Your valuable input is needed to help shape a new leadership development programme for the Oxfordshire voluntary and community sector. The Oxfordshire voluntary and community sector has responded brilliantly to the challenges faced over the past year. Yet this has also placed significant pressure on those stepping forward who themselves need and deserve support.
As of 23rd March 2021, we have given out £1,011,669 in grants to hundreds of grassroots charities and community groups across the county. This also marks one year since the start of the first lockdown in March 2020. We will be here for the local community to support recovery over the long term, whatever happens.
The Age Friendly Banbury partnership is continuing its support for local older people with its Connect! project. The first phase of the project aims to help existing users, who already have access to a device, become more confident. This will enable them to do more – such as shop online, access services, socialise, find information, and connect with friends and families.
On 12th March 2020, local charity Oxford Hub launched Oxford Together, a volunteering programme to enable neighbourhood support during the COVID-19 pandemic. A year on, the project is still active and investing in creating a legacy that will keep people connected over the long term.
The project will help people experiencing homelessness who are not eligible for any public funds due to their immigration status – which effectively leaves them destitute. Oxfordshire Homeless Movement is raising funds to support these people to lead productive lives in Oxfordshire.
Households across Oxfordshire will be asked to take part in Census 2021 this spring. Census Day is Sunday 21 March 2021. By taking part and encouraging others to take part, you can help inform decisions on services that shape our community, such as healthcare, education and transport. The census is a unique survey that happens every 10 years, giving us the most detailed information we have about our society.
All of Oxfordshire’s councils have agreed to work towards a housing-led approach to preventing and ending homelessness, following the publication of a crucial feasibility study by Crisis. The study brought in significant contributions from partners in Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, of which OCF is a founding member.
Age Friendly Banbury has been sending out regular updates, to all its partners and supporters, to keep everyone interested informed about local events, initiatives and news. The latest version of this update received a new look.
Donations to our Community Resilience Fund reached new heights in January, as a result of our appeal to fund urgent projects responding to the third lockdown. We are so grateful for the generosity of our supporters, which means we are able to meet the immediate priorities, and are now looking to the next few months to understand ongoing community needs.
Thanks to the generosity of the community, Oxfordshire Homeless Movement (OHM) was able to raise funds that will now be used to help those at the sharp end of homelessness. OCF hosts OHM’s project management and fundraising.