Wokingham Today - May 6, 2021

COVERING WOKINGHAM, FINCHAMPSTEAD, EARLEY, WINNERSH, SHINFIELD, WOODLEY, TWYFORD & SURROUNDING AREAS

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Bishop’s call for action over aid cut EXCLUSIVE

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today THE decision to cut international aid is ‘desperately misguided’ and will hit some of the weakest countries during the covid emergency – just when they need help the most.

That’s the view of the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham.

In a tweet last week, she urged her followers to write to MPs to express their concern that “£4 billion of UK aid (has been) cut from water, sanitation and vaccination projects in desperately poor countries in the middle of a global pandemic”.

During last autumn’s the Government’s spending review, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK’s aid budget would be reduced from 0.7% to 0.5% of national income – going against a pledge to maintain the rate, made in the Conservative manifesto for the 2019 General Election.

He said at the time that this would be temporary and was a result of the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on the economy.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that there would be a focus on climate change and biodiversity, covid and global health security, girls’ education, science and technology, open societies and conflict resolution, humanitarian preparedness and response, and trade and economic development. � Continued on page 2

THE VOICE OF THE BOROUGH

TOWNHUNTS FOR ARTIST

Thursday, May 6, 2021 No. 311

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ANNIE HAD ‘A ZEST FOR LIFE’ P9 DRIVERS URGED TO THINK OF CYCLISTS IN CAMPAIGN P6

WOKINGHAM FROM THE AIR P20 PANDA PEDALS FOR CAPTAIN TOM P22 LANDMARK STATEMENT: The artwork would be installed at Carnival Hub where the question mark is in this artist’s impression

Search on for Wokingham’s very own Angel of the North

EXCLUSIVE

A CONTEST has been launched to find Wokingham’s very own Angel of the North. Or the Headington Shark that famously peeps out of the roof of a suburban street.

centre’s regeneration project, a new artwork will be installed at the Elms Fieldbased entrance to the Carnival Hub. But organisers currently don’t know what form that will take.

The requirement is that it will be free-standing and permanent, acting as an artistic beacon for those who come to the town to enjoy it.

As part of the town

� Continued on page 6

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

REP THEATRE UNVEILS VISION P27

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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

Bishop calls for action over international aid cut � From front page

Mr Raab said: “At all times we will look to improve our delivery of our aid in order to increase the impact that our policy interventions have on the ground, in the countries and communities they are designed to benefit and help.”

But Bishop Olivia, whose see includes churches within Wokingham borough, said: “Last autumn, our government made what I believe to be a desperately misguided and possibly illegal decision to cut our international aid commitment from 0.7% of GDP to 0.5%.

“They claim this is only a temporary measure in response to the budgetary squeeze caused by Covid-19.

Time will tell.

“It follows on from an earlier decision to merge the Department of International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with all the dangers that carries of aid becoming a tool of foreign policy rather than a means of alleviating suffering and helping the development of some of the poorest countries in the world.”

She added: “We have just learnt where these cuts are going to fall, and – you couldn’t make this up – in the middle of a global pandemic, we will be cutting aid to health, water, sanitation, and regular vaccination programmes.

“There is something deeply wrong about both of these decisions, which impact the weakest and most marginalised communities in the world at a time when we should be standing in

INTERNATIONAL AID: UK aid distributes food for people in Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands affected by Hurricane Irma in 2017 Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID via Wikimedia Commons

solidarity and love alongside them.

“Every life is worth saving, not just the lives of the rich.

“Even enlightened selfinterest would suggest that this is poor decision making: none of us are safe until we are all safe.

“What would Jesus say, I wonder?”

Bishop Olivia’s comments were prompted after Dr Helen Allott, a member of Reading’s Greyfriars Church, contacted her over the issue.

She works with the Tropical Health Education Trust (THET), which has seen

a £30 million cut in its budget for health systems partnership, something she says effectively brings the partnership to an end. “(As a country) we had a legal obligation to give 0.7% to oversea development. It was binding and the government has chosen to renege on that – it’s had very far reaching implications,” she said.

“It seems to me that the cuts that individual organisations are sustaining are not in that proportion.

“It’s really worrying that (this is affecting) institutions which do such good work to

save people’s lives.”

She added: “I think as a Christian, for me, that's, you know, it's completely contradicting what Jesus told us to do for poor people. So that's why I care about it so much.

“At the end of the day, it’s not the government’s money, it’s taxpayers’ money, it’s our money.”

Dr Allott said she had written to her MP over the issue and wanted others to do the same.

“It would be good if people did if they share these concerns,” she said.

Summer hours at re3 recycling centres IF YOU’VE been itching for a spring clean, now’s your chance. re3 has extended its opening hours in Bracknell and Reading as well as boosting the number of available slots by more than 15%.

The summer hours, which run until the end of September, mean that both centres will be open from 8am until 7.30pm, seven days a week.

A spokesperson for re3 said: “We welcome extending opening hours, as it means more available to residents who are keen to have a clear out over the spring time and who wish to make use of this valuable local service.”

The recycling centres will continue to use the booking system, so all visitors will need to arrange a 30-minute slot with last bookings at 7pm.

The online appointment system was introduced in May last year because of the coronavirus, to help staff and residents adhere to social distancing guidelines.

“The re3 centres have been operating successfully for 10 months now with an advance booking system which has ensured public confidence in being able to dispose of their waste safely and without risk throughout the pandemic,” the spokesperson added.

“The added benefit of the system is that it has greatly reduced queuing, creating a more pleasant user experience and maintained really high recycling rates at the two sites, currently set at 73% at the Bracknell and 83% at the Reading site.”

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Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

From Wokingham with love: Big bus helps fight cancer EARLY SIGNS: Charity ambassador Elaine Loughlin had her breast cancer detected on board the original bus Picture: Walk The Walk

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today THE FOUNDER of cancer charity, Walk the Walk said she is “delighted” to help fund a 3D cancer-screening bus.

Wokingham-based Nina Barough, chief executive of the charity, said she is thrilled to support Action Cancer’s new and improved ‘Big Bus’, with a grant of £360,000.

The money was raised by thousands of people wearing Walk the Walk’s trademark brightly decorated bras, as they took part in MoonWalk events in London, Edinburgh and Iceland.

Ms Barough CBE, said: “I am so delighted that as principal funders, this grant from Walk the Walk will help to keep the Big Bus on the road and saving lives.”

Action Cancer’s first Big Bus began offering a unique breast screening service for women across Northern Ireland in 2006.

Pre-school plans to revamp outdoor area A SCHOOL is raising money to restore its outdoor area for students.

Barkham Preschool, based in Barkham Village Hall, is hoping to create an all-weather surface with the funds.

Screening was offered to women aged 40-49, as well as those aged 70 and over, who all fall outside the NHS range of 50-70.

After 15 years, the first bus reached the end of its working life.

However, Walk the Walk stepped in to principally fund a replacement.

Grants of £50,000 each were also made by The Garfield Weston Foundation, Ulster Garden Villages and The McClay Foundation.

The new Big Bus began its first day of operations last Saturday, and has 3D screening technology on board.

It will travel to 200 locations across Northern Ireland, delivering 5,000 breast screenings and 2,000 health checks in the next year.

Ms Barough added: “The work that Action Cancer does is unique, by targeting these two age groups, which are outside of the NHS screening age range. The amazing 3D screening successfully picks up cancers as small as a pin head which

It has already installed new fencing with some of the money raised.

The pre-school, for children aged two to five, launched the fundraiser to raise awareness in the community of their plan.

Sarah Horsgood, supervisor at Barkham Preschool, said: “We have been able to fund our fence and we now have a secure garden for the children to free flow into and explore, extending their learning to an

are difficult to detect, particularly in the younger age group.

“This means that for many of these women the surgery needed may be less invasive and, on occasion, their treatment is not as severe on their bodies because the detection is earlier. This also means that chances of survival are massively increased.

“It is such an important service and I’m just thrilled that by putting one foot in front of the other, our amazing walkers have helped fund this wonderful legacy project that will help so many women in Northern Ireland.”

Gareth Kirk, chief executive of Action Cancer said Walk the Walk’s grant was vital for creating the bus.

“This unique collaboration will have a lifespan of 15 years, the expected life of the Big Bus mobile unit,” he said. “The support received from Walk the Walk will enable us to continue to bring our life-saving breast screening service to women

outside environment.

“We are extremely grateful for all the donations we have received so far and we would like to thank everyone who has donated — every little really does help and having our own permanent outside space will enrich the children's learning experiences and enhance their development.” � To donate, log on to gofundme.com/f/amys-fund-forbarkham-preschool

Results will be online on Saturday

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living in some of the most rural and deprived communities of Northern Ireland.

“During the next 15 years, more than 70,000 women will be screened throughout Northern Ireland and we estimate approximately 400 women, of which 80% will be under the age of 50, will have an early diagnosis of breast cancer and all other women screened will receive reassurance and peace of mind.”

Action Cancer ambassador Elaine Loughlin from Poyntzpass had her breast cancer detected on board the charity’s original bus.

“I believe that Action Cancer’s Big Bus saved my life,” she said. “At the age of 45, my breast cancer was detected at an early and treatable stage. Thanks to this free service provided by Action Cancer, I’m still here, still alive to be mum to my three beautiful boys; Ben, Toby and Rory.” � For more details or to support the work, log on to walkthewalk.org

LIT UP: The Royal Berkshire Hospital

Housebuilder’s gift helps RBH wellbeing site THE NEW wellbeing centre at Royal Berkshire Hospital has been given a helping hand, thanks to a housebuilder donation.

Taylor Wimpey gave £500 to the Royal Berks Charity and Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust to help create the centre for staff.

It is hoped the space will support the hospital’s 6,000 staff and volunteers by being a place to unwind from the hectic wards.

It will become a hub for staff support and include access to information about their own health and wellbeing programmes, while offering gym and exercise facilities for activities such as yoga and pilates.

Steve McManus, chief executive of the trust, said: “The health and wellbeing of our staff is vital, as it enables us to provide the best care possible for our patients.

The exciting development of our permanent centre will provide an oasis for staff to focus on their wellbeing, providing space, activities and information that will support both their physical and psychological needs.

“We are extremely grateful to Taylor Wimpey for their generous donation and thank them for their support in this important project.”

Gemma Bibby, sales and marketing director at Taylor Wimpey West London, said: “We are so thankful for the amazing work our frontline staff do every single day.

“It’s so important that they have an area where they can take a few peaceful minutes away from the stresses that Covid-19 has placed upon them.

“It means a great deal that we are able to offer our support to such a worthy cause and we hope the staff love the health and wellbeing centre once it’s complete.”

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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

Plans for 95 homes could close gap between towns

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today PLANS have been lodged for 95 houses bridging the gap between Wokingham and Bracknell.

Located south of Waterloo Road, the developer proposes entrance via Old Wokingham Road, near Jennett’s Park.

It is next to the proposed location of the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location, which would include more than 1,400 homes, a new primary school, shops and

community building.

The application lays over the boundary between Wokingham and Bracknell and is currently only listed on the Bracknell Forest Council website.

If approved, it would include demolition of the stables at Locks Farm.

The application proposes 10 affordable homes and 23 affordable or social rent homes.

The number of bedrooms, and types of property have yet to be revealed.

Bracknell Forest Council

has no objection to the plans.

In a comment, it said: “Councillors are pleased to see 35% of this development will be allocated for affordable housing.”

So far, the application has received one objection from a Wokingham resident.

Colin George said the homes would destroy the green gap between the two towns.

He said: “The proposal has no connections to public transport or local infrastructure such as shops and local health care

meaning that all residents will have to use their car to access these and commute to work, putting an extra strain on already congested roads.”

He also believes the entrance and exit will be on a “dangerous” section of the Old Wokingham Road.

The deadline for comments is Saturday. � For more information, or to comment on the plans, visit the Bracknell Forest Council website and search for planning application 21/00372/ OUT

Mental health charity launches youth programme SPORT IN Mind has launched a new programme to support young people’s mental health through exercise.

After marking its 10th anniversary last month, the charity launched the programme, tailored for anyone aged seven to 18.

“Our aim is to help every child and young person we engage with to grow up understanding and knowledge that sport and exercise are highly beneficial not just to their physical health but to their mental health,” said chief executive Neil Harris. "We will kick off the programme in the Berkshire West area with further scope for expansion in the coming months."

The charity will also be running a referral scheme, where parents and professionals can refer a young people to the sessions.

There will also be workshops, family days, taster sessions, focus groups, resources and training.

The project is supported by the Mr Crocombe Legacy. It is dedicated to Peter Crocombe’s father who died last year.

Since then, Peter, along with his family and friends have been fundraising for Sport in Mind through various activities.

“Dad’s spirit lives on through his legacy,” said Peter.

“He was a devoted school-teacher and huge sporting advocate for children and young people. We are thrilled to be supporting Sport in Mind once again and continuing Dad’s legacy.”

Help spot Britain’s fastest declining mammal RESIDENTS passionate about conservation are being encouraged to search for water voles.

The survey organised by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES).

The aim is to discover where water voles are living, how their populations are changing each year, and where they are in most need of help.

Residents wanting to get involved should search for sightings and signs of water voles along riverbanks, canals and other inland waterways until Tuesday, June 15.

PTES builds on survey data gathered since 2015 to create a long-term picture of how water voles are faring.

The charity hopes those who have enjoyed being

outside this year will get involved.

Henrietta Pringle, key species monitoring and data officer at the charity, said water voles are Britain’s fastest declining mammal.

“A staggering 90% of the population was lost between the 1980s and 1990s alone,” she said. “So they really need our help. Due to lockdown last spring, we were unable to survey water voles, meaning we now have a gap in our dataset.

“Finding out where water voles are is crucial to their

conservation, so now more than ever we need feet on the ground to help us look for these adorable riverside residents to see how they’re faring.”

Water voles used to be a familiar feature of Britain’s inland waterways, but declined in the 80s and 90s when the American mink drove them out of their homes.

Ms Pringle added: “Despite the shocking statistics, knowing the reasons behind the decline means it’s in our power to reverse it.

By restoring bankside

vegetation and connecting patches of existing habitat across the landscape, water voles can be successfully encouraged to return to our waterways.

“With the help of the public, we hope to better understand where water voles are living so we can best protect them – and hopefully, one day they will become a common sight on our riverbanks again.”

To take part, residents should select one of the 850 pre-selected sites close to their home, which can be found online.

No previous experience is needed, as there are detailed survey guidelines and online training materials online. � To find out more and to take part in the survey, visit: www.ptes.org/watervoles

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Care home residents explore the jungle RESIDENTS at a Lower Earley care home enjoyed a virtual visit to the zoo last week, writes Laura Scardarella.

Adam Welsh, head of education at Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder gave Austen House Care Home an insight into the centre’s daily activities.

The virtual presentation explored conservation, rescue and education work carried out there.

Run by a family, Five Sisters Zoo has more than 160 different animal species from around the world.

The session included the rescue stories of four lions and five European bears, and its Eurasian

Lingerie brand has cancer care in mind EXCLUSIVE

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today A WOKINGHAM woman is launching a business that caters for people who have had mastectomies.

Clare Meldrum has founded a lingerie boutique that specialises in supporting women who have had surgery as part of breast cancer treatment.

Coco Amore, named after French fashion designer Coco Chanel, will sell a range of lingerie and swimwear to cater for women of all shapes and sizes, Ms Meldrum said.

“I believe lingerie is about making you feel good about yourself,” she said. “It makes you feel elegant and sophisticated, no matter your size. So many women out there

FOUNDER: Clare Meldrum, owner of Coco Amore Picture: Gabriele Swift

aren’t catered for in normal shops.”

Ms Meldrum said she wanted to stock bras suitable for women who have had mastectomies, after many of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I thought it would be a really good service to offer,” she said.

“I’ve always been involved in

charity work, and I just want this brand to give something back to the community.”

She will be trained in bra fittings, including for people that have had surgery.

Ms Meldrum said she is also in discussions with the breast care team at Royal Berkshire Hospital to understand “what women want from a shop like this”.

She hopes to launch a Coco Amore pop-up shop this summer in Wokingham, and is considering running a mobile, home-fitting service until the business finds suitable premises.

“We really want to have a shop where people can come in, feel the products, try them on and make sure they fit properly,” Ms Meldrum added. � For more information, visit: coco-amore.com

Diocese of Oxford gives to 100 projects

Economic housing

ALMOST a quarter of a million pounds has been donated to a group of churches, including some in Berkshire.

The Diocese of Oxford has announced it will be supporting 15 projects across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire as part of its Development Fund.

Launched in 2019, the grant project supports churches to find practical ways to “become more Christ-like” and has donated more than £1.5 million to 100 local projects so far.

“Growing new congregations is a vital part of our common vision, and two projects were awarded funds to support their working finding new expressions of church,” said a spokesperson for the Diocese of Oxford.

Revd Angela Brennan, from St Barnabus in Thatcham, was awarded £1,850 to support residents and

A BERKSHIRE housebuilder has contributed more than £95 million to the UK’s economic output over the past year.

David Wilson Homes Southern, which has built 435 homes in the last year, measured its social and economic contribution in a new report.

The figures said the housebuilder supported more than 1,500 jobs directly and indirectly, directly employed 10 new graduates, trainees and apprentices, and spent £22 million on improving infrastructure and building affordable homes.

“As a five star housebuilder, we are very aware of the vital role we play in helping to boost the local economy,” said Paul Crispin, managing director at David Wilson Homes Southern, said. “We are committed to … leaving a positive legacy in the communities we build.”

strengthen community links.

“The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on everyone, but what we really noticed from engaging with our community and from reports in the media, was that new parents felt really isolated and having no groups or sessions to attend made early parenthood quite a lonely experience,” she said.

“It is my hope that we’ll get a flow of new parents, knowing it’s there and it’s free and that there is no expectation; we are offering a safe, nonjudgemental space.

Janet Rogers, programme manager, said this year’s funding will support a range of large and small projects.

The Development Fund is open to all parishes in the Diocese of Oxford. � For more information, visit: www.oxford.anglican.org/ mission-ministry/our-commonvision/resources

beaver conservation work.

Adam Welsh, head of education at Austen House hosted the tour.

He said: “We really enjoyed being able to show the residents some of the fantastic animals we have at Five Sisters Zoo, we are very proud of the work our brilliant teams do.

“We were just so happy to be able to share our passion for wildlife conservation and animal rescue.”

The care home, run

by Barchester Healthcare, has been holding virtual events for residents since the pandemic began.

Lucy Tomlinson, resident experience manager for Barchester Healthcare, said the talk was a lovely opportunity to learn about the animals and conservation work at Five Sisters.

“We are excited to work with our amazing partners like Five Sisters Zoo to bring a wide range of different experiences into our homes for all to enjoy,” she added.

“Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active and socially connected, providing a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.”

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Song explores knife crime rise THE BISHOP of Reading and the town’s football club have sponsored a music video to highlight the problem of rising knife crime, writes Jess Warren.

You Were Born to Fly: You Weren’t Born to Die is a music video that was filmed in Reading for Redeeming Our Communities’ No More Knives initiative.

Supported by the Diocese of Oxford, Reading Football Club Community Trust and Thames Valley Police, the song aims to share a message of hope.

Over the last 12 months, 62 knife offences have been recorded in the borough, with many leading to deaths in the community.

It comes as PC Russ Massie of Thames Valley Police shared his experience of an attempted murder, as part of Operation Sceptre — a week-

long initiative to tackle knife crime in the region, during which more than 250 knives were handed into amnesty bins.

“Any moment something can happen and change your life,” he said.

PC Massie said after the incident, which happened almost 10 years ago, adrenaline flooded through his body, and hands started shaking.

“I was really scared, but actually it was the adrenaline leaving me afterwards that felt as if — it’s like I couldn’t stop crying. It lasted for about 20 minutes,” he said.

“There’s things about it that just don’t leave you ever.

“When I deal with an incident with a knife, I’m a bit more wary. You know, once bitten, twice shy. And I think sometimes I still do the right thing, but the day I stop, that’s the day I stop being a police officer.

“That won’t happen, but I’m still nervous about it. So please bear in mind, if you see us out and about, just have a little think about what we’ve been through.

“It is just a uniform, it’s not a force field.”

Reflecting on the campaign, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading said many young people live in fear of becoming a victim of knife crime.

“We have to ask ourselves, why are our young people carrying knives?” she said.

“What is it telling us about ourselves and our society?”

She said the Diocese was delighted to fund the song, which carries a message that people are born for greater things.

Josh Green who wrote, recorded and produced the track, said it was created as a direct response to the rise in knife crime bringing “havoc” on the community.

“Knife crime doesn’t just affect the victim; it has a ripple effect that can be felt for years to come. We hope that this video will serve as an inspiration and encouragement to the people of Reading that life is valuable and that young people can choose to make positive choices with their lives.

“It is our hope that this message will spark a movement in the UK of young people rising up to take a stand for life.”

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

Don’t drive so close to

By LAURA SCARDARELLA lscardarella@wokingham.today MOTORISTS were urged to watch their space last week in a bid to help cyclists get on the road.

Thames Valley Police teamed up with Wokingham Borough Council to remind drivers to look out for others.

On Friday, they carried out an exercise in Finchampstead’s village centre. Police officers rode along Finchampstead Road

by California Crossroads on bikes fitted with front and rear cameras.

Other officers then stopped drivers who were too close for comfort. They were escorted to a designated stop site, set up by Xenuk Indian restaurant, where their driving license, insurance and eyesight were checked.

And members of the council’s MyJourney team were also on site, handing out highvisibility rucksack covers and talking with pedestrians.

PC Liz Johnson, road safety officer for Thames Valley Police, said it was “really nice” to see the majority of drivers giving their cyclist plenty of room.

“A close pass not only presents a danger to the cyclist, but it is also intimidating. As the Highway Code states, overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so, and drivers should allow vulnerable road users as much room as they would when overtaking a car.

