Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 1000+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Berkshire Vision – Calendar for June
9 June 2022
Here is Berkshire Vision’s calendar for June, alongside the regular events, this month includes the return of fishing, a visit to the new biscuit exhibition and a clay workshop. As with the previous calendars, there’s no need to be computer literate or have access to the internet as there’s the option to dial in from any ...
A Vision for Volunteering in Reading
8 June 2022
The last two years have seen significant changes in the landscape of volunteering across the UK In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, volunteers have been mobilised in unprecedented numbers to take on novel tasks. The experience here in Reading has been no different, with thousands of individuals coming forward to volunteer in a host of different ...
Refugee Support Scheme from GLL – 3 Month Free Membership
23 May 2022
Greenwich Leisure Limited is offering a free 3 month membership scheme open to all refugees who have sought asylum in the UK. This scheme will run at all GLL leisure Centres and offers free Better Health Centre membership or lesson and course (if available) membership for a fixed 3 month period from the join date. The ...
Applications invited to the Reading Community Energy Society Grants Fund
23 May 2022
Community groups and charities are again invited to apply for the next round of Reading Community Energy Society Grants funding. Projects can include installations of energy-saving lights through environmental awareness projects. One grant was recently awarded to fund a vegetable growing project at Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre in Emmer Green. The school used the grant ...
Pop-up Covid-19 vaccination clinics in Reading
19 May 2022
Look out for pop-up vaccination clinics at the following times/locations: Reading Golders Health Expo Day – Wesley Methodist Church, RG1 4BW Tuesday 19 July 2022, 10am to 4pm Southcote Community Hub – Coronation Square, RG30 3QP Tuesday 26 July 2022, 11am to 6pm The Weller Centre – 110 Amersham Road, RG4 5NA Wednesday 27 July 2022, 10am to 4pm The Meeting Point ...
Do you have a vision impairment that can’t be corrected with glasses? RNIB wants to hear from you!
15 May 2022
Help improve the lives of vision impaired people in the UK by taking part in our telephone survey and helping us understand what life is like living with a vision impairment. To register your interest, call 0800 009 6066 for free, or follow this link: https://forms.office.com/r/bR2pvbZXTK All surveys are kept anonymous and confidential. Royal National Institute of Blind People ...
RBC Small Grants Fund 2022/23 – round 1 deadline 20 June 2022
11 May 2022
Reading Borough Council has opened Round 1 of its Small Grants Fund 2022/23. £100k is available for community-led activities that support inclusion and connectivity for the most marginalised groups and most vulnerable adults and children in our communities. This could be activities that: break down barriers of prejudice, discrimination, language, culture raise awareness, understanding and empathy; engender hope ...
Fink Street Food and No5 team up – Mental Health Awareness Week 2022
10 May 2022
No5 Young People and FINK Street Food have joined forces to help tackle mental health stigma FINK’s mission is to blow the mental health conversation wide open and encourage their customers to be more conscious of their own mental wellbeing by creating epic food experiences. Directly supporting No5’s work by donating 50% of their profits to local ...
Compass Reading supports Mental Health Awareness Week 2022
10 May 2022
This week, we’re talking about Loneliness. Let’s explore the experience of loneliness, its effect on our mental health and how we can all play a part in reducing loneliness in our communities. Everyone is welcome to join us. Coffee and Chat An opportunity to meet people, have a coffee and chat at The Biscuit Factory, Reading on Tuesday May 10, ...
Sport in Mind supports Mental Health Awareness Week 2022
10 May 2022
And as you may know, it is Mental Health Awareness Week from 9-15 May 2022, with this year’s theme of ‘loneliness’. To help build connections & combat loneliness we’re delivering & supporting a number of events that week. Get in touch to find out more about our special events. Please click here for our May Timetable ...
Sport in Mind launches new taster session for Mental Health Action Week 2022
9 May 2022As part of Mental Health Awareness Week in May we’re very excited to be hosting an Adult Women’s Football Taster Session! It’s a chance for local women to join a really fun, relaxed and safe & supportive session, to enjoy a kick around and meet others within the Sport in Mind family! What: Adult Women’s Football Taster ...
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 ...