March To The Gaol
Join us on 25th March for a march to the goal.
Reading Gaol
Second round of bids opened
Having turned down Reading Borough Council’s March bid for Reading Gaol, the Ministry of Justice has opened a new round of bids. Reading Borough Council’s previous bid of £2.6m remains on the table.
MoJ rejects council bid for Reading Gaol
The Ministry of Justice has seen fit to reject Reading Borough Council’s bid for the Gaol. The Ministry gave the Council just 3 months to put together the bid. They then took two months to decide that they wanted more money. The council have announced that their offer is still on the table.
Reading Borough Council bids for the Gaol (again)
After Artisan Real Estate pulling out from the purchase of reading Gaol, Reading Borough council was awarded a period of exclusivity to prepare a bid. This period has now ended. The council’s policy committee meeting on March 8th gave the council the go ahead to submit the bid.
Kate Winslet joins the campaign
We are excited that Kate Winslet has added her support to the campaign to save the Gaol. Kate appeared on BBC South Today with Save Reading Gaol campaigner Toby Davies of Rabble Theatre.
Banksy gives campaign a boost
On the morning of March 1st Reading residents woke up to find the prison walls adorned with a wonderful new piece of artwork. A prisoner, possibly Oscar Wilde himself, is climbing down the prison wall with a typewriter. A few days later Banksy confirmed that it was his artwork.
(Virtual) March to the Gaol
Following the successful Reading Gaol Hug a “March to the Gaol” was planned for 21st March 2020. This did, of course, turn out to be supremely bad timing and the March had to be cancelled because of the Coronavirus pandemic.