Police station hosts Commanders’ Commendation Ceremony

READING’S police officers, staff, and members of the public were among those commended at a commendation ceremony.

Last month, Reading police station, Castle Street, hosted the Commanders’ Commendation Ceremony which celebrated the work of those outside of the force as well as its staff.

Commendations are given in recognition of efforts to save the lives of others, apprehending offenders, and helping vulnerable members of the community.

Detective Constable Amy Hopes and police staff member Mark Heybourne were among three were commended for their work across three policing areas on an investigation into a series of burglaries.

Their efforts in liaising with witnesses and victims resulted in a six-year prison sentence for the offender.

PC Nathan Tingley, PC Kathryn Sharpe, PC Tullia Burgess, PC Ross Barrett, and a member of the public, Mr Robert Adshead, were commended for their quick thinking and bravery in their response to someone jumping from a bridge into the river.

Security staff at a shopping centre, Barry Smith, Viada Dumbravaite and Michael Opoku, were commended for their actions after helping a woman in distress.

PC Dave Bradbrook, PC Sam Offord, and another officer were also commended for their calmness under pressure and decision-making after helping a woman in distress in a shopping mall.

Member of the public Michael Petch was recognised for his courage and quick response after he gave live-saving first aid to a man who had collapsed back in September last year.

PCSO Will Manuel was commended for his contribution to the community through his neighbourhood policing role, which sees him working with partners and building relationships with residents and business.

Detective Constable Nicole Jury was commended for showing exceptional levels of victim care through her investigations.

Reading local policing area commander, Supt Steve Raffield, said: “This event is a wonderful celebration to recognise the hard work and achievements of officers, staff and volunteers, as well as thanking those who go above and beyond.

“All the winners tonight should be very proud and it is my pleasure to thank you on behalf of Thames Valley Police and the wider community of Reading.” after learning about KitAid’s work.

Having established himself in the first team, he spent weeks gathering kits to be collected by the charity.

“He came to us, which shows what kind of character he is and I think it’s synonymous with the club,” Mr Williams said.

“There are clubs where we don’t have access to players, so for him to have come to us was great. I even went around to his house to collect the items, he was still living at home with his mum and dad then.

“To me, it tells me that Reading are a real community club. He’s from the area, it’s great that he’s a community ambassador like that.” their disused jerseys – and thus KitAid was born.

Mr Williams said: “We got a lovely reaction. We thought, ‘we can’t stop here now, we’ve got to carry on.’

“Here we are, 25 years later with nearly a million items all across the world.” hospital team who now call themselves Reading FC.

He continues to be impressed by the children’s knowledge of the Premier League and the English game, only half-joking when claiming they knew more stats and players names than him.

Where the charity can’t provide kits, they prepare bundles of collectable MatchAttax football cards, which youngsters enjoy trading amongst themselves.

But the impact of KitAid’s work goes far beyond a football shirt or tradeable card.

Mr Williams explained: “For a lot of projects, they’re using football kits as an opportunity to engage with the community, getting kids back into school, getting them away from gangs, drugs and antisocial behaviour.

“When teams get kits from a certain club, they’ll look it up and want to follow that club.”

He also revealed that defender Holmes went out of his way to donate a number of kits during the 2020 lockdown,

Mr Williams set up the charity in 1998, following a relief visit to Tanzania with WaterAid, where he often found himself swarmed by footballloving children who were drawn to the football shirts he was sporting.

He remembered meeting a boy in a Liverpool shirt which had been so worn out that the Carlsberg sponsor’s logo had faded. This inspired him and his friends to donate a box full of

“Looking at an extreme example, we’ve got a project in Uganda where they use the football kits to engage with farmers and poachers who are killing chimpanzees.

“The only way they could get their message across to them about not killing the chimps was by setting up a football tournament.

“So the charity is really more than just a shirt.” n For more information or to donate, visit: www.kitaid.net

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Hip hop dancers to battle it out

DANCE Reading is bringing back a hip-hop dance battle to Reading town centre.

On The Block Battle is to take place on Saturday, April 29, at St Laurence Church.

It will feature musicians and dancers battling it out for cash prizes and winning titles.

The event will have three categories: Hip Hop, Popping, and Krump, with a £100 cash prize for each winner.

The event will from 2pm to 8pm, and dancers must register at the door.

Tickets for competitors are £8, while spectators can watch for £6.

n For more details, log on to: www.dancereading.com

Bungalow to go?

A BOARDED-UP bungalow in Caversham could be replaced by two homes.

The site in Ardler Road would become space for two semi-detached homes contained in one new twostorey building.

Each would have a kitchen, living and dining room and separate lounge on the ground floor, and two bedrooms upstairs, one of which would be ensuite, the other next to a bathroom.

For more details, log on to Reading Borough Council’s planning portal and search for application 230102.