A dozen Ipswich groups came together at Castle Hill Community Centre on 21st April to share their ideas for new start-ups and get up to speed on legal and governance requirements.
CAS Insurance officer Lorna Hart answered a range of questions on appropriate types of cover for different activities, whilst IT Manager Matthew Morling gave an overview of the range of IT services on offer, all designed with the third sector in mind. Faye Smith presented the work of the NWI Big Local Trust, which has now funded over 60 small cash grants and 12 larger grants since its inception three years ago. It continues to be driven by local people in the north west of the town, responding to their needs and recognising their achievements.
Our Ipswich Field Officer Kirsty Wilmot gave an overview of the resources available for getting started, on business planning, governing documents and incorporation, and invited Matthew Applegate from Creative Computing Club to tell his club’s story. From the early days teaching his friends’ kids computing in his front room, to forming a well-funded and successful community interest company catering for 60 children, Matthew’s story really inspired the group to follow their passions.
Kirsty Wilmot, Community Field Officer for Ipswich at CAS, said, “It’s exciting to see a passion for new voluntary groups and community activity in Ipswich. By running these network events across Suffolk, we’re able to give groups the information they need, enable them to learn from each other and CAS is here to support them every step of the way in their development.”
What people said…
“Food for thought on insurance and IT… and what we will need to consider when becoming an entity”
“Inspiring talk from Creative Computing Club”
“Great information to soak up”
“(I) feel more confident I’m on the right path”
“It was amazing, thank you”
Book now for our next Ipswich event
Our next locality network meeting in Ipswich will be held on 22nd June 2015, you can book your place below.
Click here for details of network events across Suffolk.