Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 1000+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Graduation event – training programme for the homeless & those in need
18 August 2021Fifteen participants and 12 mentors were awarded certificates and trophies at a joyful graduation event held by the charity Sadaka on 24 July 2021. It was a celebration of what the mentors and mentees had achieved, despite many personal and communal challenges, as part of a project called ‘Step Up with Sadaka’. Sadaka is a volunteer-led ...
Free First Aid training for your organisation
18 August 2021Simple actions save lives. Would you know what to do in a first aid emergency? We can help you learn the simple skills that could save a life. We are offering free First Aid sessions, at your venue, with your group of participants. Please get in touch if you are interested or would like further information. As a ...
Updated guidance from the Charity Commission: trustee meetings and AGMs
17 August 2021
The Charity Commission has updated its Coronavirus guidance for charities with amended guidance in relation to charity trustee meetings and AGMs. Here is a summary of the updates: If your governing document does not permit meetings to be held online, by telephone or on a hybrid basis, or to be cancelled or postponed, then charities are ...
Starting your own business? Free workshops available
17 August 2021
This is a 10-week online workshop series based on our increasingly popular Start Your Own Business Workshop Series. If you want to start your own business – start right here! These are practical accessible workshops for people starting up businesses (including being sole traders) to do or make all kinds of things and for people who ...
Impact report on grants at RVA
17 August 2021
In response to the pandemic, RVA secured funding in the second half of 2020 to run two small grants schemes for voluntary and community sector groups and a fund to address digital exclusion within low-income households. £10k from Berkshire Community Foundation (BCF) for Reading Community Grants £20k from Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group (BWCCG) for Black, Asian, ...
Foyle Foundation – small grants scheme
16 August 2021
The Foundation understands that charities are now operating within very different circumstances since the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. They are keen to be as flexible as can be in their support of small charities during this difficult and constantly changing ongoing period, while maintaining a focus on those who can demonstrate a clear (usually local) ...
King’s Fund – GSK Grow Programme, deadline 20 September 2021
16 August 2021The GSK Grow Programme is open to registered charities that are at least a year old, working in a health-related field in the UK, with a total annual income of between £20,000 and £120,000. Up to 10 charities will receive £10,000 in unrestricted funding plus training and development valued at £3,200. Up to five runner-up charities ...
Consultation: help the council improve Reading’s libraries
11 August 2021
Reading Borough Council is developing a ‘vision’ for its library service to ensure it is forward looking, innovative and provides an excellent experience for everyone. A draft idea has been set out of what the service hopes to achieve and what it thinks its priorities should be. The council now wants to know more about ...
Get involved at your community allotment
9 August 2021
Food4Families helps organise community allotments all over Reading. At your local allotment you can help grow organic fruit and vegetables, get the health benefits of gardening and learn all about growing. Gardens are now open to the public, but please get in touch and book before you visit. This way we can be aware of numbers. ...
New LGBT+ befriending service for Reading
9 August 2021
The pandemic has been extremely isolating for many people, but many people in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Plus (LGBT+) community have felt the effects of loneliness severely. The LGBT+ community relies on safe spaces like bars, clubs and general meet-ups with like-minded people to be themselves and relax without fear. Comparisons have even been ...
Take part in the STEPtember Challenge for Alana House
5 August 2021
This September PACT are inviting you to take steps to empower women! Join this exciting step challenge and support Alana House’s work with women facing multiple disadvantages. About the challenge The challenge is simple: choose a goal, donate or fundraise for Alana House and get stepping! You can do your steps any time through the month of September ...
“Like Xmas in July!” – a first trip out for senior lunch club members
4 August 2021
A group of 23 senior Reading people, who had been regulars at The Globe Lunch Club before the pandemic, enjoyed a picnic, songs and poems at Caversham Court Gardens recently thanks to a collaboration between The Globe Lunch Club, Readibus and Reading Association for the Blind (RAB). Constance Gooding and a team of six Globe Lunch ...
No5 launches 50th anniversary display at Reading Museum
2 August 2021
For 50 years No5 Young People (No5) has been at the centre of the Reading community – supporting thousands of local young people to take charge of their mental health through counselling, information, advice, training and outreach services. To mark and celebrate 50 years of supporting local young people, No5 is launching its anniversary display at ...
Free cyber security elearning from the National Cyber Security Centre
28 July 2021
We have seen during the pandemic, and more recently through the example of the data breach at the National Lottery Community Fund, that organisations are becoming increasingly more susceptible to cyber fraud, including the voluntary and community sector. If you would like to brush up on your cyber security skills and feel confident that you have ...
Public Consultation on Bereavement Services including Cemeteries and Crematorium
28 July 2021
Reading Borough Council are seeking public views on the Bereavement Services provided by the Council Under the Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977 (LACO) legislation, Local Authorities are required to prepare and adopt Cemetery Regulations that set out the Council’s policy and procedures for the operation of the cemetery. The last time the cemetery regulations were updated ...
Tell us what you think about Reading town centre – what can be done to make it more sustainable, inclusive and liveable?
28 July 2021
RVA is working with the Alliance for Cohesion and Racial Equality (ACRE) and the University of Reading’s Participation Lab on a research project exploring community perceptions of Reading town centre. We are interested in what you think about the town centre and what could be done to make it more sustainable, inclusive and liveable. Our online ...
Moving Stories cultural dance programme
28 July 2021
Oxford Road is amongst the most densely populated and cosmopolitan neighbourhoods in the UK. It is home to families and individuals who can trace their ethnic roots to all corners of the globe. In July 2021, Oxford Road residents and community leaders created the banner, ‘A World in One Place’. Oxford Road’s tradition for accommodating diversity ...
The Branding Project from the University of Reading – open for applications
28 July 2021
Are you a new charity looking to establish a brand identity but lacking the resources to do so? Or are you a not-for-profit in need of a brand refresh or re-positioning and would welcome some input from students at The University of Reading? Reading University will be holding a structured eight-week ‘design-thinking brand jam’ with Part ...
Important: NLCF Data Breach – steps to take if your charity received funding between 2013–2019
27 July 2021
The Civil Society reported this week that the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) has experienced a data breach, meaning that charities who received funding from the NLCF UK portfolio, England funding, or Building Better Opportunities funding between September 2013 and December 2019 may be at risk of fraud. How to protect your charity Watch out for fraudulent ...
Anton Jurgens Charitable Trust, grants to help the vulnerable
26 July 2021
The Anton Jurgens Charitable Trust (AJCT) gives grants to registered UK based charities working to help those who are vulnerable in society, particularly those supporting socially disadvantaged and disabled people of all ages. Funding is at the discretion of the Trustees. In past years, most grants have ranged from £1,000 to £6,000. Application criteria Only requests from UK ...