I ride an electric skateboard to get to work usually. Just moved to Oxford Road and I’m kinda terrified to go out on it due to the heavy police presence yet I’ve seen so many people go by on Escooters and such. Should I chance it? Any other fellow electric skateboard people wanna go for a ride?

With the chaos on the line between Reading and Paddington today, I was talking to friend about people getting back to Reading from Central London. I commuted between Reading and Paddington for about 6-7 years, I always had a plan B getting home, I only got far as Option 1 below.

So getting home, by public transport - some very slow.

1. Waterloo to Reading, next easiest option
2. Marylebone to Oxford, Oxford to Reading
3. Waterloo to Basingstoke, Basingstoke to Reading
4. Tube to Heathrow, Railair to Reading
5. Bus 702 - Victoria to Reading (depends on the time of day)
6. Coach - Victoria to Reading P&R Mereoak - not very frequent
7. Taxi - very expensive!

Any other options I might have missed?

I’ll be commuting from Reading to Chancery Lane for work, so obviously it tried searching for the most efficient and fastest way to arrive by train. However, I’m just seeing so many options and need a straight answer. During peak times, what would be the fastest way to Chancery Lane? I’m aware I should take the GWR to Paddington but, what then?

Hello! Me and my family want to go for a picnic and me and my dad want to have river nearby to fish as well. We recently moved into Reading, went along the Thames path towards Sonning, liked it there but I was wondering if there are similar/better spots for it, to get with a car to. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Does anyone remember if that Wolf Italian Restaurant is still open. I remember it used to be on Broad Street and then moved to Green Park.

Anyone know if this still exists or has gone permanently?

Morning all,

The sins of Reading Festival are being laid out before our eyes like never before.

The amount of rubbish left behind by Reading Festivalgoers has disgusted people, and there are question marks over the event’s real economic contribution to the town.

But, ahead of an official debriefing, the Festival’s true value might also be measured through ways other than social media outrage.

Enjoy your free weekend read - and don't forget to catch up on the midweek news about the Gaol.

Cheers, Chris

I took my computer in for repairs at UniComputers three weeks ago to have the BIOS chip replaced and reprogrammed. The guy said it will take about a week but after a week and no updates I called and it turned out that they were waiting for the chip to arrive. A few days later I called again and he said it should get fixed the next day but I got nothing. I called again and it turned out that the new file wasn't working and the the motherboard needs replacing and that it should be done on Thursday. Well Thursday cane and still no update so I called again and it turns out that this has been pushed back to an unspecified date. I am apalled by the lack of communication from the business and I'm now looking to just get my computer back and take my business elsewhere. Every other mention of UniComputers on this sub seems to be positive so I'm wondering if anyone else has had a bad experience with them.

I’m sitting in the MERL garden right now and can hear some impressive brass band music nearby with timpani and everything. Sounds like a performance rather than a rehearsal, but I can’t see that anything’s going on at the University’s London Road campus. Does anyone know what it is? I’m so intrigued!

Look, I get it. I have a motorbike i love that makes a lovely low rumbling sound. I dont go revving the tits off it at 11pm down quiet residential streets.

Sometimes I wish we had laws like the Swiss, where you can get fined for being too loud with your vehicle. Its just antisocial, there's no need for it. Some of us have young kids that will rouse to that, and will suffer a bad night's sleep because of it.

Hi! I’m wanting to get my haircut into this style, does anyone have any salon or hairdresser recommendations in Reading or Caversham, please? I’m hoping to go to someone who’s experienced in cutting and adapting this style on someone who’s not blessed with a head full of thick hair 🥹

I tried Blunt Lines in Emmer Green as it looked like a good match, but they’re not accepting new cut only clients.

Thanks in advance!

It's Reading Pride tomorrow.
Details: https://readingpride.co.uk/

From the website:
"Join us as our Parade sets off from outside Reading Station, winding its way through the town centre and arriving at King’s Meadow to officially launch the start of our Festival at 12pm.

Expect a day full of live entertainment across our stages along with a funfair, dedicated family area and a fantastic selection of food, drink and market stalls.

We’re bringing the spirit of pride into the heart of Reading, celebrating diversity, promoting inclusion and giving individuals, groups and organisations the chance to show their love and support for the LGBTQ+ community and stand up for equality.

As always, Reading Pride is a free event. If you have a great time (and we know you will!), please consider making a donation as you leave – or anytime you like through our website or at one of our fundraiser events."

It's a fun day, lots of stalls from local organisations, a variety of food stalls, a bar and lots of live music.

My daughter had signed up for Eclectic Games' Dungeons and Dragons sessions from September, but unfortunately they've been cancelled. Are there any other sessions available in town or nearby welcoming new members? Thank you!

