[WiLT] Smaller charities invited to apply for party conference bursary scheme - apply by 30 May

[WiL Admin]

Smaller charities invited to apply for party conference bursary scheme

Following on from the success of last year, NCVO is once again
inviting smaller charities (with incomes of less than £500,000) to
submit applications to attend one of the three main Political Party
Conferences in 2008 as part of the Party Conference Bursary Scheme.

Party Conferences can be tremendously useful forums for bringing
together charities with relevant peer groups and politicians, however,
the cost can often prohibit smaller charities from attending. Last
year, for the first time, NCVO offered fifteen charities the chance to
attend the Conferences.  This opportunity ensured that the views and
interests of smaller organisations with limited income were
represented at the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat
conferences, despite not having access to sizeable budgets.

Jim Vaughan from the British Federation of Youth Marching Band
Organisations was one of the organisations that attended the Liberal
Democrat conference in 2007, he comments:

"For a totally voluntary youth group such as ours to access a
political conference was a valuable experience.  Speaking at the
fringe event meeting gave me the opportunity to raise issues that
effect wider voluntary youth provision.  It enabled me to raise
concerns about formulation and implementation of policy with an
audience that were subsequently involved in wider discussion on
relevant party policy."

Organisations from within community and voluntary sector interested in
applying for a week's pass to the Labour, Conservative or Liberal
Democrat party conferences plus two nights accommodation and travel,
should contact NCVO's Parliamentary Campaigns Officer on 020 7520 2505
/ partyconference at ncvo-vol.org.uk or download an application form at
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/partyconferencebursary and submit it by 5pm
on Friday 30 May.

The bursary scheme is open to NCVO and non-NCVO members alike.

Applications must state information about your organisation including
its aims and issues, what you hope to achieve from attending the
conference and what you would ask the Minister or Opposition
spokesperson for the Third Sector if you were in a meeting with them.

For more information, please contact Pete Moorey in the NCVO Media
Office on 020 7520 2468 or at pete.moorey at ncvo-vol.org.uk

2008 Party Conference dates:
* Liberal Democrats, Bournemouth: Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17
September
* Labour, Manchester: Saturday 20 to Wednesday 24 September
* Conservatives, Birmingham: Sunday 28 to Wednesday 1 October

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk is the umbrella body for the voluntary
sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland.  NCVO has over 5,700 members, ranging from large
national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and
development agencies working at a local level.  With over 280,000
staff and over 13 million volunteers working for our members, we
represent and support almost half the voluntary sector workforce.