THOUSANDS of visitors were welcomed onto the University of Reading’s Whiteknights campus for its inaugural Community Festival on Saturday.
With a wide range of activities, performances and presentations available for guests to enjoy, the day proved to be a true family affair which showcased the diversity in both the university and the Reading itself.
The main stage saw the likes of Sungura Magic, Vocal Networking and South Asian performing arts group Kalakunj get people on their feet and moving around, while the sports taster sessions also achieved the same goal.
The event served as the ideal opportunity for the university and town to come together and learn more about one another, while having a great time.
Molli Cleaver, the university’s community relations manager, said: “Given it was the first time we were holding the festival, we weren’t sure what to expect but there was just such a buzz here.
“It’s so amazing to see children, families and so many people across the community coming together, having fun and celebrating.
“The variety of activities is a great reflection of not only our university, but also our community. There’s so much diversity and variety, and I’m really glad we could present that by working with the community, as well as putting on a festival for the community.”
Multilingual storytimes in languages such as Arabic, Mandarin, Greek and Spanish allowed youngsters to hone their linguistic skills, while charities and initiatives such as the Oxford Road Lifespring stories shared their work with visitors.
The Students’ Union building housed presentation boards where leading academics engaged with visitors young and old, showcasing their very latest research. From bees to virtual reality, there was something to get everyone thinking about.
The Department of Crop Science’s ‘Raising the Pulse’ project has recently received national acclaim for its work in implementing the protein-rich faba bean in loaves of bread.
Prof Donal O’Sullivan, one of the project’s co-investigators, said: “It’s been very energising and exciting to meet people of all ages, from the youngest kids who are maybe seeing a bean for the first time to people who know and love broad beans and eat them on a regular basis, and everyone in between.
“I’m going to go away and remember the feedback that we got from the community today and hopefully the community will go away and remember some of the interesting research that’s going on at the University of Reading.
“I met a young lad who’s in Year 8 and I told him, “you’ve got a job here at the uni when you finish school because you’re so clued up”. That’s really nice to experience.”
