Category Archives: Featured

A wide spread engagement process on the future arrangements for NHS commissioning in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West was launched this week. It will last until 1 December and there are full details on the Berkshire West CCG website at www.berkshirewestccg.nhs.uk. You can download the survey at www.surveymonkey.co.uk. Fact sheets giving details of the proposals are also going to be sent to all surgeries in Berkshire West so patients can get involved. Continue reading Have your say on NHS plans for our area→

Reading Family Aid organises an Annual Christmas Toy Project, with support from the Reading Chronicle. They collect and distribute gifts to disadvantaged families in the Reading area. Last year they provided gifts for 1,500 children. Large black plastic sacks are used to pack the gifts for delivery to the families. They have been looking for alternatives to these single use plastic bags, but found that the cost of buying fabric or paper bags would be prohibitive. Continue reading Donate your old clean duvet covers to help Reading Family Aid reduce their reliance on single use plastic→

Alan Hester Associates is delivering free management training for junior to middle managers of voluntary and community organisations. The training is accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management and fully funded by the European Social Fund and the Thames Valley LEP as part of the Skills for the Workforce project. To find out more or to apply for your free place, contact Alan Hester on 07970 522760 or email alan@alanhester.co.uk. Continue reading Free ILM accredited management training for voluntary and community groups→

Countdown to Befriending Week 2019! Only 1 month to go. This year the theme puts a spotlight on Health and Wellbeing. To help you prepare for this year’s celebrations, visit the Befriending Week Resources section of the website at www.befriending.co.uk to download the free Resource Pack. This includes social media posts, facebook cover, Twitter Banner, Certificates and more. Well done to the 50+ members who have already downloaded their Befriending Week Resource Pack. Continue reading Befriending Week – are you ready?→

An opportunity for 16 to 24 year olds interested in sports coaching. Get Berkshire Active are are about to launch a sports apprenticeship programme working with Coach Core by The Royal Foundation. Coach Core is an innovative and exciting sports coaching apprenticeship targeting young people who wish to gain further education and employment in sport. Coach Core apprentices will be employed by organisations for 15 months for 30 hours per week which includes one day in education. Continue reading Coach Core apprenticeships – opportunity for 16 to 24 year olds→

Thank you to those of you who came to ‘Putting Health at the Heart of Neighbourhoods’ last week. We heard about the new Primary Care Networks launched on 1 July 2019. A PCN is a grouping of GP practices working with community services, social care and the voluntary sector to plan and co-ordinate care within a neighbourhood of 30-50,000 patients with a strong focus on understanding population need and responding proactively to maintain health and wellbeing. Continue reading An introduction to Primary Care Networks→

Battle Library will reopen to the public as a multi-use community hub for west Reading on Tuesday 17 September, following major building improvement work over the summer. Battle Library has been transformed over the summer, so that more people can enjoy what it has to offer. The much-loved library will continue to provide all of its popular library services, as well as Children’s Centre activities, adult learning and community activities. Continue reading Battle Library community hub opens→

The Pantry Café & Kitchen, Reading Town Hall’s new café, will open to the public this month. The modern new café will sit in the heart of Reading’s vibrant town centre, forming an integral part of the beautiful 18th Century Grade II listed Town Hall and Museum building. The Pantry will offer a fresh exciting place for breakfast, brunch or lunch and a great place to meet and eat. It will be open to the public from Monday 16 September. Continue reading Opening date announced for the Pantry Café and Kitchen→

Reading Borough Council are looking for your views on proposed priorities for Reading’s next Homelessness Strategy. Your feedback will shape and inform their approach and strategic direction regarding homelessness over the next five years. The existing Homelessness Strategy is not due for review until 2021. However, there have been significant recent legislative change and significant reductions in the use of emergency accommodation for homeless households since 2016. Continue reading Have your say – RBC’s Homelessness Strategy consultation open until 29 September 2019→

Free online healthy eating advice is being offered by nutritionists as part of a new trial being run by the University of Reading. The EatWellUK study is testing a new easy-to-use web app, which provides advice on how you can eat more healthily. Participating in this nutrition study involves using the eNutri web app (www.eatwelluk.org) to complete a food and drink questionnaire on two occasions that are 12 weeks apart. Continue reading Free online healthy eating advice from Reading University’s nutritionists→