Reading Community Learning Centre

17/12/2025

Our crèche supported 83 children last year, and 100% of parents said their child felt happy and safe.

But warm rooms, clean water and safe lighting are essential for little ones.

Your £10 donation keeps the crèche heated, bright and welcoming.

👉 https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fuel-rclc

For many refugee and vulnerable women, Reading Community Learning Centre is the warmest, safest place they visit each week. With all facilities costs soaring, your donation helps us keep our classrooms and crèche warm and comfortable this winter.

16/12/2025

Dear & all our friends of Reading Community Learning Centre

As we come to the end of a very busy autumn term at RCLC, we want to say a heartfelt thank you. To our learners, volunteers, trustees, staff, partners and supporters, your time, energy and belief in our work continue to shape this Centre into a place of learning, safety and belonging.

This term, we welcomed 187 learners onto our core courses and 26 children into our crèche. Each woman and child who walks through our doors reminds us why RCLC exists, to provide a safe, welcoming space where confidence, connection and opportunity can grow.

One of the highlights of the term was our 18th Annual General Meeting, where learners, volunteers, staff and trustees came together to reflect on the year. Hearing women share their journeys and the impact RCLC has had on their lives was deeply moving and reaffirmed that RCLC is about far more than classes, it is about belonging.

We also launched our Annual Report, which captures the breadth of our work and the voices at its heart. You can read it here:https://rclc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RCLC-Annual-Report-2025.pdf

We were proud to be part of Connect Reading's Giving Tree Campaign, which enabled women and families connected to RCLC to receive thoughtful gifts as the year came to a close. These simple acts of generosity bring comfort and care at a time that can feel uncertain for many. Our thanks go to Novotel (Reading), The Curious Network (Reading) and everyone at Connect Reading.

FUNDING NEWS WORTH CELEBRATING - We are incredibly grateful for the support received this term, including:

* £75,000 over three years from the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales through their Racial Equity Programme
* £10,000 from the Hilden Charitable Fund
* £7,402.51 raised through The Big Give, including matched funding
* Support from Reading Borough Council’s Closing the Gap Programme
* Selection as one of three charities to receive a Stronger Starts Tesco donation in the New Year

This funding helps keep our doors open, our classrooms running, and our community supported.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM - Alongside learning, this term included enrichment, wellbeing and progression activities, including:

* Receiving the Grassroots Community Award from Utulivu Women’s Project and ACRE
* Art workshops led by Reading-based artist Hadil Tamim, delivered at RCLC and the RISC Rooftop Gardens
* Learner visits to the RISC Rooftop Gardens and the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)
* Learner Voice Forum, ensuring women actively shape the Centre
* Careers and progression talks with New Directions College
* Volunteering pathways with RVA
* 1:1 health checks delivered through the MEET PEET Community Wellness Outreach Project
* Weekly CommuniCare benefit and housing advice surgeries

LOOKING AHEAD - This term has also highlighted the growing challenges faced by migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women. In an increasingly uncertain national context, RCLC remains committed to providing a safe, inclusive place where women can learn, rebuild confidence and find their voice.

If you can, donating to our current appeal helps us cover essential running costs, from utilities to resources, so learning can continue in warmth and dignity. Donate to our appeal: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fuel-rclc

SPRING TERM - Our Spring Term flyer is attached, and we would be grateful if you could share it with anyone who may benefit from our classes or want to support our work.

THANK YOU for standing with us. We look forward to welcoming you back to RCLC in 2026.

With warmest thanks,

Aisha, Ali, Hema & Samar

15/12/2025

A woman who joined our English class told us:

“The Centre offers more than learning. It is warmth, support and safety.”

Your donation keeps that warmth real — heating, lighting and hot water, all rising in cost.

Every £10 keeps our utility bills in check this winter.

👉 https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fuel-rclc

For many refugee and vulnerable women, Reading Community Learning Centre is the warmest, safest place they visit each week. With all facilities costs soaring, your donation helps us keep our classrooms and crèche warm and comfortable this winter.

11/12/2025

As we come to the end of another term at Reading Community Learning Centre, we want to take a moment to recognise everything our learners, tutors, staff and volunteers have achieved together.

