REDA and Reading BID shortlisted for What’s On Reading’s Cultural Champion Awards 2025

13th March 2025

The What’s On Reading Cultural Champions Awards is new for 2025, marking a special milestone – the fifth anniversary of What’s On Reading. This exciting event will shine a spotlight on the local heroes who’ve enriched our arts, culture, and heritage scene over the past year. 

REDA and Reading BID are delighted to have been shortlisted for two awards: Cultural Partnership and Heritage Champion.

Cultural Partnership Champion – Medieval Fantasy Trail Quest (Reading BID, The Oracle and Broad Street Mall)

This award celebrates an event or project where two or more local organisations, individuals or venues have joined up to create something wonderful.

Working on behalf of over 900 town centre businesses, Reading BID delivers year-round events and services, all designed to make Reading a better place to live, work and visit. As a BID, we know only too well the benefits of cross-organisational partnerships and joint working. Our whole approach is underpinned by maintaining and developing strong relationships with businesses within the BID area, as well as key organisations and community groups working across Reading town centre. 

Having delivered seasonal town centre trails for visitors throughout the year, in summer 2024 Reading BID expanded the summer trail event, creating a giant visual spectacle of a medieval fantasy land, showcased through a series of giant brick models displayed throughout the town. Although led by the BID, this project was delivered in financial partnership with two central shopping centres: The Oracle and Broad Street Mall, along with support and involvement from 27 local businesses offering to host the models over the three-week summer event period.

The three organisations joined forces to create an aligned marketing campaign which attracted around 3000 visitors into the town centre during summer. The partnership campaign also resulted in some significant results including over 1,900 video views, 2,200 map downloads, 4,700 webpage views and social campaigns reaching over 900,000 users. This level of reach and awareness would simply not have been possible without successful partnership working, both through the funding of the event and the operational/promotional activity to make it a success.

Heritage Champion – REDA/Visit Reading

This award highlights the dedication to preserving Reading’s cultural and natural heritage, ensuring it is celebrated, understood, and shared with future generations.

Championing Reading’s heritage has been at the forefront of REDA’s work in recent years. Through REDA’s Visit Reading work, Reading’s heritage is much better known and appreciated within and beyond the borough. With projects such as establishing the St James’ Way medieval pilgrimage route and co-ordinating Reading’s Biscuit Town celebrations, REDA has taken on the responsibility for shouting about Reading’s amazing heritage.

Efforts include organising the Reading Walks Festival – 9 days of guided walks established to tell Reading’s stories and showcase Reading’s cultural, natural and built heritage. Almost 1000 tickets for 49 walks were booked and a 99% satisfaction rating demonstrated the interest in Reading’s surprising story. REDA also organised a PR campaign in Spring 2024 leading to features on the BBC, Ramblers magazine and Countryfile Magazine and we expect over 1000 people will have walked the St James’ Way in the last 12 months, bringing economic benefit to Reading Museum, hotels, shops and cafes in Reading.

REDA co-ordinates the annual Heritage Open Days programme for Reading every September, producing the first ever Reading Visitor Guide and hosting heritage-themed familiarisation (fam) visits for Group Travel Organisers. More recently, REDA has been taking the lead on creating Reading’s programme for Jane Austen 250 in 2025, ensuring that Reading’s overlooked place in the Jane Austen story is part of the national celebrations by working with key partners.

While REDA is not the owner of any of Reading’s heritage, we have played a significant part in amplifying our town’s amazing story for the benefit of local people and visitors, raising the profile of Reading as place of historic importance with important stories to tell and ensuring our heritage is celebrated, understood and shared with future generations.

What's on Reading Cultural Champion Celebration

The celebrations take place at Double-Barrelled Brewery on Wednesday 26 March from 6pm. Good luck to all nominated - these individuals, organisations and events have not only made their own mark but have played a key role in shaping Reading into the cultural hub it is today.

So, get ready to raise a glass and celebrate the cultural champions of Reading - tickets are on sale now!