Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 1000+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Reading Continuum of Help and Support Briefings
22 October 2026Reading’s Continuum of Help and Support has been updated to reflect developments in local services, partnerships and support pathways since the previous Threshold Document was published. These briefing sessions will introduce the updated guidance, highlight key changes, and support practitioners to confidently identify needs, understand available support, and help children, young people and families access ...
New RBC consultation on Reading town centre – deadline 30 November 2026
21 October 2026
Reading Borough Council (RBC) has prepared a Draft Town Centre Vision and Delivery Plan. Together they set out a long-term vision for Central Reading and identify priority projects to help deliver it. RBC is calling on people and organisations to respond to the public consultation. It can be found at https://reading.govocal.com/en-GB/projects/town-centre-vision-consultation. The consultation asks people what their ...
Help shape healthy neighbourhoods in Reading
21 October 2026
Reading Healthy Neighbourhood Stakeholder Survey The Reading VCS are working in collaboration with RBC, BHFT, primary care, RBHFT and the ICB to develop a plan for integrated working and healthy neighbourhoods. Please share your experiences and examples of existing neighbourhood collaborations, as well as gaps and opportunities, in the Reading VCS Healthy Neighbourhoods Survey. The survey should take ...
Funding available for practical environmental action in your community
21 October 2026
The National Lottery Community Fund have funding programmes open to local groups who want to take practical steps to make a positive difference to the environment and help people connect with nature in their area. National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment grants range from £300 to £20,000 and Reaching Communities England grants range ...
Volunteers needed for a children’s gut health and behaviour study at the University of Reading
21 October 2026
At the University of Reading, we’re looking for parents of 3 to 5.5 year olds to take part in a study exploring the effect of a prebiotic fibre supplement on children’s gut bacteria, behaviour and thinking skills. In our first phase, we explored links between children’s diets, gut bacteria, and behaviour. This second phase builds on ...
Volunteers needed for a sleep study at the University of Reading
15 October 2026At the University of Reading, we’re looking for volunteers to take part in a study exploring the effect of prebiotic supplementation on sleep, mood, cognition and the gut microbiome. This study builds on previous research, which showed that prebiotics can improve sleep and reduce inflammation. We are interested to see the effect of prebiotic supplementation on ...
The easyfundraising Impact Fund Second Round – deadline 8 November 2026
15 October 2026
The easyfundraising Impact Fund is back for a second round, with 15 unrestricted grants of £1,000 available to UK not-for-profit organisations – double the £500 grants awarded in the first round. As the funding is unrestricted, you can use it wherever your organisation needs it most, whether that’s covering day-to-day running costs, delivering projects or investing ...
New funding opportunity for free specialist legal advice organisations in the South East – deadline 1 November 2026
15 October 2026
Introducing the Legal Advice Sustainability Scheme The Legal Advice Sustainability Scheme (LASS) is the next phase of support for the advice sector from The London Legal Support Trust, designed for specialist free legal advice organisations providing support in London and the South East. LASS retains the core strengths of COEx — long‑term thinking, trust‑based relationships and unrestricted ...
Becoming Mums – Creativity, Care and Mental Health Conference
14 October 2026
Creativity, Care and Mental Health, a free cross-sector conference at the University of Reading on Thursday 5 November 2026 We are bringing together everyone who works with women*, mothers, children or families to look at how art and creativity can shape our mental health and wellbeing. Whether your experience is in health, maternity, mental health, social care, family support, ...
Depression Xpression receives National Lottery funding
14 October 2026
Depression Xpression is celebrating being awarded £2,770 from the National Lottery Community Fund Depression Xpression is a peer support group founded in 2014 for people with depression and other mental health issues. It runs monthly evening meetings and a drop-in coffee morning every Friday in Reading. There are also regular online support groups for those unable ...
Pride in cancer care
7 October 2026
Thames Valley Positive Support (TVPS) has been awarded £105,110 to help improve cancer care for LGBTQIA+ people The CARE grant from Macmillan Cancer Support will help deliver lasting improvements to local cancer care and support services. Macmillan CARE grants are a new initiative by the national cancer charity, as they work to make cancer care better ...
Free workplace mental health training from The Charlie Waller Trust
7 October 2026
Managing for Good Mental Health – free training for Berkshire’s charity and voluntary sector Good people management can make a significant difference to the wellbeing of individuals, teams and organisations. However, managers can sometimes find conversations about mental health difficult, particularly when situations require additional sensitivity. This practical workshop will help managers build the confidence, skills and ...
Council Tax Support Scheme consultation – open until 19 November 2026
7 October 2026
Reading Borough Council is proposing to replace its current Council Tax Support Scheme for working-age residents with a new simplified income-banded scheme from April 2027: the Council Tax Support Scheme, which helps people on low incomes pay their council tax. The current system was designed for an older welfare system and no longer works efficiently alongside ...
Stop Hate Helpline – a new support service for residents
6 October 2026
Ahead of Hate Crime Awareness Week, 10–18 October 2026, we have launched the Stop Hate Helpline in Reading, run by Stop Hate UK. The Helpline is a live and confidential 24-hour service for anyone who has experienced prejudice or been targeted because of any aspect of their identity. A Hate Crime is any criminal offence that ...
Community Awards – nominate by 9 October 2026
6 October 2026
This week is your last chance to submit your nominations for the Community Awards! The final day for nominations is Friday, 9 October 2026. We are particularly looking for nominations for the following award categories, which are currently missing nominations: Community Education and Digital Inclusion Award Inspirational Young People Award Community Advice, Legal Support and Advocacy Award Aliana Young Person’s Award Community ...
Free music DJing, broadcasting and music production workshops for young people
5 October 2026
Gold Dust Hub CIC are hosting a series of free workshops (4 weeks) in Reading designed to give young people a hands-on, inspiring introduction to the worlds of basic DJing, broadcasting, and music production. This program is a fantastic way for young people to discover their creative potential and gain real-world experience in a warm, safe, ...
RBC Micro Grants Fund 2026–27 – deadline 13 November 2026
5 October 2026
Reading Borough Council has launched this Micro Grants Programme, which offers £250 or £500 to support grassroots groups and individuals get started, test new ideas, or grow existing creative projects. Who is eligible to apply? Applications are welcome from: individuals, informal groups or small organisations people who live in or work with communities in Whitley and Church wards in ...
RBC Small Grants Fund 2026–27 – deadline 13 November 2026
5 October 2026Reading Borough Council has allocated £150k for small grants to the voluntary and community sector for the year 2026–27. Who is eligible to apply? To be eligible, applicants must: be a registered charity or a not for profit organisation have a gross annual income below £100k not have already received £20k from an RBC grant during 2025/2026 be applying to deliver ...
Older Person’s Day – 1 October 2026, Broad Street Mall
23 September 2026
Reading’s Older Persons’ Day event takes place on Thursday 1 October, from 9.30am to 2pm in Broad Street Mall There will be over 30 stalls on the ground and first floor of the Broad Street Mall with specialist advice and support aimed at older people, their families and friends. Organisations you can speak to on the ...
Common Ground Award – capital funding – deadline 12 October 2026
23 September 2026
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has launched a further round of the Common Ground Award to invest capital funding into Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations. The fund is targeted at organisations supporting social connections across and between different communities and will support the cost of constructing or renovating ...