Save money on heating your home with oil this year, join our club

For those that are off the gas grid and heat your homes with oil CCB promotes the use of oil clubs to come together with your community and use your bulk purchasing power to reduce the cost of ordering oil, as well as the amount of tankers that are on our roads delivering it.

For those homes that don’t have a local oil club we launched the CCB Oil Club in partnership with Oil Fuel Poverty Scheme (OFPS) in 2012 so that all homes in Berkshire can benefit from group buying. In the last financial year (April 2018 – March 2019) we saved our members over £8660 in total on their orders, compared to average pence per litre prices.

All you need to do to take advantage of the scheme is to pay an annual membership fee, from as little as £24, which will cover as many orders as you need during the year. The membership charge goes towards covering the administrative costs of running the project. Any surplus from the CCB Oil Club will go directly towards supporting CCB’s charitable work.

For further details, including recent prices obtained please click here.


Coverage of Rural Issues for Young People

Recently our national network Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) worked with the BBC and gained powerful coverage of issues for young people in rural areas.

Transport and Digital connectivity issues were discussed on a BBC 5 Live programme which Flick Humphrey, ACRE Public Affairs and Communications Manager co-hosted with presenter Nihal Arthanayake.

Also on the show was Rural Services Network CEO Graham Biggs and Wheels to Work user from Shropshire RCC Jamie Yale. The show was a result of a film Flick put together which you can watch below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-47787888/rural-transport-how-long


Robert Jenerick and Lord Gardiner of Kimble Launch a £3m grant for village halls.

On Friday 5 April Nottinghamshire MP Robert Jenrick and Defra Minister for Rural Affairs Lord Gardiner launched a £3m grant for the improvement of village halls.

There are 10,000 Village Halls in England and many are key for rural communities; they provide a space for shops, pubs, cafes, fitness, social, healthcare and even education.


Speaking from the launch event in Oxton Village Hall, Mr Jenrick acknowledged the importance of village halls saying, “Village halls are at the heart of rural communities; places where people come together.” He also shared his understanding that “it’s challenging for communities to raise funds.”


Lord Gardiner said, “This launch is to see how we can enhance and improve the facilities, and this will make a big difference for a large number of communities with village halls.”


The scheme will fund up to 20% of eligible costs, with a minimum grant of £10,000 and a maximum grant of £75,000 payable. This means overall scheme costs would be between £50,000 and £375,000.


ACRE Chair, David Emerson CBE said, “We are hugely appreciative for the ongoing recognition from government of village halls.”
The grant is now open for applications and will be managed by CCB’s national network Action for Communities in Rural England (ACRE) on behalf of Defra.

All eligibility, criteria and information and the application process is online, please visit http://acre.org.uk/our-work/village-hall-improvement-grant%20fund



Calling all volunteers that provide food at events like community BBQ’s, cake sales, PTA’s church fetes etc. Come get your level 1 Introductory Certificate in Food Safety

Community learning is fun, motivating and helps ensure your reach your goal!

Achieve an Introductory Certificate in food safety equivalent to a level 1 qualification. Certified by the CIEH (chartered institute of environmental health)

Suitable for anyone who works/volunteers in a food environment occasionally. For example, those helping at cake sales, scout camps, PTA fundraisers and church fetes.

£20 CCB/CBAS members, £30 volunteers, £50 for those training for paid work

Sat 11 May 10.30 am – 2.30 pm

St. James’ Church Centre, Church Lane, Finchampstead, RG40 4LU. Places must be booked:
https://ccberks.wufoo.com/forms/zug1hxk0lyx5ci/

Your skilled trainer Ally has a post graduate diploma in dietetics, 25 years’ experience of working in the food sector, an affiliate member of the CIEH and a registered trainer with the CIEH.

Why not train with a friend/colleague – it makes learning more enjoyable and it is great to share your experience.