Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 1000+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Treasurer Training – March 2024
9 January 2024
Are you new to being a treasurer of a charity or community group in Reading, or considering taking on the role? If so, this training is for you. Aims of the workshop To build an understanding of the role of a treasurer in a small voluntary organisation To ensure the ability to deal with the specifics of ...
Safeguarding Children Training for charities and groups – March 2024
9 January 2024Does your charity offer services or activities to children or young people in Reading? If so, come along to this free training. All charities, voluntary and community groups have a duty to keep their service users safe from harm. As most charities and community groups run through the hard work and dedication of volunteers, it is ...
Trustee Training with RVA – February session
9 January 2024Trustees play an essential role in our society, making our charity sector work. It’s a hugely rewarding role but it’s not always easy to get all the information you require to be sure you are carrying out your role as effectively as possible. This training will help give you an overview of what’s expected of ...
Winter Warmer Giveaway 16-19 January 2024 Volunteers Needed!
5 January 2024
Our Winter Warmer Free Shop is back by popular demand at Reading Station on Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 th January. We’ll be giving away free second-hand coats, hats, scarves & gloves at Reading Station. Volunteers are needed to help sort clothes and engage with visitors to the shop. No experience is needed, full training is ...
Volunteer Coordinators’ Network Meetings 2024
4 January 2024
The schedule for this year’s Volunteer Coordinators’ Network Meetings has now been published. The Volunteer Coordinators’ Network (VCN) provides a space for those who oversee the work of volunteers to seek peer support in a confidential space from others in a similar role. It is an opportunity to share best practice and to learn from the ...
Creative Grants Available for Local Residents – deadline 31 Jan 2024
13 December 2023
Council joining forces with Creative Lives, a national charity that promotes taking part in creative activity to boost well-being and help people feel connected to the place where you live. Individuals, local groups and businesses have a chance to bid for a share of £23,000 worth of funds to support opportunities for everyone to find their ...
Season’s Greetings from RVA
12 December 2023
Season’s Greetings from the RVA team At the end of another year, as our thoughts turn to the holidays and the New Year, we give thanks as ever to the amazing voluntary and community sector in Reading. RVA will be closed from 4 pm Thursday 21 December 2023 until Tuesday 2 January 2024. The Social Prescribing service will ...
Community Ownership Fund round 3 – deadline 31 Jan 2024
12 December 2023The Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities is offering a Community Ownership Fund for communities across the United Kingdom to take ownership of community assets at risk of closure. It will run until 2024/25. Funding may support the purchase and/or essential renovation costs of community assets but you will need match funding for the ...
Help Make Health Research and Planning Across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Become More Equitable
11 December 2023Across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) we* have been given money to develop better ways of working with local communities. The idea of the network is to help make sure that the views of all communities** are included in health and care research and healthcare planning. We want to make sure research and planning ...
RBC Small Grants Fund – round 2 – deadline 30 Jan 2024
29 November 2023Reading Borough Council has allocated £100k for round 2 of the small grants to the voluntary and community sector for the year 2023/24. The council is inviting applications for funding to support the residents to become more self-sufficient, built on a bedrock of valued educational attainment, strong skills and practical knowledge that enables them to realise ...
Slides from RVA Funder Event Nov 2023
28 November 2023Last week we hosted a Funder Event to enable the local voluntary and community sector organisations to hear from local and national funders on current and upcoming funding rounds, as well as giving the opportunity to groups to network with one another. The session was well attended and we heard from: Berkshire Community Foundation (BCF) – ...
RCLC awarded a renewal of their Safe and Sound!
28 November 2023Picture above: Aisha Malik, General Manager and Petra Robinson, Administrator accepting the Safe and Sound Certificate from Herjeet Randhawa, RVA Advice Service Manager outside RCLC offices, London Street. We are delighted to announce that Reading Community Learning Centre (RCLC) have successfully been awarded a renewal of their Safe and Sound Good Governance Award. This is their ...
Introduction to First Steps towards Safe and Sound – March in-person session
16 November 2023First Steps towards Safe and Sound is a free tool available to all voluntary and community groups offering services in Reading, who wish to take the first steps towards having good governance in place. Come along to our March introduction session and find out how to get started and what the benefits are for your ...
Introduction to First Steps towards Safe and Sound – February online session
16 November 2023First Steps towards Safe and Sound is a free tool available to all voluntary and community groups offering services in Reading, who wish to take the first steps towards having good governance in place. Come along to our February introduction session and find out how to get started and what the benefits are for your ...
Introduction to First Steps towards Safe and Sound – January in-person session
16 November 2023First Steps towards Safe and Sound is a free tool available to all voluntary and community groups offering services in Reading, who wish to take the first steps towards having good governance in place. Come along to our January introduction session and find out how to get started and what the benefits are for your ...
RBC Asset Mapping Workshop – Healthy Weight
16 November 2023
Reading Borough Council’s Public Health team is hosting an Asset Mapping Workshop, following the Healthy Weight Needs Assessment. This is the next, influential step, ahead of launching a whole systems approach to healthy weight across the Borough of Reading. Prior to this launch, building a comprehensive understanding of some of the work that is currently and/or ...
Santa Run and Walk, Sunday 10th December 2023
14 November 2023On Sunday 10th December, the Rotary Club of Reading is holding a Santa Run and Walk event. Come and join us at the University of Reading for a timed 5k Run and an untimed 2k mini-Run or Walk for ALL. The routes take you through the vast and wonderful University grounds; once again we are very grateful to the ...
Toys & Teens Appeal 2023, closing 3rd December 2023
13 November 2023Reading Family Aid – Toys & Teens Appeal 2023. The Toys and Teens Appeal has been running for over 60 years in various forms. Today we are asking people who live in Reading and district to donate toys and gifts for children living in the Reading area who otherwise would have no Christmas presents. Our appeal closes ...
Have you heard about Joy Marketplace – free online visibility for local voluntary and community organisations (VCOs)?
7 November 2023
Joy is an online platform that connects people to life-changing local services. It instantly refers clients to high-quality support on the marketplace of services, which automatically stays up to date. It’s free for VCOs to join and gives your organisation visibility to the public and to health and wellbeing professionals. You can easily customise your organisation’s ...
Safeguarding Adults Week free webinars: 20-24 November 2023
7 November 2023
During Safeguarding Adults Week from 20 – 24 November 2023 the West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Partnership is offering free webinars on key topics around safeguarding adults, which will cover themes on safeguarding yourself and others. These sessions are open to all health and social care staff and those volunteering and working for voluntary and community ...