Community Place The centre for social action in Reading

With thanks to RVA’s partners and funders:

Reading Voluntary Action, Community Place, Third Floor, Reading Central Library, Square, Reading RG1 3BQ Tel: 0118 937 2273 www.rva.org.uk

Registered charity number: 1045782 Company registration: 2982252 © Reading Voluntary Action, 2019 Community Place is a partnership space based on the top floor of Reading’s Central Library building. It offers offices, hot desks, and conference facilities for local non-profit organisations, with free wi-fi throughout. For more details about the facilities, see Third Floor, Reading Central Library, www.rva.org.uk/community-place. To Abbey Square, Reading, RG1 3BQ Welcome to Community Place, book a room or desk or enquire about Access: if the Library is closed, access to our rates, please email [email protected] or Community Place is via the back of the Library the centre for social action in Reading contact us on 0118 937 2273. building. Press the buzzer to gain access. When national and global issues seem so large and numerous, how can we make a positive impact? Many people in Reading are taking up the challenge to improve our town and life for its residents. Reading Voluntary Action exists to Contact RVA promote and support the individuals and groups who make up our diverse For news, information and resources voluntary and community sector. go to www.rva.org.uk RVA is committed to connecting Phone us on 0118 937 2273 communities across Reading and to improving health and wellbeing for the most vulnerable. We therefore support projects that aim to reduce loneliness and social isolation, and which deliver better outcomes Email contact details: for children, young people and families. Rachel Spencer, Chief Executive Liz Morrison, Social Prescribing Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] In these politically and economically Anna Chapman, David Neale, Development Worker: uncertain times, we know that collaborative School and Parent Engagement Officer Digital Inclusion working is vitally important, so we are [email protected] [email protected] developing the partnership space on the Sharon Fitton, Charlotte Netherton-Sinclair, third floor of Central Library into a centre Stronger Together Referral Coordinator Youth Project Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] for social action in Reading. The name Community Place expresses our values Steve Hendry, Herjeet Randhawa, Advice Worker Volunteering Development Manager [email protected] of embracing the diversity of the town and Contents [email protected] Rhiannon Stocking-Williams, empowering individuals and communities Amber Holdway, Social Prescriber Ready Friends Coordinator to create sustainable change. It’s also 4 Connecting communities in Reading [email protected] [email protected] about our belief that social action makes 6 Improving the lives of young people Demelza Hookway, Sarah Timmins DeGregory, an essential contribution to the health and and families Information and Communication Officer Development Worker: Schools Involvement democracy of our society. [email protected] [email protected] 8 Supporting the voluntary sector to grow and thrive Sarah Martin, Social Prescriber William Westwood, Services Administrator Rachel Spencer [email protected] [email protected] RVA Chief Executive 10 Encouraging volunteering and Sarah Morland, Partnership Manager social action [email protected]

2 3 Connecting communities in Reading

RVA News Ready Friends You can find all the latest voluntary and The Ready Friends project supports community sector news for Reading – individuals and groups wanting to take including jobs, funding opportunities, events positive action to reduce loneliness and and training – on our website and in our social isolation. The quarterly Befriending weekly newsletter. Sign up for RVA News Forums are for anyone from local at www.rva.org.uk/subscribe. Look out communities, groups and organisations, for our information booklets, too, in print and are an opportunity to network and and online, promoting and publicising local explore ways of addressing local need organisations, activities and services. and improving people’s lives. The Ready Friends Toolkit, developed in partnership with Reading Neighbourhood Networks, is a printed and online resource to inspire and equip people in Reading wanting to take action on loneliness and social isolation. In 2018–19 Get Online Find out more at Reading had 33 volunteers supporting 340 sessions for www.rva.org.uk/ready-friends/toolkit. RVA FACT more than 1000 people.

Get Online Reading Social Prescribing Our digital inclusion project makes use RVA and Age UK work in of Reading’s highly IT literate population partnership to deliver a Social Prescribing to help those who don’t have the skills or service, linking people to non-medical opportunity to access the internet. Get sources of support in the community. The Online volunteers run drop-in sessions in service accepts referrals for people who libraries and community venues where are registered with Reading GP practices anyone can get help with the internet, email (including Mortimer, Pangbourne and or a new smartphone or tablet. Get Online Theale). The Social Prescribers see a great works in partnership with organisations – variety of people from 18 years upwards – including the Salvation Army, Reading Deaf carers, people with physical or mental health Centre and lunch clubs for older people – to problems or those who are just ensure that everyone who needs it has feeling lonely. access to support. The Social Prescribing service had 253 referrals in 2018–19. Improvements for clients are measured against all aspects of a wellbeing star, with an average RVA FACT improvement of 25% in the categories of ‘feeling positive’ and ‘work, volunteering, and other opportunities’. 4 5 Improving the lives of young people and families

