Are you volunteering for a community group, or receiving benefits and hoping to work in catering?  This one day free course run by Community Learning at Brighton & Hove City Council will provide you with a Level 2 Certificate in Food & Hygiene. There is a multiple choice assessment at the end of the course.

Level 2 Food Safety – Central Brighton

This is a one-day course
Course date: Wednesday 30 September
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Venue: Brighton Town Hall, Bartholomew Square. BN1 1JA
Tutor: James Aldcroft

Level 2 Food Safety – Central Hove

This is a one-day course
Course date: Wednesday 11 November
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Venue: Vallance Community Centre. 2 Conway Court, Clarendon Road. Hove. BN3 3WR (Next to Honeycroft café).
Tutor: James Aldcroft

For more information or to book a place on a course call: 01273 810210

Free places on their courses are for anyone who is:

• Unemployed (and in receipt of income related benefits)
• On a low income
• Have 5 or less GCSEs

Whitehawk Inn has organised free training for volunteers in Brighton and Hove. If you are a volunteer for any organisation, you are welcome to book a place.

To book a place please call 01273 682 222 or email [email protected]

Topics and dates are:

• First Aid  – Tuesday 2nd June 9:30-4:30
• IT tips and tricks – Part 1 Tuesday 9th June 9:30-12:30; Part 2 Tuesday 16th June 9:30-12:30
• Fundraising – Wednesday 10th June 9:30-4:30
• Food Safety – Tuesday 11th June 9:30-4:30
• Fire Safety / Warden – Tuesday 16th June 9:30 – 12:30
• Using a Laptop – Thursday 18th June 10:30 – 12:30
• Using a Google Calendar – Thursday 18th June 1:30 – 3:30
• Strategic Business – Part 1 Thursday 25th June 9:30 – 12:30; Part 2 Thursday 2nd July 9:30 – 1:00
• Introduction to Word – Wednesday 1st July 1:30-4:30
• Word Intermediate – Wednesday 8th July 9:30-4:30
• Using Social Media – Wednesday 15th July 1:30-4:30
• Powerpoint – Wednesday 22nd July 9:30-4:30

A few places are still available at the next meeting of the Community Works Governance Network, for trustees and committee members.

Wednesday 20th May 6-8pm @ BMECP (Rose Room).

• Learn – a chance to learn about Charity finance; top tips, good practice and board roles
• Network – meet other Trustees and Committee members
• Share – swap experiences with your peers
• Shape – tell us what you from your network in the future

The session on Charity Finance will be let by recommended Directory of Social Change trainer Jacqueline Williams from Cass Business School.

Jacqueline has over 20 years international consultancy and training experience in the not-for-profit and private sectors, working with boards and senior management teams in developing the change they need to make their organisations more efficient and effective. Her specialist areas are financial governance, strategy and leadership development.

To book your place please email [email protected]

Or if you would like further information ring 01273 234 023 and ask for Alison.

Bookings are now open for the Community Works Summer Conference, due to take place on Tuesday 9 June.

Book your place by Monday 1 June at the latest (early booking is recommended to secure your place), at: http://bhcommunityworks.org.uk/members/services-members/events-networking/

At this Conference, each of the 5 networks will be themed around safeguarding. You can choose to attend one session in the morning, and one session in the afternoon although not all sessions will be appropriate for your role.  To select your sessions, and to find out more about what else is happening on the day then you can find further information on the website: http://bhcommunityworks.org.uk/members/services-members/events-networking/

A sector market place, also themed around safeguarding, will take place during the networking lunch between 12.15- 13.15. This is an opportunity to meet a range of support organisations.

Booking is ESSENTIAL as spaces are limited within the venue and particularly where sessions are focussed on a learning element.  Please note that, to enable as many organisations as possible to have the chance to attend, places are limited to 2 people per organisation in each session, unless spaces are still available nearer the day.

Expenses are available for small groups (under £35k per annum) and volunteers. Just bring your receipt/ticket on the day. Please ask us about availability of parking at the venue before claiming to park elsewhere.

For more information, or if you are having difficulties with the booking form, contact [email protected] or 01273 234023.

Community Works carried out a consultation at the end of 2014 on trustee support. It asked trustees questions about what areas they would like support in and how they would like to address these areas.

In brief, the responses indicated that the majority of people would like a quarterly network that is held in the evening and has a well-structured learning element to it. The topic areas that people indicated they most wanted to address were:

• Developing management committee/ trustee boards
• Charity law
• Roles and responsibilities and good governance
• Charity finance

In response to the above Community Works are committing to co-ordinating 4 Governance Network sessions over the next year, of which one will take the ‘surgery’ form which has previously proven to be successful. The first Governance Network meeting will take place as follows:

Theme: Charity Finance

Date & time: Wednesday 20th May 6-8pm

Venue: BMECP (Rose Room), Fleet Street Brighton

If you are a trustee of a voluntary or community group in Brighton & Hove, and you want to come along to this session, please email [email protected]. This will help them to plan the session.

Community Works are running a Disability Awareness workshop with local specialist providers the Fed and Brighton & Hove Speak Out.

Tues 7th April, 10am – 1pm, Community Base 113 Queens Road.  Fees vary from £25-£45.

For more information contact [email protected] or call 01273 234023.

Two further workshops on evaluation and making the most of your data are being held for Community Works members. The workshops are an opportunity to explore monitoring, evaluation and impact through the practical learning of bringing together a Data Management Strategy. They will explore the concept and contents of such a strategy, the benefits of having one and what it might bring to your group.

For full workshop information including dates please visit Community Works website.