The Thatcham community is a little closer to Bristol than Reading, if only by a few miles. Things are kicking off in the Thames Valley with a loose collaboration between the different communities in the area. I actually see that a lot of communities will work with each other on individual projects, sharing skills and resources.
Our community page is at thingsnetwork.org/c/thatcham
Our wiki at is at thatcham.lpwan.uk One of our members is using a Pi-Zero to talk to the Things Network.
Cheers
Andrew