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Census day will be on 21 March, but households will soon receive letters with online codes explaining how they can take part. The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity. And, for the first time, there will be a question asking people whether they have served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations.

For more information about Census 2021, visit https://census.gov.uk/.

The Office of National Statistics team are also still actively recruiting staff to help communities complete the census. For more information about opportunities with Census 2021, please visit https://www.censusjobs.co.uk/.

3VA is proud to be the Voluntary Action organisation for the three districts of Wealden, Eastbourne and Lewes in East Sussex. In our work, we support and develop our local voluntary groups and organisations in these three districts that do so much to strengthen and build resilience in our communities.

We are also proud to be part of a national movement of social and voluntary action. The communities we serve have elements of both rurality and urbanisation, can be both wealthy and economically challenged and have the widest range of ages. Our work and our planning reflect this diversity and our belief in working with and strengthening the assets in each of our local communities.

Following the departure of our Chief Executive in December 2020, we are now looking for a permanent Chief Executive to join us and take our strategic plan and vision for the future forward. Find out more…

All of us at 3VA would like to wish you a happy Christmas and a healthy start to 2021.

A big THANK YOU to all of our members, funders, friends and partners for everything you have accomplished in spite of all the challenges we have faced this year.

Our office will be closed from Thursday afternoon, 24 December, until 9:00 am on Monday, 4 January 2021. We look forward to working with you again in the New Year!

Adam Chugg, 3VA’s Chief Executive Officer, will be leaving the charity in December to take up a new role as Town Clerk at Seaford Town Council.

Adam has been CEO of 3VA since April 2008. Over this period he has been fully committed to supporting the Trustees, the staff and members of 3VA and through his leadership and by working closely with our partners, and stakeholders, has improved the lives of others across our area by building the strength of the voluntary and community sector.

During his tenure Adam has continued to build 3VA’s financial resilience and sustainability whilst developing our place in the communities of East Sussex, Lewes, Eastbourne and Wealden in a way that means that 3VA is in excellent shape going forward. More recently, Adam has been instrumental in supporting the delivery of the local response to the challenges of Covid at the same time managing the impact on 3VA.

Adam said:

“It has been an incredible honour to lead 3VA, and I think the fantastic response we have made to the challenges of Covid, and to support and work with our local sector, shows our strength, relevance, and connectedness that stands us in good stead for the future.”

Gary Walsh, Chair of 3VA’s Board of Trustees said:

“I would personally like to thank him for his resilience during these times. On behalf of myself and the 3VA Trustees I would like to congratulate Adam on his appointment to Seaford Town Clerk and to thank him for his 12 and a half years as Chief Executive of 3VA.”

3VA’s Board of Trustees have approved that Jenny Watson and Miriam Wilkinson will jointly provide the Interim Chief Executive role for 3VA whilst the recruitment of a permanent appointment of Chief Executive is made. The Trustees have complete confidence in Jenny and Miriam that they will provide stability and continuity for the organisation in the interim.

At 3VA we are always happy to help groups with queries relating to recruiting and retaining volunteers. Recently, in light of ongoing speculation and (at that time) the uncertainties surrounding Brexit we were asked about how voluntary & community groups should approach asking potential volunteers about their rights to volunteer in the UK.

We approached the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) about this and we were very pleased and grateful to receive the following advice:

Unlike with paid employees, there is no obligation for organisations to check if prospective volunteers have the right to volunteer in the UK. The onus is on the prospective volunteer themselves to check if they have a right to volunteer. With this in mind, we would advise putting something on the form along the lines of ‘if you are not a UK, EU or EEA national, please check that you have the right to volunteer in the UK’ (then you can link to this section of the NCVO website that shows which categories are permitted to volunteer).

However, an important point to bear in mind is if there is any possibility that a volunteer could be deemed to be working under a contract, either as an employee, paid worker or voluntary worker, then a right to work check should be carried out by the organisation. Charities are liable to strong penalties under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 if they are deemed to be employing people who do not have the right to work in the UK. Further rules are set out in the Immigration Act 2016.

