New class starting Tuesday 24th May 2022 - mixed intermediate.
Street Sheet 2022.
Off the Fence have released their 2022 Street Sheet for Brighton and Hove.
A PDF can be downloaded HERE
Printed copies can be found throughout Brighton and Hove - and by contacting Off the Fence: https://www.offthefence.org.uk/antifreeze
MP lavishes praise on community workers
Everyone likes to be appreciated, a warm word of kindness here and there goes a long way! We are pleased to announce that the Brighton Unemployed Centre and Families Project was officially acknowledged earlier this month by local MP Caroline Lucas for all the tireless effort we put into our community support projects and the assistance we provide to people in crisis. She said: “I know that you are on the frontline, helping people claim whatever assistance they are entitled to, signposting to food projects, mental health support and giving huge amounts of time and energy to help those who are most vulnerable in our community.”
She vowed to back up her words with action, declaring “I will continue to do what I can to help the constituents who contact me, and that in Parliament I will continue to urge the government to reverse its cruel welfare cuts”. At the Brighton Unemployed Centre and Families Project we witness the various impacts of people not having enough money and we work to mitigate these circumstances of genuine hardship in the best way we know how.
We, at the Brighton Unemployed Centre and Families Project were proud to be singled out for praise, but as Caroline points out we are one community project amongst a “fantastic network of people working to offer community advice and anti-poverty support”. This means if we are limited in what we can do to help with what you are going through, we will always do the best we can to help you find a service that is more specialised and suited to you at this particular time. We are proud to be working in your interests and hopefully can continue to do so for a long time to come, but it is always nice to be recognised for it as well!
The Centre Cooks
Would you like to learn more about cooking vegan food? "The Centre Cooks" is our booklet of tried and tested recipes that we use in our kitchen here at BUCFP. Written and brought together by Food Project volunteers it is a little collection of handy tips to make your vegan diet healthy, tasty and full of variety.
You can get a copy for £5 which includes postage, to find out more or to order your copy, please contact Carol, the Food Project Coordinator on 01273 671213 or bucfp.food.project@gmail.com
Remembering Chloe and Alan.
Over the period the Centre has been closed we have received some sad news, Alan Thrower, who has been teaching Japanese at the centre for over 20 years sadly passed away on Wednesday 18th August, following a heart attack.
One of his dedicated students, Jason, informed us of this and he arranged a small drink to say farewell.
His funeral will be in his hometown of Kettering on the 14th September.
We would like to pass our condolences and fondest wishes to his family and he will be very much missed on a Thursday morning.
Also during this time one of our long attending Centre users Chloe Bishop also passed away in January this year, following an epileptic attack. Chloe had enjoyed many activities in the Centre, the sewing group, art class and our trips out, she was only 33.
Her family are arranging a memorial for Chloe on 26th September between 2-5pm, if you would like to attend please contact the Centre on 01273 601211 to express your interest .
Statement on planned £20 cut to Universal Credit.
BUCFP supports making permanent the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit.
If the planned cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit goes ahead in October:
140 constituencies would see more than one in four of all families (with or without children) affected, including 36 Conservative seats.
On average 21% of all working-age families (with or without children) in Great Britain will experience a £1,040-a-year cut to their incomes on 6 October.
Over 400 constituencies are set to see over one in three working-age families with children hit by the cut.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published the following report on the impact of this cut to constituencies across the country, a copy of which can be found here:
https://www.jrf.org.uk/universal-credit-cut-impact-constituency
"Our analysis has shown that 6 million low-income families will lose £1,040 from their annual income, creating serious financial hardship and leave 500,000 people to be swept into poverty - including 200,000 children. Families with children will be disproportionately impacted and worryingly, 6 in 10 of all single-parent families in the UK will be impacted.
The Government is rightly saying that it wants to support people back into work as we emerge from the crisis. But working families make up the majority of families who will be affected.
Politicians of all parties have warned against this cut and called for the investment to be made permanent, including Labour and SNP leadership, all six previous Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions since 2010, the Work and Pensions Committee, the Lords Economic Affairs Committee, the Conservative Northern Research Group and the Conservative One Nation Caucus."
Writing in support of maintaining the £20 uplift, our own MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has stated:
"Lloyd agrees with you that UC should not be reduced at this time. If the reduction does go ahead, as the Government plans, it will cost six million families an estimated £1,000 a year and support for those out of work will be left at its lowest level in decades. For these reasons, Lloyd supports maintaining UC at its current levels until it can be replaced with a new social security system which provides a proper social security safety net and has dignity and respect at its heart.
