6 | NEWS
Lunchtime organ recital LUNCHTIME organ recital will be given by Graham Barber in Reading town centre next week. Organised by the Berkshire Organists Association, it takes place on the Father Willis Organ in the town hall, from 1pm on Monday, May 9. Mr Barber will perform a selection of pieces including Whitelock’s Hymn Prelude on Darwalls 48th, Frack’s Choral No 3 in A Minor, and Bax’s Coronation March. The 45-minute event costs £6, or £5 if booked in advance. n For more details, or to book, call the Reading Arts box office on 0118 960 6060, or log on to whatsonreading.com
Plant sale planned for Pangbourne GARDENERS in Pangbourne are preparing to go potty with their plants. The village’s Allotment Association is holding a sale of seedlings, herbs, herbaceous plants and gardening sundries, all ready to be placed in a garden. Money raised from the sale will go to fund the association’s activities. The stall will be outside Garlands organic shop on Reading Road from 10am to 12.30pm on Saturday, May 14. n For more details, call: 0118 984 5898.
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READINGTODAY.ONLINE Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Four days of partying to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee n From front page
On Friday, June 4, the Abbey Ruins will be hosting tributes to Queen, The Beatles and George Michael, among others, for a night with the stars under the stars. The fun starts at 4.30pm, and again tickets will need to be booked. Trinity Concert Band will be performing a children’s concert at Forbury Gardens on Sunday, June 5, from 3pm. This brings the annual children’s festival to a close. Water Fest runs from 11am to 5pm on Saturday, June 4, in Forbury Gardens, the Abbey Ruins and along the River Kennet. There will be live entertainment, activities for all ages, charity stalls and a popup street food area from Blue Collar. Reading Borough Council said that in addition to these events, so far 57 street parties have been booked after it waived road closure charges for the jubilee weekend. And that’s not all. Over half-term, Reading Museum will hold three workshops that celebrate both the Platinum Jubilee and the 200th anniversary of Huntley & Palmers. The new portrait of the
CELEBRATE: A street party in Reading for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2021 Picture: Phil Creighton Duchess of Cambridge will also be on display. Reading Libraries will be running Jubilee-themed craft sessions, and there will be special rhymetimes with a royal theme across the summer. Berkshire Record Office will host Happy and Glorious, an exhibition devoted to the Queen’s Berkshire connections. This opens on Thursday, May 26. And there will be a Jubilee Beacon Trail running across Reading from Saturday, May 14, through to Sunday, June 5.
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There will be seven characters to find using augmented reality (AR). Details for this can be found at jubileebeacontrail.com Reading Borough Council’s assistant director of culture, Donna Pentelow, was thrilled with the ways in which people can mark the Queen’s milestone. “As we all come together to celebrate the Queen’s lifetime of service as part of her Platinum Jubilee, I’m delighted by the wide range of wonderful events and activities we are hosting in
Reading,” she said. “Not only do we have an exciting Beacon Lighting Ceremony and beacon trail to look forward to, but we’ve also got Reading’s flagship festival, Water Fest, on the Saturday to mark the Jubilee which is always free and jam-packed with events. “Finally, to honour the occasion, there will be joyous concerts over the long weekend. “If tribute acts are your thing, book your tickets now for the Jubilee Tribute Concert in the Abbey Ruins,
or chill out on Sunday with a picnic in the Forbury Gardens, listening to the Trinity Concert Band’s Jubilee Children’s Concert.” And she was pleased with the plans from residents to come together for their own parties to celebrate the Queen’s historic reign. “We have made it easy for local residents and communities to organise a street party and celebrate Her Majesty’s incredible record of public service by waiving the usual road closure fees,” she said. “I wish all the communities hosting a record-breaking 57 street parties across Reading that weekend a fabulous time.” Full details of events will be available from: www. whatsonreading.com/jubilee n Later this month, Reading Today will be publishing a guide to all the Platinum Jubilee events taking place in the Reading and Wokingham areas. And on June 8, we will publish a special souvenir edition featuring the best pictures and reports from across the four days of celebrations. Demand will be high – place a regular order with your newsagent today. n If you are organising a jubilee event, let us know. Email news@ rdg.today
Pride of Reading host Chris Tarrant admits It’s Not A Proper Job in his new autobiography PRIDE of Reading host Chris Tarrant has lifted the lid on his lifetime on the box in a new warts-and-all book. The candid autobiography, It’s Not A Proper Job, sees the Ding-born legend recount tales from a 50-year career that has seen him present radio shows, blaze a trail for children’s television with Tiswas, and present game shows such as Man O’Man and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Using wit and self-mockery, Mr Tarrant recalls some of his behind-the-scenes capers with fellow celebrities, and also members of the public across the decades. Originally a teacher, his television career started with the Midlands ITV company, then known as ATV, as a newsreader, before joining the Tiswas team, providing anarchic, flan-flinging children’s show for Saturdays. He presented Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? for 16 years. It started as an experiment, but went on to be made in 100 different countries. In his book, Mr Tarrant looks back at some of the most memorable moments in the run, including the cheating from the infamous ‘Coughing Major’. It’s Not a Proper Job is published by Great Northern Books, and costs £17.99. Its ISBN is 9781914227196. n For more details, log on to: www. The cover to Chris Tarrant’s new book, It’s Not A Proper Job gnbooks.co.uk
