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Sanja Djeric Kane CEO Kingston Voluntary Action 

As hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian women and children are escaping from their country to Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, fleeing from the war Ukraine was forced into by Putin, we are joining the Leader of the Council in a reminder that Kingston is a “welcoming and inclusive place… committed to play its part in providing support and reassurance to those affected”. 
We have been watching with horror and shock the invasion of Ukraine by Russia televised across all media. We have been stunned by the speed with which this territory grab has turned into an action which has escalated to involve every country on the planet. 
KVA will do all it can to support refugees arriving in the borough by providing support, signposting and advice to our local groups/communities.
We will also be liaising with RBK to make sure communications are circulated. In addition, London Plus is trying to map, connect and prepare relevant organisations for a surge in need and is asking for organisations willing to help.  
We condemn the act of Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin in launching this offensive against its neighbour.  And we stand ready to support our local organisations, who will be advising, and counselling refugees and locals alike. 

John Azah , Chief Executive Officer of Kingston Race and Equalities Council (KREC)

The whole world was shocked when Russia invaded Ukraine. Even with all its institutions, the world was unable to stop this happening and whilst a lot of strategic actions have been taken to get Russia to stop, the impact of many of these may not be felt for a number of years.
And even though we talk about Russia, this is Vladimir Putin’s war. Many Russians will not support the war Putin is fighting and may be facing personal challenges or abuse for something they had no part in deciding or have no responsibility for.  So, it is important that we are mindful of how we talk about Russians.
Many innocent people are suffering from being in the war zone and many others are leaving their country as refugees. We need to do everything we can to help them.
This war is unacceptable, and it has to stop. 
In Kingston we need to work across agencies and communities to highlight what is happening in Ukraine and stand in solidarity with Ukrainians and all those who are against the war, regardless of where they come from.
KREC wants to work with the Kingston Interfaith Forum, Refugee Action Kingston, Kingston Voluntary Action, the Royal Borough of Kingston and any other agency or individuals, to express our support for those whose country is being destroyed and to implore our Government to do what it can to help Ukraine.

Isik Oguzertem, Director Refugee Action Kingston

The recent developments in Ukraine have shocked us and our community. For many of our staff and clients, the harrowing realities of war are all too fresh, and the images coming out of Ukraine revive painful memories of separation and loss. As Refugee Action Kingston, we stand firmly in solidarity with the civilians caught up in this needless conflict, and commit to warmly welcoming any and all individuals requiring sanctuary. We will work with our partners in the Council and across the borough to ensure all parties are doing everything possible to make routes to safety possible, and to welcome those fleeing the conflict. 

Good news on VCSE Strategy Development

Many of you will be aware that discussions have been going on for some time about the development of a new VCSE Strategy for the whole borough.

This follows on from the Review of Commissioning to the VCSE sector which started in 2019 (put on hold because of the pandemic) and builds on the experience of how the VCSE sector responded proactively to the challenge of Covid-19.

Last year, a small working group from the Chief Officers’ Network looked again at the 2014 VCS Strategy. They agreed that the main themes of Community engagement, Commissioning and Communication, underpinned by capacity building and tackling inequalities, were still relevant and suggested that Assets should also be included in any new strategy.

The development work has now taken on a new impetus with Kingston Council recently appointing Julia Mlambo as Senior Strategy and Partnerships Officer – VCS Strategy to work with Louise Footner, Assistant Director, Culture, Communities and Engagement, to support the co-production work over the next few months, under the ‘ownership’ of Kingston Strategic Partnership (KSP).

The strategy will aim to build more equal, transparent and collaborative relationships between the VCSE sector and our statutory partners, particularly Kingston Council and Health.

Next steps

A working group will be set up to progress the co-design process between now and May 2022, so that the emerging strategy will be ready for consultation by June 2022. If you would like to join the working group, please contact Sanja (sanja.djerickane@kva.org.uk) and/or Jill (communitydevelopment@kva.org.uk)

KVA’s survey aimed to find out how organisations have been coping with the ever-changing circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This information would then enable KVA to

• provide our users with better support
• and better inform our partners in the statutory sector about the sector’s current issues and concerns.

Click here to view Snapshot of Kingston's VCSE  Activity Oct 21 - Jan 22 

 Mind Kingston is recruiting

Exciting new project with  Mind in Kingston team.

• Volunteer Coordinator (14 hr p/w)
• Executive Assistant (35 hrs p/w)
• Director of Operations (28 hrs p/w)
• Director of Development (28 hrs p/w)

Details can be found on Charity Job. You can also visit Mind's website Job Vacancies – Mind in Kingston 

Debt and money - Citizens Advice  

Money problems can often be confusing, and Citizens Advice has a lot of information  about finances that you can use to support someone. Citizens Advice Kingston upon Thames has a team of volunteers to help local people  manage their money with ideas on budgeting, financial literacy, saving energy costs and more.
This is a link to one of our most recently updated factsheets Making the Right Choices:  useful ways to deal with debt and how to get finances back into shape.  

