Please see the information below of services that can be accessed for support on rising costs of food, energy costs, and the implications on the local community in West Berkshire.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) – Debt Centre for Newbury and the surrounding area.

We provide free debt counselling and take new appointment bookings for our Debt Help service via our helpline 0800 328 0006. The Newbury centre covers RG14 and 17-20 and we are booking appointments up to 3 months in advance. Christians Against Poverty has a network of over 300 debt centres operating in postcode catchments. To check what is available in a particular area use the postcode checker at https://capuk.org/i-want-help.

Our free debt counselling service normally takes place face to face in our client’s homes. Due to the restrictions since the beginning of the pandemic we were not able to see clients face to face, and we changed our debt counselling service to offer a telephone based debt help service. Since restrictions have been lifted we offer a hybrid service (telephone based and face to face) to help and support the clients through the process. We have worked hard with regulators to ensure that our service is compliant, and have taken care to ensure that it will work as well as it can do for vulnerable clients.

During our appointments we explain our service and gather together all the information about their income, expenditure and debts. Our head office debt advisors produce a financial statement/budget and options for the best route out of debt for the client from this information. We then explain and coach the client through the detail and options on their final appointment. We support them through this process and afterwards all the way to them becoming debt free.

Our client statistics show that 58% of our clients had waited a year before seeking help and 30% had waited 3 years. We do not want people to wait this long before seeking help, especially in light of the fact that 38% of our clients have considered or attempted suicide. Helping to identify those that need help early, and encourage them to contact us as soon as they get into difficulties, is where our referrers come in. The sooner we can help people the easier it is to get them out of debt and stay out of debt. All you need to do is give them our New Enquiries number 0800 328 0006 and encourage them to call us.

We work together with other local organisations like Foodbank, West Berkshire Community Baby Bank and Community Furniture Project to support our clients to provide emergency aid and more general support to those who need it.

West Berks Foodbank – will provide 7 days worth of food to each member in the household. These food parcel’s are currently delivered to the home address in unmarked cars delivered by DBS checked and trained volunteers.

When stock allows we can also supply toiletries, cleaning supplies, sanitary products, baby food and nappies as well as dog and cat food.

Treating each client as an individual we can tailor parcels to dietary and religious requirements.

As we speak with every client, we are then able to confidentially chat about other things we can do to help. Support them with getting help with concerns regarding missing or broken household goods, clothes or mobile phone top-up. Signposting them to other agencies regarding income maximisation, debt management, domestic abuse, getting school uniform,  and most other concerns. If we can’t help, we know someone who can.

Helen Dean at CCB (Connecting Communities in Berkshire) – delivers the CCB Family Home Energy Education and Advice Project, which gives advice and support to low-income families in cutting the cost of their gas, electricity and water bills, including discounts that are available, and dealing with utility debt. To refer a family, or find out more, email Helen at helen.dean@ccberks.org.uk, with the family’s phone number and email address, and any relevant information. Families can self-refer too.

Citizens Advice West Berkshire

General: 01635 516605

Carers/disability benefits: 01635 516609

Anyone that is in Sovereign Housing can also access the following support;

https://my.sovereign.org.uk/communities/communities

Written by our Energy Adviser and Project Co-ordinator Helen Dean.

We all know how hard it is for low-income families at the moment with winter approaching, dealing with benefit cuts, the rise in food and fuel prices, and gas and electricity costs having gone up from October this year.

If you would like a short training session for your team on discounts that families can claim for their electricity and water, and details of the telephone advice Helen can give to families to reduce their utility bills, please contact Helen at helen.dean@ccberks.org.uk, or call 0773 8887612. This update has been given to Social Services teams in West Berkshire, and has been very well received.

Many of England’s 10,000+ village halls date back to the 1920s. To celebrate the contribution they make to rural communities, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) has created this virtual ‘Domesday Book’ for village halls to record the work they are doing in 2021. The record will help make the case for sustained funding and support for village halls which will be especially important as the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity)

“Village halls have been a crucial part of rural life for the past century. They provide a space for activities and events that bring people together, create a sense of community, reduce loneliness and support local businesses.

At a time when many village halls are closed because of coronavirus, it is especially important to recognise and celebrate the work they do. As such, I wholeheartedly encourage anyone involved with a village hall to sign this ‘Domesday Book’ and help create a record demonstrating how important these buildings are, and what is needed to make sure they survive in the future” (January 2021)

Please register your Village Hall in the Domesday book if you have not already done this.

Village Halls Domesday Book 2021

Tell us what your hall is doing, the difference you are making to your community and any hopes you have for the future!

With big thanks to Berkshire’s CVS organisations for the information contained in this article; Reading Voluntary Action, West Berkshire Volunteer Centre, Wokingham & Bracknell Involve and Slough CVS.