In the meantime, Lloyd wants to see urgent reforms to UC and the current social security system. These include an end to the five-week wait for a first UC payment and for UC advances to be converted into grants instead of loans. In addition, Lloyd believes the UC savings limit, the benefit cap and the two-child limit for UC and Tax Credits should be abolished.
More widely, Lloyd supports uprating all six legacy benefits by £20 a week in line with UC. Taking all of these steps would provide immediate support those affected by coronavirus including many people who, as you say, have kept our country running during the pandemic"
The Trussell Trust, food bank network, has been running the following #KeepTheLifeline campaign, which can be found here:
https://www.trusselltrust.org/keepthelifeline/
- BUCFP, Welfare Rights Group.
BUCFP Trustees 2021.
The process for electing trustees for the 2021 year is now complete - as detailed here -
https://bucfp.org/news/2021/2/10/do-you-want-to-be-a-member-of-brighton-unemployed-centre-families-project-nows-the-time-to-join
The following people were elected as trustees for this year,
Paul Burgess
Jim Cheek
Mark King
Krissy McCully
Ben Westwood
Garry Morrill
Lynette Joseph
-
Do you want to be a member of Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project? NOW’S the time to join!
For the past 40 years, BUCFP has been at the frontline providing food and essential services for those in need in Brighton and Hove. This past year, the impact of Covid-19 has further highlighted what we offer to our community is more important than ever.
The Covid-19 restrictions we have seen over the past year have impacted on how we operate and run our services, however, we have still achieved some fantastic outcomes thanks to our dedicated team of staff and volunteers.
Why you would like to be a member?
Maybe you’ve used our services before and would like to have a say in how our centre is run, you have an interest in the work we do, and share our values, or maybe there’s another reason?
How to become a member
If you would like to become a member of Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project (BUCFP). Please complete our membership form by following this link:
https://forms.gle/6gjgsWMBN4deb7nY8
If you are having any problems completing this form and would prefer an emailed/postal copy please contact Alex on volunteercoordinator@bucfp.org or 01273 601 211
What does it mean to be a member?
By being a member you agree to the Objects of our charity which are “to relieve poverty, distress and hardship amongst unemployed, unwaged and low waged people and their families living or staying in the Brighton area regardless of race, sex, age, ability or sexual orientation.”
As a member, ahead of a future AGM, you may put yourself forward to stand for election to a member of the Board of Trustees.
If you become a member of the Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project you commit to, paying up to a £1.00 towards the costs of dissolution and liabilities incurred by the Charity if the charity were to close and be dissolved while you are a member or within 12 months after being a member.
As a member you are entitled to vote at our - Annual General Meeting (AGM) – voting is open until 12th March 2021 (see below for more info)
What is a charity member?
In most charities, members are the foundation of the structure: the charity must have one or more members in order to exist. However, the nature of this membership varies.
The role of members in UK charities falls into the following three broad categories:
members are the same people as the directors/trustees
members are a wider group relied on for revenue or volunteering
members are a group who set up the charity and retain some control
At BUCFP membership is normally renewed at our annual general meeting.
Volunteers (including Trustees) are automatically members and do not need to complete a membership form.
Service users and representatives from affiliated organisations are invited to become members.
Staff of BUCFP can be members of the charity but are unable to vote due to conflict of interest.
What role do charity members play?
The details of a member’s rights vary depending on the legal structure of the charity and the charity’s membership rules but in general members have the following powers:
remove and replace directors/trustees
amend constitutional documents
approve transactions between company and directors/trustees
control any remaining assets when the charity is wound up
It is the trustees who have control over the charity’s governance so the membership power with the most impact is the election of charity trustees.
Practically, these rights often boil down to an invitation to attend, and vote at, the charity’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).
By empowering a wide range of people around our cause, the membership model helps to enables the charity grow stronger, impact society and have sustainable funding.
Rules - joining and leaving
The core provisions for appointment of members and their relationship with trustees is be contained in the charity’s constitutional document (e.g. the Articles of Association for charitable companies). Available on request.
As set out in our Articles of Association, membership of Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project expires at our AGM. In order to be able to cast any votes at our AGM your membership must be renewed at this date.
This year, if you are already a member, your membership will automatically be renewed if you cast a vote in our AGM.
If you are not yet a member, applications to become a member will be made available by an electronic link . New members who have applied via this channel will then be sent instructions on how to vote at our AGM.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
As a result of Covid-19 we have had to conclude that holding an in-person at the Centre AGM is not possible due to the restrictions in place. The AGM to be held this year will be via post (and email and online voting where available to our members).
