Thank you to the many of you who responded to this request last week - I am slowly getting back to you all to plan the many issues you want to tackle.

In the meantime if there is anyone else out there who wishes to join the voices of the NAVCA community by writing a blog or being interviewed by one of our lovely team and having it published on our website - use the link below. Topics we are looking for include: anything linked to the voluntary sector.

January is usually the time for trying new things and putting the frustrations of the previous year behind us, by throwing ourselves into our New Year’s resolutions.

Our Programmes Manager Kathryn Heaton has started her New Year in style by volunteering with her local NAVCA member – Warrington Voluntary Action (WVA).

Here in her first blog for NAVCA Kathryn shares her thoughts and feelings about that first volunteering session at a vaccination clinic. You can also read about the brilliant work of WVA and their volunteers during the pandemic.

Inspire South Tyneside have published a series of ghost story walks via YouTube to celebrate volunteering in South Tyneside. Not sure how the two link? Well see for yourself.

Episode one is here,

Episode two is here,

And like all good sagas, episode three is here.

Jeremy Crook OBE, Chief Executive of BTEG (the Black Training and Enterprise Group) has written an excellent blog for Barrow Cadbury Trust as part of their centenary celebrations.

The blog titled 'How the conversation on racial inequality in the voluntary and community sector changed in 2020' looks back over the year and how perceptions, expectations and conversations have altered and what we need to know to ensure we don't return to the previous state.

People from minority groups are less likely to volunteer, and when they do they have a worse experience, according NCVO research about diversity and volunteering.

In a report published at the end of last year, Time Well Spent: Diversity and Volunteering, NCVO urges charities to take a more proactive and flexible approach to diversity and inclusion when it comes to attracting and retaining volunteers.

Pro Bono Economics is running a flash survey to understand how charities have been impacted by COVID-19 over the winter period. They are keen to hear about how fundraising and services have been affected, and how this impacts plans for 2021.

This survey should take about a minute to fill in and your response will help them inform government how different this winter has been for charities.

Volunteering payment start-up vHelp is adding a new feature to its app that will allow charities to claim Gift Aid on expenses claims donated back by volunteers.

The vHelp app was initially set up last summer to reimburse volunteers shopping on behalf of vulnerable residents during the pandemic. The app has since been extended to allow charities to reimburse volunteers swiftly and securely for all types of expenses.

The new Gift Aid feature will give volunteers the option to donate expenses payments back to the charity directly within the app. By donating the money, the charity is able to claim Gift Aid, boosting the donation by 25% for basic-rate taxpayers.

The vHelp app will link directly to HMRC, automating the Gift Aid process and making it hassle-free for charities.

The Racing Foundation aims to 'make a difference' to the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry by supporting charitable work in the areas of social welfare, training and education, racehorse welfare, equine science research and heritage and culture. Deadline: 15/01/2021

Universal Music UK Sound Foundation is an independent music education charity, established in 1997 to celebrate the centenary of EMI Records and now generously supported by Universal Music. The Foundation’s aim is to improve access to music education in the UK and Ireland.

Deadline: 20/01/2021

The Trust was set up to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when frustrated by lack of funds. It is committed to helping artists and institutions that depart from the routine and signal new, distinct and imaginative sets of possibilities. Deadline: 25/01/2021

The Woodward Charitable Trust is a grant-making trust. The Trust primarily funds charitable organisations in the UK. Woodward favours charities which make good use of volunteers and encourage past and current users to participate. Deadline: 28/01/2021

The Golsoncott Foundation aims to promote, maintain, improve and advance the education of the public in the arts generally and in particular the fine arts and music. This includes providing access to the arts for young people and developing new audiences. Deadline: 31/01/2021

AB Charitable Trust supports charities that defend human rights and promote respect for vulnerable individuals whatever their circumstances. The Trust is particularly interested in charities that work with marginalised and excluded people in society, with a focus on: migrants, refugees and asylum seekers prisoners and penal reform human rights, particularly access to justice. Deadline: 31/01/2021

The Radcliffe Trust continues the charitable bequest of Dr John Radcliffe to support Music and Heritage and Crafts. Deadline: 31/01/2021

Patagonia supports environmental organisations with bold, direct-action agendas and a commitment to long-term change. They support innovative work that addresses the root causes of the environmental crisis and seeks to protect both the environment and affected communities. They focus on places where they’ve built connections through outdoor recreation and through their network of retail stores, nationally and internationally. Deadline: 31/01/2021

