Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 900+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Wellbeing Forum 4 July 2019 – hold the date
30 April 2019The next Wellbeing Forum for the Voluntary and Community Sector will be on Thursday 4 July 2019 from 10am to 12.30pm at RISC, London Street, Reading. Refreshments will be available from 9:30am. We are still finalising the programme which will include: An update on the new format for Reading’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and how voluntary ...
Befriending Forum – toolkit, transport and celebrating friendship volunteers
30 April 201916 May 2019 is the date of the next Befriending Forum on the third floor of Central Library from 12.30 until 4ish. It’s open to anyone wanting to reduce loneliness and social isolation in Reading – community groups, organisations and individuals. Launch of the Ready Friends toolkit We’ll be launching the new Ready Friends toolkit, with hard ...
Health Passports for 14+ people with learning disabilities
24 April 2019
Anyone aged 14+ with a learning disability, and living in Reading and West Berkshire, can now fill out a Health Passport. Talkback have offered Health Passports to adults over 18 since 2013, but are extending the scheme to encourage people to start talking about their health sooner, maintain their wellbeing and live healthier lives. The scheme offers ...
Watch an interview with RVA’s Sarah Morland about social prescribing
24 April 2019
RVA’s Sarah Morland recently spoke to Thames Valley TV about the social prescribing service in Reading. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU4InZEv-rE&feature=youtu.be
Small charity trading limit increased to £80k
24 April 2019The government has increased the upper limit on trading activities that small charities can engage in, before incurring a tax liability, to £80K, effective from 6 April 2019. You can read the full HMRC guidance here. There is also further guidance and worked examples heres on the Charity Tax Group website.
Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme – limit has risen to £30
23 April 2019From April 2019 the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) limit has increased from £20 to £30. This means charities and community amateur sports clubs can claim top-up payments on small donations. You do not need to know the identity of the donors or collect Gift Aid declarations for small donations. For more information about GASDS ...
Artist-led workshop on volunteering – at RVA
17 April 2019As part of this year’s Volunteers’ Week (1 to 7 June) and the Reading Volunteer Awards 2019, Reading Voluntary Action will be working with partners to curate an exhibition on the theme of volunteering. We are seeking creative representations of what volunteering means to those involved in, or benefiting from, voluntary work. Find out more about ...
Resilience: the biology of stress and the science of hope – WAVE Trust film screenings
17 April 2019On 2 April 2019, twenty-five of us met at RVA to watch the film, ‘Resilience, the biology of stress and the science of hope’ and following this, to discuss its implications for our work. The event was organised by the WAVE Trust who are running the 70/30 Campaign, aiming to decrease childhood abuse by 70% by ...
Do you provide services for children and/or families?
17 April 2019The national Troubled Families Programme comes to an end in March 2020. The principles of the programme are to promote and embed whole family working including family assessments and plans that link directly to the Reading Troubled Families Programme. Due to the Troubled Families programme timeframes Brighter Futures for Children (BFFC) now need to target resources ...
Silent Generation – free community performance
17 April 2019StrikeUp Theatre invite you to attend the free community performance of their debut Arts Council funded show, Silent Generation – at South Street Arts Centre, 4pm, Thursday 25 April About Silent Generation The play emerges from interviews with Reading residents born between 1925 and 1945; an era when children should be seen-and-not-heard, and when it often felt ...
Age UK Berkshire launches new Friendly Gardeners Group
17 April 2019
Age UK Berkshire are delighted to announce the launch of a new Friendly Gardeners Group, which will start on the 26 April 2019 at the Friends Meeting House on Church Street. The group has been funded by The Southall Trust, Yew Tree trust and Cadbury Trust. The group will meet every Friday morning for two hours ...
Virtual Dementia Tour – free places available
17 April 2019Dementia-Friendly Communities: Respect, Engage and Support Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a set of symptoms that may include memory loss, diminished communication and difficulties with thinking and problem-solving; and in line with research continuing to suggest that dementia is set to become the UK’s leading cause of death, a significant number of initiatives ...
National Lottery Community Fund funding surgery open for bookings
16 April 2019The National Lottery Community Fund is returning to Reading for a funding surgery on 27 June 2019. Booking is now open for Reading based voluntary and community groups. For more information and to book your place, follow this link: http://rva.org.uk/event/big-lottery-funding-surgery-27june2019/
Voluntary Sector Market Place – booklet now online
15 April 2019Back in January, thirty-one organisations from across Reading’s voluntary sector attended the Town Hall to showcase their services to a range of social workers and other staff from Brighter Futures for Children. RVA produced a 48-page booklet with information about each of the organisations and the activities and support they offer for children, young people and their ...
Community Business Fund – open between 24 April and 22 May 2019
15 April 2019What is the Community Business Fund? The fund is designed to support existing community businesses with grants to help them progress towards self-sufficiency. This could be through increasing trading income, securing an asset or significantly reducing revenue costs Who can apply? The programme is for existing community businesses based in England. To be eligible to apply, businesses must ...
Magic Little Grants – open for applications until 30 November 2019
15 April 2019This fund gives local charities and community groups the chance to apply online for a £500 grant to deliver projects across Great Britain that encourage people to be physically active. Successful projects will support and inspire people to participate in sports or exercise with the primary aim of improving the physical health of participants. Applicants must either ...
BCF Funds for the elderly – open for applications until 1 May
15 April 2019BCF manages a number of funds which aim to support projects tackling issues of isolation, disability and/or disadvantage affecting the elderly.Grants awarded will aim to improve health and well-being, improve access to facilities, advice and training, and to overcome problems such as illness, injury, disability, bereavement or financial difficulty. Grants are available of up to £5,000. The ...
Insights on Core Funding – new report from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
15 April 2019The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has just published a new report on insights on core funding. The report critically analyses how core funding makes a difference to outcomes and organisations, with clear examples and case studies. The report is for funders to explore how they fund and also for organisations to help them to continue to make ...
Funding – Young People’s Mental Health Pilot – open for applications until 6 May
15 April 2019RBC are seeking to appoint an organisation to develop and run a pilot project focussed on understanding the needs and improving the mental health of children and youg people in Reading. This pilot project is part of a wider project: Reading Place of Culture. What is the funding for? To review existing artistic, cultural or heritage opportunities ...
Ready Friends Toolkit to be launched at next Befriending Forum
10 April 2019
Anyone interested in reducing loneliness and social isolation is welcome at the next Befriending Forum on Thursday 16 May 2019 from 12.30 until 4pm on the Third Floor of Reading Central Library. This forum will see the launch of the brand-new Ready Friends Toolkit. Also on the agenda: Transport and its role in reducing loneliness and ...