Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 1000+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Risk to elderly and vulnerable people – lost Thames Water contractor ID cards
22 February 2021
Message shared on behalf of Thames Valley Police We have been informed by Thames Water that a number of ‘Contractor’ identification cards have been lost in transit. The cards have been deactivated so they cannot be used to gain access to any Thames Water sites but there is concern that they could be used for criminal activity ...
Meet Tina Farrow, manager and director of Dee Caf Community Cafe
18 February 2021
Tina Farrow is the manager and director of Dee Caf Community Cafe CIC. Tina has previously worked in prison education, including as curriculum leader at a young offender institution, and also runs a food education business, Tinkatots, offering cookery classes for children. She spoke to us about why she started Dee Caf and the community ...
Funded internships with the University of Reading
18 February 2021
Are you looking for support or a fresh perspective on a project? The Reading Internship Scheme supports organisations in connecting up with our undergraduates through 4, 6 and 8 week internships. We provide a 50% grant towards an intern’s salary for profit earning SMEs, and a 100% grant for charities and not for profits. You can work ...
Covid-19 community testing open to voluntary sector staff and volunteers in Reading
17 February 2021
Around one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and will be spreading it without realising it Local community testing began at South Reading Leisure Centre on 10 February and at Rivermead Leisure Centre on 15 February – to stop the spread of the virus in Reading. Rapid-turnaround lateral flow tests use a mouth ...
PinkNews Awards – nominate by 29 March 2021
17 February 2021
The annual PinkNews Awards aims to recognise the incredible contributions of those who campaign for LGBT+ equality worldwide, whilst celebrating moments of unprecedented LGBT+ achievement. Each year, the community comes together to highlight the work of businesses, organisations and individuals across the globe. The 2021 PinkNews Awards will take place in November. Nominations are now ...
Updated shielding guidance and reviewing your risk assessments
17 February 2021
The government has updated its shielding guidance to expand the list of those who are on the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) list. There are now three ways that an individual may be identified as CEV: They have one or more of the conditions listed here. Their clinician or GP has added them to the Shielded Patient List because, ...
Business Interruption Insurance – guidance from the FCA
16 February 2021
Following the landmark decision from the Supreme Court on 15 January 2021 in the test case brought by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the FCA has now helpfully published some guidance and FAQs to help organisations to better understand if they may be able to make a claim under their insurance cover for business interruption ...
Autism advice and wellbeing courses and workshops from Autism Berkshire
10 February 2021
Autism Berkshire has a series of free courses and workshops coming up before Easter, which are open to Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire residents These include a series of special workshops, run in conjunction with Acre’s Alafia service, to support the mental health and wellbeing of families with autistic children in the Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic ...
How ABC to Read is supporting children with their reading during the Covid-19 pandemic
10 February 2021
With school closures, a lot of ABC to Read’s volunteers paused their usual face-to-face support in primary schools Our mission to help children access good literacy skills continues and there has never been a more important time for our work so we have adapted our support to offering virtual reading sessions so that we can still ...
Youth counselling in Berkshire West – CCG seek to re-commission service offer
10 February 2021
Berkshire West CCG wishes to continue to fund face to face youth counselling for the next 3 years, starting April 2021, to complement the recently commissioned digital offer as local access and choice in provision is important to maintain. We have £90,000 available per year. The CCG requires three separate offers set up within the 3 ...
Have your say on the Berkshire West Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy
9 February 2021
The consultation closing date has been extended to 5pm on 28 February 2021 Berkshire West Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy public engagement group need your help Please raise awareness of the opportunity for the public to have their say in the development of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Berkshire West. Please share the survey below ...
Over 50? Had a positive Covid test with symptoms? Researchers need your help
9 February 2021
People aged over 50 who have had a positive Covid test and are showing symptoms of the virus are being sought for research into helping them get better quickly. Over 50s with certain underlying health conditions and all over 65s with suspected Covid-19 can apply to take part in the University of Oxford study at ...
One Stop – Community Partnership programme
8 February 2021
Groundwork is working with One Stop Stores to administer the One Stop Community Partnership programme This programme is designed to support groups who are working to tackle food poverty or supporting the elderly within the local community. One Stop shops will support local good causes offering a tailored approach for every local partnership which may include funding, ...
University of Reading launches Cuppa over Community
4 February 2021
Cuppa over Community is a brand-new pilot scheme aimed at providing the local community with a chance to have their voices heard in a meaningful, personal and informal way. The voices of the local community matter a lot to us and we want to take the time to listen to your perspectives and provide you ...
The SHARE checklist – tackling misinformation
4 February 2021
The government has launched a new website aimed at stopping the spread of false information It encourages people to use the SHARE checklist before liking, commenting or sharing content online, with the aim of stopping the spread of false and harmful information about medical advice, vaccines, and technology scares. Source: Rely on official sources for medical and ...
Meet Johanna Ardern, vaccine hub volunteer
3 February 2021
Johanna Ardern’s participation in the Parent Employment Wellbeing Project led to her volunteering at the central Reading vaccine hub. Here she reflects on what volunteering means to her. I contacted Anna at RVA when I read an email offering help and advice to parents who wanted to return to work. She has been fantastic! She has ...
Support and resources to help you deliver services safely online
3 February 2021
Is your organisation delivering online services or are you struggling with seeing how you might do this safely in view of specific needs of your service users, such as mental health needs? Many of us had to adapt quickly to the various lockdown restrictions, and you might be trying to balance: Maintaining much-needed service delivery during ...
Tribute to Phillip Kallay
2 February 2021
We would like to pay tribute to one of Reading’s community champions, Phillip Edmond Kallay, who passed away after a short illness on 5 January 2021 aged 46. Philip moved with his family to the Hexham area in 2010 and became an active member of the Hexham Community Association (HCA) after making friends with the then ...
National Lottery Grants for Heritage – focusing on inclusion – rolling deadline
1 February 2021
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is accepting applications for grants from £3,000 to £10,000 and £10,000 to £100,000 for projects that are focused on inclusion, led by and/or engaging diverse groups typically under-represented in heritage (for example, young people, minority ethnic and LGBT+ communities, disabled people and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds). This work could include: exploring different ...
The Clothworkers’ Foundation – Open Grants Programme
1 February 2021
The Open Grants Programme accepts applications from UK registered charities or not-for-profits and who meet the eligibility criteria, for funding towards capital projects. The work of the organisation must fit within one or more of the specified programme areas. This Programme does not award grants for work outside the UK, even if the organisation is ...