THE UNIVERSITY of Reading has awarded funding to 18 community projects run by staff volunteers.
Thanks to its Community Fund initiative, groups such as Whitley Amateur Boxing Club, Reading Street Pastors and Kidical Mass have been granted more than £67,000, an increase on previous years.
Earlier this year, members of staff at Reading were invited to apply for funding to support projects they are involved with as part of their job or in a voluntary capacity.
Prof Robert Van de Noort, the University’s vice-chancellor, said: “The Community Fund initiative has been able to support a number of very worthwhile projects over the last three years. We are pleased to be able to offer funding to even more projects this year, which will benefit local people and community groups in a wide range of ways.
“At a time when life is challenging for many, it is fantastic to see so many of our colleagues giving their time and effort to help their communities to thrive.”
A community music project between the University and local group Vocal Networking and an initiative to tackle mould in households in Whitley also benefited from this year’s grants.
The Community Fund is now in its third year and supports projects from across the Thames Valley region, defined as within the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire, having previously only worked alongside Reading-based activities.
It provides one-off awards in the region of £1,000 per year, as well as larger awards up to a maximum of £10,000 per year, on one-year or multiyear bases.
