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During the summer, Avantor Sciences contacted Reading Family Aid with an offer of 400 back‑to‑school kits containing essential stationery such as pens, pencils, notebooks and rulers. Reading Family Aid recommended New Town Primary School, which has almost exactly that number of pupils. The school explained that many children do not have access to basic stationery at home, including colouring pencils. Before holidays, staff prepare welfare packs for some vulnerable pupils with activities like word searches, colouring sheets and puzzles. Thanks to this donation, every child now has pencils and other essentials to use both in school and at home.  “Your donation has made a genuine difference to our children and their families, helping to ensure that all pupils have the resources they need to learn, create and thrive.” Thank you to Avantor Sciences, including Emily Kidd and Lisa Hogan, and to Sheila from Reading Family Aid for helping to arrange and deliver the kits.
Camp Mohawk We returned to Camp Mohawk for one of our outings this summer. Camp Mohawk is a day centre for children and young people with special needs, set within five acres of countryside near Wargrave. It offers a safe, welcoming and inclusive space where children can play, socialise, learn and explore at their own pace. For many families, the visit meant far more than simply getting out of the house. One family told Reading Family Aid that we were the only organisation able to meet their child’s specific needs and make the day possible. Another parent explained that noisy environments usually have a major impact on their child. At Camp Mohawk, the calm surroundings meant they could enjoy the day without needing ear defenders. Families appreciated the freedom for children to move between activities. The secure layout meant they could choose where to go without parents or carers feeling pulled in different directions, making the day more relaxed and enjoyable for everyone. Children explored sensory rooms filled with light, colour and texture, enjoyed soft play and climbing equipment, spent time outdoors and met the animals — each space offering a new way to engage. Some of the most meaningful moments were small but significant. One child felt confident enough to feed the animals for the first time because the area wasn’t crowded. Another managed to climb independently. These milestones show how an inclusive environment gives children room to try something new and experience the joy of succeeding. “This was the first time our child had been able to take part in a trip like this. Reading Family Aid was the only organisation that could support their needs.” Thank you to Camp Mohawk for providing such a welcoming setting, to the family workers who supported families throughout the day, and to our generous supporters whose donations make outings like this possible. Beale Wildlife Park outing On a perfectly warm day in August, thankfully outside the heatwave, we took families supported by three partner charities to Beale Park. Families spent time with the animals, paddled in the pool and enjoyed train rides around the park.  Photo: Brian Robert Marshall / Miniature train, Beale Park, Lower Basildon Our first seaside outing of the summer took us to Bournemouth in July. Once the families arrived, they were able to make the most of their time by the coast. One parent told us their family managed to tick off everything on their seaside wish list: a swim in the sea, fish and chips, and a stop at the arcade. Swap to Hayling Island for second trip The day before the second Bournemouth trip, Horseman Coaches got in touch to warn us about wildfires in the New Forest, associated road closures and the impact this would have on travel times. They suggested Hayling Island as a suitable alternative in the same general direction, but without the disrupted routes. The switch proved to be a good one. Interest from our partner agencies was especially strong for the trip. After our new partner, RCLC, asked whether more families could be included, we agreed to expand the offer. We booked two 56‑seat coaches, which meant we could extend places to additional partners as well. In the end, an impressive 102 seats were taken. Once we arrived, everyone set off to enjoy the day. The weather was glorious — sunny, cooler than Reading, and with a refreshing sea breeze. After a few hours by the water, families boarded the coaches for the journey home.  Volunteers enjoying the day with the families. Across both seaside outings, Reading Family Aid supported families from seven organisations working with disadvantaged communities. For some, it was their first ever visit to the beach. The feedback afterwards made clear just how valuable a shared day out can be. “Joining the Hayling Island trip was one of the happiest experiences I have had since coming to the UK. As someone who arrived alone and often felt isolated, the trip gave me the opportunity to get out, meet new people and feel part of a community.” “Spending time outdoors, meeting new people and enjoying a day away from everyday worries helped me feel happier, more relaxed and connected to others. It gave me a sense of freedom and hope. Thank you to everyone who helped We are grateful to Horseman Coaches and their drivers for getting everyone from A to B safely and comfortably, including their practical support when the destination changed. Thank you also to Emmer Green Kindergarten for supplying car seats and booster seats for both seaside outings, to the partner organisations that supported participating families and to our volunteers.   Val, Sallie, Ruth and Jill with celebratory cake Reading Family Aid has marked the retirement of four exceptional volunteers whose dedication has shaped our charity for decades. Between them they have contributed about 100 years of support and members of the committee expressed their appreciation at a celebration after the AGM.
