The spirit of Reading

Newsdesk • Published 6 Aug 2009 07:00 0 Comments

I'm looking out of our studio window at the curious, curved building opposite. It's all that's left of the massive Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory that dominated this part of town. I'm glad we saved it - a tiny reminder of what defined Reading for a moment in time. But that's the wonder of this place, that we are so good at re-inventing ourselves.

Now it's time to move on again and define Reading's new role. At the end of 2012 the focus will shift again when the new railway complex opens. Let's get ready to grasp this incredible opportunity and put Reading on the map as the place to do business, whichever direction you are coming from, within this country or beyond. What will that mean? To make a success of it we'll need to offer world class service for a start. But we mustn't become one of those places that could be anywhere on earth, with similar looking buildings and the same global brands. We have to resist the temptation to sweep away all before us Shanghai fashion while not hanging on too preciously to the past.

Then once here, we can reveal Reading's rich culture to our visitors. Hence the importance of seeing our heritage, like the Abbey, sitting cheek by jowl with exciting new developments like The Blade. So I've no doubt this will be a renaissance for Reading. Meanwhile, with our eyes on the bigger picture, we also mustn't forget the people of Reading. We don't usually see their problems; mostly they suffer in silence, behind closed doors.

Here are just two examples I came across recently.

The first is a brilliant young man with great ideas for websites that should exist but don't. And yet he is trapped in his own small world by a very debilitating form of Asperger's syndrome that means he struggles to communicate almost to the point of being unable to do so at all.

The second is a schoolboy who is understandably suffering after the death of his father, an organ transplant, and flooding of his home to boot.

If you want to get more involved there are organisations that exist for that purpose - Connect Reading and Reading Rotary Club for example. Be part of the solution, it won't work if half the people are left behind.

Now I must stop staring out the studio window and turn my attention to how I re-invent my own company, Designation - I think I have an idea now. But what are you going to do?

- by Nigel Penn-Simkins, managing director of branding consultancy Designation and chair of Connect Reading

*The MPs are on holiday

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