Welcome to Future Focus 2024
Future Focus brings together the local VCSE sector to engage in a range of workshops on key topics affecting the sector, share ideas and innovation, be inspired by stories and network with one another.
This year Future Focus is an opportunity to ‘Network Inspire and Connect’. This is an occasion for organisations to come together with their Peers, hear inspiring stories, engage in thought provoking conversations and celebrate all the great work that the VCSE achieves in Leicester and Leicestershire.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect and collaborate - Book your place now!When and where
Future Focus 2024 is being held on Wednesday 18 September 2024, at Beaumanor Hall, Beaumanor Drive, Woodhouse, Loughborough LE12 8TX.
Details on how to get there can be found on the hotel website:
Delegates will have the choice of attending one of four seminars in the morning and one of four seminars in the afternoon. There are limited spaces available so please book promptly.
In addition to this attendees will be able to hear from several Keynote Speakers during the day.
If you are from a City organisation there is a small £25.00 charge.
Lunch and Refreshments are provided throughout the day for all delegates.
Registration opens at 9.30am with the conference beginning at 10am with a Welcome speech from our CEO, Kevin Allen-Khimani followed by our first Keynote Speaker. You can find out more about the agenda on our booking page.
Book your ticket and choose your choice of workshops now!Agenda
| 9:30am | Registration |
| 10:00am | Welcome: Kevin Allen-Khimani, Executive Manager, VAL |
| 10:10am | Keynote Speaker: Dr. Caroline Trevithick, Chief Executive, LLR ICB |
| 10:35am | Morning Workshops |
| 11:45am | Break |
| 12:00pm | Spotlight Session: Henry Dawe – The Autumn of My Years & Anthony Kevins - Balancing Social Care Priorities |
| 12:30pm | VAL AGM - Linda Jones, VAL Chair |
| 1:00pm | Networking Lunch |
| 2:00pm | Afternoon Workshops |
| 3:00pm | Closing Speaker: Gethyn Williams - Gethyn Williams Consultancy |
| 3:15pm | Final thoughts & Close: Linda Jones, Chair of Trustees, VAL |
| 3:30pm | Final Networking Opportunity |
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Caroline Trevithick
Chief Executive, LLR ICB
Caroline has a wealth of experience gained over many years and in a variety of healthcare settings, at local, regional and national level. She has worked in NHS quality management/clinical governance since 1995. Caroline brings extensive knowledge of the NHS from the frontline services to senior and strategic level and her primary focus has always been quality, safety and patient experience.
Caroline came into post as the ICB’s Chief Executive in November 2023.
Morning Workshops – 10:35am – 11.45pm
GP practice improvements in response to patient experiences
Join us and colleagues from the local NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) (the organisation that buys and plans health services), to look at the improvements and actions implemented to improve patient experiences and share the insights gathered from the local GP patient survey where almost 29,000 local people gave their views.
This seminar is delivered by Gemma Barrow - Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire, Mayur Patel and Sue Venables - NHS LLR
Diversifying your income
This session will pull on expertise from around the CAF group to facilitate thought and debate about Income Diversity. We will look at the need for Income Diversification with reference to the latest CAF research and insight. We will consider options available to charitable organisations and share learning from CAF advisory team by looking at how they have helped other groups to diversify their income.
The seminar is delivered by Faye Hennessy & Ben Jowitt - Charities Aid Foundation - CAF Bank
Volunteering in 2024: from national picture to local focus
Volunteer engagement in the UK is experiencing a particularly challenging time, with participation rates lower than at any point in the last decade. Many are struggling with recruitment and retention. However it’s also one of the most exciting times in recent memory, with a range of national initiatives stepping up to meet this challenge, and new research and data, deepening our understanding of volunteering.
The seminar is delivered by Gethyn Williams - Gethyn Williams Consultancy
What is community wealth building and how to do it?
In this workshop you will be taken through the principles of Community wealth building, a new people-centred approach to local economic development, which redirects wealth back into the local economy, and places control and benefits into the hands of local people. You will explore community wealth building in the current UK context and evaluate its key role in developing an inclusive economy.
The seminar is delivered by Tobias Gould & June Gomes - Community Enterprise Engine
Spotlight Session: Henry Dawe – The Autumn of My Years
Henry is an actor and writer based in Uppingham, Rutland. He began his career with his first play Beyond The Pail at the 2016 Leicester Comedy Festival. Since then he has had pieces on radio, stage and television.
He has been invited to the conference to speak about his radio play The Autumn of My Years, first broadcast on Harborough FM in November 2023. It has since been accepted by Rutland and Stamford Sound, 103 The Eye in Melton Mowbray and Erewash Sound in Derbyshire for this autumn.
Spotlight Session: Anthony Kevins – Balancing Social Care Priorities
This talk will introduce an early-stage research project on social care preferences in the UK. To ensure that the project’s results are relevant and informative, we are looking for feedback on the research design from stakeholders with an interest in social care reform. The study will investigate how a variety of specific policy proposals – as suggested by those feeding into the project – may increase or decrease public support for reforms.
The findings will then be reported back to the conference next year, after data collection and analysis are complete.
Afternoon Workshops – 2:00pm – 3.00pm
Perfecting volunteering partnerships
Discover our partnership approach to volunteering, our guiding principles, and how we're ensuring our impact extends beyond current funding. We'll highlight the opportunities we offer and share the story of their development and growth towards future activities. Explore the variety of volunteering partnership models and envision how your organisation can collaborate with others to enrich volunteering.
This seminar is delivered Ali Brand-Barker - Charnwood Forest Geopark
Back Streets to Corridors of power
This session will explore how VCSE organisations can get involved in local politics and lobbying on specific causes and issues to bring about positive change. Lobbying focuses on key communication messages and using your networks to build support for your cause and overall momentum to effect positive change, so this session will explore how to build your lobbying strategy and practical actions to build support for your cause or issue.
The seminar is delivered by Steve Meadwell - Centre for Social Justice
How Charities Can Maximise Impact Through Digital Marketing
This session will cover why digital marketing is more than just a ‘nice-to-have’, how to maximize your impact online, and understanding your audience. Additionally, we will explore the pros and cons of different marketing channels and guide you in developing your marketing action plan.
The seminar is delivered by Rahoul Naik - Jetpack Marketing
Supporting the Armed Forces Community – Round Table Discussion
This session will be an open discussion on the needs of the local Armed Forces community and the support that is currently available and exploring how other VCSE organisations and services could potentially open their offers to engage members of the Armed Forces community within the local area.
This discussion will be lead by: VAL, NHS LLR Integrated Care Board, Leicestershire County Council & Royal Air Force Association