Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 1000+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Reading Mencap holds double Jubilee celebration
4 May 2022
Reading Mencap is holding an extra special double celebration in June to mark both Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and its 60-year Diamond Anniversary. Founded in 1962, the charity which supports people with learning disabilities and their families, has been awarded £3,765 from the Arts Council’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund by Berkshire Community Foundation. The ...
Resilient Communities Fund – Central Southern England – deadline 1 June 2022
4 May 2022
The 2022 Resilient Communities Fund is now open for applications. This year’s fund is worth £1 million and will focus on responding to emergency events, in particular improving the resilience of vulnerable members of the community. SSEN has established this fund to support communities in their power distribution network area to improve local resilience. This ...
Loneliness: the theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week
3 May 2022
Next week is Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 (9-15 May) Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event when there is an opportunity for the whole of the UK to focus on achieving good mental health. The Mental Health Foundation started the event 21 years ago and each year they set the theme, organise and host ...
Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 – resources for young people
29 April 2022
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week will run from 9–15 May and the theme is the impact of loneliness and how we can tackle it. Recent research by the Mental Health Foundation has found many people have increasingly been suffering from feelings of isolation and loneliness and this can affect people of all ages. The campaign will ...
No5 Young People launches #5KinMay challenge!
29 April 2022
After the success of their 2021 campaign, No5 is back with their #5KinMay 2022 challenge No5 provides free and confidential counselling and mental health supporting for young people aged 11–25 who live, work or study in the ‘RG’ postcode area, and during last year’s lockdowns No5’s Young Ambassadors devised the #5KinMay challenge to help support people ...
Safe spaces for young people in the community
29 April 2022
The Safe Places and Signposting working group is looking at how it can set up and run safe places and activities, like youth clubs, for young people in Reading, utilising spaces within our communities. This work has been set up in response to the rising knife crime incidents locally in recent years and the feeling ...
Overcoming the barriers to participation – what stops people taking part in nature-based activities?
29 April 2022
Overcoming the barriers to participation – what stops people taking part in nature-based activities? On Wednesday 27 April, Reading Green Wellbeing Network (RGWN) hosted an event at MERL to share answers to this question and work out how to overcome barriers to participation in Reading. RGWN is a network of local community gardens, horticultural therapy groups and ...
Making Every Contact Count: free training in Berkshire West
14 April 2022Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is an approach to behaviour change that uses the millions of day-to-day interactions that we have with people to support them in making positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing. It supports the delivery of consistent and concise healthy lifestyle information, enabling individuals to engage in conversations ...
Grow Wild Funding for Young People – deadline 25 April 2022
14 April 2022
Grow Wild is offering small grants for young people (aged 14 to 25 years) in the UK to deliver a creative project that celebrates UK native plants and fungi in exciting and engaging ways, and shares why UK native plants and/or fungi are so special. The project and funding are provided by Grow Wild, a national ...
Farmers’ Market seeks group to cook breakfasts
13 April 2022
Thames Valley Farmers’ Market Co-operative is keen to find a community group that would be willing to cook hot breakfasts at Reading Farmers’ Market as a regular fundraiser. The stall would be free of charge, they would waive the annual fee and they would also be willing to pay for a Level 2 food hygiene ...
Summer Internship Scheme is open for applications
13 April 2022Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is seeking motivated young people from ethnic backgrounds that are currently under-represented within the workforce, to take part in the Chairman’s Internship Scheme. As RBFRS continues to work towards an inclusive culture of equality and diversity, the Service wants to encourage people who may not have considered a career ...
Community Participatory Action Research showcase
8 April 2022
A showcase event for the Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR) project took place at MERL on Monday 4 April 2022 CPAR is a local partnership project investigating the impact of Covid-19 on health inequalities. The partnership between Reading Borough Council (RBC), Reading Community Learning Centre (RCLC), Reading Voluntary Action (RVA), the Alliance for Cohesion and Racial ...
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2023 – nominations open
8 April 2022
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. It is the MBE for volunteer groups and is awarded for life. A list of past winners in Berkshire can be found here. The ...
Homes for Ukraine Scheme
7 April 2022
The first UK government-funded scheme linking sponsors with Ukrainian refugees has been launched. Phase One of the scheme opened for applications on 18 March 2022. The guidance is currently limited, but the main points of the Homes for Ukraine scheme are: ‘sponsors’ may offer a room in their own house or a separate house; the accommodation must ...
Reading Health Champions and Vaccine Fund – deadline extended to 8 April 2022
5 April 2022
Deadline Extended – the Reading Health Champions and Vaccine Fund now closes on 8 April 2022 You know your communities best Could your organisation benefit from a grant and help give a voice to Reading residents disproportionately affected by health inequalities? Reading Borough Council wants to support the activities of local charities, voluntary, community, faith, sport, art, cultural, ...
Reading Covid Support Fund – grants announced
1 April 2022
Reading Borough Council has announced the 26 voluntary and community sector organisations in Reading who will receive grants to support communities and residents through issues caused by the on going Covid pandemic. Successful applications to the Reading Covid Support Fund focused on four key areas, which are: Social isolation/mental health /emotional support Self-isolation support (not financial) targeting ...
Developing and Supporting Community Health Champions Network – EOI by 5pm 4 April 2022
1 April 2022Funding of £30,000 is available from RBC for developing and supporting a Community Health Champions Network Activity will need to start by 14 April 2022 and be completed by 31 July 2022. The key aims of the funding are to: Set up a support network for Community Health Champions that are hosted by the VCS, organising regular ...
BBC Children in Need: Youth Social Action Fund – deadline 23 May 2022
31 March 2022
In partnership with the #iwill Fund and The Hunter Foundation, BBC Children in Need is delivering a £3 million fund to support organisations to embed youth social action across the UK. This fund will help to build children and young people’s confidence and skills, empowering them to take an active and leading role in developing solutions ...
Berkshire Community Foundation: Funds for Older People – deadline 14 April 2022
31 March 2022
Berkshire Community Foundation manages a number of funds which aim to support projects tackling issues affecting older people, such as isolation, disability or disadvantage. Who is eligible to apply? To be eligible to apply for a grant, your charity, community group or voluntary organisation must be improving the lives of disadvantaged people in Berkshire and fit the ...
Reading Services Guide refresh – your views wanted
30 March 2022
Since 2014, the Reading Services Guide has hosted information, advice and guidance on a wide range of topics, as well as listing local services supporting families, children, young people and adults. This year, we have received approval to refresh the website, this means a new up to date look of the website/directory. We would like to ...