Charity shops are inundated with second-hand stock donations at the moment, and social distancing rules have slowed the flow of customers, but selling goods online – using websites like eBay - is an increasingly popular way for charities to make money.

Leaders from 36 national VCSE umbrella bodies, have signed a joint statement on the problem of race inequality in society and the sector and the impact this has on staff, volunteers and the communities that they serve.

As many English charity shops look to reopen their doors from Monday 15 June, with social distancing regulations and COVID-secure guidelines in place and a likely reduction in volunteer numbers, the VCSE sector is calling for donors to consider the relevance and quality of the goods they donate.

The Disability Charities Consortium (DCC) has criticised the government for failing to represent the interests of disabled people.

In a statement, the DCC members say that disabled people are being forgotten by the government and have been allowed to fall through the cracks.

Public Health England has published its report on the disparity between COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population, and in the white or white ethnic population.

Under normal circumstances there are many community organisations that don't apply for National Lottery grants, as the money given away is raised from gambling. However, the National Lottery Community Fund is responsible for distributing the government's Coronavirus Community Response Fund - an important source of emergency funding during the pandemic for small to medium organisations, with £200m available. 

A new report from the Ubele Initiative has found that almost 90% of micro and small community organisations led by people of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds could be forced to close if the COVID-19 crisis continues until June 2020.

Ubele is an intergenerational social enterprise led by the African Diaspora, which works to build more sustainable communities in the UK.