Category: Local Groups

Funding for your activities…?

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community energy image
While Averil and Rebecca capably continue the day to day administration of HGN, the HGN Steering Group are in the process of putting together another round of funding applications to secure a bit more future for HGN and our work in the county – and we need your help…
The last major round of HGN funding was from Awards for All, and was aimed at providing some core development for HGN – including providing workshops to address needs you had all highlighted.
Now that we have a better level of organisational infrastructure in place, we’d like to make the focus of this next bid much more about support for your own work in local communities around Herefordshire.
…. Please could you answer a couple of questions for us:
  1. What do you see as the most pressing issues for your organisation or group?
  2. What are the most urgent issues affecting your community?
  3. What is the current focus of your organisation or group’s work?
  4. What would you like HGN to do in order to help you achieve your aims?
  5. What help do you need in order to work effectively with the issues affecting your community?
We would love to hear from a broad range of you in order to get a sense of what would genuinely be most useful as a next step for HGN.
We also have a few ideas for you:
  • In an HGN Steering Group meeting last week we wondered whether you might like support to develop your own community car share clubs, or community renewable energy / heat… ?
  • In discussions with other members of the HGN team we have wondered about developing the Repair Café / ‘Make Do and Mend’ model in Herefordshire as a way of bringing your local community together – the regular focus on repair, up-cycling and local food would provide a platform for deeper discussions within your community about environmental and energy issues. Would you be interested in receiving support to develop these activities in your area… ?
  • … Or do you have other very different ideas about what you would like funding to support.
…. Please let us know asap so that we can get this funding bid together soon … Ideally we would like to hear from you over the next 2 weeks.
Thank you 🙂

Memories of Queenswood

Community, Culture, Local Groups Leave a comment

The New Leaf and Herefordshire Wildlife Trust team at Queenswood & Bodenham Lake are searching for people with memories of Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum who can share their stories and help to create a new oral history archive – and are hoping you might be able to share their quest within your local communities or local contacts where relevant.

Here is their message:

“An archive is being created as part of the Queenswood Heritage Gateway Project and the oral histories collected will become part of a new audio trail around the Arboretum and country park. The project will also collate all the historic information about the site into a new booklet to give local residents and visitors an insight into the area’s past.

Though historically part of a vast ancient woodland stretching over what is today the Welsh border, dramatic changes also occurred in the 20th century as the wood was clear felled to produce timber for the First World War. Since then, the Arboretum has been founded, royalty has visited and two historic buildings have been relocated to the site to become a café and visitor centre.

We would love to hear from anyone who remembers these changes or has more personal memories of exploring Queenswood as generations have grown up with this special woodland as their playground.”

 

To get in touch to share a memory – or to find out more about the project and how to get involved – should contact Rose Farrington on 01432 356872 / r.farrington@herefordshirewt.co.uk

Spring Greens Report

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For all those of you who attended Spring Greens in early May and would like to keep in touch with this lovely local festival, there is a meeting this Sunday 15th July for the Spring Greens AGM & de-brief. All welcome – 2.30pm at Court of Noke.

And as a little pre-reading, click here for the Spring Greens School Days Report. The School Days happen in the run up to the Spring Greens weekend itself and are an opportunity for local schools to engage in green and inspirational activities.

 

 

July Gathering: Multigenerational Wisdom!

Community, Events, HGN Events, Local Groups 4 comments
This is a BELTER of a gathering before our August break!
Getting Multigenerational Involvement
July 18th 2018 7.30pm
YFC Centre, Beech Business Park, Tillington Road, Hereford HR4 9QJ
 
We’ll have quick updates from our campaign groups – Plastics Action and Divest – and confirm initial plans for October’s h.Energy Weekend.
(Thanks for all the sign-ups – still time to register your interest as an exhibitor, and crowdfunder still open please SHARE SHARE SHARE! Just a fiver from 10 of you would transorm our weekend plans!)
Followed by a great workshop:
“Getting Mutigenerational Involvement in your Project”
 
In a time constricted ever busier world, it’s really important to appeal to all age groups to ensure all are included, and we don’t stigmatise any age group away from our activities. Christine Hope and Liz Knight will talk about simple solutions through advertising and holding a gathering – to get the best results.
 
Christine and Liz are facilitators with experience of multigenerational working, and have an interactive session which should start our conversations to get more people on board in our sustainability projects.
 
Its a great opportunity for anybody to come to make a difference for a more cohesive society.
More info and let us know you’re coming on the facebook page – thanks.
(And – did I mention that the crowdfunder is STILL OPEN…?!  🙂

Finding Funding

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Thank you to all for joining us at the Small Funds for Small Groups workshop yesterday.  We were buzzing with ideas by the end and all felt more confident in describing the impact of what we do, and writing funding bids.

Herefordshire Community Foundation gave us some useful insight into the funds available – and an open invitation to get in touch with any other questions we have.

There is a short summary below of some of the good advice for those that couldn’t make it…  and there’s more training in two weeks – Volunteer Recruitment – book on!

