An Update

Quite a lot to report on as much is going on at the moment. Another audit takes place and we pass with a good report as our systems and progress seem to be robust. The project has been commended as a "best practice" model and has exceeded its outputs so we were operating from a position of strength. But the word audit is still enough to make one feel uneasy and check the files to make sure everything is in order. It appears that it was and we have a pleasant visit to verify our systems. Apart from that it is to and from to Lewes to keep up to date with the Community Foundation. It is the Annual General Meeting with some good progress to report. From a standin start two and a bit years ago the Foundation have distributed over £300,000 to groups accross Sussex. It is also pleasing that the Foundation has been awarded the major contract to administer the Governments Grassroots Grants and Endowment Challange. Our association with the Sussex Community Foundation has been a good use of my time as I feel we add value to an organisation which ios strategically important for the County.

What else...of course - the new building. I chair a Team meeting to discuss in detail our requirements and how we might seek to organise ourselves. It is good to have people like Pauline who has long standing experience of managing our own buildings but also James who developed and managed a multi-functional community space. Then it is back to Lewes to spend all of Friday interviewing prospective grants managers. It is a good panel and there were some quality candidates so we have a good discussion about this appointment. It is challenging role and picking new staff members for small organisations where flexibility and versatility are needed is always a challenge.

Our Compact meeting takes place with the Council - their formal response will go through the usual process but it was a useful exchange of views. Given that we met for almost 2 hours made it feel like progress could be made but the playing field will still need to be levelled. I thought Jill and I did an OK job of presenting our case but time will tell. This morning I spend some considerable time with one of our member organisations who have some medium to severe compliance issues with part of their funding. They are doing the work, of course, but the systems needed to prove it and comply with a detailed funding agreement need some serious attention. I then have a break and walk the dog before returning to work for an evening session. We are working with Terence Higgins Trust to support them in creating and offering a local 1 hour HIV testing service and it is the first monthly session tonight. It is a pilot which will run for 3 months (3 sessions) and a quick evaluation to see if there is the uptake and/or need for a regular service.