Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 1000+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Beating burnout: practical advice from Clore Social Leadership in The Wellbeing Toolkit
12 May 2021
Clore Social Leadership have created a free Wellbeing Toolkit for leaders and their teams The practical and resourceful toolkit helps leaders break down the wellbeing challenges facing themselves and their teams and provides quick access to high quality resources to inspire and assist them. These resources can be used individually, or put together to form the ...
Charities and reserves – Third Sector explores the approach
12 May 2021
In a recent article, Third Sector magazine considers the charity sector’s approach to building and maintaining financial reserves (following the decision in the Kids Company High Court Trial and how this sits within charity law). In the article, Caron Bradshaw from Charity Finance Group shares the following, which could be useful for Trustees currently assessing ...
Updated HMRC guidance: claiming gift aid on waived refunds and loan repayments
12 May 2021
HMRC have amended their guidance on which donations qualify for Gift Aid. This now includes waived refunds and loan waivers (which were previously excluded). There are certain requirements such as: there is a record of a formal waiver held by the charity all the other gift aid rules are met a gift aid declaration will need to be ...
Research project for adults with learning disabilities
11 May 2021
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are now recruiting to this research project The Research and Development Department at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are working with the University of Warwick to conduct a research study about the psychological treatment of anxiety among people who are older than 18 years and who have mild or moderate learning ...
NHS Blood and Transplant: Plasma Donation Appeal
11 May 2021
Appeal for men between the ages of 17 and 66 to consider donating their blood plasma The NHS Blood and Transplant service needs your help. In April, we began collecting blood plasma from donations to make vital antibody-based medicines and we urgently need more people to make donations. These medicines – called immunoglobulins will help thousands of ...
Sport in Mind launches self-help journal to address mental health issues
11 May 2021
For Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May), leading mental health and sports charity Sport in Mind has launched a new self-help journal for people struggling with mental health issues Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual campaign that helps educate and increase awareness about mental health issues and the fact that millions of people will struggle ...
Berkshire Vision activities calendar for May 2021
5 May 2021
Berkshire Vision’s May activities programme for people with sight loss across Berkshire Berkshire Vision support new referrals if you’re working with someone who would like to get involved. This month there are a combination of face to face and remote activities, including the ever-popular picnic and walks, along with rock climbing for the more adventurous. There are ...
Cyber security: how to keep your charity safe
5 May 2021
Why should we be thinking about cyber security? Charities of all sizes are increasingly more reliant on IT and this has increased further during the pandemic. Email, websites, video conferencing and social media all have a valuable place in our charities but without proper security measures they can also leave charities vulnerable to cyber attacks. Cyber ...
Meet Panda Phelan – Bounce Back 4 Kids Senior Support Worker
5 May 2021
Panda Phelan is the Senior Support Worker for Bounce Back 4 Kids (BB4K) which supports families affected by domestic abuse, once the perpetrator of the abuse has left the family home. She writes a monthly BB4K Positive Newsletter which you can sign up for here. Tell us about BB4K and your role… BB4K is a therapeutic support service ...
What does Reading mean to you? Help the Students’ Union design a community mural – deadline 7 May 2021
28 April 2021
Reading University Students’ Union Community Mural A new exciting community mural will be placed outside of the RUSU building. Submissions are open to staff, students and people living in Reading. The artwork is based on one question: ‘What does Reading mean to you?’ You do not need to be a skilled artist or have artistic knowledge to ...
Reading Prince’s Trust Team programme – starts 10 May 2021
28 April 2021
Adviza and The London Irish Foundation are now recruiting young people for the successful Prince’s Trust Team programme, starting in Reading on Monday 10 May 2021. The Prince’s Trust Team Programme is a course designed to re-engage young people aged 16–25 years: to help them gain confidence, develop a support network and build the skills ...
Reading Community Energy Society – Community Grants 2021–22
28 April 2021
Reading Voluntary Action is delighted to partner with Reading Community Energy Society in their 2021–22 Community Grants scheme. RVA will be promoting and managing the scheme on behalf of Reading Community Energy Society which aims to accelerate the uptake of community-owned renewable energy in Reading and the surrounding area. Reading Community Energy Society comprises members from ...
Start your own business workshops aimed at residents in Reading and greater Reading area
28 April 2021
Who could benefit from these workshops and 1-2-1s? We know that some people have lost or are going to loose their job. Some are going to be on reduced hours. These workshops would help anyone considering what starting a business or self employment/sub-contract work would mean, people who might be considering: Working for themselves – being self ...
Volunteering Survey 2021 – please share with your volunteers and those you support
28 April 2021
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the work of volunteers has been at the forefront of the response. People from all walks of life have been involved in a wide range of volunteering to help out in their neighbourhood, in the town and beyond. We also know that, for some, the regular volunteering you were involved with has been ...
Covid-19 vaccination equality survey
27 April 2021
NHS Berkshire West CCG want to better understand the motivators for people considering the Covid-19 vaccine To gain insights into people’s views and preferred communications channels, they are conducting a piece of insights research to help shape their future health services and communications. They have created a simple online survey that takes roughly five minutes to complete. In ...
‘It has allowed me to do something positive, to be a tiny part of recovering our freedom to live’ Our vaccine hub volunteers reflect
21 April 2021
These are just a few of the moving reflections from volunteers about what it has meant to them to be part of the vaccine rollout. We’ll be sharing more over the coming weeks.
HR best practice: supporting Muslim colleagues during Ramadan
21 April 2021If your charity is considering how to best support staff and volunteers who might be observing Ramadan at this time, read on for a legal update on HR best practice. This has been adapted from legal updates courtesy of Sandy Adirondack (full credits at the end): What is Ramadan? Ramadan is a month-long Muslim observance which this ...
Community Participatory Action Research Facilitator – closing date 5 May 2021
14 April 2021This is an exciting opportunity to facilitate a local community participatory research project as part of a voluntary and statutory sector partnership. The role will support local researchers from minority ethnic communities in Reading to co-produce and carry out community research into widening health inequalities. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, inequalities in health, especially mental health, have ...
Small Groups Learn and Share Network
13 April 2021
Are you a volunteer-led small group that’s embedded in your community? Do you want to find out more about funding, governance, publicising your work and developing your group? Are you keen to network and share with other small groups in Reading? If yes, then you are warmly invited to join the Small Groups Learn and Share Network, ...
Have your say – RBC is reviewing how it allocates social housing
13 April 2021
Reading Borough Council is reviewing how it allocates social housing, and would like your thoughts on the proposed changes Their aims are to make the scheme fairer and easier to understand for the customers who use it, and to ensure they are creating thriving and well-balanced communities where residents want to live. They have defined these ...