If you’re like me, you aren’t one for New Year’s Resolutions. I can however live with making some positive changes, but only if they are called something else.
As we step into a new year, why not consider a fresh take on the traditional resolution. Instead of setting ourselves unrealistic goals that often fade by February, the Council is encouraging Reading residents to try just one thing that could make a positive difference to their life, family, or community.
Small, achievable changes can sometimes add up to big benefits. The Council has therefore created a total of 26 ideas for 2026. Each one is designed to encourage you to explore something you’ve never tried before, improve your own wellbeing, and connect with the incredible resources and opportunities right here on our doorstep which sometimes get overlooked.
From visiting Reading’s very own copy of the Bayeux Tapestry at Reading Museum, to a walk along some of our beautiful river banks, there’s an option everyone.
Reading really is a borough full of hidden gems and some essential services or facilities that many residents don’t necessarily know about, or if they do may have never taken the time to explore them.
Whether it’s Chocolate Island, Catherine of Aragon’s visits to Caversham, Reading Pantries – where you pay £6 for groceries worth lots more – or the Repair Café, where volunteers help fix broken items and reduce waste, there is so much depth to what our town has to offer.
Residents’ health and general wellbeing are at the heart of this Council campaign. You might choose to sign up for a free course at New Directions College, visit a new playground, or even donate plasma at Reading’s centre – one of only three in the UK – and help save lives.
Each idea is simple, practical, and designed to make life better for you, and for people around you.
Visit https://www.reading.gov.uk/news/just-one-thing-kickstart-a-positive-2026-in-reading/ for inspiration and join us in making Reading an even better place to live.
Together, small steps can lead to big differences.
