The official magazine for the voluntary and communitysector in Eastbourne, Lewes District and Wealden.

Bank Accountsfor CommunityGroups,

Big LotteryFund’s PolicyDirectionConsultation, page 7

Health andWellbeingVisits ProjectUpdate, page 10

SpeakUpForum’s BigEvent 2016,page 8

Plus...

and much more inside...

Summer 2016

pages 4-5

3VA supports community groups, voluntary organisations andindividuals to improve quality of life across the Eastbourne, LewesDistrict and Wealden areas. Providing a range of practical support onissues ranging from charity governance, funding and finance topromotion and start-up, some of our successes during Quarter 4(January to March 2016) included:

• delivering 9 training courses attended by 91 participantsrepresenting 65 groups.

• helping 9 new groups establish themselves (4 inEastbourne, 4 in Lewes District, and 1 multi-area).

• providing expert one-to-one support to 70groups (33 in Eastbourne, 14 in WealdenDistrict, 19 in Lewes District and 4 multi-area).

• providing funding advice to 29groups and governance,collaboration, and volunteersupport to the following numberof groups:

Helping voluntary and communitysector groups reach their potentialSuccesses from January to March 2016

“Thank you for all your help - I certainly learnt a lot in a shortspace of time! Although I can see we will have somechallenges ahead in making things more formal, the advicehas made us believe that it is possible!”

Of our services, Ian Godley of Weird Feet Project said:

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9

Governance

Collaboration

VolunteerManagement

O

New groupssupported

27

57

Welcome to ournewest members!

Artytime(Wealden)

East Hoathlyand Halland

Village ofSanctuary

(Wealden)

Fellowship ofSt Nicholas

(Wealden)

Wyntercon Ltd(Eastbourne)

Summer 2016 3View Page 4

70

29Funding Advice

ne-to-one support

Most banks and building societies offer specialaccounts for small voluntary and communityorganisations and give free banking as long as youraccount is in credit. This piece provides adviceabout choosing a bank and information about howto open an account. It also includes a list ofcommunity bank accounts.

Guidelines on opening an accountOpening a bank account can take several weeks oreven a few months. Be careful to fill the applicationform in thoroughly, and send all the information thatis requested. The bank may still write to ask forfurther details before opening the account.

Before applying for an account, check that it:

• Is specifically for community groups or charities(if your group is a charity). Banks usually refer tocommunity groups as “Clubs and Societies”.

• Not for businesses. Banks usually charge forbusiness accounts. Confusingly, communityaccounts are usually managed by the sameteam in the bank as business accounts and willbe listed on bank websites under “Business”rather than “Personal”. So you will need to go tothe Business section of the website, but choosea Community or Club and Society account.)

• Offers “free banking”. This means you won’thave to pay any charges simply for having theaccount. You will probably still have to pay forthings like going overdrawn, stopping cheques orrequesting extra statements.

To open a Club and Society account you will beasked for proof that your group is a voluntary, non-profit-making organisation and not a privatebusiness.

This could be one of the following:

• Copy of your group’s Constitution• Charity Registration confirmation / Trust deeds (if

group is a charity)• Memorandum and Articles of Association (if the

group is a limited company)

Make sure you set your account up so that at leasttwo people are required to sign each cheque orapprove withdrawals. You can have a pool ofpeople who are named as ‘signatories’ for theaccount, any two of whom can sign cheques. Thesignatories should be people with good creditratings (i.e. no ‘bad debts’) as the banks will runcredit checks on all the signatories. Unless theyhave an account with that bank already, it willusually be necessary for them to go to the branchin person with:

• Proof of identity – e.g. driving licence, passport,child benefit book

• Proof of address – e.g. utilities bill, benefit book,tax demand

New applicants may also need to provide severalmonths’ worth of personal bank statements or otherproof of their financial situation.

Most banks now offer internet banking and the useof debit cards. These are very convenient, but donot generally give the security of a cheque paymentthat requires two signatories. Your group will needto set up an internal system to ensure the accountis checked on a regular basis and that all internetand card payments have to be approved by twopeople.

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Expert eyeBank Accounts forCommunity Groupsfrom the Resource Centre, Brighton

Choosing a bankMost high street banks offer some kind ofcommunity group account. You may find it easiest touse the bank that you bank with personally or onethat has a branch close to you. However, bear inmind that future treasurers may live elsewhereorbank with a different bank personally, so it’s usuallybest not to make this the only factor in your decisionmaking.

It’s important to make sure the account meets yourgroup’s particular needs. Does it provide the bankingmethods you want (e.g. cheque book, internetbanking, phone banking, debit card)? Some groupsalso choose to consider whether they feel happywith the ethics of the bank they use.

As well as high street banks, there are also somesmaller banks which specialise in running accountsfor community groups and charities. These generallyhave an arrangement which allows you to manageyour account at a high street bank branch, eventhough your account is actually with a different bank.CAF Bank, listed below, is one of these.

