The Covid Recovery Programme Employment & Skills Initiative will provide funding for the next three years for grants to support individuals and not-for-profit organisations with costs for a variety of new or enhanced roles within the Arts, Heritage, Creative Industries, Sports and Voluntary and Community sectors.
The Initiative will fund the salaries and associated costs of new entry level employment opportunities and host organisations’ support costs in Not for Profit organisations for those of working age (18 years+).
The scheme also aims to provide funding for training and upskilling of existing employees in key roles within the affected sectors, in an effort to incentivise staff to remain in and develop their career in these sectors and assist the sectors to fully recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
The initiative has been designed in close partnership with key partners in the voluntary & community, sports, arts, heritage and creative industries sectors.
The delivery partners who will deliver the scheme are:
The BBC, working in partnership with NI Screen(external link opens in a new window / tab), will be working with partners to recruit aspiring new entrants to the creative industries. Further information on an exciting new scheme to help individuals join the Creative Industries will be announced soon by BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen.
All organisations across these sectors should consult the delivery partners’ websites and social media platforms for further information on opening dates, closing dates, pre-application information, eligibility and assessment criteria, guidance and application forms.
Sectoral organisations should apply through the channel that best reflects their primary purpose. Some may fit within more than one primary purpose, but it will be for the applicant organisation to select only one delivery partner.
Apex Community Involvement Fund is now open for applications from individual tenants, community groups and non-profit organisations. Individual Apex tenants can apply for up to £250 to deliver a programme that will bring their community together or address an issue that has been highlighted by tenants.
Community groups and non-profit organisations can apply for grants of up to £500 towards providing assistance and support to communities in which Apex tenants live.
All applicants will be provided with guidance notes for making an application and the criteria that will be used to assess applications. Please note that all applications must abide by current Covid-19 regulations in order to be considered.
3 MSE Charity funding for increasing financial capability
Grant theme Living with Long Term Challenges: Projects focused on building financial capability skills assisting groups who support dementia, autism, learning difficulties, disabilities, caring responsibilities, mental illness, brain injury, stroke.
The grant round opens on Tuesday 1st February 2022 at 9am, and will close at 5pm on Friday 25th February OR earlier if we have already accepted 40 applications. Apply early in the month to ensure your application is considered.
The Screwfix Foundation currently offers local registered charities and not for profit organisations funding of up to £5,000. All applications are reviewed individually by our team on a quarterly basis, the review dates are in March, June, September and December.
Before applying for funding from The Screwfix Foundation, your organisation MUST:
Be a registered Charity or Not for Profit organisation
Help those in need. This could be by reason of financial hardship, sickness, distress or other disadvantages in the UK
Is looking for funding to support projects that relate to the repair, maintenance, improvement or construction of homes, community buildings and other buildings.
If your application meets ALL of the above the criteria and you wish to apply for funding, please apply here
5 d/Deaf and Disabled People's Election Special Launch with Nichola Mallon MLA
1pm on Friday 4th of Feb This event will be held online
Disability Action, The Northwest Forum of People with Disabilities and RNID are delighted to launch our Election Special Series with the SDLP who are the first party to hold a session with d/Deaf and disabled people.
The Election Special Series will feature all of the parties who engage directly with d/Deaf and disabled people on matters important to us in advance of the Assembly elections on the 5th of May 2022.
The first event in the Series will be launched by Nichola Mallon, MLA, Deputy Leader of the SDLP and Minister for Infrastructure and her party colleagues:
Paul Doherty, Public Representative for West Belfast
Colin McGrath, MLA, Chair of the SDLP and Health Spokesperson
This event will be Chaired by Michaela Hollywood, Disability Rights Campaigner, Advocate and Worker.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with senior members of the SDLP in advance of the development of their manifesto.
BSL and ISL interpreters, and live captioning will be available.
CDHN is conducting new research on the social determinants of health and medication safety and we want people in communities to be involved throughout the research process. The project is funded by the HSCB under the Supporting Medicines Safety Action Plan for NI. You can find out more about the research and the CBPR approach on our website here.
We are asking for your help to find out more about the issue of medication safety from your community's perspective and to ensure we are engaging with people with lived experience. This will help us shape the next stage of the research.
This short (5 min) survey is aimed at community and voluntary organisations working with people in communities. Communities can be defined by geography, identity or interest.
