Tell us what advice you need

Cardiff Council provides grant funding for advice agencies in the city such as the Citizens Advice Bureau and Cardiff Law Centre. We are aware that the type of advice that people need, and the way in which they want to access it, changes over time. We are therefore undertaking a review of advice requirements with the aim of ensuring that future services are both accessible, and meet the needs of the general public.

The first stage of the review process is to invite views about advice requirements in Cardiff using an online questionnaire which is attached below. One lucky person, chosen at random, will win a cash prize of £100.

The closing date for receipt of questionnaires is 17th September 2010.

If you have any queries about the questionnaire please contact Helen Jones on
Tel : 029 2087 3341 or e mail : consultation@cardiff.gov.uk.

Thank you for taking the time to help with this survey. Please feel free to pass on the links to friends and family living in Cardiff so that they can take part.

http://surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/adviceservices/english/
http://surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/adviceservices/cymraeg

Get It Out; Donate It Don’t Waste It Charity Campaign is tonnes of success.

Now entering its sixth year, the award winning Get It Out For Cardiff (GIOFC) Campaign is a Keep Cardiff Tidy (KCT) Initiative. This year saw a huge charity push across the city resulting in unprecedented results. This is a scheme where unwanted items are donated by students for charities to collect and sell.

In co-operation with the Salvation Army, British Heart Foundation, FareShare and RAG, ‘Green Zones’ were set up across the city allowing students to donate re-useable items. The results speak for themselves:

Over 3 tonnes of clothing

One tonne of food

244 electrical items were collected (approximately 488Kg) of which 152 passed an electrical test to ensure they were safe for sale, which should raise around £2,000.
Half a tonne of bric-a-brac was donated and saved from landfill.

Working with Cardiff Council’s Student Liaison Officer, Kieran McCann, all 21 student Halls of Residence across the city plus Cardiff Student Union set up ‘Green Zones’ and encouraged their students to participate.

The clothing will be re-sold or recycled by the Salvation Army to help fund beds for the homeless and much more. The food will be used by FareShare to relieve food poverty for the most vulnerable communities in the UK.

A fete at Cardiff Students Union will sell the Bric-a-Brac items such as kitchen equipment, books etc. to students and the community at low cost. The British Heart Foundation will also sell the donated electrical items such as kettles and toasters at the fete and through its shops to assist its aim to beat heart disease.

The fete is open to anyone to attend and will be held on the 29th of September in Cardiff Students Union, it is a financial and environmental winner as students can get their house kitted out without having to purchase new. This initiative was made possible by Cardiff Self Storage who donated a unit to store the items over the summer. Bric-a-brac proceeds will be used to roll out the re-use campaign over the whole academic year and will be donated to RAG (Raise And Give)

Kieran McCann, Student Liaison Officer from Cardiff Council said:

“What can I say, it’s been amazing. It’s heartbreaking to see what re-usable items are sent to landfill every day across our city - initiatives like this offer optimism and fills me with enthusiasm. We have donated.tonnes of items that otherwise would have been disposed of, ensuring a win win situation for all, not least the environment. Everyone involved should be immensely proud. I think this is an example to all and sets a precedent. Thank you to all KCT partners, the halls of residence managers and staff, Cardiff Self Storage, Waste Management, the charities, unions and universities and of course all the students who donated and gave their time to make this work. We already have exciting plans to make this bigger for the coming academic year.

Shaun Moriarty from Liberty Living said:

“The Get It Out For Cardiff Initiative has been a great success and very much mirrors Liberty Living’s attitude to waste management. GIOFC and Liberty Living have achieved a winning outcome for all those who gave and those who receive”

Tim Goodson, Managing Director of Cardiff Self Storage said:

“Having recognised the importance of the campaign, Cardiff Self Storage was enthusiastic to contribute towards such a worthwhile cause. The benefits of helping the student population of Cardiff whilst also supporting local communities and charities was key to our involvement. It is great to see that our storage units have provided the flexible short-term storage solution for the items that have been successfully collected and recycled”.

Bute park feeder litter pick

Last Sunday (15th August) Cardiffdigs joined Cardiff Rivers Group with tackling litter picking and clearing the Bute Park Feeder that runs from Blackweir along the northern end of Bute Park.

Kitted out in waders, litter pickers, gloves and refuse bags the team of volunteers cleared over 30 bags full of litter, numerous shopping trolleys, several traffic cones, bricks, some sort of ventilation tube and even a huge roll of carpet. The group will be returning this Saturday on the 21st from 9.45 to 12 noon to continue clearing the rubbish and remove fallen branches and debris that not only makes the feeder look messy but is restricting the flow of water.

Any new volunteers will be warmly welcomed meet at 9.45 at Blackweir. There is free parking at Pontcanna fields changing rooms

For more details contact Dave King

http://cardiffriversgroup.blogspot.com/

http://www.keepwalestidy.org/4106.html

(Photo care of Cardiff Rivers Group)