For Reading Nostalgia this week, we are going back to start of 2004 to see what was going in the town and the surrounding areas.
The beginning of the four year of the millennium saw students at Micklands Primary School get the chance to re-enact the past during a history day.
Staff at the school organised a variety of activities for a year one to year six pupils so that they could learn about the Aboriginal, Aztec and Egyptian artwork, along with studying Victorian sepia photographs.
The pupils enjoyed the history day back in January 2004
Some students even dressed up for the day, as pupils were seen replicating the likes of Cleopatra and Roman knights.
Headteacher, Hilary Fawcett said: “We wanted to get art and craft activities involved to help pupils who don’t respond to the written word so easily.”
Reading's Rachel Fox got a birthday card from the Queen in 2004 for being 100-years-old
At around the same time, two organisations from Caversham raised £300 for charity.
The Caversham Rotary Club and Caversham Inner Wheel hosted a joint lunch in aid of the charity, Kids for Kids, which helps impoverished communities in Sudan.
The money was raised for the charity in Sudan
Anne Long, chair of the Inner Wheel’s overseas fundraising committee, said: “Kids for Kids is our district’s chosen charity this year because it’s a small organisation where all the money donated goes to help some of the poorest people in Africa.”
The start of 2004 also saw Mr and Mrs Embery marry at the West Reading Methodist Church on Oxford Road.
Mr and Mrs Embery married in Reading
Moving onto a heart-warming story, this piece of news may tug at your heartstrings.
January/February 2004 saw soldiers from the Royal Berkshire Regiment, along with servicemen and women from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire visit the Kenyan town of Nanyuki.
Several school kids enjoyed a music lesson in Reading
Children who live in the area were greeted with gifts which included numerous soft toys from the soldiers, with some of the youngsters being HIV positive, whilst some of their parents had died due to AIDS-related illnesses.
A cake sale was laucnhed to help children in the Reading area
Pictured is Private Marc Stannard, who is holding the then-newest arrival at an orphanage in the town – a baby who was found abandoned in the country.
This was in conjunction with a cake sale that took place in Reading to help children in poverty within the area.
Marc Stannard with an orphan in Kenya
One of the servicemen reenacting what's like to be on the frontline
That same month saw pensioner Irene Cox celebrate her ‘25th birthday’, on February 29.
The 100-year-old, who was from Emmer Green, celebrated his milestone birthday at St Luke’s Residential Care Home, where she and the staff were ‘excited’ about the activities they had for the day.
Irene Cox was 100-years-old on Feb 29, 2004
Finally, that same mouth saw the Reading Chronicle speak to Reading FC’s latest signing in Dave Kitson.
The striker, who signed from Cambridge at the back end of 2003, would have two spells with the Royals between 2003 and 2008, before returning briefly for a few months in 2009.
Reading forward Dave Kitson
Overall, he scored 62 goals for the Berkshire side in 159 games, which saw him play in the Premier League for the club between 2006 and 2008.
Speaking at the start of 2004, he said: “My aim is to get into the first team, score goals, and get promoted.”
He ultimately achieved this in the summer of 2006.
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