In order to help children continue to remain ‘Fit and Active’, Get Berkshire Active has worked together with the County’s School Games Organisers to compile Remember, Remember your 60 minutes in November. 6 FREE opportunities that young people can use to complete 60 minutes of daily Physical Activity recommended by Chief Medical Officers. Details of the varied opportunities are on the link above. They can be utilised in school or children can be signposted to them and used to stay active at home.
In addition to Remember, Remember your 60 minutes in November, event 3 of the Berkshire Virtual School Games autumn series is underway (2nd – 20th November) with opportunities for Key Stage 1 Out of Space and Key Stage 2 and Year 7 Gaelic Football.
As Covid-19 rears its ugly head once again we want to remind you that Neighbourhood Watch are here for you. Keeping your loved ones safe The most valuable thing we can all do is keep ourselves and our loved safe – pyshically and emotionally. We have a page on our website which signposts where you can get accurate advice and support with your emotional wellbeing. Supporting your community There are a variety of ways in which you can support your community depending on your individual situation. A few ideas are: • set up a Calling Tree (click here to find out more) • sign up as a NHS Volunteer Responder • join forces with a COVID-19 Mutual Aid group • connect with your neighbours with this Calling Card • connect with your neighbours with this Kindness Card • If you are, or you know someone who is, facing loneliness have a look at Neighbourhood Watch’s Loneliness Toolkit. Beware of scams and crimes Criminals are using the Covid-19 pandemic to scam the public. To help you avoid becoming a victim, we have highlighted on our website the wide variety of Covid-19 scams and crimes which have arisen, key protection advice and guidance on how to report these scams. Community response stories For further inspiration on ways in which you can support your community, have a look at NW’s Community Response Stories. To read all of Neighbourhood Watch’s November newsletter please click here.
As always many thanks goes to Berkshire’s fantastic Council for Voluntary Services – Reading Voluntary Action, Slough CVS, Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, Wokingham & Bracknell InVOLve – for the information contained in this article.
Co-op Food Fund Grants are available for local charities and community organisations across the UK for local programmes that provide access to food and sustainable solutions to food poverty.
Canoe Foundation – Updated Information Grants are available for clubs, community groups and Local Authorities across the UK for projects that improve the accessibility of available waterways and canoeing facilities and protect the natural environment
Smallwood Trust – COVID-19 Frontline Women’s Fund Deadline: 16th November 2020 Grants are available for women’s organisations and services in England that are supporting women who are experiencing poverty and low income as a result of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
Sport England Return to Play – Community Asset Fund Deadline: N/A Capital grants to help local sports clubs and community groups adapt and open important places and spaces so that sport and physical activity can happen during the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
re available for women’s organisations and services in England that are supporting women who are experiencing poverty and low income as a result of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
Sport England Return to Play – Small Grants Programme Deadline: N/A Grants are available to not-for-profit community organisations for projects addressing the challenges coronavirus/COVID-19 has posed to people taking part in sport and physical activity in England.
Gamesys Foundation Variety Club – Youth Clubs Grant Deadline: N/A Grants for equipment is available to youth clubs in the UK that provide opportunities for improving social skills, team spirit and self esteem for young people aged from 8 to 18 years.
Beatrice Laing Trust Deadline: N/A Grants are available for UK registered charities undertaking projects for the relief of poverty and distress in the UK and overseas.
Trusthouse Charitable Foundation Deadline: N/A Grants are available to smaller charitable and not-for-profit organisations in the UK to fund community and family support projects in areas of extreme urban deprivation or deprived rural areas.
Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation Deadline: N/A Grants to support registered charities and good causes in local communities across the UK to alleviate poverty, improve health and save lives.
Isla Foundation – Tipping Point Grants Deadline: 12th November 2020 Grants are available for voluntary and community organisations, schools and PTAs, clubs and societies, and entrepreneurial individuals in the UK for small-scale, short-term projects that create a positive change in people’s lives and in their communities.
Homelessness, faith, community and voluntary sector organisations can now apply for transformation grants of £10,000 -£100,000 to provide single room and COVID-19 secure accommodation for people experiencing homelessness this winter • The deadline for panel 2 is 1pm, Wednesday 2 December 2020, for Grants Panel on 17 December.