“A driver deemed to be driving dangerously close can be prosecuted and taken to court. Ultimately, we want all road users to share the roads

together, we are about making the roads safer for all and making sure we all get to our destinations safely.”

She added: “The morning was very positive – everyone likes to hear that we’re out doing road safety events. It’s all about sharing the roads together.”

With serious cyclist incidents having previously occurred on Finchampstead Road, PC Johnson explained the team chose the area to highlight the danger of the road.

She also urged cyclists to make their presence felt on the roads.

“Our message for cyclists is to be bright to be seen, wear contrasting clothing, and please wear a helmet, it will protect your head,” she said.

PC Barry Duplock offered to be the designated cyclist on the day to support the initiative.

He said that most drivers had been overtaking him in a “safe way”.

While cycling, he called the other officers when the cameras caught a motorist passing too close to him on the road.

“People have been waiting and planning their overtake safely, which is what we like to see, so it’s been a nice surprise that we haven’t had to stop too many people today,” he explained.

“From a cycling point of view, there’s quite a lot of hazards for cyclists that wouldn’t be a hazards for a motorists, such as potholes – one of the reasons you need to give cyclists a lot of space as they

Search for artist � From front page

The art will be on Wellington Road and visible not only from the entrance of Elms Field, but to commuters travelling from Finchampstead Road, ensuring that it will have to be big to be seen from a distance.

The Carnival Hub is the final phase of the regeneration, which has included the creation of Peach Place in the former Rose Street car park, a revamp of Market Place, the building of new flats and shops in Elms Field, as well as a new play area.

The hub will see the library relocated, alongside a new pool and leisure complex with a hall that can be used for performances as well as fitness sessions.

There is also the already completed bowling alley and multistorey car park.

Arts4Wokingham has launched the search for an artist to create the

MIND THE GAP: Thames Valley Police carried

might have to avoid a hazard that you wouldn’t have to in a car.”

Wokingham Borough Council will continue to implement walking and cycling infrastructure across the borough.

Its Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plan is encouraging residents to walk and cycle more.

And with the Give Space Be Safe initiative, the council is

work, which will be installed close to the grand opening of the site in August next year.

Applications are welcome up to this August, with the chosen artist expected to take part in a series of community engagement events, such as workshops, to ensure that Wokingham residents are fully involved in the process.

Arts4Wokingham is an artsbased charity that is linked to the borough’s new Arts and Culture Alliance, and will be looking for works that symbolise the transformation of the Town and Borough as well as championing art.

Wokingham Borough Council’s Chief Executive, Susan Parsonage, says that she recognises the enduring impact that a major work like this could have: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Wokingham to make a real statement and hallmark its cultural landscape.

“I can’t wait to see what sort of ideas artists come up with.”

Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

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me … police take action for cyclists

out a road safety exercise in Finchampstead on Friday aimed at helping protect cyclists Pictures: Laura Scardarella

hoping residents will feel safer when cycling around the area.

Andy Glencross, assistant director for highways at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “The safety of our residents is our number

one priority and our My Journey Team welcome the opportunity to work with Thames Valley Police on this initiative.

“We continue to implement walking and cycling infrastructure

across the borough to encourage more active travel and thank all who have provided feedback on our recent survey.”

He added: “Our team are working their way through the thousands of responses

to our Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plan.

“The plan is intended to help encourage residents to walk and cycle more around the borough and this initiative is a great

start in helping our residents feel safer when out cycling around the borough.”

For further details about the council’s My Journey team visit myjourneywokingham.com

NEWS | 7

Blaze probe continues AN investigation is continuing into the blaze at Arborfield Green last month.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue said it cannot yet provide a clear timescale for the site inspection at Hayloft House, on Millard Place.

A spokesperson for Savills, which manages the building, said it is working with experts to understand the cause of the fire.

“Access to the second floor continues to be prohibited pending structural engineer advice on clearing entry to this area to allow the investigating officers and forensic teams to be able to work safely on the second floor,” they said.

In the meantime, all residents have been offered alternative accommodation within The Cavalry development.

They added: “All affected residents were offered hotels, food vouchers, alternative accommodation, rent refunds for time without accommodation, transferred tenancy rights, furniture at discounted prices, and previous rents honoured for comparable properties.”

They said the company is “hugely grateful” to the organisations in the community who have also supported residents.

“We are working hard to try and allow residents to gain access to their properties to recover possessions where possible,” they added.

“Our onsite team continues to work with those residents who have been rehoused to support them.”

Savills has also put in place a Waking Watch, where a trained person continually patrols all floors and the exterior perimeter of the building to monitor the fire risk.

This was advised by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, and security is in place as well.

8 | BUSINESS

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Back to work

Got a business story? Email news@ wokingham.today. or write to Wokingham.Today, Crown House, 231 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS

Nigel Richards Wokingham Job Support Centre

Are you worried about your job?

A

LTHOUGH Wokingham remains relatively less affected compared to most of the country, there is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns have had a significant impact on the

UK economy.

Over time this will also have implications for jobs in the local area.

According to the latest figures from Wokingham Borough Council, the national unemployment rate is estimated at 5.1%, 1.3% higher than a year ago. The level of GDP in the UK is 7.8% below its quarter four, 2019 level. It is estimated that 11.4 million people remained furloughed in March.

On top of this there is the, as yet unclear, impact of Brexit to contend with.

Wokingham has, in the main, proved fairly resilient throughout the pandemic – largely because a high proportion of residents are employed in roles adaptable to home working. However, as at the end of December (in comparison to the figures for December 2019) the Borough Council reported: � A 227% overall increase in people claiming unemployment benefits � A 312% in young people (18-24) claiming benefits (the hardest hit group) � The over 50s age group has seen a 265% increase in claimants.

Although these figures are understated – largely because many unemployed (and underemployed) people do not register, and are, therefore, not included in any statistics. Young people are often supported by their parents; older people by their savings.

The ever-changing furlough policy has also distorted the figures, as has the fact that many selfemployed workers, despite seeing their income dramatically slashed, are ineligible to claim benefits.

Demand and employment have fallen considerably in sectors such as retail, aviation, hospitality, tourism, support services, arts, entertainment and recreation.

The full extent of the impact of Covid-19 on the economy in Berkshire is not yet known, but there are clear indications that young people, women and low skilled workers will be disproportionately affected.

With this backdrop, an increasing number of people are looking for work.

However, job seekers are finding that the art of job hunting in a Covid world has changed significantly – with the process mostly moving online. But no one should feel daunted by such a development.

If you’re worried about your job, or just looking for another one, Wokingham Job Support Centre, a free community service supporting job seekers in the borough, is on hand to help.

WJSC provides a blend of coaching, advice, support and skills development for local job seekers, including one-to-one sessions, CV writing, practise Zoom interviews, internet help and general guidance on how to be successful in today’s employment market.

Periodically WJSC runs workshops covering over50s, social media and working for yourself.

Over the coming weeks, I will share my top tips for online interviews and writing CVs, discuss the importance of social media and much more.

Until next week, good luck with your job hunting. � For more information, visit www.wjsc.org.uk, tel: 0118 977 0517 or email jobsearch@wjsc.org.uk.

Nigel Richards chairs Wokingham Job Support Centre

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

Water firm praised for equality work

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today THAMES Water has been recognised for its gender equality work.

The supplier, which serves households across Wokingham borough, has been named as one of the Top 50 Employers for Women by The Times.

Sarah Bentley, Thames Water CEO, said she was delighted.

“I’m passionate about ensuring we embrace equality and that’s why I’m delighted we’ve been recognised as one of the top 50 employers for women,” she said.

“It’s so important to champion the talent and experience women can bring to every business and I’m beyond proud that our commitment and efforts towards gender equality have been making such a positive impact.”

The Times’ ranking is made in partnership with Business in the Community (BITC), and

ON SITE: Thames Water’s Rachael Trigg at the Chieveley sewage works

identifies companies which put gender equality at the forefront of business.

According to the BITC, Thames Water encouraged more women to apply for frontline roles by changing the “masculine wording” of its adverts, and improved its family-friendly policies.

“There’s always still more to do and we will keep pressing forward to ensure we achieve a truly diverse and inclusive workforce that’s fully representative of the amazing

community we serve,” Ms Bentley added.

The Thames Water CEO has since been invited to chair the Business in the Community Gender Equality Leadership Team.

“I look forward to working together towards helping companies see the benefits of gender-balanced and inclusive workforces,” she added.

Earlier this year, Thames Water was recognised as a ‘Carer Confident’ workplace, too.

Help on way for Wokingham’s jobseekers HELP is on its way for jobseekers in Wokingham.

Fedcap Employment, an employability charity, is launching its new Restart programme in Berkshire, to support people easing back into work.

The charity’s new initiative has been developed in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions and is being delivered across southern England.

Brain Bell, chief executive of Fedcap Employment, said the Restart programme will help

jobseekers realise their full potential.

“The covid pandemic has created so much uncertainty for so many people,” he said.

“Of course, the pandemic is first and foremost a health crisis, but for so many individuals and families it has also presented challenges around job security and planning for the future.”

Over the next five years, Fedcap hopes to support thousands of people seeking employment.

The Restart initiative will

help anybody who has been out of work for 12-18 months, and includes a mix of face-toface and virtual job support.

“Our aim is to deliver this programme, with a wide range of partners that share our values, to help to offer work related opportunities to people; to help them to plan and take advantage of jobs that will continue to be created as we come out of the pandemic,” Mr Bell added. � To find out more, visit: www.fedcapemployment.org

Bright young sparks wanted for showcase A WINNERSH company is on the lookout for young people with bright ideas.

Towergate Health & Protection is offering a £20,000 prize to teenagers with community-changing initiatives in mind.

It is offering the funds as part of its new Bright Future Prize project, to help youngsters “change the world around them for the better”.

The programme is being coordinated by Ardonagh Community Trust (ATC), the charity arm of Towergate Health & Protection’s parent company.

Iain Laws, CEO of Towergate Health & Protection, said: “I’m

delighted to get behind this new venture from ACT, especially given the challenges that young people have faced throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The charity is looking for teens aged 15-19, which it has called “the next generation of community leaders, charity fundraisers, blue-sky thinkers [and] social activists”.

The Bright Future Prize is open to teens across the UK and Ireland, but Mr Laws said Towergate Health & Protection would like to support young people making waves in and around Winnersh already.

“Young people see the world differently, and their

innovative ideas can help impact positive change for the future,” he added.

“You could have a great idea for a social enterprise supporting a charitable cause, you might have a community project in mind, maybe you want to raise money for a specific charity – or maybe you want to learn more in order to make a difference.”

Applications for the Bright Future Prize are open until Friday, May 21.

There are also smaller grants available alongside the main £20,000 prize.

For more information, visit: www.ardonaghtrust.org/ bright-future-prize

Confidence is high BUSINESS confidence is at its highest since 2016 as covid restrictions begin to lift, according to Aldermore.

The bank reported that on average, smallto medium-sized businesses (SMEs) plan to spend nearly £100,000 growing their firms in the next year.

And it said businesses are more confident than they have ever been over the five years, with two-thirds expecting their performance to improve over the next two months.

Tim Boag, group managing director of business finance at Aldermore, said: “Confidence from SMEs is growing, and this is reflected in plans to invest in the growth of their businesses in order to recover effectively from the pandemic.

“The economy is seeing signs of a recovery and we’re here to back businesses as they look to grasp the opportunities of the future.”

Aldermore reported that one-in-four (25%) SMEs plan to invest in their online presence in the post-pandemic world, as the economy begins to show signs of recovery.

And one-in-five (20%) will also invest in training staff.

College on shortlist ACTIVATE Learning has been shortlisted for two national awards.

The education group, which works with schools and colleges across Berkshire, has been nominated for FE Leader of the Year and Employer Engagement at the Tes FE Awards 2021.

The awards ceremony seeks to recognise staff members and schools for their achievements each year.

Sally Dicketts, chief executive of Activate Learning, has been shortlisted for Leader of the Year, and said she feels incredibly humbled.

“There have been so many people who have shown incredible leadership over the past year, in what has arguably been one of the most challenging for the education sector,” she said.

Activate Learning has also been recognised for its work supporting the NHS in the Employer Engagement Award category.

Peter Reynolds, director of career pathways at Activate Learning, said he is delighted the group’s Professional Studies faculty has been recognised for its work.

“We are really proud to be able to support our NHS partners across the Thames Valley and we have really worked hard to be able to support the health and care sectors and develop work-ready, young people to help meet their skills needs,” he said.

The Tes FE Awards will take place virtually, with the winners announced on Friday, May 28. � To see a full list of who is in the running, visit: www.tesfeawards.co.uk

Toddler time for biz GETTING back to business basics is the focus of this upcoming seminar.

Next week, Woodley Business Club is hosting a meeting on all things communication.

Led by Sarah Browning, it will teach local entrepreneurs how to “channel their inner toddler” and talk to their customers effectively.

“When you plan your communications strategically, you look at your business goals and work out how communicating well with your audiences will help you achieve them,” she explained.

Ms Browning will also share tips and tricks for using websites, newsletters and social media.

The talk is taking place on Tuesday, May 11 at 8am. � For more information, and to book your place, visit: www.woodleybusinessclub.org.uk

To advertise email advertising@wokingham.today

Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

Tributes paid to Annie, ‘the life and soul of the party’

By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today A MORRIS dancer who captured the hearts of friends and audiences with her zest for life and friendliness has died.

Ann Wilson, known to many as Annie, kept dancing into her 80s, performing at a folk festival just 18 months ago.

She lived in Wokingham town centre where she greeted many for sociable chats. She previously lived at Heathlands Road, Wokingham. Earlier she lived in Crowthorne with her beloved husband Alec, who worked at Crowthorne’s Transport Research Laboratory. He died 44 years ago.

Annie loved dancing, joining Hurst Morris People (HuMP) in the 1990s and also attending WAT Dance English country dance group at Dunsden Green.

Some of Annie’s HuMP friends, Mary Esslemont of Earley and Margaret and Mike Russell recalled their memories of her.

“Annie was a popular member of her folk dance groups. And audiences were struck by her happy smiling face as she danced. She often brought her sister June along to watch,” they said.

HAPPY FEET: Annie Wilson dancing for HuMP

“Her friendly, sociable nature meant she took part fully in everything. After dancing at a pub or fete she would join the musicians with her tambourine or spoons which she played with relish.

“On her travels with HuMP she was the life and soul of the party with

many funny stories.

“She also took part in our annual mummers’ play dressed as a green dragon.”

In recent times, Annie, who didn’t discuss her age, joined Marlow Ukelele group, joining in with the singing with great spirit.

Annie’s sister June Forbes,

of Banbury, said Annie had worked at an Egham research laboratory where she met Alec, before joining British Overseas Airways Corporation at Heathrow airport.

June added: “She’d seen the aircraft and wished to travel.

She worked in the office and then transferred to British European Airways, working on the check in desks and sorting out problems.”

She later worked for Pan American World Airways.

Annie spoke afterwards with great sadness about one flight that she helped checked in.

It was flight 103 which in 1988 exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland, killing all 259 on board.

Annie’s other sister Pamela lives in Lancashire.

Annie, who was treated for cancer last year, was born in Portsmouth.

Her family would like to thank Horton General Hospital at Banbury for all their support and care for Annie.

Her funeral is on Tuesday, May 18 at noon.

For details of a video link to see the service contact Edd Frost and Daughters undertakers, Banbury on 01295 404004. Donations in Annie’s memory can be made to: fundraise.cancerresearchuk. o r g /p a g e /d o n a t i o n s - i n memory-of-ann-wilson

Ross signs up to Hospice ACTOR Ross Kemp has taken on one of his hardest roles yet: supporting the work of Thames Hospice.

The former EastEnder has become an ambassador to the charity, which provides palliative care to Berkshire residents.

He’s a regular visitor to the centre and the hospice says that he dedicates huge amounts of his time to promote the work of the charity.

Debbie Raven, Thames Hospice Chief Executive, said: “His support makes an incredible difference; he brightens up so many lives and always injects a real buzz and excitement among our patients, staff and volunteers when he visits us.”

The actor, who is also a

Rural connectivity could bring jobs boost IMPROVING rural connectivity could be the key to supporting hundreds of thousands of new jobs, according to Openreach.

The broadband provider welcomed a new report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), which revealed that a full fibre network in the

South East could create more than 130,000 employment opportunities.

It also revealed that if full fibre internet was rolled out nationwide, more than 40,000 people in the South East could work more hours.

Connie Dixon, regional partnership director at Openreach, said: “This report illustrates just how game-changing the roll out of full fibre broadband across the South East’s rural and remote communities could be.

BAFTA winning documentary filmmaker, said: “It’s a very special place with incredibly inspiring staff and volunteers.

“I am always moved by the positive atmosphere, compassionate care and love during my visits to the Hospice.

“Their work is fundamental in supporting local families through the most traumatic time and it is my pleasure to continue to raise awareness of this wonderful charity and get involved with their fundraising efforts.”

Thames Hospice says it is planning some special fundraising events with Ross this year. � For more details, log on to thameshospice.org.uk

“The pandemic has reinforced public recognition of the importance of highquality broadband and we’re clear that fibre has a significant part to play in the region’s recovery.”

She said the internet could be the key to helping jobseekers find local opportunities.

“With the challenges our region currently faces, this is an opportunity we can’t afford to ignore,” Ms Dixon added.

NEWS | 9

10 | NEWS

PARISHNOTICEBOARD Parish and borough council meetings Meetings online – contact councils for details

Thursday, May 6 Local and PCC elections take place today.

Shinfield Parish Council. Planning and Highways. 7.30pm. www.shinfieldparish.gov.uk

Saturday, May 8 Wokingham Borough Council election count. From 10am.

Results online at wokingham.today

Monday, May 10 PCC election count. Results online at wokingham.today

Monday, May 10 Hurst Parish Council. Council meeting and AGM. 7.30pm. . www.hurstpc.org.uk Remenham Parish Council. 8pm. www.remenhamparish.org.uk Wokingham Without Parish Council. AGM. 7.30pm.

Wokinghamwithout-pc.gov.uk

Tuesday, May 11 Finchampstead Parish Council. Finance Committee. 7.30pm.. www.finchampstead-pc.gov.uk Sonning Parish Council. Council meeting. 7pm. www.sonningpc.gov.uk Winnersh Parish Council. Annual parish council meeting. 7.30pm. www.winnersh.gov.uk Woodley Town Council. Annual council. 8pm. www.woodley.gov.uk Wokingham Borough Council. Individual Member Decisions: Wokingham Borough Council response to the Bracknell Forest Pre-Submission Local Plan. 10am. Individual Member Decisions: Discretionary Housing Payments. 10.30am.

Individual Member Decisions: Local Welfare Provision Policy, 10.40am. Council questions deadline. 10am. Shute End, Wokingham RG40 1AS.

Wednesday, May 12 Wokingham Borough Council. Planning Committee. 7pm. Shute End, Wokingham RG40 1AS. Wokingham Borough Council. Wokingham Wellbeing Board. 5pm.

Shute End, Wokingham RG40 1AS.

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FROMTHECOURTS

Cases heard in Reading and Slough Magistrates Court in recent weeks

� A READING man who drove without a licence or insurance has been given six penalty points on his licence.

Jaydon Inglis, 18 and from Parkside Road, was stopped on Great Lea in three Mile Cross on October 16 last year.

The case was proven in his absence when it was heard at Reading Magistrates Court on April 9.

Inglis must pay a fine of £250, £85 costs and £34 to victim services.

� A WOKINGHAM man has been jailed for 16 weeks after stealing a van from Finchampstead.

David James Connor, 34 and from Beanoak Road, pleaded guilty to driving a car along Headley Road in Woodley on May 30 last year, even though he didn’t have a licence or insurance to be able to do so.

At a hearing at Reading Magistrates Court on April 14, they also heard that he took the Ford Transit van on May 3 last year, and then drove without insurance, a licence and without due care and attention.

Although Connor had pleaded not guilty, the case was proved in his absence on March 5.

They committed him to jail as they felt that he has a “disregard for court orders … for people and their property”.

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

from Sawpit Road, carried out the attack in Wokingham on October 5, 2019.

He had originally pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea when he appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on April 19.

In addition to his fine, he was ordered to pay £300 costs, £200 compensation and £50 to victim services. Phillips may pay at a rate of £200 per month from May 17.

Connor must also pay £128 to victim services. � DRIVING while his company vehicle overloaded has seen a Woodley man fined by magistrates.

Aaron James Goddard, 36 and from Ravensbourne Drive, pleaded guilty when he appeared at the court on April 16.

He had been driving a Mercedes Sprinter van on the A4 Bath Road near Beenham on September 11 last year.

The vehicle was authorised to carry 3,500kg of weight, but it was found to be carrying 4,400kg.

For this he was fined £256, and ordered to pay £175 costs and £34 to victim services. � A HURST man who assaulted a police constable has been fined £500.

Matthew George Phillips, 35 and

� DRINK DRIVING has seen a Woodley man banned from getting behind the wheel for 18 months.

Florin Mitric, 37 and from Knowle Road, will see his ban reduced by 18 weeks on completion of a safe driving course.

He had been driving on Wokingham’s Reading Road on March 19 when he had been stopped by police.

A test found that he had 77 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, above the legal limit.

In addition to his ban, Mitric was fined £120, and ordered to pay £75 costs and £34 to victim services.

Magistrates also heard that Mitric had been driving with no insurance or a licence in place. � A WOKINGHAM man has been banned from driving ahead of hearing at Reading Magistrates Court next month.

Ajit Singh Panesar, 39 and from

Clifton Road, appeared before the bench on April 21, where he pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of drugs. He had been stopped on Reading Road in Wokingham on July 7 last year, where a test found that he had traces of Delta-9Tetrahydrocannabinol, a form of cannabis, in his bloodstream.

He has also given an indicative plea of guilty to possessing the following offensive weapons: a knuckle duster, a Spiderman lock knife and a grey lock knife. These were found on his person in Emmbrook Road, Wokingham, on July 24 last year.

