Ep.43 Inside Reading Pride: Growth, Community, & the Keys to Success
With Tom Price
Episode Description:
In this episode, Tom Price, Chief Engagement Officer at Reading Pride, shares the story behind one of Reading’s most vibrant community events.
Tom discusses how Reading Pride has grown into a 15,000-person celebration of inclusivity and joy, powered by a small team and strong partnerships.
The episode also highlights the charity’s year-round work, including new community outreach initiatives and collaborations with other organisations. As well as Reading Pride’s fundraising, promotion, and future goals.
Tom also reflects on the lessons that he’s learned over the years, the power of relationships, and why putting people first is key to long-term impact.
Reading Pride website: https://readingpride.co.uk/
Reading Pride Social Channels:
Get Involved with Reading Pride!
Saturday 30th August 2025
Check out the Reading Pride | Get Involved page
Contact: [email protected]
Listen to the episode
Episode Time Codes
00:00 Greeting
00:39 Intro to Tom Price and Reading Pride
01:23 The difference between Pride of Reading Awards and Reading Pride
02:14 How Reading Pride is organised
03:51 How has Reading Pride developed over the years
05:15 Get one thing set up before moving onto something else
06:15 How Reading Pride is funded
07:08 Reading Pride Merchandise
08:08 How Reading Pride is promoted
09:36 What Tom has learned over the years
10:28 How Tom manages his relationships
12:06 Plans for Reading Pride going forwards
13:39 Reading Pride fences
15:12 How can people and businesses get involved with Reading Pride
15:54 Final thoughts
Videos
One Focus at a Time
Managing Relationships
Promoting Reading Pride
Tom's Key Lessons Learned
Key takeaways
The Power of Relationships and Collaboration: The episode emphasises the importance of building strong relationships with both the community and suppliers. Tom highlights how these relationships have been crucial to Reading Pride’s success. He also notes the value of collaborating with other community groups, which fosters mutual support and expands reach.
Community Engagement as a Core Strategy: Reading Pride’s focus on actively engaging with and supporting the LGBTQ+ community throughout the year is a key element of its success. The development of a dedicated community engagement team and initiatives like the community directory demonstrate the value of understanding and meeting the community’s needs. Businesses can learn from this by prioritising community involvement, which can build loyalty, enhance reputation, and create long-term value.
Balancing Growth and Sustainability: The decision to “plateau a little bit” with the festival and focus on community engagement reveals a strategic approach to growth. Reading Pride recognises the importance of sustaining its core activities while also investing in new areas of development. This provides a valuable lesson for businesses: growth should be balanced with sustainability, ensuring that core operations remain strong while exploring new opportunities for expansion and impact.
Episode references
Keep an eye out for the Reading Pride Bus:
Support Reading Pride by raising funds.
Reading pride Fundraising Events
Raising money to keep Reading Pride free for all:
Wilma Bingadoo
LOCATION: Blagrave Arms
DATE: First Sunday of the Month
TIME: 4pm