Seeking New Trustee to Support Rural Communities in Berkshire

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We are inviting applications for new Trustees to join our Board and help guide the next chapter of our work supporting rural communities across the county.

As we continue to grow and develop new projects, we are looking for people who are passionate about improving community life and who bring experience of the voluntary sector, an understanding of small charity governance, or strong communication skills. Trustees play an important role in shaping our strategy, supporting our team and representing CCB within the community.

The role is flexible, with some meetings held online and occasional in person commitments. We provide a warm and supportive induction, including mentoring from existing Trustees.

If you would like to use your skills, insight and enthusiasm to make a meaningful difference in Berkshire’s rural communities, we would love to hear from you.

Read the full opportunity and find out how to apply by clicking here

February Funding Opportunities

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Grassroots Grants is now open for applications!

Calling all community groups and organisations in England – grants of up to £2,000 are available to apply for.

Grassroots Grants provides unrestricted funding for small, local organisations that are making a meaningful difference in their communities.

Building on the success of previous funding rounds, the programme will run from January to September 2026 providing more opportunities to apply.

Priority will be shown to organisations which meet the following criteria:

Funding for communities that rank as being within the top 15% on the English Indices of Deprivation

Organisations that work with and support communities classed as marginalised or vulnerable

If you have previously received funding through the programme: you are invited to apply again once your grant spend is complete and you have submitted an end of grant report

If you were unsuccessful in previous rounds: we would welcome a new application from you this year

The programme is possible thanks to funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and is awarded through Postcode Local Trust, Postcode Places Trust, Postcode Neighbourhood Trust and Postcode Society Trust.

The Allen Lane Foundation

About Us: We award funding for charitable purposes across the UK. Our focus is on funding particular groups that experience marginalisation and/or discrimination.
Criteria: For charities and not-for-profit organisations working with young people aged 12-21 who are socially excluded or marginalised, and who may have experienced significant issues within their lives
Grant Size: up to £15,000
Deadline for applications: Rolling programme

Henry Smith Foundation- Holiday Grants

About Us: The foundation aims to help children who experience inequity and/or are disabled to go on fun trips.
Criteria: The Holiday Grants Programme offers one-off grants for schools, youth groups and non-profit organisations to take children aged 13 and under on recreational day trips or short residential trips.
Grant Size: £500 – £3,000 per trip,day trip or residential trips of up to 7 days will be considered
Deadline for applications: 19th March 2026

Lord Barnby’s Foundation

About Us: Lord Barnby’s Foundation offers grants to charitable organisations in England and Wales for general charitable purposes, the advancement of health or saving of lives, disability, the prevention or relief of poverty, environment, conservation and heritage.
Criteria: Charitable organisations in England and Wales.
Grant Size: up to £5,000
Deadline for applications: Rolling programme

BBC Children in Need

About Us: BBC Children in need provide core and revenue funding for projects supporting young people facing challenges such as growing up in poverty, mental health issues, being ill or disabled, family challenges, and social injustice.
Criteria: Charitable Incorporated Organisations are eligible to apply, and should be registered with the Charity Commission. All grant applications to reflect these key principles:
Being focused on outcomes for children and young people
Safeguarding (Working with Children)
Supporting children and young people to participate in your work
We don’t fund work that statutory bodies (such as schools or local authorities) have a duty to provide.
ALL organisations must attend a pre-application information session. The sessions in the South East are delivered every two weeks.
Grant Size: £1,000 to £40,000 per year up to three years
Deadline for applications: Rolling programme

The Health Lottery Foundation

About Us: We support organisations that are working to improve health and wellbeing.
Criteria: Charities and Community Interest Companies (CICs) that improve health and wellbeing in England, Scotland and Wales, are eligible.
Grant Size: £1,000
Deadline for applications: 27th February 2026