Panesar has been remanded on unconditional bail until June 16, allowing a pre-sentence report to be prepared. � AN ARBORFIELD man has been fined £100 and banned from getting behind the wheel for a year after being stopped for drug driving.

Adam Kovacs was on the A4 Wellington Street of Slough on September 26 last year, when he was asked by police to take a test.

This revealed traces of Delta-9Tetrahydrocannabinol, a form of cannabis, in his bloodstream.

In addition to the fine, Kovacs, 22 and from Faraday Close, was ordered to pay £85 costs and £34.

His case was heard at Slough Magistrates Court on April 22.

Saints are winners with charity gift A CONSTRUCTION firm has donated £650 to a Wokingham charity.

Balfour Beatty, which carries out projects across the borough including the Major Highways Programme, donated the funds to Two Saints with a “sociallydistanced cheque” last week.

The charity supports those affected by homelessness across southern England, including in Berkshire.

Donna Ind, manager of Two Saints’ outreach service, said: “We’d like to thank everyone involved in this fantastic fundraising effort.

“The donation we’ve received will be put to excellent use, allowing us to hold activity sessions for our Wokingham clients, with the aim of improving their health

GIFT: Balfour Beatty, which is constructing new roads for Wokingham Borough Council, has presented Two Saints with a cheque for £650 to help its work

and wellbeing, increasing their confidence, and reducing isolation.”

A spokesperson for Balfour Beatty added: “We are committed to leaving a lasting, positive legacy for

the communities in which we operate.”

They said the firm’s latest fundraiser raised more than £4,500, which has now been distributed equally among seven charities.

“This includes three local to our Wokingham Major Highways project, which we are delivering for Wokingham Borough Council,” they added.

Diocese calls for new school governors CHURCH schools are looking for new governor to come forward.

The Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE), providing support for church schools and academies, is encouraging people across Berkshire to consider stepping up.

The ODBE says it welcomes applicants from all backgrounds to apply and have stated people don’t need to have prior experience in education.

With a 27% vacancy rate in Berkshire, the ODBE is calling for more people with a variety of skills to join their board of governors, with a focus on schools in the area.

Frances Bartlett, deputy director at Oxford Diocesan Board of Education, said: “Church of England schools across the diocese offer a safe, supportive and nurturing learning environment for those of all faiths and none, and we cannot thank our staff,

children and young people enough for the way they have met the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic with resilience.

“As we look forward with hope, now more than ever we need the support of strong governing boards, made up of a diverse cross section of our communities, to help guide and support our schools towards academic and pastoral excellence.”

Professor Martin Parsons, chair of governors at

Thatcham Parks School, said: “I have been a foundation governor for five years and have found the opportunity to make a difference in my community humbling.

“Having the opportunity to use my knowledge and skills, especially over the last year, in a constructive, positive way has really allowed me to feel like I was playing my part in supporting my community and young people in these unprecedented times.”

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Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

NEWS | 11

BANKING CORONAVIRUS IN WOKINGHAM LATEST

‘Shutting counters means bank Santander to close will neglect older residents’ EXCLUSIVE

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today A WOKINGHAM woman has accused HSBC of neglecting the town's elderly residents.

Last week, Vanessa Barrow received a letter from the bank, announcing it will be closing the counter service in its Wokingham branch on Sunday, August 1.

The bank, in Market Place, will switch to using cash machines for in-branch banking — and Ms Barrow said the news has left a lot of customers unhappy.

“A lot of people need help with banking,” she said. “I visit the bank once a month and there’s always a queue of people waiting for the counter.

“There are elderly people who need to talk to someone, who don’t like internet banking and don’t have the app.

“People need the counter to sort out their money situations.”

A spokesperson for HSBC said the Wokingham bank will become a Digital Service Branch, but the Wokingham resident is worried that people will lose their jobs come August.

“They are getting rid of staff who are really good,” Ms Barrow added.

“They are going to lose employment over this and they don’t deserve this.”

The bank has confirmed there will be no redundancies as a result of the change, and staff will move from working behind the screen to helping customers in the banking hall instead. “[They] will be on hand to explain and also to educate customers on how to complete their transaction,” a spokesperson said.

Ms Barrow said she is worried

HSBC has made this decision after footfall dropped during the pandemic, and said if it holds off, the branch will see more customers soon.

“Before the pandemic, people would queue around the corner for HSBC,” she said. “If they wait, they will see that Wokingham is a wonderful, busy place.

“We are a good town for business and once covid is over, people will start heading into town more.”

Now, the resident is urging others who are worried about the counter’s closure to voice their opinions too.

Youth vote for new MP WOKINGHAM pupils have cast their votes for a new MP. On Tuesday, students from senior schools across the borough headed to the virtual ballot box to elect a new Youth MP and Vice Youth MP for Wokingham.

Launched by the British Youth Council, the programme was created to help young pupils use their “elected voice” to campaign for social change.

Equality, climate change, bullying and mental health were among the key topics raised during the 2021 election.

Following the vote, Jonathan Dodd, a Year 11 student from Emmbrook School, was elected as Youth MP while Amanjot Chug, a Year 9 student from St Crispin’s School, was chosen for Vice Youth MP. Now, they will be busy organising events and projects, running campaigns and influencing decisions impacting students.

The duo will also participate in the UK Youth Parliament Annual Sitting and UK Youth Parliament House of Commons Sitting — covid permitting.

A329 to be closed for roadworks

READY TO SERVE: Jonathan Dodd is the borough’s new Youth MP

Wokingham Borough mayor, Cllr Malcolm Richards, said: “I am very happy to be able to join these dedicated young people today with such a passion for making a positive change for their peers across the borough.

“This is a great opportunity for our young people to use their voices to bring the issues that are important to them to light.

“Wokingham Borough Council supports this programme and we look forward to working closely with Jonathan and Amanjot

THE A329 will be closed on Sunday for road works.

Wokingham Road in Earley will be closed between Loddon Bridge Road – close to the Showcase

over the next year.”

Earlier this year, participating schools chose a candidate to put forward for the election.

These students met on Tuesday, May 4, and each gave a five-minute speech and answered questions before the vote.

The other pupils who ran for office were Adaya Sunil (a Year 10 pupil from The Holt School), Luka Zivkovic (a Year 9 pupil from Maiden Erlegh School), and Mrgan CameronWebb (a Year 10 pupil from Waingels College).

Roundabout – and Wilderness Road from 9.30am until 3.30pm.

The works will include surface dressing, organised by the borough council.

“Unless we stand up to HSBC, ring up and complain, they won’t listen,” she said. “We’re not a village, this is a money-grabbing stunt, and it’s ridiculous.”

A spokesperson for HSBC said the bank is currently making changes to its entire branch network to ensure it is “sustainable and fit for the future”.

“The biggest change that customers will see will be the removal of a counter,” they explained. “Virtually all other services the branch previously offered will be maintained, it might just be done in a different way.”

HSBC said it is contacting vulnerable customers over the phone to discuss the change, and to help them find alternative ways to bank if necessary.

Residents can also complete transactions at their local Post Office.

In February, HSBC announced it will be closing its Woodley branch, on Crockhamwell Road, on Friday, June 18.

Santander also announced it will be closing its Wokingham branch, on Broad Street, on Thursday, July 8. � For more information on HSBC’s nationwide plans, visit: www.about.hsbc.co.uk

WOKINGHAM is set to lose Santander this summer, as it closes 111 branches across the UK. The bank on Broad Street in the town centre will close its doors for the last time on Thursday, July 8.

The news comes as the Spanish-owned firm plans to axe branches up and down the country after a change in customer behaviour over the past year.

According to the bank, transactions fell by a third between 2018 and 2020, and fell by a further 50% following the coronavirus pandemic.

Adam Bishop, head of branches at Santander, said “branch usage” has plummeted.

“We have made the difficult decision to consolidate our presence in areas where we have multiple branches relatively close together,” he said.

“We will provide every support to customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.

“We continue to believe that branches have an important role to play and we expect the size of our network to remain stable for the foreseeable future.”

Santander will keep 452 branches, closing any which are less than three miles away from another branch.

Following the Wokingham branch’s closure, the nearest branch will be in Bracknell, or on the University of Reading’s Whiteknights campus.

There is also a branch in Reading town centre.

A spokesperson for the firm said account holders will also be able to bank at Post Offices, and has launched a dedicated phone number to help customers worried about the closures.

It is not yet clear how many jobs will be lost.

For more information and support, contact Santander on 0800 085 0879.

12 | NEWS

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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

Charity says brothers and sisters take 135 days longer to be adopted

‘Almost half of the children on adoption wait list have siblings’

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today ALMOST half of the children waiting for adoption have siblings, and a new campaign has launched to encourage residents to adopt groups of brothers and sisters.

Adoption charity Parents And Children Together (PACT) recruits adoptive families from across the south east.

Lorna Hunt, adoption service director at the charity, said: “So often we hear parents say adopting children with their brothers and sisters has been the most beneficial factor in their children’s adoption journey.

“We urge anyone beginning their adoption journey to think about the children in family groups who need a loving home and ask themselves if they can spare that extra space in their home, and their heart.

“There is plenty of support available – from the financial to the practical – for those that decide they can.”

There are 2,030 children in England waiting for adoption, with 44% of them having brothers and sisters.

Groups of two or more children take 135 days longer to be adopted than individual children.

The nationwide #YouCanAdopt

campaign is celebrating the irreplaceable bond of siblings.

New research, commissioned by adoption agencies, found that in the south east, 60% say it’s important to grow up with brothers and sisters, and positively impacts their lives or their wellbeing.

The majority of adopters do so to start a family, but more than a third do not consider adopting brothers and sisters.

Dr Elizabeth Kilbey, child psychologist and supporter of the campaign, said: “The brother and sister bond can offer incredible lifechanging benefits throughout all aspects and stages of children’s lives.

“This is especially pertinent for adopted children, with #YouCanAdopt’s research showing the bond can support mental health, emotional wellbeing, social skills, and help children settle into a new family.

“Because of this, parents that adopt brothers and sisters together may find their experience benefited by the support they can offer one another.”

The most common concerns about adopting siblings include it being “too challenging”.

However, 88% of parents that adopted family groups say challenges are far

Activity centre gets Siberian exterior DINTON PASTURE’S multi-million pound activity centre has taken another step towards completion.

Last week, the building’s eco-friendly exterior was installed — and it’s made out of Siberian cladding.

Designed by HLM Architects, Wokingham Borough Council said it has been created to “complement the tree-lined landscape of the park”.

It said the cladding will weather over time to blend in with the surroundings, and has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

The two-storey activity centre will be the borough’s first net zero carbon building, and will feature an activity hall, meeting rooms and coffee shop which looks over the lake.

The council said it is set to open in time for the summer.

STICKING TOGETHER: The charity is calling on parents to adopt siblings Picture: PACT

outweighed by the positives.

Many said that adopting children with their siblings has been the most beneficial factor for their children, as it provides reassurance, companionship and comfort.

PACT adopters Louise and Tom adopted a sibling group of three children aged five, three and two.

Louise said: “When we saw the photograph of the three children who would eventually become ours, before even reading their profile, I

felt an instant connection.

“The challenge of siblings was firstly one of the logistics of having more than one child, two of whom were in nappies, plus the requirement to try and meet each of their individual needs.

“Every day was, and still is, a challenge. But we are just a regular family, getting on with life and enjoying ourselves.

“We would not change it for the world.”

RETREAT: The waterside centre will include a cafe and viewing balcony Picture: Stewart Turkington

Developer gifts £1,000 A HOUSEBUILDER has gifted a hospice £1,000 in memory of a former employee.

David Wilson Homes Southern gave Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice the money to help fund patient services in memory of employee, Bill Byrne, who was cared for at the hospice in November last year.

Laura Kell, head of hospice fundraising at Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice thanked the developer for the gift.

“This generous donation will make a big difference in helping us to be there when it matters for people going through the most difficult time of their lives,” she said.

Paul Crispin, managing director at David Wilson Homes Southern, said the company is proud to support the hospice to make a difference in the community.

He added: “We’re thrilled we’ve been able to support the hospice with our donation.”

Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

Hugging family and friends could return in rule update

By MARIE WILLIAMS news@wokingham.today

CAN’T WAIT: Hugs may soon be possible Picture: Pixabay

IN LESS than a fortnight, covid restrictions are due to ease again, increasing the number of people that can meet, and venues that can open.

On Monday, the prime minister is expected to lay out his plan to further lift coronavirus restrictions from Monday, May 17.

However Sage modelling has predicted the “roadmap” is not sufficient to keep infections down.

It warned that 20,000 more people could die in a third wave of the pandemic, 80% of which may be in the fullyvaccinated over 50s group.

Under the Government's plan, there would be an easing on limits to seeing family and friends, allowing residents to decide for themselves the appropriate level of risk for their

circumstances.

Most legal restrictions on meeting others outdoors will be lifted — although gatherings of over 30 people will remain illegal.

Indoors, the rule of six or two households will apply.

The government will also update advice on hugging, and social distancing between family and friends.

Until Monday, May 17, residents should keep social distancing from anyone not in their household or bubble.

From the same date, it is

NEWS | 13

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expected that more businesses will be able to open.

Pubs, restaurants and cafes will be allowed to seat indoor guests, however table service will be expected.

Cinemas and children’s play areas will be allowed to reopen, along with the rest of the accommodation sector, including hotels, hostels and B&Bs. Indoor group sports will resume, as well as exercise classes.

The government will also

allow some larger performances and sporting events in indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or half-full — whichever is a lower number.

Outdoor venues will be limited to a capacity of 4,000 people or half-full — also whichever is a lower number.

Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, receptions and wakes, as well as funerals.

This will also apply to other life event celebrations, such as bar mitzvahs and christenings.

The government is reviewing social distancing ahead of June.

This will then inform guidance on working from home – which should continue wherever possible until the review is complete. � For more information about the easing of coronavirus restrictions, visit: www.gov.uk/ coronavirus

CORONAVIRUS LATEST

Covid rates drop again THE RATE of infections in Wokingham per 100,000 has dropped slightly.

The latest figures for the borough showed the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents is 18.7, down from 23.4 last week.

This is slightly lower than the national rate of infection, which is currently 22.6 per 100,000 people.

There were two positive tests recorded on Tuesday, May 4, bringing the total number of infections to 8,258.

The figures in neighbouring Reading borough are higher than in Wokingham, with an infection rate of 21.6, down from 28.4 last week.

On Tuesday, Reading reported nine new positive cases.

Bracknell Forest has seen its rate per 100,000 increase over the past seven days. It is now 20.4, up from 16.3 last week. On Tuesday there were three new cases.

Windsor and Maidenhead had four cases reported that day, and its rate per 100,000 is now 25.1, down from 30.4 last week.

West Berkshire recorded two positive cases, and its infection rate is 25.9, up from 15.1 last week.

Slough remains the highest in Berkshire, and its rate per 100,000 is 47.5, down from 63.5 last week. It

also recorded seven covid cases on Tuesday.

Nationally, 34,667,904 people have been given their first dose of a vaccine in the UK. And 15,630,007 people have had their second dose.

In England, this is 29,025,049 first doses and 13,072,543 second doses.

On Tuesday, there were four recorded deaths in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.

And there 160 patients admitted to hospital with the virus.

The government has announced plans to invest £29.3 million to expand the Vaccines Taskforce in Public Health England’s new facilities at Porton Down. This will allow it assess the effectiveness of existing and new vaccines against variants of concern.

This will allow it to test 3,000 blood samples a week, so that variants of the virus can be detected and vaccines created for it.

Booster jabs can then be offered from the research.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “We are committed to supporting the UK’s flourishing lifesciences industry and this announcement is yet another critical way we will build back better to protect the country over the coming months and years.”

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Pupils have their say on plans for new Emmbrook greenway EXCLUSIVE

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today TWO EMMBROOK teachers have encouraged pupils to write “persuasive speeches” on plans for a new pathway, to encourage children to participate in community decisions.

Last week, Chereeka Biln and Amy Felton from Emmbrook Junior School took 64 Year 5 students on a trip to Jubilee Avenue, where Wokingham Borough Council has submitted a Path Creation Order.

It has proposed to create a new walkway down the street as part its Greenways programme which launched in 2013.

The project aims to connect local traffic-free routes so residents can walk or cycle between towns and villages and is funded by developer contributions from a range of developments in North and South Wokingham, Arborfield and Shinfield.

Ms Chereeka and Ms Felton said they were inspired to ask pupils to write “persuasive letters” about the proposal to help them engage with the community and participate in real-world decisions.

“For our writing topic this term, our Year 5s were working on persuasive speeches,” Ms Chereeka explained.

“We noticed posters come up on Jubilee Avenue about a new path, and as Wokingham residents we thought ‘why not get children to write about a topic that is really engaging?’

“It is also a good way of celebrating the children’s writing and teaches them how to communicate with other people.”

SITE VISIT: Emmbrook Junior School pupils explore the area where Wokingham Borough Council is proposing to site a greenway

Ms Chereeka and Ms Felton took the students down to Jubilee Avenue to survey the area, which included walking around the site and looking at the local wildlife, before returning to the classroom where the children were asked to share their thoughts.

While they were at the site, Ms Chereeka said the students engaged with local residents about the greenway.

“It was amazing,” she said. “[Ms Felton and I] have our own ideas about why we don’t think the path is the best idea, but the children raised lots of different points including irritation to neighbours and mental health.”

According to Ms Felton, one of the pupils questioned if Wokingham Borough Council is legally allowed to install the path because bluebells grow along the verge of the road.

They are protected under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

She said children cited other reasons for opposing the path too, including increased noise pollution and protecting local wildlife.

Ms Chereeka said the Year 5 students were enthusiastic about the “persuasive letters” project.

“For us, it was important to see the children had their own views on [the proposal],” she said.

“We work hard as a school to make children feel empowered and make sure they raise their voices, so we thought it was a really positive experience.”

Ms Felton said while she and Ms Chereeka are not in favour of the greenway, the children “naturally came to their own conclusions” during the project.

“Part of our mission statement is to teach students lifelong skills,” she said. “We’re teaching them how if you don’t think something is right, you voice your opinion on it.

“Before the trip, we didn’t express

our views and told the children to gather their own opinions.”

Ms Chereeka said it was “hard to disagree” with points raised against the path following the trip, but reiterated that the pupils are “always open to express their different views”.

“It’s always good to model to our young people that we care about the community,” she added.

Last week, the children’s letters were sent to Wokingham Borough Council, which is running a consultation on the proposed greenway, which is open until tomorrow.

Jim Usher, headteacher at Emmbrook Junior School, said he is proud of how Year 5 has approached its latest project. “[The students asked] sensible questions and took a balanced approach,” he said. “It has been a powerful learning experience for them and given them an opportunity to apply their writing skills to a real life scenario that may well directly impact them as members of the local community.

“Thank you to Miss Biln and Miss Felton (and the rest of the Year 5 team) for giving the children this valuable chance to apply their learning.”

A spokesperson for Wokingham Borough Council said: “It is always a good thing when young people take an interest in local issues like this – but, like everybody, it is only fair to them if they have accurate and balanced information so they can give considered views.

“So, we’d love to come and talk to the pupils about the greenways project so we can hear their concerns first hand and will be contacting the school to see if this can be arranged.”

Relaunch for uni’s sanctuary scheme What a lotta bottle THE UNIVERSITY of Reading is making education more accessible with a new initiative.

It has relaunched its Sanctuary Scholarship Scheme which offers financial support to anybody wanting to start or continue their studies in the UK. The programme is for sanctuary seekers — people with refugee, humanitarian protected or asylum seeker status — and was created to reduce disruption to education when people are displaced.

It will offer up to 12 awards each year for people seeking pre-sessional, undergraduate and postgraduate education and forms part of a wider City of Sanctuary initiative at the University of Reading.

Paul Inman, pro-vice chancellor (international), said: “We have a broad and diverse community of staff and students here at the University of Reading and

are committed to the City of Sanctuary initiative.

“We value the rich contribution those seeking sanctuary can make to our institution and life in Reading more generally.”

He said the programme will make it easier for people who have had to flee their home country to access education and “build a better life”.

The awards available through the Sanctuary Scholarship Scheme include fee waivers for an 11-week English language programme, bursary awards for one year of study, and two larger scholarship packages.

The University of Reading is now working towards the University of Sanctuary Award, and has partnered with Reading Refugee Support Group and Reading City of Sanctuary to launch a Sanctuary Café Walk ‘n’ Talk group.

The on-campus café will

be for sanctuary seekers, staff and students, and will include a donation point to help local refugees access free hot drinks.

Maryam Taher, Universities of Sanctuaries coordinator, said: “We are so delighted to hear about the relaunch of these new scholarship opportunities at Reading.

“The support being offered will help aspiring students feel included, welcome and valued in their community.

“Students seeking sanctuary have to overcome significant hurdles, this scheme will contribute to a positive change and we are proud of the efforts at Reading to make this possible.”

Applications for the Sanctuary Scholarship Scheme are now open. � For more information, visit: www.reading.ac.uk/ready-tostudy/study/fees-and-funding/ sanctuary-scholarships

WINE lovers can enjoy same-day deliveries straight to their door with a new app.

Drop Wine, a virtual wine cellar set up in Covent Garden in 2016, expanded its delivery services to parts of Wokingham and Crowthorne last month.

Founders Ian Campbell and Will Palmer originally created the Drop Wine app for people to order wine for same-day delivery in a quick and easy way.

Services will be available seven days a week.

Each wine available on the app has been tasted, vetted and assessed for quality and value.

The Drop Wine app can be downloaded on smartphones.

Ian Campbell, Drop Wine founder, said wine is their “passion as well as profession”.

He added: “We strongly believe that you don’t need to spend enormous amounts of money to ensure a great tasting, top quality glass.

“We pride ourselves on taking the time to root out the diamonds in the rough so we can give our customers the chance to enjoy exceptional wines, at their convenience and at an affordable price.”

