Herefordshire Youth Provision Forum

On Tuesday 19 January, hvoss, alongside the High Sheriff of Herefordshire, Sarah de Rohan, were delighted to host a follow up meeting to the Youth Feasibility event held last year. Over 55 organisations and groups were represented at the meeting which took place at the Kindle Centre.

The event saw updates and explanations of key strands which came out of the the first meeting, as well as updates on Youth Work Training, Youth Engagement and Youth Investment Fund.

Interested in attending future meetings? If you / your organisation or group work with children or young people across the county, please get in touch to be added to the mailing list.

Ukrainian Integration Project

hvoss has been awarded funding by Herefordshire Council through the Support for Ukraine Community Integration Grant Scheme until December 2023. The project aims to support the ongoing integration of Ukrainian guests into the community.

Inna Protsuik, based in Hereford, and Anna Datsuik, based in Ross-on-Wye, are link workers providing one-to-one support to Ukrainians arrived in Herefordshire. Inna and Anna are here to help with a wide range of issues, including registering for benefits and social housing, job searches, finding relevant training courses and helping with translation and advocacy in appointments, engaging with social activities … or anything that is needed.

Victoria Price is the Community Network Co-ordinator working with groups and organisations supporting Ukrainians and their hosts through the Community Network, The Community Network meets monthly to share key intelligence regarding the emerging needs of the Ukrainian people arriving and living in Herefordshire and their hosts and map support and resources in place across the county, thus identifying gaps and opportunities. 

To contact the team email ukrainesupport@hvoss.org.uk or call 01432 343932

For more details about the grant scheme see Ukraine Community Integration Grant Scheme - Talk Community Directory

BBO first aid at work success!



Congratulations to all our Building Better Opportunities participants who recently passed their Level 3 Emergency First Aid at work course.

Our visually impaired participants have been reassessed, with reasonable adjustments made for everyone, to enable them to pass.

Hvoss would like to thank Hereford First Aid and Qualsafe for reviewing practices and working collaboratively to achieve this amazing result, making a difference to individuals now and in the future, championing Inclusion and Equity. Well done to all!

Louise, one of the course participants, thanked Mark from Hereford First Aid personally and said "I have wanted to gain this qualification all my life, but no-one has ever given me the opportunity to do so, until now and I am very grateful and proud to have passed".

The Building Better Opportunities (BBO) team at hvoss has teamed up with Fastershire to help people learn basic computer skills and get online.

The BBO team has sourced new laptops for participants to complement their training and provide further support for their move towards employability.



With support from the Fastershire tutor and the BBO team, many of the group now have their first email account and understanding of software like Windows, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word.

The project also provides participants with opportunities to learn new skills and increases self-confidence. Alex, who has attended all the workshops at hvoss, said, ‘I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend these sessions. They have already opened up new avenues and opportunities for me. I am so happy I can keep in touch with people now that I have an email address and know how to apply for work and write letters. I know how to keep myself safe online and feel confident learning how to use a laptop. I am enjoying meeting new people and having fun at the same time. Thank you.’

Mandy Furniss, BBO Project Lead, hvoss said, ‘Providing training and resources is invaluable for participants, and we are proud to play a part in helping them to get connected and move forward in their life. We would like to thank Fastershire and everyone who has made this project such a great success’.

Create a Winter of Wellbeing for your community

There is a cost-of-living crisis in the UK resulting in unprecedented pressures on people already in poverty, and this winter despite the support given by Government thousands of people in Herefordshire will be forced to make tough decisions about when and what they eat, what they can do in life, and when they can afford to heat their home.

Grant funding is available as part of the Household Support Fund (HSF) to community hubs and organisations across Herefordshire to create a ‘Winter of Wellbeing’ for families that are most in need, to access in their local community. We invite you to open up your facilities on weekday evenings and weekends to offer vulnerable families in the community the opportunity to go somewhere that provides, a hot drink or a hot meal, activities, information and guidance which will support families in getting through the winter months.

The High Sheriff Fund is now open for applications

Herefordshire Community Foundation would love to hear from projects which help keep young people out of the criminal justice system. We can make grants of up to £1000 to support project costs or pay for new equipment & training etc.

The deadline for applications is Monday 20th February, don't hesitate to call us if you would like to discuss 01432 272550 and please share with any groups you think might benefit.

Meet the Expert: Charities Aid Foundation – CAF Bank

Wednesday 8th February, 11am – 12pm

Faye Hennessy from Charities Aid Foundation - CAF Bank will be joining Get Grants at this Meet the Expert.

Charities Aid Foundation is a leading charity and bank seeking to connect vital organisations, institutions and individuals - working to ensure everyone has a stake in the future.

