In a bid to give a good summary of the situation Reading FC was in, our front page of July 6 contained all the news from the club’s hierarchy about their plans.
It was blank.
Newscaster Sangeeta Bhabra dropped into a fayre organised by members of Grange United Reformed Church in Southcote in aid of Thames Valley Animal Welfare.
She posed for our photographer, Steve Smyth, with some of the teddies that could be won in a special teddy raffle, even adding a raffle ticket to her forehead for a laugh.
The Berkshire Motor Show was once again held in Prospect Park and saw petrolheads and car fans go into top gear to enjoy the event.
Organiser Steph Awbery said: “We had so many turn up there was a bit of a traffic jam. I felt very apologetics about that, but we weren’t able to control it unfortunately.”
Reading Borough Council announced that four more box junctions would see traffic cameras installed, fining drivers who block the junctions. They will be at Queens Road, Oxford Road and Bedford Road, Bath Road with Burghfield Road, and Bath Road with Berkeley Avenue. Motorists will get a £70 fine, reduced to £35 if paid within three weeks receipt of the notice.
Wokingham Conservatives leader Pauline Jorgensen was announced as the party’s candidate for the new Woodley and Earley parliamentary seat.
A new disability pride day was held in Reading town centre, celebrating people in the town with additional needs.
There were live performances from Rona Topaz and Miles, a comedy set from Helen Bryant, and a theatrical production from Rank & File.
Cllr Jan Gavin of the Access and Disabilities Working Group (ADWG) at Reading Borough Council said: “We wanted to put something on which celebrated the achievements of the disabled community, which is really vibrant in Reading, and raise awareness about their experiences.”
A climate emergency baton relay stopped off at the University of Reading on its way to Westminster, raising awareness of the pressing need to tackle global heating.
Reading venue The Purple Turtle celebrated its 33rd birthday with a celebration event that saw The Deckchairs perform punk music, 33 years after their first gig there.
A fire broke out at the new housing development being built in Garrard Street. It was on the 12th and 13th floors of the flats at the Station Hill development.
The annual Bastille Day celebrations saw Forbury Gardens become a French outpost for a weekend. Food, entertainment and gallic charm ensured visitors had a day to remember.
Readipop held its annual celebration in Caversham, but was nearly victim to the weather – strong winds gave us one of our best front page headlines of the year: Windipops.
There was also music at Reading Station, not your usual venue for a classical concert. Members of the Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra took to the concourse to perform Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and they also let people have a go at conducting.
Broad St. Mall announced plans to convert part of its site into 601 flats, building on the car parks and the rear of the site which is mostly empty.
Hundreds of people took part in the annual Race For Life event in aid of Cancer Research UK. Held in Prospect Park, runners wore pink and fancy dress.
Elisa Mitchell, Cancer Research UK spokesperson, said: “We wanted to put something on which celebrated the achievements of the disabled community, which is really vibrant in Reading, and raise awareness about their experiences.”
The new Rivermead Leisure Centre was opened with the help of former Reading FC player Dave Kitson with Team GB rower Rowan McKellar. While the pool has yet to be completed, the rest of the site is up and running.
Cllr Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for leisure and culture, said: “It’s so fantastic to have it open, a huge amount of work has gone into this.”
A Reading landmark has been saved: the Black history mural on the side of the former Reading Club in London Street has been listed, and will form part of the new flats being built on the site.
Staff at a Reading construction recruitment firm ITS Building People raised more than £29,000 for Sue Ryder. The firm wanted to raise £50,000 to mark its 50th year in business.
Jerry Knight, who manages the head office on Reading’s Kings Road, said fundraising activities have included skydiving, football tournaments and car boot sales.