Mr Campbell said: “Drop’s range is expanding all the time, and we are delighted to also offer some incredible snacks and nibbles to enjoy with your wine from the very best artisan producers.”

Orders can be made via a Drop Wine app which can be downloaded on smartphones.

Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

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Morris dancing sessions are back MORRIS dancing season has officially arrived as lockdown is slowly eased.

OBJ Morris, a morris dancing side that welcomes members from Wokingham DANCING AGAIN: The OBJ Morris in Market Place, Wokingham last year

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

and Bracknell, is dusting off their bells and whistles in preparation for reopening its doors from Monday, May 17.

The team are hoping to start weekly practice sessions, in line with the government’s covid roadmap.

Colin Charman, one of the group’s musicians, said: “We’ve stayed in touch

through weekly Zoom music and chat sessions, but we’re really looking forward to starting the process of gently getting ourselves ready to perform again.

“It’s an ideal time for new recruits to join us as we’re going to be teaching and re-learning our entire repertoire in readiness for a few dates in the run-up to

Christmas and the 2022 season.”

OBJ Morris is also planning to appear at Swanage Folk Festival in September and Wokingham’s Winter Carnival followed by a Wassail event in Wokingham town centre in January 2022. � For more information, log on to obj.org.uk

‘Think before you act’ warning over ‘racial profiling’

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today A WINNERSH resident has warned the community to think before they act, after what he believes was an incident of racial profiling.

Ade Kass was shopping at Rahim Stores, on the Wokingham Road in Earley last month, and suspects that he was treated differently to other customers due to his skin colour.

Mr Kass said the till operator inspected his £20 closely, before accepting payment.

However a spokesperson for the company said the store has recently seen an increase in fake £20 notes, and are checking more heavily.

“I walked out, but then I thought of George Floyd, and I went back in to ask the manager about it,” Mr Kass said. “When I went back into the shop, the person in front of me paid in cash, and they didn’t question it.

“I explained to the manager that it’s only fair to treat people equally, but he brushed it aside.”

Mr Kass said he gave the manager back the goods he had purchased, and left the shop.

“I’ll never go back there again,” he said. “We need to be careful how we treat people. It’s subconscious, but we have to reflect on our subconscious. As

FAKE NOTES: To avoid fraud, Rahim Stores had been checking customers’ cash

a black person, I live this every day of my life.”

A spokesperson for Rahim Stores said: “Following a staff meeting, all employees who work at the tills were duly informed to check all cash notes but specifically £20 notes, as this is leaving the tills short on a regular basis.

“This specific customer, who is a regular customer of ours, purchased goods and went to the tills and handed a £20 cash note, which my staff member checked to ensure it was real.”

They said at the time, Mr Kass was unhappy and raised his concerns with the manager,

who explained the new instructions to staff.

“I personally apologised to him if he felt offended due to the conduct of the specific member of staff, although he was merely carrying out his job with due diligence,” the spokesperson said.

“Our customer service is of a high standard and we care about customers and their feelings.

“Our stock is multi-cultural and we stock for almost all religions, faiths and cultures and hold the utmost respect for all our customers regardless of their race and religion.”

Studios plans info event THE NEW film studios opening in Shinfield is holding an information event on Monday to outline the second phase of plans.

In March, the borough council approved the first set of plans for Shinfield Studios.

The company is running an online information event at 6pm on Monday, May 11, to

Call us today for your valuation on 0118 978 0777

share plans for the second phase at the Thames Valley Science Park site.

These include 14 permanent sound stages, supporting offices and workshops.

The company will also seek to convert the temporary planning permission granted in the first stage into permanent plans.

Shinfield Studios believes the development will help meet demand for studio capacity nationally, as well as contribute heavily to local employment.

To register for the event, email paulh@curtainandco.com or call 07968 941 009 For more information, visit:shinfieldstudios.com

175 years of experience passed through the generations

Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

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WOKINGHAM.TODAY THE VOICE OF THE BOROUGH

Decision of today affects tomorrow

THE cuts to international aid are concerning, particularly at a time like this.

The Bishop of Reading feels that the decision is ‘desperately misguided’ and has called on her parishoners to write to their MPs to protest.

While the government’s decision might sound rational – the need to tighten our nation’s belts following the sharpest economic downturn for 300 years – the reality will be different.

Dr Sarah Allott, who we interview this week, has seen the difference that the aid has made on projects she has been involved in. As someone who has been on the ground, she is a voice worth listening to.

A drop from 0.7% to 0.5% might sound insignificant, but when you’re at the sharp end it really is a matter of life and death.

A promise that the cut will be temporary is hard to accept when the pledge is being made contrary to a manifesto commitment to keep the aid level where it was.

The chancellor will argue that the rules need to be ripped up to help the nation recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

He is right, to a point.

The decision today affects projects that are designed to create a better tomorrow.

A rethink is needed.

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Your letters Send your thoughts to letters@wokingham.today

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

We love to hear from you! Send us your views on issues relating to the borough (in 250 words or less) to Wokingham.Today, Crown House, 231 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS or email: letters@wokinghampaper.co.uk We reserve the right to edit letters Views expressed in this section are not necessarily those of the paper

Election special: your pet pictures This is our 8 year old Working English Springer Spaniel called Maggie who loves to chase a tennis ball during her daily walks around the parks and woods in Wokingham – Darren Bull Beau (front) and Blu (back). Ragdolls and the best of brothers – Adam Lux Threelegged Gelato, six years old last week – Darren Ferrie

This is our 5 month old puppy Bundy – Leisa Kelly

Luna my 12 week old kitten – Susan Beacham

This is Missy who is 13 human years old in June. She still small and acts like a kitten. Next to her is mousey who she loves, beats up and brings to me when she’s hungry – Georgia Watts

CHURCH NOTES

Getting back together again

A

T long last we are slowly and carefully coming out of lockdown and the blue sky and sunshine invite us to spend time outdoors in our gardens and parks with family and friends.

It has been really tough for many people but there are some inspirational words about Spring in the Bible: “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

“The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

For believers, spring is a reminder that God is all about making things new. In fact, Jesus promised to make everything new one day (Revelation 21:5). In the meantime, He gives us glimpses of the coming attractions through spring.

For those of you with pre-school kids if you have felt a little lost and lonely or stressed and needed a little support during lockdown our Parent and Toddler group – ‘Kings Kiddies’ is staring once again and we love you to join us in Elms Field on Mondays.

You’ll need to book in advance but there will be Bible stories, action songs, games and craft, and a chance to meet with new friends.

Join our Facebook page where you can book and we would be delighted to meet you and your children or grandchildren and share with you the Good News.

Carol Adkins is a member of Kings Church, Wokingham, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham

Pickle, 6 months old on Wednesday , very hyper but such a loving little kitten – Zara Rebecca

Merlin enjoys a nap – Justine Baston Shelby the 6 month old sprocker spaniel enjoying a pit stop during a National Trust walk. – Matt Smith

Morning cuddles with Patrick – Jennifer Joy Richardson

This is Beau, feeling sorry for himself because he’s just been for a short back and sides Vicki Smith

Meet Frankie, my gorgeous cockapoo!

When he was a baby he suffered from epilepsy, but thankfully he's fine now.

Unlike most dogs he's not that keen on long walks –Marla White

This is our dog Diesel. We have had him since he was 7 months old His hobbies include jumping, enjoying a daily belly rub and chasing birds. This is his ‘can we go for a walk ‘face. –Lisa Lewens

Maddie our 9 year old Blue roan spaniel – Sue McIntosh

This is Monty who loves socks – Vicky Mason Lily enjoying the sun at Runnymede. She is 4 months old. Definitely a dog but no idea what breed she is – Andy Degiorgio Our kitten Maisie is nearly 1 year old now! She is full of beans and quite a character but loves a sleepy cuddle. She has brought so much joy to such a horrid time – Gabrielle Surman

This is my mum’s kitten Bow who has literally been climbing the walls during lockdown – Allyson Spence

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Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

Mocha and Coco demanding their dinner, their food cupboard is the one above – Mellissa Sasha Brindley

Election results online from Saturday morning Elle, a fouryear-old rescue cat – Abby Humphries

This is my rescue dog Daisy. She has come to work with me everyday throughout the pandemic at a residential care home and has been giving hugs and cuddles to the residents when they can't see their own families – Victoria Pembroke

This is Alfie, our almost 13 year old westie (photo only taken last year and the only one he looks young in) This is his bow tie he’s wearing for my wedding in June – Jennie Collins Our beagle puppy, Bobby.

He was rehomed to us at 14 weeks old & has become our world. He is a very smart boy though so he always keeps us on our toes – Amy Puddephatt

1 year old Rex or‘Rexy darlin’ as my 3 year old calls him – Ellie Luff

Our Severum Cichlid Bruce, the kids watch him all the time, he's a real character – Bernadette Grant

This is James the hamster– Rachel Widdicombe Ghosty – Kathryn Anne

My daughters dog Esme – Beverley How

My 4 year old husky cross Indy, looking intelligent in my glasses – Charlotte Sines

Titch 3 and tinx 10 weeks brother and sister – Hayley Culleykean

Our family cat Lucy. 15 years old, lost one of her back legs to an infection but still loves life – Sarah Victoria Smallbone

Shaka, a 20-year-old African Gray Emmie Lou This is Baxter the Dashalier he loves sunbathing – Caroline Elizabeth

Maggie. She is almost 3 years old.

She’s a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross Jack Russel Terrier. Full of energy, very cheeky and mischievous but also very loving and loyal – Chelsea Stiff Remi, enjoying Spring in Finchampstead. –Terry Swaden

Princess my regal jumping spider – Charlotte Sines

My gorgeous girl Tillie who is 8 in a couple of weeks – Lucy Harrower

My princess Lucy – Louise Garland

Zippy – Helen Edwards

This is Oakley our 8 year old Alaskan malamute – Libby Munro

This is Charlie our black Labrador – Shani Elliott

The Fonz and Dennis enjoying a sleepover! So lucky to have met Clare on one of our first ever walks almost 7 years ago and they (and us) have been friends ever since – Rebecca Meeuwissen

Boris Johnson. 10 months, likes to steal Sweeties – Sarah Lowther

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Spacephiller

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Thanks to the Butler, you’ll never miss bin day again

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today

Phil Creighton

£840 for a roll of paper?

H

AVE you ever spent £840 on a roll of wallpaper?

Come to think of it, have you ever spent £840 redecorating a room? Not, me.

Over the forthcoming bank holiday – yes, thinking ahead – my children’s bedrooms will be given not just a lick of paint, but a complete makeover. And I can guarantee our budget is closer to £84 than the £30,000 that a certain Downing Street resident gets.

The only thing we agree on is not from John Lewis: that’s because I’m never knowingly overpriced.

Married man that I am, the only strippers I want to see are the ones that take the wallpaper off the wall.

And ancient man that I am, I’ve been there, done that and got the T-shirt – for decorating, that is.

There are lingering childhood memories of wrestling with the scraper, the smell of soggy wallpaper is still right up my nostrils while my fingertips bristle with the goo. It might be some *cough* 40-odd years ago, but that woodchip sticks around.

The satisfying moment was when all the peelings went into the black rubbish bags ready for the binmen to take away to the rubbish dump in the sky.

Thankfully, gone are the days when it would be elbow grease and hot water, it’s now possible to hire a top-notch gizmo that will take all the aggro out of the task, so it’ll be in situ from Saturday morning.

While Del Boy kept promising his family that this time next year they’ll be millionaires, my family are being promised that this time on Bank Holiday Monday we’ll be throwing up the lining paper.

Not fancy pants gold plated patterns on red paper that match the sofa for us, so the seats won’t be in their very own Where’s Wally? contest.

Nope, just some good old fashioned lining paper.

Like that loo roll endorsed by puppies, it’s long and very strong, but thankfully not all that soft. In fact, it’s more like that tracing paper that sufficed when some of us were very, very young. It was an issue always raised at school council meetings as our young derrieres deserved some pampering. Well, something that wasn’t like razor blades at least. Some things weren’t better in the olden days.

Lining paper appeals as it’s also cheap, covers a magnitude of sins and leaves a literal blank canvas to play with.

I could, for example, get some red and gold paint and recreate that fancy pants wallpaper, all for a fraction of the cost. Wilkos has a can on offer at £6 right now, clearly it’s a colour and not 24 carats.

When it’s dry, Tuesday will be spent slap-dashing some paint on to the walls.

Paint is, as anyone knows, an interesting game. The colours rarely match the name.

One incarnation of my study saw the walls plastered in Custard Cream. No really. Sadly it looked nothing like the pale yellow of the finest biscuit known to mankind, instead it was more of a comfy orange, if there’s such a thing.

I’m sadly old enough to remember when white paint stopped being white paint. Instead it was white with a hint of red, white or blue.

Then it got given new names: James White, skimmed milk white, and salt. And yes, all of those are real.

Even that isn’t enough these days.

The whole vintage chic movement means that there’s an abundance of colours with weird monikers: salon drab, mole’s breath and dead salmon for example.

I’m a simple man, with simple tastes. Magnolia it is then.

As long as it’s all done before the carpets arrive on the Thursday, everything will be okay.

Well, until the children decide they want it all done again.

A NEW BUTLER service is launching across the country, which could mean there is no need to take out the bins ever again.

The Bin Butler remembers the household job for residents, taking the hassle out of collection day.

Launched by rubbish disposal company Divert, the service aims to help 93% of the population who have previously forgotten to put their bins out for collection.

They take the bags from the door to the kerbside every week.

“How many of us have chased after a bin lorry, dragging an overflowing bin behind us? It’s a weekly nightmare for many people,” said Divert spokesperson Mark Hall.

“That’s where Bin Butler comes in handy – no more forgetting to empty your bin and trying to squash it down to squeeze a few extra bits in.”

The Bin Butler service aims to solve all of these issues – for £1 a week. Subscribers who are feeling neighbourly can add next door’s bin

on to the collection for just 50p, meaning those meant to be helping neighbours on holiday can avoid the embarrassment of forgetting.

“It’s a small price to pay – quite literally– to never miss your bin collection again,” Mr Hall said.

“No more emergency trips to the tip to dispose of excess bin bags or mountains of uncollected cardboard, and no more waking up

A pre-nup for pups MORE THAN 17 million people now own pets in the UK, and the surge is prompting people to think about a “petnup”.

While lockdown has seen a rise in pet ownership, it has also put a significant strain on relationships, causing spikes in divorce and breakup.

Legal experts at Langleys Solicitors are encouraging owners to “take the sensible and logical step” and set out arrangements for pet custody upon separation.

Theo Hoppen, partner in Family Law at the solicitors, said: “Aside from the arrangements for children, deciding who takes the family pet can be one of the most difficult battles to have when dividing up assets on separation.

“While a pet can quickly become part of the family, the law is clear and treats pets as chattels — an item of personal property, such as a piece of furniture or a car.

“If parties cannot agree arrangements for Fido, a court will only be interested in who paid for the pet and who was

James’ fresh thanks to a bi

By LAURA SCARDARELLA lscardarella@wokingham.today

A DRONE pilot has been snapping scenic shots of Wokingham to show the town from a new perspective.

to the familiar sounds of the bin lorry and rushing to get your slippers on.”

He said Bin Butler could also be useful for residents working unusual shifts or mobility issues.

“If you just want the peace of mind of never forgetting a collection again, Bin Butler is here for you,” he said. � For more information, visit: www.divert.co.uk

Thinking of getting a puppy?

Ask these questions A BRACKNELL charity is urging residents to ask key questions of breeders, if they’re looking for a puppy.

Click-2-Heel has published a checklist of questions that prospective owners are encouraged to ask breeders before committing to a puppy from a litter.

Di Martin is a dog trainer, behaviourist, former Crufts Obedience Champion and the owner of Click-2-Heel.

“Finding a good breeder and then choosing a puppy can be a potential minefield so we hope this guide provides a starting point,” she said.

The questions are: � What are the health test requirements of the breed? � Will there be Kennel Club Registration Papers? � How many times can you visit?

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

� Will you get to see the puppies with their mum? � Does the breed need hearing or sight tests? � Will there be a contract of sale? � What is the breeding programme and environment like? � What age are you allowed to take the puppy home?

The checklist is also covered in module 1 of Click-2-Heel’s Online Puppy Training Course, as well as choosing a breed and sex, how to find a breeder in the first instance, what will the breeder be doing from birth to eight weeks, what to ask about the puppy’s food, preparing for bringing puppy home, husbandry and medical equipment and collecting the puppy. � For information, visit: www.click2heel.com

Local resident James Singleton took up drone photography as a hobby three years ago after buying a toy drone for fun, and now takes unique pictures from points of interest across the borough.

“I quickly realised I could get into flying drones,” he said. “I’ve always had an interest in aviation, and they give you the ability to pilot an aircraft which I enjoy.”

“You also get a bird’s eye view of the places you often go to, giving you a completely different perspective — you get to see things you might not have seen before.”

Recently, Mr Singleton has been busy photographing Wokingham town centre at sunset, but said there are a lot of regulations drone pilots must follow.

“You have to fly well away from people and congested areas if your drone weighs a lot,” he explained. “The rules stop you from hitting someone and causing a lot of damage.

“But I’ve also got a smaller device that weighs 250 grams, meaning I can fly it pretty much anywhere.”

He said it is important drone pilots act responsibly.

“Privacy is a concern for most people,” he added. “I don’t fly over

residential areas, taking pictures of people’s back gardens.

“But I love the pictures I’ve taken of

Helping children? Send in A WOKINGHAM charity has hit upon a clever way to support children deal with the pandemic: they’re sending in the clowns.

And it’s not just a case of spreading some cheer, after all, teach a man to clown …

Wokingham In Need (WIN)has teamed up with Circus Scene to provide circus skills workshops for primary school aged children.

The sessions aim to help children cope with stress, particularly if they have been isolated or are vulnerable.

Circus Scene are no strangers to the borough, regularly popping up at events, entertaining crowds with magic, juggling and clowning around. They also teach and have developed a fun workshop for schools, which has been tailored to youngsters’ needs.

Susan Jackson, founder of WIN, said: “Participating in fun Circus Skills Workshops has many positive impacts for children. It is the perfect antidote to the stresses of life, especially in particularly difficult times.

“We know there are many benefits to mindfulness and that it is good for body and soul.

“However, it can be diffi to grasp. Circus skills on th and involve focusing the m children often find more ac She adds that juggling is that has an impact of brain improve health and menta circus skills help improve h wellbeing, as well as Impro self-esteem, reducing anxie exercise, improving resilien skills are fun and should en

Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

responsible for the pet financially.”

This applies unless one person can prove the pet was a gift, or there was an agreement of shared ownership.

He added: “A judge will not be interested who takes the dog on better walks or gives him the better belly rubs and they are unlikely to get involved in arranging visiting hours, financial support or any other decisions pet owners feel need to be made.

“If discussions aren’t getting you anywhere, a dispute over who keeps the family pet may be resolved by mediation, enabling you both to sit down with an

NEWS | 21

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Another view

impartial mediator who can help guide you to a resolution.”

He said couples should consider a “petnup” as a preventative measure.

“This can set out the arrangements upon separation and confirm who the pet will live with, who will pay for vet fees and who will ultimately care for the pet,” Mr Hoppen said. “When drafted correctly, a petnup can form a contract between you and your partner which will likely be upheld by the court.” � For more information, visit: www.langleys.com

Neil Coupe

They are the world …

W

perspective, ird’s eye view TOP DOG: Daya Gill dressed as a pooch as she ran around Whiteknights Lake to help raise funds for the RPSCA. The animal lover ran 30km in total

Every dog has its Daya – child’s runs for RSCPA

the town centre, where the main focus isn’t on the people, but what’s around them.”

The Wokingham resident has since turned his hobby into a side gig with new business JS Aerial Solutions.

n the clowns for a WINner

fficult for younger children he other hand, are active mind on a task, which chievable.” s a neuromuscular skill n functions and can al wellbeing: “In short, health and mental oving self-confidence and iety, encouraging physical nce and most of all circus ncourage a healthy giggle

function. Laughter, as we all recognise, makes you feel better and is critical to wellbeing.”

There’s other benefits too: it boosts concentration levels and confidence, it improves hand to eye co-ordination, leads to greater self-esteem, helps children work together and exercises the brain.

So it’s a win-WIN situation.

But the charity is appealing for some help so it can send in the clowns.

Susan says: “Wokingham in Need is proud to be working in the local community to drive awareness of Mental Health Wellbeing and assisting in anxiety and mental health issues.

“So can you help us to continue our work in supporting children in this way – if you can donate to this worthy cause that would be amazing.”

Cheques can be left at the Broad Street branch of Prospect Estate Agency in Wokingham town centre.

Just a few doors down, Nationwide Building Society is taking credit card payments. Or you can contact WIN via its website or Facebook page to discuss alternative ways to help. � For more details, log on to www.wokinghaminneed.com

A SIX-YEAR-OLD from Earley has run 30km to raise money for the RSPCA. Daya Gill completed the 18.6 mile challenge in March, raising £446 for the charity.

She ran the distance over the month, with her longest run totalling 5.4km (3.4 miles) through the University of Reading and around Whiteknights Lake.

She says: “I love animals and really want a dog so I chose to raise money for the RSPCA through my running challenge.

“I love running and I am really proud of what I have done.

“I thought it would be really hard to do 30km but actually I was surprised that I did it when my mum totalled up my distance one day.”

But it wasn’t all easy.

“The hardest part was on a day that I went running when I was already too tired because I’d been gardening,” she explains. “I ran out of energy and fell and hurt

POETRY CORNER Just Like Hope He squeezed love into me.

We sat in silence as the tears fell.

No words were needed.

The rhythm of the day slowed down.

I sit with my cold tea, my pen and my joggers.

I sit in silence with the sounds in my head, and the ticking watch of time on my wrist.

I feel strangely at ease in silence.

A sense of freedom.

I can let go of all I can’t control.

Sadness and horror.

Silence and loneliness.

Change and resilience.

Air and breath.