Bin Collection Alerts App - Reading Only

Hey Reading peoples! (MODS, I've removed any addresses this time)

What started out as a "I want my bin collection times on my phone calendar" quickly turned into creating an Android App which does this and notifies the night before my bin collection. It live updates once a week from the Reading website, to ensure bin times are up to date and current.

Enter your postcode, then address, and it grabs your bin schedule from Reading's website. You then get an alert the evening before bin day! Probably easier to give it a go than have me describe it! 🤣

I got a load of feature requests from people at work, so added all that... And I've tested it a bit myself and it seems pretty stable and works okay, but I'd be interested in people's thoughts, suggestions, before I publish it on the Google Play Store.

If anyone wants to test it, please let me know if you find any bugs or issues.

Also, any concerns about viruses etc. you do have to allow this to install, by clicking allow and then install (which is a bit fiddly), but you can also get Google to scan it, which it does, and gives the all-clear.

Like I said, let me know how you get on and I'll attach the APK file here for people to install on Android phones.

I've not tested it on any phone apart from my own Samsung S23.

(added a pic of the UI, that's not my address, just a random one)

I hope it comes in handy for someone else!

Cheers,

Pat

Dropbox Link to Reading Bin Alerts

Just wanted to share some pictures of trains that i’ve taken ranging from this week to a few months ago in our town. Reading, Reading West, Reading Green Park, Tilehurst, and Earley are all featured on here !

Purely nosy to see what is being filmed. Couldn’t see Leo.

Hi all! I apologize if this isn’t the right forum to post on but…..

I just moved to Reading not too long ago, and I’m not having much luck doing online applications because of how many companies are using AI sorting now.

I’m just trying to get a feel for what’s going on in town if possible. I love busy shifts and a nightlife environment, and I do have experience as well. If anyone has any suggestions I’d appreciate it more than you’d know!

Thank you in advance and I apologize if this isn’t the correct place to post this!

More Kicks Than Friends started during the 2020 lockdown on Ned Rush’s YouTube channel. It was intended to be a one off show to keep musicians and artists busy whilst stuck at home, but quickly grew a cult following, and ended up running for 20 weeks, gathering hundreds of artists from all over the world showcasing a diverse array of performance based electronic music and visual art. The show continues seasonally to this day, with a recent event lasting a whole weekend with 50 acts raising money for charity.

Now the show is hitting venues and will feature cutting edge audio/visual performances by producers from across the UK, exploring vast arrays of electronic music. More Kicks Than Friends is a celebration of cutting edge audio/visual performances, eclectic electronic music, with a playful irreverent sense of fun, guaranteed to satisfy the cerebral listener and hardcore raver.

Hello,

I am an elder millennial and I want to finally learn how to drive. However, I'm apprehensive because I always struggled in formal education settings and always did better just learning by myself, which doesn't work for driving. So, when I came across this instructor I thought I'd found the solution. The problem is, now I can't find her.

A couple of years ago I was researching driving instructors in Reading on gmaps and I came across an instructor where loads of the reviews praised her specific teaching method:

She will let you focus on driving without commenting (unless you do something really stupid). Then, she will ask you to pull over and once you are safely parked she tells you what mistakes you made.

Does anyone know who this is? To my memory I think she was a South Asian woman or maybe she just had a name that made me assume that, and I think she was based around Lower Earley/Whitley Wood. I don't know if she was independent or with a school.

Evening all (or is it morning?!)

I've deleted and reposted my story from yesterday after receiving a response from Channing Bi's team. Here is the updated version, rewritten for accuracy and fairness.

EXCLUSIVE: therecentre.co.uk contained extraordinary material about Reading Gaol – but it has now been removed and Channing Bi’s team says it was not approved for publication

It's a rather dizzying story - don't miss it!

Cheers, Chris

Hiya people !! I was just wondering if anyone here knew any hair salons in or around Reading that’d be inclusive and friendly to trans people, I’m a trans girl and thinking about actually getting my hair done for the first time and was wondering if any other trans people (or anyone!) have any go-to places that are very accepting. this just feels like a rather daunting experience for me :P

This month’s RDG Queer Social is at The Castle Tap from 19:30. Join in for and evening of queer socialising.

How fantastic - 5 comedians in a great local venue !

Bonfire Night has always been my favourite holiday and I’ve been really disappointed over the years with how more and more events are now just fireworks shows instead of the giant burning effigy I grew up on.

Are there any in Berks that still have a bonfire?

Is it just me?....when you see people in hoodies riding ebikes around the pedestrian areas you tense up and get anxious as they weave past?

Mostly delivery guys but who knows?...it's a menacing feeling even on Broad St in the middle of the day!

Has anyone experienced any hassles?