Annual

Report

2014

Phone: Main office 01668 219879

Fax: 01668 219220

E-mail: info@ncdn.org

Website www.ncdn.org

Registered office:

33 West Street

Belford

NE70 7QB

Company Reg no 04772358

Northumberland Community Development Company

Supporting people who support communities

What we’ve achieved this year

Developed our learning offer to support

community groups and organisations to

accredit their learning programmes.

Facilitated networking between 150+

learning and employability providers

Delivered Community Development, Dis-

ability Awareness and Steps to Employ-

ment and Enterprise accredited learning

Developed our county-wide digital vol-

unteering project involving 35 digital

volunteers and reaching 200+ individuals

to offer help to get online

Collaborated with 8 other agencies to

build innovative projects

Developed the Dyscovered programme

supporting 20 individuals with learning

differences into training, volunteering

and paid work

Enabled networking between diversity

groups to have a voice

Information Exchange and

Networking

Learning Together

Inclusion and Diversity

How we’re doing

Welfare reform? Living wage? Human Rights?

Rural isolation? Digital exclusion? Unemploy-

ment? Hate crime? Discrimination? What’s

YOUR Issue for the Year Ahead?

‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. indeed, it's the only

thing that ever has .’

Margaret Mead

2

Everything that NCDN does is designed to encourage collective working, partnership and net-working. During 2013-14 NCDN has actively participated in the VCS Assembly Steering Group, Northumberland Advice Network and a range of local networking meetings. Facilitating Networks We also directly support networks both in the county and across the region. While funded op-portunities to network have almost disappeared the demand for working together continues, and we wish to note the valuable work carried out in the following networks which we support, facilitate and chair.

Northumberland Learning and Employability Access Partnership

NCDN hosts a web-based directory of information, shared by organisations and partner agen-cies, to provide each other with background about their track record and aspirations in rela-tion to forthcoming funding opportunities for learning, skills and employability. See www.nleap.org.uk for more information. Where there is still the potential for building partner-ships between larger and smaller providers, or where it would just be helpful to know what other organisations can offer, NLEAP continues to build partnership bids and project ideas. If you would like to participate in this information sharing exercise, and would like more infor-mation about joining the NLEAP site please email julia@ncdn.org. NCDN also regularly passes

on topical information to NLEAP members about jobs, training and other opportunities.

NELEP VCS Focus Group for Skills and Performance

With secretarial support from VONNE John McGough chairs this network which over the last year has made significant contributions to the work of NELEP. We have ensured that the rural nature of the county is always considered when planning regional provision. Throughout the group has enjoyed membership from Skills Funding Agency, NELEP, DWP, some local authorities and major training organisations and disseminated topical information from them to the sec-tor. We are currently trying to open a dialogue with LA7 (the new grouping of local authorities

in the North East), to ensure that the sector is heard.

Partnership Building

During 2013-14 NCDN has built on its commitment to partnership working, and would like to thank all partner agencies for their co-operation and in particular Age UK, Fourth Action,

Northumbria Daybreak, In It Together, Bell View, SpLinter Group, Keyfund and BRIC.

Information Exchange and Networking

John McGough summarises our contribution to sharing and enabling communities

3

Networking in Practice - Digital Inclusion Project

A framework for training and supporting digital volunteers across Northumber-

land, who support people with IT and getting online, wherever and whenever.

Building better partnership is an important part

of the programme, so thanks to all our partners

including Arch, libraries, community centres, so-

cial housing providers, shops, post offices, banks,

and a range of specialist voluntary groups.

NCDN can provide re-

sources to help reach peo-

ple and areas where lack

of broadband or equip-

ment is an issue. We have

two ‘mi-fi’ devices and

several laptops and tab-

lets, which can be bor-

rowed on a short-term

basis.

NCDN has recruited over

40 people as digital volun-

teers since the project

started, with around 20

active at any time. There

are bi-monthly support

sessions dealing with both

community and techie is-

sues where volunteers can

also pick up ideas from

each other.

The project team consists of

Julia overseeing the funded

programmes and supporting

volunteer systems and prac-

tices, Gordon who coordi-

nates activity, partnership

building and volunteer sup-

port in the west of the

county, and Hala who has a

similar role in the north and

SE.

