Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 900+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
RVA launches community buildings package
21 April 2016Running a community building can be daunting and it can be hard to know where to get all the right information from. That’s why RVA has put together its Community Buildings Package, containing the relevant information to get your committee on track. You can chose all or any of the products we offer and, if there ...
Deadline for Give Local grant applications extended to 27 April
20 April 2016United Way UK wants to support small, local organisations working hard to help people within their own communities. While doing this, it hopes to better understand the range of issues affecting these local communities and to create a clear picture as to level of these needs, what good work is being done to address them and ...
Volunteer to combat loneliness and social isolation
20 April 2016A new study by the Universities of York, Liverpool and Newcastle has emphasised the importance of social contact to health and wellbeing. Researchers found that loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The new research prompted the Times to call for ‘a social revolution to deal with the growing ...
Building Better Opportunities Funding Update
20 April 2016£1,317,540 of Big Lottery Funding to address barriers to work in the west of Thames Valley Berkshire. The funding will be for one partnership working with participants who are 25 years or older with a particular focus on: People aged 50 or over People with long term and ongoing health issues Long-term unemployed Ex-offenders People claiming ESA who have mental ...
This year’s extended Volunteers’ Week is coming soon – What do you have planned?
19 April 2016Volunteers’ Week 2016 is just around the corner. This year a whole extra week is being given over to celebrating the contributions that our volunteers make. Reading Voluntary Action will be out and about spreading the word and encouraging more people to get involved in volunteering locally. There are also plans afoot for a special radio ...
Office Space At RISC To Let
18 April 2016Office Space at RISC to let Within Reading International Solidarity Centre we now have a 2nd floor self-contained office available to let to a voluntary/community sector organisation or social enterprise. Office 1 – is approx 70 sq.ft /6.5 sq.metre and would accommodate between 1 and 2 people. The cost will be £2000 per year including services and utilities. Many ...
Charity Commission Quarterly News
18 April 2016The Charity Commission has published its quarterly newsletter, including information on charity reserves, managing financial difficulties and the chair/CEO relationship. Keeping up to date with news from your regulator and charity law is an important way of ensuring that trustees carry out their duties and gives staff the confidence they are carrying out their jobs effectively. To ...
Community Learning – funding opportunity through New Directions
15 April 2016Community Learning is a broad range of learning that brings together adults, often of different ages and backgrounds, to pursue an interest, address a need, acquire a new skill, become healthier or learn how to support their children. A key part of the learning continuum – it is non-formal, it does not necessarily lead to ...
CQC wants to hear from people who have received care for depression, anxiety and stress
14 April 2016It is estimated that nearly one in four people in England suffer with conditions related to depression, anxiety and stress. People with mental health problems may be accessing health and social care and know a lot about the quality of care. Do you get help from health professionals for feeling anxious, feeling stressed or feeling low? ...
Bags of Help – funding opportunity for local green space
14 April 2016The second funding round for the Tesco Bags of Help grant scheme opens on Monday 18 April 2016. The scheme is administered by Groundwork and funded by Tesco customers from the proceeds of the 5p charge for plastic carrier bags as a result of a government carrier bag levy. Bags of Help is available to a wide ...
Do you need help getting to grips with your group’s finances?
13 April 2016If you need to understand how much money your charity really has, help may be at hand. Andy Smy has 20 years experience as a business analyst in the financial services industry and extensive experience as a charity trustee in Reading. He’s looking to provide support to organisations who do not have a full understanding of their ...
Less than half of small charity annual reports and accounts meet required standard
13 April 2016The Charity Commission has published research claiming that less than half of small charities meet the required reporting and accounting standards. All charities are required by law to produce a set of annual reports and accounts and have them available for inspection at their registered office. All Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) and all charities with income ...
RVA launches Ready Friends
13 April 2016RVA is delighted to be launching a new project to promote befriending in Reading, thanks to funding from The Earley Charity. There are several established befriending schemes in Reading, working to reduce the isolation of older people, families, and those with long-term health conditions or disabilities. Ready Friends will promote volunteering opportunities with these befriending schemes, ...
Measuring the difference you make
13 April 2016We all want our services to make a difference to the people and communities that we support. Measuring the impact of your work is a key to being an effective organisation. Are you achieving what you set out to do? Where people have a choice, would they choose your service? Do funders know about the ...
Silvers’ Workshop offers tools for active retirement
13 April 2016Retired men in the Reading area have the perfect toolkit for an active and enjoyable retirement thanks to the The Silvers’ Workshop based in West Reading. The Silvers’ Workshop is a member of the UK Men’s Shed Association and takes its name from the colour of the members’ hair. It gives its members the opportunity to work on ...
Webinar on Building Better Opportunities funding
8 April 2016In January 2016 the Local Enterprise Partnership held a briefing session, alongside the Cabinet Office and the Big Lottery Fund, for organisations in Thames Valley Berkshire who are interested in being a delivery partner for two Building Better Opportunities projects: ‘addressing barriers to work’ and ‘promoting enterprise’. If you would like to know more ...
Thinking of holding a street party? Free road closures 11-12 June
8 April 2016
Great news for anyone planning to hold a street party this year – Reading Borough Council has again confirmed that it will waive its road closure fees for the weekend of the Big Lunch. So if you are planning to hold a small street party and can arrange it for the weekend of 11 – ...
Highlights from Reading’s Care and Support Conference
7 April 2016Reading Borough Council holds regular Care and Support conferences, bringing together providers from across the sectors to discuss common issues. The conferences are a great opportunity for voluntary sector providers to connect with businesses providing residential care and care for people in their own homes. At the conference on 7th April, we heard that the Council ...
Simple steps towards diversity on your trustee board
7 April 2016It’s not a new phenomenon for charity trustee boards to want to move away from the ‘pale, male and stale’ image that they are often – and sometimes unfairly – labelled with. Yet, many still struggle to diversify and their typical recruitment strategy remains word-of-mouth which, unsurprisingly, results in more of the same. Less than 1% ...
Tracing the history of autism understanding in Berkshire
6 April 2016Autism Berkshire is looking for stories of people’s lives with autism in recent times and the past as part of a project launched last year to mark the 25th anniversary of the charity, which was founded as the Berkshire Autistic Society. The aim is to create a written and spoken record of the history and ...