Space and connection.

Questions.

So many questions, But there doesn’t need to be an answer.

The tree outside bends in the breeze, Arches towards the whisper of an answer.

Does the wind carry it?

my knees badly. I only managed 1km when usually I can do 3.2km or more.

“The funniest time was when I ran around a local lake dressed up as a dog – I made friends with lots of other dogs who were also on their walk.”

Daya says she is so happy to have been awarded a certificate by the RSPCA, as well as a subscription to its magazine for beating her fundraising target.

She adds: “I love the magazine because it has lots of animal stories which I love reading but they are also sad because some of these animals were suffering before they were rescued.”

Natasha, Daya’s Mum says the family are really proud of her achievement.

“She stayed really committed to it throughout the month which was great to see,” she says. � To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ daya-30km

Does the shape of the leaves hold secrets that I haven’t dreamt of yet?

I can feel.

I can write.

I can wish.

I can hope.

My life is far from over The dismissive wave of regret doesn’t define as magic The music of magic.

The music of magical silence.

A hum of hope.

A symphony of stars All wrapped up for us to enjoy together.

A fresh cup of tea.

The steam catches the air Weaves a magical silent note across the room.

Wistful. Hopeful. Invisible yet always there.

Just like hope. Just like hope.

Sarah Sylvester

We love receiving your poetry. Email your submissions to letters@ wokinghampaper.co.uk

HEN he was asked what advice Nelson Mandela had for young people, he supposedly responded that he had no right to advise them and had more interest in what advice young people had for him.

Nobody has ever claimed that being a parent is easy, and often I hear people say that it becomes more difficult the older the children become.

Guiding them through their education, friendships and choices has been challenging for everyone at the best of times.

During the pandemic this has been made even more difficult. Saying that I did hear of one friend whose teenage daughter said to her that she had never been happier during lockdown as she did not have to sit with all those other ‘mean girls’, which, whilst it may have made home schooling marginally easier, really must have been difficult to hear.

As parents of school aged children, we could certainly give sensible advice on what to do at school – choose the options you enjoy, turn up and work hard.

Try to get an apprenticeship that you enjoy or go to University and study something that interests you.

As they grow older and start developing a social life, it is relatively easy to empathise and understand, as we lived that life.

The temptations of alcohol, late nights and attempting to form relationships was not that different in the 1980s to how it is today, although in fairness our every move was not photographed and disseminated in those days.

We have the ability to understand that would not have been possible for our parents’ generation whose teenage years could have been in the 1940s and 1950s, when life genuinely was so different.

In other words, we knew what was out there and what our children were up to in a way our parents could not possibly have understood.

And now the irony. We have been able to guide and assist our young people, but what guidance beyond ‘turn up, work hard and be nice to people’ can we give to our children when they become young adults?

Respected Where once we could sagely say ‘get a job in bank, you will be respected by everyone and have a job for life’, ‘get yourself on the property ladder as soon as you possibly can’. I am not sure what the advice should be.

Should they try to work for a big company, should they work for a small company, should they set up on their own? Sorry, not sure.

The reality is that this is now their world.

They are ones who understand and guide us around social change.

They can figure out what to do when our laptops stop working and we do not know whether it is the operating system, the battery, the broadband connection or quite simply a problem solved by switching it off and switching it back on again.

That is not to say that these young adults are necessarily the font of all knowledge.

When daring to suggest to our daughter that the length of the journey to work in the London traffic was a consideration when looking for an apartment, we were informed that ‘You’re killing my vibe’, a 2021 expression which is roughly translated as ‘you are dampening my enthusiasm’.

I guess the moral of the story is that all that we can do is try to encourage our young people to develop the tools to deal with the world in which they will be living, hopefully for decades to come, and if we ever do give any advice, choose the right moment and do it subtly.

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Good neighbours: Uni Kayden makes his mark fund to help community

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today COMMUNITY projects in Reading will have a £50,000 boost this year, in a new initiative from the University of Reading.

The Community Fund has been set up by the university, in partnership with the John Sykes Foundation.

It will support projects that benefit the town’s community over the academic year of 2021/22.

Dr Sally Lloyd Evans, public engagement with community research fellow, said: “Many of our colleagues, students and organisations have inspirational ideas for building important grassroots projects with local communities, but they lack the resources to get initiatives started.

“This new Community Fund is core to the University’s commitment to working together with our local communities for the mutual benefit of everyone in Reading.

I’m excited to be part of this programme and I can’t wait to see how it develops.”

Trustee Annabelle Sykes said the John Sykes Foundation is excited to partner with the University of Reading.

“My family and I have an unwavering love of, and are immensely proud of, Reading, where our heritage is so deeply rooted,” she said.

“We place the local community at the heart of what we do. This partnership, strengthened by our shared values and positive ethos, presents us with great opportunities, and it is so wonderful our University is not only of Reading, but also the University for Reading.”

University staff members will be able to apply for funding to support projects they are

involved with either as part of their job, or in a voluntary capacity.

Professor Van de Noort said the new community fund will enable staff to do more, at a time when many need it most.

He added: “I look forward to hearing about the projects that we can support through this fund and would like to thank the John Sykes Foundation for its financial support for this new initiative.”

The project must involve working with and for the benefit of a local Reading community group or individuals and should be located within a five-mile radius of the town centre.

Proposed activities must also further at least one of the University’s charitable objectives of advancing education, learning or research.

The fund will also provide one-off, smaller awards of roughly £1,000 per year and larger awards up to a maximum of £10,000 per year on a one-off or multi-year basis.

The deadline for funding applications is Wednesday, June 30.

A SIX-YEAR-OLD from Earley has been supporting his primary school by selling bookmarks.

Kayden Chan is excited to have raised £278.69 to help improve Radstock Primary School’s quiet area.

“I chose bookmarks, because I am always looking for new ones and I could easily use aquabeads to decorate a craft stick to make it really colourful,” he said.

An avid reader, he said his favourite genre is adventure.

Mum, Ruth Kwan, said initially she was sceptical whether anyone would buy his handmade crafts, but was spurred on by neighbours.

“Even so, I was expecting to raise £20 to £30,” she said.

“Kayden was so enthusiastic about the idea though, he then ended up making 28 items.

“Then he ran out of stock after this first stall and wanted to hold a second because he felt he had let people down. So we held a second stall with more than 100 items and sold them all again.”

She said the support and generosity of the community has been mind blowing.

“I would like to thank everyone for supporting Kayden in his quest to help his school, who have been fantastic,” Ms Kwan added.

“All the money has gone to help improve the quiet area at

HAPPY READING: Earley Panda visits Kayden’s bookmark stall

Radstock School… [we are] really pleased to have been able to play a small part in helping the school support our younger generation.”

It is part of a project for the Year Two group, who

completed a sponsored fancy dress walk to raise money.

The fund will be used to buy flowers, books, games and fresh paint for the school’s quiet area – a space for students to relax in their break times.

Search for treasure in Earley FIVE CHURCHES in Earley have organised a treasure hunt next weekend to support Christian Aid. Residents are being encouraged to walk or cycle between St Peter’s Church, St Nicolas Church, Brookside Church, Salvation Army, and Trinity Church to find the clues.

Two letters and a question

to think about, will be displayed at each location.

Once all 10 letters have been gathered, residents should complete the anagram to find the treasure location.

Residents can join the hunt from Friday, May 14 until Sunday, May 16.

Treasure will be at the secret location between 4pm and

5.30pm on the Saturday and Sunday.

Donations will go to Christian Aid, which is currently building water storage systems in Kenya to mitigate climate changeinduced drought.

To donate, visit: giving.tapsimple.org/online/ christian-aid/earley-treasurehunt-a5486

Call for more bins in Earley park THE LEADER of Earley town council said he is concerned about rising litter in the town’s parks.

Cllr Clive Jones said as more residents enjoy the parks with friends, the amount of rubbish is increasing – and it can’t be contained by the bins.

“I’ve asked the borough council for more litter bins for Chalfont Park,” he said. “But they said ‘when we take one from somewhere else, we’ll let you have one’. That’s not the right stance.

“Wokingahm Borough Council should be looking after its parks properly.”

He said people are buying food and drink from the nearby shops, and the bins are left overflowing as a result.

“They’re not being emptied quickly enough,” Cllr Jones said.

“It’s a capacity problem.”

A spokesperson for Wokingham Borough Council said, across the area, it has seen an increased use of residents visiting parks with food and drink – leading to a rise in litter.

They said: “To keep our parks and open spaces clean and green, we are emptying the bins more frequently at a number of our parks, including Chalfont Park.

“And, we are monitoring the use of litter bins across the borough and will respond when we see a problem.”

They thanked residents for using the bins, but urged them to take their litter home if the bins are full.

“At Chalfont Park, we have a litter picker associated with the nearby fast food restaurant who carries out litter picking at the park and provides us with local information and updates so we can react to any particular problems at the park,” they added.

Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

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CROWTHORNE FINCHAMPSTEADNEWS

JUST A BIT OF WATER: Participants in the Splash For Seb included members of the BNI Fleet Elite group (pictured right) who made some very deep puddles to jump into

Having a splashing time for Seb FAMILIES splashed their way through the holidays for a charity fundraiser.

Sebastian Action’s Trust, based in Crowthorne, encouraged families to get together for its Easter fundraising event, Splash For Seb. Participants raised more than £1,600

for the charity which helps families will seriously-ill children, after taking on the challenge to jump in puddles in their local area.

The aim of the challenge was to find lots of puddles, the biggest puddle and to see how many you can jump in.

The BNI Fleet Elite, a business networking group based in Fleet, were one of the teams to take part in the fundraiser.

Jamie Stevenson, chapter director at BNI Fleet Elite, said: “We are extremely proud to have Sebastian’s Action Trust forming such a fundamental part of our BNI chapter.

“I absolutely loved splashing for Seb and seeing how many people got involved, I’m really excited for the next event.”

Simon Lillywhite, fundraising and communications manager at Sebastian’s

Action Trust, said: “The Splash for Seb campaign was a huge success, and we are so pleased to see such wonderful supporters taking part.

“We would like to thank everyone that took part in the Splash for Seb campaign, and all those who donated.

It will go directly to supporting families of seriously-ill children.” � For more information or to donate, log on to sebastiansactiontrust.org

School makes awards list

PUT FORWARD: Wellington College was up for a Tes Award

By LAURA SCARDARELLA lscardarella@wokingham.today A CROWTHORNE school has been shortlisted for an award for its efforts during the pandemic.

Blankets are a WINner BLANKETS were gifted to care home residents last month.

Wild Acres care home, in Finchampstead, received 30 handmade blankets from Wokingham In Need, on Thursday, April 22.

The charity, which supports vulnerable and homeless people in the community, worked with local group, Blankets Made With Love, to provide knitted blankets for the care home residents.

There was one blanket made for each resident in a variety of colours for them to enjoy whilst at the home.

Michele Munro, activities coordinator at Wild Acres, said: “What a treat, residents commented on all the work that had gone into them, how useful they would be and just how beautiful they were.

“We were thrilled to be gifted these wonderful blankets, which not only brought smiles on the day, but will continue to do so for a long time to come.”

Residents were able to choose their favourite blanket, hand delivered by a member of Wokingham In Need.

Sue Jackson, founder of Wokingham In Need, said: “We are delighted to be associated with Blankets Made With Love. The ladies produce wonderful knitted and crochet items which are appreciated so much by those who receive them.

“Wokingham In Need will continue to work with hospitals and care homes and is indeed discussing further work with Wild Acres working closely with local schools in relation to stone painting, letters and more.”

It has been recognised for the award due to the extensive work it has done in the last year to help state schools tackle problems they face due to the pandemic.

Wellington College, on Duke’s Ride, Crowthorne, was put forward for the Tes Independent-State School Partnership Award.

Although it wasn’t a winner – as announced last week due to the extensive work it has carried out over the last year to help state schools tackle the problems they faced due to the pandemic.

The college has been providing pastoral support for schools across Wokingham, Bracknell Forest and other areas.

Sue Parker, Wellington College’s ISSP partnership coordinator, said: “Our partnership work has proved to be so beneficial for so many during the pandemic and our students are selected on the basis that they

need extra support for many different reasons and during the pandemic this was even more apparent.

“We provided support to the students and their families with advice and guidance on university applications, sixth form and A-level choices, support for mental health challenges, IT problems and help accessing their online sessions and much more – this has been very rewarding.”

Jon Severs, Tes editor, said: “After a difficult year for all schools, it is an honour to celebrate the Tes Independent School awards, not only to celebrate excellent practice but to ensure that practice is shared far and wide.

“We received an unparalleled number of entries this year, which is testament to the great work all have done during the pandemic and the schools that have been shortlisted should be proud – it's a remarkable achievement.”

The winner of the award was Bedales School, in Petersfield.

To see the full list of winners from the virtual ceremony, visit isawards.co.uk

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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

SONNING, RUSCOMBE, To advertise in this section, TWYFORD&HURST, NEWS REMENHAM & WARGRAVE call Claire on 0118 327 2662 Sonning’s new plan ‘Place arts and culture SONNING residents are being encouraged to share their views about the future of their neighbourhood.

The parish council has launched a new questionnaire to get people talking about development in Sonning.

Produced by a Steering Group, which includes members of the parish council and other village residents, the survey will help draft a new Neighbourhood Plan which would then be used by the borough council when considering future planning.

A spokesperson for Sonning Parish Council said: “Sonning residents have an opportunity to shape our Parish and develop a sense of place that is unique and valuable.

“We have a rich historical past which we need to maintain and a wealth of natural environment to improve.”

They said having a Neighbourhood Plan will allow residents to develop the village “as [they] wish”.

According to the parish council, the plan will guide the growth and development of Sonning until 2036.

It will also help determine future planning applications in the village, and entitle the parish council to receive 25% of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) revenue — rather than 15%.

This is the charge developers must pay to the planning authority, to support further development.

The questionnaire has been delivered to all Sonning residents, and must be completed by Monday, May 10.

All residents aged 16 and over are asked to fill out the survey. � To complete the survey online, visit: sonning.info/snp

Village fete to return CHARVIL residents will be celebrating this summer, as the annual village fete gets ready for its big return.

Charvil Village Fete Committee has announced the much-loved event will be held this coming July, to honour the end of lockdown – and hopefully the pandemic.

The event has been running for more than 20 years and sees a whole host of entertainers, stall holders, local groups and more descend on the village for an afternoon of fun.

And back by popular demand is Piston Broke, who will be performing live music throughout the afternoon.

All the usual treats are planned too, including food and a bar supplied by Nyama Catering Co. Covid-permitting, this year’s Charvil Village Fete will take place on Saturday, July 4, between 2pm and 6pm at East Park Farm Playing Fields.

Entry is free. � For more information, visit: www.charvil-fete.co.uk

Church launches children’s club WARGRAVE residents can keep the little ones entertained with help from St Mary’s Church.

It is launching a new, free Sunday Club @ 4 on Zoom.

Children in Reception through to

Year 6 are able to log on for 30 minutes of games, songs and more.

The first session will take place on Sunday, May 9.

To find out more, or to book a space, visit: wargravechurch.org.uk

at heart of new library’ EXCLUSIVE

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today A TWYFORD councillor is calling for the village’s new library to “celebrate” its local residents.

Stephen Conway, ward councillor for Twyford, said the pandemic has highlighted “the value of community” and believes this should be reflected in the new centre.

In March, Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee approved turning the former Old Polehampton Boys School, a Grade II Listed building, into a new library and lobby, with an added extension.

Now, as plans for the site develop, Cllr Conway said he wants arts and culture to be at the centre.

“We would like the new library to showcase Twyford’s history and become an arts and culture hub,” he said.

“I’ve been approached by Twyford and Ruscombe Local History Society to see whether they could host an exhibition in the foyer area.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea.”

Cllr Conway said many people have relied on the arts over the past year and this could help “revive “ community spirit post-pandemic.

“I’m very keen to see a recognition of Twyford’s history,” he explained.

“We’ve always known that a sense of community is important, but that’s been brought to the fore by the pandemic.

“It has reminded people how much they rely on the community they live in, and it gives them that sense of belonging.”

WELCOMED: The site of the new Twyford Library should champion the arts and community

He said he would also like to display work from local artists in the library, as well as encourage sustainable travel to and from the site once it opens.

“We are [also] keen to build on the increased amount of walking that has been taking place during lockdown,” Cllr Conway explained, “which is not only good for personal health but also for the environment.

“As traffic levels creep back up to pre-pandemic levels, the new enthusiasm for walking will be

difficult to sustain unless we can make it safer for pedestrians to walk in our village.”

He said he would like to see walking and cycling become a “permanent feature” in Twyford.

“There’s an opportunity here to do something that was better than before,” he added.

“This all sounds very idealistic, but it’s the kind of vision we have for Twyford.”

Cllr Conway said he has been campaigning for the library for 20 years.

Call for views on housebuilders’ plan PLANS for a new collection of homes in Hurst have been revealed — and the

housebuilder wants to hear residents’ views.

Berkshire-based developer JPP Land is proposing four new homes on Sawpit Road, on the southern edge of the village.

Last week, Wokingham.Today reported on how the plans have divided the village.

The proposal includes two semi-detached, three-bed cottages, and two detached, four-bed barns on a triangle of land in the heart of the village.

According to the housebuilder, the site would feature resident and visitor parking, as well as landscaping which would keep the majority of the existing trees and see new vegetation planted to “enhance” the area.

It said the homes would also be efficient, equipped with low energy lights and low consumption appliances, and would also come with electric vehicle charging points.

A new footpath would connect the development to the existing path on Sawpit Road.

JPP Land said: “There is a continual need for new urban and rural homes.

“Landowners and private developers are able to put proposals to Wokingham Borough Council to allow sites to contribute to the availability of new homes.

“We are proposing a small rural scheme of four homes.”

JPP Land said it now wants to consult the local community to “answer questions, and to encourage feedback and ideas”.

“We will review the feedback, implement changes where possible, and include comments as part of our planning application,” it said.

The developer has not yet applied for planning permission for the development.

If approved, it said Wokingham Borough Council would receive at least £190,000 from the project in developer’s contributions. � To find out more about JPP Land’s proposal, and to take part in the consultation process, visit: www.sawpitroad.com

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Thursday, May 6, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

from your community groups. Send your INTHECOMMUNITYNewsreports to news@wokinghampaper.co.uk Wokingham Probus Club As in many other organisations, Wokingham Probus members were somewhat shocked when lockdown abruptly terminated our monthly lunch meetings a year ago.

Just as we thought we might be restarting our activities in the autumn of last year, further restrictions and then the second lockdown took hold.

So a decision was made to re-open our monthly speaker meetings on Zoom and these have proved very enjoyable, both informative and entertaining.

Our members have embraced this medium so well that we now also have a midmonthly Zoom meeting solely for people to meet socially on line to exchange news and views. People have found logging on to a Zoom meeting amazingly easy, even those who are slightly technophobic.

Our talks have included a wide range of general interest subjects from life in India, to Edwardian London, script writing for famous comedians, and producing popular TV music shows.

We also managed to hold an AGM online with Geoff Ogston taking over the chair from Cec Williams with Val Briault becoming vice chair.

Subjects of forthcoming Zoom talks include garden birds, the story of the Joe Lyons catering company and the intricacies of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Wokingham Probus Club is a meeting place for local retired or semi-retired professional and business people, both men and women, to assemble monthly in an informal and friendly atmosphere for social chat, a pleasant lunch and a talk on a general interest topic.

New members will be most welcome. Fees are modest, lunches good value and the company friendly.

Normally, in non-Covid times, our meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month at 12.30pm for 1pm lunch, with a talk usually following. The location is Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way, Bracknell, RG12 8TF. We are all keen to be back gathering there as soon as it is permitted, and safe, but our activities at the hotel are still suspended at present.

If you are interested in what Probus offers and would like to view one of our forthcoming talks on Zoom we will be happy to invite you to join us, without charge. Details are on wokinghamprobus.org.uk David Hunter

Promise Inclusion MEMBERS of a Wokingham charity are honouring the late Captain Sir Tom Moore with a new fundraiser.

A group from Promise Inclusion, which assists people across Wokingham and Bracknell with learning disabilities and autism, has teamed up with The Captain Tom Foundation.

In a bid to raise vital funds for the Wokingham charity, members have been taking part in the #CaptainTom100 initiative by doing 100 things that make them happy.

They hope to raise £500 to cover venue and activity costs for three months.

The members are taking on tasks including singing 100 songs, eating 100 chocolate buttons, and reading 100 poems. So far, the team has raised nearly £200.

To find out more, and to make a donation, visit: www.promiseinclusion.org

CLASP Wokingham May is no exception for CLASP’s busy agenda.

We had our Book Corner on Tuesday. Tomorrow, Steve Bowers talk to us about his job on the tenant and landlord

Wokingham Horticultural Association THE proof of the pudding was in the eating at the first mini show of 2021 for Wokingham Horticultural Association.

Diane Rowe baked a Marble Cake to a given recipe which was judged the best among the 10 exhibits.

Diane had a reputation to maintain as a photo of the Marble Cake she baked for the Virtual Spring Show in March had been voted tops by other members.

St Crispin’s pupil Madi Emery’s Marble Cake was highly commended (pictured).

Allotment holder Kevin Beautement’s spectacular pot plant won him a first place, as did his three sticks of rhubarb.

Pauline MacBrayne was a winner with an impressive collection of own-grown fruit and vegetables.

The April Show took place panel at the council; Tuesday, May 11, we have our popular Dancing to Music paid for by our Get Berkshire Active grant; then we have our regular choir on Friday 14 and 28 of the month with SingHealthy.

The week commencing 10 May is also Mental Health Awareness Week where CLASP will soon be advertising our full programme.

On Tuesday, May 18, we welcome back Sue Meacher the Senior Housing Allocations officer at WBC to give us updates; on Friday, May 21, we continue our Speak Up programme to build our confidence. The last week of May host a talk about travelling safely on Tuesday, May 25.

