14
COMMUNITY
march 2024
MyWokingham
Meet the author at Wokingham Library
T
here are quite a few author events for adults in March at Wokingham Library Meet the authorEssie Fox- Wednesday 13th March 2pm to 3pm at Wokingham Library Come and meet Essie Fox, who is a bestselling author of historical novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. The Last Days of Leda Grey, set in the early years of silent film, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Essie will be talking about the real historical influences on her latest gothic novel, The Fascination, themed around three young friends who find themselves swept up into the dangers and dramas of the Victorian rural fairgrounds, the glamour of the London theatres, and an anatomy museum that really did exist in a shop in Oxford Street. The event includes a book signing. This is a free event but places must be booked at wokingham.gov.uk/libraries Where Did you Get that Hat? A Costume presentation with Meridith Towne - Friday 22nd March 2pm to 3.30pm at Wokingham Library. £10 charge Got a bee in your bonnet? Keeping too much under your hat? Well, hats off and throw them in the ring, it’s time to put your thinking caps on! A whirlwind trip through the enchanting history of the hat, discovering how such a frippery led to unique changes in the lives and dress of 19th and 20th century women, from laws to protect men’s safety, self-defence classes for women, the declining morals of ladies
On your bike for roadworthy checks
D and international protests! Please wear your own hats on the day if you would like to! Places must be booked in advance, please arrange to pay the £10 charge to a Wokingham Library within a week of booking at wokingham.gov.uk/libraries Too Young to Get Old - a talk with Christine Webber - Thursday 28th March 2pm to 3pm at Wokingham Library Christine Webber, a writer, broadcaster and positive ageing expert, talks about how to live as well as possible for as long as possible in her talk enti-
tled ‘Too Young to Get Old’. She also discusses why she feels it’s important for her to write novels where all the main characters are over 50, but busy and productive. And she explains how she finds herself using her characters to explore the transitions, difficulties and joys of getting older and how she cannot resist putting in appropriate health messages! This a free event but please book your place in advance at wokingham.gov.uk/libraries For queries about any of these events please email libraryevents@ wokingham.gov.uk or call Wokingham Library on (0118) 9781368
Inspiring duo use ‘superpower’ to form racing team
W
okingham’s Bobby Trundley is looking to compete in a national motorsport competition later this year with a new racing partner. He and Sandro Ballesteros, from Rochdale, are hoping to win the 2024 Club Enduro Championship. Bobby, 24, and Sandro, 16, were diagnosed with severe autism from childhood and say motorsport has helped them cope with the condition. Bobby (left) drives for Team BRIT, which is the world’s only competitive team of all-disabled racing drivers and will drive an Audi TT. He has been passionate about the sport since he was eight and sees his autism as his ‘superpower’. He said: “I have known and followed Sandro for a number of years, and it has always been a shared dream of ours to raise autism awareness through our racing. To be able to team
www.mywokingham.co.uk
up with Sandro and share what I have learned and be able to mentor him as we progress together is a fantastic opportunity.
“If we can inspire other young people on the spectrum to believe in their abilities and become their best selves, that would be fantastic.”
r Bike was in Woodley carrying out free bike checks to make sure your bike is roadworthy. He was at Woodford Park Leisure Centre in Haddon Drive, Woodley, diagnosing any issues which he aimed to fix for free. If there were any parts needed or it was beyond the scope of the session he could even let owners know and give them some advice and options to get their bike ready to ride. The next sessions are at Woodford Park on March 14th and 21st, Bulmershe Leisure Centre on March 16th and Culver Grove, Wokingham on March 17th. You MUST book a slot to drop off your bike with Dr Bike. To book, visit www.myjourneywokingham.com