The Yapp Foundation
The Yapp Foundation offers grants to registered charities with a total annual expenditure of less than £40,000. Grants of up to £3000 / year are available for running costs for charities working in one of the priority areas. These areas are:
Elderly people
Children and young people aged 5 – 25
People with physical impairments, learning difficulties or mental health challenges
Social welfare focusing on life-limiting problems of a social origin (e.g. addiction, relationship difficulties, abuse, offending)
Education and learning (especially the educationally disadvantaged, adults and children)
Support Adoption For Pets funds charities and not-for-profit organisations which have a direct impact on animal welfare and whose main activity is either: • the rescue and rehoming of UK pets or • the provision of temporary support to ensure pets can remain with their owners Grants of up to £10,000 are available. See https://www.supportadoptionforpets.co.uk/grant-programme/ apply any time
Tesco Bags of Help Community Grants – Rolling applications until end of December 2020 Bags of Help is Tesco’s local community grant scheme, which funds thousands of community projects every year. The projects must meet the criteria of bringing benefits to the community. During October, November and December 2020 the grant scheme will provide grants of £1,000 to support projects focused on local children and young people.
The Payne-Gallwey Charitable Trust PGCT distributes approximately £225,000 per year to charities in Berkshire. Their focus in particular is on charities with connections to: ‣ the deaf or blind ‣ care of terminally ill ‣ rural life & field sports ‣ horse racing ‣ travel for deprived young people ‣ medical research.
Englefield Charitable Trust Fund The Trust has supported a range of charities & good causes in & around Berkshire, which include those focusing on areas such as: ‣ education ‣ the arts ‣ social welfare ‣ health & wellbeing ‣ conservation ‣ the armed forces See englefieldestate.co.uk for details.
Thriving Communities Funding For Partnerships Grants of £25,000 to £50,000 will be made available through a new £1.4 million Thriving Communities Fund to develop local social prescribing activities across the country. The fund will support place-based partnerships, led by voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations to expand and improve the range and quality of social prescribing activities available to local communities. These will have a particular focus on support for people facing health inequalities, and those who are experiencing the greatest impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund will be open between the 23rd November and 8th January 2021. For more info your team cansign up to an intro webinar. Community leaders are also invited to sign up to a free regionalsupport initiative for voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise groups by the 11th December.
Three New Return to Play Grants These 3 grants prioritise projects located in areas of high deprivation. Other priorities include organisations working with BAME communities, people on lower incomes, disabled people, people with long-term health conditions & people experiencing a greater burden of care because of coronavirus. Also prioritised are organisations without significant reserve funding available to utilise. For details see sportengland.org/our-funds Small Grants: This fund will make awards of between £300 & £10,000, from a total pot of £10m, to help sport & activity groups, clubs & organisations respond to the immediate challenges of returning to play in a coronavirus-safe way. This could include contributing to covering the costs incurred by having to deliver activity in smaller groups than normal or having the correct hygiene & safety equipment. Community Asset Fund: This fund will make awards of between £10,001 & £50,000 from a pot of £5m to help local sports clubs & organisations adapt & open important places & spaces to help their local community return to play safely. This could include contributing to covering the costs incurred by converting existing space to meet social distancing guidelines or improving a facility’s ventilation. Active Together: This is a crowdfunding initiative that can match fund, up to £10,000, successful Crowdfunder campaigns from a total pot of £1.5m. With expert advice & guidance to support you, this will help local clubs & organisations to run their own crowdfunding campaigns, fundraising for things such as a loss of income due to the crisis, or any other COVID-19 related needs.
All information below is correct at time of publishing for residents of the 6 local authorities in Berkshire. We hope you find this helpful. Please click on headings for further information.
Community Support Hub Here to Help – West Berkshire We are here to help families or individuals who are struggling and need assistance with food or other forms of support. Anyone who needs help should contact the Community Support Hub on 01635 503579 or by email at westberksbct@westberks.gov.uk. Or you can ask for help using our online request form. The Community Support Hub is open during office hours; call between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Thursday, or between 8.30am and 4.30pm on Friday. We work with you directly to find a solution that best suits your particular needs.
Slough – For Support Call 01753 944198 Our lines are open Monday to Friday from 9.00 – 16.00. Closed weekends and Bank Holidays. Our goal is to build community resilience in Slough to help residents in times of crisis including providing support in response to the coronavirus crisis. This is a challenging time for everyone. We want to help local people to support one another and provide essential services to people who need it.
Slough Borough Council and Slough CVS are working with key local community groups and organisations so that we have a coordinated effort across our borough to organise volunteers and those who need help. It is important that all our efforts to help those in need are organised through a collaborative approach that we can act in line with a spread prevention approach.
This is your first stop to find out how you can get involved or access help.
If you have received a letter advising you that you are “Clinically Extremely Vulnerable” (CEV) then please follow the instructions in that letter. If you need some extra help, the letter will tell you how to register with the National Shielding Service System (NSSS). Your details will be passed to us, and we will be in touch. If you are having difficulty registering with NSSS, we can help you do that.
If you have not received a CEV letter but you are struggling to cope, you can contact the Hub for help with urgent food and prescription needs, getting a priority supermarket delivery slot, or other issues such as debt, loneliness, stress and anxiety.
