Book Now!

The 2012 National Hospital Radio Awards Ceremony will be held on the Saturday Evening of the HBA National Conference at the Park Inn, Northampton from Friday 30th March to 1st April 2012.

All of the entries have been sorted and are with the judges. The shortlist should be out at the beginning of February but don't wait unitl then to guarantee the rooms that you want. You can book now by downloading a form from the website and sending it to Julie Cox, HBA Treasurer who is waiting to process your booking!

Hope to see you in Northampton!

Fundraising in a Small Charity

With funding from the Office for Civil Society, the Institute of Fundraising is running a full-day conference on "Fundraising in a Small Charity" at the School of Oriental and African Studies, just off Russell Square, London at the end of March 2012. The cost is only £20.

Full details, including programme for the day, with 4 parallel tracks is available here.

Charity references on websites

The Scottish Government have today (15th December) passed legislation that requires that Scottish Charities publish certain information on their website home page.

The information is the same as that already required to be included in certain other documents:

1. the registered number allocated by OSCR as part of the registration process;
   
2. the charity's name as entered in the Scottish Charity Register;
   
3. any other name by which the charity is commonly known; and
   
4. where the name entered in the Scottish Charity Register does not include “charity” or “charitable”, that the organisation is a charity.

Charities Act 2011

The Charities Act 2011 today (14th December) received Royal Assent and will come into force on 15th March 2012.

The Act is a "consolidation act", bringing together the provisions of a number of existing Acts of Parliament covering charity law into a single act. It does not make any substantive changes to the law.

The Act generally extends to England and Wales only (with some exceptions). It replaces the Recreational Charities Act 1958, the Charities Act 1993 (which was itself a consolidating Act) and many of provisions of the Charities Act 2006. The provisions of the Charities Acts 1992 and 2006 which apply to institutions other than charities as well as to charities, including the fundraising provisions, are not included in the Act.

Northampton 2012

The HBA’s Annual Conference is just around the corner and it really will be one not to be missed, packed full of surprises.

Running from Friday 30th March to Sunday 1st April, we’re again returning to the Park Inn by Radisson in Northampton, which has undergone refurbishment since our last visit.

Have you ever wondered how to create the perfect Podcast for your programme or station? Or do you want tips on how to put together the perfect awards entry?

They’re just two of the seminar’s being worked on for the 2012 Conference Weekend – and if they don’t tickle your taste buds, then don’t worry, one of the others will fit the bill.

There will also be plenty of opportunities to network with other volunteers from across the country, sharing great ideas with each other over a drink or two! Oh, and don’t forget the fabulous trade exhibition, which this year promises to be bigger and better than ever – and not just for the so-called “techies”!

Review of Charity Law

Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, today (8th November) announced that Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts will lead a full review of the law relating to charities in England and Wales. Lord Hodgson will report to Parliament by summer 2012.

This review fundamentally aims to understand how the 2006 Act is operating in practice, how effective it is, and whether the legal framework for charities in England and Wales is fit for purpose now and in the future. In doing so, the review will take into account the significant political, economic, social and technological changes in the charity sector’s wider operating environment since the 2006 Act was passed. The review will therefore take a broad approach and seek to address these three issues:
1) what is a charity and what are the roles of charities?;
2) what do charities need to have/be able to do in order to be able to deliver those roles?;
3) what should the legal framework for charities look like in order to meet those needs (as far as possible)?

The full Terms of reference can be found here.

If you have any thoughts that you'd like HBA to consider including in its input to the review, please let me know.

Sir Jimmy Saville: 1926 - 2011

Disc jockey, television presenter, media personality, and long-time supporter of Hospital Broadcasting, Sir Jimmy Savile passed away on Saturday 29th October 2011.

Well known for his charitable work, Sir Jimmy was an ambassador for the Hospital Broadcasting Association and a staunch supporter of Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio.