Maria joined our team very recently as our Project Development Officer, initially working alongside Kate on Rural Hubs – 21st Century Village Halls project. Read below to get to know Maria at a bit more and look out for her out and about in Berkshire soon!

Welcome to the team Maria. Can you tell us what made you interested in the role of Project development Officer at CCB?

I really enjoy working with volunteers to help them improve their neighbourhoods and communities and this is something I did in my previous role in Sheffield.  I also enjoy doing research and problem-solving, and the role of Project Development Officer seemed to encompass all of these things and more. In addition, the opportunity to work in rural areas, rather than in urban areas, was really appealing and different from much of what I have done previously.

What are you hoping to achieve in your first six months in the post?

In the first six months of this five-year project, I am looking forward to getting to know Berkshire and the people who live here better.  Through conversations with people who use and manage rural community halls and through looking at the hall audits we are completing, I hope to get a better understanding of people’s priorities and the needs of rural communities, and of how I can support committees to achieve their ambitions for their halls.

You recently attended the West Berkshire Health & Wellbeing conference. What do you do to look after your wellbeing & health?

I find working in my garden helps to relieve stress, and I like to spend time in natural environments whenever I can, experiencing the weather and observing nature.  I’m on the go a lot, so I try to make time to put my feet up and relax. Usually, when I do this my children take the opportunity to sit on me, which is not so relaxing!

What’s something that you saw recently that made you smile?

My friend sent me a photo today of an amusingly shaped vegetable, which did make me laugh! My 3-year-old son is asking me where everything grows at the moment, from oranges to yoghurt, to cream crackers. This is really making me smile.

For a second year, BBC Radio Berkshire wants to celebrate and say thank you to people living in our villages and towns who make where we live a better place.

Every day they hear stories of people doing incredible things for each other and their communities. Now it’s time to recognise them for all their hard work.  

Whether it’s caring for someone in need, being a brilliant neighbour, or inspiring children in the classroom, if you know someone who is really making a difference to your life or where you live, then you can nominate them for an Award.

There are 8 categories; 

• Volunteer
• Community Group
• Fundraiser
• Carer
• Great Neighbour
• Bravery
• The Green Award
• The Together award 

Nominations are now open and will close on the Sunday 5 March 2023 at 11:00pm.  

The winners will be announced at our Make a Difference awards ceremony in September. 

You can nominate someone you know here http://www.bbc.co.uk/makeadifference, where you can also see the full Terms and Privacy Notice.

Our Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) is a group of organisations which plan and provide health and care services for nearly two million people who live and work in the local authority areas of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire’s three westerly local authority areas of West Berkshire, Reading and Wokingham (known as ‘Berkshire West’).

Members include local NHS organisations and GPs, local authorities, public health, Healthwatch, care providers, voluntary sector, the Oxford Academic Health Science Network and other research partners.

Our vision is for everyone who lives in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Berkshire West (‘BOB’) area, to have the best possible start in life, to live happier, healthier lives for longer, and to get the right support when they need it.

We recognise the places and circumstances in which people live and work influence their health – our housing, our local environment, the cost of living, our employment and our communities – which is why we need to work together to address this.

If we are to achieve the vision for our population, we must develop a strategy, with clear priorities we will take forward across our partnership. We have proposed a number of key priorities.

They are based on a commitment from our partner organisations to work together to improve people’s health and wellbeing and reduce the inequalities in health experienced by people across our populations.

We are developing a strategy that builds on our current joint local health and wellbeing strategies. These have been developed between NHS, local authority and other partners at local authority level. We have worked with members of our partner organisations, the voluntary sector, and others to understand their areas of focus and ambitions. The BOB ICP strategy will set the direction for our health and care system, linking with local plans, to meet the health and wellbeing needs of people who live in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West area.

We want to work with local people and partner organisations to shape the future of health and social care in response to local needs. We want people, communities and partner organisations to get involved in the development of this strategy, as it will inform plans and proposals for the future of our health and care.

Our draft principles will guide everything we do. Our draft priorities outline the areas where we expect to do more together, locally and across the health and care system, to improve health and wellbeing in a manner that is fair and inclusive. These are included in our document ‘BOB ICP – strategic priorities‘, an easy read version of the document and word version is also available.