You can contact the Hub:
Fill in our online Hub form By calling 0808 189 4325 Via Reading Deaf Centre on SMS 07704 687298 or fax 0118 950 0507 The Hub is a partnership between Reading Borough Council, Reading Voluntary Action and voluntary and community partners in the town.
COVID19 : Community response – Windsor & Maidenhead Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is working with local charities and other partners to provide a community response for those who don’t have support and need advice or practical help. This is not an alternative to the NHS or social services.
In an event someone is unwell you need to follow government guidelines, stay indoors and call 111. If you suspect you have COVID-19 and need to be tested call 119. If you suspect or have been informed there is an outbreak you need to call 01628 683820. If you would like to volunteer, please email : volunteer@RBWM.gov.uk.
If you are vulnerable/shielded or need support call 0203 5148117 during opening hours. Monday – Friday 9am to 4pm. Contact numbers
Citizen Advice Maidenhead – 01628 674842 Universal Credit helpline – 0800 328 5644 Concerned about the safety of an adult – 01628 683744 (out of hours 01344 786543) Concerned about the safety of a child – 01628 683100 (out of hours 01344 786543) Samaritans – 116 123 Domestic Abuse Stops Here (DASH) Charity 01753 549865 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm)
Do you need help and support? We are here to support you to get the help you require.
Citizens Advice Wokingham want to ensure that no-one feels left behind – already we have provided support to local residents and worked with other charities to help people with food, prescription collection, linking up with some friendship support and advice on issues such as redundancy, debt, statutory sick pay or other benefits.
Citizens Advice Wokingham are operating One Front Door to link you with the right level of support – working with Wokingham Borough Council and organisations such as local foodbanks, Wokingham Volunteer Centre, First Days, Involve, Link Visiting Scheme, Age UK Berkshire and many more – including mental health and wellbeing support. They have a long list of charities and community groups operating across the area. They have setup this page on our website so that you can explain your issue via a form if that suits you best. They may need to give you a call back just to check some things out – the form is available 24/7. If you are referring someone else you MUST Have their explicit permission.
Wokingham Borough Council is working with local charities to provide a community response for those who don’t have support and need advice or practical help. This is not an alternative to the NHS or social services.
Our priority has always been people first; this is no different during this crisis.
If you are a resident in Bracknell Forest who:
Was being shielded or living with someone who was shielding Self-isolating due to COVID-19 symptoms Social distancing but have other health conditions, disabilities or caring responsibilities that make it difficult for you to leave your home and have no support available from friends or family, then The Ark can help!
You do not need to register, when you need the community response network please call 01344 266911 or email community@theark.org.uk
Open between 8am and 8pm, 7 days a week. The community response is a partnership between The Ark Trust and Bracknell Forest Council.
by Phillip Vincent, Action with Communities in Rural England New restrictions mean that halls will close, except for a limited number of permitted activities.
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) has issued information for village halls to help them understand the implications of the new nationwide lockdown restrictions which come into force today. All halls are required to close their doors, but a few uses will still be allowed.
The news is a body blow for the voluntary committees who rose to the challenge of putting in place complicated Covid-19 Secure measures over the summer months with support from ACRE Network members to allow their buildings to safely reopen. Many are worried about the loss of income from hiring out their space to local community groups and businesses.
Many of the voluntary committees who manage these buildings will undoubtedly be worried about the future – both in terms of their financial sustainability, but also the welfare of their community.
There are over 10,000 village halls to be found across England. They support a diverse range of community activities from exercise classes to coffee mornings and are routinely hired out for private parties and weddings. Some host community shops and post offices.
In a recent survey undertaken by ACRE, it was found that 60% of village halls provide the only meeting space in the local community. An estimated 50,000 individuals too are reliant on the use of village halls to make a living.
Whilst halls are required by law to close, a few activities are still permitted including use for education, childcare and work purposes, providing food and essential retail activities and to host organised support groups offering mutual aid or therapy.
Deborah Clarke, ACRE’s Rural Evidence Village Halls Manager said, “We are working tirelessly to provide support and information to help village halls cope with this second national lockdown which has forced them to shut their doors once again. Many of the voluntary committees who manage these buildings will undoubtedly be worried about the future – both in terms of their financial sustainability, but also the welfare of their community. With uncertainty about the duration of the new restrictions, we will be making the case for continued emergency funding to make sure these important community assets weather the storm”.
The charity is encouraging village halls to contact their local ACRE Network member to obtain copies of the information sheet and get further support. Halls are strongly advised to contact their local authority to apply for Local Restriction Support Grants as these will enable them to keep their buildings heated during the winter months and prevent damage to the building.
Connecting Communities in Berkshire 