Ford are committed to supporting the communities they work and live in. Thats why they created the Ford Britain Trust in April 1975 to help fund the education and advancement of their neighbours. Deadline: 31/01/2021

The Anchor Foundation supports Christian charities concerned with social inclusion particularly through ministries of healing and the arts. Deadline: 31/01/2021

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a registered charity, working since 1976 to promote the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK. We do this by providing advice, information and financial assistance in the form of early project grants and loans for projects undertaken by charities and not-for-private profit organisations. Deadline: 31/01/2021

Schools, colleges and home school groups based in the UK and Ireland can apply for a school grant of up to £600 for projects, events and activities that promote a greater interest in physics and engineering in young people. Deadline: 01/02/2021

Standard Life Foundation is an independent charitable foundation. Their mission is to contribute towards strategic change which improves financial well-being in the UK. They want everyone to have a decent standard of living and have more control over their finances. Deadline: 04/02/2021

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust funds United Kingdom Registered Charities operating in the UK in the fields of the advancement of the arts, health and medical welfare and environmental protection or improvement. The majority of the Trust’s grants are single grants over a one-year period. Occasionally longer-term grants (usually up to 3 years) are agreed by the Trustees when deemed to have particular merit. Deadline: 10/02/2021

BT has a number of free Wi-Fi voucher codes available for schools to distribute to pupils aged 16 or under who don’t currently have adequate access to internet connectivity at home.

They are allocating vouchers in proportion to the number of pupils at a school who are eligible for free school meals.

Black Lives Matter UK will be releasing more than £100,000 to black-led organisations across the country by the end of the month, as protesters pledge to build on last year’s anti-racism demonstrations.

The campaign group received £1.2m in donations via a GoFundMe appeal, following widespread protests last summer.

Alexandra Wanjiku Kelbert, of BLMUK said they would be doing an announcement with the groups being funded in the next few weeks. She added the group, which was once a loose network of activists, would move forward as a resource organisation that black-led organisations could turn to for support.

The Government has announced a £7.5 million funding package to help tackle loneliness over the winter period.

The funding will be targeted at sectors that are well-known for having the power to bring people and communities together such as the arts, libraries, charities and radio. It will be a lifeline to cultural organisations, charities and local community groups who are delivering much-needed work to ensure no one feels isolated in their local community.

On Sunday (10 January) the Minister for Vaccine Deployment - Nadhim Zahawi MP - released a statement launching the vaccine deployment strategy. He states that they are planning for the vaccine to be administered to the top four most vulnerable groups of people by the middle of February.

By the end of this week, the Government is aiming to have over 1,000 GP-led vaccination sites up and running, as well as 223 hospital sites, 7 large vaccination centres and the first wave of 200 community pharmacies.

This week, community testing for asymptomatic people will be expanded across all local authorities in England.

Local authorities are being encouraged to first test those who cannot work from home during lockdown.

So far, 131 local authorities have signed up to community testing, with 107 already having started testing in their communities. Many of these, including Essex and Milton Keynes, are focusing on the testing of critical workers and those who must leave home for essential reasons.

Apparently around 1 in 3 people have COVID-19 without displaying any symptoms.

An England-wide survey of over 5,000 adults found that 80% of people aged over 18 have made the decision to change their lifestyle in 2021.

Compared to last year, almost half of the population (43%) feel more motivated to make changes to their life in January. Around 6 million adults aged 40 to 60 plan to:

Local people are being invited for vaccination by a health team working out of The Salvation Army church in Lower Earley near Reading.

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to the first patients started on Wednesday 6 January with people receiving their first jabs that evening.

For a long time, cyber security has been seen as a purely technical issue, which in turn limited senior leaders ability to understand the risk and ensure it was being mitigated.

In the latest edition of the Charity Digital podcast they have taken a session from their #BeMoreDigital conference back in March 2020 where NCSC explored how to prioritise the limited resources charities have at their disposal, focus on the biggest risks and reshape attitudes towards cyber security in your organisation.

Extra support to help protect rough sleepers and renters from the effects of COVID-19 has been announced by the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick.

Backed by an additional £10 million in funding, all councils in England are being asked to redouble their efforts to help accommodate all those currently sleeping rough and ensure they are swiftly registered with a GP, where they are not already.

This will ensure they can be protected from the virus and contacted to receive vaccinations in line with the priority groups outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

You can also check out our NAVCA Noticeboard page on our website which brings together the latest job vacancies, events and campaigns so you can keep track.

For latest NAVCA news see our website and follow @NAVCA on Twitter.