I've lived in Reading for 13 years, and like many residents, I'm a London commuter. I travel into London, I work, I come home. I travel into London, I work, I come home. Who are my friends? they are my colleagues. Where do they live? They live in London...you can probably fill in the rest...
Of an evening when my friends are going out to pubs, clubs, galleries, and events I'm dashing home to pick up my children from school or to make meals for them or just to hang out with them. The invitation "are you coming out?" is most often met with the response "thanks, I can't, I've really got to get home". And then if folks are meeting up at the weekend the very last thing I want to do is travel back into London, I just want to be at home. Inevitably what happens is a gradual withdrawal from social events, and from parties and so from further invites and then from just being with people. Being with people is a really crucial, basic need for most human beings, and most certainly for me.
I was searching for a way to fix this; I was searching for local friends, for something to be involved with, something to bind me to my home and to the people of my home town.
I found Sunday Assembly Reading. Good people, interesting events, friendly faces, things to get involved in. Ways to be helpful and useful. Simple. Fixed.