Evaluation Support Scotland

Evaluation is about working out what difference you are making through your services or activities. This can often seem to be a complicated process! However, Evaluation Support Scotland can help!

Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) works with voluntary organisations and funders so they can measure the impact of their work. We provide practical support and access to resources and tools. We take action to build evaluation and learning into funding and policy-making processes.

The ESS website contains a large number of resources about aspects of evaluation; these include a series of ESS Support Guides and a range of publications from other organisations.

ESS offers a range of training courses that run throughout the year, each of which can be booked online, by following the links below:

What are my Outcomes – next date 3 September 2009
Collecting Information to report on outcomes – next date 18 September 2009
Using Visual Approaches to evaluate your project – next date 1 October 2009

We are also able to offer a limited amount of one to one evaluation support for organisations requiring it, most frequently for people who have already attended one of our training courses.

If you would like to subscribe to the ESS quarterly e-newsletter and hear what ESS have been up to, please email info@evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk with the word 'subscribe' in the subject line.

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland - Surgery Tour 2009 - As part of its ongoing commitment to investing in the Scottish community, Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland holds a series of surgeries throughout Scotland for local recognised charities. The surgery is an opportunity for you to have one-to-onne session with one of our Assessors, and to discuss how to go abut ptting an application to the Foundation.

If you wish to attend one of the surgeries detailed below, please call 0870 902 1201

The full list of Surgery 09 Tour dates can be found on our website.

Village SOS

An exciting rural initiative from the BIG Lottery Fund and the BBC, challenging villages across the UK to come up with brilliant ideas for brand new businesses.

Does your village have a bright idea?
Six successful enterprises will share up to £3 million and will work closely with a Village Champion to get their businesses up and running.

Summary
Village SOS is an exciting new initiative from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) and the BBC. It is searching for six UK villages with a great business idea and six enterprising individuals to act as Village Champions and help them achieve their ambitions.

Together they will create a brand new venture that will bring new life and energy to the village with funding of between £100,000 and £400,000 from BIG.

The journey of the six successful villages and their Village Champions will be filmed for a major prime time BBC One series in winter 2010.

Bringing new life to UK villages
We are inviting villages across the UK to apply to BIG with ideas for successful enterprises that will help revive their communities, create new jobs and improve the quality of life of local people.

BIG and the BBC believe that villages are often sitting on a range of untapped potential that, with the strength of the community behind them, could be turned into thriving businesses.

Village SOS also aims to make an impact beyond the funded villages through a major learning campaign, which will help other villages use the learning and enthusiasm to take a bold step towards starting a new business that will regenerate their own communities.

Can my village apply?
If you live in a rural village with fewer than 3,000 people and have an idea for a new business that could bring energy and life back to your community, then Village SOS could be for you.

Your village on TV
The BBC will be documenting the journey of the six villages and their Village Champions for a major prime time series for BBC One in winter 2010. The programmes will follow the new enterprises from start-up to trading.

What to do next
Find out more about the programme in the questions and answers section.

Contact
If you have any questions about the programme and whether you are eligible, ring the BIG helpline on 0844 88 88 677 or email us at: general.enquiries@biglotteryfund.org.uk

Funding Roadshow Events - Revised Date
Do you have an idea for a project or initiative in your local community? Are you an established organisation looking to branch out into new activities? Are you looking for information or advice about applying for project funding?

If you’ve answered Yes to any of the questions above, then the Funding Roadshows could be for you. The roadshows will be taking place across a range of dates and locations in Fife from May through to September and will be staffed by representatives from Fife Council’s Funding & Monitoring Team, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Fife Environmental Trust and the Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS Fife and VONEF).

The dates/locations are as follows:
Wednesday 5 August, Volunteer Centre Fife, Kirkcaldy, 4 – 6pm
Wednesday 2 September, Rothes halls, Glenrothes, 2 – 4pm
The sessions will be run on a drop-in basis; however, to give us an idea of potential numbers, please contact CVS Fife or VONEF if you’re planning to attend.

Contact: Elizabeth Kirk
Phone: 01592567001
Email: elizabeth.kirk@cvsfife.org