City Region and to gather your views and feedback on the manifesto in advance of the upcoming LCR Metro Mayoral elections in May. The manifesto has been developed following VS6’s sector engagement over the past few years, drawing out key areas and recommendations for action from publications developed following various events held with the sector to ensure that the manifesto is produced in collaboration with those it represents.

At our VCFSE Manifesto Assembly events we will be asking for your input to further develop the manifesto to ensure that it reflects the kind of city region we want to see for our VCFSE organisations, beneficiaries, and communities.

There are two events, each dealing with a different section of the manifesto to ensure that there is enough time to go through each section in enough detail. The first event on the 8th will deal with the first two sections around developing a healthy and sustainable VCFSE ecosystem and driving inclusive economy principles for the sector. The second event on the 22nd will deal with the final section on championing our communities.

Following this, we will formulate a final draft of the manifesto with a further chance to endorse and sign up to the final version before we ask the LCR Metro Mayor candidates to commit to its implementation at a Mayoral Hustings event later in April.

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

The VS6 Partnership would like to invite you to the third in our series of online VCFSE Liverpool City Region Assemblies. This event is themed around issues facing those accessing mental health support services and the organisations involved in delivering them.

This event will give you the opportunity to share your views on the issues Covid-19 has raised, on what good practice in responding to these issues looks like, and what we as a sector need to Build Back Better.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an extended workshop session focusing either on the issues affecting organisations, staff and employees, or on the issues affecting mental health service users. Advanced registration for these is required, so please indicate your preference when signing up.

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

This event will give you the opportunity to share your views on the specific issues facing for shielded and vulnerable people at the present time. Specific topics for discussion will include:

• What issues has COVID-19 and the lockdown raised for shielded/vulnerable people & carers you work with?

• What would recovery look like for your organisation and the people you work with?

You will also hear from Dave Sweeney, Director of Partnerships at Cheshire & Merseyside Health and Care Partnership, about the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups in the Liverpool City Region.

BOOKING FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED

The VS6 Partnership would like to invite you to our first online VCFSE Liverpool City Region Assembly. This first event is themed around issues facing the Children & Young People's sector.

This event will give you the opportunity to share your views on the specific issues facing Children & Young People's organisations at the present time. Specific topic for discussion will include:

• Practical return to safe working and the plans that exist

• Issues and needs of young people as we come out of lockdown

• Organisational impact on sustainability and funding

You will also hear from the Combined Authority about the research they have undertaken into the impact of Covid-19 across the region (speaker TBC).

This is the first in a series of themed online-Assembly events to be hosted by VS6. Further dates and topics will be announced in due course.

To book your place please register here.