We want feedback on these proposals so are sharing these with our wider partners and with people who live or work in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West.

There are a number of ways you can get involved with developing the ICP strategy:

• Complete an online survey below or hard copy survey is also available
• Email us at engagement.bobics@nhs.net(External link) or write to us at Communications and Engagement Team Freepost BOB INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (Note: when using this Freepost address please ensure BOB INTEGRATED CARE BOARD is written in capital letters)
• You can also take part in one of our online meetings outlined below – please follow the link on date and time to join. If you would like to register your interest please email engagement.bobics@nhs.net(External link):
  • Monday 23 January @ 6.30pm – 7.30pm (Buckinghamshire): Click here to join the meeting(External link)
  • Thursday 26 January @ 5pm – 6pm (Oxfordshire): Click here to join the meeting(External link)
  • Friday 27 January @ 11am – 12 noon (Berkshire West): Click here to join the meeting(External link)
  • You can attend any event; however colleagues from the county indicated above will be present at that particular meeting.

You can give your views from 13 December 2022 until the end of 29 January 2023.

Newly Opened: Sustain – Food for the Planet
New grants have been launched today by Sustain as part of the Food for the Planet project. Sustain is offering grants of up to £5,000. The grants are open to any local food partnership, local authority, or community group based in the UK.

The grants aim to support communities to campaign and advocate to make food in their area better for people and the planet. Applicants are encouraged to propose their own ideas for great local action, but should focus on areas that have a big impact locally, for example:
• Improving your council’s score in the Every Mouthful Counts report and/or developing a food strategy
• Supporting groups and communities that are marginalised to campaign for food climate justice and tackling racial injustice in the food system
• Encouraging climate-friendly food in public institutions and council settings
• Supporting sustainable farming systems through planning policy
• Tackling unfair and unhelpful pricing and advertising of the most climate-damaging foods
Grants to help communities tackle food and the climate and nature emergency. Click here for more details: https://www.sustainweb.org/news/dec22-climate-nature-local-grants/

Deadline: 5pm 10th February 2023

Newly Opened: OPCC Community Fund

The Community Fund (previously known as the Police Property Act Fund) supports voluntary and community groups that help to prevent crime and keep communities safe. The total amount available is £100,000.
Money for the scheme, which is jointly managed by the PCC and the Chief Constable, is created from the proceeds from the sale of items seized from criminals that cannot be returned to their rightful owners.
The Fund is open for applications twice a year for projects that help to achieve the objectives of the PCC’s Police and Criminal Justice Plan.
This Fund is an opportunity for Community and Voluntary Groups to get involved and assist both the PCC and Thames Valley Police in tackling and reducing crime.

Organisations from across the Thames Valley can apply for grants for projects that support one or more of the PCC’s ‘Police and Criminal Justice Plan’ priorities:
• Strong Local Policing (preventing crime & protecting communities)
• Fighting Serious Organised Crime (protecting vulnerable people)
• Fighting Fraud & Cybercrime (fighting modern crimes)
• Improving the Criminal Justice System (reducing re-offending)
• Tackling illegal encampments (reducing the impact of encampments)
Community Fund please click here.

Deadline: Applications close on Monday 6 February at 4pm. Successful applicants will be invited to attend a presentation event, hosted by the Police & Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable, on Thursday 30 March in Reading.

Berkshire Community Foundation – Vital for Berkshire

We invite applications from charities, community groups and projects that support vital needs in Berkshire, such as (but not limited to): physical and mental health, supporting young and vulnerable people or groups, combating isolation, tackling poverty and disadvantage, offering equal opportunities for all, and more. Applications are also invited to enable groups to fund their essential resources in order to secure services for their beneficiaries in the current cost of living crisis.

Grants up to a maximum of £5,000 will be considered, subject to funding availability. If you have not been funded by BCF before, we strongly suggest that you also submit a Letter of Recommendation that validates your work or performance. This could be from an organisation you have worked closely with, e.g. your local Centre for Voluntary Services, your Local Authority, a beneficiary of your service or a fellow charity.