Clear Aims: A clear, simple aim for your project or organisation is so important! As are clear activities, and evidence that these activities will have an impact. Evidence could be as simple as a conversation. The simple template we used in the session is here

Many funds will need groups to be constituted. HVOSS can help with this – it’s a simple process. We the Network are are members so can access some of their services at a low (or no) cost.

Some funds that are more suitable for environmental projects:
Gillian Bulmer Fund, Becket Bulmer Fund and Glencora. Most funds are listed here

There is a new online form so the process is more streamlined now. If you’re not sure about where you fit – they are more than happy to talk to you.

If you’ve got a project that you think fits under the remit of Herefordshire Green Network and you’d like to be part of a larger HGN bid – please get in touch with Kate.

We’ll be running this workshop again in November, at the monthly gathering.  Hope to see you there.

Sociocracy in Action

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Thanks to Roz Brown for a very interesting introduction to Sociocracy on Wednesday evening for our June HGN Gathering.

The ‘permaculture of organisations’ Sociocracy incorporates a dynamic and systems based approach to decision making… and we had a go at finding common ground between different themes and issues over the course of the evening – to illuminating effect!

Click here and open the Sociocracy Handout at the top of the list for lots more information.. about the pros and cons of using using consent vs consensus, the power of clear ‘Vision Mission Aims’, and the principle of circles: semi-autonomous, self-organising teams.

Thanks to all of you who came along… this was one of our Awards for All supported workshops for local groups – and we have more!

… on Monday 2nd July 10 – 1pm come for a Breakfast Funding Workshop – eat croissants, drink coffee and hear from Herefordshire Community Foundation about how they might be able to support you … and go away with a funding application at least half filled in…  what’s not to like!

More details here.

HGN Members Meeting

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Join our HGN Members Meeting on Wednesday 20th June 5 – 6.30pm, all welcome.

Come and share the activities of your own local environmental group, business or interest – and hear what others around the county are getting up to.

Click here to find the Agenda – its top of the list!

 

.. & stay on afterwards for a drink & a social with others from the Network before going into our Sociocracy Workshop at 7.30pm with local expert Roz Brown.

HGN Gathering – Sociocracy

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Local expert Roz Brown will lead this free practical workshop for local groups, organisations, businesses – and anyone interested in learning how to work differently in organisations.

Find out about high-speed, low-risk decision making and processes that free people up to actually get on with things. This creative way of working is suitable for all types of groups and businesses, and offers a whole systems approach to designing and leading organisations.

The event will be interactive and give an experience of sociocracy in action, whilst working on issues of genuine concern… so bring along your own concerns!

 

Join us at 7.30pm in the Garden Room at Left Bank Village for our Wednesday 20th June HGN Gathering (after the HGN Members Meeting). This is part of our Awards for All funded ‘Get Active’ project, supporting the work of Herefordshire Green Network’s member organisations.

Sociocracy Workshop

Local Groups Leave a comment

Have you ever been part of a group that spends days trying to decide on the date of the next meeting? Or spent time in an organisation where the real business always happens while you are making the tea… Or attended meetings where the conversation seems to go round in ever decreasing circles.

Well here comes Sociocracy to your rescue!

Local expert Rosemary Brown will lead this free practical workshop for local groups, organisations, businesses – and anyone interested in learning how to work differently in organisations.

Find out about high-speed, low-risk decision making and processes that ensure feedback and monitoring whilst freeing up people to actually get on with things. This creative way of working is suitable for all types of groups and businesses, and offers a whole systems approach to designing and leading organizations.

The event will be interactive and give an experience of sociocracy in action, whilst working on issues of genuine concern.

Join us at 7.30pm in the Garden Room at Left Bank Village for our Wednesday 20th June HGN Gathering. This is part of our Awards for All funded ‘Get Active’ project, supporting the work of Herefordshire Green Network’s member organisations.

 

.. & for the purpose of the workshop please consider whether your group has an issue that you would like us to work on, and bring those issues along… We will chose a couple on which to focus, and using the sociocratic method Roz will demonstrate how the process works whilst also giving you an opportunity to discuss your projects with members of HGN.

Put the date in your diaries – and bring your groups!

WOJO! & other local reading

Local Groups Leave a comment

The new edition of Herefordshire’s most recent radical online magazine is out! Click here for WOJOmagazine, an ‘intelligent investigation of the female gaze and the rich diversity of the female voice’.

This month’s magazine celebrates the slut – discussing the acceptability of female sexual behaviour, amongst other things … There’s also a plug for HGN in there within the WOJO interview, and an article from Wendy Cotton of New Leaf about our motivations to care for the environment.

And while we are on the subject of local publications – keep an eye out around the county’s bookshops, cafes, coppices and corners for the most recent edition of The Hedge. The new issue contains many thought provoking articles and beautiful illustrations – and pieces written by a number of members of HGN. All proceeds go to a charity each issue, this issue is supporting Hereford Open Door.
#thehedgemagazine 

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