We hope you are all well and safe.
Network Meetings from January 2021
From 7th January 2021 we will be hosting monthly facilitated virtual network meetings to share our experiences and learning; challenges and issues and get support from peers. There will be break-out rooms to focus on specific topics, live local or national issues. Together we hope to learn from each other, get encouragement and support from our peers.
The monthly meetings will also give us the opportunity to collate learning from CMLs to inform discussions or decisions at national level. From time to time, and based on need, speakers will be invited to join the Network meetings.
Please sign up HERE
Celebrating CMLs
Have you had any letters of appreciation for your work during these Covid times? Can you share any from local MPs , local councillors etc, members of the public? Particularly if they demonstrate how vital you were to their well-being/mental health. If you do, then please email info@communitylibrariesnetwork.org
Short Survey
Following on from the survey we did over the summer, we have pulled together a very short survey to assess the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on CMLs. We hope to share the information at national level. The link will be available online tomorrow and hope you will help us by completing the survey.
Libraries are vital community hubs with so much to offer
You may be interested in this article about Burley Library which was published in the People’s Friend Summer Special in June 2020.
New £4m Fund to Help Reduce Loneliness in England Opens 5 January
Funded by the Government and the National Lottery Community Fund, the new £4 million Local Connections Fund is intended for small constituted voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations with an annual income of £50,000 or less.
There will be two funding rounds, with a total of £2 million available for each round. Grants of between £300 and £2,500 are to be used to:
- Build relationships in and across communities to help reduce loneliness and build connections between people and communities
- Bring together organisations who are working on social connections to celebrate their work, share learning and best practice, and form/bring together peer networks.
This is to help make:
- People and communities feel more connected.
- Individuals feel supported and less lonely or isolated.
- People more aware of services available that help them to connect with others and get involved.
- Organisations learn from each other.
The grants can be used for a number of different things including staff salaries, volunteer expenses, management costs, overheads, small-scale equipment and small-scale venue improvements. Applications will be accepted from constituted VCSE organisations that serve communities within England. There will be two funding rounds, one in January 2021 and one in summer 2021.
Applications open on 5 January 2021 and close on 26 January 2021. Read on….Community groups tackling loneliness to benefit from £4m fund – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Stay safe.
Community Managed Libraries National Peer Network 