Vital for Berkshire Fund click here

Deadline: 16th February 2023

Berkshire Community Foundation – Tackling Poverty in Wokingham
Grants of up to £10,000 will be available. The fund is designed to support voluntary, community groups and charities in breaking the cycle of poverty amongst individuals and families in Wokingham Borough. The work might include:
• Supporting access to education and training
• Supporting access to employment
• Supporting money managing and debt advice
• Supporting mental health and well-being
• Supporting access to food and other provisions
To apply for support, you must:
• Be a community group or charity working in Wokingham Borough
• Clearly demonstrate that your project will make a measurable difference to individuals and families living in poverty in the area
Tackling poverty in Wokingham click here.

Deadline: 16th February 2023

Tesco Community Grant

Apply for a grant – Tesco Community Grants

Who is eligible to apply?

Grants will be awarded to voluntary or community organisations (including registered charities/companies), schools, health bodies (e.g. Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), NHS Hospital Trust, Foundation Trust), Parish/Town Councils, local authorities and social housing providers.

This list is not exhaustive and there will be many other types of organisations that will be funded.

Applications are not eligible from:

• Individuals
• Community Interest Companies with shares (CIC’s)
• Community Interest Companies with guarantee that are less than two years old
• Profit-making organisations

What types of projects will Tesco Community Grants fund?

Applications are open to all local good causes, but we are currently prioritising helping projects that support food security, children and young people and local store nominated good causes.

This is not an exhaustive list and other project ideas also welcomed.

Examples include:

• Breakfast clubs
• Holiday clubs
• Food banks
• Meals on Wheels
• Equipment or non-statutory services for nurseries or schools e.g. forest schools, library books
• Equipment for Brownie, Guide or Scout Groups e.g. camping equipment, badges
• Play areas
• Counselling and support services for young people
• Services or equipment to support children and young people’s health
• Equipment/kit for youth sports teams

Grant funding available to support smart meter projects in 2023

Closing date: 12 noon, Friday 10 February 2023

The 2023 Smart Energy GB in Communities programme is now live, with grant funding and support being targeted to organisations reaching people in fuel poverty; people lacking basic digital skills; or carers.

• Grants of up to £25,000 are available for organisations that can deliver support to people in fuel poverty
• Grants of up to £15,000 are available for organisations that can deliver support to people lacking basic digital skills
• Grants of up to £10,000 are available for organisations supporting carers.

The funding aims to ensure people in the three target groups understand how a smart meter could benefit them and increase the likelihood that they will seek and accept or recommend a smart meter installation.

Smart meters are especially beneficial for vulnerable households, as they remove estimated billing and the need for manual meter readings and also enable pre-pay customers to top up their meters from home. We really need organisations like yours to help us to ensure people in vulnerable circumstances have the opportunity to engage, understand and benefit from the smart meter rollout.

We are looking for applicants that have a trusted voice in their community. As this year’s target groups are significant in size (NEA estimates 6.7 million UK households are in fuel poverty; 11 million are defined as lacking basic digital skills; and around 1 in 4 people are carers), we are seeking projects that can engage these groups at scale through a combination of direct and indirect activities.

Housing associations, local authorities, registered charities and non-registered community groups in England, Wales and Scotland are eligible to apply. Applications are also welcome from former applicants, both successful and unsuccessful.

Full details on the application process are included in the Guidance Document on the NEA website. Please read this before completing an online application form and Project Plan. If you have any queries contact NEA.

The closing date for applications is 12 noon, Friday 10 February 2023.
NEA aim to appoint successful projects in late March, with delivery running until 6 December 2023.

For more information and to apply, visit the NEA website.

Grassroots Movements Fund
Applications close Sunday 19th February.
Joseph Rowntree are excited to be open for applications in our first ever funding round aimed at grassroots groups. We need to put more power into the hands of those working
to address inequality and injustice, and create new systems that put equity, justice and peace first. The Grassroots Movements Fund has around £1 million which we are aiming to
redistribute over two funding rounds in 2023. The fund will make grants of between £10k and £70k to every successful application. Grants can cover up to a two-year period. Learn more.