As you can see a nice busy agenda with a mix of information, fun and interactive discussions.

All our sessions are still on Zoom from 10am to noon. You

Wokingham Volunteering Helena Badger

www.volunteer wokinghamborough.org.uk

T

HE British Heart Foundation shop in Wokingham needs some help.

It needs volunteers to help on its tills and out on the shop floor making sure the store looks great.

The volunteers can talk to customers, make them feel welcome, help them find the things they are looking for and inform them of the BHF’s life-saving heart research.

They also serve customers on the till, keep the shop looking fresh and thank everyone who brings in their donations and custom.

It is an opportunity to learn customer service skills and gain experience.

The store’s team says: “Don’t worry if you’re not a confident speaker; with this role all you need is a welcoming and helpful attitude.

“We have a friendly team who can help you, and no experience is necessary.” � First Days Children's Charity was launched in 2013 in response to needs in the local community in Berkshire.

Quite simply: there were people with stuff they didn’t need and people who

in glorious sunshine in the Garden Room at the Ormonde Road allotments site where social distancing could be maintained.

The next show is due to take place on Sunday, May 23, with the final Summer Show on June 27, when the WHA plan to hold a grand opening of the refurbished Trading Store.

Further details can be found on the WHA website www. can join by contacting us on admin@claspwokingham.org.uk, or calling 07780 749 453.

Everyone is welcome.

Debs Morrison

Autism Berkshire’s SocialEyes course A FREE course for austic adults has been designed for Berkshire residents this May. SocialEyes is a free eightweek course, open to autistic adults aged 19 to 25, designed to help improve social skills.

Young autistic adults in Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire can benefit from the course, which is provided by the Berkshire West Autism and ADHD Support Service.

It will focus on starting and ending conversation, body language, facial expressions, eye contact and personal space.

The course will take place on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm until 9pm,.

The first session ran earlier

desperately needed it.

The charity grew very quickly and now, nearly eight years later it has staff and volunteers and have helped more than 10,000 children, and distributed more than 250 tonnes of donated goods.

To help as many families as it can as quickly as possible First Days says it needs volunteer delivery drivers to help deliver essential items such as pushchairs, toys, books and hygiene products from its warehouse in Molly Millar's Lane to locations in Reading, Wokingham and the surrounding area.

It says it can work around whatever time you have available to offer to help deliveries. You will need your own vehicle.

ABC to Read says that it believes life is better when everyone can read and express themselves confidently.

Its trained reading mentors provide children with the skills and confidence they need to do just that.

w-h-a.org.uk or by emailing Janet at wha-general@outlook.com The next event is the annual plant Bring and Buy Sale which will take place from 10.30amnoon outside the Ormonde Road Trading Store.

All welcome.

For more details please see the website or email Sheila at wha-trading@outlook.com Pauline MacBrayne and Sheila McKeand

this week, and the course runs until Tuesday, June 29, excluding June 1 due to the school half-term holiday.

SocialEyes will be available to adults registered with a GP surgery that is part of the Berkshire West NHS Clinical Commissioning Group.

Participants of the course also need to have been educated in a mainstream setting.

Helen Harris, autism development worker for Autism Berkshire leading the course, said: “SocialEyes does not ask autistic people to change their social behaviour or to copy ‘typical’ behaviour.

“The aim is to give participants the option to learn social interaction skills or alternative social strategies that work for them in a range of situations.” � For more information, visit autismberkshire.org.uk

With the current crisis, it feels there is even more need for volunteers as some children may have fallen behind.

Volunteers are currently being trained online and are supporting children virtually while they are not on site in school.

Volunteers support children on a face-to-face basis in schools.

Commitment is ideally twice a week for one-and-a-half hours in the afternoons but once a week will be considered.

The role is extremely rewarding, learning new skills and strengthens our community.

At the current time, the charity will be conducting online interviews and training. � These are just a few of the opportunities on our books. Call: 0118 977 0749, email volunteer@wokvol.org.uk or visit our website www. volunteerwokinghamborough.org.uk to find out more and have a look at all the roles we have to offer.

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26 | LEISURE

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Get ready for the launch of the Rep Throughout lockdown, a theatre company has been busy preparing its new hub, ready to launch this autumn. LAURA SCARDARELLA explains

A

THEATRE company is planning to launch its new cultural arts hub this autumn.

Reading Rep Theatre, founded in 2012, has raised more than £1 million to build a new permanent space, which will open with its first production in October this year.

With an initial investment of £500, Paul Stacey, artistic director, built the company from scratch, creating theatre productions and supporting young actors in the community.

As Reading’s only all-year round theatre, the company provides support to emerging artists ensuring everyone can access high-quality theatre in the area.

Mr Stacey expressed he is “incredibly excited” to open the space on Kings Road – close to Reading College – hoping that audience members react well to their new venue.

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE: The new performance area organised by Reading Rep. Its previous shows include (from top right) Carmen, The Nutcracker and The Mountaintop. Inset left: Paul Stacey During the pandemic, the company’s main focus was the building project, which has given them time to get it ready for when lockdown restrictions are fully lifted.

Mr Stacey said: “With the light at the end of the tunnel of this incredibly challenging year now shining brighter than ever, we can’t wait to open our new doors later this year and share space, laughter, and stories with our community and audiences again.”

Reading Rep Theatre will also be

announcing their new season’s line-up , with five different productions on the slate.

Mr Stacey said people can expect “radical and exciting takes” on productions that they are familiar with.

“We have a mix of home-grown talent as well as bringing in exciting artists from around the country as well,” he added.

The company also supports young people with its Engage programme where they have kept running workshops, online and in person, over the past year.

Wokingham Loves Music

WHATEVER YOU WANT: John Coughlan’s Quo has recorded a lockdown song about lockdown Picture: Andrew Merritt Photography

Chris Hillman

bit.ly/wokingham lovesmusic

I

T’S INEVITYABLE – musicians were always going to write about lockdown, and this week’s playlist reflects that.

John Coughlan’s Quo have used the pandemic to create new music and their latest, Lockdown, is one of two great new entries to enjoy, as part of the Wokingham Loves Music soundtrack.

You can listen for FREE, via Spotify.

There’s a special page set-up at bit.ly/wokinghamlovesmusic

John Coughlan’s Quo – Lockdown (Stir-Crazy Mix) This band visited the town to play a great show at Wokingham Music Club (WMC) in 2019.

It was the year before lockdown and now they have released a new two track single that features this track about that lockdown.

It’s an uplifting rock anthem with a classic Status Quo feel which, of course, is the band that drummer, John Coughlan, was in during their 70s heyday. So if you ‘lost your mind in lockdown’ put this track on, turn it up, sing-along and rock out – www.johncoghlan.com

The 286 – One Way Love The 286 are a rock ‘n’ roll orchestra who perform their unique interpretations of classical pieces and more as well as their own self-penned songs.

Mr Stacey said: “We survive on people coming to see us and it’s been a challenge but our Engage programme has been able to continue throughout – we are really proud to have kept that running.

“We have been so humbled and delighted by the support we have received over the last two years.

“Our new cultural arts hub is a significant next step for Reading Rep and for Reading, and we are so excited to share what we have planned for the first season in our new home.” � For more information visit readingrep.com

Last year they released a few singles, including this one. It’s a good song with a hooky chorus and they released a fun video for it too which featured 286 of their fans from all over the word dancing to it. Very cool.

I’m sure there will be lots of people dancing along to this band when they appear at Wokingham Festival in August – www.the286.co.uk

The Salts – Drunken Sailor (A Cappella) It’s a brand-new a cappella version of the sea shanty classic released on Wokingham-based Braccan Records.

The band will be live at Norden Farm in Maidenhead on June 25 – www.thesalts.co.uk

One Eyed Man – Ode to the Beast A Berkshire-based singer songwriter who will be appearing on the WMC Stage at this year’s Wokingham Festival.

This track is taken from his wonderful Autumn Winds EP – facebook.com/ OneEyedManOfficial

Marky Dawson – Radio Gaga

62 Miles From Space – Sentinel

Marky is a charismatic piano player with a huge voice who will be appearing on the WMC Stage at Wokingham Festival in August.

Here’s his unique version of a Queen classic – www.markydawson.co.uk

Music from Moscow but released on a Wokingham-based record label and it’s another from Mega Dodo Records. 62 Miles From Space are a duo from Russia and this is from their new double EP – www.facebook.com/62milesfromspace

Katie Ellwood – Self Love Here’s a Wokingham musician and songwriter with an excellent new single.

Get hooked in with Katie’s chilled grooves and subtle melody and check out that closing string section – www.katieellwood.com

Crystal Jacqueline – Rainflower Here’s the title track from an album released on Wokingham’s Mega Dodo Records by an artist that we are looking forward to seeing at Wokingham Festival in August – www.facebook.com/ crystaljacquelinemusic

Kyros – Cloudburst (Isolation Sessions) This is on the band’s new album, Celexa Streams, which was recorded during their critically acclaimed virtual shows. They will be appearing at a real show when they perform at Wokingham Festival in August – www.kyrosmusic.com

The Wave Machine – Ocean’s Brew Here’s an artist that will be at Wokingham Festival for the first time this year. He’s a Brighton based singersongwriter, originally from the area, who writes songs with a summer feel – www.facebook.com/thewavemachine

Solomon in the underworld JOURNEY through a conspiracy underworld in a one man show this May. Marlon Solomon presents his one person show Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard’s Tale at Norden Farm on Thursday, May 20 at 8pm.

Marlon said: “I noticed a rise in conspiratorial thinking back in 2016.

“Not understanding why it was happening or where it was coming from, I set out to find out and A Lizard’s Tale tells the story of that often bizarre and terrifying journey.”

In this show, Marlon explores why conspiracy theories are more popular than ever.

Having won Best Spoken Word at Greater Manchester Fringe Festival in 2018, Marlon has previously performed the show for The Labour Conference, The Humanist Society and The Holocaust Education Trust Ambassadors Conference.

Tickets are £14 for adults, £12 for concessions, and are available for in the theatre or live streamed. � For details, log on to: nordenfarm.org

Making arts accessible

WORKSHOPS will be held to raise awareness of invisible disabilities starting next month.

South Hill Park will run a series of free practical sessions, as part of its Access All Areas project, to develop understanding on invisible disabilities and inclusion.

Led by South Hill Park’s tutor, Basia Gorska, the workshops will be held from Saturday, May 22 until Saturday, September 11.

All sessions and exhibitions are free to attend, though advanced booking is recommended to guarantee a place.

Participants will also work to create artwork that will culminate in an interactive installation in October.

Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the Access All Areas project aims to show people’s reallife experiences with invisible illnesses and the challenges they face in their daily lives.

Loucia Manopoulou, exhibition curator, said: “Recent research shows that participatory arts and crafts activities in community provide opportunities for people to engage with each other and their own creativity, directly improving their sense of well-being.

“Making art can enable people to take greater responsibility for their own health and wellbeing by helping maintain levels of independence and curiosity and improve the quality of life by bringing greater joy, which is why projects like these are so important.” � For more information or to purchase tickets, visit southhillpark.org.uk

Into the woods STEP into the woods for an outdoor West End show this summer.

The Wonderment Group have announced West End In The Woods, an outdoor concert and dining experience, will make its way to Wasing Park Estate, Berkshire, from Friday, June 4 to Saturday, June 5.

After Covid-19 made an impact on theatres, the show aims to bring a part of the West End to Berkshire for a special outdoor experience.

The evening will include a three-course dinner followed by a musical concert on the estate’s Woodland Amphitheatre stage.

Audience members can purchase show only tickets for £60 per person, or table packages for up to six people start from £780.00.

Guests will enjoy an evening featuring songs from Into the Woods, Lion King, We Will Rock You, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Wicked and more.

A track and trace system, temperature checks and sanitising stations will be adhered to, following government guidelines. � For more information, visit westendinthewoods.com

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28 | LIFE

In the garden May

SPRING INTO SUMMER

M

AY is a great gardening month and probably the last month you can plan for your summer colour in the garden.

For those with limited space, bedding plants will give you maximum effect and can really make a statement. If you are taking a long-term view then a garden full of reliable flowering shrubs is also an option.

Whatever garden you have, watering and weeding are the key watchwords for May. It’s essential to water newly planted fruit trees, roses and shrubs regularly to help their root systems get established.

It’s also the time of year when many plants’ demand for water increases as they start their major growth period.

Top watering tips include – every time you plant something water it in well, make a moat of soil round newly planted plants so that water doesn’t run off and goes to the roots, water pots and containers so that water appears right to the top of the pot and get a water butt.

If you have a drainpipe you have a natural water supply so a simple garden solution for May is to ensure that you have adequate water storage.

If you buy and fit a water butt it will provide you with water for the garden in an environmentally friendly way and on a regular basis.

Annual weeds will be popping up now, so weeding borders once a week to prevent weed seedlings establishing is a good idea.

The problem with the most common weeds such as nettles, dandelions and bindweed is that they are very, very tough.

They can continue to grow in conditions that make most garden plants simply fade away – and they do that, in part, by using the moisture, nutrients and light of the plants around them.

A great plant to get you into the summer gardening spirit is the pretty Petunia (pictured) – perfect for containers and hanging baskets and a great choice for instant colour.

It can flower all summer long, providing you deadhead regularly, and comes in a variety of colours to suit any garden palette.

Petunias are also available in different blooms including single, double, ruffled or smooth petals.

They can be striped, veined or solid in colour and most sold today are hybrids developed for specific design purposes such as fragrance. They need full sun and can’t tolerate frost but can grow in a wide range of soils and thrive in multipurpose compost when planted in containers.

Keeping on top of garden maintenance is crucial in May. The garden is coming alive so there is plenty to keep you busy. Here are some jobs you should be thinking about this month from the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society)... � Plant out seedlings and young plants � Watering and weeding � Start spraying roses to stop black spot and mildew � Fast growing hedges will need a trim � Plant hanging baskets and containers � Plant salad leaves seeds � Tie up climbers � Feed spring bulbs for next year � Plant out tomatoes � Mow the lawn

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, May 6, 2021

Inthekitchen Freely Fruity facebook.com/freelyfruityUK

Persian Platter — Sabzi Khordan

F

Serves 4 as a side ETA, walnuts, radishes, spring onions and mountains of fresh herbs grace the tables of most Iranian meals.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that these fresh ingredients arrive in season together at this time of year and blend here to make a beautiful salad.

It makes a great accompaniment to chicken or fish for a satisfying midweek supper or serve with bread as traditional Noon Panir Sabzi.

Ingredients � 1 bunch spring onions, about 5 � 15g fresh mint leaves � 15g fresh coriander leaves and stalks, torn � 15g fresh tarragon leaves � 15g fresh chives, torn � 125g radishes, sliced very thinly � 30g walnuts, broken � 125g feta cheese For the dressing � 3 tbsp olive oil � 1 lemon, zest of all and juice of ½ � Salt and pepper

Method 1. Fill a large bowl of water with very cold water and some ice cubes if you have any; set aside 2. To curl the onions, cut off the dark green tops, remove any dry outer layers of skin and snip of any roots. Holding 1cm of the white end slice long ways away to the end, rotate and repeat about 6 times then place in the bowl of iced water for 10 minutes to curl, drain on to kitchen paper and set aside 3. Place the dressing ingredients into an old jam jar and shake well to combine; set aside 4. Assemble the herbs, radish and spring onions onto a platter and toss with the dressing 5. Top with the walnuts, feta and more freshly ground black pepper Recipe by Charlotte Simpkins for Freely Fruity www.facebook.com/freelyfruityuk/

plasticfreehome Dave Lamont facebook.com/PlasticFreeHomeUK

Have the right sunscreen Why are traditional sunscreens bad for the environment?

Traditional (generally big brand) sunscreens often contain chemicals, including Oxybenzone and Octinoxate, that can harm or kill coral and marine life when they enter our rivers and oceans.

Every time we bath or shower, wash our hands or swim outdoors having applied sunscreen, we risk introducing potentially toxic and harmful chemicals and microplastics into the water system.

Coral reefs are vitally important ecosystems and often referred to as the “rainforests of the oceans”. They help to store carbon, protect against costal erosion and provide essential habitats.

Their future is threatened by factors including climate change, overfishing and other forms of pollution.

Sunscreens are typically manufactured by large companies that are generally not very environmentallyfriendly.

And many come in heavyweight bottles, often made from virgin plastic, and include hard to recycle spray mechanisms.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) recommends using marine-safe sunscreen and has said: “Unfortunately sunscreens have been shown to have an impact on the marine environment – not just coral reefs but also other marine organisms. Oxybenzone and Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate) are particularly harmful and the MCS recommends avoiding sunscreens with these ingredients.”

What does SPF mean and how do sunscreens work?

Applied and used correctly, sunscreen can help to reduce the risk of sunburn, skin damage, ageing and skin cancer. It’s important to remember that our bodies need sunlight and Vitamin D to remain healthy. Various studies have suggested that Vitamin D can help to reduce our risk from communicable viruses and certain illnesses.

Sunscreens generally contain an emulsion (a cream, lotion, milk, oil, gel or foam), which works to carry an active ingredient (that either absorbs of reflects UV rays) to protect your skin.

SPF simply stands for ‘sun protection factor’ and is a measure of the ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) protection provided.

SPFs are rated on a scale of between two and 50+, with the latter offering the greatest protection.

Sunscreens should also feature a star rating that indicates the level of ultraviolet A radiation (UVA) protection that is provided. In the UK, sunscreens are rated up to a maximum of five stars, with this offering the highest level of protection.

We have rightly been taught to aim for a high level of SPF protection when buying sunscreen but many people do not realise that the difference between different factors is relatively small.

A sunscreen labelled SPF30 will protect your skin against 96.7% of the harmful UV rays it may be exposed to during hot and sunny weather. While an SPF50 sunscreen will protect against around 98% of the UV rays.

As a simple rule of thumb, if you multiply a sunscreen’s SPF factor by ten, this will indicate approximately how long the sunscreen may provide your skin with protection for. For example, a SPF30 sunscreen will safeguard your skin against sunburn for around 300 minutes, or up to five hours, compared to just 10-15 minutes if no sunscreen at all is applied.

The NHS says: “Do not rely on sunscreen alone. Wear suitable clothing and spend time in the shade when the sun is at its hottest. When buying sunscreen, the label should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 to protect against UVB and at least 4-star UVA protection. Make sure the sunscreen is not past its expiry date.”

Please note that one of the three sunscreens recommended, from an environmental perspective, falls slightly short of the NHS’ recommendation on SPF protection.

Shade’s response to this is: “As SPF25 protects you from 96% of the sun’s harmful UVB rays which cause burning, we believe that users will not be as

complacent as they would be about using a high SPF. “Also, very high SPF is only achievable with chemical active ingredients, something we’re trying to avoid.

“We also believe some sun is good for your skin, triggering the synthesis of Vitamin D, which is vital for optimum health.

“We are inclined to agree with the Environmental Working Group about the pitfalls of high SPF products.”

Our Top 3 Environmentally friendly sunscreens � Green People Sun Lotion SPF30 � Badger Company Sunscreen SPF 30 � Shade All Natural Sunscreen SPF 25 All are ocean/reef safe, vegan friendly and cruelty free. They are plastic free, apart from Badger.

We haven’t listed prices for the sunscreens as these will vary by size and depending on when and where you are purchasing these products.

Please note that in some cases different sunscreen versions are available for adults and children.

For more tips and advice, join the online group at www.facebook.com/ plasticfreehomeuk Got a comment or question?

Email plasticfreehome@gmail.com

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PUBLIC NOTICES ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (A329M / A3290, WOKINGHAM BOROUGH) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021 NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 29th April 2021 Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority made an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is to prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along: 1. A329M Alpha between its junctions with Showcase Roundabout and Wokingham Borough Boundary.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via A3290 Loddon Bridge and Bader Way Interchange, A329 Reading Road, A329 Shute End, A329 Rectory Road, A329 Wiltshire Road and A329 London Road.

2. A329M Bravo Off to Winnersh Triangle between its junctions with A329M Bravo and Wharfedale Road roundabout.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via A3290 Bravo, A4 London Road Roundabout, A3290 Alpha, A3290 Alpha off to Bader Way, A3290 Loddon Bridge and the Bader Way Interchange and Wharfedale Road.

3. A329M, Wokingham between its junctions with A3290 Loddon Bridge and The Bader Way Interchange and A329 Coppid Beach Roundabout.

The alternative route for all eastbound vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via A3290 Loddon Bridge and The Bader Way Interchange, A329 Reading Road, A329 Shute End, A329 Rectory Road, A329 Wiltshire Road and A329 London Road.

The alternative route for all westbound vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via A329 London Road, A329 Peach Street, A329 Broad Street, A329 Shute End, A329 Reading Road and A3290 Loddon Bridge and The Bader Way Interchange.

Works requiring these restrictions will take place between 14th May and 16th May 2021 between 20:00 and 06:00.

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Wokingham Borough Council contractors to undertake bi-annual work in safety.

Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times.

The restriction imposed by the Order shall only apply during those periods when traffic signs complying with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 are lawfully displayed.

The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 14th May 2021 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (PART LANE, SWALLOWFIELD AND BEAR LANE, WARGRAVE) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021 NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 29th April 2021 Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority made an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is to prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along: 1. Part Lane, Swallowfield between its junctions with Church Road and School Road.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Church Road, Swallowfield Street, B3349 Basingstoke Road and Odiham Road or by this route in reverse.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 10th May and 12th May 2021.

2. Bear Lane, Wargrave from its junction with Blakes Lane.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 13th May and 15th May 2021.

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Thames Water contractors to undertake excavation to uncover and overhaul critical leaking trunk main valve in safety.

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Thames Water contractors to undertake excavation to uncover and overhaul critical leaking trunk main valve in safety.

Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times.

The restriction imposed by the Order shall only apply during those periods when traffic signs complying with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 are lawfully displayed.

