The ways Reading has changed in the past decade has been revealed thanks to data from the latest Census.
Collected every 10 years, it gives local and national government an insight into the state of the population.
Reading is well known for its diversity, with 46.5% of the population belonging to a Black and Minority Ethnic community.
That is the joint second highest proportion in the South East after Slough and up from 35% in 2011.
A product of diversity and immigration is the languages spoken, with English forming the vast majority.
But census data also shows that several thousands speak different languages:
There are 136,436 English speakers, 4,154 Polish speakers, 4,147 Nepalese speakers, and 2,642 Romanian speakers.
That has an impact on the landscape of Reading as well, as ethnic groups set up community centres, and also use churches and places of worship.
The substantial amount of Polish people in Reading is reflected in the Piwnica Restaurant in London Road, and the former community centre located there.
Poles are predominantly Catholic, and at The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Watlington Street the liturgy is celebrated in Polish.
Nepalese people have come to Reading as Gurkha Veterans, students and workers.
The Nepalese community has set up a number of associations, including for veterans.
For faith concerns, a Buddhist temple was opened nearby in Earley last August, while Christians from Nepal worship in churches such as Anderson and Abbey Baptist.
Many of the people attending the temple are Gurkha veterans and families from Nepal.
Romanians who have come to Reading run several shops, with The Traditional Romanesc restaurant taking over from Buon Appetito in Chatham Street.
Romanian Orthodox worship services are held by the St. Stylianos and St. Catherine Orthodox Christian Parish at Holy Trinity Church in Oxford Road.
Among other languages in Reading, more than 1,000 people speak Urdu, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.
Urdu is a language from the Indian Subcontinent. It is the national and official language of Pakistan and also recognised as an official language in 11 states of India.
The town has a variety of businesses run by people from the Indian Subcontinent, as well as a Hindu Temple, several Mosques, and the Pakistan Community Centre in East Reading.
According to the census data, all ethnic groups have increased since 2011 apart from British, Irish and Black Caribbean.
The impact of these ethnicities is felt in the town as well, as Reading is reputed to have the largest Bajan community outside Barbados.
Meanwhile, the Reading Irish Centre is present in Chatham Street and the town has two Irish themed pubs, O’Neill’s and The Gateway in Greyfriars Road.
A video demonstrating the linguistic diversity of the town was shared on Reading Borough Council’s Facebook page.
Neighbours in Reading are mostly welcome to the changing demographics of the town, reflecting that the ‘only constant is change’.
Residents shared their views of the town’s increasing diversity when the Local Democracy Reporting Service shared the council’s languages video on the Old Reading Plus Group Facebook page.
One person wrote: “I’m just thinking about my office. I don’t know if it’s representative, but I have local work colleagues from (first or second generation): France; Italy; Czech Republic; India; Russia; Lebanon; Ireland; Portugal; The Gambia; Sweden.
“I love the Nepalese food at Sapana Home; the herbs, spices, and olives from the Turkish shops on Oxford Road, getting my sardine pâté and Serra d’Estrela cheese from the Portuguese mini-market along there – great Portuguese cafe nearby too. Polish sausage and pierogi from West Street.
“I miss County Delicacies, where it was all in one place, but, wow! the variety and quality you can get shopping around town the days is pretty amazing.
“I have to say, the biggest single change I noticed was about 20 years ago when more Eastern European countries joined the EU. Up until that point, the warehouse at the company I worked for was predominately staffed by BAME, but within two or three years most had got up and gone to Canada, I think, and the largest demographics were from the Baltic States; Poland and the Czech Republic.
“The only constant is change.”
Agreeing, another wrote: “I remember moving back here from Northern Ireland in 2006 and, as said, the only constant is ‘change’.
“Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily.”
Mick Jones said: “Reading has always been multi-cultural. Back in the 70s in was understood that East Reading was Asian, West Reading was West Indian (Caribbean).
“North Reading had the posh houses and us in South Reading were the poorest.”
Yet more change has come since the Census was taken.
The town has had a substantial Ukrainian community, which is reflected in its community centre in South Street.
There has been an influx of Ukrainians since the Russian invasion of 2022, with people in Reading opening up their homes to approximately 131 guests from the war-torn country.
Reading has also seen an increase in Hong Kongers since a 2021 visa programme made migration easier amid tensions between the former British possession and the Chinese Communist Party.
Commenting on the increasing diversity in Reading, council leader Cllr Jason Brock (Labour, Southcote) said: “Reading is a popular place to live with the population increasing by 11.9% to 174,200 since the 2011 census.
“The number of households has risen by 7.6% to 67,700 and this number is predicted to rise to 69,119 by 2043. This puts more demands on services, our roads, schools, and other areas outside the council’s direct control, such as health provision.
“Although Reading generally has a younger population, the number of older people aged over 65 has increased by 17.2% between 2011 and 2021.
“This has contributed to added pressure on our adult social care services and we are planning to plough an additional £5.8 million to care for older and vulnerable residents next year.
“At the other end of the age scale, an additional £7.5 million is being committed to children’s services in Reading and the Council is working with the Department for Education and Maiden Erlegh Trust to deliver the River Academy secondary school to accommodate the rising teenage population.
“Reading has always been welcoming to people from many backgrounds and the town has a very diverse population.
“The 2021 census shows that 46.5% of the population belong to the Black and Minority Ethnic community, up from 35% in 2011.
“The Council is committed to ensuring all Reading residents are given a chance to benefit from the town’s economic success.
“There is too big a gap between Reading’s most and least prosperous neighbourhoods, which also impacts on people’s health and wellbeing.
“The Council works hard to close this opportunity gap by driving achievements in skills, education and training, as outlined in our Tackling Inequality Strategy.
“Our ethos is to ensure everybody in Reading can benefit from the town’s undoubted success.”
