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The Ding is a guide to anything to do with Reading generally: arts, culture, community, business, services, history, sports, recreation, education, politics etc...

It's a Wiki (like Wikipedia): anyone can create and update pages (though you need to register as an editor first). (We have some RULES regarding discrimination, exploitation, advertising etc.)

We don't want to replace any existing sites and groups covering Reading or areas or groups within Reading: where these exist we'll link to them. For example there are:

We also have our own The Ding Facebook group for day-to-day discussions and events.

The Ding already contains many pages. You can search for them (using the Search box at the top right of any page in The Ding) or find them using the Contents (below). You may find topics that need further work done on them and there are pages that have been referenced that have not been written. If you find something missing that you know about you may wish to register as an editor of The Ding.

Recreation: arts, culture, entertainment, sports etc

Reading Arts and Venues Hexagon, South St, Progress Theatre etc

Allotments & Gardening Schemes

Art

  • Jelly
Pictures At Our Exhibition with Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra

Birding (Bird Watching)

Berkshire Ornithological Club

Cafes & Restaurants

Vegan

Tutu's Ethiopian Table at Global Cafe - Tuesday to Friday, until 9pm

The Fishermans Cottage (Facebook) (which now styles itself a "Gastropub")

"All the Indian restaurants, many of the Chinese, there are 2 good Lebanese restaurants (The Bakery House being one), Wagamumas, The Handmade Burger Company (4 vegan burgers), the various sushi bars such as Itsu, The Lounges, Wetherspoons has a vegan menu, Zizzi has a vegan menu, mission burrito, The Flowing Spring, Nandos(!), Greek restaurants are normally good (one in Caversham), Toby Carvery(!), Pret is advancing quickly." On the question of ghee in Indian food: "Most times ghee is vegetable oil because of the cost. The restaurant will boast about butter in a dish if it contains it."

"Alto lounge caversham and Bosco lounge Woodley"

Nomad Bakery

Spice Oven in Caversham used to have an extensive vegan menu but I think the number of dishes has been reduced as it attempts to include more "international" cuisines.

Choirs & Choral Societies

Reading has many choirs ranging from traditional choral societies to operatic societies and rock choirs. Between them, the different choirs cater for all levels of ability from people who have not sung in a choir before to singers of near-professional quality. They include barbershop, gospel and community choirs.

See Choirs & Choral Societies for more information.

Cinema

Climbing

Climbing wall

Dance

The Reading area has classes in a wide variety of dance from the well-established forms of ballroom and ballet to more recently popular forms such as swing, street and salsa. Some of these classes, for example ballet and street, are commonly (though not exclusively) extra-curricular classes for school aged children while dances such as swing and salsa tend to be more youth and adult oriented and often have social events.

See Dance for more information.

Festivals

The Reading area (and a little beyond) has a variety of festivals including festivals of art, culture, dance, food, drink and music.

See Festivals for more information.

Karting

Woodley

Music

Museums

  • Reading Museum at Town Hall
  • Museum of English Rural Life
  • URE museum @ UoR
  • Medical museum @ hospital
  • Blake's Lock?
  • Woodley Air Museum

Parks, Play Areas & Open Spaces

Reading has many open-air recreational spaces ranging from children’s play areas through parks and recreation grounds to nature reserves and areas of woodland. See Parks, Play Areas & Open Spaces for more information.

Pubs & Bars

Reading has more than a hundred pubs and bars (and more besides in the surrounding villages) where people can meet, relax and socialise. The pubs and bars range in style from traditional pubs to modern bars, individual pubs to pubs in national chains, family-friendly pubs to more adult-oriented pubs with a rich variety within those spectrums. Many have food available and a substantial number have occasional live music.

See Pubs & Bars for more information.

Sports

doing/watching

  • running - park runs, half marathon, fun runs
  • football, rugby, tennis, rowing

Swimming

  • Rivermead
  • Central pools
  • cemetery junction?
  • King's Meadow lido?
  • Northumberland Ave leisure centre
  • woodley/Southcote/Calcot/Caversham?

Talks & Meetings

Theatre

  • Hexagon
  • South St
  • Progress
  • Shinfield

Walking

walking clubs / meet-up groups etc?

Resources

Government

Local: Reading Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, South Oxfordshire District Council
Westminster
Europe

Reading

wards find councillor

Housing

  • Co-housing
  • Draught Busters - a range of resources for improving the comfort and energy efficiency of houses, either DIY or help for those who can't do their own.