NCDN is pleased to be a partner in a

three year project led by Age UK

Northumberland supporting people

who are over 55 to get their ‘money

to go round.’ NCDN takes a lead on

digital inclusion and supports 250

older people a year.

NCDN brings in funds from a range of

sources to help provide

a service across the

county. In 2013-14

NCDN was funded by:

Particular thanks

to Gordon for his

development of

our website,

blog, newsletter

and Twitter pres-

ence too.

Our website includes all kinds

of useful resources for anyone

aiming to help someone else to

get online, including a volun-

teer blog. We’re also building

a directory of venues with wifi

access too.

http://www.ncdn.org/

digitalinclusion/digital-

volunteers/digital-volunteers-

resources

4

Community Development Qualifications

During 2013-14 NCDN supported a group of community activists and workers to take part in an

accredited learning programme leading to the Level 2 Award in Community Development

Work. This was a great group to work with, who taught us as much as we shared with them and

were particularly good at learning from each other.

Community Development practice doesn’t stand still, and the time has come again for the Na-

tional Occupational Standards in Community Development Work are to be reviewed (for more

information visit www.fcdl.org.uk) and we look forward to developing further learning oppor-

tunities making use of the new standards as soon as they are available. We are also recruiting

people who would be interested in gaining a Level 3 qualification in early 2015.

Steps to Employment, Training and Personal Development

This new programme has replaced the ‘progression’ qualifications and gives learners a lot of

flexibility to strengthen some core skills like goal setting, planning, teamwork and career de-

velopment alongside vocational skills to match their own preferences. NCDN is using this quali-

fication to accredit skills in IT, mentoring, enterprise, citizenship, rights and child safety, with

many more options available.

Supporting Individuals with a Learning Disability

NCDN is developing this new qualification in response to interest from parents and carers, paid

workers and people with learning differences themselves. So far we have accredited an autism

awareness programme, have covered ‘positive risk-taking’ with members of the SpLinter

Group, and have run a day on ‘Models of Disability’ with a varied group of interested individu-

als. We will be running further modules in 2015 to enable people to complete a full Level 2 or

3 qualification, which for many will gain them the kind of recognition they deserve for many of

their skills, to enable them to look for paid work in this important field.

Supporting Other Organisations to Accredit their Learning Offer

We’re proud of our track record of providing accredited learning for many years, through the

Open College Network and City & Guilds. In the last five years we have supported more than

ten individuals to become qualified tutors and assessors. Community-based learners work hard

to develop their skills, and they deserve the chance to have their learning accredited wherever

possible. That’s why we created the ‘Credit to You’ project back in 2012, to enable people to

feel confident about accredited learning.

But in these difficult times for voluntary organisations we have come across many smaller or-

ganisations and groups that would like to get accreditation for their learning, but who lack the

funds to train staff, or pay awarding bodies to help develop their in-house capacity. So NCDN

has developed a support framework to help out and we have extended our own in-house team

to enable us to offer our approved learning provider status to other organisations. This year

we’ve worked with five organisations including Fourth Action, In It Together and

Angelou Centre.

Learning Together

5

During 2013-14 we have run small groups in

Blyth at Headway Arts, where the project

has a hot desk, and at Cramlington Library.

Group members can get tailored help to

move towards their particular goals as well

as taking part in goal setting, accredited

learning and opportunities to take part in

enterprise activities. Dyscovered members

provided waffles for the Headway Arts AGM

and are looking for other ways to collabo-

rate.

NCDN supports the SpLinter

Group to take a central role in

Dyscovered.

SpLinter members act as vol-

untary helpers to others in the

group who may ask for extra

help getting things done

online. This helps them get

experience of working well

with people and making a

contribution to the group as a

whole.

The Hexham group has been run

in partnership with Northumbria

Daybreak where we have intro-

duced some of their regular at-

tendees to goal setting and ac-

credited learning. The group ran

their own waffle stall at Hexham

Market and there are plans to

continue building on their learn-

ing through practical project

work.