We would appreciate it if you could complete the survey here.
7 Free Online Nutrition Information Sessions - February
A series of free online sessions are delivered by dietitians and registered nutritionists from HSC Trusts across Northern Ireland kick off on Weds 2 Feb with ‘Fact or Fiction? Nutrition Myths & Fad Diets’.
Sessions are delivered online by Dietitians and Registered Nutritionists from HSC Trusts across Northern Ireland and provide evidence based information to promote health and wellbeing. They are free of charge and open to everyone.
This month’s topics: Fact or Fiction? Nutrition Myths & Fad Diets
Feb 2, 2022 10:00 AM
Register here
Mealtime Tips & Fussy Eating
Feb 10, 2022 04:00 PM
Register here
Sustainable Diets
Feb 15, 2022 12:00 PM
Register here
Gut Health (MS Teams session)
Feb 23, 2022, 12:00 PM
Register here
If the dates/times don’t suit and for other nutrition topics, pre-recorded sessions are available to watch at: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8198914
Health literacy is about our knowledge, skills, understanding and confidence to be able to use health and care information and services to make good health decisions(Western Health Literacy Delivery Partnership 2019)
This is a 2.5hr facilitated and interactive online training session. It will help participants to become more aware of the health literacy needs of the people they support, identify low health literacy levels, and equip them with practical tools and techniques to develop their health literacy practice. Content will be developed to ensure activities, break out room discussions and examples have a focus on mental health, emotional wellbeing, and suicide prevention.
Facilitated by: CDHN Venue: All sessions will be delivered online via Zoom
Course Dates & Times
Please select one of the courses below.
For Community & Voluntary sector organisations delivering services in the Western Trust area to apply for a place please read carefully the Booking and Cancellations Policy
Community Places continue to provide our planning advice and support services during the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown and our staff are still working remotely. We will resume face to face advice work when it is safe to do so.
Community Places gives free planning advice to people and community groups who cannot afford to pay a private consultant. Our advice is independent, impartial and confidential. We can give advice on:
- how the planning system works (applications; fees; enforcement; appeals);
- planning policies;
- your council’s decision making process; and
- how to comment or object if you think a proposal or a development will have a negative impact on your home or your community.
We cannot help you if you have employed a planning agent; an architect; an engineer; a solicitor or any other professional to give you advice. We don’t help businesses; political parties or people who want to object to social or affordable housing.
If you need advice on any planning issue - please:
call us - 07783 649288 (we can offer the option of a video call if you prefer);
11Children in Crossfire, Youth Justice Film Festival
Do you work with a youth group who have made a short film on an issue?
Are you a young person who wants to make themselves heard ?
Do you work with creative young people who want to express themselves via the Big Screen?
Children in Crossfire are organising a Youth Justice Film Festival at Brunswick Movie Bowl 2-5pm Saturday 26th March.
We are inviting youth groups to submit a short film, either an existing film from a previous project, or even one that they want to create especially for this event. The films should connect to a global justice issue of their choice - gender inequality, racism, extremes of wealth and poverty, the climate crisis, etc. The main ask is that they submit a piece about an issue which is meaningful to them. For example, there are groups who have opted to go for more local issues - there is on film being made on bullying for example, which is a critical issue to shed some light on.
The young people will have the opportunity to invite their friends and family to the public showing of these films, on the big screen at the Brunswick Moviebowl. This event is all about providing a platform so, if they wish they can introduce the film and say a little bit why they chose the topic and why it is important to them. It is not so much about making incredible films- it is about giving young people a chance to express themselves. It is more about the content than the quality of the film, so they should not be daunted by film/editing skills etc. We are expecting that the majority of the films will be made and edited on smartphones.
To find out more or to submit a piece, please email Bayán Smith, Public Engagement Officer for Children in Crossfire via, bayan.smith@childrenincrossfire.org
Feel Good Fitness
Saturday 5th February
ARC Fitness, Unit 10, Bay Road Business Park, Bay Road, Derry Booking Essential
Session will last 1 hour and refreshments will be available afterwards Register
Feel Good Families Giveaways
As part of our Dry January, Feel Good February campaign NIDACTS are giving away 5 Family Passes to the value of £150 for a venue of the winners choice, e.g.:
We Are Vertigo
Airtastic
Todds Leap
Others suitable to winners locality*
Winners will be chosen at random on 28/2/22 and all you have to do to enter is go to our @NIDACTS Twitter page and:
Like our page
Like the post
Tag a friend
13Council running Couch to 5K as part of Age Friendly activities
People across the district are being encouraged to dust off their running shoes as Derry City and Strabane District Council begins a Couch to 5K as part of its Age Friendly programme.