Legally then, the onus is on the potential volunteer and not the organisation to check their eligibility. At 3VA we are aware of and committed to supporting a shared value within the voluntary & community sector about wanting to make volunteering as accessible as possible to everyone and not to create or enhance potential barriers to people wanting to volunteer. For that reason, we would encourage groups to adopt the wording suggested by NCVO in any volunteer applications you use and to back this up by supporting people to access the relevant information on the NCVO website. Please do be aware though of the potential risks associated with doing anything (unintentionally or otherwise) that might be deemed as creating a ‘contract’ with a volunteer and if you are in any doubt about that, please feel free to contact us on 01323 639 373 or at info@3va.org.uk.

You may be interested to know that we run regular training workshops on engaging and involving volunteers (FREE to 3VA members) and our next event is How to attract & retain more volunteers in Lewes on 13 February. We will also run two free Volunteer Coordinators’ Networking Forums (VCNF) in spring/summer time – check our website or the newsletter for dates.

3VA is delighted to invite you to our AGM, ‘Sustainability for the Years Ahead’,  on Thursday,  23 January 2020,  9:30am to 1:00 pm at Welcome Building, Mallory Hall, Compton Street, Eastbourne, BN 21 4BP.

We will be hearing from keynote speakers, including the National Lottery, about funding and sustainability, hearing success stories from our local voluntary sector and learning about new ways to support sustainability such as crowdfunding and social value. 3VA will also share some of our key work and successes of recent times, carry out our legal business and celebrate with you our first 10 years!

Agenda

Arrivals, Registration and Networking

Welcome to the meeting by the Chair
Getting started: “Your vision on the sector in 2030”

Part One: Sustainability Over the Years Ahead

Keynote speakers and panel discussion:
• Kevin Richmond, Sussex Community Foundation
• Jane Haddock, Big Lottery
• Tbc, Directory of Social Change
• Miriam Wilkinson, 3VA
Panel Discussion will be chaired by Rachael Wood, 3VA Trustee.

Part Two: Celebrating Local Success

We’ll hear and celebrate some local success stories from our local sector.

Part Three: New Ways to Sustainability

• Crowdfunding
• Social Value – new support from local businesses

Part Four: 3VA in Action

3VA in Action Film; Youth Leadership Role
Formal 3VA AGM

Book now

3VA is proud to be hosting the event in the impressive Welcome Building, which is part of the beautiful Devonshire Quarter – a hugely exciting project for Eastbourne. The area has received a £54 million transformation, helping put Eastbourne on the map as a top cultural, sporting and conference destination. Join us and enjoy the new superb conferencing facilities, surrounded by a top-class art gallery, theatre and the new public plaza.

3VA has been successful in securing funding from the Coop Foundation’s Space to Connect programme, for a project focusing on reducing social isolation by utilising the Shinewater Park area. 3VA aims to reinvigorate and revitalise interest in the Park and will be working closely with, and be guided by, community partners such as Friends of Shinewater Park. 3VA is already planning family activities to kick start the use of this wonderful area and on the 7th December, 3.30pm to 5.30pm at Shinewater Community Hall, Milfoil Drive where a Family Christmas Forest School Workshop will see participants making fantastic Christmas decorations inspired by the park.

Space to Connect is a partnership between the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DMCS) and the Co-op Foundation. It builds on the commitment to unlock the potential of community spaces as part of the Government’s loneliness strategy.

Jim Cooke, Head of the Co-op Foundation, stated:

“Shared spaces for people to meet and socialise are vital for tackling loneliness and helping communities work together to address local challenges.”

Jo Wunsch, Community Development Officer at 3VA added:

“Input from all members of the community with ideas on ways to bring people together is vital, so whether you like visiting the park, shared interest groups, learning new things, taking part in sports or community events and fun days, we’d love you to get in touch”

For further information, please email Jo Wunsch at jo.wunsch@3va.org.uk or on 01323 639 373.