South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau Information Sheets Last updated August 2007 Technical aid If your group is looking for funds in order to buy in technical aid, it may be possible to get specialist help and professional services for free from some of the following organisations. Business in the Community (BITC) encourages businesses to take part in community activity. In South Yorkshire it co-ordinates the Prohelp project: Prohelp gives free advice and support to local community groups and consists of firms of accountants, architects, public relations experts, solicitors, surveyors and other professions. They undertake short assignments in the form of feasibility studies, help with business plans and other technical expertise. Prohelp also runs general advice surgeries and workshops on specific topics impacting on community groups. Contact Business in the Community for details. Cares is a national campaign to help employees to connect with their communities through volunteering. Groups who would like some assistance with a project can contact BITC who will arrange for some volunteers from a local business to come and help. Previous projects have included painting a community centre, creating/tidying gardens, arranging a trip out and building wheelchair accessible paths. The projects usually take place over one or two days and are done by between 4 and 10 volunteers. Ongoing Volunteering BITC also organise ongoing, longer-term opportunities for individual volunteers such as assisting with educational classes, becoming a Treasurer or board member or just generally offering support to a community group. Michelle Tilney Business in the Community Albion House Savile Street Sheffield S4 7UD Tel: 0114 201 8983 email: michelle.tilney@bitc.org.uk Website: www.bitc.org.uk REACH recruits and supports volunteers with managerial, professional, business and technical experience and matches them to voluntary organisations. Regional Managers for Yorkshire and The Humber are: Alan Paterson, Tel 01274 564158 Richard Crabtree, Tel 0114 2686173 Head Office: 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TP Tel: 020 7582 6543 email: mail@reach-online.org.uk Website: www.reach-online.org.uk The Cranfield Trust provides free management consultancy support to the voluntary sector through a national register of skilled volunteers from the commercial sector. The Cranfield Trust Court Room Chambers 1 Bell Street Romsey Hampshire SO51 8GY Tel: 01794 830338 email: admin@cranfieldtrust.org Website: www.cranfield trust.org.uk ‘Professionals 4 free’ is a website that helps voluntary and community groups find free technical aid such as legal advice, architectural and building services and IT consultancy. The site has a searchable database of ‘brokers’ who can match you with free professional services. The site can help your group work out the type of support it needs and has several guides for voluntary and community groups, such as What Different Professions Do. Website: www.professionals4free.org.uk LawWorks for Community Groups is an initiative of the Solicitors Pro Bono Group to provide free business law advice to community groups for areas of work where a court case or employment tribunal is not needed, such as advice on contracts, setting up companies, data protection, or lease terms. LawWorks also run a series of free practical advice talks on legal matters for charities and social enterprises. Sessions are held in London, see website for details. LawWorks for Community Groups Solicitors Pro Bono Group 10-13 Loval Lane London, EC3R 8DN Tel: 020 7929 5601 email: lcg@probonogroup.org.uk Website: www.probonogroup.org.uk iT4Communities provide a free service to match up volunteer IT professionals with charities needing help with IT. The type of work volunteers can help with is wide ranging and includes: IT support; database design; training; and website design. iT4Communities 45 Beech Street London EC2Y 8AD Tel: 020 7796 2144 email: info@it4communities.org.uk Website: http:// www.it4communities.org.uk The Glass-House Community-Led Design service offers advice and free training for groups who are involved in, or want to get involved in, the regeneration of their area. The service offers specific professional support that can help the group to develop their ideas further or put the theory into practice. The Glass-House Community-Led Design 2a Kingsway Place Sans Walk London EC1R 0LS Tel: 020 7490 4583 email: info@theglasshouse.org.uk Website: www.theglasshouse.org.uk The Royal Institute for British Architects (RIBA) gives advice related to architecture and design. They have a directory of architects in the region and can help with choosing and working with an architect. RIBA Yorkshire The Green Sand Foundry 99 Water Lane Leeds LS11 5QN Tel: 0113 237 8480 email: riba.yorkshire@inst.riba.org Website: www.architecture.com Planning Aid is a free, voluntary service offering independent professional advice and help on town planning, organised by the Royal Town Planning Institute. It does not give grants, but will help community and voluntary groups that cannot afford to pay for private consultants. Planning Aid gives information and advice on planning law, publications and procedures, and can help groups to: object to, or support, other people’s applications; draw up community plans; apply for planning permission; appear at a public enquiry; appeal against a refusal of permission. Regional Co-ordinator: Jacqui Baines Yorkshire Planning Aid The Green Sand Foundry 99 Water Lane Leeds LS11 5QN Tel: 0113 237 8486 email: ykco@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk Website: www.planningaid.rtpi.org.uk --- © SYFAB 2004 All rights reserved. Our information is produced for local community and voluntary groups. No permission is needed for limited reproduction if the Bureau is acknowledged. Large scale reproduction or inclusion in publications for sale must have written permission from the Bureau. The South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau welcomes your comments and criticism. You can talk to any member of staff, or contact us by post, phone, fax or email - see the front page for details. All our information is produced in a standard sized typeface, but we can produce it in other formats on request South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau The Workstation 15 Paternoster Row Sheffield S1 2BX Tel: 0114 249 4343 email: enquiries@syfab.org.uk Website: www.syfab.org.uk Funding Advice Line 0114 276 5460 Registered Charity No: 1061118 Reg. Company No: 3030641