Thames Valley community projects get University funding

Fourteen community projects have been awarded funding grants as part of the University of Reading’s Community Engagement Fund initiative.

The Community Engagement Fund, now in its fourth year, sets aside £30,000 each year and allows University staff members to apply for funding to support community projects they are involved with either as part of their job, or in a voluntary capacity.

Projects must benefit community groups or individuals across the Thames Valley region, defined as Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, and must further at least one of the University’s charitable objectives of advancing education, learning and research.

Some of the projects that have received funding for the 2024/25 academic year include:

• the RACE Project, which is raising awareness around criminal exploitation of children and young people within the Reading community
• establishing the UoR Community Primary Schools Food Bank, which will see drop-off points located across campus to provide essential items for local families
• the Conversational Kitchen project, which aims to help sanctuary seekers combat isolation and improve integration and language skills through group cooking
• securing a new space for a Friday morning crochet club in Lower Earley
• Providing ‘tech buddy’ support for visually impaired people, with Berkshire Vision
• the Reading Mencap ‘Walk a Mile in our Shoes’ event, which aims to increase the visibility of people with learning disabilities in our community.

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “It is always inspiring to learn about the wealth of community projects that our University staff members are involved in – to help make things a little better for people.

“We are a University that truly wants to make a difference in our local area, and so we are proud to support these projects that will have wide-reaching benefits for people and communities in our region.”

The Community Engagement Fund provides one-off, small awards (usually around £1,000 per year), as well as larger awards (up to a maximum of £10,000 per year) on a one-off or multi-year basis. The scheme forms part of the University's commitment to working with and supporting the local community and being “a University for Reading”.