Over the Christmas period, the opening hours of our services will be changing. However, do not worry! You will still be able to access the help and support you need during this time.

Below, we have provided a summary of the Christmas opening hours of our services so you will know how and when to you will be able to access the support you need:

Support Centres:
Out of term time the Support Centre phone lines are open from 10am to 4pm daily, Monday- Friday. The Support centre desks are open from 10am- 12pm and then 1pm to 4pm daily, Monday – Friday.

The Ask a Question on-line platform is open 24/7 with staff only responding during working hours, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm daily during working days but not closure days.

For Christmas the Support Centres are open as above until 20 December. On 21 December the Support Centres will close from mid-day and will return to out of term working patterns again from 2 January.

There will be no student facing support from the Support Centres from mid-day 21 December until 2 January.

Careers and Placements team:
Careers and placements will be closed from 12pm on 21st December to 1st January. You can email the Careers centre or call on 0118 378 8359, (Please note, these will not be monitored during the closure periods)

The Careers service front desk will have reduced opening hours 10am-4pm between 11 and 20 December. 10 am – 12pm on Thursday 21 December and then 10am – 4pm between 2 and 5 January.

Student Services Reception:
The Student Services Reception will be open until 12pm on 21 December and will then be closed until 2 January.

In the New Year the reception will be open from 10am – 1pm, 2pm – 4pm (Monday – Friday) outside of term time and 10am- 1pm, 2pm-5pm (Monday- Friday) during term time and until 4:30pm on Fridays.

You can email at studenthelp@reading.ac.uk or call on 0118 378 5555.

Disability Advisory Service (DAS):
The Disability Advisory Service will close on Friday 22 December and will open again on Tuesday 2 January.

On Thursday 21 December the Disability Advisory Service will be working reduced hours from 9:00am – 12:00pm

Campus Jobs:
Campus Jobs will be closed for a short amount of time on Wednesday 6 December in the afternoon. For Christmas, Campus jobs will be closed on 21 December until 2 January.

Outside of term time, students are encouraged to book an appointment in advance. Appointments can be made on the Campus Jobs portal, by email, or by phone (0118 378 4499).

University of Reading Library:
The Library will be closed from 22 December to 1 January. More info below:

Friday 8 December- Open until midnight
Saturday 9 & Sunday 10 December- Closed
Monday 11 to Thursday14 December- 08:30-19:00
Friday 15 December- 08:30-17:00
Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 December- Closed
Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 December- 08:30-19:00
Thursday 21 December- 08:30-17:00

Christmas:
Friday 22 December to Mon 1 Jan- Closed
Tuesday 2 January to Thursday 4 January- 08.30-19:00
Friday 5 January- 08:30-17:00
Saturday 6 January- 08:30-21:00

The International Student Advisory Team:
The International Student Advisory Team will be open until mid-day on 21 December until 2 January.

To book an appointment before the Christmas closure, please see the appointments page. You can also contact the team via email or phone, 09:00 – 17:00, Monday – Friday.

Immigration and visa enquiries, please email immigration@reading.ac.uk

Telephone: 0118 378 8038

During the closure period students can contact UKCISA.

DTS/ IT Service Desk:
Phonelines will close on 21 December at 1pm (though staff will be available until 6pm for emergencies) and reopening at 8am on 2 January.

The IT Support Counter in the Library follows the same pattern.

You can find more information via the DTS hub.

The Counselling and Wellbeing Team:
The Counselling and Wellbeing services will close at 1pm on 21 December.

You can contact the team by email or by phone on 0118 378 4216

The Student Welfare Team:
The Student Welfare Team’s offices will be closed from 12pm on the 21 December until the 2 January.

Drop-in sessions will end with the term on 8th December.

If you need help urgently during the Christmas break, please see the useful contact numbers below:

• For any urgent Halls matters, please ring the Halls hotline, who are still operating a 24/7 service, on 0800 029 1984
• If you need campus Security Service please call 0118 378 6300 (24hr service)
• NHS 111 – for medical help that is not an emergency (24hr support). For life-threatening emergencies, call 999 for an police, firefighters or ambulance.
• NHS Mental Health Crisis Service on 0300 365 2000 or 0300 365 9999 (out of hours 9pm -9am)
• Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org (for a reply within 24 hours)
• Text “SHOUT” to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, (24 hr service)
• PAPYRUS HOPELINE (supporting young people with thoughts of Suicide) 0800 068 4141 ( 9am to midnight )
• For helpful support resource information check out the Support and Wellbeing section on Essentials.

Accommodation:
18th-22nd December: Regular hours 8.30am-5.30pm
23rd-24th December: Weekend
25th-26th December: Closed
27th, 28th and 29th December: Regular hours 8.30am-5.30pm
30th-31st December: Weekend
1st January: Closed
2nd January onwards: Regular hours 8.30am-5.30pm

Email: accommodationonline@reading.ac.uk

Phone: 01182005011

Study Advice:
Study Advice will be closed for the Christmas period from the 22 December until the 2 January. Normal service will resume from the 3 January.