Ireland Funds Great Britain

This gives grants up to £10,000 to charities across Great Britain and Ireland to support their work. It will fund organisations with projects supporting community development, culture, peace and reconciliation and education.

Deadline for applications is 21 November 2021

Read more


Ocado Foundation for Good

The fund is offering grants of up to £10,000 to charities, charitable companies, and local authorities to support skills and education development and promote sustainability in communities across the UK.

The fund aims to support ‘the many not the few’ and to help develop a sustainable strategy for the future based on the Foundation’s three pillars of corporate responsibility:

• Skills for the future.
• Natural resources.
• Responsible sourcing.

Deadline for applications is 31 December 2021

Read more


Reach Fund

The Foundation for Social Investment (Access) and Social Investment Business (SIB) have put a further £10million into this grant programme supporting charities and social enterprises to increase their resilience by taking on social investment.

Through the fund, social investors work with charities and social enterprises, using small grants to provide support around issues such as business planning, financial modelling and forecasting. The fund is designed to give the charities and social enterprises control, allowing them to either engage support providers directly and/or use the money to free up their own capacity. Average grant is around £13,000.

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The Hedley Foundation This is an endowed grant giving charitable foundation which supportssmall to medium sized UK registered charities operating across the spectrum of social need. The Trustees seek to help and improve the quality of life of people in the UK, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is achieved by making grants, within budget, to registered charities for the benefit of young people, disabled people, elderly people, the terminally ill and otherwise disadvantaged people and their carers. We award grants to those charities that are able to demonstrate quantifiable outcomes to beneficiaries. Typically, grants of up to £5,000 are regularly made and occasional larger sums are given to charities where high impact can be achieved. Similarly, smaller charities often benefit from smaller grants of £250 upwards. Next Deadline is 26th January 2022. Click here for further details.

The Joseph Rank Foundation: Pebble Grants Our mission is to improve the lives of people and their communities, across the UK, and we look to do this by encouraging and developing leadership, promoting enterprise and innovation, caring for the disadvantaged and the marginalised, and promoting the understanding of the values, traditions and practices of the Christian faith, from a perspective that respects those of all faiths and those of none. Pebbles is our small funding stream for UK registered charities and recognised churches (income of less than £500,000) which are raising money for projects where the total cost is less than £150,000. This money can be spent on short breaks (such as an annual respite break or holiday for disadvantaged young people), equipment (such as white goods), or capital costs (refurbishment or minor building work). Pebble grant applications are processed on a rolling basis. It can take up to 3 months for a decision and payment to be made. Grants are awarded on a discretionary basis; the Rank Foundation’s contribution ranges from £250 up to and including £4,000, depending on the total cost of the project. Click here for details.

Austin & Hope Pilkington Trust The Trust operates a three-year rotation system, with different fields of interest being funded each year. In 2022, the focus is on the Arts. There will be a specific focus in the first two rounds on people in the early stages of their career, specifically performers and creatives. The third and fourth rounds will focus on projects that seek to address the under-representation of BAME people in all sections of the arts. Click here for details.

