FOURTEEN community projects across Thames Valley have been awarded funding from the University of Reading as part of its Community Engagement Fund.
The initiative sets aside £30,000 each year and allows university staff to apply for funding to support community projects they work with, either through their roles at the university or as voluntary members.
Projects which benefit community groups or individuals across the Thames Valley region–which includes Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire– are selected to receive one-off small grants of around £1,000, or larger awards of up to £10,000 for bigger projects.
Projects must also further at least one of the University’s charitable objectives of advancing education, learning, and research.
This year’s round of funding saw a grant awarded to the RACE Project, which is raising awareness around criminal exploitation of children and young people within the Reading community.
Among the other projects given funding were the Conversational Kitchen project, which aims to help sanctuary seekers combat isolation and improve integration and language skills through group cooking, and the Reading Mencap ‘Walk a Mile in our Shoes’ event, which aims to increase the visibility of people with learning disabilities in the community.
It also established the UoR Community Primary Schools Food Bank, to install drop-off points located across campus to provide essential items for local families.
Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “It is always inspiring to learn about the wealth of community projects that our University staff members are involved in – to help make things a little better for people.
“We are a University that truly wants to make a difference in our local area, and so we are proud to support these projects that will have wide-reaching benefits for people and communities in our region.”
