For the past three years, Wokingham Borough Council's Rubra 2 building has enabled The Cowshed to become so much more than a charity providing clothing and household essentials.

It has become a place of hope, dignity and belonging.

Every week, families unable to afford school uniforms collect the clothing their children need to attend school with confidence. Parents escaping domestic abuse find the essentials to begin again. Care leavers receive everything they need to move into their first home. Refugees and asylum seekers arrive with little more than the clothes they are wearing and leave knowing their community cares. Older people facing hardship, young people leaving custody, and families in crisis all find practical support when they need it most.

We are incredibly grateful to Wokingham Borough Council for allowing us to operate from Rubra 2. During our time here, it has become a trusted community hub, supporting more than 10,000 people across Berkshire every year.

At the end of September, Wokingham Borough Council's Executive Committee will decide the future of Rubra 2.

We understand the Council faces difficult financial decisions and competing priorities. We simply ask that, before any decision is made, the full value of what happens here is recognised.

More than 400 volunteers give their time at The Cowshed each week, and over 250 organisations refer people to us because they know we can provide practical help quickly, compassionately and with dignity.

Rubra 2 is where all of this happens.

It is where thousands of donations are sorted and distributed. It is where parents build friendships through our Mothers' Coffee Mornings, where people receive free Citizens Advice debt support, where wellbeing courses are delivered with Wokingham Recovery College, and where children on free school meals enjoy holiday activities.

It is where students from Addington School, young people completing Youth Justice placements, corporate volunteers, Brownie groups, CLASP volunteers and local residents work side by side. It is where people rebuild confidence through work experience, learn new skills, overcome loneliness and become part of something bigger than themselves.

For many, The Cowshed is the place they turned when they had nowhere else to go. For many volunteers, it is where they found friendship, purpose and a sense of belonging. We have seen strangers become lifelong friends; isolated people reconnect with their community and individuals rediscover confidence after some of the most difficult periods of their lives.

If The Cowshed can no longer operate from Rubra 2, we won't simply lose a building. We risk losing the heart of everything we do. Without a suitable home, we cannot continue delivering the level of support that thousands of people across Berkshire rely on every year.

Please sign this petition and, if The Cowshed has touched your life in any way, share your story. Whether you've volunteered, donated, received support, referred a family or attended one of our activities, your voice matters.

Together, we can show that Rubra 2 is not just a building. It is a place where lives are rebuilt, communities come together and kindness becomes action every single day. Please help us protect its future.