The University of Reading is an integral part of the town and makes a valuable contribution to the local area.  Positive engagement with the local community is important to us and we offer a wide range of events and activities open to all. We also work in close partnership with many community organisations.

University of Reading Street Support Team

The University Street Support Team is a trial scheme, running throughout April and December 2018, as part of the University’s plans to promote positive community relationships between students and non-student neighbours.

The Street Support Team provides advice to students socialising late at night, encouraging them to be responsible, respectful and safe when travelling through residential areas. They also collect and recycle any bottles/glass left on the streets.

The highly trained and highly visible team works between 10pm and 4am several nights a week. They are currently based in three key residential areas around the campus, between:

• Redlands Road and London Road, including St George’s Hall.
• Whiteknights Road and Wokingham Road, including Bridges/Wessex Halls and the number 17 bus stop.
• Northcourt Avenue and Christchurch Green, including St Patrick’s/Sherfield Halls and the number 21/21a bus stop.

The University has created this trial based on views from local residents, neighbourhood police teams, Reading Borough Council and other community partners in the town. We are grateful for all the input and support.

We are reviewing the scheme regularly to make sure the team are working in the best way possible, please do send any feedback or questions you may have to the Community Relations Team at community@reading.ac.uk

100s of Public Events

Each term we offer an exciting variety of public events, including lectures, music concerts, exhibitions and arts events.

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Student volunteering

Every year a large number of students contribute to the local community by volunteering in local schools, organisations and charities.  Our Community Relations team work hard to encourage students to participate and get involved outside the University.  We are also actively involved in local neighbourhood action groups and in many of the community and University events which help to bring us closer together. 

Find out more about student volunteering.

4 Museums

Visit our museums and learn about farming and the English countryside, rare books, Greek mythology, plants and wildlife. You can see over 300,000 plant specimens, meet the largest spider that ever lived, or look into the eyes of Medusa.

Cinema

Each term the volunteer-run Reading Film Theatre shows a thrilling mixture of English and American mainstream and independent films, as well as one foreign language film each week. Sometimes the director pops in for a Q&A. Follow our film and events programme and book online.

SportsPark

Open all year round, SportsPark offers you a great range of activities and sports facilities, including a gym and fitness studio, squash and badminton courts, over 80 dance and aerobic classes per week and a cafe. SportsPark is open to both members and non-members.

Campus

The University is set within 123 hectares of beautiful award-winning parkland, including lakes, meadows and the renowned Harris Garden with flower meadows, a cherry tree orchard and a jungle garden.

Business

The University can provide you with technical equipment and facilities or professional advice from expert staff. Find out more about how we work with business.

Venue and accommodation

The University has a range of spaces available for hire, from flexible and modern conference rooms to magnificent settings for weddings and events. We also offer a range of affordable accommodation.

Research

The research we conduct at Reading impacts society on a global scale. We have developed new epilepsy medicines and are currently working on projects from climate change to world hunger.