Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 900+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Reducing loneliness and social isolation – digitally
2 July 2019People who are not online and who are lonely and socially isolated face multiple barriers to participating and flourishing in the digital society. There are over 9 million people in the UK who are lonely and socially isolated and over 11.3 million people who don’t have basic online skills. Our town is surrounded by tech ...
We’ve updated our Safeguarding Resources for you!
2 July 2019
Reading benefits from a diverse range of community and voluntary groups working tirelessly to offer invaluable services to those most in need. To help you find all the key safeguarding information quickly and easily we have updated the Safeguarding section of our Knowledgebase. What’s new: Updated DBS guide with more examples of what might apply in your groups Updated ...
South Reading Community Hub celebrates its first birthday
27 June 2019
A community hub in Whitley has become an essential part of the neighbourhood within its first year. South Reading Community Hub first opened its doors in June 2018 and is already a popular meeting place for a variety of different groups and provides a range of services for local people. Reading Borough Council is investing £2 million ...
Reading Services Guide – market testing
26 June 2019Reading Council’s Adult Social Care Transformation Team is undertaking a review of the Council’s on-line Reading Services Guide. RBC would like feedback from you and your colleagues about what features you think work well at the moment or what could be improved on. Please can you respond to the following questions: 1. What do and your colleagues ...
Reading Volunteer Awards 2019
20 June 2019
Words by Oriela De Rossi, photos by Kate Shorey On Thursday 6 June 2019, Reading Voluntary Action hosted the third annual Reading Volunteer Awards on the fourteenth floor of Thames Tower. The event celebrated and honoured volunteers and the extraordinary impact that volunteering has on the town. On arrival, award nominees were presented with certificates of thanks ...
Smart Works Reading Chair Sarah Burns receives MBE
20 June 2019
The Chair of Smart Works Reading, Sarah Burns, has received an MBE for her services to disadvantaged women in the Thames Valley. Smart Works Reading said: Sarah is passionate about supporting women in her local community and has built a welcoming, sustainable and successful charity. She is an inspiring, motivated and creative individual who always puts ...
Safeguarding update – the Charity Commission reports on Oxfam
19 June 2019
A summary of the Charity Commission inquiry into the Oxfam Haiti scandal, outlining the key findings. Followed by a checklist of ‘lessons learnt’ that your charity can use to ensure good safeguarding practice, regardless of whether you are a small community group or a larger charity.
Celebrating Real Jobs: University design exhibition on until 28 June
19 June 2019
The Department of Typography & Graphic Communication at the University of Reading has an exhibition on until 28 June celebrating typography students’ contribution to local businesses, charities and academic projects over five decades of their Real Jobs scheme. The department’s professional experience programme gives students their first taste of working alongside clients to co-create, and deliver ...
New agenda item for Wellbeing Forum – 4 July 2019
19 June 2019The next Wellbeing Forum for the Voluntary and Community Sector will be on Thursday 4 July from 10 am to 1 pm at RISC, London Street, Reading. Refreshments will be available from 9:30am. Reading Borough Council is developing new ways of responding to people’s enquiries about care and support. The aim is to think community first ...
Sport in Mind receives the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
19 June 2019
Sport in Mind has been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. The charity operates with a simple mission to improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems through sport and physical activity and has been making a huge difference to the ...
Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust Community Centre Funding – open until 4 November 2019
17 June 2019The Armed Forces Covenant Trust has a number of funding streams. This article relates to Veterans Community Centre Funding.This is a capital grant programme for the renovation and refurbishment of community centres used by veterans and their communities. Ex-services personnel (and former merchant navy personnel) access a wide range of activities and supports through a ...
Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund Local Grants Programme – open until 2 December 2019
17 June 2019The Armed Forces Covenant Trust has a number of funding streams. This article relates to their Local Grants Programme. This is the final year (2019/2020) of the Local Grants Programme. Grants of up to £20K, to be spent over 12 months, are available for projects under two headings: Community integration: this means creating projects that create ...
Comic Relief strengthening mental health support for children and young people – open until 28 June 2019
14 June 2019Comic Relief are seeking proposals from those working on providing mental health support to children and young people at an early stage so that they are aware of their mental health and can build resilience as they grow and develop. They would like to fund proposals that are particularly focusing on vulnerable children and young people ...
Skills for Positive Futures Funding – open until 3 July 2019
14 June 2019The Berkeley Foundation is launching Skills for Positive Futures, a funding programme which will support vulnerable children and young people aged 8 to 14 years, to develop the life skills they need to thrive and make positive choices. Two grants sizes are available for a three-year period on a full cost recovery basis: Small grants of up ...
Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust Removing Barriers to Family Life
14 June 2019This programme will award grants to Armed Forces Charities or CICs or Armed Forces Units working with Armed Forces Families. The focus of the project should be on supporting the family rather than serving personnel or veterans. The lead applicant must be an armed forces charity or social enterprise, who can deliver this as a ...
Places available on free Restorative Practice Facilitators Training – in June and July 2019
13 June 2019There is national and regional evidence that restorative approaches significantly improve outcomes for children and the quality and consistency of professional practice across the workforce. Brighter Futures for Children are part of the NHS England restorative practice partnership programme, which also forms part of the One Reading Early Intervention Partnership aspiration to become a trauma-informed community. ...
Do you provide services for children and/or families?
13 June 2019The national Troubled Families Programme comes to an end in March 2020. The principles of the programme are to promote and embed whole family working including family assessments and plans that link directly to the Reading Troubled Families Programme. Due to the Troubled Families programme timeframes Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) now need to target resources ...
Briefing note on the Tenant Fees Act 2019
13 June 2019You may be aware that the Tenant Fees Act 2019 came into force on 1 June. The Act bans unfair lettings fees and sets out the fees that landlords and agents can still charge private tenants. Reading Borough Council’s Trading Standards have produced a useful briefing note on what the changes mean for thousands of ...
Watch a video about RVA’s Volunteers’ Week exhibition
13 June 2019
That’s TV Thames Valley filmed a piece about RVA’s exhibition in the Holy Brook Gallery for Volunteers’ Week. Watch it here.
Double Celebration as RRSG receives Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in its 25th Year
13 June 2019
Volunteers at Reading Refugee Support Group (RRSG) have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. The charity was originally set up in March 1994 at a Refugee Conference organised jointly by CAFOD, Reading International Solidarity Centre, Oxfam and Churches Together in Berkshire, and ...