The nine week course is open to any person aged 50 or over in the Council area and will see experienced coaches guide participants from beginner level to being able to run a 5km route by the end of the two months.
The programme, which is supported by the Public Health Agency, is free of charge and will begin on Wednesday 9th February at 1pm at Foyle Arena.
If you are aged 50 or over and would like to take part in the Couch to 5K programme, please register by emailing ryan.porter@derrystrabane.com or telephone 028 7125 3253 to confirm your place.
14 Sole Purpose holds Festival of Theatre for Social Change
A wonderful new week long festival in Derry will highlight the power of theatre as a positive force to create social change.
Organised by Sole Purpose to celebrate its 25th anniversary in February, the Festival of Theatre for Social Change will address issues including the impact of Bloody Sunday, LGBTQ+ rights, breaking down barriers for deaf and disabled people and theatre from a range of Arab countries.
Patricia Byrne, Director of multi-award winning Sole Purpose Productions, explained that the festival brings together national and international companies to stage some of the best professional productions that challenge people to think about contemporary and relevant issues.
The festival runs from February 14-20 to coincide with the annual United Nations World Day of Social Justice on 20th February in a number of venues around the city.
PLAYS ‘Scenes from an Inquiry’ by Dave Duggan
Wednesday 16th - Friday 18th February at 8pm in The Playhouse
Kabosh Theatre Company with their play ‘Callings’
Friday 18th February at 8pm in Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin
Yasmeen Audisho Ghrawi, a queer Iraqi/Syrian/Assyrian performer and theatre maker will present her one person show ‘From the Daughter of a Dictator’
Friday 18th February at 6pm in Echo Echo Theatre
Blue Eagle Productions from Derry Londonderry will stage the play ‘Worlds Apart’ by Jonathan Burgess
Thursday 17th February at 7.30 in New Buildings Cricket Club and Saturday 19th February at 6pm in Echo Echo Theatre
Dublin based Smashing Times Theatre will present ‘The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WW11’
Saturday 19th February at 8pm in The Playhouse
FAMILY SHOW
Khayaal Theatre Company, London will present ‘A Collection of Muslim Heritage Tales’
Thursday 17th February at 3pm in Echo Echo Theatre (age 6+)
WORKSHOPS
The Palestine-based Freedom Theatre will present a rehearsed reading of ‘The Revolution’s Promise’
Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th February at 10am to 5pm in Echo Echo Theatre
Graeae Theatre, London which is a force for change in world-class theatre, places deaf and disabled artists centre stage
Tuesday 15th to Thursday 17th February from 10am to 3pm in The Playhouse
REHEARSED READING
Showcase of the work produced in the two day workshop with Freedom Theatre’s ‘The Revolution’s Promise’.
Wednesday 16th February at 6pm in Echo Echo Theatre
There will be a rehearsed reading of ‘Hello Charlie’ by Caoimhe Farren
Sunday 20th February at 6pm in The Playhouse
STORYTELLING
Five workshops and performances in community venues
15Invitation to Sampler preview - Friday 4 February
Void Gallery are delighted to invite you to the preview of Sampler, which marks the first solo exhibition by Irish artist Aleana Egan in Northern Ireland. The preview will take place on Friday 4 February, beginning at 5.30pm with a talk between the artist and writer and art educator Vivian Sky Rehberg.
The preview will last until 8pm, and takes place at Void Gallery.
Sampler brings together existing works and two newly commissioned pieces, which expand on Egan’s nuanced approach to working with materials that are familiar and that often have residual memories associated with them.
The word sampler derives from the Latin exemplum, meaning an ‘example’. In the context of sewing and textiles it was originally like a personal notebook for keeping stitches and motifs of interest together.
Bringing works together under this title Egan intends to put emphasis on the ephemeral and fragmentary. The exhibition will continue her investigation into creating an ambient space through which to convey emotions by using sparing sculptural gestures. In short, expressing the immaterial through material means.