Homelessness and rough sleeping strategy – NEW  

RBK has produced a draft Homeless Strategy (2022-20227) in collaboration with partners to tackle homelessness in the borough.  
Have your Say 
To read the draft strategy and share your thoughts, follow this link  kingstonletstalk.co.uk/homelessness-strategy 

Free support with basic digital skills at Kingston Library..... update

New contact at Kingston Council for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 

Clara Barnes (she/ her) Is the Interim Senior Strategy and Partnerships Officer (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion).
Clara is very keen to meet with any community groups and organisations who primarily work with the following areas linked to age, disability, sex (including maternity and pregnancy), race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or economic position. Contact email is clara.barnes@kingston.gov.uk 

Giving World
Giving World  ( a registered charity) can help your community group meet the needs of you beneficiaries by providing business surplus stock free of charge.
They offer items like clothing, food , toiletries, cleaning and household products,as well as other useful items. Goods can be collected directly from them, or they can arrange delivery at cost - you will only ever pay for transport. To find out more.... 

• Register your organisation
• Call them on 0116 251 6205 between 9.30am-4pm Monday-Thursday and 9.30am-12.30pm Friday.
• Send  an email with any queries to admin@givingworld.org.uk.

Clean Energy Campaign - Solar Together 

Councils across London are working in partnership with the Mayor of London to make the transition to clean energy as cost effective and hassle-free as possible.
Solar Together is a group-buying scheme which makes it easy for homeowners and small-medium sized enterprises to install solar panels and battery storage for a competitive price with a trustworthy, pre-vetted installer.
Deadline:  You can register your interest for free and without obligation online until 15 March. The website has lots of  information solartogether.co.uk/kingston/home.

KFC Foundation Reopens Community Grants Programme for 2022

Tudor Trust

Jules Thorn Innovation and Improvement in Health and Care fund

Prudence Trust

Home Instead charities

Alpkit Foundation

Matthew Good Foundation

KVA training

• Connected Kingston Champion Training
• Keeping up with COVID 19 data 
• Introduction to the roles and responsibilities of trustees
• Understanding and using Outcomes
• Diversifying your Income
• Safeguarding for trustees who have done Level 1
• and Managing Volunteers in a COVID world

This online training is suitable for anyone setting up a community group, charity, or social enterprise based in the London Borough of Croydon, Kingston, or Richmond upon Thames.

You can come as an individual, new group, or a community group that has been running for a while, but needs a refresher. Real-life examples will be used in group work.

This interactive online session will cover legal structures, leadership risks, how to plan/develop your project, plan/budget, determine leadership actions, compare different kinds of legal structure (and identify the pros and cons of them), and help you create a clear action plan for the next three months.

This session is particularly helpful if you need to work through your project ideas, think about what type of organisation you want to be, or if you want to reflect on who will control/decide things.

After the workshop: Eligible attendees from Croydon and Richmond will have the opportunity to receive some one-to-one support after the session, to help them further develop their ideas.

Ask The Expert

We have a number of expert staff who would be very happy to support you. Their specialisms are outlined on our website here.

Digital Inclusion Network meeting Wedensday 27th April

Engaging with diverse communities - February and March

We know how important it can be to engage with all members of your community. Campaign for Learning's new ‘Engaging With…’ workshops focus on community groups you may not be familiar working with, or that may not be accessing your services. 

This workshop series will equip you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to open your learning offer to your wider community. Find out more here 

Your Day, Your Say consultation

Combatting poverty network meeting

Date: Tuesday 22 March 2022.

VCSE Emergencies Partnership wants examples of YOUR good practice 

The VCSE Emergency Partnership wants to highlight and promote the excellent work that is happening on the ground.

It is looking for examples of good practice, innovation or impact from across the sector in relation to emergency response, planning or preparedness. You can share examples as case studies, reports, research, videos, toolkits, events or through other media.

There is an engagement fund to help backfill the time spent preparing examples to be shared with them, and you can find out more about this and how to apply to the fund.  

The Good Food Co-op weaning box
We are very happy to be launching a Good Food Co-Op Weaning Box in March.
We are working with Growbaby to provide referral customers with a weaning pack, including a blender, bibs, utensils, and recipes alongside a weekly selection of fresh, spray free vegetables for babies to try.
The weaning boxes will also be available for all customers from 10th March. For more information,  visit goodfoodcoop.org.uk.

Free Sim Cards for Residents in Need 

Essential Goods for your beneficiaries 

Book your first, second or booster vaccination now

You can visit www.nhs.uk to book your appointment, or for those who would prefer to walk-in, information about walk-in and pop up vaccination clinics across South West London is regularly updated on the SW London CCG website.

Covid Resources

Weekly Covid briefing sessions