This term, women from many different backgrounds have taken part in our English classes, sewing, ESOL literacy, digital skills, confidence-building groups, wellbeing and beauty activities and the workshops that keep our Centre thriving. For many, these classes are the first step toward independence, new friendships and feeling part of the community here in .

Inside our classrooms and Crèche, the same message comes through again and again. When women learn, connect and feel welcome, confidence grows. When women are supported, they take meaningful steps forward. When community is created intentionally, everyone benefits.

We are proud of every learner who has shown commitment, courage and curiosity this term. The energy and care in our Centre comes from the women who walk through our doors each week, ready to support one another and build something stronger together.

A heartfelt thank you to our tutors, who create safe and inclusive learning spaces. To our staff and volunteers, who keep the Centre warm, organised and welcoming. To our trustees, who guide our work with dedication. And to our partners and funders, whose support ensures women in our community can access free learning, childcare and vital services.

RCLC is built on collaboration. It is built on women lifting each other, on teams working quietly behind the scenes, and on supporters who believe in the power of learning to change lives.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this term and to all our

We look forward to welcoming our community back next term in the New Year and continuing this journey of learning, connection and celebration together.

P.S. If you would like to support our winter appeal, with our utility costs - please make a donation: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fuel-rclc

09/12/2025

We are thrilled to share some brilliant news for our community.

Reading Community Learning Centre has been awarded a new grant from Hilden Charitable Fund: £10,000 over two years to support the salary and running costs of our English reading and writing classes for migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women in Reading.

For the women who come through our doors, these classes are far more than lessons. They are a lifeline. They open the door to confidence, communication, independence and belonging. They help women navigate daily life, advocate for themselves and their families, and build a future with stability and hope.

Funding like this keeps our work alive. We are a small charity delivering big impact, and securing resources to meet demand is a constant, full-time effort. Grants such as this one make all the difference, allowing us to continue delivering free, safe and accessible education to women who need it most.

A huge thank you to for believing in our mission and investing in the strength and potential of the women we serve.

And thank you to everyone who supports RCLC, champions our work and helps us create opportunities for women across Reading. This grant will change lives.

Find out more about the work we do at RCLC here: https://rclc.org.uk/

09/12/2025

Rising utilities costs mean our classrooms and crèche are getting colder, and the women and children who rely on Reading Community Learning Centre feel it first.

For many, this is the warmest, safest place they visit all week. A learner told us:

“Coming to this Centre has changed my life drastically for the better.”

A £10 donation helps us keep the heat on, the lights on and the water running.

👉 Please support our Fuel RCLC campaign this winter: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fuel-rclc

For many refugee and vulnerable women, Reading Community Learning Centre is the warmest, safest place they visit each week. With all facilities costs soaring, your donation helps us keep our classrooms and crèche warm and comfortable this winter.

08/12/2025

On Saturday, we were thrilled to join Project Salama for their end-of-year Gala, and the room felt alive with purpose, pride and possibility.

From the moving and empowering words of the The Mayor of Reading, Dr Alice Mpofu-Coles, to the heartfelt address from Project Salama’s founder and CEO, Jacqueline Mukono, the evening carried a sense of strength that sits at the heart of this charity. A dancer troupe, a raffle and a DJ, along with all the guests, filled the room with colour and joy, yet the focus remained clear, the work of Project Salama changes lives, every single day.

Urgently needed funds were raised to support their mission, but the night was just as much about community, belonging and legacy. It was about building stronger squads of support. It was about reminding each other that safety, dignity and peace should be the foundation of every relationship.

Project Salama describes “Salama” as safety, security and integrity. It also speaks of peace across Swahili, Arabic, Hebrew and Sephardic traditions. That spirit was woven through the entire evening.

Thank you to everyone who made the Gala a success and for welcoming Ali and Samar to join you from Reading Community Learning Centre.

We are so proud to partner with you, to stand alongside you, and to work together toward a future where every person has the safety, support and freedom they deserve.

Here’s to the impact you make, day in and day out, and to the communities who lift each other higher.

Please can we join you again, next year?