Jill Barker Following in her mother’s footsteps, Jill joined us in 2007. Laura shared: “She helped at so many fundraising events and most recently sorted the books donated for the Toys and Teens Appeal.” A former primary school teacher, one of her former pupils has now joined Reading Family Aid. Ruth Perkins Ruth began as a driver for the toys appeal 25 years ago and soon became central to the charity’s organisation. Wendy said: “With her management background she’s been a godsend.” Paul added: “Ruth has been like a rock.” Anna echoed the sentiment: “She’s so organised and runs a tight ship. It’s going to be a lot to try and replace all that.” Val Sansom Since at leats 2003, Val has been involved in almost everything we do — fundraising, outings, and many years of committed work on the Toys and Teens Appeal. Her reliability and warmth have been a steady presence. Sallie Wall Known affectionately as the fount of all knowledge, Sallie has supported every corner of our work for 23 years. Ruth summed it up perfectly: “She will turn her hand to anything… I remember when she started she took on being secretary and she has been an absolute mainstay on the toy project ever since.” We offer our heartfelt thanks and warmest best wishes to Sallie, Val, Jill and Ruth. Their commitment has strengthened Reading Family Aid for generations, and they leave an extraordinary legacy. Our stall at this year’s Earley Green Fair on 1 August proved a real success, with visitors snapping up donated books and toys and helping raise £847 for our cause. The steady stream of families throughout the day created a warm, lively atmosphere, and every purchase contributed directly to our fundraising total. A heartfelt thank‑you goes to everyone who stopped by, donated items, or supported us. We are especially grateful to our volunteers, whose time, energy, and good humour made the stall run smoothly from start to finish. This fantastic result shows what our community can achieve together and the money raised will be put to a good use – putting smiles on children’s faces.   Committee members at the AGM Reading Family Aid celebrated another successful year (2025/26) at its AGM on 2 July.
"It has been a fantastic year for the charity, with many successful outings, some significant donations and our first-ever runners taking part in the London Marathon. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of all our supporters," reported Anna Gilbert, Chair. Strong year for donations This has been one of our strongest years for major donations. In July 2025, we received a £3,000 donation from Procter & Gamble. Long-term supporters, Enterprise Mobility surprised us not once but twice in the year, donating £2,500 in July and a further £3,500 in December. BDO, a local accountancy and business services firm, has supported us for many years by providing volunteers for Toy Week and a £2,490 donation in the year. Other donations included £1,940 from St Andrew’s Church in Caversham, two donations of £500 from anonymous donors via LocalGiving and one of our long-standing supporters, Lorraine Wheeler, donated £1,000. Other highlights of the year 2025/26
Sue Marson, Treasurer, reported that we had another good year of fundraising with an income of over £33,500. We spent just over £37,000, mainly on toys and outings. We finished the year with a balance of over £44,000, which sets us up well to continue our activities for next year. Goodbye and hello At the AGM, we celebrated the work of four of our longest-serving committee members who have stood down this year: Jill Barker, Ruth Perkins, Val Sansom and Sallie Wall. Sue Marson handed over the role of Treasurer to Carolyn Cheney. Four new committee members have been welcomed in the year: Kathy Davis, Katie Jones, Annie Oakey and Nathan Windisch. Annual Report For more details of our activities in the financial year ending 30 April 2026, you can find our Annual Report here. We are delighted to announce that Enterprise Mobility™ donated £2,000 to Reading Family Aid in May 2026. Zain Akhter (Area Rental Manager for Southeast England) and Rilind Aliaj (Branch Manager) joined the Reading Family Aid Committee at our AGM on 2 July 2026 to present us with a giant cheque for the amount. Enterprise Mobility™ has made a number of large donations to our charity in recent years, and we are very grateful for their ongoing support. In the picture we have Zain and Rilind from Enterprise Mobility™ presenting the cheque to the Reading Family Aid Committee at our AGM.  This was the first year that Reading Family Aid had runners in the London Marathon and it proved to be a success all round. It was a record breaking year for the London Marathon, with two runners completing the course in under two hours. Our runners, George and Conal, took a bit longer but were our heroes as they raised nearly £4,500 in sponsorship. With his bright gift-wrapping costume Conal stood out in the crowd but our supporters managed to spot both runners and cheer them on the route.
