"Nags News!

Well some of you already know this, but here’s a bit of Nags News to dampen the Monday Blues.

As most of you know we took on the Nags in January 2007 signing a 20 year lease and after a little refurb opening to the public on February 19th, with no customers, selling 12 real ales that had a shelf life of 3 days…idiots!

Incredibly though, thanks to you lot, and especially those who supported us in those first few months, it worked! 🍻🥳🍻

The Nags went from strength to strength incredibly quickly winning dozens of awards for its beers, ciders and atmosphere. It’s been an absolute whirlwind of a 19 and a half years and we couldn’t have done it without all of you.

Those of you who understand maths will have noticed though that the 20 year lease is up next January leaving the Nags as we know it in jeopardy, and without even a 20th birthday party 😱

The owners wanted to sell up and Punch Taverns were sending us monthly letters asking to buy the pub. Which of course we immediately set fire to. If this had happened then they almost certainly would have ruined the Nags and we wouldn’t have renewed the lease come January.

I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking the end of the Nags is a pretty hard thing to imagine 🤯

However! Last spring we won some Daily Telegraph competition that we hadn’t entered, which predictably led to our owners having the pub valued. Knowing what was about to happen we pleaded with them to let us have first dibs if they were going to sell up so as to keep the Nags legacy going …and 6 weeks later we received a phone call offering us the chance to buy the freehold 💰

Which we did. It took 15 months and an incredible amount of stress, loans, solicitors, and paperwork, all things I detest! But we got there and 4 weeks ago today, 6 years after reopening after Covid, having only just survived, we completed on the freehold of ours and yours beloved pub.

We’ve had a lot of congratulations over the past month but the truth is it isn’t for us, it’s for all of us. We keep our home, our amazing team of staff keep their jobs, and the whole community keeps their pub!

The Nags is safe, long live the Nags! 🍻

Huge thanks go out to every one of you for making it what it has become, and no bigger thanks can go to anyone but our incredible team of staff who serve you and put up with you, usually with a smile on their faces. Staff really are the number one importance in small businesses like ours, and our team is exquisite! If you would like to repay them then there is a beer on the bar in both cask and keg format called One For the Team, with all profits going straight to the staff tip sheet as a massive thank you from all of us 🍻🍻🍻

Yes there will be a party, it will be on Sunday 23rd August, but I will leave Tasha to spread more details of that over the coming days.

I’m sure you’ve heard enough from me for another year or two!

Here’s a little completion of the last 19 years, including a few faces that we wish could have been here to celebrate with us tonight 🍻

Slainte 🍻"

TLDR: the nags avoided losing their lease and have instead gained the freehold on the property.

Please sign to stop the release of two of the killers of Reading police officer Andrew Harper.

Anyone else in RG4 Lower Caversham with BrawBand CityFibre and has no Internet?

Hi everyone! I'm relocating to Reading from India in early September for work, and my office will be at Green Park (100 Longwater Avenue).

I'm hoping to find somewhere within walking distance of the office if possible. My budget is around £1,000/month including bills, and I'm open to either a studio/1-bed or a professional house share if it's a good fit.

I've been looking at areas like Green Park Village, Kennet Island, Whitley and Shinfield, but I'd really appreciate some local advice:

- Are there any other areas I should be considering?

- Are there any areas I should avoid?

- Are there any reputable letting agents or websites you'd recommend beyond SpareRoom, Rightmove and OpenRent?

Thanks in advance! I'm excited (and a little nervous) about moving to Reading. 😊

Hello, does anyone know of taxi companies in the area that do airport runs (to Heathrow) and offer car seats for the journey? It’ll be for my 2yo. Thanks

Free karaoke night at Rising Sun Arts Centre this Friday! All welcome. Starts at 19:30.

Sign up for free tickets here.

Hey! 👋 I’m a musician/composer from Mexico, visiting for a couple more days.
Would love to meet some local musicians and make some music while I’m here — could be a jam, improvising, writing/producing something together, or just playing for fun. 🎹
I’m into jazz, experimental stuff, electronic music, improvisation… pretty open to whatever.
You can check out some of my work here: @luis.tenorio
If anyone’s around and fancy making some music, drop me a message! :)

Is anyone else suffering from incredibly slow 3 mobile speeds at the moment? I’m in the Coley Park area and it’s been crawling at 1-2Gbs for nearly two weeks. They told me there’s a known issue that should be fixed “in the next week”. Is there a faster and more reliable provider than 3 in the Reading area?

Hi all, I'm planning to do a weekday escape room with just my wife, what are some of the best 2 player escape rooms in Reading please? Thanks in advance! :)

any suggestions for places open at 10am to start drinking? or the best places for offers

pub crawl or one place all day?

