4 minute read
It’s the beans-talk of the town ...
BEANS means Caversham Court Gardens this Saturday, as a charity aims to help people get a headstart on the growing season.
Econet’s annual Beanpole Day is will take place at the Church Road venue in Caversham.
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The group is an association of practical conservation groups based in the Reading area, and its volunteers will be on hand to offer everything needed for an environmentally friendly summer including natural beanpoles and plant supports from local woodland management.
There will also be locally grown ornamental and vegetable plants including all kinds of varieties of tomatoes. Saplings will be available to take home.
And there will also be the fruits of labour to buy in the form of home-made biscuits, sweets and jams; wooden bowls, decorations, bird tables, hedgehog homes, walking sticks, house signs to order; second-hand tools.
If that wasn’t enough, there will be a range of environmental charities offering advice on global justice, conservation, bee-keeping, how to grow vegetables, and tackling the climate emergency.
Organisers also encourage people to bring a picnic to enjoy on the grass. The Ways and Means snack shack will be open, serving refreshments.
Only disabled parking is on site. A ‘creche’ will be operating for anyone buying large, bulky or heavy items, and needing to bring their car to the site to load up.
The event runs from 10am to 3pm, on Saturday, April 22. n For more details, log on to: www. econetreading.org.uk
Orchestral manoeuvres in the park: Ibiza with a twist
Classic Ibiza sees a 32-piece live orchestra take on some of the biggest dance and rave anthems from the last three decades on Friday, June 16. Picture: Classic Ibiza
Ms Rowden has undertaken the challenge of walking 60 miles throughout the event, which runs through April, accompanied by Corby the cockapoo.
She said that it all started after noticing a Facebook post: “I did some fundraising for Sue Ryder a few years ago, when I lost my best friend to cancer after a very short three-month journey.
“I’m also lucky enough to be 12 years clear of cancer too, and without the research and treatment I had, I probably wouldn’t have been here to see my son grow up, so it’s very close to my heart.
“So when this event came up on Facebook, I thought it was a good idea to maybe get fitter and walk the dog as a fun thing to do while raising money.”
So she joined a Facebook group where “members are sharing their reasons for taking part, some are going through cancer at the moment, some of them have lost people, and some of them just have a dog.
“I personally haven’t done any fundraising for a little while, so I thought ‘I’ll do this.”
Ms Rowden will be joined by Corby for much of the 60-mile challenge raising funds for Cancer Research.
Ms Rowden explained that part of the campaign is seeking for the majority of cancer patients to survive:
“I had breast cancer, to which a lot of funding is given, but with some other cancers, not so much.
“So SU2C is hoping that by 2034 the majority of people survive what is one of the biggest killers.”
Those taking part are encouraged to aim for 60 miles walked in April, some while accompanied by dogs, and to upload their progress to dedicated fundraising pages.
Ms Rowden has already smashed through her original target of £150, raising more than three times that.
At the time of printing, her page had garnered more than £500 in donations.
TfL launches audio guides exploring central stations
TRANSPORT for London has launched a series of audio guides with a number of notable Londoners lending their voices.
voicing the guide exploring Woolwich Station.
READING is set to get its own little bit of Ibiza – but with a twist – this summer.
Classic Ibiza sees a 32-piece live orchestra take on some of the biggest dance and rave anthems from the last three decades.
Songs such as Insomnia, Born Slippy, Sandstorm, and Levels will be among those performed by The Urban Soul Orchestra, who will also be joined by live vocalists and DJs.
A full festival-style event will be set up in Palmer Park, complete with roaming entertainers, bars, street food vendors, and make-up stalls.
Event organiser Jonathan Ware, originally from Reading, says: “We have toured this show to sell out crowds all over the UK and cannot wait to bring it to our hometown.
“The audience have got a great night in store, with some of the biggest dance anthems ever being brought to orchestral life on stage. Get ready for goosebumps, it’s going to be a night to remember.”
Classic Ibiza comes to Palmer Park on Friday, June 16, with gates open from 5pm and The Urban Soul Orchestra performing from 7pm. n Tickets are available via: summertimelive.co.uk/reading
The collection will see 10 threeminute guides exploring stations in the central section of the line, including looking at their art, history, and architecture.
Posters with a headphone symbol will display a QR code in the stations which can be scanned to access the audio.
Each guide will be voiced by a person with links to respective area, such as MOBO-Award-winning rapper Guvna B, who was born and grew up in Custom House, who voices its station guide.
Paddington Station’s guide will be voiced by author Karen Jankel, daughter of Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond.
Actor Scott Maslen, best known for roles in The Bill and EastEnders, is
The guide for Whitechapel will feature both Bengali and English versions in reference to its bilingual signage recognising the Bangladeshi community local to the station, and will be voiced by the station’s customer service supervisor, Neil Dalton.
Guvna B said: “I was born and bred in Custom House, it’s the place I call home.
“I grew up around working class English people as well as firstgeneration Brits from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.
“We were all so different but our differences united us and that’s the beauty of this place.”
Karen Jankel, who narrates the Paddington audio guide, said: “Since I was born two months before my father’s first book was published, Paddington has always been a very