Our runners summed up their experiences of the day…
“I’m incredibly proud to have run the London Marathon and immensely grateful to Reading Family Aid for giving me the opportunity to represent them,” said Conal McLean. “I’ll never play football at Wembley. I’ll never play cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. But I’ve just run in front of a crowd bigger than both; and that’s something I’ll carry with me forever. “And to every single person who sponsored me, your support, messages, and generosity meant the world. Thank you. 💙🏃♂️” From George Kelleher: "London. What can I really say about the greatest day of my life? It was such a wondrous occasion, and something I’m only really grasping the scale of in writing these words now. “The event itself is utterly surreal. From the very start, onlookers cheer your name, children hold out their hands for high fives, churches and gurdwaras hand out their water and snacks. Speakers blast music constantly from makeshift stages in the upstairs windows of people’s houses along the route. From the very peaks (crossing Tower Bridge IS that good) to the ‘dig-deep’ lows (Canary Wharf IS that bad), the noise never stops, and it never stops motivating you to push beyond what you thought you were capable of. I used to think that being a professional athlete would be the greatest job in the world. After London, and the opportunity afford to me by Reading Family Aid, I now know so. “When you’re going round the iconic route, it’s hard to not think back to all the work you put in to even stand on that starting line in confidence. From the 5am training starts and multi-hour long runs, to realising 25km in that 42km is actually quite far, every action in this process was a brand new experience that taught me so much about my ability, my motivations, and that the mountains in our lives are there for us to conquer. “Further back still, I thought of Reading too - my hometown is full of the people that raised me, nurtured me, and moulded me into the person who crossed that line and got that medal. Beyond my training, my carb-loading, or my gear, there was wind against my back the entire way knowing what I was doing wasn’t just for me, but for the people of my hometown as well. I hope I made you all proud. “Finally, I want to give my thanks to Reading Family Aid. This hard-working charity that does such incredible work allowed this small boy from RG1 to achieve something he really didn’t think possible. Hopefully, the £2,000+ raised is already being put to good use - I can’t think of a better group of volunteers and causes that it could be being used for. I won’t forget the kindness, motivation and advice given to me by your team (particularly you Carolyn!). If you ever need someone to run again for you, you know where to find me." And looking ahead to 2027 We were pleased to have won two places in the charity ballot for the event in 2026 through to 2029. Our runners learned a lot from the experience – and so have we to help make even more of a success next year. In the coming months we’ll be looking to find our two runners for the 2027 London Marathon. If you’d like to apply to run for us next year, do get in touch at [email protected] In the first of this year’s outings we took around 62 parents and children visit Odds Farm near Maidenhead. Katie, one of our newest volunteers, met the families at the pickup point in Reading and travelled with them on the coach. Two other volunteers, Mia and Laura, met the coach at the farm. All three made sure everyone arrived safely at the farm and boarded the bus on time to go home. The weather was perfect for the day out with warm sunshine. As it was still lambing season some of the families were even lucky enough to see a healthy baby lamb being born. The families were very grateful to Reading Family Aid for inviting them on the trip and to the volunteers for making sure everyone got the best out of their day. In a new initiative we have been helping families with their Easter and Eid celebrations. We partnered with Visa Ltd to supply 50 Easter eggs to Home-Start Reading, and delivered a further 300 eggs to charities including Launchpad, Bounce Back 4 Kids, Berkshire Women's Aid, Reading Refugee Support Group, Alana House, Home-Start Wokingham and Grassrootz. We also included eggs for children in care via Reading Borough Council.  |
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