We received a useful and informative email from our friends at Herts Rural Support Networks, with lots of resources for a lot of worthy causes. Here it is:

Hello all,

A few updates from our team plus a bit of other info that may be useful:

Upcoming webinars:

ESOL and employment support webinars
Tuesday 1st November, 1pm – 2.30pm & Wednesday 2nd November 6pm – 7.30pm

This will be for guests, hosts, and anyone involved in supporting Ukrainian guests and a translator will be present. It will include presentations from our knowledgeable colleagues, Barbara McDonagh, Step2Skills, and Anne Stokes and Ruby Anand. An invite directly to guests and hosts.

Housing and benefits webinar – times, dates and details to be confirmed
Cybercrime, fraud, modern slavery and human trafficking – countering manipulation, exploitation and grooming within refugee communities

Monday 5th December 2022 – 2 Sessions:

14:00 – 15:15 : for staff, volunteers and partner agencies

18:00 – 19:15 : for families and hosts (translations provided)

Please see poster attached for contact details.

Please find attached the updated Flourish leaflet – please circulate and use this version. The referral form remains the same.

Kids activities over half term

There’s a couple of free family workshops in Stevenage in half term – Autumn Explorers
There’s some useful info at Hertfordshire County Council | Amazing Autumn Adventures, including info about the Reuse shops which may have bikes.

Attached poster for a session at Watford Library in half term – create your own comic (tickets £5)

Hertfordshire Police, in partnership with Hertfordshire Libraries, are running a series of free Cyber and Fraud awareness talks across all ten county districts over the next year

These are separate to the webinar above, which will be targeted specifically on the risks for refugees. The awareness talks are free events in which the public can drop-in at any time to chat with Fraud, Cyber and Trading Standards specialists, as well as Herts Beacon, who will all be on-hand to listen, advise and signpost. Throughout the day, there will also be scheduled talks which anyone can attend; no prior booking is required. These events are suitable for all ages and especially valuable to those who seek in-person fraud and cyber-crime prevention advice, are less tech-savvy, or whom may be considered vulnerable. A couple of posters are attached and the first three events will take place in the following districts:

· Bishops Stortford Library (23 November 10.45am-4.45pm)

· Hatfield Library, 13th December (10.45am-4.45pm)

· Letchworth Library, (18th January 10.45am-4.45pm).

Herts libraries (centrally and locally) will also be posting and promoting the remaining events on a 3-month rolling basis on their website: Are you cybercrime and fraud aware? (hertfordshire.gov.uk) and their events calendar.