Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 900+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
£2 million for frontline groups to tackle loneliness
30 October 2019The government has launched a £2 million fund to help organisations tackling loneliness across the country. The funding aims to support frontline, grassroots organisations that bring people together and help them make friends. These could include community cafés, street parties, coffee mornings or local walking groups. The investment will help small organisations promote themselves more widely, help ...
Trustees’ Week 2019 is nearly here – here’s a sneak preview!
30 October 2019
With only 4 days to go, we’re starting to get excited now for Trustees’ Week 2019! Here’s a sneak preview of some of Reading’s trustees who have taken part in our trustee stories and shared their experience. Stay tuned on twitter next week to find out more about who they are, what inspired them, why ...
Police Property Act Fund – open until 22 November 2019
30 October 2019The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, and the Chief Constable, John Campbell, have opened a new grant round of the Police Property Act Fund. £170,000 is available to community and voluntary groups across the Thames Valley. Police and Crime Commissioner, Anthony Stansfeld said: “I am pleased to be launching another round ...
Building resilience: congratulations to Reading’s charities!
29 October 2019
This year we had a bumper Safe and Sound award presentation at our AGM. Our Chair of trustees, Karen Morton, was delighted to present the Safe and Sound Quality Award to the following local organisations, who attained the award in the last 12 months. Congratulations all round! Reading Refugee Support Group – presented to CEO, Nick ...
Have you had your flu jab?
29 October 20192019/20 Flu Campaign – helps us help you This winter, we want to help as many people as possible know about their entitlement to flu vaccination and know what they need to do. Please help us spread this important message to your family, friends and those you work with. You are entitled to a free flu vaccination ...
Community Safety Survey – open until 15 November 2019
29 October 2019The purpose of this survey is to ask residents their views about issues such as crime and disorder and other local issues, to help identify priorities across Reading. The community safety survey is being carried out across Reading to inform our neighbourhood working and local safer neighbourhood forums to find out what issues residents consider to ...
Bookings open for Voluntary Sector Wellbeing Forum
29 October 2019Bookings are now open for the next Wellbeing Forum for the Voluntary and Community Sector. The Forum is on Thursday 12 December 2019 in the conference room at RISC. Come along from 9:30am for refreshments and networking in time for a prompt start at 10:00am. We aim to finish at 12.45pm. The programme will include: “Berkshire ...
Opportunity for pre-school or similar in a local community centre
25 October 2019
We offer a large room within the Recreation Wing of the Milestone Centre, with exclusive use of a separate dedicated office and ‘wet play’ rooms, the latter exiting onto a playground owned by Reading Borough Council. A small external store is available for play equipment. There is also a kitchenette with allocated lockable storage, a ...
Reading FC Community Trust launch ‘Talking Tactics’
23 October 2019
Last weekend saw the RFC Community Trust day take place and it was a great success. As part of the community day, the trust became signatories to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter to promote better emotional wellbeing and tackle stigma. They were presented with the charter by their invited guest, Paul Farmer, the Chief Executive ...
Get ready for Trustees Week 2019 – update your adverts!
23 October 2019
Trustees’ Week is an annual occasion to showcase the great work that trustees do and highlight opportunities for people from all walks of life to get involved and make a difference. This takes place all over the country and this year we’re making a song and dance in Reading through social media to celebrate local trustees ...
Formal bidding process now open for Whitley Library freehold disposal – until 19 December 2019
23 October 2019
The formal bidding process through the open market and also through third sector process has now commenced for the Whitley Library building. Local voluntary organisations are invited to submit their proposals by 5pm on 19 December 2019. The application process Applications and accompanying documents should be sent to: Committee Administration, Reading Borough Council, Civic Offices, Bridge Street, ...
Buildings meeting
23 October 2019Is your community group seeking to purchase a building? Reading Borough Council is currently marketing properties with the option for voluntary sector organisations to put in a bid. Current bidding opportunities: Whitley library Southcote library RVA are hosting a buildings meeting on 14 November 2019, 10.30am – 11.30am Purpose of the meeting To help voluntary organisations to better understand the third ...
TVPS launch positive podcast
22 October 2019
HIV, Hope and Charity: chatting HIV and busting myths, one podcast at a time! HIV, Hope and Charity is a podcast series that has been recorded by local charity Thames Valley Positive Support (TVPS). The HIV support service has recorded the six episodes to give their HIV positive service users a voice, to enable more people ...
Community Journalism: hands-on history with the Young Archaeologists’ Club
21 October 2019
This month, RVA welcomes new Community Journalist, Catherine Martindale. Catherine’s first article for RVA News is a profile of an activity for young people in Reading that you may not have heard about before: the Young Archaeologists’ Club The Reading branch of the Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) is open to anyone aged 8 to 16, and ...
Community space at Tutu’s Table in Palmer Park
18 October 2019
Tutu’s Ethiopian Table is located in Palmer Park (the old Chalkboard Cafe). Tutu wishes to make the space more available for local community groups and charities who are looking for a meeting space or if groups are looking for a local community setting to take their members or service users to. Palmer Park is a beautiful ...
Film Showing for Humanity and Solidarity
17 October 2019The 3 October marked the sixth anniversary of what is remembered as one of the most serious tragedies in the Mediterranean: a boat carrying over 500 people sank when it was just a few hundred miles from the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. 368 people (including children, women and men) lost their lives. The No More ...
Reading Refugee Support Group’s 25th Anniversary Celebrations
17 October 2019
Reading Refugee Support Group has been supporting refugees and asylum seekers in and around Reading since 1994, so we thought it was time to reflect on all that has happened during the past 25 years. Please join us for a vibrant evening of stories, music, theatre and fashion hosted by BBC Radio 3’s Fiona Talkington. After ...
Free online safeguarding resources from NCVO
17 October 2019
Every charity, voluntary or community group, regardless of type and size, should be a safe place for all its beneficiaries, supporters, volunteers and staff. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has published a comprehensive collection of free resources – briefings, guides, tools, podcasts and videos. They are straightforward, practical and based on real world experience ...
West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board – survey for providers
17 October 2019The West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board (SAB) covers the three local authority areas of Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham. It is a statutory mechanism for ensuring that there is a robust multi-agency safeguarding framework in place and for monitoring the effect this has on protecting adults. A priority for the SAB for 2019/20 is: ...
Have your say on NHS plans for our area
16 October 2019A wide spread engagement process on the future arrangements for NHS commissioning in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West was launched this week. It will last until 1 December and there’s full details on the the Berkshire West CCG website. You can download the survey here. Fact sheets giving details of the proposals are also going to ...