A new city-wide curriculum for schools, the One Bristol Curriculum, will be created to highlight Bristol’s BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) history and the achievements of local people from BAME backgrounds. It will also tie into the One City Plan.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has released findings from its latest Community Life Survey.

The annual survey provides official statistics on issues that are important to encouraging social action and empowering communities, including volunteering, giving, community engagement, well-being and loneliness.

The next round of the Co-op Local Community Fund is available for applications from causes that support Co-op's values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. Priority is given to local charities and other voluntary organisations with an income of less than £1 million per year.

NHS Blood and Transport has funding available for organisations and groups who can promote organ donation in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. There are two strands of funding: up to £2,499, and £2,500-10,000.

Bristol City Council is consulting on the introduction of a clean air zone (CAZ) to the city.

Two options have been put forward that aim to lower pollution in the shortest possible time. They also aim to minimise any impact for people on lower incomes. The consultation runs for six weeks with the deadline for responses on Monday 12 August 2019.

Bristol City Council is consulting on its Polling Districts and Polling Places Review.

The review identifies potential changes to polling stations and polling district boundaries. It also ensures proper and efficient distribution of polling stations to enable the democratic process.

Loneliness Awareness Week, run by Bristol-based charity (and Voscur member) The Marmalade Trust, has been tied to UK-wide loneliness studies and the government’s launch of a Loneliness Strategy and a new campaign.

Voscur Trustee and Sector Leader Suzanne Thompson is CEO of The Restore Trust. In this article she explains why the latest probation reforms need to go further to ensure voluntary sector involvement.

I was among the many who welcomed the proposed reforms of the probation service last month.