Pride of Reading Awards 2015 - and on to 2016

So the Pride of Reading Awards are over for another year.

Well so everybody thinks - in fact co-organiser Sally Swift and I are on to 2016 already and have been working away for the last 10 days since the awards.

But let's just stop awhile and reflect on what happened in 2015.

Our theme was the growth of Reading, magically conveyed through a wonderful skyline created by Sammy Brennan of Barton Willmore and brought to life by ITM.

We also had a meal designed and cooked by Reading College with biscuits along with dessert in specially designed 'Inspired by Huntley & Palmers' tins, brought to life by Cream Design.

We had the Sota choir who sang to arrivals with a specially created song written by leader Juliette, we had Starlet Dance School girls as Pride of Reading ushers alongside staff from the football club.

We had Berzerk Productions sing to one of our winners and before Paul Rouse's stirring finale as Elvis and the Wonder of You, we had Danyl Johnson and his Uptowners performing in front of a #rdguk neon set devised by ITM after I asked a few weeks before the event 'can we get a neon sign on set?' (I do that sort of thing a lot!). The eight age 11-18 performers had been found at special auditions.

This is not a list of everyone involved - that was in our programme and supplement you may see around town this week. It's just a few highlights - although I must say as well as Danyl winning his Community Champion award (and that was hard keeping secret!) my other favourite moment was presenter Ben Moore telling our Child of Courage Dylan Westell we had Peppa Pig production tickets for the family and grunting like a pig while doing so!

Small things...

Anyway everyone did us proud and while it is exhausting and virtually a year-round job organising the awards it's all so worth it when our wonderful host Chris Tarrant presents the awards to some amazing people.

So in numbers:

17 fabulous winners

310 3-course meals served (which included 310 baby toffee apples made)

70 performers in the building

310 £10 Oracle gift cards and free parking vouchers distributed

31 special gifts given

40 college staff in kitchens and front of house

100+ bottles of wine consumed

30+ bottles of champagne drunk

17 individual bouquets of flowers made

31 table decorations made and lit up

10+ rehearsals for performers