Workshops, networking and other opportunities
Looking for other ways to help your organisation succeed or grow your profile? Here we'll list any upcoming workshops, seminars, networking events or other interesting opportunities for those in the arts, culture and heritage community in Reading.
Upcoming webinars from the Digital Culture Network
Revitalise your email marketing – grow and engage audiences with email | 2pm on Wednesday 26 February
Join this 1-hour webinar to learn about how you can use email marketing to grow your email contact list and maximise engagement and revenue.
> Register now
How to create a simple website on a shoestring! | 10am on Tuesday 25 March
In this one-hour webinar, presented by Andy Leitch, our websites Tech Champion, you will learn the basics of setting up a simple, inexpensive website. Perfect for small organisations or individual artists who need a simple website but who have limited (or no) skills in web development or design.
> Register now
Festival opportunities
Festival season will soon be upon us, and several of our festivals are on the lookout for people and activities to be part of this year's events:
Reading Children's Festival is inviting local businesses, community groups, schools and other organisations to arrange events, displays, activities, workshops, story-telling or drama sessions, either in-person or digitally.
Jelly is looking for shops and businesses to host a piece of art work by one of Jelly's associate artists and be part of the only Reading town centre art trail, Open for Art
University of Reading is looking for any local organisation, charity, resident, business, sports club, performer, research partner, staff member, student or Alumni who might be interested in getting involved in this year's Community Festival
East Reading Festival is on the lookout for anyone who might like to get involved in the festival as a stall holder, performer, volunteer or committee member
Reading Pride's Love Unites Parade and Festival returns on 30 August 2025, and applications are now open for acts and to perform on the Main Stage, Pride aLive Stage & Pride Dance Tent.
Charity Governance Awards 2025 Open for UK Entries
The Charity Governance Awards, a not-for-profit initiative, was created a decade ago to celebrate outstanding governance and trusteeship in charities across the UK, allowing large and small not-for-profit organisations to inspire and learn from one another.
This year, the final year of the awards, applications are accepted in five categories:
- Board Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Challenge to Change
- Improving Impact in Small Charities (for 0-3 paid staff)
- Improving Impact in Small Charities (for 4-30 paid staff)
- People in Governance
The Awards are open to any charity registered in the UK. Entries are free and easy to submit online. The shortlist will be announced in April 2025, and selected charities will be invited to a complimentary and exclusive awards ceremony in June 2025 where the winners will be announced.
Entries will be accepted from UK registered charities established before 31 December 2021. Their entry must cover activities undertaken in the past five years (2019 – 2024).
The winning charity in each of the five categories will receive an unrestricted cash grant of £6,000 and a trophy. Runners-up will receive grants of £1,500 each. All shortlisted charities will be offered a one-year membership to the Association of Chairs for their chairs or vice-chairs, as well as a free place on a Cause4 Trustee Leadership Training Programme for a new trustee.
The deadline for entries is 12 February 2025 (noon).
Register for the new Indigo Share: Hot Topic and help inform the sector
Indigo Share: Hot Topics are designed to tackle the topic of the moment. They are FREE for cultural organisations in the UK to take part in. The next Hot Topic is Access Culture, launching this November.
Access Culture is designed to help cultural organisations:
- Understand how audience and visitor behaviour at cultural organisations is impacted by access needs
- Develop a baseline understanding of audience and visitor perceptions of accessibility of venues, productions, events and exhibitions
- Gain meaningful insight to understand how to develop an offer that helps everyone feel welcome and comfortable in our cultural venues
- Identify areas of opportunity where an inclusive approach may enhance the experience for a whole range of audiences and visitors
The survey will run from mid-November to mid-December and will be open for approximately four to five weeks. You can send it out at any point within that. You'll then be invited to a webinar in early 2025 to see the results and will receive a full report with the aggregated data set, so you can compare your own results.
Access Culture is free for cultural organisations in the UK to take part in. Simply sign up through the quick form. Indigo will send you a survey link and a template email to send out to your audiences or visitors. You'll have instant access to your organisation's results and contribute to a benchmark for the benefit of the sector.
> Register now
Freelance social media assistance from Adam Koszary
Adam Koszary has made a career of helping galleries, libraries, archives and museums with social media and content strategy, governance and production. He used to do just that and more at The MERL, where he was responsible for the smash absolute unit meme.
And now he's going freelance to help cultural organisations succeed on social. If you want to create fun and impactful content, make the case for content within your organisation or just want a critical friend, then he is here for that.
Help inform Reading's Culture & Heritage Statement of Intent
In 2023, Reading Borough Council worked with a number of organisations to create a Statement of Intent (SoI), this SoI was set up to show the power of the creative sector, help attract funding, create community and to help give more context to the Culture and Heritage Strategy.
They are working in partnership with organisations to amalgamate the work that you or your organisation has completed to date against some shared targets from the Statement of Intent. This Statement of Intent was created in partnership and brought together by Artswork. If you would like to get involved with some of the work taking place around the Statement of Intent please do let me know, as it would be wonderful to work more closely with you.
Just by way of reminder: The aim of this Statement is to help keep everyone informed of work that is going on across the sector, serves to help reduce duplication and celebrates some of the key priorities for the sector, but more importantly through our joint storytelling, gives visibility and celebrates the power of work that you and your organisation deliver.
You're invited to fill in a Google Form with any updates you have to help inform the Statement of Intent
The Arts and Heritage Forum’s next meeting is on the 7th of December in person at the Mayor’s Parlour or online.
Forest School and Outdoor Learning Training
Muddy Puddle Outdoor Learning offers nationally recognised qualifications in Forest School and Outdoor Learning, and they currently have some training available for anyone looking to step up when it comes to stepping outside:
Outdoor Learning Practitioner - Gain skills and confidence in using your grounds for curriculum delivery.
Forest School Leader Level 3 - This course is designed for those who would like to set up and run a Forest School programmes. There are five Units of Study at Level 3.
Space opportunity!
Reading Biscuit Factory - Located at the end of Oxford Road, right in the heart of town, Reading Biscuit Factory is a new three-screen cinema, bar, coffee shop, live performance space and community hub. Our aim is to offer a fantastic and welcoming venue that embraces Reading’s rich and vibrant culture, and create a setting where everyone can relax, work, meet, create and perform - all under one roof.
We want to hear from anybody with a bright idea who wants a partner to help make it happen. If you have a film you would like to screen, a rehearsal or workshop you would like to organise, art you would like to exhibit, or you are a food vendor or other business looking for a host, we would love to help.
Contact Us
For individuals, groups or organisations, for general enquiries email info@readingbiscuitfactory.co.uk