US tax statusBecause of US law, banks usually check whetherany of your signatories are US taxpayers when youapply for an account. To do this, most banks onlyneed you to confirm whether you are a US tax payeror not. However, some banks require all newapplicants to complete quite a complicated US form(a W8-BEN-E form). If a bank asks you to completea W8-BEN-E form and it feels arduous, you couldchoose to go to another bank. Currently, we are onlyaware that HSBC are asking groups to fill in thisform.

Bank accounts for community groupsThese are some bank accounts that are available forcommunity groups. It’s not an exhaustive list, andthese are not being recommended over any others.

• Cooperative Bank Community Directplus Account• Natwest Community Account• Lloyds Bank Treasurers’ Account• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Current Account• Metro Bank Community Account

For more information about these accounts, pleasevisit the Resource Centre website.

Summer 2016 3View Page 5

Top TipVoluntary andcommunity groupsshould considerregistering with theHMRC, whether theyare incorporated orunincorporated. This givesorganisations charitable or not-for-profit status and enablesthem to get tax back on thingslike Gift Aid.

HMRC will only allow registrationonce an organisation has a bankaccount. Conversely, some bankswill not allow groups to open abank accounts until they haveregistered with HMRC.

What’s the best way to deal withthis catch-22?

First, check with the bank of yourchoice whether HMRCregistration is needed before youcan open an account. If this is thecase, the solution is to openpersonal joint account in thenames of at least two of thesignatories. Then, using thedetails of this bank account,register with HMRC. Once youhave the HMRC registration, youwill need to change the bankaccount to the society or clubaccount and add othersignatories.

The alternative method is to usea bank that will allow you to opena society, club or treasurer’saccount without the necessity ofhaving already registered withHMRC.

The timetable for introducing the new powersfrom the Act, which received the Royal Assenton 16 March, have now been announced bythe Cabinet Office. The aim is to provide theCharity Commission with its new powers asquickly as possible whilst giving charities, andothers that will be affected by the Act, time toproperly prepare for any changes that willaffect them. The majority of the Act willcome into force this year and the remainder in2017.

The first set of provisions, due to beimplemented in July, include the CharityCommission’s power to investigate andsuspend trustees, remove and disqualify

trustees, direct the winding up of a charityand direct that specified action is not to betaken.

The second phase of the implementation ofthe Charities Act in October will focus onfundraising agreements, while the third phasenext April will address changes to rules on theautomatic disqualification of trustees.

As part of the Act’s implementation theCharity Commission started consulting on 23May, about how they will use their power todisqualify individuals from being trustees andholding senior management function, Thisconsultation will last three months. There willbe a further consultation starting in late Juneon the use of the official warning power thatwill be available from October. To be involvedin these consultations go tohttps://charitycommission.blog.gov.uk/2016/05/20/how-will-the-new-charities-act-affect-your-charity/ For information in the Act, andits accompanying explanatory notes areavailable on www.legislation.gov.uk.

by Maureen Anstey, Community Development Officer (Eastbourne)

Implementation of Charities (Protection andSocial Investment) Act 2016

Cabinet Office ConsultationDeadline for responses: 10 June

Gift Aid Small Donations SchemeDeadline for responses: 1 July

Shaping the Future of OurCountryside AccessDeadline for responses: 29 July

Fulfilling Lives - Benefits Pathwayfor people with Multiple andComplex Needs (MCN) SurveyDeadline for responses: Ongoing

More Current Consultations and SurveysClick on the title to participate

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Big Lottery Fund’s PolicyDirection Consultation

Get involved with making sure the newLottery Policy Directions meet the needs ofthe voluntary sector as well as theGovernments agenda.

The Cabinet Office launched a consultation on20 May 2016 into the new proposed policydirections for the Big Lottery. Theconsultation is now open until Friday, 12August, after which a final version of thepolicy directions will be issued to the BigLottery Fund in the autumn. Make sure yourviews are known.

The National Lottery generates around £1.8billion for good causes each year and the BigLottery Fund receives 40% of this (around£700 million each year). As public money, theGovernment is ultimately accountable toParliament for how it is both managed andspent. Ministers, therefore, have a power toissue all Lottery distributors with policydirections, setting out the priorities they musttake into account when distributing thismoney.

In turn, all Lottery distributors are publicbodies which are answerable, throughMinisters, to Parliament for the stewardshipof the public money they distribute. How theydo this, what they do, and ministerialresponsibilities in relation to them aregoverned by the National Lottery Act 1993(the Act).

The Fund is required by the Act to distributeall of its Lottery income to charitable causesor for projects connected with health,education, or the environment. These criteriaare very broad, so although Lotterydistributors make individual funding decisions

independently of Government, the Actrequires distributors to comply with policydirections, which are issued to them byMinisters.

