News

Our news is collected from our network of members, and is updated regularly. We also present information and articles from other sources that might be relevant to your kind of group.

  • Help to improve the Reading Borough Council website

    3 February 2022Help to improve the Reading Borough Council website

    The Reading Borough Council Digital Team are working to improve the Council’s website. We’d like residents to be able find the information they need on the website and interact with the Council simply, quickly and efficiently. To help us do this, we’d like to spend some time with residents to understand their needs and find out how they think the website can be improved. We are running multiple testing sessions between February and April 2022.

  • Reading Covid Support Fund 2021/22

    24 January 2022

    Reading Borough Council has allocated £220k for grants to the voluntary and community sector for the year 2021/22 from the ‘Reading Covid Support Fund’. The council is inviting applications for funding that support the following grant criteria: -Social Isolation/Mental Health/Emotional support -Self-isolation Support (not financial) targeting hard to reach groups -Bids supporting carers and children and young people -Other Covid-related areas of impact (e.g. financial hardship, physical health).

  • RVA’s new volunteering platform is now live

    24 January 2022RVA's new volunteering platform is now live

    Reading Voluntary Action are pleased to announce that the new volunteer matching platform for Reading, Reading Volunteer Connect, is now live. The new platform will introduce a wide range of new functionality allowing organisations to have more control over the volunteering opportunities advertised via Reading Voluntary Action and streamline volunteer engagement. Organisations can register for an account here. You will then be able to upload opportunities onto the new platform.

  • A young people’s report on their long-term wellbeing needs post-pandemic – from No5 Young People

    21 January 2022A young people’s report on their long-term wellbeing needs post-pandemic – from No5 Young People

    Safe spaces, support, confidentiality and community – findings from new report on young people’s needs. A local snapshot of the voices of young people, reflective of the national picture about mental health, early intervention, and knife crime, has been published in a report by No5 Young People. The report summarises the work of No5’s ‘Restart Youth!’ project, made possible through funding from The National Lottery Community Fund distributed by Blagrave Trust.

  • Save money on your bills – Broad Street Mall, 25–26 January

    21 January 2022Save money on your bills – Broad Street Mall, 25–26 January

    Are you worried about your energy and utility bills? Come and see Citizens Advice at Broad Street Mall – look for our stall (Tuesday 25 January 2022, Wednesday 26 January 2022). One of our specialist advisers can take a look at your existing bills and advise you on how you could save money – if you would like help please bring your recent bills with you. We’ll have lots of advice and information for you.

  • New online workshops from The Real Business Club

    20 January 2022New online workshops from The Real Business Club

    The Real Business Club are running new interactive online workshops to help businesses grow. The workshops start in March 2022 and are free to business owners, no matter what kind of business they run. They offer clear and practical advice on best marketing routes and guidance on planning a strategy, and are run by business experts. For further details about what is covered in each workshop and to book, go to The Real Business Club website at www.therealbusinessclub.co.uk.

  • BCF Vital for Berkshire – deadline 10 February 2022

    20 January 2022BCF Vital for Berkshire – deadline 10 February 2022

    The Spring 2022 round of Vital for Berkshire funding is open to support charities and groups tackling vital needs in Berkshire such as support for young and vulnerable people, poverty and isolation, physical and mental health, and much more. If you are interested in applying for funding, an Eligibility Quiz is available on the website at www.berkshirecf.org/available-funding/vital-for-berkshire-fund, fill in the Quiz to receive a link to an online Application Form.

  • Walk-in vaccinations resume at Broad Street Mall

    15 January 2022Walk-in vaccinations resume at Broad Street Mall

    The vaccination centre in Broad Street Mall re-opened for walk-in Covid-19 vaccinations on 10 January 2022. The site, located where the old New Look shop used to be inside Broad Street Mall, is open from 9am to 7pm every day. The walk-in centre offers: -First doses -Second doses -Boosters -Third doses for a weakened immune system (important: if you are attending for a third dose you need to bring your referral letter from a GP or hospital doctor).

  • ABC to Read calls on schools to return volunteers to the classroom

    24 December 2021

    Only 70% of the schools that previously used ABC to Read mentors to support children struggling with their reading have reinstated those volunteers, despite government guidelines clearly stating that such support is allowed. The charity is urging all local primary schools to adhere to government guidance and bring their trained volunteer mentors back into the classroom so that they can give one-to-one support to the children who need it most.

  • Community Consultation for Quality of Life: can you help?

    16 December 2021

    At the University of Reading’s school of architecture we are involved in a research project called Community Consultation for Quality of Life. The aim of the project is to review approaches to community consultation across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and to provide space for people to have a say in the planning of their city. The project involves us setting up a physical space for community consultation in the Broad Street Mall and an associated digital platform.