RESIDENTS' continued use of Forbury Gardens provides a “fitting tribute” to the three men who lost their lives in last year’s terror attack as a demonstration that the horrific incident has “not broken our community”.

That is the message from Jason Brock, leader of Reading Borough Council, who played a central part in the town’s immediate and subsequent response to the attack.

Speaking exclusively to the Chronicle, councillor Brock said he ‘couldn’t recall’ where he was when he first heard of the news of the incident on June 20 last year, but that “it was clear immediately that something serious had happened.”

READ MORE: What happened on tragic night at Forbury Gardens

Once further details had emerged of what had happened at Forbury Gardens, Cllr Brock and the Reading Borough Chief Executive set up at the council’s offices on Bridge Street.

Here, they would bring their media team up to speed on the attack, organise the response from the council’s emergency planning team and work with emergency services to give them as much access to town centre spaces as possible.

Reading Chronicle:

Media requests for Cllr Brock arrived from across the world both on the night of the attack and moving into the next day. 

It was by this point that the leader realised it was “really clear” that this attack was “going to be an enduring issue for our town.”

He added: “There was a concern that there may be elements outside of Reading that saw the attacks as an opportunity to try to sow divisions within our community. 

READ MORE: Terror attack victims families stand arm in arm at vigil

“And so it was important, very quickly, to work with leaders across the community, across religious groups, across the town to bring together some demonstration of cohesion and solidarity, and we had a flower laying at the Abbey Gateway fairly shortly after the attack.

“It was a very peculiar way of doing things because of course the whole area was still under a police cordon as it was for several days afterwards.

Reading Chronicle: Community leaders at the flower-laying vigilCommunity leaders at the flower-laying vigil

“I remember laying flowers and being there with the MPs for the town with community leaders, and it being the very first time I'd ever known in Reading, where we couldn't access the Forbury Gardens, which made it particularly evocative.”

READ MORE: Community comes together in wake of Forbury Gardens terror attack

The flower-laying vigil, held on Monday, June 22, preceded a larger vigil held at Market Place on Saturday, June 27, one week after the attack. 

Home Secretary Priti Patel, friends and family of victims Joe Ritchie-Bennett, David Wails and James Furlong and various community leaders attended this ceremony, which was led by councillor Brock.

Recalling this vigil, Cllr Brock added: “The vigil itself is possibly the most anxious I've ever been in my life. I wanted it to go well, I wanted it to be as inclusive as it could possibly be, especially given the COVID restrictions that were still enforced at that time. 

“An awful lot of work went into the planning of that. 

Reading Chronicle:

“We wanted to make sure that it could be broadcast online so that people could join from home and we wanted to make sure that if people did come down, and I always understood why people would want to be there physically, that they were able to participate from Broad Street -- we got a television screen set up there.

“I think it was a very poignant, very touching moment, actually. I can remember the vigil more vividly than I can remember many of the other things that happened in the week preceding.

READ MORE: How the iconic Forbury lion became a symbol of hope 

“It felt [like] a really important moment to allow the town to come together in a shared sense of civic spirit and and show that it was an undivided town and to collectively pay tribute to those who lost their lives, to those who have been injured and to those who witnessed such appalling scenes.”

Speaking of the three men who tragically lost their lives that day last June, Cllr Brock said he still hears stories of Joe, David and James from residents a year on from the attack. 

Paying tribute to the victims, he added: “All three were just ordinary members of the Reading community; extraordinary people, of course, to those who knew them, but they're all ordinary members of the Reading community who were just people out enjoying a night in the Forbury Gardens, which we all know and where we've all spent evenings.

READ MORE: Floral tributes left at scene of terror attack

“Even now, it sort of hits me, you know, how would, how would I have reacted if I had been there that evening? I think it's something that's so easy for all of us to put ourselves into that mindset which just makes it feel more emotionally proximate.”