The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 10th May 2021 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (COMMONFIELD LANE, BARKHAM) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (A321 WARGRAVE ROAD, TWYFORD) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority proposes to make an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along:

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 29th April 2021 Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority made an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is to prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along:

Commonfield Lane, Barkham between its junctions with Barkham Street and Biggs Lane.

A321 Wargrave Road, Twyford between its junctions with Hermitage Drive and A3032 Old Bath Road.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Biggs Lane, Langley Common Road, B3349 Barkham Road and Barkham Street or by this route in reverse.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via A3032 Old Bath Road and A4 New Bath Road or by this route in reverse.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 24th May and 2nd July 2021.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 10th May and 12th May 2021 between 19:30 and 05:00.

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Gigaclear contractors to undertake BDUK Superfast Broadband work in safety.

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Thames Water contractors to undertake new connection work in safety.

Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times.

Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times.

The restriction imposed by the Order shall only apply during those periods when traffic signs complying with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 are lawfully displayed.

The restriction imposed by the Order shall only apply during those periods when traffic signs complying with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 are lawfully displayed.

The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 24th May 2021 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.

The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 10th May 2021 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.

Dated: 6th May 2021

Dated: 6th May 2021

Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

Dated: 6th May 2021 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATION The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 AND/OR Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Regulations 1990 The following application(s) have been submitted and are advertised for the reasons below: Application Address

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE) (ENGLAND) ORDER 2015 NOTICE UNDER ARTICLE 13 OF APPLICATION FOR PLANNING PERMISSION

211182

43 Station Road, Twyford

Reasons for Advert Conservation Area

211213

17 Milton Road, Wokingham

Conservation Area

Householder application for the proposed erection of a single storey side/rear extension and the proposed conversion of existing roof space into habitable accommodation, the insertion of 6 no. rooflights, plus change to fenestration.

211214

Interserve House, Ruscombe Park, Ruscombe

Major Application

Full application for the proposed raising of the roof of the existing building to create fourth storey accommodation consisting of 10 no. apartments with changes to external elevations, and the proposed erection of a 3 storey building to provide 20 no. apartments, with associated landscaping and parking.

211257

59a Peach Street, Wokingham

(Affect setting of) Application for listed building consent for the Listed Building removal of false ceiling and insertion of oak beams.

(Retrospective)

Dated: 6th May 2021 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

Please recycle me !

It’s good news for everyone

GOODS VEHICLE OPERATOR’S LICENCE JRW & Sons Ltd trading as JRW & Sons Ltd of Oakview, Mill Lane, Sindlesham, Wokingham, RG41 5DF is applying for a licence to use 41 Bearwood Road, Wokingham, RG41 4SX as an operating centre for 2 goods vehicle.

Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings near the operating centre(s) who believe that their use or enjoyment of that land would be affected, should make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner at Hillcrest House, 386 Harehills Lane, Leeds, LS9 6NF, stating their reasons, within 21 days of this notice. Representors must at the same time send a copy of their representations to the applicant at the address given at the top of this notice. A Guide to Making Representations is available from the Traffic Commissioner’s office.

Proposed development at: Land at and to the rear of 240 Nine Mile Ride, Finchampstead.

Take notice that application is being made by: Kingacre Estates For planning permission to: Outline planning permission with all matters reserved other than principal means of access for up to 32 dwellings, and associated infrastructure, landscaping and demolition of existing dwellings Local Planning Authority to whom the application is being submitted: Wokingham Borough Council, Civic offices, Shute End, Wokingham, RG40 1BN. Any owner of the land or tenant who wishes to make representations about this application, should write to the council within 21 days of the date of this notice.

Signatory: Nexus Planning Dated: 6th May 2021 Statement of owners’ rights: The grant of planning permission does not affect owners' rights to retain or dispose of their property, unless there is some provision to the contrary in an agreement or lease.

Statement of agricultural tenants’ rights: The grant of planning permission for non-agricultural development may affect agricultural tenants' security of tenure.

'Owner' means a person having a freehold interest or a leasehold interest the unexpired term of which is not less than seven years.

'Tenant' means a tenant of an agricultural holding any part of which is comprised in the land.

Description Full application for the proposed change of use from office (A2) to dwelling (C3) and single storey front extension.

The application is available to view online at wokingham.gov.uk � Planning � Search planning applications and typing in the application number above. All libraries in the Borough have internet access in order to view this page.

Comments on the application can be made online from this web page.

Any comments must arrive on or before the 29th May 2021. Any comments made are not confidential and can be seen by anyone as they form part of the public record. The comments, unless offensive, discriminatory and/or racist, will appear on the Council’s website within 24 hours and include the submitted name and address. Due to the high volume of comments received we do not provide individual responses.

Date: 6th May 2021

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MOTORSPORT

KARTING PRODIGY HOPES TO BREAK ON TO INTERNATIONAL STAGE

RESULTS Friday, April 30 FOOTBALL Hellenic League Cup Windsor 7-2 Wokingham & Emmbrook

Saturday, May 1

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

FOOTBALL Sky Bet Championship Norwich City 4-1 Reading

STUDENT Maciek Hamera is hoping to emulate his motorsport heroes by racing on the international stage

FA Vase Long Eaton United 0-5 Binfield

Maciek, 17, has been infatuated with cars since childhood and caught the racing bug at an early age thanks to an indoor karting trip with his Dad. “I have had a passion for card since I was very young and that was the only thing I seemed interested in,” said Maciek.

“While others were playing with their other toys, I always had a Formula 1 car in my hand, pretending to be racing around a world famous track.

“My dad took me indoor karting in California and I immediately caught the motorsport bug and aged nine, I received my first Go kart.”

Maciek’s family took the decision to relocate to the UK to help him progress with his motosport journey where he currently resides in Woodley.

“We knew we needed to move to the UK to compete at the highest level. We carried on my karting career progressing through the different classes. This meant upgrades in terms of equipment which we tried to achieve as best as we could manage.

“In reality my budget was smaller than many other drivers which means I have to try and compensate with talent.”

Maciek, who is currently studying Alevels at Waingles College is determined to follow his motorsport dream and one day make the step up to compete at the highest level.

He has recently competed at international level, where he was the

Thames Valley Premier League Wraysbury Village 2-3 Finchampstead Berks County H-W Cookham Dean Thames Valley Division One Hurst 0-1 Rotherfield United Mortimer Reserves 0-7 Wargrave FC Imaan Lions 2-3 Eldon Celtic Thames Valley Division Two Datchet 2-1 Twyford & Ruscombe Phoenix Old Boys 6-6 Hurst Reserves Richings Park Reserves 0-0 Berks County Reserves Thames Valley Division Four Berks County Rovers 2-3 Braybrooke CRICKET Home Counties Cup Wokingham (98 all out) lost to Wargrave (1007) Slough (160-5) beat Finchampstead (125-8)

Maciek Hamera on the podium at the SuperOne Championship Picture: Hellofoto Motorsport Photography

second fastest on the track in the European Rotax Trophy, competing against the top motorsport hopefuls around the world.

“I have been racing for many years now in the British Karting Championship and have started to race in Europe this year with considerable success.

“I believe hard work and determination are the most important elements of success and I’m going to

continue to strive towards my main goal.

“I would like to join my heroes who currently compete in Grand Prix racing, the likes of Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris at the top echelon of motorsport.

“All these British heroes of mine have won the same championship as me (the SuperOne Championship), which I won in 2019, so I must be going in the right direction.”

TEAM BRIT RACING

BOBBY RACES TO PODIUM SUCCESS IN SEASON OPENER WOKINGHAM racing driver Bobby Trundley is celebrating after an amazing start to the season with a weekend packed with success.

Bobby, 21, opened his third season with Team BRIT, racing in the Britcar Championship at Silverstone on Saturday, April 24.

On Saturday, Bobby teamed up with paraplegic racing driver Aaron Morgan in Class four of the Endurance Category, driving the Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4.

The pair qualified in 11th, determining their starting position for the first race of the afternoon. Consistent efforts from both drivers brought them home in

seventh which would set their position on the grid for race two.

The final race of the day saw Aaron taking the first stint, putting in an incredible performance and avoiding an on-track incident in the first lap before handing over to Bobby in fifth.

Bobby then used his years of experience in racing to give everything he had, bringing the Aston home in second and securing the team’s first silverware of the year. Bobby also secured the fastest lap in class.

To top the weekend off, Bobby competed online in the final race of the British GT Esports series, finishing in an incredible fourth place, beating the reigning world

champion and some of the most established online and ‘real world’ racers of recent years.

“I’m still buzzing from the weekend and am thrilled with how we performed,” said Bobby.

“As is the case in motorsport, we had some technical issues which affected our qualifying position, but our crew worked tirelessly to fix this, which meant we could give everything possible to battle our way back up the grid.

“To finish the first race with a podium finish was amazing and is definitely thanks to the combined efforts of Aaron, myself and every crew member.

“My p4 finish in British GT

Esports series was the most perfect way to end an incredible weekend.

“To finish ahead of some real legends of esports and real world racing was amazing and I’m privileged to have had such an experience.”

Bobby races again in round two at Snetterton on Saturday, May 8.

Thames Valley Premier League Marlow United v Finchamptead Berks County v Newbury Thames Valley Division One Wargrave v Slough Heating Laurencians Eldon Celtic v Rotherfield United Thames Valley Division Two Maidenhead Town Reserves v Hurst Reserves Twyford & Ruscombe v Berks County Reserves Thames Valley Division Four Phoenix Old Boys Development v Berks County Rovers CRICKET BCL Premier Division Crowthorne & Crown Wood 1s v Woodley 1s Twyford & Ruscombe 1s v Farley Hill 1s BCL Division 2 East Shinfield 3s v Earley 2s Thames Valley Cricket Division 2B Finchampstead 2s v Wokingham 2s Chilterns Division 1 Emmbrook and Bearwood 1s v Braywood 2s Chilterns Division 2 Phoenix Old Boys 1s v Emmbrook and Bearwood 2s BCM Championship West Reading 1s v Shinfield 1s

BCL Premier Division Crowthorne & Crown Wood (172 all out) beat Twyford & Ruscombe (141 all out)

BCL Division 1 Woodley 2s v Crowthorne & Crown Wood 2s Earley 1s v Shinfield 2s

Berkshire Cricket League Championship Peppard Stoke Row (221-4) beat Shinfield (159 all out)

Thames Valley Cricket Division 4A Purley on Thames v Wokingham 3s Wargrave 2s v Maidenhead & Bray 2s

BCL Division 1 Woodley 2s (219-5) lost to Shinfield 2s (220-3) Farley Hill 2s (220-8) beat Crowthorne & Crown Wood 2s (157 all out) Chilterns Cricket League Division 1 Emmbrook & Bearwood 1s (182-7) beat Winchmore Hill 1s (179 all out) Chilterns Cricket League Division 2 Denham 2s (263-4) beat Emmbrook & Bearwood 2s (131 all out) Friendly Eversley 1s v Wokingham 2s Wokingham 3s (159-5) beat Eversley 2s (1546)

Sunday, May 2 FOOTBALL Women’s Super League Reading Women 3-2 Brighton & Hove Albion Women Thames Valley Women’s Division One Badshot Lea Ladies 2-1 Eversley & California Ladies Carterton Ladies 5-0 Wargrave Women City Belles Women 0-1 Wokingham & Emmbrook Ladies Tilehurst Panthers Women Development 3-0 Milton United Ladies Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S Mortimer Ladies 6-0 Wargrave Women Development S4K Ladies 6-0 Caversham AFC Women

Monday, May 3 FOOTBALL Thames Valley Premier League Finchampstead 4-1 Marlow United Berks County 4-1 Mortimer

FIXTURES Saturday, May 8 Bobby Trundley Picture: Darren Cook, Scruffy Bear Pictures

Reading v Huddersfield Town

FOOTBALL Sky Bet Championship

Sunday, April 25 FOOTBALL Women’s Super League Chelsea Women v Reading Women Thames Valley Women’s Division One Caversham AFC Ladies v Wokingham & Emmbrook Ladies Eversley & California Ladies v Carteron Ladies Tilehurst Panthers Women Development v City Belles Women Wargrave Women v Woking Ladies Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S S4K Ladies v Newbury Ladies Development Thatcham & Newbury Ladies v Wargrave Women Development

Monday, May 10 FOOTBALL Thames Valley Premier League Berks County v Reading City U23 Thames Valley Division Two Twyford & Ruscombe v Maidenhead Town Reserves

Monday, May 10 FOOTBALL Thames Valley Women’s Division One Wokingham & Emmbrook Ladies v Eversley & California Ladies

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WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE

RUGBY UNION

ROYALS CONCLUDE SEASON AT TITLE CHASING BLUES

GRIMES KEEN TO IMPRESS FOR RAMS

READING Women will conclude their 2020/21 Women’s Super League campaign against title chasing Chelsea on Sunday.

The Royals marked their final appearance of the season at the Madejski Stadium with their second victory of the calendar year as they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2.

Fara Williams capped her final home appearance for the club before retirement with a goal from the penalty spot and will lead the Royals out for the last time in her career on Sunday against the Blues.

It has been a turbulent season for Kelly Chambers’ side who had aspirations of finishing in the top four but have fallen short and can only finish as high as sixth, where they currently sit in the table headed into the final weekend of action.

Draws have ultimately cost Reading a shot at challenging the top four, with nine from 21 league matches seeing them draw at least three more matches than any other side in the division.

Goals have also been hard to come by for Chambers’ team with 25 goals in 21 WSL games, possibly due to the absence of Williams for much of the season, as well as Brooke Chaplen who has also missed the large majority of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s opponents

Chelsea will be looking to complete an historic season where they are still fighting on two fronts in both the WSL and the Champions League.

The Blues are just a point behind league leaders Manchester City before their game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur Women on Wednesday night, and a win would see them require to beat the Royals on Sunday to capture the league title.

Emma Hayes’ team then have a huge occasion to look forward to the following week when they face Barcelona in the Champions League final.

Former Royal Fran Kirby was the star of the show in Chelsea’ semifinal triumph over Bayern Munich as she netted twice to book the Blues’ place in the final.

Kirby also produced an outstanding display when she met her former club earlier in the season at the Madejski as she terrorised the Reading defence to scored four in a thumping 5-0 Chelsea win in January.

Reading will need victory on Sunday to secure a sixth placed finish this season, but may drop down a place into seventh if Brighton win their final match of the season against Bristol City Women.

By RICHARD ASHTON sport@wokingham.today JOSH GRIMES admits he will be over the moon if given the chance to make his Rams debut against Chinnor later this month.

The full-back, who joined the club last summer, was previously with Wasps and moved to Reading to study a Masters in Real Estate having completed his studies at Nottingham University.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic means it is now 10 months without a game since Grimes arrived at Old Bath Road, but he remained upbeat, saying: “I’ve absolutely loved it. The facilities are incredible, the lads are really, really nice and the coaches are very welcoming. It’s all you can really ask for.

“I haven’t been able to play a game despite having come down for almost a year now to train and go in the gym, but I feel pretty settled.”

With the Senior Squad having returned to action following three months of lockdown at the end of March, Grimes gave an insight into what has been going on by adding: “Training’s starting to pick up a bit now – we started off nice and easy and were working on skills which I think everyone wanted – but now we’re upping it and I felt it a little bit on Wednesday.

“I’m sure next week will be even harder.”

With the two Chinnor friendlies looming on the horizon, Grimes said: “I’d love to get the opportunity and it would be brilliant.

“I don’t know how many minutes I might get, but I’d take anything because it’s been a while.

“I’d imagine I’d be a bit nervous, but also really excited.

“I like to run the ball back as opposed to kicking and I like to get the ball in

Rams’ Josh Grimes

hand, throw it around a bit and excite.”

And with the fixtures due to be played under the adapted rules meaning no scrums or line-outs, he concluded: “It might affect me because I could be seeing a few up-and-unders off a freekick or something.

“It’s going to be a bit different, but thankfully it shouldn’t last for too long – hopefully just those two games – and it would be just good to get out there.”

Meanwhile, coach Harry Stapleton added: “Training’s been really good and the guys are looking great.

“There’s been some really good stuff on show which is really pleasing, and the standard has been so high – and the players set those standards themselves.

It’s been really, really impressive.

“They’re putting in a lot of hard work and hopefully we’ll get to see that pay off in the games against Chinnor.”

HOCKEY

SOUTH BERKS 2S HIT FOUR PAST READING

SOUTH Berkshire Hockey Club continued their preparations for the season with friendly fixtures at the weekend.

SOUTH BERKSHIRE 2s were victorious over Reading 4s on Saturday at Cantley Park with a 4-2 win.

Meanwhile SOUTH BERKSHIRE 1s were defeated in away friendly at Reading 3s in a 4-2 loss.

SOUTH BERKSHIRE 5s played out a goalless stalemate away at Reading Rovers.

SOUTH BERKSHIRE U14s BOYS were also in action in a friendly match against SONNING U14s BOYS. South Berks were triumphnat as they recorded a 3-1 win.

South Berkshire 2s picked up a victory in a friendly against Reading 4s Pictures: Steve Smyth

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Wokingham were beaten by Wargrave in the Home Counties Cup Pictures: Steve Smyth

CRICKET ROUND-UP

WARGRAVE OUST OAKS TO MAKE CUP PROGRESS

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

Home Counties Cup WARGRAVE overcame WOKINGHAM to progress in the Home Counties Cup with a three-wicket win.

The Oaks batted first in the 20-20 match but were bowled all out after a spirited effort from Wargrave to keep the total below triple figures.

Archie Carter top scored for Wokingham with 25, while Rhys Lewis took four wickets for Wargrave and Jarryd Wallace added two to see the Oaks all out for 98.

Wargrave sealed their victory with three wickets and 2.3 overs to spare.

Kieran Lall was Wargrave’s top scorer with 19. Jacob Clark and Iain Muirden both took three wickets each for the

Oaks but couldn’t prevent defeat.

FINCHAMPSTEAD were also eliminated from the cup competition after Slough wrapped up a 35-run win.

Dan Lincoln scored an outstanding 108 from 50 balls for Slough to help them to a total of 160.

Finch opener Gregory Smith top scored with 32, but Slough confirmed victory after 16 overs.

BCL Premier Division CROWTHORNE & CROWN WOOD began their league campaign with a 31-run win over TWYFORD & RUSCOMBE. George Tims (46) and Fitzroy Morrisey (33) boosted the Crows total in the middle of the order to help them to 172 before they were bowled all out.

Shaqil Arshad was Twyford’s most

clinical bowler as he collected three wickets, while Kiran Juluri and Chandra Cherukuri both took two each.

Ashan Dildar top scored for Twyford with 51 runs, but Anthony Cluett took four wickets to help Crows to victory.

BCL Championship SHINFIELD’s league season began with a defeat as they lost by 62 runs against Peppard Stoke Row. Muhammad Hafeez top scored for Shinfield with 51 but couldn’t prevent defeat as they were all out for 159 after the hosts had hit 221 in the first innings.

BCL Division 1 SHINFIELD 2s opened the season

with a seven-wicket win over WOODLEY 2s.

Amol Lotke (62) and Rajiv Dhallam (60) batted impressively for Woodley.

But Shinfield surpassed the total after 32.2 overs with excellent batting efforts from Adityaraj Saswade (76), Milind Pathak (59) and Arman Arman (56).

FARLEY HILL 2s started the season with a 63-run triumph over CROWTHORNE & CROWN WOOD 2s.

Oli Sankey top scored for Farley with 42, while Ravi Godbole and Dan Finucane took two wickets each for Crows.

Andrew Bains hit 52 for Crows with the bat, but Dave Neilson, Sankey and Duncan Greeff each took two wickets to help Farley to victory.

Chilterns Division 1

Woodley 2s against Shinfield 2s (pictured above and right)

Crowthorne & Crown Wood against Twyford & Ruscombe (pictured below and left)

EMMBROOK & BEARWOOD began their league campaign in style with a three-wicket win over Winchmore Hill.

Charlie Sawyer was crucial in the bowling attack for Emmbrook as he collected four wickets from nine overs to help bowl Winchmore all out for 179.

Alex Cobb opened the Emmbrook batting with 62, while 33 from Jack Narraway and 27 from Andrew Robertson helped the hosts secure victory with three wickets spare.

Chilterns Division 2 EMMBROOK & BEARWOOD 2s were beaten by 132 runs in their opening game against Denham 2s.

Denham scored a big total of 263 before they bowled Emmbrook all out for 131 after 37.4 overs.

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FOOTBALL ROUND-UP

U12’s HIT FIVE TO BLUNT FINCH STAY LEVEL AT SUMMIT WITH WHITEGROVE RAZORS BERKS COUNTY AFTER DOUBLE WIN

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup WOKINGHAM & EMMBROOK suffered a heavy defeat in the Bluefin Hellenic League Cup against Windsor as they were beaten 7-2.

The Sumas were beaten in stoppage time when they faced Windsor in the reverse fixture at Lowther Road in a 3-2 defeat, but weren’t able to replicate a close match in their away game on Friday night.

Thames Valley Premier League

FC Bracknell U12s put in another brilliant team performance with a 5-0 home win against Whitegrove & Warfield Razors.

U13 Colts were home to Caversham AFC Red Stars and involved in a 12-goal thriller, the Blues lost 8-4. U13 Youth were on their travels away to Windsor Youthand drew 2-2 in a tight match.

It was honours even for both U14 teams. Youth drew 3-3 playing Hawley and Colts also drew 3-3 against Pinewood.

U15 Colts played host to Hearts of Teddlothian, in a close match, it

ended 3-2 to Hearts.

FC Bracknell U16 fought back from being 2-0 down to 2-2 with goals from Ben Clarke and penalty from Harry B. Man of the Match was awarded to Ben Clarke.

U16 Youth and Colts were at home. Youth lost 4-1 to Teddington Tigers, with Bradley scooping Man of the Match. The Colts also suffered a defeat to Caversham Whiteknights. The Man of the Match was awarded to three players, Rahul, Sam and Charlie.

Meanwhile, the U17’s lost 2-0 on away to Arborfield Aces.

