RBWM Community Information Champions magazine
Published: 11 August 2023
Community Information Champions magazine
The August issue of the Community Champions magazine is attached to the link above. This month, the focus is on children and young people in the Royal Borough. If you have any feedback about the magazine or suggestions for future content, you can fill out our feedback form.
Launch of Communities social media pages
Want to keep up to date with what’s happening in the community and hear about the amazing work that our local community groups do? Why not follow our new social media pages – you can find us on Twitter: @RBWMCommunities and Facebook: RBWM Communities.
Household Support Fund
The council has been given £1,175,810 in the latest round of the government’s Household Support Fund to help vulnerable households most in need through to April 2024. This is again being allocated through two distinct schemes. People who were supported under the previous round of the fund can reapply.
To target the limited national funding, 14 frontline distribution partners continue to identify those residents in greatest need to receive a one-off cash payment of £145. Residents are also being encouraged to explore further cost of living help that might be available to them. See www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/community-and-living/community-support/here-help/household-support-fund
Citizens Advice East Berkshire are playing an overarching role, and should be a first port of call for residents who would like to put themselves forward for support. Residents are not able to apply to the council directly.
The second scheme enables the council to continue to provide funding for food vouchers over the school holidays, for families in receipt of free school meals. This funding has supported 3,000 families with food vouchers over April half term and will continue to support these families over the summer holiday, October half term, Christmas and February 2024 half term.
QR codes on life buoy cases to pinpoint location in a water emergency.
The Royal Borough’s Community Wardens are launching a new water safety initiative that could save precious minutes for emergency responders if someone gets into trouble in open water.
The wardens have created unique QR codes which are being placed in the casing of life buoys alongside the River Thames and around some lakes (with landowner permission).
The codes contain pinpoint information to make it easier for services to find the location in an emergency. They also make it easier to report any missing or vandalised equipment.
Read our press release here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/mr3ymekd
Free swimming sessions for teenagers
Young people aged 13 to 17 years old will be able to enjoy free swim sessions at two popular leisure centres during the school summer holidays, thanks to a water safety initiative.
Leisure Focus, the Royal Borough’s leisure operator, in collaboration with local partners including the council itself, is launching its “Safe Summer Swim” initiative, with a mission to reduce the risk of young people getting into trouble in lakes and rivers.
The programme offers free one-hour fun swim sessions for 13- to 17-year-olds at Windsor Leisure Centre and Braywick Leisure Centre (weekdays only), from Monday 24 July to Friday 1 September, making swimming accessible and promoting water safety.
There are 40 spaces available per session and places can be booked via the Leisure Focus App.
Read our press release here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/2e26y92d
For more information about safe swimming this summer, please see pages 13-14 of the magazine.
Food deals for children over the summer holidays
To help with the cost of living, some businesses are offering food/meal deals for children over the summer holidays. For more information about the businesses offering discounted meals, please see below 