One Reading Whitley Schools Partnership Stronger Together – Youth Partnership and Summer Youth One Reading is a multi-agency partnership RVA is part of a partnership with primary Support for Parents Activities Programme committed to delivering better outcomes schools across Whitley which aims to The Stronger Together partnership is RVA’s Youth Project Coordinator has for children, young people and families, create a safe space at schools to meet with a Building Better Opportunities project engaged voluntary organisations across and developing a local consensus on how parents and guardians of primary school- funded by the European Social Fund and the town to form a Youth Partnership, map to work together. RVA sits on the One age children, discuss concerns that affect The National Lottery Community Fund. It need, identify gaps and seek funding to Reading strategic partnership board and their daily lives and introduce parents and offers free help to people, aged 25 or older, address those needs. produces One Reading News, a bi-monthly guardians to the voluntary and community who need support to get into employment, In summer 2019, RVA coordinated newsletter for everyone working in health, sector as it applies to their interests and/or or move closer to employment. As part a Reading Youth Summer Activities education, special educational needs and obstacles and provide ‘assisted signposting’ of this project, RVA’s School and Parent programme for three weeks, across South, disabilities, children’s social care, early for services, in Whitley and in Reading Engagement Officer works with parents, West, Central and East Reading. Events help, the youth offending service, and at large. schools and partners across sectors to were aimed at 10 to 14-year olds and were the voluntary and community sector. The maximise the opportunities available for all completely free. RVA worked with Sports newsletter features news, upcoming events parents and help them overcome any Xtra, Reside Dance, Real Time Video, and training and development opportunities, barriers to employment. Reading Refocus, The Rock Academy, resources and good practice, and profiles Reading FC’s Community Trust Kicks, of people working across the One Reading Lamda Drama/Rediculture One30 and partnership. Sign-up at www.rva.org.uk/ fitness volunteer Eugenie Rotjes Nicholls, one-reading-subscribe. to provide young people with free activities that they could engage in, learning new skills and having fun along the way. The events were a huge success, with over 100 children attending 350 sessions across the different venues and activities.

6 7

RVA Safe + Sound Governance Mark Funding support The RVA Safe + Sound Governance Mark RVA hosts funding fairs and one-to-one is a self-assessment tool plus follow-up sessions so that organisations can receive Supporting the voluntary sector consultation which gives your charity, updates and advice about projects from trustees and beneficiaries confidence that a funders including The National Lottery to grow and thrive basic level of governance has been reached. Community Fund, Berkshire Community Foundation, Crowdfunder and the Lloyds “I have had the benefit of the expertise Advice service Training Foundation. This is followed up with of Herjeet Randhawa, who is guiding RVA’s advice service provides free help with We run affordable training courses, forums governance support from RVA. me through writing various policies and the technicalities of starting and running a and networking events throughout the year. procedures used in the governance of the charity or voluntary organisation in Reading, Training covers a wide range of topics from Voice charity, which has been and continues to be including governance, employment, trustee duties, volunteer management, and a great support and invaluable in helping our RVA works in partnership to enable the safeguarding and funding. We offer an employing staff to finance and safeguarding. charity through this process.” voluntary sector to collaborate and have online knowledge base and one-to-one “It was wonderful to work with practical influence. We ensure the voluntary sector appointments with our Advice Worker. examples and I liked being with a group is represented at a strategic level by “Thank you for the clear explanations and for of people at various stages of trustee attendance at the Berkshire West A&E raising things I had not thought about.” experience and knowledge.” Delivery Board, Reading Integration Board and the Neighbourhood Care Planning Group. We host Wellbeing Forums where In 2018–19, we provided advice 20 organisations have now been to 131 different organisations In 2018–19, we ran 22 training courses awarded Safe + Sound and a further organisations can keep up-to-date with RVA FACT on 459 occasions. RVA FACT and events with 284 attendees. RVA FACT 76 are engaged in the process. changes in health and social care and identify potential area for partnership working.

8 9 Encouraging volunteering and social action Encouraging volunteering and social action

Volunteer matching service Team Reading Volunteer Coordinators Network To celebrate Volunteers’ Week 2019, we Every year we post hundreds of volunteering Our Team Reading service continues to Our Volunteers Coordinators Network also held an exhibition in the opportunities from different organisations grow, supporting organisations in managing meets quarterly to offer peer support, share Gallery in Reading Central Library. The on our website. Whether through www. the recruitment of one-off volunteers for information, and discuss a wide range of exhibition was curated by Kate Shorey rgneeds.me, our base at Community events such as Reading Half Marathon, the volunteering issues. with an eclectic mix of exhibits on display, Place on the third floor of Central Library, reopening of Reading Abbey, and Disability representing the diversity of volunteers Reading Volunteer Awards or out and about in the community, we Awareness Day. and volunteering opportunities in the town. are passionate about helping potential Every year in Volunteers’ Week at the Kate also created a wordagram, drawing Supporting and enabling volunteers find roles which suit them and beginning of June, RVA celebrates the on volunteers’ own descriptions of what vulnerable adults make a difference. extraordinary contribution that volunteers volunteering means to them. The right volunteering opportunity can and volunteering make to life in our provide a host of wellbeing benefits to town. The third annual Reading Volunteer individuals, from allowing them to stay active Awards took place on 6 June 2019, at a In 2018–19, 309 face-to-face volunteering appointments I thought it would be virtually impossible and connected to their local community to drinks reception on the fourteenth floor developing new skills and giving a sense of Tower. The evening brought RVA FACT took place to find someone to volunteer as a treasurer “ of purpose. We work with partners to together members of the local community of a small group we help set up but we have enable individuals to access meaningful to take in the views over Reading, enjoy had two excellent candidates volunteer opportunities to volunteer in a welcoming food supplied by the Global Café at RISC, through the advert that RVA put out. and supportive environment. and thank volunteers nominated by RISC organisations across the town for their work to make Reading the unique, vibrant and In 2018–19, the volunteering pages of our website had creative place it is. RVA FACT 67,767 views 10 11