We are delighted to share that Reading Community Learning Centre have recently undergone an external review of their governance as a charity, achieving a continuation of their Safe and Sound Award and celebrating 10 years of continuously maintaining this award. What a fabulous achievement, demonstrating a significant commitment from the whole team.

The revised Safe and Sound framework includes Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as a cross-cutting theme and this was clearly evident in how the charity is governed and managed. We would like to congratulate the whole team of trustees, staff, volunteers and, of course, the learners!

In this article we hear from Aisha Malik, CEO, on this experience.

Tell us a little about the charity and what inspired you to get involved with the charity?

Reading Community Learning Centre (RCLC) is a women-only charity that has been supporting women from diverse communities across Reading for over 20 years. We provide a safe and welcoming space where migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking and ethnic minority women, can learn English, develop practical and digital skills, improve their health and wellbeing, receive information and advice, make friendships and become more confident and independent.

I first became involved with RCLC around 15 years ago and have been incredibly privileged to see the charity grow and develop over that time. What has always inspired me is the women themselves,  their courage, resilience and determination to build better lives for themselves and their families, often while overcoming enormous barriers. Seeing a woman walk through our doors feeling isolated and lacking confidence, and then watching her find her voice, make friends, learn new skills and sometimes go on to volunteer or work at RCLC, is very special. That is what continues to motivate me.

What encouraged you to apply for the Safe and Sound Award?

We originally applied for Safe and Sound because we wanted to ensure that RCLC was not only delivering good services, but was also a well-run, accountable and sustainable charity behind the scenes.

We are delighted that in September 2026 we were awarded Safe and Sound again and have now held the award for 10 years. For me, that is something we should be really proud of. Governance is not always the most visible part of a charity’s work, but it underpins everything we do. Our learners, staff, volunteers, trustees, partners and funders need to have confidence that RCLC is safe, responsible and well managed.

Safe and Sound also gives us an opportunity to stop, reflect and challenge ourselves. Rather than seeing governance as a tick-box exercise, it encourages us to continually ask whether our systems, policies and practices are still working well and where we can improve.

What did the process involve for the team?

Safe and Sound is a thorough process and involves contributions from across the organisation. We reviewed our governance arrangements, policies and procedures, safeguarding, financial management, risk management, health and safety, data protection, staff and volunteer practices and the way our trustees oversee the charity.

It was very much a team effort involving staff and trustees, gathering evidence and looking carefully at how our written policies translate into what actually happens day to day at RCLC.

Although it requires time and work, I think the process is incredibly valuable. It gives you the opportunity to look at your organisation with fresh eyes, identify areas that could be strengthened and recognise how much good practice has become embedded over the years.

What benefits can you see for your charity from going through Safe and Sound?

One of the greatest benefits is reassurance. It provides independent recognition that RCLC has strong systems and governance in place and that we continue to take our responsibilities seriously.

Holding the award for 10 years also demonstrates consistency. Organisations change, staff and trustees change, services grow and the challenges facing charities change, but maintaining good governance throughout that journey is really important.

The award gives additional confidence to our learners, partners, commissioners and funders and supports us when applying for grants and developing partnerships. Most importantly, however, the process helps us remain a safe, accountable and sustainable organisation for the women who rely on us.

For a small charity, good governance is not separate from frontline delivery, it is what enables good frontline delivery to happen.

What were the highlights for you this year? Are there any future plans or events for the charity that you’d like to tell us about?

It has been another incredibly busy year at RCLC. In 2025/26 we delivered 621 course enrolments, alongside thousands of individual information, advice and guidance sessions. We have continued to provide English, literacy, IT, sewing, health and wellbeing activities and our free on-site crèche, while responding to increasing demand – we still had 82 women on our waiting list at the end of the summer term.

There have also been some wonderful moments of connection. We held our first Community Iftar for women, bringing together more than 100 people; our learners took part in community visits and wellbeing activities; and thanks to a wonderful new partnership with Reading Family Aid, 27 women and children from ten families enjoyed a summer trip to Bournemouth, which for all of those families was their first UK beach or holiday experience. We have also continued strengthening our Learner Voice work so that the women using RCLC have a genuine say in how our services develop.

Looking ahead, we want to continue improving our learning spaces, expand opportunities for women to develop English, digital and practical skills, strengthen our outreach and wellbeing work and respond to the growing number of women seeking our support.

After more than 20 years in Reading, our ambition remains very simple: to make sure women who might otherwise feel isolated or excluded have somewhere they belong, somewhere they can learn and somewhere they know they will be supported.

And receiving Safe and Sound again in our tenth year of holding the award is a lovely reminder that while RCLC continues to grow and evolve, strong governance, safety and the needs of the women we support remain at the heart of everything we do.

(Photo: Reading Community Learning Centre team at MERL)

Further information

• If this article has inspired your organisation to consider Safe and Sound good governance accreditation, take a look at our resources here. These are free of charge for local charities delivering services in Reading, kindly funded by The Earley Charity.
• Did you know that the revised Safe and Sound materials now include Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) as cross-cutting themes? Ensuring that Reading’s charities maintain a good standard of EDI in how we work and the services we deliver and we have found that this is extremely helpful when evidencing your commitment to EDI in funding applications as well as to various other stakeholders.
• If you are looking for a stepping stone approach, why not consider First Steps towards Safe and Sound? You can find out more here. Specifically designed with smaller charities and community groups in mind.
• You can find out more about our Advice Service here – a free, confidential advice service on a wide range of legal and governance topics for those running charities and community groups in Reading.
• If you have any questions, contact Herjeet Vass, RVA Advice Manager, at herjeet.vass@rva.org.uk.