A grand time was had by all at the grand reopening of Walford Hall. Following a refurbishment during lockdown, the building is now home to three charities: RAB (Reading Association for the Blind), Reading’s Talking Newspaper (RTN), and Age UK Reading.
The main hall has been redecorated and given a new floor and a storage room to keep chairs and tables out of the way when not in use. A reception area and ‘breakout’ room for small groups and one-to-ones have been created. RTN have a purpose-built recording studio and RAB has a resource room where service users can browse and borrow items. A store room and small office have been knocked through to provide a bright and welcoming office-cum-meeting room for RAB. Age UK Reading now occupy the first floor offices and are developing plans to deliver services out of the main hall.
RAB were delighted to welcome The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Reading, Cllr David Stevens, to launch the new-look building and celebrate the return to in-person services. Representatives of The John Sykes Foundation, Reading Lions, Reading Borough Council, Age UK Reading, and Berkshire Vision also supported the event
Local artist SiIlhouette Sarah volunteered her time to create silhouette portraits of attendees, including guide dog Hilary!
For information on how to hire Walford Hall click here