Gillian Stevenson Charitable Trust
Applications close on Saturday 28th February.
We are a family CIO with a mission to help charitable organisations in the UK carry on doing what they do best. Our focus is on supporting charities that work with children, young people and families who are living in difficult circumstances or from disadvantaged backgrounds. The trustees meet quarterly to consider applications. The grants we make are usually between £100 and £5,000. More info.

The Alpkit Foundation
Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Alpkit only exists because of our wild places and the people that make them. Alpkit Foundation is our payback, our social dividend to protect the places we love for everyone to enjoy. We make small awards to people, groups and schools that work to remove the barriers in getting outdoors and experience wild places. We support grassroots direct action projects that tackle issues such as diversity and inclusion in the outdoors, participation, education, conservation and protection of our natural environment and health and well-being. Our trustees meet every 2 months to consider applications. There’s no limit to the number of times you can receive an award.
If possible, please apply at least 3 months before the start of a project so that the trustees have time to consider. Learn more.

Co-op Carbon Innovation Fund
Grants are available to organisations across the UK for initiatives which will help to reduce the UK’s reliance on soy-based animal and fish feed and synthetic fertilisers.
Application deadline: 28 February 2023 For more information click here

Michael Tippett Musical Foundation
Grants are available for the development of group music making in the UK, especially involving young people, with composing central to the project.
Application deadline: 30 September 2023 For more information click here

John Sykes Foundation – Cost of Living Crisis Fund
Grants are available to local not-for-profit groups in reading for projects which support vulnerable residents who may be struggling with the cost-of-living crisis in Reading. For further information click here: https://www.johnsykesfoundation.org/cost-of-living-crisis-fund.php#apply-to-covid-19-relief-fund
Application deadline : N/A

Warm Spaces Match-Funding
Applications close on Tues 28th February. Co-op and Crowdfunder have teamed up to help community organisations navigate the cost of living crisis to provide vital services this winter. Are you welcoming people into a warm space in your community, or wanting to extend existing activities or services to support more people? Eligible community
groups could get up to £5,000 to continue or extend vital services. More details here.

Grants For Good
Applications close on Weds 15th March. Making a positive difference to communities, people and the environment, Grants for Good is the Matthew Good Foundation’s first fund
that invites local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises that have an average annual income of less than £50,000 to apply for funding. Every three months, they will share
£10,000 between 5 shortlisted projects that have a positive impact on communities, people or the environment. The project that receives the most votes will receive a grant of £3,500, second place £2,500, third place £2,000 and fourth and fifth place will both receive £1,000. Further info here.

Thanks to Berkshire’s brilliant CVS organisations for the information contained in this article; Wokingham & Bracknell InVOLve, West Berkshire Volunteer Centre, Slough CVS & Reading Voluntary Action.

Location : Mobile/home working with travel (majority within Berkshire and wider Thames & Chilterns patch; occasionally to London and other areas in the South East)

Hours : 37 hours per week, Full time, Permanent

Interview Date: Week Commencing 6th February
Community Fund is looking for a new Funding Officer to cover Berkshire (the team is based remotely across the Thames Valley & Chilterns which covers Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and Berkshire). The role will join a passionate, vibrant and friendly team and be part of ensuring our funding supports a wide variety of communities and places locally.

As part of our funding team you will assess applications for funding and manage grants from our Reaching Communities and Partnerships programme. You will use your local knowledge and experience, and the experience of our grant holders and local stakeholders, to ensure we are making the best decisions on the grants we make. By working closely with people and communities from a defined geographical area, you will understand what matters to them and where our funding can make the biggest difference.

Essential criteria:
We are looking for local talented people from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences who share our values and are passionate about making a difference through our funding. Whether through lived or gained experience you will really understand the communities we work with.
You will have:
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and confidence to operate in a wide range of environments
• Ability to build and maintain excellent relationships at several different levels with a strong commitment to equity and inclusion
• Confidence to use your judgement, take initiative and challenge when appropriate
• Values-driven and passionate about the Fund’s purpose.

If you would like to have a discussion ahead of applying, please do email Alice Ridgway at Alice.ridgway@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

Click here for more details: https://jobs.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/vacancies/32/funding-officer.html?mc_cid=869bc755fc&mc_eid=5be18c6dbb