The title ‘Dyscovered’ refers to

various syndromes - dyspraxia,

dyslexia, dyscalculia and many

others that the project describes

as SpLDs—specific learning differ-

ences. Most people with SpLDs

have average or above intelli-

gence and have loads to offer in

work or enterprise with the right

support.

We have built up good

referral relationships with

JobCentre plus staff across

the county

Dyscovered has been funded by

DWP Flexible Support Fund, and

now also by ESF Community

Grant funding

The Dyscovered clients have

helped to develop the Waffling

On project, and have taken the

waffle stall and employer quiz

to Expo NE and Venturefest NE

to engage directly with em-

ployers, resulting in 10 re-

quests for follow-up contact.

They have met employer en-

gagement and apprenticeship

specialists from colleges to

work on improving access to

apprenticeships

All of the group members are unemployed,

though most have been working substantial

hours on a voluntary basis for many years.

Some have been taken on with the promise

of lasting jobs and then laid off soon after.

Most funded learning, including apprentice-

ships, are not available to people who can’t

demonstrate high enough levels of nu-

meracy and literacy in spite of their consid-

erable abilities.

Parents and carers involved

in In It Together are taking

part in accredited training

alongside young clients in

‘supporting individuals with a

learning disability’ and in

awareness-raising events

The project finds innovative ways of

involving young adults with SpLDs in

accredited learning at a higher level

than they have previously achieved, by

recording their skills in creative ways

backed up with one to one support,

This has resulted in 6 clients achieving

Level 1 ITC qualifications and Level 2

Steps to Employment, Training and

Personal Development.

Learning in Practice - Dyscovered Project supports people with learning

differences to get the recognition they deserve for their skills, abilities and

enthusiasms, in work, learning and the community.

The project funding has enabled us

to create a part-time administrator

post for Kirsty Trimming, the SpLin-

ter Group’s secretary, and we hope

to sign Kirsty up

for a full qualifi-

cation in Business

Admin.

6

Community Development and Health

Our Board Member Kay Yeo describes projects that she oversees where she feels community development skills are crucial to good practice in the health con-

text.

‘Ageing Well is about helping older people to stay safe, independent, and connected through-

out Northumberland. Using a community development approach the project try’s to respond to

identified need. Working with partners throughout the county several projects have been de-

veloped and run successfully

Blooming well supports individuals and their spouse/carers to live well with dementia. The

project does therapeutic horticultural activities which both individuals are encouraged to join

in. friendships and support are valuable out comes from these projects. Currently they run at

Alnwick Garden, Pegswood, and Minsteracres.

Ageing Well forums and annual road shows called Stepping into Spring and Winter Warmers are

examples of other activities the project supports. Some of the greatest challenges for Ageing

Well are how we keep older people involved and connected? Isolation and loneliness are mas-

sive challenges which are difficult and complex to try and resolve. However working in collabo-

ration can only strengthen opportunities that look to address some of these issues.’

NCDN’s role in enabling a voice for change

The work of NCDN has been at both an individual level, supporting fairer assessment of need,

as well as developing user-led initiatives and considering collective action. NCDN has made

many commitments to bring bottom-up discussions to the collective table, for example:

through involvement in the VCS Assembly Steering Group to bring a perspective on equal-ity and networking

establishing the ‘Live and Let Live’ framework from a joint hate crime initiative with CABs, to develop a collective partnership approach to tackling anti-social behaviour

facilitating involvement by various discriminated against groups in the policy and deci-sions affecting them through learning and innovative project work.

There are frustrations in this process. Initiatives often attract initial buy-in from senior repre-

sentatives which dwindles away over time; there can be a focus shift from pro-active discus-

sions to agendas dominated by mainstream concerns; collapse of infrastructure designed to

provide a strong voice for communities; short-termism linked to changes in the capacity of

mainstream organisations and bodies and repetitive, and politically-motivated cycles of strate-

gic decision-making and delivery.

This year has seen NCDN re-think its role in these settings, with more emphasis on overt cam-

paigning using social media and linking with other groups. We look forward to the Election

year, planning dynamic involvement in campaigning on welfare reform, living wage, and on

tackling discrimination wherever it arises.

