Friday 1 February 2013

Innovation & Assistance


A very enjoyable week – what it feels like to me at present is that there are financial concerns, but offset by lots of innovative opportunities. I was at a Surrey CC Leader’s briefing for the voluntary sector on Tuesday.  Surrey CC are setting a deficit budget making efficiency savings and drawing on balances to manage the gap back to a balanced budget. Where have I heard that before?

I had a quick word with David Hodge , the Leader, and was asked to send him and David McNulty (Surrey CC’s CX) ) a one page brief on our Communilab proposal – a virtual network linking community charities- universities- local authorities and business. The brief went off today. I had a meeting early on Thursday morning with a corporate who were one of our original “4x4Project” members, and they too are interested in a number of opportunities to get alongside and hopefully sponsor some of our projects, including Communilab.

Further good news is that we have been granted a £6,000 “voucher” under the Lottery’s Big Assist programme to spend on consultancy support so that we can do some strategic thinking about relationships and opportunities within the voluntary youth sector.  

We have evaluated the first of our Surrey Youth Enterprise workshops for disadvantaged young people about How To become self- employed, set up in business, and we have slotted dates for 2 more. Our own social enterprise is also moving on apace and we are hopefully closing on the leasing of premises on Tuesday for the business.

We are making progress on commissioning a new website, but as funding is tight we need to “get it right first time” in terms of thinking through who is our target audience and what are the “topline buttons" of the services /information we wish to convey. This in turn links to our new branding.

Good luck to Marie Silvester our youth development worker who after 3 years with us has moved onwards and upwards to another job in Berkshire.

And finally, most gloriously,  the Six Nations rugby starts on Saturday and England have picked “my man” Billy Twelvetrees (think Sevenoaks) who not only comes from Chichester, but was first spotted by me when at a Wasps v. Leicester match about 3 years ago, and I am on record (with my sons)  as saying “ he’ll play for England”. Sat. 4.00pm. England v. Scotland.

Have Fun!

Mike (Assistant England Manager)

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