Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 900+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Revive Reading Business Summit – #RebootReading
8 July 2020Reading Voluntary Action is delighted to be working with Ethical Reading, Reading UK, Connect Reading and the Reading Climate Change Partnership in organising this summit. Our collective ambition is to start a conversation as we come out of the recession post Covid-19, to inform the strategy of key businesses and organisations in the Reading area and ...
Charity Survival Fund – applications open until 27 July
8 July 2020
The one-off £10 million Charity Survival Fund has been set up by The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust in response to their ongoing concern about the economic impact of Covid-19 on the nation’s charities. The grant funding aims to help small and medium-sized UK registered charities who are struggling with a loss of income in ...
How are charities approaching the easing of restrictions?
6 July 2020
As part of our interactive Zoom sessions to help charities navigate the impact of coronavirus on their services we hosted a session last week on ‘re-opening your premises’. The session was so popular we’re hosting another one this Thursday at 10am (book here). Presentation Slides from 2 July In case you weren’t able to attend, take a ...
Re-opening premises and risk assessing – for charities and community groups
6 July 2020
Following much demand, we’re holding another session on re-opening your premises. We will be looking at how your charity or community group might go about this after the restrictions have eased and what you might need to consider both now and in the longer term, as the situation around the pandemic continues. The session will include: 1. ...
Safeguarding resource: safely asking about domestic abuse during coronavirus
6 July 2020
The social distancing measures in place during coronavirus have had a direct impact on individuals and families who are experiencing domestic abuse and, in may cases, limited the opportunity for them to reach out for help. If your charity or community group is working in a frontline role, you may have the opportunity to pass on ...
Charity Bank: Resilience and Recovery Loans
6 July 2020
The Resilience & Recovery Loan Fund (RRLF) is a new fund for social enterprises and charities across the UK who are experiencing disruption to their normal business model as a result of Covid-19. It has been established to make the existing government scheme (the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) more easily accessible to charities and ...
Virtual Village Hall from the Royal Voluntary Service
6 July 2020
The Virtual Village Hall is a programme of themed online activities from the Royal Voluntary Service, designed to enjoy at home. Sessions are led by expert tutors, Royal Voluntary Service activity coordinators, volunteers and some well-known faces, and require very little space or equipment. There is a wide range of sessions to take part in, ...
Covid-19 psychological first aid training
3 July 2020
Get psychological first aid training and help people with different needs to cope with the emotional impact of Covid-19 A free course has been produced by Public Health England and is based on international guidance from the World Health Organisation, United Nations and partners. It is aimed at frontline workers and volunteers dealing with the public ...
Traineeships for 19 to 24 year olds starting in October 2020
2 July 2020
New Directions College are offering traineeships for 19 to 24 year olds The traineeships, which start in October 2020, provide real work experience within Reading Borough Council or another local employer while gaining nationally accredited qualifications to improve skills and knowledge. Find out more Download a leaflet with more information. Book a place at the virtual information day on 8 ...
Drug alert for Reading
1 July 2020Drug Alert issued by Kate Stockdale, the Senior Drug and Alcohol Commissioner at Reading Borough Council Over the last week in June 2020 there have been deaths within Berkshire, with Reading identified as a hot spot area. The dangerous substance currently being sold in Reading has been identified as contaminated blue tablets containing Flubromazolam reading “DAN ...
Mindful walking for mood and wellbeing – take part in University of Reading study
1 July 2020
We know that walking is good for us in many ways, and that time spent in natural surroundings can be beneficial to our health. Currently, there is a great deal of interest in mindfulness and its effects on mood and wellbeing. This study by psychologists at University of Reading looks at how these three activities (walking, ...
Sight loss: helping you to help others during coronavirus
1 July 2020
Many people who haven’t interacted with anyone with sight loss before often feel worried about saying or doing the wrong thing, so the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) have created a few top tips to help you answer your concerns. If you haven’t been around many people with sight loss before, it’s perfectly normal ...
Loneliness among migrant and ethnic minority groups
1 July 2020
New research published to tackle loneliness among migrant and ethnic minority groups. A cross-faculty team from the University of Sheffield has collaborated with colleagues from Brunel and De Montfort Universities on a major new project focused on better understanding loneliness among migrant and ethnic minority groups. Samir Jeraj of the Race Equality Foundation said: Many of us with a ...
Can you help Reading Family Aid find a venue for their Christmas toy project?
1 July 2020
Reading Family Aid needs your help! We’re searching for a new and larger venue in Reading (minimum of roughly 500m2) for our Christmas toy project this year, which in 2019 collected and distributed new and nearly-new toys to over 2,000 vulnerable children. A large corporate office space would be ideal – maybe one that’s currently not being used ...
Great Get Together Facebook Community Grants programme – open until 12 July 2020
1 July 2020
The Jo Cox Foundation’s The Great Get Together is partnering with Facebook to launch the Great Get Together Facebook Community Grants programme. Inspired by how communities around the UK have worked to stay connected during the Covid-19 crisis, they’ll be awarding grants to enable this incredible work to continue throughout the rest of the year. They are ...
British Red Cross – Hardship Fund
30 June 2020The British Red Cross Hardship Fund aims to address acute hardship and suffering to the those who are vulnerable, providing a short-term financial safety net for people most impacted by the pandemic. The fund aims to support up to 13,000 of the most vulnerable over a three-month period. Who can apply? Local Authorities and charity partners can contact ...
Service update from Royal Berkshire Hospital
26 June 2020
The Chief Executive of the Royal Berkshire Hospital today put out a message to patients to reassure them it’s safe to attend for appointments and vital to keep the dates set for any planned surgery. The move comes after clinicians at the hospital reported low numbers of people turning up for allotted clinic slots or operations ...
Virtual Vigil brings #ReadingTogether in memory of Forbury Gardens victims
26 June 2020
A Virtual Vigil will be held in honour of the victims of Forbury Gardens on Saturday 27 June – exactly one week after the horrific attacks In the days following the attacks, Reading has seen an outpouring of grief and sadness that has united the local community, and has received solidarity and support from people around the ...
Intergenerational Music Making Training – online training session
25 June 2020
Connecting Generations – Connecting communities – Connecting across Covid-19 through music and the arts The training aims to inspire, equip and further embed the use of music and more specifically intergenerational practice in care, health, community and education settings. The training will offer best practice toolkits for art facilitators and health and education professionals to adapt ...
Harnessing creativity for meaningful connections – free training event
25 June 2020
The Southbank Centre, The Local Trust and Torbay Community Development Trust will share inspiration for creatively connecting communities. Whether through art, music, theatre or dance, creativity and connection go hand in hand. Join this webinar to hear from Coalition members including the Southbank Centre, The Local Trust and Torbay Community Development Trust about inspiring and practical ...