Great feedback from our NNS Lunch and Learn event in December

 

A big thank you to all of the people who attended our Lunch and Learn event at All Saint's Church Centre on Tuesday 9th December. The event was attended by 50 people representing 22 groups.

The following funding and capacity support agencies provided advice and guidance to our community assets:

• Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust
• Digital NNS
• Commissioning team - Birmingham City Council
• Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council 
• Sutton Coldfield NNS
• Birmingham Community Matters
• Additional materials provided by BVSC

We received great feedback from community assets and our team was engaged in many useful conversations which will guide our work in the future. The capacity support organisations were also kept very busy all afternoon and plenty of networking was taking place between the groups themselves. It was a thoroughly great event and something we will definitely organise again in 2026.    

Feedback from event included:

Resource Library

Good practice policies and procedures please

Digital Marketing/Promotion and top tips

Printing facilities (especially posters)

Training that assets would like to see

LGBT+ Training

First aid training

Bid writing

Food hygiene

Organise events

New volunteer inductions

Running a team

Equality training

Helping carers to prepare for their role

Safeguarding training

Recommended training providers

Recommend Our Place safeguarding training

Recommend Training Express for Health and Safety, Food Hygiene and First Aid

4.  Preferred Format of training

Online training great

1-to-1 training

Online video/portal to watch in own time

Happy with any format

Online group- staff more likely to engage

5.  Specific training/support around accessibility

Basic BSL training

Awareness training- autism, mental health, BSL

Digital training for volunteers

Prevent falls by giving respite to carers

Mental health/ stress and anxiety and Digital Inequality

Focus on isolated carers needs

 

Trips and Falls this winter

You're more at risk of slips, trips and falls during icy weather conditions.

Plan ahead to #StayWellThisWinter

Keep your hands free to stabilise yourself

Wear shoes with good grip

Avoid going out early in the morning when frost is thick or late at night when it’s dark

BEAM Project – Free Wellbeing Programme for Carers

 

The BEAM Project is a free 3-week wellbeing programme for carers supporting an older adult aged 50+. The programme is designed to give carers dedicated time to focus on their own wellbeing, while the person they care for enjoys safe, engaging support in a high-quality Older Adults Day Care setting.

What the programme includes

• Free weekly wellbeing sessions for carers of adults aged 50+
• Free respite care for the older adult, with age-appropriate activities
• Free lunch for both the carer and the person they support
• Delivered at Moorfield Hall, Shard End, Birmingham

Programme structure

Each cohort meets once a week for three consecutive weeks:

• Week 1: Movement, relaxation, mindfulness and stress reduction
• Week 2: Nutrition, energy levels, sleep and metabolic health
• Week 3: Rest, recovery, resilience and personal wellbeing planning

Upcoming dates

• Cohort 1: 15th, 22nd & 29th January 2026
• Cohort 2: 5th, 12th & 19th February 2026

Key information

• Participants must be carers supporting an adult aged 50 or over
• Attendance at all three sessions is required
• Places are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis

Referrals / enquiries

If you are aware of any carers who may benefit from this programme, please encourage them to get in touch directly:

Email: Daycare@ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk

Winter Wellbeing Bags for vulnerable older people in Sutton Coldfield

Just in time for the cold spell, a big thank you to Katie Bradshaw and colleagues at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for the donation of 18 winter wellbeing bags to be distributed to vulnerable older people in Sutton Coldfield. Pictured is Pete Millington from Sutton Coldfield NNS (part of Age Concern Birmingham) who braved the icy roads to pick up the bags from Katie at their HQ at Priestley Wharf.

The production of the bags was funded by Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust. Each bag contains a hat, scarf, mindful colouring book and pens, flask with hot choc and soup, blanket and hot water bottle.

DBS Checks - Understanding Eligibility: Workshop for West Midlands VCSE Sector

DBS aims to protect the public by helping employers make safer recruitment and employment decisions, and by barring individuals who pose a risk to vulnerable groups from engaging in regulated activity.

In the new year, DBS are running workshops for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in the West Midlands.

The sessions are free-of-charge and will be delivered via MS Teams.

The DBS Eligibility Workshop is suitable for anyone who has responsibility for engaging with DBS processes and legislation within their organisation including those who decide on levels of checks to be applied for, carry out recruitment or manage staff in regulated activity, or have responsibility for safeguarding.

The workshop will cover:

• The different levels of DBS checks
• When an employee is eligible for a check
• Regulated Activity - Children and Adults
• DBS Update Service
• What safe recruitment practices can be in place, that DBS checks form a part of

Registration Link - DBS Eligibility Workshop

The DBS Partnerships team reserves the right to amend or cancel should we, for whatever reason, be unable to deliver an advertised training session. In these circumstances, the partnerships team will endeavour to provide adequate notice but will also ensure that a substitute date is made available. If you have any accessibility requirements we need to be aware of please email me rebecca.haines@dbs.gov.uk a minimum of two weeks prior to the session, where the advertised date allows.