Reading Together: Memorial Civic Service
Reading comes together to remember James Furlong, Joe Ritchie Bennett and David Wails at a Memorial Service which will pay tribute to the innocent victims who lost their lives and all those injured and harmed at the Forbury Gardens on June 20th last year. One year on to the day, a reflective Memorial Service will take place in the Forbury Gardens from 4pm.
Invited to the service will be the family and friends of James, Joe and David, those injured, witnesses, members of the emergency services who responded on the day and representatives of Reading's many diverse communities. It will be led by Cllr David Stevens, Mayor of Reading, and will include tributes to the victims and readings, followed by the laying of floral tributes at the Forbury Bandstand.
The service is also open to the public; however, places are very limited due to ongoing COVID restrictions on large gatherings in public spaces, and the Council is respectfully requesting that anyone who wishes to attend reserves a place books via the "book now" link on this page.
Due to the sensitive nature of this event, tickets are restricted to 1 per person. Each individual will need to book their ticket in their own name and enter their date of birth which will be shared with the event organisers. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
The public are also invited to join the Memorial Service online via the live stream on the Council's Facebook page from 4pm at www.facebook.com/Readingcouncil
The service has been organised to meet covid secure principles and attendees will be outside with plenty of space to socially distance. We are constantly monitoring the situation to make sure the event is as safe as possible, and we advise attendees to wear a mask and take a Lateral Flow COVID test within 48 hours of the start of the service. There are several ways to access free testing, more details can be found at www.reading.gov.uk/communitytesting. Anyone with COVID symptoms or who has been asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace should not attend the Memorial Service. For up to date advice around current rates and restrictions please visit our website at www.reading.gov.uk