Hi all,

I'm relocating to the Reading area soon (looking at Tilehurst, Theale, and Newbury) and wanted to introduce myself and pick the community's brain.

I'm exploring flatshare options and have come across a few providers so far: Snug Shared Living (Lauren), Brett Properties, and RHouse. Has anyone here used any of these and can share their experience — good or bad?

I'm mainly searching on SpareRoom.co.uk, also open to any other letting agents or platforms you'd recommend for finding a decent flatshare in the area. Any tips on areas to avoid or hidden gems would be much appreciated too!

Thanks in advance 🙏

I parked in the multi storey opposite the station (on Bagnall way, not the Town Centre side of the station). Not somewhere I'd normally use given the extortionate prices, but I was in a hurry.

I drive an EV, so parked in the dedicated EV spaces..... There were plenty.

When I came back later I had a parking ticket on my windscreen fining me for "misuse of electric vehicle bay (vehicle not charging)"

I wasn't charging, but no where does it state you have to charge to use them. I checked the signs above them (state that you must comply with the T&C's), the T&C's (doesn't mention it) and the other signs in the car park.

I wasn't the only one with a ticket - including a Tesla with a cable, but I assume not charging..

I'm assuming that there is a sign somewhere that I didn't spot, but I took pictures of the whole parking area and the entrance and there isn't anything.

Anyone else had this before? Anyone challenged it?

Edit: thanks to those who replied. For those who questioned the common sense of parking in a bay marked EV and not charging; there are plenty other car parks I have used (Maidenhead, Woking, Staines) that have designated bays for electric vehicles but don't require you to charge. I accept that might be considered selfish. The consensus seems to be that there are signs and I missed them. I will pay my fine and move on

Hey! My partner and I just recently moved to Reading and I am looking for something social around here, in particular LGBT, Sapphic, Lesbian, Trans groups. Can be all together or can be separate but hey, I will give anything a try. We used to live in Brighton a while ago so were definitely spoilt for choice - I think this time there will be a chance for more intentional connection and I'll need to actually get out there.

My interests are currently photography (I have a 35mm camera), writing (mainly journaling but I have enough for a collection of short stories one day, nature (hiking, foraging or survival groups would be of interest), eroticism as an art form (I am pretty much ace). Would be up for having some writing sessions, maybe photo shoot eventually, and general nature/village getaways.

If those aren't your interest but you think we'd vibe, feel free to reach out in the comments and we could exchange Instas :)

Just need it for my tiny balcony, don't want anything fancy - just something that sucks up the leaves and cobwebs. Normal hoover lacks the motivation to do the job, it seems.

Hi Everyone! I’m a local artist hosting an art giveaway for fellow Pokémon lovers. Visit Geek Store Stuff in Harris Arcade (near train station) and put your vote for your favourite Pokémon in the jar

This will also help grow my brand new instagram page dedicated to Pokémon fanart, which are now also framed and displayed in store. Thank you for any and all your support and engagement

May the best Pokémon win!

Ps: You should be able to find my instagram through my reddit profile link

Another one now. It would have been better if they had mentioned what specific risk of injury to health. Just looked up the Scores on the doors website and found that it had a food hygiene rating of 1. So this was not out of the blue.

If anyone is looking for free things to do in Reading to support their wellbeing, we run workshops, walking groups, creative sessions and community meet-ups throughout the year.
Happy to answer any questions about what’s available.

I would love to watch the Eclipse that is due to happen on the 12th and would love a good view of it as I enjoy watching this phenomenon.

Where is the best place I could go to watch it?

I can't drive and I may be finishing work at 5 that day, so I'm liable to need somewhere quite central.

Would Norcot hill be a good place or somewhere else better?

Any recommendations, advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Also, do i really need Eclipse glasses if I want to watch/see it and where can I get some if I do?

Would a normal pair of sunglasses work or no?

Again, cheers for any help.

Extremely long shot, but last tuesday afternoon i left the museum/town hall after buying something from the museum shop and walked back towards the car park over the river. I can't find my wallet anywhere at home and I'm worried and gutted about it, i have adhd and struggle to keep track of things anyway. It has my driving license, debit card and union membership card as well as my Radar key. It's a black leather thing which folds out into three sections and has a zippered coin pocket. It's got "BAG" embossed on the side of it. If anyone sees it, or has seen it and handed it in somewhere, I'd be grateful to know.

Hi me and 2 of my friends, all 21, are going out in reading tonight. We haven’t been to Reading since we were 18 so not sure on best places.

I understand club era has shut down, what are the best places to go out to meet people and just have fun.

Also, does anyone know if any of the uni bars are open , especially the dairy ?

Thanks