Existing policy directions have not beenrevised since 2012 and now need to beupdated. Since 2012 as there has been achange of Government and the Fund haspublished a new Strategic Framework, afterits own consultation throughout 2014.

The proposals in the consultation documentremain in line with the government’s “bigsociety” agenda and aim to respect andreflect the Fund’s own commitments andstrategic priorities.

The key principles include a renewed focus oflocal engagement, plus a new emphasis onvariety and innovation, alongside tried andtested models.

There is a new section, providing for the firsttime explicit policy directions for the UK-Widefunding portfolio, which focuses on learning,growing or bringing people and communitiestogether. There is also a statement thatbenefit outside the UK and Isle of Man shouldbe on the exchange and interchange of bestpractices and new approaches.

by Maureen Anstey, Community Development Officer (Eastbourne)

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Ways to respondMore information about theconsultation.

Participate in the consultation bycompleting the Consultation ResponseForm.

Summer 2016 3View Page 8

SpeakUp Forum supports representation and is aplatform for networking in East Sussex. For more detailsSpeakUp’s website is www.speakupforum.org.uk, oryou can follow Speakup on Twitter @SpeakUpForum.

We’ve Got It! Big Event 2016SpeakUp’s Big Event 2016 is nearly upon us!This year, the annual conference will beexploring “resilience” and how we canrecognise, understand, and enhance ourresilience as the VCS (voluntary andcommunity sector) in East Sussex.

But what do we mean when we say“resilience”?

When we are talking about people – aboutindividuals or groups – resilience is thecapacity to survive and adapt in the face ofchange, challenge and uncertainty. Resilienceis an outcome that emerges from acombination of internal characteristics,external resources, and relationships. For anygiven entity (an individual, an organisation, acommunity, or a sector), the resilience of thatentity is intrinsically connected to andsupported by the resilience of other entities.

At the Big Event 2016, then, we will beexploring the resilience of the voluntary andcommunity sector in East Sussex in terms of:the resilience of the organisations,

communities, and individuals that make upthe sector; the internal and external resourcesthat the sector (and its componentorganisations, communities, and individuals)can engage and develop; and therelationships and connections within andbeyond the sector.

The day begins with our popular advice fair: agreat opportunity to network, sparkinnovative ideas, and build relationships. Twoconference presentations will then provide anoverview of the latest thinking on resilience,the key components of resilience that alreadyexist for the VCS in East Sussex, and thecurrent challenges and uncertainties that thesector is facing.

Participants can then choose from a selectionof break-away workshops to exploreparticular practical strategies and tools forenhancing resilience at different levels, beforeending the day with a plenary workshop toagree broad priority steps for enhancingvoluntary and community sector resilience.

by Rebecca Luton, Project Support Officer

BIGEVENT

2016

Join us for this exciting event!

Summer 2016 3View Page 9

Every quarter I follow-up with individuals that I have spoken to previously to see if they havestarted volunteering or if they need more help. Significant numbers tell me that they have notstarted volunteering because ‘the organisation didn’t get back to me’. This is leaving theindividuals feeling at best disappointed and, at worst, it puts them off volunteering their timeand talents completely. Whilst we understand that each case is different and there may bemany reasons behind this, please:

• Respond to enquiries from individuals as soon as possible – even if it’s just a holding emailto tell them when you’ll get back to them with more details. And then get back to themwhen you said you would.

• Keep your opportunities up to date on the Do-It website and remove opportunities if theyare no longer available.

• If you determine someone is not suited to the role, let them know. This can feelchallenging sometimes and what’s important is to communicate clearly and fairly thereasons for not engaging them and to explain the options open to them, including perhapsanother role in the organisation, or maybe directing them back to the Volunteer Centre. Forfurther guidance with this, please contact Lee Shepherd.

Volunteer Cente East Sussex (VCES) is acountywide service offering support and advice togroups that involve volunteers in any aspect of theirwork and individuals interested in volunteering. Youcan follow VCES on Twitter @VolCenES.

by Brenda Bruzon, Volunteering Advisor

A Gentle Reminder

East Sussex Volunteer Coordinators’Networking Forum:

Recognising &RewardingVolunteersThe next gathering of the ever-popular Forum on 8June comes with a difference, giving you the choiceof how to take part - in Lewes at The Mallings, 112 Malling St, Lewes BN7 2RG from 1:30 pm to4:00 pm or online from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm.

It’s national Volunteers’ Week 2016 from 1-12 June and as part of the local celebrations, duringthis Forum we’ll be talking about what we feel are the most effective ways of thankingvolunteers.

You can if you would like to get involved online via a password protected chat room. Takingpart online is easy and if you would prefer the more traditional method (or you just want to beface to face with other people) you can come and join us in Lewes.