National Lottery Community Fund – Together for Our Planet Deadline: 18 November 2021 Grants are available to voluntary and community organisations in the United Kingdom for small-scale projects to take action on climate change. Recovery Loan Fund Deadline: 21 November 2021 Loans are available to support UK charities and social enterprises who have been impacted by coronavirus/COVID-19 and need funds to help them to survive, recover and grow. Centre for Cultural Value – Collaborate Fund Deadline: 24 November 2021 Grants are available to support the development of collaborative research projects between UK cultural sector organisations and academic researchers. Better Community Business Network Grant Initiative Deadline: 26 November 2021 A small number of grants are available each year to small not-for-profit groups which can demonstrate a positive impact on the communities they serve across the UK. International Tree Foundation – UK Community Tree Planting Programme Deadline: 16 December 2021 Funding is available to protect, promote and plant trees in local communities in the UK. Didymus Fund Deadline: 31 December 2021 Grants are available for small to medium UK based registered charities to support disadvantaged people in the UK, Africa or Central and South America. Ocado Foundation Grants Programme Deadline: 31 December 2021 Grants programme for UK charities and community groups, with BizGive offering grants of up to £1,000 to successful applicants, with in-kind goods also available on request and applications for digital volunteering also accepted. National Allotment Gardens Trust Deadline: 1 January 2022 Grants are available for registered allotment associations and committees for the improvement and development of facilities on registered and permitted sites. Asda Foundation – Investing in Spaces and Places Grant Deadline: 9 January 2022 Grants are available to grassroots organisations in the UK for the improvement of spaces for local communities, leading to a positive difference for those living in the area. The Marketors’ Charity Marketing Grant Programme Deadline: 10 January 2022 Offering an opportunity to smaller charities to apply for grants for marketing campaigns that will have a real impact in support of their cause. These grants are for the purpose of funding marketing campaigns and are not available for staff costs, capital investment, hardware or infrastructure work or SEO/PPC activity. CLA Charitable Trust Deadline: 15 March 2022 The CLA Charitable Trust is dedicated to helping those who are disabled or disadvantaged to visit and participate in learning experiences about the countryside Garfield Weston Foundation Deadline: N/A The Garfield Weston Foundation is one of the largest grant-making trusts in the UK. They provide grants to UK Registered Charities and Schools for Capital Costs, Revenue/Core Costs and Project Costs. Eligible organisations are invited to apply for projects in the following areas: Welfare, Youth, Community, Arts, Faith, Environment, Education, Health, Museums Heritage. The BlueSpark Foundation Deadline: N/A Grants to schools, community groups, clubs, societies and not-for-project organisations which support the education and development of children and young people. The majority of grants awarded will be up to £2,000 but a handful of grants up to £5,000 may be considered. Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) Deadline: N/A Public, private and third sector organisations in England can access capital funding to help new and existing heat networks move to low and zero carbon technologies, such as heat pumps, solar and geothermal energy. Morgan Charitable Foundation  Deadline: N/A Grants for charitable organisations in England for general charitable purposes, but including health, disability, young and older people, and overseas aid. Spend £170k pa. Thanks Nichola Brown.  Peter Cruddas Foundation Deadline: N/A The charity helps disadvantaged and disengaged young people in the age range of 16 to 30, to pursue pathways to Education, Training and Employment. Those we cannot help financially, we hope to help in other ways, through mentoring, business planning and networking. Shanly Foundation COVID Deadline: N/A Registered charities, sports and social clubs and community organisations that help individuals and benefit the local community, including support for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the homeless, those with mental health issues and people with physical disabilities, injury or life limiting illness in Bucks, Herts, Surrey and Berks.  The Syder Foundation – Large and Small Grants Deadline: N/A The Foundation aims to award around eight grants per year, with a focus on regional charities located in Berkshire and the surrounding counties. Total large grants awarded annually will be between £300,000-400,000 with each grant at around the £50,000 level.  Capital projects are preferred. Programmes and other projects may be considered in exceptional cases.  The Foundation sets aside around £100k per year from which small awards may be made, with a focus on regional charities located in Berkshire and some surrounding counties. Helen Robertson Charitable Trust Deadline: N/A General Charitable Purposes.The charity helps: Children/young People, Elderly/old People, People With Disabilities,Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies in Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Pembrokeshire, West Berkshire, Wiltshire, Windsor And Maidenhead. Betsy Foundation Deadline: N/A Grants of up to £30,000 to UK registered charities, with income under £0.75m pa, that operate in London and the South-East, to help them overcome poverty, abuse and homelessness for the younger members of our society. Community Housing Fund Revenue Programme 2021/22 Deadline: N/A Grants are available for community organisations to help cover the revenue costs of project-specific activities that will support the development of community led housing proposals across England (excluding London) up to March 2022. RHS Flourish Fund Deadline: N/A Grants for voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations across the UK that are helping people acquire horticultural skills, with particular focus on promoting diversity and inclusion in horticulture. Nationwide Building Society Mutual Respect Grant Fund Deadline: N/A Grants are available to grassroot football clubs in the UK whose activities have increased mutual respect on or off the pitch, to support costs including replacing equipment or completing repair work. Football Foundation – Return to Disability Football Fund Deadline: N/A Grants are available to enable football clubs and organisations in England to restart or deliver new disability football activities following the period of COVID-19 restrictions.

ESFA Community Training Grants – Thames Valley Berkshire

Community Training grants between £5,000 and £20,000 are available for projects supporting people who are unemployed or economically inactive, move closer towards employment.

We fund a range of innovative projects which help prepare participants for work by providing opportunities to learn and upskill in anything from industry-specific training to developing soft-skills. Participants must be over 16 years or age and eligible to work in the UK.

• Applicants must be either third sector organisations or small organisations (less than 49 employees).
• Your organisation must have an annual turnover of less than €10 million Euros, please see currency convertor.
• Participants must be over 16 years of age and eligible to work in the UK.

We want to support projects in Thames Valley Berkshire as the area is home to some of the many deprived local authorities such as Slough and Reading, resulting in higher levels of unemployment and economically inactive individuals. Through the ESFA Community Training Grants we hope that localised solutions can be implemented in the Thames Valley Berkshire area to address these issues and to ensure that residents can access the employment opportunities being created in the local economy.

Thames Valley Berkshire:

• West Berkshire
• Reading
• Bracknell
• Wokingham
• Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
• Slough

ESFA Community Training Grants: Thames Valley Berkshire – Groundwork

Next Deadline: Friday 14th January 2022