Sponsors

At Boyes Turner, we believe that businesses have huge potential to give back to, and transform, their communities and the people that make them. As a Reading-based law firm, Boyes Turner is proud to sponsor the Business in Action category in the 20th year of the Pride of Reading Awards.

Behind every business is a story of inspiration, contribution and commitment, changing lives and making futures brighter. So much of this essential community and charity goes unseen; let’s celebrate the initiatives shaping our community and recognise the businesses dedicated to driving positive impact and lasting change in Reading.

Since our inception back in 2007, Roc Search has witnessed the amazing work being done by the community over the years and have always striven to do our bit to support their efforts where we can. Sponsoring the 20th anniversary of the Pride of Reading awards with the Charity of the Year category — for us now our 9th year – has been an incredibly rewarding experience for the team.

Over the years, we've had the privilege of partnering with numerous local charities, such as Reading Santa Run, Reading Family Aid, and Launchpad, collaborating on impactful fundraising efforts and championing their causes. This sponsorship allows us to continue this legacy by recognising and celebrating the extraordinary contributions of Reading's charities in a truly remarkable way. We're excited to see the inspiring stories of this year's nominees and celebrate their dedication to making a difference in Reading!

For over 150 years, the town and its community has shown pride in Reading Football Club. And once more we are delighted to show how proud we are of those within that community who unflinchingly go above and beyond for others.

We are honoured to sponsor the Community Champion award and look forward to hearing tales of individuals who have selflessly put others’ needs ahead of their own. This is our chance to say thank you and honour them for their dedication and sacrifices. We are delighted to support the awards. Let’s shine a spotlight on our local heroes and give them the appreciation they deserve.

Previous winners of a Pride of Reading Award and longstanding supporters, Andy and Mandy Young of Kingdom Rooms are proud to be able to recognise the Community Event category in this special celebrational 20th year. Reading-born, based and proud, they have a 40-year record of actively supporting our community through local charities and groups.

We love building innovative and affordable garden buildings for a variety of flexible domestic and commercial uses. Our Made in Britain buildings are built for life and super insulated, whilst we support recycling through local community initiatives and instigating two national manufacturer recycle schemes.

Hilton Reading are delighted to be once again supporting the 20th anniversary of the Pride of Reading Awards with the Community of the Year Award 2024. As a business, we understand the importance of supporting our community and recognising the efforts of those who work unconditionally to make it a better place.

At Hilton, we hire local, buy local and invest local. Our business success is intertwined with the success of our community – from local owners and operators of hotels to supporting local businesses with our product sourcing and the guests we serve. Supporting the Community of the Year Award aligns with our values as a business and helps us to create a stronger, more vibrant community for everyone.

M&G Real Estate is an income-driven, long-term specialist global property investor with 150 years of experience. We manage £37.9 billion of assets (including cash) across the UK, continental Europe, North America and Asia, making us one of the world’s largest real estate investors.

We are delighted to be involved with the Pride of Reading Awards, especially in its 20th anniversary. The local community performs an essential role and it is vital to recognise these Reading champions. Our real estate developments in Reading provide further job opportunities and places to live for residents. We are grateful to the organisers of the Pride of Reading Awards for recognising these great people and organisations that go beyond the call of duty. They all deserve our thanks!

We’re really proud of our team at Reading Buses. All our amazing employees, whether behind the scenes or meeting the public every day, work to keep Reading on the move. We have great employees who give so much to our company.

It is a huge pleasure to be able to be part of the awards once more as they enter their 20th year. We love sponsoring the Employee of the Year award as Reading is bursting with wonderful stories of how employees help companies make a difference every day. Just like our bus drivers, so many heroes go above and beyond to be there for Reading. A big thank you to all of them.

