By Cllr Jason Brock
I’ve written here before about the value of Reading’s incredible and unrivalled voluntary and community sector, and I’ll make no apologies for doing so again.
The sheer number and range of grassroots community organisations which operate in our town never fails to amaze me, and the same applies to their ability to make a difference in communities needing support – it’s one of the things which make Reading so special.
It’s also why as a Council, even in these challenging financial times, we continue to protect and set aside a significant amount of funding to allow these groups to work their magic. That amounts to £1.375 million each year, which includes a ‘small grants fund’ totalling £200,000 and specifically aimed at the grassroots organisations thriving in our local communities.
In the context of a cost-of-living crisis which continues to impact on deprived communities the most, the fact the Council maintains funding for our vital voluntary sector – helping help it reach and support communities and residents who are struggling with poverty and inequality – is something I personally remain very proud of. Reading’s community and voluntary sector is unrivalled. It is only right that we, as the local Council, back them.
Last week the Council launched the first phase of its new Small Grants Fund 2023/24. Grassroot and community groups are once again being invited to bid for pots of funding to deliver local activities which support and create new opportunities for residents.
Pots worth £5,000, or £10,000 for partnership bids, are available, totalling £100,000 as part of the first phase of this year’s scheme (with a second phase to follow in a few months). If you run a community group in Reading – no matter how small you think it is – it really is worth your while taking a look at www.reading.gov.uk/SmallGrantsFund.
We’ve tried to design a process that makes bidding as easy as possible because we appreciate that small community groups have neither the resources nor the expertise of some of our larger, more experienced voluntary sector partners. There is still plenty of time to make a bid as the deadline is not until Sunday, July 23.
We’ve also kept the bidding criteria deliberately non-prescriptive to enable as wide a variety of community activities as possible. We are as always particularly interested in activities which enable everyone in Reading to share in the town’s success, drive attainment in skill, education, training and access to employment and support people in areas of the town where the need is greatest.
When you look at the incredible array of activities delivered by these local groups as part of last year’s scheme, it is hard to put a price on this initiative in terms of the difference they make on the ground, and in people’s lives. There are far too many to list here, but they include: developing a sensory outdoor play area for children with significant learning difficulties; organising mental health workshop for young people who may be struggling; English courses for a group of vulnerable ex-British Gurkhas and older members of our large Nepalese community; developing theatre performance activities for sexual and domestic violence survivors and refugees; and organising events like Reading Mela.
When I talk about making sure everyone in our wonderful town can share in the benefits of Reading’s success, no matter their background or what challenges they face, this is the sort of thing I am referring to. It is always a pleasure to see the projects, and I’m certain this year will be no different.
Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council, and ward member for Southcote