B&Q Foundation – Home Starter Kit Grants

About Us: To provide home-starter packs for people in need to move into their home.
Criteria: The funding is intended for UK registered charities working to improve the lives of people in need by supporting projects that make homes safe, welcoming, and comfortable. Grants support home starter kits to help individuals and families facing homelessness, domestic abuse, disabilities, illness, or financial hardship to feel more settled and supported in their living spaces.
Grant Size: up to £10,000
Deadline for applications: 20th February 2026

Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust

About Us: We award grants to registered UK charities that work with communities in the UK. We aim to give grants to those in society who face the greatest challenges and whose opportunities are most limited.
Criteria: For UK-registered charities with an operating income of between £100,000 and £1 million.
Grant Size: up to £1,000
Deadline for applications: 28th February 2026

The Ben Amanna Education Grant

About Us: Funding education and development in boxing-related work and communities.
Criteria: Boxing is Love provide funding and in-kind support, including equipment, as well as small Education and Development Awards to help gyms, youth centres, charities, boxers and coaches expand education, development and career opportunities.
Grant Size: up to £250
Deadline for applications: 6pm on 1st March 2026

Hinrichsen Foundation

About Us: The Foundation gives grants for the performance, commissioning and recording of contemporary and experimental music in the UK.
Criteria: For charities and organisations across the UK to deliver music projects that focus on the performance, commissioning, or recording of contemporary music.
Grant Size: Between £500 and £3,000
Deadline for applications: 13th March 2026

Dan Maskell Tennis Trust

About Us: A tennis charity raising funds for people with disabilities who play tennis.
Criteria: Disabled individuals, disability groups, tennis clubs, schools, and associations across the UK that work with people with disabilities can apply for grants from the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust to support participation in tennis. The grants can be used for coaching with LTA-licensed coaches, court hire, tennis wheelchairs, and equipment like rackets.
Grant Size: up to £1,600
Deadline for applications: 10th May 2026

The Rowing Foundation

About Us: Providing grants towards the cost of boat equipment or boat refurbishments to support junior & student rowers, and adaptive rowing for all ages.
Criteria: Organisations, clubs, and schools involved in rowing can apply for grants of from the Rowing Foundation to support junior & student rowers, as well as adaptive rowing for all ages.
Grant Size: Between £500 and £4,000
Deadline for applications: noon on 1st June 2026

TVP Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner – Community Fund

The OPCC for Thames Valley will open the next round of its Community Fund on Monday 2 February 2026. Voluntary and community groups, charities, and town and parish councils can apply for grants to support local projects that contribute to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s plan. The fund is financed through the sale of goods seized from criminals.
Applications close at 12pm on Monday 23 February 2026. Projects must show clear deliverables and demonstrate how they support the Police and Crime Plan. Around £200,000 is available, and previous rounds have been highly competitive. Awards will be announced in late March/early April.
Key guidelines:

Open to not‑for‑profit organisations, including charities, social enterprises, and town/parish councils
Projects must take place within the Thames Valley policing area
Organisations funded in the last 12 months are not eligible
Existing OPCC‑funded organisations may apply (subject to checks to avoid duplicate funding)
Maximum grant: £10,000 (applicants may be asked if they can accept a lower amount)
Projects must clearly support the Police and Crime Plan objectives

Further details and FAQs are available on the OPCC website.
Deadline: 23 February 2026

Path accessibility fund – The Ramblers Association

The fund welcomes applications to fund projects that seek to remove barriers and open up paths for more people in England, Scotland, and Wales. This includes improving access for those people with reduced mobility, who may struggle to climb over stiles.

The average award to date has been £2500. The deadline for applications is 14 March 2026.

Seed Corn Grants – The National Archives

Seed Corn Grants offer between £500 and £5,000 to support early-stage, exploratory projects that spark new ideas and approaches to community engagement with heritage.

These grants are designed for community groups, Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) or other heritage organisations looking to test concepts, build partnerships, or pilot activities.

The current round of applications closes on 17 April 2026.