The official date of our AGM will be 12 March 2021, however, as we are holding this via post and online this AGM is now open for voting until 23:59 12th March 2021.
This AGM includes members voting on electing our new Board of Trustees and recommended changes to our Articles of Association. As our AGM is now open, members are able to cast their votes and details on how to do so will be sent after we have received your membership application form
BUCFP Winter Newsletter
For the past 39 years, BUCFP has been at the frontline providing food and essential services for those in need in Brighton and the Tarner area. Throughout the Coronavirus crisis we have adapted our services to support the needs of local people, providing crucial support to those struggling. It’s a stressful time for all of us but it’s much easier to face lockdown with a full fridge. Whilst local councils have made much of their pledge to find everyone temporary accommodation, too often it’s without adequate, if any, cooking facilities and food is expensive. At BUCFP we normally use surplus food from Fareshare to prepare hot meals served in our busy community centre, however as we were unable to open to the public during lockdown we quickly adapted and set up an emergency food parcel delivery service. These were personalised to the needs, cooking facilities and dietary requirements of each household.
From March to August we delivered over 2550 food parcels and hot meals to 346 households, feeding 450 adults and 225 children, supporting some of the most vulnerable in our community. This was a fantastic achievement which would not have been possible thanks to our dedicated team of volunteer packers, lifters, drivers and planners. All went above and beyond to help in such challenging times and enabled BUCFP to be one of the first food hubs to be set up in lock down with no break in service provision. Although we are still not open to the public, our talented volunteer chefs are preparing cooked meals for collection twice per week on a Wednesday and a Friday 12:30-13:30 for £1.00 per meal with free surplus fruit, veg and bread also available for collection.
As lockdown restrictions were relaxed we were able to resume some of our normal services including our Playroom - a free Ofsted registered early years setting. This is for children 1 years old - up to the age of 8 years old. The Playroom is now more outdoor focussed with sessions in Tarner Park. This gives children a chance to connect with nature and explore their outdoor surroundings, using real tools and taking risks in a safe way.
Our allotment at Walpole Road has been a lifeline for volunteers and families in need of outdoor space this year. The crops during the summer were given out in food parcels and continue to supply our kitchen with local organic produce. The allotment remains available for booked sessions for adults and accompanied children on Mondays.
We have a computer room here at the centre with a printer and internet access. For those who are digitally excluded, this is a worrying time as they cannot access critical online services like finding up-to-date and accurate information, accessing health advice and services, and buying essentials online. We are offering booked, one to one (socially distanced) digital support appointments with our digital champion volunteers to continue to support vulnerable people access the internet and gain digital skills. We are also still providing welfare and benefits advice online and by phone.
As winter draws in and Christmas approaches, we are spreading festive cheer and gifting hampers to local people who are struggling this year. Hampers to include, treats, toys/activity packs, hot water bottle, blankets, hats, gloves, scarves, toiletries and other goodies. If you can think of local people who might be in need or would like to donate items, please get in touch, (see contact details below)
We are also running a socially distanced Christmas grotto for children aged 0-12 years on Sunday 13th December. (booking required) please call by 12pm Friday 11th December at the latest to avoid disappointment.
We continue to be amazed and humbled by the support we’ve been shown by so many from local people and organisations who have donated and supported us throughout this pandemic. From baking personalised birthday cakes to go out in food parcels, to gifting art supplies for activity packs, it is fantastic to see charities and community groups working together and supporting each other during such challenging times.
Next year is our fortieth year and we have exciting plans on the horizon including our AGM, new dance classes and educational workshops, running group, a cook book and celebration events so watch this space.
For more information and regular updates about what services we offer please see our website, Facebook or Instagram.
Our normal office hours are Tues-Friday 10am-4pm.
Christmas office hours are 10am-2pm 22nd-23rd Dec
CLOSED 24TH, 25TH Dec, 1st Jan
No Playroom, Lunches, Allotment, Digital Support or Laundry services 22nd Dec– 5th January
6 Tilbury Place, Brighton BN2 0GY
T: 01273 671 213
E: info@bucfp.org
Food & Xmas 2020.
This page is a work in progress, and will be updated.
Brighton and Hove Food Partnership have started the process of compiling support available during the festive season on the following pages,
Opening times of emergency food available to download at the top of this page:
https://bhfood.org.uk/resources/referring-to-a-food-bank/
Christmas meal delivery here:
https://bhfood.org.uk/directory-hub/meal-delivery-takeaway-services-covid-19-info/
Christmas blog about where to donate food money or time here:
https://bhfood.org.uk/where-to-donate-food-money-or-time-this-christmas/