Aurahear.co.uk founder awarded honorary degree by University of Reading

The founder of Auracast news website Aurahear.co.uk has been presented with an honorary degree by the University of Reading.

Phil Creighton received the award during the graduation ceremony held in the university’s Great Hall on Thursday, December 11, and was recognised for three decades of his work championing community journalism.

He came to the university in the autumn of 1996, reading Typography and Graphic Communication. At the freshers’ fair, he discovered the University’s student newspaper, Spark. By the end of his first term, he was writing features; by the second, he was its deputy editor; and by the end of the year, he was editor.

At the time, students produced the weekly tabloid newspaper in addition to their studies. They did everything apart from printing.

Since then, he has worked mainly in local media for the greater Reading area, including the Reading Evening Post where he served as features editor. In 2015, he launched Wokingham Today, with Reading Today following in 2021.

He also spent five years working for The Baptist Times, where he served as a TV critic, undertook a complete revamp of the publication, which included full colour printing on every page for the first time.

In 2005, he helped project manage the ambitious creation of Congress Daily, a newspaper produced for delegates attending the Baptist World Congress in Birmingham. This was a multi-lingual tabloid newspaper offering people an insight into what had happened at the Congress the previous day. The work won awards.

Over the years, he has made regular appearances on BBC Radio Berkshire and Premier Radio, written a book and, for The Sunday Post newspaper, several comic strips.

Last year, he stepped down from his role as editor of Wokingham and Reading Today, and now works in PR and runs two blogs: Cheeselogs.co.uk, covering Reading’s arts and leisure scene, and Aurahear.co.uk, focused on Auracast Bluetooth assistive listening technology.

Aurahear.co.uk was launched in May 2025, after Phil discovered Auracast while researching the latest hearing aid technology last year. Excited by the potential of the Bluetooth technology, he set about creating a space for news, reviews, interviews and features relating to it.

The site has been growing rapidly, and 2026 will see a range of improvements planned.

And Phil recently returned to his roots by mentoring University of Reading students who have been relaunching The Spark. Its first issue was released earlier this term.

Following the award of Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters to Phil, Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “A thriving democracy depends on strong local journalism, and Phil Creighton has dedicated his career to providing exactly that for our community. 

“His commitment to championing local voices, holding power to account, and celebrating community achievements demonstrates the enduring importance of independent local news. We are proud to recognise his outstanding contribution to journalism and his community.”