Asda Community Spaces Grants

About Us: Supporting grassroots community groups to transform spaces at the heart of their local community.
Criteria:  Charities and not-for-profit organisations that benefit local people.
Grant Size: up to £20,000
Deadline for applications: Applications open from Spring 2026

Information contained in this article is sourced from Slough CVS, Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, Wokingham & Bracknell InVOLve and Rural Services Network.



Our AGM and 21st Century Community Halls Event at Chieveley Village Hall

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Welcome and Opening of the AGM

On 28th January 2026, on a bright but bracing winter morning, over 50 guests gathered for our Annual General Meeting and our 21st Century Community Halls case study event at the brilliant community hub that is Chieveley Village Hall. It is a venue we always enjoy visiting and it provided a fantastic backdrop for a day of sharing project updates, catching up with members and friends of CCB, and celebrating the achievements of our 21st Century Community Halls project.

We were joined by a wonderful mix of people. Members came from community buildings and parish councils right across the county, and we were delighted to welcome partners, funders, stakeholders and our Trustees. It felt like a real gathering of the CCB family.

AGM Highlights

Mark Nevitt, our Chair, and Tim Parry, our CEO, opened the morning and guided us through the AGM business. This included officially welcoming three new Trustees to our Board: David Oram, Annie Moon and Alison Taylor. We are very much looking forward to working with them.

We also said goodbye to Sarah Morland, who completed two three-year terms. As Mark reminded us, Sarah had a remarkable rise, joining in March 2020 and becoming Chair within six months. She has contributed an enormous amount to CCB and has been a thoughtful and passionate advocate for Berkshire’s communities. We are incredibly grateful for everything she has done.

With the AGM concluded, Tim gave an overview of our work over the past year, highlighting key projects and achievements.

Rural Housing Enabler Spotlight

Tim then introduced our Rural Housing Enabler, Maria Kelly. Maria talked us through how the Rural Housing Enabling project works, why it requires time and careful consultation, and the kinds of support rural communities can expect. She shared examples of current work in Beenham, Compton and Waltham St Lawrence and explained some of the excellent data tools she uses to map local need and rural housing stock.

Moveability and the Benefits of Seated Exercise

Next, we welcomed Debbie Medlin from Moveability. We have been working with Debbie for several years, helping her secure funding to bring her seated exercise classes to rural communities across West Berkshire, including Chieveley, Hermitage and Lambourn.

Debbie spoke about the benefits of the classes, not only for physical wellbeing but also for reducing isolation and building connections. She finished with an energetic taster session to what must be one of the happiest songs ever recorded, Ob La Di Ob La Da by The Beatles, which certainly lifted the room.

21st Century Community Halls Case Study Training Session

After a break for networking and an excellent brunch, we moved into the 21st Century Community Halls training session led by our Community Building Advisor, Kate Meads. This was a real highlight and included first hand insight from Neal Courtney from Chieveley Village Hall.

Neal talked us through the hall’s development journey and how the Trustees and a dedicated group of volunteers created a development plan, carried out meaningful community engagement and put together a fundraising strategy to support the hall’s long-term ambitions. Hearing their story while sitting in the very building they were describing brought everything to life.

The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) joined us to share how they are supporting CCB to learn from, develop and evaluate the outcomes of the 21st Century Halls Project. Sarah Best presented a new set of Village Hall case studies, featuring Shaw‑cum‑Donnington, Arborfield, Farley Hill and Speen, highlighting the different approaches halls are taking to modernisation and community engagement.

Debbie from Movaebility running a taster seated exercise class

Reflections and Key Takeaways from the Day

Overall, the day left us feeling energised and connected. It was a strong reminder of the value of our work, the commitment of our Trustees and partners, and the creativity of communities and volunteers who find new ways to support local people.

We heard first hand how long-term projects like rural housing need time and collaboration, how small interventions such as seated exercise can spark positive social change, and how village halls can thrive when motivated Trustees, a clear plan and community voices come together. Most importantly, it reinforced why we do what we do: helping Berkshire’s communities thrive by supporting places, projects and relationships that last.

