Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 1000+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Organisation registration for the new Reading Volunteer Connect platform now open
23 November 2021
We are pleased to announce that organisations that involve volunteers in their work are now able to register to use our brand new volunteer matching platform. Designed by Voluntary Action Sheffield and used across the country, the Volunteer Connect platform will introduce a host of new features giving organisations greater control over their opportunities and streamlining ...
The Giving Tree 2021
17 November 2021
Do you want to be a Secret Santa? Buy a gift or donate so local charities can make Christmas special for those they support! Last year, thanks to your incredible generosity over 1,500 gifts were given through 16 local charities. This year, we’re going even bigger and we have 20 local charities who are receiving gifts! Watch ...
Royal Berkshire Hospital Christmas Gift Tree Appeal
16 November 2021
Every year the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) collects gifts for patients who will be in hospital over Christmas. Receiving a gift makes a big difference. If you would like to support the appeal for gifts, you can find out more about how you can donate here.
HSHAZ Cultural Programme Grants – Oxford Road – deadline for stage 1: 10 December 2021, 5pm
15 November 2021
Introduction RBC are looking to work with groups, organisations and communities from the Oxford Road area to discover creative opportunities and develop new projects with local people that celebrates the history and diverse cultures of the area. Projects need to offer local community members the opportunity to take part in creative and cultural activities together that: are ...
Dingley’s Promise: family support offer in Reading
12 November 2021
The Family Support Offer by Dingley’s Promise is available to all families in Reading with children aged 0–5 that have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or developmental delay. You do not have to be attending one of their centres to access support. Download a leaflet with more information about sessions in Reading. Tanya Spiers is the ...
Leader required to chair voluntary sector/healthcare alliance
12 November 2021We are now recruiting for the role of Chair of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & Berkshire West Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise (BOB VCSE) Alliance and inviting applications from visionary, strategic leaders with experience and knowledge of the role of the VCSE Sector. The Chair will: provide leadership and direction to the VCSE Alliance and to enable the ...
Seeking to understand: trauma-informed Reading, our journey so far
12 November 2021
I’m sure many of you will recall that in November 2020, the One Reading Children and Young People’s Partnership hosted a trauma informed conference. The virtual conference was launched with a morning of key note speakers and the sharing of a short video on Reading’s trauma-informed journey. We wanted to share the link to the video ...
Update from Brighter Futures for Children on the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
12 November 2021
Brighter Futures for Children had previously announced that we were making some changes to the allegations management service involving the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). Previously there was one LADO, with cover from colleagues on occasions. We have now extended this to a team of three; the team is now complete. The LADO service is ...
Meet Ruth Pearse, founder and CEO of Parenting Special Children
12 November 2021
Ruth Pearse is the founder and CEO of Parenting Special Children. Parenting Special Children is based in Reading but support families throughout Berkshire. Their Neurodiversity Conference – aimed at providing parents/carers and practitioners with a greater understanding of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – takes place via Zoom on 18 November 2021. Tell us about Parenting ...
Reading School Streets
12 November 2021
School Streets give children the chance to walk, cycle or scoot to school safely in the street of the school without danger from traffic. This allows school children to get to know other children on their way to school, keep active and also help with social distancing during the pandemic. An organised School Street closes the ...
Mums’ Zone: free classes available
11 November 2021
At Get Berkshire Active we are excited to announce that our new Mums’ Zone free face-to-face and online classes are now underway as part of our pregnancy and postnatal free programme. Please see the attached leaflet for further details. Mums’ Zone is a holistic health and wellbeing intervention targeting prenatal and postnatal women. It aims to ...
Mental Health Sustainability Fund: Helplines funding – Deadline 3 December 2021
10 November 2021
Association of Mental Health Providers (AMHP) is pleased to announce the launch of the third round of grants: a Helplines Fund with Bupa Foundation.The fund will open to applications on Monday 15th November and closes on 3 December 2021. Amount of funding and who can apply: This fund will be used to provide grants of up to £5,000 to support ...
Vision for Volunteering: Younger People Leading Change workshops
10 November 2021
Vision for Volunteering is a collaboration across the voluntary and community sector, led by NAVCA, NCVO, Volunteering Matters, the Association of Volunteer Managers and Sport England. They are inviting people to get involved in workshops that will help inform England’s Vision for Volunteering; a cross-sector consultation designed to develop a shared, actions-focused ambition for volunteering. Two of ...
Highlights from Trustees’ Week 2021 and what’s coming up next
10 November 2021
We hope you had the chance to engage in some of the Trustees’ Week events last week. ICYMI here is our previous article on the topic. This article offers some highlights and details of future events for trustees: Recap of RVA Trustee Training We were delighted to be joined by trustees from 10 local charities and community groups ...
Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week – free online workshops
4 November 2021
As the days get colder and the heating is turned on, the potential risks of CO poisoning increase. The Gas Safe Charity is offering free carbon monoxide (CO) Zoom workshops in November and December to help launch Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week on 22 November. You may not really have thought about carbon monoxide (CO) risks in ...
Inclusive Training Opportunities at University Museum thanks to ground-breaking programme
4 November 2021The Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL) at the University of Reading is to provide training and mentoring opportunities for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people, as part of a new initiative that aims to transform the museum sector. The MERL is one of 20 organisations selected to participate in the Curating for Change project by ...
Compass Recovery College – Small Mental Health Grants for Community Groups – Deadline 5pm 3 January 2022
4 November 2021
Compass Recovery College is pleased to announce small grants for voluntary groups in Reading, who are embedded in and providing grass roots support to their communities. They are offering 3 grants of £1000 each. The aim of this funding is to support mental health and wellbeing in vulnerable groups in Reading, by enabling local voluntary ...
Blog: developing inclusion at Support U
3 November 2021
In this blog, Monique Boucaud shares her experiences of working as the Cultural Engagement Officer for Support U. In 2011, Support U launched a support service that specifically focuses on the inclusion of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people. In June 2021, Support U were awarded funding with the People’s Health Trust to develop ...
Trustee tools: Improve your knowledge on pension schemes
3 November 2021
As part of Trustees’ Week 2021 we are sharing some helpful resources for you to improve your skills on your Board/Committee. The Pensions Regulator has put together free online learning programme, called the Trustee Toolkit, which is designed to help trustees better understand pension schemes. There are 11 learning modules: five core modules aimed at all trustees, ...
Free theatre tickets for young people
2 November 2021
RABBLE Theatre, a professional theatre company in Reading, are offering free tickets to their next production of Who Killed Alfred Oliver? to young people under the age of 25. The production runs from 4 to 20 November at Reading Minster in the centre of Reading. Our hope is to offer tickets to teenagers and young people ...