Big Local SW11 Alliance Covid-19 Community Support Fund – Relaunched!

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Our Covid-19 fund, launched on the 2nd April 2020, was aimed to support local organisations operating on the frontline to assist the vulnerable in our community

To date we have had 16 applications and approved 11 projects totalling £39,375 and estimate that 250 people/families, supported by around 60 volunteers, have directly benefitted from our funding!

After initially wanting a prompt response to the Covid-19 crisis, and assessing applications on a first come, case by case basis, the BLSW11 Partnership has reviewed the process, determined to use our remaining fund  where it can be most effective.

With around £61,000 remaining we would again invite organisations to apply for funding for projects that aim to support the most vulnerable with a better defined criteria of eligibility, to reflect our learning from phase1.

The new Covid-19 Application Form can be downloaded here

Click here to see some of the projects we have already supported

If you have any questions about the Fund please contact us at [email protected]

Local vacancies in the community

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Here are the latest vacancies in our community:

Big Local SW11 Volunteer Coordinator (hosted at KLS) 

£33,000 + 5% pension contribution;  3-year Fixed-Term Contract; FT-35 hours/week; based in Battersea.

DOWNLOAD the JOB PACK here: BLSW11 Alliance Volunteer Coordinator – Job Application Pack – 09Jun20

DOWNLOAD the BACKGROUND PAPER here: BLSW11 Alliance – Volunteer Coordinator background paper – 09June20

Volunteering has been widely evidenced to provide a wide range of benefits improving confidence, health, sense of purpose, community belonging, expanding social networks, gaining skills and moving towards employment. This new project is about enabling, empowering and mobilising local residents to volunteer and get more involved with the local community here in Battersea.

There are 55+ local charities and community organisation’s working in Battersea. They depend on volunteers to help provide their services and govern their organisations. To meet the growing demand for these services and make the biggest difference we can with our resources, the Alliance aims to expand the number of people volunteering across Battersea with the support of a new post of Volunteer Coordinator.

Key Objectives of the Role

  • Develop and expand volunteering engagement across Battersea to assist in the pursuit of the Big Local SW11 Alliance’s vision, mission, values and objectives.
  • Develop and implement yearly volunteering delivery plans with the Alliance; review, monitor and report on progress.
  • Ensure a consistent and high standard of volunteering engagement and support across Battersea.

Ensure effective knowledge collection and feedback systems are in place to monitor the quality and effectiveness of volunteer engagement in Battersea.

Interested? Want more information? 

If you would like to know more about this position then please contact: Aaron Barbour, KLS’ CEO, on [email protected] and 020 7223 2845

Dates

Closing Date for Applications:     9.00am on 13th July 2020

First Interview Date:                      20th or 22nd July 2020

Second Interview Date:                27th or 29th July 2020

Returning Your Application

Please complete the job application form, equal opportunities form and self-declaration and disclosure form and return to Filsan Osman: [email protected]

DOWNLOAD the JOB PACK here: BLSW11 Alliance Volunteer Coordinator – Job Application Pack – 09Jun20

Good luck!

 

Would you consider volunteering with us? We have lots of opportunities…

Volunteering opportunities

We rely on volunteers to run all of our services. If you’re interested in volunteering do come in for a chat or fill in the ‘contact us’ form.

  • mentoring for an hour a week to support a refugee young person
  • supporting one of our GCSE study groups that meet for 2 hours a week in Battersea
  • helping out at a Homework Club on a Wednesday or Thursday from 4.30pm-7.00pm
  • being an escort for older people on and off our minibus during the day Tuesday – Thursdays

More info

Download Volunteering Opportunities at Katherine Low Settlement – List – 2020 for more info.

Caius House – Current Vacancies

​Battersea Youth Voice – Youth Development Coordinator

​This is an exciting new developmental role, whose principle purpose is to recruit, engage and co-ordinate a group of local young people with the aim of enabling and empowering them to ensure their voices are heard and bring about change.   We envisage that the young people engaged will develop new projects and services in response to their needs and that of the local community.

​Closing Date: 9am, 13th July 2020

​Battersea Youth Voice – Background Paper

Battersea Youth Voice – Applicant Pack

Caius House website: www.caiushouse.org/vacancies

Coronavirus support flies in to Battersea

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New local initiative to help disadvantaged and elderly (Battersea-March 24, 2020)

A valuable new service called ‘Battersea Corona Virus Angels’ has been launched today by three prominent local institutions in Battersea. Staffed by volunteers, the service aims to help vulnerable, self-isolating and elderly people in Battersea and the wider Wandsworth area cope with the restrictions and hardships imposed by the Corona (COVID-19) Virus.

Katherine Low Settlement (KLS), the long-established and well-respected community services charity based in Battersea, is actively supporting the idea developed by two leading churches in the area, St Mary’s Church of England and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. The initiative has additional help from the Battersea Society and Battersea United Charities.

