Coronavirus

Voscur calls upon sector to support Gift Aid increase campaign

6 July, 2020

Voscur is calling upon Bristol’s VCSE sector to support a campaign that is calling on government to temporarily increase the level of Gift Aid that can be claimed on donations.

The campaign has been launched by a coalition of VCSE organisations led by Charity Tax Group (CTG) in response to the loss of income that charities have suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Free webinars for charities looking to sell goods on eBay

29 June, 2020

Charity shops are inundated with second-hand stock donations at the moment, and social distancing rules have slowed the flow of customers, but selling goods online – using websites like eBay - is an increasingly popular way for charities to make money.

Guidance on reopening village/community halls in a COVID-19 secure way

Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) has produced guidance to help organisations re-open village and community halls in July 2020.

This version of the guidance was produced 15 June 2020 and is therefore based on a two metre social distancing requirement.

If ACRE update their guidance to reflect the new government regulations on social distancing, we will aim to update the relevant document below.

Charitable giving drops to its lowest level in 10 years

19 June, 2020

The number of people giving to charity has dropped to its lowest level in a decade according to new research.

According to NFP Synergy, only 60% of the public say they’ve given to charity in the last three months – down from 69% in January.

New research indicates community organisations should lead the post-pandemic recovery

17 June, 2020

New research on the role that the VCSE sector played during the coronavirus suggests that community organisations should be trusted to lead the post-pandemic recovery.

Seasonal and good quality donations will help charity shops succeed as they reopen

11 June, 2020

As many English charity shops look to reopen their doors from Monday 15 June, with social distancing regulations and COVID-secure guidelines in place and a likely reduction in volunteer numbers, the VCSE sector is calling for donors to consider the relevance and quality of the goods they donate.

Conversation: Test & Trace Programme and the needs of BAME communities

Will the Test and Trace programme meet the needs of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in tackling the racial disparity of COVID-19 cases?

This online discussion, organised by The Ubele Initiative, explores the govenrment's Coronavirus Contact Tracing and Advice Service and whether the contract tracers can meet the needs of racially diverse communities. It invites a dialogue between grassroots VCSE organisations, patient groups and senior NHS staff.

The discussion will include the following speakers:

Date/Time:

Wednesday, 17 June, 2020 - 15:00 to 17:00

Partnership using DfE emergency charity coronavirus funding announced

5 June, 2020

Barnardos is to launch a new charity partnership to support vulnerable children and young people who are at risk due to COVID-19.

The partnership will be funded using £7 million of the emergency charity sector money allocated to the Department of Education.

See, Hear, Respond will launch on the 15 June and will offer tailored support to children and families to help reduce levels of harm.

COVID-19 BAME report Public Health England

Public Health England publishes report on higher COVID-19 rates in BAME population

3 June, 2020

Public Health England has published its report on the disparity between COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population, and in the white or white ethnic population.

91% of charities expect difficulties in meeting objectives and reduced income

29 May, 2020

Pro Bono Economics has launched its latest survey results, finding that 91% of charities and voluntary organisations expect COVID-19 to have a negative impact on their ability to meet their objectives over the next six months.

Just under half of these organisations said that they that they expect the negative impact to be ‘large’.