MINI police recruits and a homeless charity were amongst the recipients at an award ceremony celebrating the richness and diversity of Reading on July 30.

Organised by Thames Valley Police (TVP), the event saw 120 guests, police and crime commissioner Anthony Stansfeld and Reading East MP Matt Rodda descend on the police's training centre in Sulhampstead.

The Reading Partnership Awards highlighted nine examples of great partnership work delivered in the Thames Valley area over the past 12 months.

The Mini Police recruits from Katesgrove Lane Primary School were recognised along with multi-faith groups including the Muslim Council and Reading Minster Church.

Reading Chronicle:

Vennon Makasi, an Advance Mental Health Practitioner, receives an award for his work with mental health triage from Matt Rodda and Anthony Stansfeld. 

Another accolade, the 'protection of vulnerable people' award, highlighted the positive impact multi-agency collaboration can have by recognising TVP, Reading Borough Council and Launchpad - organisations that worked together to rehouse a man whose home had been taken over by drug dealers.

Event organiser, acting detective chief onspector James Upton, said: “This has been a visionary event and the first delivered by Thames Valley Police on this scale.

"By using a more joined up approach, we can reduce demand across our partner services to improve community resilience for all parties.

“The ideas captured today will help to model future working practices though the sharing of information to improve efficiency.

"By working with our commercial partners, we plan for the Reading Partnership to continue being self-funded so that it becomes sustainable for the longer term."