Inclusion and Diversity

NCDN recognises that people in Northumberland are excluded as frequently on the basis of

their identity as on where they live, and for many, by both.

7

Since NCDN helped to start the SpLinter Group, originally as part of

our work with Northumberland LiNK, we have continued to support

this user-led group for young adults with learning differences to be-

come established and develop its own programme. Our role has

been to help raise funds, advise in the process of recruiting support

staff (Ken, Alan and Sue during 2014) and to make connections with

the Dyscovered project to help more people get involved. During

the year the group have organised their own AGM, including a

speaker on living with dyspraxia, and a trip to Alton Towers. Cur-

rently they are planning an event to provide a range of people with

‘Everything you wanted to know about SpLDs and didn’t want to

Ask’ event in the spring, and another ‘Could I ever Drive?’ where

young people will have the chance to understand their hurdles and

chances to learn to drive, using a simulator and looking at the as-

sessment and theory processes.

Special thanks to Hala for supporting

this programme.

NCDN’s has supported SpLinter Group to establish ‘Waffling On’, a so-

cial enterprise with the aim of raising awareness with employers and

communities about the positive benefits of engaging with people with

SpLDs. The group have run 8 market stalls and expos where they have

made and sold waffles, and invited customers to take part in an aware-

ness-raising quiz about SpLDs. Their programme really sped up when

six members of the group took part in a Keyfund event to explore de-

veloping the quiz into an app and a website, to improve the reach of

the project at the same time as keeping track of how people are re-

sponding.

Their pitching skills got them through to the final round of the iDEA

Award, run by the Nominet Trust and the Duke of York Trust. The

group travelled to London, took part in mentoring sessions with digital

entrepreneurs, and reached the final 10 in the UK, with an award of

£4,000 to support their next steps. All of this culminated in a reception

at Buckingham Palace, an appearance on the ONE Show, a new website

and app, and lots more opportunities to explore to get their message

across. Thanks to Davy Poremba, Dave Cresswell , Dan Sutch and Alex

Black for their support through the process. Frank also won an award

from Lloyds Bank which included a place on the School for Social En-

trepreneurs Start Up course and a £4,000 grant. he and Waffling On

have been featured in the School’s Year Book—well done Frank.

Inclusion in Practice - User-led innovation

Visit

www.waff

lingon.uk

8

Finances

Income £32,112

Direct Project Costs £19,004

Gross surplus £13,108

Administrative expenses £8,471

Operating surplus £4,637

Interest receivable £4

Surplus for the financial year £4,641

‘If it wasn’t for the pro-ject I wouldn’t feel part of anything. Now I’m

one of the team.’

THANKS to...

Board Dean T Huggins (Chair), Kay Yeo, John McGough, Cath

George, Karon Cook and Jim Robertson, and Seahouses Ac-

countancy for providing finance support.

Team Hala Zaluczkowska, John McGough and Julia Lyford,

Gordon Stewart, Kathryn Hart, Kirsty Trimming, Carol Bur-

nett and all of our associate tutors, assessors, mentors and

advisers.

Volunteers Loads to thank, particularly Kirsty Trimming,

volunteer mentors and all of the digital volunteers.

Funders UK Online Centres, Isos Housing, Comic Relief via

Age UK, DWP, Durham Community Foundation ESF, Bernicia

...and all the people we’ve worked with, who have contrib-

uted to their own progress and well-being and strengthened

NCDN in the process.

‘Could not be

better.’

Although these figures show a substan-

tial decease in our annual turnover, they

also show that unlike in the previous

year where we carried a deficit on

£18,616, we have managed to work

within our means while taking time to re

-focus and debate future direction be-

fore launching into further ex-

pansion.

Copies of our full

financial state-

ment are available on

request.

Join us on

www.facebook.com/NorthumberlandCom-

munity

@NCDNetwork

www.ncdn.org

NCDN would like to recognise

the contribution of Susi Robert-

son (Goncu) who sadly died this

year. Susi was a fantastic cham-

pion of community development

values and practice and played

an active support role to NCDN’s

Board for many years.

Congratulations to Julia for receiving Keyfund’s Inspiring Facilitator

Award during 2014

How are we doing?