Charity and Voluntary Sector

SE: As the 2010 Winter Olympics started, Sport England & Snowsport England have revealed the 10 ski facilities & clubs that will be at the heart of their drive to get more people on the slopes throughout England.  

Snowsport England, the national governing body for snow sports, is receiving £985,000 of Government & National Lottery funding to get more people skiing and snowboarding in high quality environments.  
 
Some of the funding will also be used to helped talented athletes move closer to their dreams of competing in the Winter Olympics. In particular, Snowsport England is working with the charity Snow-Camp, to give more disadvantaged youngsters the chance to try snow sports, by helping them expand into new inner city areas and introduce participants to established ski clubs.
Press release ~ Sport England ~ Snowsport England ~ Snow-Camp
 
VSOVSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) is a leading international development charity that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries and make the world a fairer place for all.  For over 50 years, they have sent volunteers to some of the world’s poorest countries to share their professional skills, creativity & learning and to build capabilities that transform poor and & people’s lives and communities.

The UK Government has made funds available to cover pensions for up to 2 years for public sector employees (PSEs) in the UK who volunteer overseas with VSO, so now is a great time for public sector employees to volunteer overseas and pass their skills & experience on to those that need it.
 
Volunteers & employees also consider international volunteering as part of a structured professional development path.  PSEs who volunteer overseas gain valuable skills and return to the UK with those skills, as well as insight & experiences that directly benefit themselves, their organisation and the UK economy.
Press release ~ Pension benefits and eligibility ~ Volunteering opportunities for public sector employees
 
BIG: At least £100m a year is to be invested across England by the BIG Lottery Fund in a new improved version of its flagship Reaching Communities programme for each of the next 5 years.  The new funding (which will be introduced in Spring 2010) comes with 2 distinct improvements:
* First, applicants seeking smaller sums of money will enjoy a simpler application & assessment process
* Second, a 2-stage decision making process for larger bids will ensure that all applicants will learn sooner whether their project is in with a chance of receiving funding. For those invited to the second stage, the likelihood of success will be much higher, making work on completing a full application more worthwhile
 
Also in the pipeline for later in the year is a third element, a dedicated capital stream offering funding within the familiar Reaching Communities application process to respond to the high, unmet demand for funding for community buildings.
Press release ~ Reaching Communities programme
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