Charity and Voluntary Sector

CLG: Communities Secretary Eric Pickles recently announced that throughout 2012, faith communities will lead a series of volunteering days encouraging communities to come together to help improve their local neighbourhoods.
 
Recognising the role of faith in inspiring charitable work, the CLG is supporting a Year of Service.  During the course of 2012, 9 faith communities will in turn hold volunteering days, inviting people of other faiths and people of non-religious beliefs to join in.  

Each of the days will focus on a different social action theme, such as 'community clean ups', planting trees in a local park, or cooking lunches and could be based around an existing religious festival like Lent or the Sikh festival commemorating the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, or an existing volunteering day such as the Jewish-led Mitzvah Day or the Hindu-led National Sewa Day. 
Press release & links
 
RoSPA:  A popular campaign has helped more than 12,000 families in Scotland to cut the risk of toddlers being accidentally strangled in their home by blind cords. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is aware of at least 20 children dying in blind cord accidents in the UK since 1999 (with 9 occurring since the beginning of 2010).  
 
RoSPA’s own research indicates that most accidental blind cord deaths happen in a bedroom, involving children aged between 16 and 36 months.  RoSPA advises people buying new blinds to look for designs that don’t have cords or chains.  It also advises parents & carers not to put a child’s cot, bed, playpen or highchair near a window.
Press release & links
 
PC&PE: While private foundations make a huge contribution, concerns have been raised about the transparency & accountability, according to a new report by MPs on the International Development Committee. Foundations should sign up to International Aid Transparency Initiative guidelines and be brought into global structures to ensure that they coordinate their work with other donors.
Press release & links
 
BHF: New national guidelines to help nurseries & childminders provide healthy meals for young children have been unveiled by the School Food Trust. Victoria Taylor, British Heart Foundation Senior Dietitian, said: “More than a fifth of children turn up to their first day at school overweight or obese and that has to change” – See ‘Guidance Notes & Best Practice Guides’ section for more information.
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