The session will focus on i) CAF initiatives to support Charities with the Cost-of-Living crisis and ii) Growth - the provision of repayable finance through CAF.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions to the CAF team and receive advice from them.

Meet the Funder: Lloyds Bank Foundation

Tuesday 14th February, 1pm – 2pm



Get Grants will be joined by Peter Cunnison from the Lloyds Bank Foundation team to explore their current grant programme 'The Specialist Programme’. The themes covered by this grant are:

Addiction and dependency on alcohol, drugs and/or gambling

Asylum seekers and refugees

Domestic and sexual abuse

Homeless and vulnerably housed

Offending, prison or community service

Sexual exploitation

Trafficking and modern slavery

Care leavers

This funding is focused on supporting small, local, specialist charities that understand the complexity of the issues people face and are best placed to make a genuine difference to people’s lives. Specialist charities with an income of between £25,000 and £500,000 can apply for three-year unrestricted grants of £75,000.

Attendees will have the chance to ask questions and receive insights direct from Lloyds Bank Foundation about their programme.

easyfundraising and hvoss

Wednesday 8th February, 2pm-3pm

Is your voluntary organisation looking for unrestricted funding?

Come along to this informal session to find out how your voluntary group, CIC, social enterprise, church, school, sports club or charity can use the free easyfundraising platform to receive donations unrestricted funding when your volunteers, staff and supporters shop with leading retailers.

What to expect:

• A live demonstration of how it works

• Instructions on how to get your organisation set up

• Tips on how to raise as much as possible

• A Q&A session with Community Fundraising Manager Becky Coleman

This is suitable for good causes and voluntary organisations of all shapes and sizes and everyone is welcome!

2Faced Dance Company

2Faced Dance is an all-male professional dance company and registered charity based in Hereford.

Working with their Artistic Director and guest choreographers, their dancers develop performances to tour theatres and festivals across the UK and internationally. Alongside this they nurture, train and develop the next generation of dance artists, cultural leaders and audiences. They deliver workshops in schools, colleges, universities and prisons, and teach classes from our studios at the Centre For Movement. Their classes are carefully designed to be inclusive and accessible.

2Faced Dance are looking for new Trustees to join their welcoming Board. New Trustees will help them find a sustainable business model, broaden our horizons and enable them to shape their future strategic development. They will support the staff and champion the work of the company as it approaches its 25th anniversary.

Charity Commission issues Cost of Living guidance for Trustees



The Charity Commission recognises that many charities are facing difficult circumstances resulting from rapidly increasing costs, from their own cash flow to the issues faced by their staff. Some charities are also experiencing increased demand, particularly charities providing services to people in need.

The Charity Commission has published new guidance for trustees, especially trustees of smaller charities, who may need help when facing difficult decisions about their charity’s financial position.



Read the Charity Commission’s new guidance for trustees, including recent updates to the Annual Returns process, on the Charity Commission's webpage.

Community Confidence Framework

hvoss have launched a Community Confidence Framework tool - designed to provide information and support the development of aspiring, newly formed and existing community groups or organisations in the community.

Through completing the tool, you will develop confidence that you are setting or functioning with good governance and processes in place. 

When completing the tool, you will be guided through six sections covering key principles, good working practices and be provided with resources such as policy templates. The tool is to help you ensure your group or organisation provides services and activities which are safe, diverse, inclusive, and compliant with national legislation and guidance.

The checklist will take 5-10 minutes to complete. hvoss will send you the results of your checklist and can offer additional support with any aspect of your development.

DBS Eligibility Event

Join us online on Tuesday 7 February from 10am-12pm for a informative session with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Do you have questions about DBS checks?

Unsure what level of check you need to apply for?

Wondering what Regulated Activity is?

All these questions and much more will be answered! Bust the myths around DBS

Job Vacancy - Head of Finance and Operations - hvoss

Join our dynamic team!

hvoss is the leading infrastructure organisation in the county, a charity supporting other charities and community groups in Herefordshire and delivering projects including supported volunteering, Community Wheels, Young Carers and Young Adult Carers and the Ukrainian Community Network and Integration project.

Our lovely accountant and head of operations is moving on and we need a replacement who will work as effectively, flexibly and responsively as she has within the senior management team and wider hvoss team of project leads.

If you require any support with applying for this role, including completing the application form, please contact hvoss directly on 01432 343932.

Deadline to apply: 5pm 10th February 2023

It's time to Count Your Hours

You can now enter any volunteered hours for January that your or your group or organisation gave. 

Remember to get in touch - we would love to hear from anyone who has a volunteering story to tell! If you would be interested in featuring in a future edition of this e-bulletin or across the hvoss social media channels, send us an email and find out more.