We are delighted to share that Reading Community Learning Centre has been awarded £20,000 by the Garfield Weston Foundation.

This generous grant will help us continue supporting migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women in Reading, providing English language learning, advice, community, confidence-building and a safe place to belong.

The Garfield Weston Foundation is one of the UK’s leading family-founded grant-makers, supporting charities that make a positive difference in their communities. Since it was established in 1958, the Foundation has awarded grants totaling nearly £1.7 billion, including almost £130 million to 2,967 charities in 2024–2025.

Aisha Malik , CEO of Reading Community Learning Centre, said: “We are deeply grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for your generous award of £20,000, which will help sustain the heart of our work supporting migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women in Reading. Your support is more than funding, it is an investment in dignity, confidence and opportunity for women facing some of the most complex barriers in our community.

Because of your generosity, women who arrive isolated, often with little or no English, will find a safe space where they can learn, rebuild their confidence and begin to shape new futures for themselves and their families. From learning to speak to a doctor, to finding stable housing, to taking first steps into education, volunteering or employment, your grant will make these journeys possible.

At a time of rising need, with hundreds of women relying on our services each year, your support provides vital stability and hope. It enables us to continue offering not just classes, but a lifeline of advice, community and belonging that transforms lives every day .

On behalf of all the women, children, staff and volunteers at Reading Community Learning Centre, thank you for standing with us and believing in the power and potential of the women we serve.”