16Welcome back! Upcoming events at Echo Echo Studios
Echo Echo is very pleased to announce a series of events for February and March 2022 and hope that you can join us for a class or a performance.
While the Covid-19 restrictions have been mostly relaxed, we ask that you continue to take good care of your and others health and safety by following all best practice in this regard.
lucent
A collection of works by Inishowen artist Sinéad Smyth 1st February - 29th March 2022
Opening event at 7pm on Tuesday 1st February
AMID THE NOISE AND THE HASTE
a film by Colin Norrby
We would be delighted if you could join us in person for these special screening events. Please reserve your place in advance. Saturday 5th February at 3pm / 5pm / 7pm
All welcome | Free | Donations welcome
Adult Dance Classes with Zoe Ramsey 9th Feb - 6th Apr
Wednesday Weekly Echo Echo Studios, Magazine Street, Derry 7pm - 8.30pm
Please register for the course here Course price is £50 payable in advance (8 classes)
GHOSTS by Gemma Walker-Farren and Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company 11th Feb - 12th Feb
Echo Echo Studios, Magazine Street, Derry
8.00pm
Sometimes the scariest stories are the ones we tell ourselves.
GHOSTS is about our relationship with fear and how it is an ‘ancient and otherworldly’ feeling. It is about the ghosts we carry with us and how we can sometimes be ghosts in our own lives.
Childhood fears to adult anxieties are woven together with Greek myths and ghostly tales. Incredible projections and soundscapes carry the audience seamlessly from claustrophobic bedrooms to the vast halls of Hades with horror and heartbreak in between.
BODY WISDOM
weekly classes
Returning Members - Wednesdays from 16th February
New Members - new evening course to be announced shortly!
Music Capital presents ROE and JOHN DEERY AND THE HEADS 24th February Echo Echo Studios, Magazine Street, Derry
19.30-21.30 hours
Illuminate Festival and Music Capital presents ROE & John Deery & The Heads live in concert at Echo Echo Studios. BOOK NOW
Echo Echo Kids Classes 26th Feb - 9th Apr
Saturday Weekly Echo Echo Studios 11am - 12.30pm
In Echo Echo we believe that kids are naturally poetic in movement and haven’t forgotten the simple pleasure of dancing. We craft a rich, vibrant, non-competitive environment to stimulate creativity and imagination in movement. Classes will explore various movement themes in solos, duets and group improvisations. Set material emerges from these improvisations, allowing us to co-create and perform together.
Please register for the course in advance.
Course price is £40 payable in advance (6 classes)
RT @FoyleHospice: Do you have a few hours to spare?
We are in urgent need of Volunteers to help out at the Summer Raffle Stalls in… https://t.co/BBKZ2RmOyZ —
10 months 2 weeks ago
RT @YouthActionNI: We are delighted to invite you to our art exhibition and critical youth research hub and hear stories from young pe… https://t.co/QjcN2U5cr1 —
10 months 3 weeks ago
RT @YouthActionNI: As part of empathy day, we have an art exhibition at Waterside Library this week and school workshops in Newry and… https://t.co/zoGEkjiBPe —
10 months 3 weeks ago
RT @ApexHousingAssn: 📣 Join our team! We're looking for a manager who will be responsible for the daily running of our sheltered housing… https://t.co/5U1eOQZNiR —
10 months 4 weeks ago
RT @SuppCommunities: Join us for this popular session online 7 June at 10 am.
Learners will gain an understanding of the key processes… https://t.co/W4bfd0E2CK —
10 months 4 weeks ago
RT @ConsumerCouncil: Our latest free newsletter is now out. This month we have information on:
📺Save money on household appliances
🍳 5… https://t.co/6Wz1wBT6X9 —
10 months 4 weeks ago
RT @NIAntiPov: @NWCN01
Hearing from local elected reps in Derry about the cuts to the community and voluntary sector. A lot of un… https://t.co/mrNL7fwGdD —
10 months 4 weeks ago
RT @CRJDerry: This morning we attended a meeting organised by @NWCN01 with our local elected reps to discuss the potential impact… https://t.co/1u8zOTaRZY —
10 months 4 weeks ago
A huge thanks to all who came along to our meeting about the funding crisis in the sector, good conversations were… https://t.co/UGzifowO2O —
10 months 4 weeks ago
