Garfield Weston Foundation supports Resource Centre!

We are delighted that the Garfield Weston Foundation has given the Resource Centre a £10,000 grant towards the cost of our advice and support work in 2016-17.

This funding will enable us to continue our free one-to-one support for:

  • Groups run by local residents in areas of social housing in Brighton & Hove
  • Self-organised BME community groups
  • Self-organised groups run by disabled people

New equipment at the Resource Centre

Thanks to a generous grant from the Argus Appeal, we now have the following new equipment available for groups in Sussex to hire:

  • A smaller popcorn machine – easier to fit into your car but the popcorn is just as tasty!
  • Skipping ropes – for solo and group skipping, and french skipping, ideal for street parties
  • Hula hoops – a set of six, good quality colourful hoops
  • Giant Twister – a new addition to our range of giant board games

Just get in touch if you want to book any of these items.

Information on organising community events

Thanks to funding from the Big Lottery, we have updated and improved our information on Organising Community Events.

Printed information sheets on a range of topics to do with organising community events.

Our new pack contains advice and information on all sorts of different aspects of running events, including:

All these pages are also available as free printed information sheets, separately and as a whole pack. Just drop into the Centre to collect a copy for free.

Piggy Bank Fund deadline extended to 17th April

The Piggy Bank Fund provides small grants of around £500 for projects that benefit young people aged 13-19 in Whitehawk, Manor Farm and Bristol Estate.

Applicants will need to fill out an application form, and provide a one minute video about their project. They will then be required to attend a grant presentation session on 22nd April at the Crew Club between 16-30 and 18-00.

The deadline for applications has now been extended to 5pm on Friday 17th April.The videos will be shown at a public event on March 25th, where a vote will be taken on which projects to fund.

For more information contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

Serviced offices to let in central Brighton

Two serviced offices have just become available to rent at the Care Co-ops Social Enterprise Centre, just 2 minutes from the clocktower. Offices accommodate 4-5 desks each (for social enterprises we would explore renting by desk to a group of organisations). Facilities include all services and internet access, 24 hour access, additional on-site hire options including meeting rooms and a 250 capacity venue.

Cost: £440 per month each (10% discount for social enterprises)

To find out more contact: Fiona Ras [email protected]

New colour copier at the Resource Centre

Thanks to funding from the Big Lottery’s Awards for All programme, we have updated our colour laser copier. The new machine can do everything the old one did – colour and black & white copies, single and double-sided, stapling, enlarging and reduction. It’s smaller, quieter and uses less electricity.

Community groups in Sussex are welcome to use our new copier to produce high quality copies on our wide range of paper types, including A4 and A3 paper and card, banner paper, acetates and stickers.  If you need higher volume printing, our copyprinters or inkjet printer might be more suitable – feel free to contact us to discuss your ideas and get a quote.

2014 Resource Centre Survey Results

We asked all groups that contacted us in July 2014 to complete a short survey.

We would like to say a huge thanks to everyone who took the time to do this. We received 135 completed surveys, and the results are now available.

  • 100% found Resource Centre staff very helpful.
  • 99% agreed that having equipment hire, printing and information services in one place is valuable for groups like theirs.
  • 100% found the prices affordable.
  • 99% agreed that the Resource Centre is very useful for their group.

Full Survey Report (PDF)

Executive Summary (PDF)

Sticker printing at the Resource Centre

Groups can now print stickers at the Resource Centre.

Choose between:

Black & white or Colour, on matt or glossy paper
Round stickers – 25mm – 70 per page
Round stickers – 37mm – 35 per page
Single A4 sheets that you can cut down to the desired size

We have Resource Centre sticker template instructions on how to get the best results for designing stickers onto our sticker sheets. There are also templates available in PDF or MS Publisher formats. Publisher is available on our public computers in the Centre.

Prices:

Back & white on matt paper: 30p per sheet
Black & white on glossy paper: 65p per sheet
Colour on matt paper: 45p per sheet
Colour on glossy paper: 80p per sheet

Successful Money in Mind project comes to an end

Big Lottery funding for the Money in Mind project will run out at the end of September 2014. The Money in Mind project has provided free support with money management to small groups in Brighton & Hove since October 2009.

Over 300 groups have been helped with training, advice and information, two free downloadable accounts systems, and free access to an examination of accounts service. An independent evaluation of the project in August 2014 found that:

  • Groups found the support offered by the Money in Mind project to be of excellent quality, and all beneficiaries would recommend the service to their colleagues and friends.
  • A large majority of groups who received support from the Money in Mind project reported that their skills, confidence and knowledge had improved following the support.
  • A majority of groups reported that they were better able to raise funds following the support they had received.

From October 2014, the Resource Centre has put aside funds to continue this free support for small groups who are based in areas of social housing, black and minority ethnic community groups, and disabled people’s groups.

For other groups, the following services are currently available:

Community Works are interested in finding out how many groups would find free examination of accounts or money management advice services useful, to help them with future planning (but they are not offering it at the moment). It is worth contacting them to tell them you would like to use these services if they are able to offer them in future. Contact Lisa Mytton, [email protected] or on 01273 234031 to let her know that your organisation would find this service useful.

 

NEW! Rounders set available to hire at Resource Centre

We now have a Rounder set available to hire. It includes a proper wooden rounders bat, standard and soft rounders balls, wooden stumps, cones for playing on hard surfaces, and line marker spray to mark out your pitch.

Only £2.75 to hire for up to a week.

Make a booking