READING FC

OLISE WINS YOUNG PLAYER AWARD

FINCHAMPSTEAD ensured that they stayed level on points with league leaders BERKS COUNTY with an away win against Wraysbury Village.

Finch then added a second win in three days with a 4-1 triumph over Marlow United on Monday

Thames Valley Division One WARGRAVE extended their run at the top of the table as they made it nine wins from nine games.

Wargrave put seven past Mortimer Reserves without reply to continue their superb form in the league.

BERKS COUNTY maintained their status as league leaders with their 12th win of the season on Monday with a 4-1 victory against Mortimer.

Thames Valley Division Two HURST RESERVES played out a 12goal thriller where the points were shared against Phoenix Old Boys.

Peter Mulvaney netted a hat-trick for Hurst, while Tim Grenham, Ashley Lamb and Jordan Watson also got on the scoresheet in an entertaining spectacle.

BERKS COUNTY RESERVES are fourth in the table after they earned a point and a clean sheet on the road against Richings Park Reserves.

TWYFORD & RUSCOMBE were beaten 2-1 at Datchet after Alexander Bourne had got on the scoresheet for Twyford.

Thames Valley Division Four BERKS COUNTY ROVERS were

Finchampstead beat Marlow United away on Monday Pictures: Andrew Batt, FootballinBerkshire

narrowly beaten at home by Braybrooke who took the points with a 3-2 triumph.

Richard Cumner netted twice for Berks but couldn’t help to prevent their fifth defeat in 10 league games.

Subsidiary Cup WOODLEY UNITED LADIES were on the end of a sizeable defeat as Moneyfields put nine past the Kestrels without reply to seal an impressive win.

Thames Valley Women’s Division One WOKINGHAM & EMMBROOK LADIES moved up to seventh in the table with a double header win over bottom side City Belles Women.

The Sumas were dominant in the first game with a 6-1 triumph as Sarah Leonard netted a hat-trick, while Tina Leahu, Megan O’Connell and Caroline Paterson added to the score.

The Sumas then ensured they took all three points in the reverse fixture as Leonard notched the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory for the Sumas.

EVERSLEY & CALIFORNIA LADIES endured mixed results in a double header against Badshot Lea Ladies.

The Boars won the first contest by a solitary goal, but were beaten 2-1 in the reverse game to put them sixth in the table.

WARGRAVE WOMEN were on the end of a 5-0 defeat against Carteton Ladies.

TILEHURST PANTHERS WOMEN DEVELOPMENT kept the heat up on the two teams adobe them in the table with their ninth win of the campaign.

Deanna Cane, Eva Rhind and Celia Spanu scored to keep them in the hunt for the title.

Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S S4K LADIES put in an emphatic display with a 6-0 victory over bottom side Caversham AFC Women.

Megan Cox netted a brace, while Deborah Gardiner, Chelsea Lovelace, Kiah Owen and Abigail Ticehurst got among the goals to seal a superb victory to put the Fawkes just one point behind the league leaders.

Reading midfielder Michael Olise Picture: Steve Smyth READING midfielder Michael Olise is awarded with the EFL Young Player of the Season Award.

Olise, 19, was one of three players on the shortlist alongside Norwich City defender Max Aarons and Blackburn Rovers midfielder Harvey Elliot and was given the award on Thursday evening.

Olise has won plenty of admirers around European football since bursting onto the scene with the Royals, making his debut in the 2018/19 season.

The Frenchman went on to make a further 19 appearances in the

2019/20 and has become permanent fixture in the first-team this campaign, playing in 43 of the 45 Championship games.

He has shown his quality and importance to the Reading side on numerous occasions, scoring six goals, but has been most notable for his impressive number of chances created per game which has seen him collect 10 assists in the league.

It is reported that several top clubs around Europe are interested in purchasing Olise this summer with Reading set to have a battle on their hands to keep hold of him.

AFC Crowthorne against Woodley Saints

Finchampstead against Marlow United

Wokingham & Emmbrook Ladies v Milton Ladies

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From the middle Dick Sawdon-Smith

Was Ian Wright wrong over hand to face?

T Binfield put in a stunning display to book their place in the FA Vase semi-finals with a five-goal win away at Long Easton Pictures: Neil Graham

FA VASE QUARTER-FINAL

HAT’S AMAZING: LIAM FIRES MOLES THROUGH

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today BINFIELD put in a five-star performance as they stormed into the semi-finals of the FA Vase after a hat-trick from Liam Ferdinand.

The Moles are now just one successful game away from making an appearance at Wembley Stadium as they set up a semi-final tie away at United Services Portsmouth on Saturday.

Having got through the previous two rounds via penalty shootouts.

Binfield ensured there would be no need for a tense finale as they brushed their quarter-final opponents aside.

Both sides created early chances

and the Moles came close to an opener in the 11th minute when Sean Moore smacked a shot off the crossbar.

But just three minutes later, he hit the back of the net to give his side the lead.

Binfield grew in confidence as the half progressed and continued to threaten to extend their lead, and they did when Liam Ferdinand scored his first of the game in the 42nd minute as he slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Just a minute into the secondhalf, Binfield’s afternoon got even better as Moore added his second and the Moles’ third of the game.

Carl Withers and Jamie McClurg’s side hunted for more goals to

ensure their place in the next round and went further ahead in the 65th minute when Ferdinand notched his brace.

Less than 10 minutes later, Ferdinand sealed his hat-trick to cap off a stunning away performance to ensure Binfield’s place in the last four of the competition.

The Moles have made a habit of winning on the road having not played a single tie in this season’s FA Vase at home, and will be hoping to do the same this Saturday when they travel to Portsmouth to battle for a place in the final.

Binfield co-manager Carl Withers said: “I think myself and Jamie (McClurg) are running out of words

to describe this group of lads. We have them again this weekend doing everything we asked, and them getting their just rewards.

Focus now turns to the week ahead and the challenge in front of us.”

Co-manager McClurg added: “What a fantastic group of men.

Couldn’t praise this whole group enough..”

BINFIELD: Grace, Hancock, Legg, Valentin, Willment, Gavin, Harris, McClurg, Ferdinand, Short, Moore (c), SUBS: Maloney, Howell, Thomson-Wheeler, Chamberlain, Johnson, Helmore, Broome GOALS: Moore 14', 46' Ferdinand 42', 65', 73'

V pundits may be well versed in footballing tactics, but they are not always up to date with the laws of the game. Sadly, the average viewer may believe what they hear and it puts distrust in the decisions of referees.

In their Premier League game, against Burnley, a Wolves player went down heavily in the penalty area.

Players of both sides gathered around him with a lot of holding and shoving of opponents and Adama Traore of Wolves put his hand on a Burnley players face.

The referee, Darren England, watched the proceedings carefully and when it was over, he showed Traore a yellow card.

Ian Wright, former England centre forward now pundit, exploded, ‘raising your hands to someone face, that’s a sending off offence’.

That saying has been around so long, that many people believe it.

But is it valid? When such an offence occurs, and the game is in play, it could be thought of as striking, but striking in itself is not a sending off offence.

A free kick or penalty would be awarded, but ‘spitting at or biting someone’ is the only one of the 11 direct free kick offences that automatically becomes a sending off.

Most of such incidents tend to happen when the ball is out of play, as in this case, so it cannot be a foul, but becomes instead misconduct.

Striking then only becomes a sending off offence, if it considered violent conduct.

The Law says: “Violent Conduct is when a player uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent or any other person, when not challenging for the ball, regardless of whether contact is made.”

It adds: “When not challenging for the ball, a player who deliberately strikes an opponent, or any other person, on the head or face with the hand or arm, is guilty of violent conduct (but here is the 2016 addition) unless the force used was negligible.”

Traore’s hand to the opponents face may have been silly, provocative even, but could not be considered violent, and therefore the referee’s yellow card was the correct sanction.

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SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP

How they rated STAR PLAYER Rafael Cabral

RAFAELCABRAL Made several superb saves to keep Reading in the game and didn’t deserve to concede four.

ANDY YIADOM Put in some vital tackles and blocks and by far the most competent in a poor overall defensive display.

TOM HOLMES An afternoon to forget. He’s been brilliant for most of the season but had a disastrous game and was at fault for two of the goals with underhit back passes.

LEWIS GIBSON Looked a bit shaky in possession and struggled to cope with Teemu Pukki who eventually got on the scoresheet.

OMAR RICHARDS Tried to provide an outlet on the left going forward but his end product was lacking when he got in promising positions.

DEJAN TETEK A decent display in his first Championship start of the season. Unspectacular but solid enough. Withdrawn after 68 minutes.

JOSH LAURENT Put the Royals in front with a header.

Another good display from potentially Reading’s most consistent performer this season.

JOHN SWIFT A much quieter performance than against Swansea but understandable given that he’s only recently returned from injury.

OVIE EJARIA Couldn’t stamp his usual creative influence on the game and needed to provide more defensive cover to help his teammates.

MICHAEL OLISE Had a big chance to score at the end of the first-half but wasted his opportunity.

Couldn’t get involved often enough.

LUCAS JOAO Another frustrating performance from the forward who has gone completely off the boil in recent months, coinciding with Reading’s drastic dip in form.

ROYALS PUNISHED BY LEAGUE CHAMPIONS NORWICH CITY 4 READING 1

7

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

7

READING surrendered a one-goal lead as Norwich hit back with four to ensure they were crowned Championship winners on their way back to the Premier League.

3 5 6 5 7 5 5 5 4

SUBSTITUTES Yakou Meite 5, Alfa Semedo 5, Tomas Esteves 5, Mamadi Camara n/a

Josh Laurent gave the Royals the lead after 12 minutes with a free header, but Kieran Dowell netted either side of half-time to give Norwich the lead.

Xavier Quintella scored a stunning free-kick before Teemu Pukki pounced upon Tom Holmes' mistake to wrap up the game.

The Royals lost the chance to qualify for the play-offs last weekend with a draw against Swansea City and now need a win to confirm a seventh-placed finish on the last day of the season to finish ahead of Cardiff City.

“Congrats to Norwich on the title and promotion, it’s obvious they’ve done a very good job and been consistent throughout the season,” said Reading manager Veljko Paunović.

“First half we played very good football. It should have been 2-0 to us, without conceding the goal that was really tough for us. In that moment the game changed.

“In the first half it was a very good match up. We played very good football, challenged them and tried to prolong their wait for the title.

“But unfortunately we lost it in the second half but I’m proud of the guys. They gave it their all and tried to create moments in the game.

“I would be disappointed if we didn’t play well and didn’t create situations in the games where we could win every game.

“That’s not the case. I feel good that we are a team that can do that stuff. What I’m not happy about is the lack of killer instinct.

“It’s something we have to learn.

It’s a must-have in the Championship.

“It’s important to lift the guys back, we have to finish strong and recover our fundamentals and finish the season in a proper way.”

Paunović gave young Serbian midfielder Dejan Tetek a start in midfield, while the young pairing of Holmes and Lewis Gibson started together in central defence.

The Canaries created the first good chance of the match with eight minutes on the clock when Lewis Gibson gave the ball away cheaply which allowed Emi Buendia to venture into the box, but the

Reading were beaten in their final away trip of the season as Norwich City clinched the title Picture: Steve Smyth

Royals defender did enough to press the attack who put his shot wide.

Having made a strong start to the match, Reading took the lead in the 12th minute.

With a well positioned free-kick wide on the right-wing, Michael Olise swung in an enticing cross to the back post as he picked out an unmarked Josh Laurent who nodded the past Tim Krul from close range.

Max Aarons picked up the first booking of the game for a foul on Lucas João.

Norwich began to threaten the Royals as they looked to get back in the game. With already 25 Championship goals to his name this season, Pukki came close to a 26th but Rafael Cabral parried his shot away.

Pukki then went even closer just moments later but Holmes was perfectly placed to hook the ball off the line.

Norwich came back into the contest and found their reward with an equaliser on the half-hour mark.

Todd Cantwell's through ball was intercepted by Holmes but the young Royals centre-back put his goalkeeper in trouble with an under-hit back pass. Rafael could only clear the ball to the edge of the box where it was stolen by Kieran Dowell who put the ball into an unguarded net to level.

Reading pressed to go back in front and went close when John Swift delivered a ball into the back post to find Laurent, but he couldn't

control to keep it in play.

Swift then had an inviting opportunity with a free-kick from shooting range but got his technique wrong as he blazed the ball over the bar.

Olise then had a huge opening to restore Reading's lead just before the break but fluffed his lines as he scuffed a shot wide from just 10 yards out after Ovie Ejaria had forged the chance for his teammate.

Rafael was called into action early in the second-half as he kept Dowell from grabbing a second of the game after he sprung to his right to get fingertips to the shot to push it wide. From the resulting corner, Rafael made an equally terrific stop as he stretched to tip Kenny McClean's header over the bar.

Norwich kept the pressure up with a string of corners in quick

Match stats NORWICH CITY: Krul, Aarons, Omobamidele, Hanley, Quintilla, Skipp, McLean, Buendia, Dowel, Cantwell, Pukki SUBS: Vrancic, Hugill, Placheta, Nyland, Stiepermann, Sorensen, Hernandez, Mumba, Tettey READING: Rafael, Richards, Gibson, Holmes, Yiadom, Laurent, Tetek, Olise, Swift, Ejaria, João SUBS: Esteves, Baldock, Southwood, Aluko, Semedo, Dorsett, Pușcaș, Méïté, Camara GOALS: Laurent 12', Dowell 30', 64', Quintilla 78', Pukki 85'

succession early in the half but the Royals stayed determined to shut their opponents out.

Paunović made his first switch of the game after an hour as Yakou Méïté replaced Swift.

Norwich got themselves in front and on the brink of being crowned champions when Dowell bagged his brace in the 64th minute.

Cantwell looped a clever ball over the top to find the run of Dowell as he evaded Andy Yiadom and drilled the ball into the far corner from an acute angle.

Norwich should have sealed the game when Joao lost the ball cheaply deep in his own half to Grant Hanley, and the ball fell for Pukki but the Finland international couldn't finish as he clipped his effort over the target.

Pukki had yet another chance to find the net but was again denied

by Rafael who stayed focused to keep Reading into the game as he stood up tall to make the save.

The Canaries finally sealed the points and the Championship trophy with a third goal as Xavier Quintilla scored a sublime free-kick.

From 20 yards out, the full-back curled an unstoppable effort over the wall and into the top corner.

Norwich then added a fourth with five minutes to go as Holmes underhit another backpass which was pounced upon by Pukki, who showed composure to take the ball around Rafael and rolled the ball in.

Reading play their final game of the season against Huddersfield Town at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off).

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From The Tilehurst End Olly Allen

Reading marked their final home game of the season with victory as Fara Williams scored in her last home appearance for the Royals Pictures: Neil Graham

WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE

WILLIAMS MARKS FAREWELL WITH VICTORY

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today FARA Williams netted in her final home game for Reading as the Royals moved up to sixth in the Women’s Super League with victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.

With just one game left, the Royals earned their fifth win of the campaign in a five-goal contest on Sunday at the Madejski Stadium.

A quiet opening half-an-hour saw the sides locked at 0-0 before the game burst into life in the final 10 minutes of the half with four goals in quick succession.

The hosts had the chance to open the scoring in the 36th minute when Emma Harries was tripped in the box and was awarded a penalty.

In her final Madejski appearance before retirement, Williams stepped up to the spot and audaciously chipped the ball down the middle to

give the Royals the lead.

The Seagulls looked to respond immediately but were thwarted by a smart double stop from goalkeeper Grace Moloney as she kept out Kayleigh Green.

Reading broke forward down the right-wing and Natasha Harding whipped in a delicious cross into the middle to find Danielle Carter who swivelled before firing the ball past the keeper to extend the Royals’ lead in the 43rd minute.

It looked as if Reading were going into the break with a comfortable lead but the visitors replied twice within minutes to shock the Royals and turn the game on its head.

Lee Geum-min latched onto a long ball and nodded the ball past Moloney to put Brighton back into the game on the stroke of half-time.

Just a minute later they were level as Geum-min showed

tremendous determination to snatch the ball from the kick-off, spotted Moloney off her line, and sent a stunning strike to find the top corner from 40 yards out.

Reading searched for a way to restore their lead in the second-half and came inches away when Harding got in behind the Brighton defence and poked the ball past the keeper, but Felicity Gibbons made a vital clearance on the line to clear the danger.

Harding broke behind the Seagulls defence once again and this time made no mistake with her finish as she put the ball through the keeper’s legs to put the Royals back in the ascendancy.

Kelly Chambers' side should have added another goal to seal the points in stoppage time when Amalie Eikeland was played through on goal, but Megan Walsh stood up tall and stuck out a leg to

make the save.

Reading were able to hold out to earn their second victory of the calendar year to boost them up a place in the table.

The Royals are away to title chasing Chelsea on the final day of the league season on Sunday.

READING WOMEN: Moloney, Leine, Cooper, Bartrip, Roberts, Harding, James, Rowe, Williams, Carter, Harries SUBS:Jeon, Eikeland, Nayler, Chaplin, Flores, Childerhouse BRIGHTON WOMEN: Walsh, Koivisto, Kerkdijk, Le Tissier, Gibbons, Simpkins, Whelan, Kaagman, Green, Lee, Heroum SUBS: Roe, Brazil, Williams, Robinson, Jarrett, Symonds, Fiskerstrand, Olding, Bance GOALS: Williams (pen) 36, Carter 43’, Lee 44’, 45’, Harding 55’

PREVIEW

READING HOST TERRIERS AS SEASON CONCLUDES READING host Huddersfield Town at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday as the 2020/21 Championship season draws to a close.

It’s been a mixed season for the Royals which started in spectacular fashion as new manager Veljko Paunović took the league by storm with seven consecutive wins to start the campaign.

The Royals looked destined for a play-off place as they fight among the top-six for the entirety of the

season, up until the final few weeks as they dropped out and ultimately ended the season in disappointing form to miss out.

Reading can secure a seventh place finish with victory on the final day and finish above Cardiff City, who they are currently two points above.

Paunović’s side are still slightly short in defence without long-term absentees Michael Morrison and Tom McIntyre, while captain Liam

Moore is also still expected to miss out having missed the away defeat at Norwich.

Saturday’s opponents have been battling against relegation for much of the season and have endured a difficult few seasons since they were relegated from the Premier League in 2017/18.

The Terriers finished 18th last season and are on course to finish i20th this season.

Despite being involved in a

relegation battle, Huddersfield are eight points above the drop zone headed into the final day and cannot be relegated.

Reading were victorious over Huddersfield when the teams met earlier in the season at the John Smith’s Stadium in January.

The Royals went behind early to a Frazier Campbell goal but recovered to win after a Lucas João brace as he took the league by storm in the opening months.

Conclusion to a mad season is upon us

I

N some ways, it feels like the campaign has gone incredibly quickly. It does not feel that long ago that we were approaching the opening day game against Derby County not knowing what to expect under an unknown manager who had arrived in chaotic fashion only two weeks previously.

But Veljko Paunović has now taken charge of more games than Mark Bowen, Jose Gomes or Paul Clement did, yet been in the hot seat for fewer days than all of them. That’s a quirky statistic and almost sums up the feeling that Pauno remains somewhat unknown despite having a whole campaign behind him. It doesn’t help that aside from three games with 2,000 supporters each in December, we haven’t seen him or his team in person.

The season started over a month after it usually does, meaning more midweek games than ever before were crammed into the schedule, with 46 fixtures still needing to be completed by early May. There has barely been a chance to catch your breath.

But equally, the campaign has felt arduously long, particularly given the way that Reading have almost endured three mini-seasons in one.

They started in electric fashion, then dropped off but maintained their place as promotion and playoff contenders, and are now ending with a whimper.

It’s still a tough fact to take that the season is petering out as it is. If you had told me in October that our final game of the season would be a dead rubber, I would have thought it would be because our place in the Premier League had already been secured and we were in the Purple Turtle.

At the very least, I would have said it was because we were safe of a spot in the playoffs.

Yet here we are, with all those dreams over. We’re not even assured of our place in seventh. The mood around the club is just complete deflation.

But there is something to be said for finishing the season on a high note.

You can just about make excuses for the 4-1 defeat to Norwich City last weekend given the Canaries were going for the title, but really there are no reasons not to go out and put in a performance to be proud of against Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

Simply taking the game in isolation, the Terriers have been the worst performing Championship side in 2021, only winning three games this calendar year.

The result could also really dictate the mood going into the summer.

Reading haven’t won their final game of the campaign in the last three years, and that has meant that pessimism and gloom has dictated the offseason.

I only need to think back to 2014/15 when the Royals beat Derby County 3-0 on the last day.

Featuring a promising league debut for Tariqe Fosu meant there was plenty of hope for the future.

The same again on Saturday – an encouraging display with a few youngsters thrown in – would put a silver lining on the cloud that has emerged in recent weeks.

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MOLES MARCH ON TO VASE SEMI-FINALS BINFIELD DREAMING OF WEMBLEY TRIP

OAKSOUT AFTER WARGRAVE CLASHP35

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

BINFIELD took another step closer to Wembley with an emphatic quarter-final win over Long Eaton United.

JUBILATION: Binfield celebrate winning their way to the semi-finals of the FA Vase Picture: Neil Graham

The Moles have become accustomed to playing away in the FA Vase, with not a single home draw in the entirety of this season’s competition.

Having endured the anxiety of a penalty shootout in their previous

two ties to get through, Binfield displayed their finest performance so far during trip to Derbyshire on Saturday.

Binfield were clinical in front of goal and controlled the contest to fire themselves through to the last four of the competition as Liam Ferdinand struck a hat-trick, while captain Sean Moore notched a brace in a stupendous away performance.

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The Moles are now just one win away from qualifying for the FA Vase final which will be played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 22.

They are on the road once again in the semifinals where they will face United Services Portsmouth on Saturday, who booked their place in the last four with a 2-0 victory over Flackwell Heath. � Full match report and pictures on page 37