Success for Berkshire Village Halls: Funding Secured for Community Improvements

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We are delighted to announce that three Berkshire village halls have been awarded grants from the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund.

The successful halls are:

Bradfield Village Hall
Midgham Village Hall
Arborfield Village Hall


These grants will be used to make much-needed improvements to the halls, helping to ensure they remain warm, accessible, and well-equipped spaces for their communities.

Kate Meads, Community Buildings Advisor at CCB, said:
“We’re delighted to be supporting Village Hall Charities in enhancing these valuable community assets. Thanks to this funding, the halls will be more comfortable, easier to access, and better suited to the needs of local residents.”

The Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund is distributed by DEFRA through ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), and aims to support the long-term sustainability of rural community buildings.

Trustee Reactions
The news has been met with enthusiasm and gratitude from the halls’ trustees:

“Woohoo!! We’re over the moon. Thank you SO much for the big part you played in this. We’ll invite you to our Open Day (tentatively early November).” – Eva

“The level of detail in the feedback we received was truly impressive. Your support and expertise are much appreciated.” – Nigel

“A huge thank you for the support, advice, and guidance you provided while we were putting the grant application together. A great example of teamwork—and as we all know, teamwork makes the dream work!” – Jon

“Thank you both for all your help. Looking forward to seeing the work done!” – Paul

CCB looks forward to seeing the transformation of these halls and sharing updates as the improvement works progress.

For more information about the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund click here.

Ways to celebrate 80th anniversary of VE Day in Berkshire

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VE Day 80: Celebrating Peace and Remembering Sacrifice Across Berkshire

Thursday 8 May 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day – a significant moment in our nation’s history. This anniversary offers us the opportunity to honour the courage and sacrifice of those who served and endured during the Second World War, and to reflect on the peace that followed.

Communities across Berkshire are holding commemorative events throughout early May to mark the occasion. From military flypasts and family-friendly picnics to beacon lighting ceremonies and historical performances, there are plenty of ways to get involved.

Key Events Across Berkshire

Military Flypast – Monday 5 May
A major military flypast will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, with aircraft flying over parts of Berkshire including Reading, Bracknell, Windsor, Slough, and Maidenhead, as part of a national route towards Buckingham Palace.

Family Picnic and Trail at Shaw House – Sunday 11 May
Time: 11am–3pm | Free entry, no booking required
Families can enjoy a special VE Day-themed trail, where children collect a ration card and search for clues to earn free sweet rations. There will also be craft activities, access to the historic house and exhibitions, and a display highlighting Shaw House’s role during WWII. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic, and the café will be open for light refreshments.
Location: Shaw House, Newbury

Finchampstead VE Day Celebration – Thursday 8 May
Time: 7pm–9pm | Free, no booking required
St James Church will host an evening of celebration, featuring live music, the lighting of a beacon, celebration cake and bubbly. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic.
Location: St James Church, Church Lane, Finchampstead, RG40 4LU

Wokingham Town Hall – Thursday 8 May
Time: 10.30am–2pm
Join the Wokingham Poppy Appeal, Barkham Hookers, and Elusive Brewing at Market Place for a community celebration, including military vehicles, crafts, and poppy displays. At 11am, the Town Mayor will lay a commemorative wreath inside the Town Hall.

VE Day at Riseley – Saturday 10 May
Time: 12 noon–6pm | Free entry
A vibrant day of celebration including live music, face painting, a tug-of-war, craft stalls, a barbecue, tombola, and a cake competition. Bring your own picnic, gazebo and seating.
Location: Riseley Recreation Ground

Foxley Fields, Binfield – Thursday 8 May
A full day of commemorative activities will include:

  • 9am: Flag raising
  • 6.30pm: Military parade
  • Evening: Garden games, food and drink, live music
  • 9.30pm: Lighting of the beacon

Bracknell Library Events

  • Saturday 10 May, 10am–11.30am: Free eco-craft event for children
  • Monday 12 May, 10.30am–11.30am: Historian Ray Smith presents “Glenn Miller and the Role of Music in WWII”

West Berkshire Museum & New Era Players Performances
Performances at West Berkshire Museum on 7 and 8 May will include wartime songs, stories, and anecdotes. The shows will also be staged at New Era Theatre on 9 and 10 May.

