Global Reading

You’ll find a warm welcome in Reading, wherever you are from and whatever your background.

Reading is a diverse, multi-cultural town, with a wonderful mix of ethnicities, backgrounds and beliefs. Reading’s population today showcases the rich multi-cultural heritage of modern Britain, celebrated in Reading’s diverse communities, cultural organisations, festivals and events programme and global foodie scene.

Places of worship
There is a broad range of faiths in Reading, represented with its many religious landmarks and places of worship. Reading has the only purpose-built synagogue in Berkshire, while various churches cater for all aspects of the Christian faith, as well as several mosques, a Buddhist centre, a Hindu temple and a Sikh temple.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Reading was recognised as a centre of pilgrimage. Today, Reading is still the departure point for modern pilgrims and walkers retracing the steps of medieval pilgrims along St James’ Way to Southampton and then on to Galicia in north-west Spain to join the Camino Ingles, one of the routes of the world-famous Camino de Santiago. 

Murals and Street Art
Reading’s 36-metre long Black History Mural on London Street was commissioned in 1988 and created by the artist Alan Howard. It can be found on the side of the Reading Central Club building, which became the heart of the black community in Reading. As well as showing global icons in black history such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and Bob Marley, the mural also illustrates local images of Reading’s African Caribbean people involved in founding the Central Club.

‘In your eyes’ is a new mural on the Oxford Road, on the side of Battle Street Car Park. Created by Gemma Anusa, the artwork celebrates the ‘diversity and rich culture of the Oxford Road’, including quotes and dates from the history of the Oxford Road and its communities. The mural is part of an ongoing pilot project called Reimagining the High Street Through Your Stories, commissioned by Reading’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ).

On the side of Reading Gaol, Banksy’s Reading Prison Mural shows a prisoner escaping using a rope of bed sheets tied to a typewriter. Oscar Wilde was Reading Prison’s most famous inmate, imprisoned for around 18 months in the late nineteenth century for homosexuality. ‘Create Escape’ was confirmed as a Banksy creation in 2021.

A City of Sanctuary
Reading is proud to be a City of Sanctuary, offering a welcoming place of safety for refugees and those fleeing violence and persecution. All major public services joined the Reading Council for Racial Equality in its launch of the Reading Declaration to eliminate racism. The initiative was highly commended in the British Diversity Awards.

International connections
Reading’s diverse and welcoming community extends to its international relations. You’ll find that many languages spoken in Reading’s hotels by the town’s international and multilingual staff. Reading is also twinned with a number of cities world-wide, including Düsseldorf, Clonmel in Ireland and Speightstown in Barbados.

The University of Reading welcomes students from over 150 nationalities. On top of its three local campuses, it has two overseas campuses in Malaysia and Henley Business School South Africa, as well as offering students the opportunity to study abroad during their degree.

A HQ hub, Reading is home to international businesses from around the world and consistently ranks at the top of the ‘Good Growth for Cities’ index, which measures quality of life and economic indicators. It is home to well-known, international businesses such as Oracle, Verizon, Microsoft, P&G, Bayer and Virgin Media. A magnet for overseas investment, Reading boasts the highest concentration of foreign-owned business in the country.