After starting the company in 1989 (with a garden shed for an office and half a dozen cars) to now running over 1,100 vehicles, we are over the moon to be sponsoring the Entrepreneur of the Year award for the first time. It is our 35th year of trading and what better way to celebrate than giving something back to the Reading community by supporting the Pride of Reading's 20th anniversary in 2024.

Starting something from scratch is no mean feat and we are very much looking forward to honouring those who have trodden a similar path, as well as celebrating the special people who help make this town so great. Best of luck to all nominees in all categories!

De Vere Wokefield Estate are proud to sponsor the Family of the Year Award at this year’s Pride of Reading. With over 250 acres, 376 bedrooms and 39 meeting rooms, here at Wokefield Estate we pride ourselves on core family values; support, respect and kindness to consistently deliver an exceptional service to our guests. Through our local community projects and charity fundraising, families are always at the core.

We’d like to wish all the nominees the very best of luck this year and look forward to celebrating everyone’s successes on the 20th anniversary of the Pride of Reading Awards.

Cherubs have been a friend and supporter of The Pride of Reading Awards since its inception in 2004. We have supported the Awards using our unique talents in floral and event design, styling and production each year.

We are delighted to also be sponsoring the Fundraiser of the Year Award for the 20th Anniversary year. Fundraisers show so much dedication, hard work and commitment to their chosen causes.

It is a pleasure for us to help commend and celebrate them for their achievements, dedication and helping to make Reading a special place to live and work.

Cream Design is a longstanding partner of the Pride of Reading Awards, contributing design, planning and sponsorship. Based in Reading town centre, Cream was established in 1997 by co-directors Helen Waring and Barnaby Firth.

We are very proud to sponsor the Hospitality Award for the first time, this year, in honour of Hilary Scott who Cream worked with very closely over the years. We also work with a large number of local organisations and feel it’s essential to support locally-based companies which help make Reading a brilliant place to live and work, and Pride of Reading epitomises a real celebration of everything that’s great about our town. We can’t wait to celebrate our 20th anniversary. What an achievement!

Reading Today was launched in 2021 and our aim is to ensure that everyone in Reading has free access to independent and up-to-date news. Reading Today is published on a Thursday and is available at scores of newsagents across the area, as well as online at rdg.today, featuring news and photos which reflect our local community.

We are delighted to be involved again with the Pride of Reading Awards on this their 20th Anniversary, continuing to support them with publicity and as a sponsor.

This year we are sponsoring the Independent Retailer of the Year category and look forward to hearing about all the wonderful local businesses in Reading’s retail community.

Green Park has been privileged to sponsor a Pride of Reading Award since the start and to celebrate the award’s 20th Anniversary this year. Proud sponsors of the Local Hero category for 2024. This category celebrates the incredible people who, through a special act of kindness and courage, make a difference to the Reading community. Green Park is proud to have been part of this community for over two decades. Set in 195-acre parkland, it is home to 9,000 workers and 60 businesses – both large and small – with community and wellbeing central to our ethos. The Green Park Open Water Swim and the Reading Half Marathon, as well as its biodiversity initiatives such as ‘twitching’ over 50 species of birds, all contribute to Reading’s community.

All the team at Jacobs the Jewellers are delighted to support this year’s Pride of Reading Awards, especially given it’s the event’s 20th anniversary. With its rich and diverse array of amazing residents, businesses, charities and even more organisations, we can’t wait to learn who’s been ‘Putting Reading on the Map’.

It’s our pleasure co-presenting this award with a fellow long-standing family-owned independent town centre business, our good friends at the Purple Turtle.

With over 100 years of combined service to Reading’s communities, thriving independent businesses The Purple Turtle and Jacobs the Jewellers are delighted to once again support the Pride of Reading for their 20th anniversary, with the Putting Reading on the Map award.

Established in 1990, The Purple Turtle is a central Reading bar and live venue. We’re proud of our town and honoured to be supporting this award. Good luck to the nominees; thanks to all for putting Reading on the map.

