Good neighbours: Uni fund to help community

COMMUNITY projects in Reading will have a £50,000 boost this year, in a new initiative from the University of Reading.

The Community Fund has been set up by the university, in partnership with the John Sykes Foundation.

It will support projects that benefit the town’s community over the academic year of 2021/22.

Dr Sally Lloyd Evans, public engagement with community research fellow, said: “Many of our colleagues, students and organisations have inspirational ideas for building important grassroots projects with local communities, but they lack the resources to get initiatives started.

“This new Community Fund is core to the University’s commitment to working together with our local communities for the mutual benefit of everyone in Reading. I’m excited to be part of this programme and I can’t wait to see how it develops.”

Trustee Annabelle Sykes said the John Sykes Foundation is excited to partner with the University of Reading.

“My family and I have an unwavering love of, and are immensely proud of, Reading, where our heritage is so deeply rooted,” she said.

“We place the local community at the heart of what we do. This partnership, strengthened by our shared values and positive ethos, presents us with great opportunities, and it is so wonderful our University is not only of Reading, but also the University for

Reading.”

University staff members will be able to apply for funding to support projects they are involved with either as part of their job, or in a voluntary capacity.

Professor Van de Noort said the new community fund will enable staff to do more, at a time when many need it most.

He added: “I look forward to hearing about the projects that we can support through this fund and would like to thank the John Sykes Foundation for its financial support for this new initiative.”

The project must involve working with and for the benefit of a local Reading community group or individuals and should be located within a five-mile radius of the town centre.

Proposed activities must also further at least one of the University’s charitable objectives of advancing education, learning or research.

The fund will also provide one-off, smaller awards of roughly £1,000 per year and larger awards up to a maximum of £10,000 per year on a one-off or multi-year basis.

The deadline for funding applications is Wednesday,

June 30.