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Financial
backing for businesses
 A series of grants
schemes are now open to businesses to help them through the
recession. Winchester City Council is funding a business start up grants
scheme, a village shop grants scheme, and a hardship rates relief scheme.
Start up grants are available to new businesses, or those who
have been trading for less than six months. Applicants should prove that
the grant of up to £1,000 will be used to further the enterprise activities. To
apply or find out more, contact Business Link on 0845 600 9 006 or email info@businesslinkhampshireiow.co.uk
Hardship
rates relief is available to businesses with premises in the district who are
struggling due to the recession. The applicant should prove that short
term respite from business rates payments will help the business
survive. The scheme is not for businesses who
are not financially sustainable - Business Link will undertake a business
review to help identify need. To apply or for the full criteria list,
contact Winchester City Council's local taxes team, on 01962 848 288 businessrates@winchester.gov.uk
Village
shop grants are also available where an applicant can prove a need for a cash
injection to help grown the business or diversify its services. The
grant is for one-off costs to help make the business viable in the long term,
and could be for up to £20,000. To apply, or find out more, contact
Kate Crawford, Economic Development Officer on 01962 848 563 or email kcrawford@winchester.gov.uk
Village SOS
 If your village has
fewer than 3,000 people then you can apply for a Village SOS. The BBC have launched a search for six UK villages with a
great business idea that will bring new life to their community. The best
ideas will receive funding of up to £400,000 each from the Big Lottery Fund.
What
is it?
Village SOS is a major new initiative from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) and the
BBC. It will see six villages with a great business idea and six
enterprising individuals come together to create a brand new venture that
will bring energy and life to the village with funding up to £400,000 from
BIG. Village SOS aims to make an impact beyond the six villages featured with
a major BBC Learning campaign to promote rural enterprise across the UK.
Primetime
publicity
The six
successful villages teams will be chosen in May 2010
and filming for a major BBC One series will start. The programme will air in
Winter 2010 and will follow the village enterprises from start-up to trading.
For more
information and to submit an application visit - http://www.bbc.co.uk/villagesos/
Deadline for applications - 14 August
2nd
Annual Sports Awards
 The Winchester
District Sport and Physical Activity Alliance (SPAA) are inviting
nominations for the 2nd Annual Sports Awards for the Winchester
District.
SPAA is asking local sports clubs, community organisations and residents to
name the best of the District's sporting talent as the build-up starts to the
big award ceremony on Thursday 3 December.
The awards
aim to recognise publicly the commitment and excellence of coaches,
volunteers, sportsmen and sportswomen across the Winchester District.
Nominations for awards will be considered in the following categories:
- Junior Sportsman & Junior
Sportswoman
Under 18 years of age
- Senior Sportsman & Senior
Sportswoman
18 years or over
- Master Sportsman & Master
Sportswoman
40 years of age or over
- Junior Disability Sportsman
& Sportswoman
Under 18 years of age
- Senior Disability Sportsman
& Sportswoman
18 years or over
- Coach of the Year (male or
female)
No age criteria
- Volunteer of the Year (junior
& senior)
- Team (junior & senior)
- Official (male or female)
- Service to Sport (male or
female)
The awards
are for achievements during the sporting year of 2009, with the exception of
Service to Sport which will be for service, coaching, officiating or
volunteering over a number of years.
All
nominees must either be resident within the Winchester District or registered
to, or working with, clubs based in the Winchester District
. All entries must be supported by a written statement of no more
than 200 words, explaining why you think the nominee deserves this recognition.The closing
date for entries is Thursday
8 October 2009.
Nomination
forms can be downloaded from the Winchester & District Sport and Physical
Activity Alliance website on www.wdsp.co.uk/spaa/winchester_district_sports_awards
Entry forms, along with further details, can also be obtained by
contacting Hannah Bone on 01962 848 231 or hebone@winchester.gov.uk.
Queens Award for Voluntary
Service 2010
 In 2002 the Queen's
Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service by Groups in the Community was
established. Its purpose is to recognise groups of individuals who give their
time freely for the benefit of others. It is the highest honour that can be
bestowed upon groups of this kind and is equivalent in status to the MBE.
Groups may
be nominated if they meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Community based volunteer
groups (two or more people) are eligible. This may include groups that
are organisationally part of a larger regional or national organisation
as long as the initiative and drive for the volunteering activity has
started and been developed locally by the volunteers
- The beneficiaries of the
service provided by eligible groups can be in the UK or overseas, but groups must
be based in the UK
- Groups that bring a direct
and indirect benefit to people are eligible. Indirect benefit includes,
for example, groups working for the preservation of the heritage,
environment etc.
- Groups must have been
operating at a high standard for a minimum of three years
- Groups are eligible as long
as they are made up of a simple majority of volunteers
- The majority of volunteers
must have the right of residence in the UK
Please
note: Groups that are solely involved in fundraising activity for
charitable purposes are not eligible for an Award e.g. groups involved in
street collections, jumble sales or charity shops, the primary purpose of
which is to raise money
If you know a group you think deserves to be nominated
for the honour you can download a nomination form from www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk
Like the UK National Honours,
there are no deadlines for the receipt of nomination forms. Award nominations
will be considered at any point within 3 years of the nomination. Therefore,
nominations should not be made for a particular year's Award.
Continental
Shifts
Friday
24 July saw the start of a six week programme of Friday evening fun, music
and shopping called Continental Shifts. Continental Shifts will fill The
Square and the Buttercross area with folk music,
dance, children's activities, arts displays, street theatre and other
family-friendly entertainment from 4.30pm to 8pm. Bring your friends or family for a
sociable and relaxed evening. It's all free, so what better way to
start the weekend?
For more information visit: www.winchester.gov.uk/continentalshifts
Recommend
a Local Business
Need to find a business? Winchester City Council is working with The Disc
Directory to bring you a local business listing you can not only search, but
where you can make recommendations for other users! Just search for the sort
of business you need, then read what other people have said about them to
help you decide who to use. You can leave feedback for your favourite
local businesses too.
Log onto www.wccbd.co.uk
to search for a business and make a recommendation.
Training for Parish Councils
The 'Ethical Framework for Parishes' training is being offered to both
new and experienced Councillors and Clerks. The evening will cover the
provisions of the Code of Conduct, Register of Interest issues and
include a discussion about the application of the rules to everyday
situations.
Thursday
15 October 2009 18:30 - Jubilee Hall, Bishops Waltham
Contact Katherine Pryor at the City Council Committees team on kpryor@winchester.gov.uk or (01962)
848 264 for more details.
Parish
Connect Satisfaction Survey
 In the first week of
May we sent out a survey via email asking
for your views on the Parish Connect e-newsletter. A second email will
be sent out shortly, inviting those who have not already done
so to complete the survey. A huge thank you to all those
who have already taken part, your responses will help us develop and improve
our communication with Parish Councils.
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