Last week, we looked back at what was going on in September 2002 which saw people enjoy the Caversham Festival, as well the Tokers Green and Chazey Heath Fun Day.
And to keep up with the feel-good factor, for this week’s edition, we will be staying in 2002 to see what else was going on in the area.
As this month will see several students start their respective courses at Reading University, let’s have a look back at who enjoyed getting their A Levels in the city that year, before heading off to their next step.
Two of the outstanding students from the area were Louise Stubbs and Angela Gregory of Little Heath School, who were seen congratulating one another on August 15, 2002.
At the time, it was revealed that Kendrick Girls’ Grammar School enjoyed their best-ever results day for their A Level students, as 58 per cent of the 18-year-olds got A grades, whilst 99 per cent of them passed their exams from A* to C grades.
READ MORE: Reading Bygones - Looking back at the first-ever Caversham Festival in September 2002
This was matched by the boys in the town, as 48 per cent of the A Level students at the Reading School achieved A grades, which ranked at the time as the 47th in the country.
One of the standout pupils in the region was Emma Hudson of Leighton Park School, as she was named in AQA’s top five candidates out of the 5,376 students who sat maths that year across the UK.
Emma also scooped As in her German and music exams that summer.
Her headteacher, John Dunston, said: “Not only is the overall pass rate over 96 per cent for the fourth consecutive year, but pupils continue to average more than three A Level passes each.
Another school that celebrated great results that year was Wargrave Piggot, as their headteacher, Dr Keith Atton said: “Our percentage pass rate is higher than the national average and an improvement on last year’s results.
2002 was a great year for A Level results, but it wasn’t the only thing people were celebrating, especially in August.
That month, many people were seen tying the knot.
One of the couples who became one were Karl Lee and Louise Saxon.
The two wedded at the Our Lady and St Anne Church in Reading, and it took place around the same time when Enrico Murgla and Shirley Harding.
The latter married at Yeomanry House in the town.
Another wedding that summer was Gary Tallis’ and Nicole Beasley's.
READ MORE: Reading Chronicle Nostalgia: Back on stage with Reading Rep
The two tied the knot at St Mary’s Church, Shinfield in Reading and the couple, to celebrate their big day, went to Mauritius for their honeymoon.
Finally, another couple that were seen celebrating in August 2002 was Bert and Phyllis Hinton.
Both were born in Hill Street in Reading and met in 1950 at the Majestic Ballroom in Caversham Road.
Two years later in 1952, the two got married and had five children along with eight grandchildren.
That summer [August 2002], celebrated the 50th anniversary of their wedding and speaking at the time of their milestone, Mrs Hinton said: “The celebrations have been lovely and have gone very well.
“I think the secret of a long marriage is to give and take.”
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