Transport

  • Trains
  • Buses
  • Coaches
  • Cycling

Parking

Reading Borough Council

Services

Rubbish collections

Reading bin dates, what you can put in recycling bins etc

see also forthcoming changes to bin days

Wokingham collection days

Smallmead Recycling Centre aka the "Tip"

More about the Tip (including permits) at RBC's Rubbish page

Noise & nuisance

Noise & nuisance caused by University students: Report to Sarah Gardner, Community Relations Manager [1] 0118 378 6764. The uni security can be contacted on 0118 378 7799. Video / audio / photographs / addresses help.

Smoky buses and lorries

Report a smoky lorry or bus Report an excessively smoky lorry or bus exhaust to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). (You can’t report other types of smoky vehicles to DVSA.)

Community

Mediation

Resolve Mediation (Facebook)

"Resolve Mediation is a charity based in East Reading that offers mediation services across Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Our team of specialist mediators works with individuals and families to resolve conflict in neighbourhood, family and workplace settings.

We also provide training to those who would like to volunteer or progress towards paid work as sessional workers within the field of mediation."

Children

NCT Nappy Library (Facebook page) information, advice and support on all things cloth nappies!

Childcare & Early Years

Childcare Reading Services Guide

Day Nurseries with full day care in Reading

Rose Garden Early Years Christchurch Gardens RG2 7AH

parent/carere and child groups, and nursery

Education

Schools

List of Schools in Reading Wikipedia

Alder Bridge Steiner-Waldorf School at Aldermaston Wharf, Padworth, just off A4

College & University

Adult Education

  • New Directions

Extra-mural / evening classes

  • Oxford Uni courses at London Rd

Health

Hospital

Doctors

Dentists

Opticians

In a discussion on the facebook Earley Residents Discussion Group several people recommended

  • Kirks in Whitley Street
  • Eyesite on Friar Street
  • Stephen Abery near Brookside Surgery in Gipsy Lane / back of Asda complex
  • Leightons - seem to be recommendations for various branches including Woodley and Wokingham

Vets

Maps

  • council boundaries
    Reading UK location map
  • parliamentary boundaries
  • postcode areas (wikipedia)
    RG postcode area map
  • parking restrictions
  • cycle routes
  • walks
  • historical

media

  • BBC Radio Berkshire
  • 2-ten fm
  • BBC South TV
  • Get Reading
  • Reading Chronicle
  • University - Spark?
  • Alt Reading - online magazine focusing on arts, entertainment and culture in Reading.

Places of Worship & Faith Groups

Reading has many places of worship supporting a variety of faiths and communities.

See Places of Worship & Faith Groups for more information.

other

  • Libraries
  • Bicycle Kitchen
  • Freegle
  • Room hire (RISC, Wycliffe baptist church on the kings road)
  • Catering (Gyorgi & Rina?)

Tradespeople

Tradespeople

Free give/request groups

Buy/sell groups

Non-cash trading

LETS stands for Local Exchange Trading Scheme. It's a scheme that allows local people to exchange goods and services with one another without using money. Reading LETS' currency is called Readies: As a rough guide, 10 Readies is equivalent to one hour's work. Everyone's time is equally appreciated.

Charity / Voluntary sector

Free Cakes For Kids Reading

We are a community organisation that bakes birthday cakes for families who find it difficult to provide a cake for their child.

The cakes are baked by local volunteer bakers who aim to decorate them with the child's favourite theme. It's free, friendly and confidential.

We are part of the national Free Cakes for Kids UK network.

Reading Neighbourhood Network (RNN) is an umbrella organisation of residents and neighbourhood groups active across Reading. RNN is an independent non-profit organisation dependent on grant funding and the work of volunteers. They provide information, support and training through peer support and events. The network has two main aims: to increase the level of community activity at a neighbourhood level and to increase the voice of residents through neighbourhood groups.

Reading Toy Run annual pre-xmas ride by Christian Motorcyclists across South Reading collecting toys for children, in aid of Barnardo's

Reading Refugee Response Hub Facebook group

"Reading drop off for Calaid - Solidarity with the refugee people of Calais"
Receiving donations and getting them to where they are needed, organising events in Reading to raise funds and awareness.

Reading Voluntary Action (RVA) exists to promote and support the individuals and groups who make up our town's diverse voluntary and community sector. RVA works to connect communities in Reading, support the voluntary sector to grow and thrive, improve the lives of young people and families and encourage volunteering and social action.

Environmental

GREN: Greater Reading Environmental Network - umbrella organisation of groups and individuals around Reading who care about sustainability, environment, climate change, conservation and planning issues. (Also on facebook)

Econet (do the annual xmas tree sale at Caversham Court)

Earley Environmental Group - also on facebook

History

Others

Cemetery Junction film

Reading festival

University

Whiteknights Park

WWII hospital

Douglas Bader

Woodley airfield

black history centre mural

Reading & District Natural History Society