Aaron Barbour, Director of KLS, says: “Battersea Corona Virus Angels is a very important local response to a worrisome emergency threatening so many disadvantaged and elderly people in our community. KLS is proud to be part of this local response. We are contributing our resources, ensuring something good comes out of this emergency, both now and after. We hope it will be a community benefit that can also be sustained once the crisis is over.”

The service will put people who are self-isolating, vulnerable or elderly in touch with volunteers who can help them in practical ways over the coming weeks and months of the emergency. Besides 10,000 leaflets being distributed throughout Battersea, an enquirer may simply call a mobile phone number – 07394 856 557 – or email – [email protected] – and a trusted volunteer will be assigned to help.

Assistance on offer includes shopping, dog walking, collecting medical prescriptions, receiving a friendship call, and other tasks made hard to do by those confined or restricted as a result of the Corona Virus crisis.

Anyone able to act as a volunteer is invited to contact Battersea Corona Virus Angels using the telephone or email shown above, or through the contacts listed below.

About Katherine Low Settlement

Katherine Low Settlement (KLS) is a much-loved and busy charity that has been at the heart of the community in Battersea, South West London, since 1924.

With a few staff and a lot of volunteers, KLS runs a range of its own popular community projects. The charity supports children, young people and their families, older people and refugees and newly arrived communities.

The KLS building in Battersea High Street is used for community activities and events, usually and until COVID-19, by over 500 people a week, and its rooms are available for hire at affordable rates. KLS is grateful for the funding received from supporters, trusts and foundations to enable the charity to continue to reduce poverty and isolation and bring Battersea together.

Press contacts

Aaron Barbour

Director

Katherine Low Settlement

Telephone: 020 7223 2845.

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.klsettlement.org.uk

 

Mark Mitchell

Email: [email protected]

Mobile phone: 07973 539 738 (not for publishing)

Falcon Rd Festival & Battersea Together Event Postponed

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Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the Falcon Road Festival planned for the 4th of July and the Battersea Together Event arranged for the 27th April are postponed. Alternatives are under consideration!

For information about what help and volunteering are getting organised in our area check our facebook page  

https://www.facebook.com/biglocalforsw11/

Another very good place to find information is:

Battersea: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BatterseaMutualAid/

Putney: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PutneyCoronavirus/

Coronavirus support groups in our area

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A lot of of people and help groups are forming in our area to help our members of our community who are at risk or affected by the COVID19.

A group called Battersea Mutual Aid is trying to link all those groups together. Their Facebook page is https://m.facebook.com/groups/BatterseaMutualAid/ and there is already a lot of helpful advice on it.

Just to update everyone on where we they are at the moment, I have posted a map showing all the local groups that have been set up so far (as 17th of March)

As you can see, they need more volunteers to coordinate local groups so all neighbourhoods are covered.

If your area isn’t covered on the map, please drop them an email with your postcode and they will send you details on how to set up the Whatsapp group ([email protected]).

Battersea Belonging Together Event

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Battersea Belonging Together Event

Where: Kambala Community Centre,126, Fawcett Close, Clapham, SWW1 2LU, London,
When: 27th April, 2020 at 10:00am

“BLSW11 and the Alliance share an aim to tackle Loneliness, Isolation, Depression and Anxiety in Battersea by developing measures that bring people together, of all ages, from all parts of our community. We are in the process of mobilising volunteers and young people through the employment of a jointly funded Volunteer Coordinator and a Youth Development Worker.

We now want to engage with organisations and community groups that may share this aim to explore ways of working together.

A report commissioned by BLSW11 into the extent and range of issues related to loneliness and isolation has just been produced and we are keen to share the findings.

The BLSW11 Alliance partnership has a potential £180,000 over three years, which we intend to use to attract match funding, to be used to support this aim.

Join us at 10:00am on the 27th April, 2020, at the Kambala Community Centre, to help us to design and deliver a partnership approach so that in time no one in Battersea will feel that they do not ‘belong’!”

If you want to attend or need further information please respond to David at: [email protected]

Agenda to follow!

Update from our website

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We are please to tell you that we have updated our website. Helen and Sandra met last month to discuss how the website could be improved. As a result, our latest news are now displayed directly on our home page and you just have to scroll down to view them.

We have also added the 2019 picture slideshow for all the events we organised in 2019.

Our Website has links to our Facebook noticeboard with our latest posts from our community. We encourage you to post, share and comment on our social media pages to increase this community feel where local news & events are shared. We would love it if every local organisation post and share their news and the amazing work they do 🙂

2019 in Pictures

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Goodbye 2019, hello 2020.
Big local has been busy last year organising many events and funding projects for the community. This included the Falcon Road Festival, the creation of the Battersea Alliance, the Battersea Charity week, Battersea Together and helping projects with funding like the Secret Garden on the Este Road Estate with Christchurch school. We welcome 2020 with open arms while looking at what went on in 2019 with this slide show.