University announces inaugural Charity of the Year

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity has been named as the University’s inaugural Charity of the Year, after the scheme launched in March.

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity supports families caring for a child with a serious or terminal illness. Rainbow Trust’s Family Support Workers provide a lifeline to struggling families, offering practical and emotional support, whenever it is needed for as long as it is needed.

The charity was selected following a vote by University staff.

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity will engage with and be supported by the University in a variety of ways throughout the 2024/25 academic year – starting in September. The University will begin conversations with the charity over the summer period, in order to start mapping out what activity will take place throughout the year.

Katherine Burgess, Corporate and Community Fundraising Manager at Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been chosen as the University of Reading’s charity partner and are incredibly excited about the opportunity to raise awareness and funds to support seriously ill children and their families.

“After opening our care team in Reading in 2022 we have been keen to forge relationships with the community in which we are serving, and this is a brilliant opportunity to do just that. We simply could not continue to support families in Reading and surrounding areas without the support of local organisations, so a huge thank you to the University of Reading for choosing to support us.”

A total of 46 applications were received for the University’s first ever Charity of the Year Scheme. University staff had the opportunity to vote on a shortlist of five charities that are active and supporting people and communities in the Thames Valley area.

The criteria for shortlisting included: considering the charity’s alignment to the University’s charitable objectives of advancing education, learning and research for public benefit; the benefits to the charity, its beneficiaries and the local community; the benefit to the University; and the overall quality of the application.

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “Rainbow Trust is a great organisation and we are proud to be supporting them, and the vital work that they do, through our first ever Charity of the Year Scheme.

“Our staff and students already do a great deal supporting and volunteering in our local communities so this scheme will be a further extension of that. I look forward to getting involved in some fun activities this year, to help raise money and awareness for this important cause.

“I would like to thank all of the charities that submitted applications for our first ever Charity of the Year Scheme. We could only pick one but it was wonderful to see the wealth of organisations that are all making a positive impact in our region and our local communities.”

“I would also like to thank colleagues who took the time to vote for their favourite charity. The Charity of the Year team were keen to get staff involved in this new initiative as early as possible. Long may it continue.”