Major fire closes Friar Street, while Waterfest returns
AThe blaze started in the second floor offices above the CMart Oriental Foods store, before spreading.
No one was in the empty offices at the time and everyone managed to evacuate safely.
It affected the entrance to Smelly Alley, as well as McDonald’s, CEX and a tattoo parlour.
Rob Read, group manager for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, thanked people for their patience.
“Firefighters worked overnight to extinguish the fire. Crews remained on scene for over 20 hours before scaling back resources.”
Christchurch Meadows paddling pool reopened for its 99th season – its anniversary will be June 7.
This year, it was operated by GLL Leisure, who also run Reading’s leisure centre, and was open seven days a week.
Welcoming the summer was Cllr Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading’s lead councillor for leisure and culture, who said:
“It was fantastic to see so many families enjoying the pool”.
Reading’s new borough mayor was revealed to be Cllr Tony Page, marking his 50th year as a councillor. It will also be his last, as he is taking some well-earned retirement come the May local elections.
Roadworks are the bane of many a Reading motorist, and for three months London Road was a hot spot as Network
Rail repainted and restored the railway bridge that divides Reading with Wokingham borough.
But a second set of works added to the pain: work to restore traffic lights at the junction of London Road with Cholmeley Road was completed, but the phasing set in a way to cause additional delays.
Ward councillor and Green party leader Rob White said he had received many messages from residents fed up with it all.
“This is causing tailbacks and pollution on London Road,” he said.
Reading Borough Council’s spokesperson promised things would settle down once calibration had been completed.
A pair of pupils enjoyed some time out of school to unveil their design for a revamped Millennium marker in Caversham. Emma, a year 4 pupil from Alfred Sutton School and Estelle, a Year 5 pupil from Wilson Primary School devised a colourful makeover for the waymarker in Balmore Park in Caversham.
As RABBLE theatre prepared to perform Henry I in Reading’s Abbey ruins, backing was given by former Starmaker pupil Kate Winslet.
She said: “It’s phenomenal that RABBLE have gained the permission to stage their ambitious production directly above his burial site.
“As a proud Reading girl, I’m thrilled that theatre of such a high quality is coming to my community-rich home town.”
If she was in the audience, she might have enjoyed a beer, Chaos of Succession, brewed for the production by Finchampstead-based Elusive Brewing.
Another food festival came to Reading – this time a chilli festival spicing things up.
The return of Toys R Us was revealed. The store was to take over part of the Reading WHSmith in Broad Street.
Former Sonning resident
Uri Gellar put his house on the market. A snip at just £7.5m.
WaterFest was revealed as returning, giving people a chance to enjoy life on the open wave.
Crowds flocked to the
Kennet and Avon for a whole day of watery fun, in some of the hottest temperatures of the year.
The Gaia model earth was installed in Reading town centre, while the Flying Scotsman called in at Reading station.
Tributes were paid to Reading councillor Colette Dennis after she died in hospital.
The wife of depty mayor Cllr Glen Dennis, she was elected to Norcot ward in May last year.
Cllr Jason Brock, leader of Reading Borough Council, said she was a friend as a well as a colleague.