Nigel Walker has been a resident of Centre Park for approximately 28 years. During her residency, she has been involved in preserving and saving the historic district in all its glory. To Walker, keeping Centre Park historical and beautiful is her main goal!
“I’ve been involved in different capacities. I’ve been president of the board, a member, local volunteer. But I also volunteer for other organizations across the area” said Walker.
This year, it’s the 40th anniversary of Centre Park. The board and volunteers, including Walker, have planned this celebration since 2020, and it’s now starting to kick up. They’ve put up banners and planned different events and fundraisers. Also, new light poles were placed in the park, but there’s more to come. It’s slowly coming together. All of these little changes and additions are helping to make Centre Park and the city of Reading beautiful.
“The goals for the neighborhood, you know, we have a mission of preservation, and that’s first and foremost” said Walker.
Centre Park, in Walker’s words, is a very diverse community. She believes it’s important to be an active part of the community because it can bring a sense of purpose. With other members of the community involved, this part of the city can move forward and thrive. This part of the city is different than most. It’s unique in its own way, and its residents create that atmosphere.
“We’ve seen our neighborhood go in different directions, positive or negative, over the years. We try to reach out to the community to get new people and we do, just not as much as we’d like” said Walker.
Fortunately, they work with all the help and support that they can get! Every year, they stick to their traditions. Walker explained that there are different events that happen throughout the year. These events/activities include the Christmas House tour and the flea market. These events bring in all kinds of people that come from different backgrounds.
“The Christmas House tour brings something different than the flea market. Different people, different financial backgrounds, etc” said Walker.
Walker is familiar with creating neighborhood groups and finds that it’s important that they exist. By creating a neighborhood group, changes will slowly start to happen and things will work themselves out. These groups bring communities together and bring more people in to help out at different events in the neighborhood.
“Start with a good core group of people that have the same core values. Start with something small, and have a neighborhood cookout. Maybe a neighborhood cleanup. Start small, build your organization, and stay focused on the positive! It’s what needs to happen to be able to start somewhere” said Walker.
