More on Tharel Thompson

https://www.gofundme.com/f/tharel-thompson-stabbing-in-reading

The community rallies around young visitor after devastating attack in Reading last year.

The Reading community has come together with remarkable compassion to support a young man who was brutally attacked while visiting family in the town.

Tharel Thompson, who had travelled from Barbados for what was meant to be a joyful family reunion, was stabbed in the head during a shocking incident on the dancefloor at Walkabout in February 2024. The attack left him with life‑threatening injuries and a long road to recovery.

Because the Thompson family are not British nationals, they have faced the full cost of Tharel’s extensive medical treatment, including multiple surgeries. As the bills mounted—now reaching around £160,000—the local community stepped forward in an extraordinary show of solidarity. A fundraising page set up to support Tharel has already raised more than £50,000, thanks to the generosity of people across Reading and beyond.

A close family friend, who has been working closely with the family, shared last summer that Tharel had “come very far” in his recovery, though the journey remains challenging. His mother, Yvonne Thompson, recently posted an emotional update on the GoFundMe page, expressing both gratitude and the difficulty of asking for continued help.

“As a mother of an only child, I am finding this request for support very challenging and painful,” she wrote. “I wish and pray that no other parent should ever have to endure such.”

To further support the family and celebrate Tharel’s progress, Reading Minster Church will host a special thanksgiving service on Sunday, February 8th. The event, themed “Gather and Give Thanks,” invites the community to come together in hope, gratitude, and encouragement for Tharel’s ongoing recovery.

Following the service, everyone is welcome to join Tharel and his loved ones for refreshments and conversation at Dolphin’s Caribbean Restaurant on St Mary’s Butts—a chance to connect, uplift, and stand with the family.

Donations to assist with Tharel’s medical and daily living needs can be made at the church during the service or through his GoFundMe page. The family’s fundraising efforts continue, but so does the community’s unwavering support.