Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 900+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Narrowing the Gap II – registering on In-Tend
2 November 2017Reading Borough Council is looking to issue an Invitation to Tender for Narrowing the Gap II, to commission services from the voluntary sector. The council is using an electronic (e-Tendering) system called In-Tend for advertising tenders, contracting opportunities and as a contracts database. This is to ensure we adhere to the recent Local Authority procurement and ...
Save the date for the next Wellbeing Forum
1 November 2017The next Wellbeing Forum for Reading’s Voluntary and Community Sector will take place on Wednesday 6 December 2017. Director of Adult Care and Health Services at Reading Borough Council, Seona Douglas, will be speaking, and there will be the usual opportunities for discussion and networking. The venue and full programme will follow soon – look ...
Funding opportunity: SEGRO community event
1 November 2017Berkshire Community Foundation is delighted to invite local community groups to the SEGRO Community Event on 15th November 2017 at SEGRO plc, to share their community and development plans along with the launch of a new Thames Valley Community Fund to support vulnerable residents into employment.
RVA’s new Befriender Match service
1 November 2017RVA has just launched an online Befriender Match service which is available to all befriending organisations in Reading. You can now fill out our Befriender Match online form for any of your clients, members or beneficiaries who would like to be matched with a volunteer. By doing this, your beneficiaries will have a bespoke but anonymous ...
RAN Quality Standard Workshop
27 October 2017
RVA is partnering with Reading Advice Network (RAN) to deliver this one day workshop for advice-giving organisations in Reading to enable those in leadership positions in RAN member, or potential member, organisations, to understand and prepare for the RAN Quality Standard
4-seat office workstation desk – available immediately
24 October 2017Does your charity or community group need additional desk space? Due to an office reconfiguration we have available a substantial workstation that seats up to 4 people, which we would like to offer to other local community groups who may be able to put it to good use. This will be dismantled prior to collection. If you are ...
Can you make use of our enthusiastic volunteers?
24 October 2017There is a fantastic opportunity for a local organisation to benefit from the energy, commitment and thoughtfulness of 30 local Grammar School students per day over the course of 5 days for the week of 5 June 2018. The boys would be supervised by school staff as well as your own staff, and would be available during school hours ...
Universal Credit is changing – find out more from the DWP
24 October 2017As Universal Credit is changing and will be affecting a lot of service users, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) are presenting a session on behalf of the Compass Recovery College for information and any questions that people may have.
Build resilience – Charity Fraud Awareness Week!
23 October 2017
During this week, charities up and down the country are shining the light on fraud to build resilience in their organisations. Each day will have a specific theme to help your charity get up to speed on the risks and how to avoid the worst, including FREE webinars on topics such as: Cyber fraud, Identity ...
Berkshire Suicide Prevention Strategy 2017 – 2020
19 October 2017The Berkshire Suicide Prevention Strategy has an ambition to reduce the number of deaths by suicide by at least 25% by 2020. The strategy ” seeks to save lives lost to suicide through its prevention, and to improve the health and wellbeing of those bereaved by suicide. It also includes more general whole-population actions aimed at ...
Join us for RVA’s AGM tomorrow
18 October 2017Join us for RVA’s AGM on Thursday 19 October 2017, from 9.30am (please register by the end of today, to let us know you will be attending). This year, our theme is Working Together. Hear from members of the RVA team about the work we’ve been doing, with organisations across Reading, to improve the lives of ...
Glass Recycling Initiative – prizes for community groups up for grabs
18 October 2017
Community groups could be in with a chance of winning up to £1,000 in a new glass recycling campaign prize draw from re3, the waste management partnership for Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham. To take part in the prize draw, re3 is encouraging schools, charities and voluntary and community sector organisations to make a commitment to ...
Compass Recovery College – prospectus now online
18 October 2017Compass Recovery College has launched a new website where you can find details of all their upcoming courses. The college offers an educational route to recovery from mental health challenges, with a wide range of free courses. The autumn/winter prospectus is now available at compassrecoverycollege.uk, along with details of how to register and book. The new ...
Yeomanry House – Freehold Bidding Opportunity
18 October 2017Reading Borough Council has decided to dispose of the freehold for the Yeomanry House site. In accordance with the Third Sector Premises Policy Statement agreed on the 16 February 2016, voluntary sector organisations have a period of 8 weeks to submit a bid for the property. Description of the property: Yeomanry House, Castle Hill, Reading RG1 ...
Maggie Sikora shortlisted for Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award
17 October 2017
Maggie Sikora, founder of Mapis, has been shortlisted for the Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Award. Maggie is one of five finalists selected from the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Scale Up Programme, in partnership with the School for Social Entrepreneurs, and has the chance to win £10,000. Mapis, the social enterprise which Maggie runs, supports ...
Mental Health Forum on 24 October 2017
16 October 2017
RVA is co-hosting a Mental Health Forum in partnership with the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Berkshire Community Foundation (BCF) to explore what can be done locally to support those with mental health problems. If your organisation is working with or plans to offer services to those experiencing mental health problems, do ...
Join us for RVA’s AGM on 19 October 2017
11 October 2017
This year, Reading Voluntary Action’s AGM will take place on Thursday 19 October, from 9.30am, on the third floor of Reading Central Library. Join us to find out about the work we’ve been doing, together with organisations across the town, to improve the lives of local people. Enjoy a breakfast buffet from 9.30am and chat to ...
Thames Valley Emotional Support and Advocacy – tender open
11 October 2017
The Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner confirms that the Emotional Support and Advocacy Service has now gone out to tender. The tendering process for this service will be conducted via BlueLight. If you are interested in bidding for the service you will need to be registered with EU Supply: https://uk.eu-supply.com/login.asp?B=BLUELIGHT
West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Board – update from September meeting
10 October 2017
The West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Board meets four times a year to plan and scrutinise how agencies work together to keep adults at risk of abuse or neglect safe in Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham. Among the topics discussed at the September Board meeting were: support provided to homeless and vulnerable people by the Salvation Army; mental ...
Positive feedback on Safeguarding
9 October 2017The Berkshire West CCGs recently conducted a safeguarding audit of a number of voluntary organisations grant-funded through the Partnership Development Fund. “The response of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) has been both encouraging and engaging, reaching 377 people in the sample audit who had responded to their agency’s questionnaire. This is excellent and all the ...