With thanks & appreciation
Ali & Samar

04/12/2025

Our classrooms and crèche are getting cold, and for the women and children who rely on us, warmth isn’t a luxury. It’s safety. It’s dignity. It’s the foundation for learning, confidence and connection.

Last academic year we supported 595 women and welcomed 83 children to our creche. Many are refugees, asylum seekers or living in temporary hotel rooms. And for some, RCLC is the warmest, safest place they visit all week.

One of our learner's shared: "Coming to this Centre has changed my life drastically for the better.”

Every donation helps us heat our classrooms and crèche so women can learn in comfort and children can play safely.

👉 Please support our campaign to cover our facilities bills this winter, from water, heating and electric, helping us to fuel the centre: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fuel-rclc

Your kindness will help keep RCLC warm, the lights-on and the water running, so we can provide a safe and welcoming for every woman and child who walks through our doors.

Thank you for helping us make futures that little bit warmer.

For many refugee and vulnerable women, Reading Community Learning Centre is the warmest, safest place they visit each week. With heating costs soaring, your donation helps us keep our classrooms and crèche warm and comfortable this winter.

02/12/2025

Family Information Service Reading (FIS) have created a Christmas Activities page on the Family Information Service (FIS) website, the page will be updated regularly. Please use the following link to view Reading Directory | Activities in Reading over Christmas 2025 https://servicesguide.reading.gov.uk/kb5/reading/directory/advice.page?id=qv1h53Bgdmo

Childcare for parent carers who need information on childcare, holiday clubs, childminders etc for the school holiday – www.readingfis.org/childcare

26/11/2025

We have 5 spaces left on our Women's Wellness Course held at the Reading Community Learning Centre.

This is an initial course to introduce the subject of mental health and wellbeing. In this course, you can get strategies that can help you identify what causes you to feel stressed, how it gets expressed in your body, and how you can mitigate its negative effects. Discover techniques that can help you control your reactions and walk away from your life’s stressors.

When: Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 December
Timings: 9:45 am to 2:15 pm - both days
Course Fee: £10
Tutor: Parveen Brar
Location: Reading Community Learning Centre, 94 London St, Reading RG1 4SJ
Open to: Women only

NEXT STEPS - if you would like to join this course please call us on: 0118 959 5455 during office hours of Mon-Thu 9am to 2:30pm or email Hema at [email protected]

We hope you can join us.

26/11/2025

Sent on behalf of Reading Libraries

Following on from the success of this summer’s Reading loves reading campaign which saw nearly 2,400 people take part, Reading Libraries are launching Winter Book Bingo.

It will run Monday 1 December to Saturday 31 January and is open to children, teens, and adults.

There will be 2 prize draws – under 13s and teens/adults - to win a £20 book voucher. To enter, people will need to either complete a line (read 3 books) or if they want a harder challenge, complete the card (read 9 books) over at least 3 visits to the library.

People will be able to pick up Book Bingo cards from their local library from Monday 1 December.

For more information visit www.reading.gov.uk/libraries or email [email protected] .

Information also available on the Family Information Service website Reading Directory | Winter Book Bingo, Win a £20 book voucher at Reading Libraries

Reading Borough Council

25/11/2025

✨ The real heroes of Christmas are those who choose to buy gifts for people and children they’ve never met ✨

Thanks to Connect Reading’s Giving Tree Campaign, 41 women and their families supported here Reading Community Learning Centre will receive thoughtful gifts chosen just for them this Christmas. At a time when many are facing difficult circumstances, this generosity brings comfort, dignity and a moment of joy that truly matters.

The Giving Tree is Reading’s original Secret Santa scheme. Local charities ask the people they support what gift would help them feel seen and supported, up to the value of £15. Connect Reading and their partners then ensure those exact gifts reach local people who need them most.

🎁 A heartfelt thank you to the all the organisations who made this possible and to our fairy godmothers this Christmas:
💫 Novotel
💫 (Doghouse Recruitment, FVB DISTRICT ENERGY UK LTD and Ecrebo)

Your kindness will make a real and lasting difference to women and families in our community this festive season.

And a huge thank you to every volunteer, partner and supporter working behind the scenes to make the Giving Tree campaign such a powerful example of community spirit. You are the heartbeat of this work.

This is kindness in action. This is Reading at its best.