Other than University closure days, the service will be operating as usual. Students can continue to book 1-2-1s and email Study Advice outside of term time. Emails will be monitored at times when the University is open but not on closure days. The desk, webinars and drop-in’s only run in term time. For more information, head to the Study Advice website.

Reading Students’ Union:
Mojos

Closed 9th Dec – 8th Jan 2024

3sixty Events outside of term

The Amazons – 14th Dec

Reggae Christmas Festival – 16th Dec

Merch Store

Reduced Hours outside of term

11th Dec – 21st Dec – 12pm-4pm (Please note the Merch store will be closed on 15th Dec for Staff Xmas Party)

Closed 22nd – 2nd Jan for winter break

2nd Jan – 5th Jan – 12pm – 4pm (normal hours resume on 8th Jan 2024)

Knights (Café)

11th -21st Dec – 10am-2pm

Closed 22nd – 2nd Jan for winter break

2nd Jan – 5th Jan – 10am – 2pm (normal hours resume on 8th Jan 2024)

Bagelman:

Last day open Fri 15th Dec.

Re-open Mon 8th Jan

The old merch store:

Monday 11th Dec – closed

Tuesday 12th –  Fri 15th Dec Open 10.30am to 4.30pm

Re-open Tue 2nd Open 10.30am to 4.30pm

Week commencing: 8th Jan – back to normal hours

Uni-Cuts 

Last day Fri 15th Dec

Re-open Thurs 11th Jan

​SIS helpdesk:
The SIS helpdesk will be closing 12:00 on the 21/12/23 and re-opening when the University closure is over at 09:00 02/01/2023.

Wardens:
Wardens will be operating a 24/7 on call system from 21 December until 2 January 2024. The team will be in until midday on Thursday 21 December but after that students who need support should call either the Halls Hotline on 08000291984 or Security on 01183787799. Both numbers are 24/7 and operate over the Christmas closure period. Those teams will contact the on-call Warden if necessary.

The Student Financial Support Team:
The Student Financial Support Team will close at Mid-day on 21 December and will reopen with non term time hours on 2 January.

Support over Christmas:

• 24hr Student Support Helpline: We have partnered with Health Assured to offer you a 24/7/365 confidential telephone helpline to support with any personal questions, worries or advice you might need as a student at the University of Reading. You can call 0800 023 2466 to access the 24hr support helpline. You can find out more about the helpline and the different ways you can access the services on Essentials.
• Student Space is open every day throughout the Christmas period and has great resources and helplines.
• Urgent concerns about your mental health? Call the Berkshire NHS Crisis number 0800 129 9999
• If you are feeling suicidal or desperate to talk to someone, you can call the Samaritans for free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 116 123.
• PAPYRUS is the national UK charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide and offers a telephone and text service on 0800 068 4141. The service is staffed by trained mental health professionals 10:00 – 22:00 weekdays and 14:00 – 17:00 at the weekend.
• Your doctor/GP practice. If you are registered with the University Medical practice in Northcourt Avenue, the number is:0118 987 4551. Otherwise, please contact the doctor with whom you are registered.
• Non-urgent NHS medical help/advice: 111.
• Emergency services: 999.
• University Security Team emergency number: 0118 378 6300.
• University Security Team non-emergency number: 0118 378 7799 or email.
• For any urgent Halls matters, please ring the Halls hotline on 0800 029 1984 who are still operating a 24/7 service.

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Other Areas

​University Health Centre

• Sun 24th Dec – Tue 26th Dec: Closed
• Wed 27th Dec-Fri 29th Dec: Open usual hours
• Sat 30th – Mon 1st Jan: Closed
• Tue 2nd Jan: Open as usual

​Whitley Villa Surgery

• Sun 23rd Dec – Tue 1st Jan: Closed
• Tue 2nd Jan: Open as usual

Housekeeping services

Housekeepers will still be cleaning flats over the Winter break period, however there may be a change to which days they clean on due to the bank holidays. Keep an eye on your emails for more information.

The Chaplaincy

Regular chaplaincy events finish at the end of term, although the building will remain open, and occasionally staffed, until it closes for the University closure period.

SportsPark

• 23/12/23 – Normal times
• 24/12/23 – Closed
• 25/12/23 – Closed
• 26/12/23 – Closed
• 27/12/23 – Closed
• 28/12/23 – 13:00-20:00
• 29/12/23 – 13:00-20:00
• 30/12/23 – 13:00-20:00
• 31/12/23 – Closed
• 01/01/24 – Closed
• 02/01/24 – Normal times