A SERIES of free workshops will be held across Wychavon aimed at community groups, parish and town councils.

Following the success of the ‘Running an Effective Village Hall’ event last month, Wychavon District Council will be running a programme of ‘Supporting Communities’ workshops on various topics.

The first event will be ‘Finding the Finance: Identifying and Applying for Funding’ and will be held from 6.30pm to 8.30pm on 13 November at The Old Library in Droitwich.

Led by Jem Teal, Wychavon Community Development Manager, the workshop will cover how to identify your funding needs and how to raise funds through a range of methods including sponsorship, fundraising and grant applications.

On 19 November, a ‘Setting up a Community Organisation and Assessing the Strength of Your Community’ workshop will be held at Peopleton Village Hall.

Running between 2.30pm and 4.30pm, the event will outline the different types of community organisation and assess what is needed to set them up. It will also provide some practical advice on assessing your community’s strengths and needs.

The final workshop will be a ‘Planning and Running a Consultation’ workshop which will be held from 6.30pm to 8.30pm on 27 November at Peopleton Village Hall.

This workshop will look at the different stages in planning a consultation including who to consult, when to consult, which methods to use and what to do with the results. It will include examples of real consultation exercises and an opportunity for questions.

Cherrie Mansfield, Wychavon’s Strategy and Performance Manager, said: “Community organisations are the lifeblood of many towns and villages across the district with lots of them are run by just a handful of dedicated volunteers. These free events are a great way to support those involved in running them. There will be plenty of advice and practical ideas on offer plus, the opportunity to ask questions and learn from other attendees.”