Last month, the University of Reading’s Community Festival returned for its second year and we had a blast meeting lots of our lovely graduates at our exclusive alumni activities.
Held on Saturday 18 May 2024, this year’s Community Festival saw a packed programme of hands-on activities for children and grown-ups to get involved with throughout the day. These ranged from performances from an alumni Morris dance group, to family yoga, to a bubble football demonstration, to research talks and activities. But most excitingly, and brand new for this year, were our exclusive activities for alumni, which included a lunchtime Drinks Reception and Whiteknights Campus Tours.
Agnes Gibson, Head of Campaign and Supporter Engagement, said: “It was an absolute joy to see so many of our alumni community enjoying being back on campus. Everyone I spoke to had such positive memories of their time at Reading. I want to say thank you to everyone who attended for making the day such a success.”
Our Alumni Drinks Reception welcomed over 40 of our graduates, both new and old, to Park House to mingle over lunch and drinks. The atmosphere was buzzing as alumni reconnected and met new friends, whilst browsing our displays of alumni stories and quizzes. The Students Union Merch Store were present, enabling alumni to indulge their nostalgia for a bargain price. Guests were able to take a look inside a Resilience Rucksack with our Fundraising Team to see how donor generosity is impacting more than 1000 pupils in Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The whole event was set against the backdrop of our wonderful live music provided by a student pianist.
Watch our video for a glimpse of the day:
Alumna Janet Johnson said: “It was a pleasure to meet the Alumni Team and to be back at the Whiteknights Campus.
“As a result of the many good experiences I enjoyed at the Community Festival, I have decided to renew my regular donation to the University to support current students. Thank you again for a memorable day.”
Our alumni also enjoyed campus tours around the Whiteknights Campus, led by student ambassadors. Alumni were able to see how the landscape had changed, spot their old academic buildings and halls, as well as admire the new buildings that have cropped up since they graduated.
Alumnus Tim Treacher said:
“When I came to the University in 1958 I lived in the Whiteknights Hall, which is now Park House. The Letters building – now the Edith Morley building – was the only new building on Whiteknights Campus, along with a few sports pitches, 46 male students and the cows.
“We rode bikes down to London Road Campus for all our lectures and for the library. It’s lovely to come back and to see how it has all changed since the 1960s.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this memorable day. We can’t wait to do it all again in 2025!
Don’t forget to Update Your Details with the Alumni Team so you can be the first to know about our upcoming events.