If you want to join in online, or at a venue in Lewes please contact Lee Shepherd atlee.shepherd@vces.org.uk or on 07535 992 638.

• Are any of your clients over the age of 50?• Would they be interested in:

o free and confidential advice about their health and wellbeing in thecomfort of their own home?o a home fire safety check and advice on how to stay safe?o being put in touch with local services aimed at helping them to feelhealthy and independent?

Health and Wellbeing Visits are here to help people over 50 years of age remain healthy andindependent at home. We do this by conducting a confidential self-assessment and thenidentifying the most appropriate source of help and information and put clients in touch localservices. Our volunteers also offer a fire safety check and provide advice on how to stay safe athome.

Our dedicated, uniformed volunteers are available in East Sussex, Brighton and Hove to provide afree, confidential visit. Our trained volunteers represent the Fire & Rescue Service and as such arein uniform, have an ID badge and a criminal records check.

What do our clients say?77% of those who gave a satisfaction rating* feel more aware of the choices of local services theycan access as a result of the visit.

How can people access the service?To make a referral to the project, please email info@healthandwellbeingproject.org or call 01323462 437. Do also give the project team a call if you would like to discuss partnership working orgetting us to come to give a talk to your group.

This is a partnership project between 3VA and East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service.

*between February 2015 and May 2016

Health & Wellbeing Visits ProjectSupporting older people to be healthier and safer in their own homes

“Thank the volunteers. They couldn’t have beenmore helpful. I think they

were splendid.”“The visit was wonderful.

I am very grateful. [The volunteers]were so compassionate and friendly.

We had a laugh but they were alsoable to ask some serious questions. Ihave been meaning to sort Carelinkfor 2 years and within 30 minutes of

being here they had made anappointment for me.”

“Charming young ladies...enjoyed their company. It was lovely

chatting, they were very helpful and wehave taken on board what they said to us.”

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The Eastbourne Dementia Action Alliance came to aclose in late May with a great dementia friendssession hosted by ASDA and presented by IanCottrell from the Eastbourne Dementia ActionAlliance. There were 14 attendees who all enjoyedand appreciated this insight into living well withdementia.

As the Eastbourne Dementia Action Alliance drawsto a close (due to lack of funding), a chequepresentation to the Butterfly Scheme was presentedby ASDA in support. Our Representation Officer,Amanda Steer, was there to help receive the cheque.

Eastbourne Dementia Action Alliance Wraps Up

Diary Dates________Writing a Fundraising Bid28 June10:00 am to 12:30 pmFleur De Lys Room, Hailsham Town Coucil,Market Street,Hailsham BN27 2AE

Lone Working29 June1:30 pm to 4:30 pmUckfield Civic Centre, Bellfarm Lane, UckfieldTN22 1AE

Demonstrating the Difference You AreMaking12 July10:00 am to 3:00 pmThe Linklater Pavilion, Railway Lane, LewesBN7 2FG

Project Reporting: A Practical Workshop20 September10:00 am to 12:30 pmThe Linklater Pavilion, Railway Lane, LewesBN7 2FG

Trustee Essentials28 September9:00 am to 12:30 pm3VA Annexe, 8 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne BN211DG

Covering Your Costs4 October10:00 am to 12:30 pm3VA Annexe, 8 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne BN211DG

Treasurer’s Essentials18 October10:00 am to 12:30 pmFleur De Lys Room, Hailsham Town Coucil,Market Street,Hailsham BN27 2AE

Emergency First Aid at Work (AOFAQ, QCFLevel 2)16 November9:30 am to 4:30 pmFleur De Lys Room, Hailsham Town Coucil,Market Street,Hailsham BN27 2AE

For further details and to book a place on an upcomingevent, please visit www.3va.org.uk/upcoming.

3VA Registered Office 8 Saffrons RoadEastbourneEast SussexBN21 1DG

3VA Lewes OfficeBizspaceThe Malling Business Centre112 Malling StreetLewesEast SussexBN7 2RG

3VA Wealden Office79c High StreetUckfieldEast SussexTN22 1AS

01323 639 373 info@3va.org.ukwww.3va.org.ukFacebook: 3VA.CVSTwitter: @3VAsupportVCS

3VA is a Company limited byGuarantee Registered in England andWales Number: 4637252 Registered Charity Number: 1096788

3VA is a member of the NationalAssociation for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) and theNational Council for VoluntaryOrganisations (NCVO).

3VA is supported by East SussexCounty Council, Eastbourne BoroughCouncil, Lewes District Council andWealden District Council.

If you would like to find out about advertising through 3View, 3VA’sweekly e-Newsletter and our websiteplease email info@3va.org.uk.

3View Editor: Scott Roedersheimer, 3VA Marketing & Information Officer

Notices of publications, events andservices do not necessarily carry anendorsement by 3VA, nor do theyrepresent the view of 3VA.

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