This is a text-only version of an article first published on Thursday, 20 August 2015. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
Posted on 18. 8. 2015CHURCHES and faith groups in Reading alone provide voluntary services worth £5. 6 million and impact around 100,000 people every year, according to a recent audit. The research was carried out as part of the national Cinnamon Network Audit, which has so far revealed that nationally faith groups contribute £3 billion and help 48 million people through voluntary services to their communities. Cinnamon Network's aim in carrying out the national audit was to take a pragmatic approach as the Government faces the challenge of reducing the deficit.
Cinnamon Network's vision is to see churches and faith groups respond to the needs of society and build stronger relationships with local authorities, the police and other agencies. The Reading audit recorded 360 projects with more than 3,000 volunteers giving almost half a million hours of their time.
The Berkshire town was part of the first wave of audits of 57 areas in the UK. A report of the audit was launched at Greyfriars in June, hosted by the Reading Christian Network .
The keynote speaker was the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Andrew Proud, who said: "We wanted to do this survey to build on the strong network of relationships across churches and faith-based organisations, and our partnerships with many other agencies.
We recognize the growing needs in our town and believe that faith communities have a unique role to play, alongside all other people working for the common good. "Reading's Cinnamon Champion Alan Magness invited faith groups involved in food poverty, youth unemployment, social isolation, debt and addiction services to take part in the Audit in early February.
The event, which not only launched the research itself, also focused on the backdrop of the challenges facing Reading Borough Council and the tough choices it is having to make as its budget continues to reduce. Alan, a member of the Reading Christian Network, which has arranged weekly prayer meetings for the city at Greyfriars for 18 years, also works for the borough council, so is well placed to understand the challenges faced by the local authority. Clare de Silva, of the Cinnamon Network, said: "Out of all of the reports, we think Reading has the strongest sense of local identity.
It is a really interesting place demographically. " Alan said: "The Reading Christian Network has built relationships with Churches Together in Reading and other groups.
We launched the report in June and it was good to get people together.
We approached 79 groups and had an 80 per cent response rate.
We got that response because of the relationships we have built up over time. " Another round of audits takes place in new locations later in the year. Freedom from debtTHE burden of debt can induce shame and a feeling of helplessness that the people who set up Christians Against Poverty believe no one should have to live with.
Which is why they have set up Debt Centres across the UK helping people get themselves back into the black.
Sue Winyard is the Centre Manager of the Reading CAP Debt Centre, which was set up six-and-a-half years ago.
The CAP centre was used as a case study in the Reading Cinnamon Network Audit, demonstrating just one powerful way in which Christians are making a difference through volunteering in the town. Sue says: "It partly comes out of my personal story in terms of having a heart for those who were excluded from being able to enter into mainstream society.
If you have debts they can be a real pressure and burden and in extreme cases people become very isolated because they don't have the money to pay for things. " Sue, who was a social worker for 20 years, brought the idea of the CAP debt centre to Reading Community Church.
She says: "There are two strands to what we do.
We do three home visits, looking at a client's finances generally. "The centre then comes up with a plan to help the client become debt free.
CAP also runs money courses, three sessions, for absolutely anyone, not just those in debt, to help them manage their finances better. There are two CAP debt centres in Reading and one in Oxford.
For more information call 0800 328 0006.