Reading landmark shines blue for key workers

One of Reading’s much loved landmarks shone blue last night (Thurs) as a mark of appreciation for key workers across the country.

Thames Water once again teamed up with illuminations experts APS UK to make the tower shine bright, following successful teamwork in turning it red for Remembrance weekend in 2018 and 2019.

Stuart Hamblin, the tower manager, said: “As key workers ourselves, it’s important to us to show our support for everyone working to keep the country running and us all safe and well during this very challenging time. We’ve had really positive feedback on the two previous occasions the tower has been lit so we hope the photos, which will no doubt be shared on social media, will help keep spirits up and show our fellow key workers how much they’re appreciated.

“We couldn’t do it without our friends at APS so a huge thank you to Richard Alexander and the team for providing the lights free of charge.”

Stuart and his team plan to light up the tower each Thursday evening for the next few weeks as communities across Thames Water’s area continue to ‘Clap for Carers’ at 8pm. They’ve made clear, however, that if lots of people make special trips to see it, as has been the case on Remembrance Day for the last two years, they may have to reconsider the plan.

Stuart added: “We hope to make the lighting of the tower a weekly occurrence during lockdown but ask that people don’t visit the site to take photos and instead follow advice to stay at home. We’ve got lots of photos on our own social media feeds which everyone can see and share so there’s really no need for anybody to go out and take their own.”

Tilehurst Water tower was built in 1932. It is 40 meters high and the internal staircase has 169 steps. It supplies water to around 12,000 homes and businesses in Tilehurst and the wider Reading area.