Qwerty has had the pleasure of sponsoring the School of the Year category at the Pride of Reading Awards since 2012. We are a local company that specialises in design, large format, digital and traditional print, providing a full-service agency facility to the food and drink industry along with supporting local companies with their marketing needs.

We are honoured to be the School of the Year sponsors again in this the 20th anniversary and to share the winning school’s achievements. We are always impressed how supportive the staff are to the parents and children to ensure they get the best possible start in life. Good luck to all the nominees.

The Oracle is thrilled to be back as a sponsor for the Chris Tarrant Award! This award has a rich history of recognising individuals from Reading who showcase remarkable strength, courage and selflessness. We deeply admire the incredible people, organisations and everyday heroes who make such a positive impact on our Reading community.

The Pride of Reading Awards, which are celebrating their 20th anniversary, provide a powerful platform to celebrate these inspiring individuals and teams. It's a true privilege for The Oracle to be part of this remarkable event.

Tomato Energy is proud to be supporting the Pride of Reading Awards on their 20th Anniversary event. We’re dedicated to helping communities become more sustainable, environmentally friendly and self-sufficient so the introduction of the brand new The Green Community Award is exciting to us as sponsors. Looking after our planet, and in turn our communities, is one of the most important roles we all have. Together we can make a real difference and that is our vision at Tomato Energy.

We are looking forward to hearing of all the innovative and inspiring ways in which our community is making a difference when it comes to living and thinking greener. From individuals sharing their ideas or community projects that have saved resources, to implementing green technologies or introducing successful recycling or upcycling schemes, we are here to celebrate it all!

In 2016, the seven McDonald’s restaurants across Reading were franchised to Fortress Operations Ltd and Richard Forte, who was born in Reading. Since then, we have successfully grown to own and operate 31 restaurants, with over 3,650 employees.

We recognise that being a positive role model for young people and providing a little inspiration and encouragement within our own team, can make a big difference, not just for our employees but our customers and local communities too. We are therefore very proud to continue our sponsorship of the Pride of Reading, for the 20th anniversary, with the Inspiration Award. Celebrating the inspirational people of Reading who make our town such a great place to live, work and visit.

AB Walker works at the heart of the community and we are proud to be sponsoring the Pride of Reading Volunteer/s of the Year award again for their 20th anniversary. We help families and the bereaved through a difficult time, showing respect, compassion and professionalism. Being a local, independent family business, we recognise the importance of teamwork as well as the dedication of individuals.

This approach applies equally to the volunteer network and the award allows us to celebrate all those who have freely given their time, skills and passion as a volunteer to benefit others. Each year we are inspired by the stories of those nominated and the impact they have had and look forward to hearing about this year’s 20th Anniversary Pride of Reading Awards nominees.

Deloitte is a leading provider of audit, tax, assurance, legal, financial advisory and risk advisory services with 900 of our 455,000 people globally based in Reading. Our culture and purpose is to make an impact that matters by helping people to develop skills and having a workplace that is both inclusive and diverse. It’s these values that have led us to sponsor the Welcome All Pride of Reading Award for the awards’ 20th Anniversary.

Deloitte was lucky enough to have won a Pride of Reading Award in 2023, having been nominated by our former charity partner, Reading Refugee Support Group. The Pride of Reading Awards and Reading Refugee Support Group then suggested we collaborate again to sponsor an award that celebrates businesses, groups and individuals who make Reading the brilliant, diverse and inclusive place we all know it to be.

The Abbey was delighted to win School of the Year in 2023 for our ARCH programme which provides innovative and aspirational learning opportunities, open to all young people across the Reading area. The Abbey is a place of outstanding outcomes and where every student is celebrated. It’s why we are thrilled to sponsor Young Person of the Year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pride of Reading Awards and the extraordinary achievements of more young people in Reading.

As a global leader in the education of girls for almost 140 years, The Abbey supports students to lead with confidence, learn with purpose and live with joy.