What goes on at CIRDIC    

CIRDIC Just off Berkeley Avenue (turn at the Shell garage) has existed since 1990 to serve some of the most disadvantaged people in the local community. Fully open on three days per week CIRDIC asks no questions of its guests but provides the following services all for free:    

 Main meals as well as soup, sandwiches, tea and coffee,  a safe mail address, telephone for emergencies, clothing, baths and showers, a listening ear and access to the following organisations that regularly use our premises in order to meet their clients and patients:Baker Street Nurses when they are able,NHS Optician, St Mungo’s Street Services Team who find shelter forthe homeless, DIAS who help people with drug and alcohol problems, NQuire who help people with benefits claims and other official matters and Arty Giraffe who help people through art therapy. Additionally, CIRDIC continues to attempt to obtain the regular services of a visiting mental health nurse.    

 CIRDIC also offers a limited service on Saturday evenings and a breakfast and a quiet period on a Sunday morning while its Midweek Club helps those guests who are ready to move on with gardening, both at the Centre and at our allotment, art projects, cookery, lessons on budgets and the occasional outing. To further this project we are currently finalising a Membership Scheme in which all who are active at CIRDIC -- trustees, staff, volunteers and any guests who wish to join will be seen to hold a stake in the Centre.

Income comes from local churches and individuals, Reading Borough Council, and firms, organisations and individuals. Manager Mabel Boyd (who also manages the Churches in Reading Women’s Centre) keeps running expenses to a minimum so that for the year ended 31 March 2011 CIRDIC’s total expenditure amounted to only £48,000. Mabel is helped considerably by gifts of food, clothing and labour provided by a great team of about 100 devoted volunteers as well as churches, churchgoers and other sympathetic individuals, firms and organisations in the area.                                                                    

God's Story, Our Town 

Please take 2 minutes to watch this Video on CIRDIC http://vimeo.com/tommith/gsotcirdic

We plan an extension

Our plans for an extension to our building to provide more meeting and activity rooms are now well advanced. When the necessary permissions have been obtained we will be launching an appeal for funds to finance this project , currently thought to cost about £150,000.  

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