Newbury VE Day Celebrations – Thursday 8 May

  • 11am: Service at the War Memorial
  • Midday: Celebratory lunch (booking required)
  • Evening: Beacon lighting at Victoria Park

We encourage residents to attend these events and take part in remembering a pivotal moment in history, while celebrating the strength and resilience of our communities.

Who’s your local hero?

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For the fourth 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 we 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:

  1. The Volunteer Award – awarded to an individual who makes a notable difference to their community by giving their time voluntarily to help others.
  2. The Young Hero Award new – awarded to someone under 16 who has made a positive impact in their community or achieved something exceptional.
  3. The Great Neighbour Award – awarded to an individual who helps to make the neighbourhood a better place to live or work in, either on a regular basis or through a single act of kindness.
  4. The Active Award new – awarded to an individual or group of people who have used physical activity or sport as a way of improving the lives of those in their community.
  5. The Animal Award – awarded to either a remarkable animal that improves people’s lives, or an individual or group of people who improve the welfare of animals.
  6. The Green Award – awarded to an individual or group of people who improve or conserve their local environment.
  7. The Fundraiser Award – awarded to an individual or group of people who have gone the extra mile to raise funds for a good cause.
  8. The Community Group Award – awarded to a group of people who have helped to change the lives of others within their community.

Nominations are now open and will close on 31st March 2025 at 5:00pm.

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 full Terms and our Privacy Notice.

Is your community looking for funding for a defibrillator?

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An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) is a portable life-saving gadget that can zap someone’s heart back to its normal rhythm if it suddenly stops beating. It works by checking the person’s heart rhythm and giving them a shock if necessary. Using an AED before the ambulance shows up can significantly increase someone’s chance of survival.

We know through organising Essential Life Saving Skills workshops with British Red Cross the difference they can make to Berkshire’s rural communities so we thought we’d pull together a brief article on where you can find funding to support your community installing one.

AEDdonate offer support to help you fund, maintain, and register your public access defibrillator.https://www.aeddonate.org.uk/apply-for-funding/  – £400 towards a defibrillator anywhere in the UK

Defibrillator funding for community spaces across England
The Department of Health and Social Care is currently running a £1 million match funded Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund, aimed at increasing the number of AEDs in public places where they are most needed and to help save lives: https://www.defibgrant.co.uk/

The number of people surviving cardiac arrests outside of a hospital is 10.8%, which is the highest level it’s ever been and is twice the rate that it was a decade ago. London Hearts help fund defibrillators throughout the UK: https://londonhearts.org/

Berkshire Heart Foundation – opens again in September 2024. A limited number of funded defibrillators are available in each annual funding cycle. Applications will be reviewed monthly against a set of criteria so awards can be made to communities that need them most. Areas prioritised include those with fewer registered defibrillators and communities where local health needs indicate a higher risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.  – https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-free-defibrillator-for-your-community

FREE Professional Energy Reviews for Community Buildings Advice Service members

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We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Wokingham Council Energy Team to offer free, professional Energy Reviews for eligible CBAS Member Halls. An energy review focuses on how energy is accessed and used in the hall. It is specific to the hall you manage and will offer detailed guidance, including costs, on the changes your committee can make to your hall and details of cost savings and carbon reductions.

This offer is open to both Charities and Parish council-run halls.

We are offering 8 free Energy Reviews this spring with a further round being offered later in the year.

To be eligible, your hall must meet the following criteria:

  1. Be a CBAS member hall that has had a CCB Hall Audit
  2. Have one or more of the following features identified in your Hall Audit:
    • Poorly insulated or uninsulated floors, roof, ceiling or walls.
    • Single glazing, poorly fitted, rotting, or draughty doors or windows.
    • Old and/or inefficient heating and/or hot water systems (including temperature controls)
    • Use of off-grid gas or oil
  3. Be able to demonstrate in a short statement a strong intention to take action to reduce energy use and carbon emissions
  4. Provide the names and contact details of three trustees or committee members who support the application (This includes the lead applicant)

The deadline for this round of applications is midday on Monday 25th March. We will be contacting all applicants in the week following the 25th to let them know whether they have been successful.

Apply online by clicking here.

For more information please contact Kate Meads at kate.meads@ccberks.org.uk or call us on 0118 9612000