Feedback from Attendees

“The event was just what we needed. It is great to see what others are doing and how CCB is supporting improvement projects.”

“What a great session. We have several community buildings on our patch who would really benefit from membership so they can access support from the 21st Century Community Halls Project. I will be encouraging them to join.”

Final Thoughts from Tim and Kate

Tim said: “I would like to thank all our members and other delegates for supporting CCB at our AGM and conference yesterday. Thank you to Sarah and colleagues from NICRE for sharing their ongoing evaluation of our 21st Century Halls project and to Neal for sharing his team’s inspiring work to improve Chieveley Village Hall. These conferences are a great way of bringing like-minded people together and are a genuine highlight of our year.”

Kate said: “The best part of the day was simply having so many different people in the room together. It was great to have time to chat informally, hear presentations, ask questions and wander around talking to service providers and trustees who have used solar installers, infrared specialists and online booking systems. We also loved hearing from our learning partner, NICRE, about how they are capturing the impact of CCB’s 21st Century Halls Project. It was brilliant for everyone to hear about our other projects too because there is so much crossover. A village might also be linked to our fuel poverty project or our rural housing enabler work, or realise there is a need to run more activities for people who are socially isolated. Having all those conversations in one place made the day feel really exciting.”

21st Century Community Halls – Case Study Event – BOOK YOUR PLACE TODAY 

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Booking link: Case Study Event – Book here

Discover how village and community halls can thrive in the modern era.

Join us for an inspiring and practical learning session showcasing the 21st Century Community Halls project in action on Wednesday 28th January 2026.

This event takes place at a venue that has successfully completed the full consultation process and implemented a comprehensive:

  • Development Plan
  • Community Engagement Plan
  • Fundraising Plan

The hall has already undergone a major transformation, including asbestos removal, new roofing, insulation, and solar panel installation. Next up: Phase 2 – Infra-red heating.

Alongside the main case study, you’ll hear short presentations about other village halls, sharing their real-world experiences – the highs, lows, and lessons learned (including what they’d do differently next time).

You’ll also have the chance to connect with professional partners who can provide expert advice and ongoing support for your own hall’s development.
Contributors include:

Who should attend?
Village & Community Hall Management Committees, Town & Parish Council Members, Facilities Managers
When: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Where: Chieveley Village Hall, High St, Chieveley, Newbury RG20 8TE
Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Booking link: Case Study Event – Book here

Understanding the Future of Rural Affordable Housing

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As part of our work to support the provision of affordable housing in rural communities, we have been working with colleagues across the rural Thames Valley region and across England to build a better picture of the condition and future of existing rural affordable housing stock.

Much of the rural affordable housing currently in use was built between the post‑war period and the 1970s. While the need for affordable housing in rural areas has increased, in some areas the supply has declined. Homes have been sold onto the open market and not replaced locally. This trend is concerning for rural communities and presents a significant challenge for Rural Housing Enablers and Local Authorities seeking to increase housing supply to meet growing need.

To better understand what is happening and why, CCB is exploring how housing providers manage their rural housing stock and the factors that influence decisions to sell rural affordable homes.

In November 2025, Sovereign Network Group (SNG), West Berkshire’s main provider of rural affordable housing, gave a presentation to the West Berkshire Council Resources and Place Scrutiny Committee. A recording of the meeting is available to view here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/aDHDdoW76ik

Rural residents across Berkshire have shared concerns about the sale of affordable rural homes, many of which are owned by SNG. During their presentation, SNG explained their approach to stock management and the decision‑making process around property sales. This short film brings together some of the key points from that presentation and highlights the important questions it raised.

🎥 Watch the film:

To find out more about our research into the loss of rural affordable homes, please visit our project webpage:
Research into market sales of affordable rural homes | Connecting Communities in Berkshire

If you are aware of sales of affordable homes in your rural community, please let us know by completing our short survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DNFBXP7

Alternatively, you can contact our Rural Housing Enabler directly at maria.kelly@ccberks.org.uk.