COVERING WOKINGHAM, FINCHAMPSTEAD, EARLEY, WINNERSH, SHINFIELD, WOODLEY, TWYFORD & SURROUNDING AREAS
WOKINGHAM.TODAY
THE VOICE OF THE BOROUGH
Call to fund free school meal vouchers
THE NEW NAME FOR THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Thursday, October 29, 2020 No. 285 70p CALLFORCLIMATE P9 CITIZENS’ASSEMBLY
EXCLUSIVE By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today POLITICAL party leaders across the borough are calling for the council to step in and offer free school meal vouchers to struggling families in the holidays.
This week, the leader and deputy leader of Wokingham Liberal Democrats met with the council’s chief executive, to call for action. Cllr Clive Jones, deputy leader of the Lib Dems, said: “In that meeting, we made it absolutely clear that if we were in control of the council, the council would be funding free school meal vouchers over the Christmas holidays and February half term.” Cllr Jones estimates the scheme would cost between £80,000 and £90,000 to help feed the 1,800 children who receive free meals during term time in the borough. This, he said, could be funded through the £1 million given to the borough council by the Government last week, to help get through the covid-crisis. He added: “I’m sure there will be extra costs coming our way over the next few months that could eat up the £1 million.” � Continued on page13
Child poverty in numbers RESEARCH from Loughborough University states there were 5,649 children in poverty across the borough between 2018/19.
Last week, an inaccurate calculation was used in the front page headline that stated 6,300 children were in poverty. The new data still puts this as onein-six children. The number is calculated by analysing the number of children living in relative poverty, as researched by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), combined with housing costs.
RBH STAFF ARE P7 READY FOR WINTER
SPOOKTACULAR: Covid-safe Hallowe’en trails in borough • P16
‘WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO STOP THE VIRUS’
TRUMPETEER VISITS CARE HOMES P3 PLAN IN PLACE FOR ROSE STREET PINCH POINT CHANGE P11
Rising cases mean borough may enter Tier 2 soon EXCLUSIVE By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today RESIDENTS across the borough could find themselves living under Tier 2 Covid-19 restrictions, as infection rates continue to rise.
The borough council’s health executive says they’re keeping a watchful eye on figures, but the Government have not made contact
over tier levels yet. Over the past month, the number of people testing positive for coronavirus has been steadily increasing, although at a slower rate than other regions in the country. Between Sunday, October 18 and Saturday, October 24, there were 171 positive cases confirmed in the borough, an increase of 53 from the previous week. This meets the one of the criteria for Tier 2 restrictions, with
100 cases per 100,000 people. But until a decision is made in conjunction with the borough council, nothing is changing. Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health at Wokingham Borough Council said: “You have to wait for the phone call. There are no discussion underway at the moment, and we have not had any contact from the Government about our tier level.” � Continued on page 6
KEEPING CLEAN: P3 EARLEY LITTER PICK BOWLING CLUB GETS MRS MAY’S SUPPORT P11
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FAMILY NOTICES � Deaths GIBBONS, Jacqueline (Nee Jackson) Passed away peacefully on the 18th October 2020, after a short illness, which she bravely fought . Aged 92 years. A much loved Mother to Lindsay and Joanna, Grandmother (Mama) to Alicia, Steven, Stephanie and Simon, a Great Grandmother (GG) to William, Nicole, Rex and Dexter and extended family John, Claudia & Stuart. Former Headteacher at Wessex Infant and Nursery School in Maidenhead. She will be greatly missed by all her family, friends and all those who knew her and be in all our hearts forever. A family service will be held on the morning of the 2nd November 2020 at 10.30am at Easthampstead Park Crematorium. We would like to invite you to visit Jacqueline's tribute page at www.jacquelinegibbons.muchloved.com for information on how to join us on a webcam and messages photos and donations if wished to Sue Ryder .
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, October 29, 2020
Balfour Beatty work to join roundabout with road A NEW ROUNDABOUT will be added to Reading Road, in Winnersh with overnight works planned next month. From Monday, November 9, Balfour Beatty will be working to join the new roundabout opposite Woodward Close with the A329 Reading Road. Work will take three nights, between 8pm and 6am and there will be a change in the current temporary traffic light layout. Temporary lights at the Woodward Close junction will remain in operation. And Balfour Beatty warns that delays along this section of the road can be expected until Christmas. A spokesperson said: “Due to the nature of the works, noise levels may be higher than normal which we appreciate may be an inconvenience. “We will obviously be doing everything practical to keep any intrusion to a minimum and mitigate the impact as far as possible. “Daily public safety will remain a priority, as will access to the Emergency Services. “Additionally, access for local residents will remain open at all times. As we draw closer to the winter months, we will be installing temporary lights for the safety of pedestrians. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience and kindly ask you to bear with us while these essential works are carried out.” Wokingham Borough Council’s Traffic and Travel social media accounts were relaunched this month, to keep residents updated with works across the borough. � For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/ wokinghamroadworks or twitter.com/ WBCTrafficAlert
Selfish parking warning A NEW campaign has been launched in a bid to clamp down on drivers who leave their vehicles in anti-social places. The British Parking Association (BPA) said that the issue is a major frustration for many. The It’s Not OK campaign will highlight why effective parking management is so important and how it addresses many of the issues that impact negatively on local communities. Posters will highlight problem parking areas and the hashtag #selfishparking will be used to encourage motorists to think before they park. Alison Tooze, BPA membership development manager, says: "We hope that putting an emphasis on the importance of motorists respecting others, thinking before they park and not behaving selfishly will also help us start a different conversation about the role of the parking sector.”
Teen plans Reme EXCLUSIVE By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokinghampaper.co.uk WE MAY not be able to commemorate Remembrance as we normally would this year, but one teenager is determined to mark the occasion in a special way.
Freddie Shaw, a 15-year-old Army Cadet from Woodley, is embarking on his own Remembrance Sunday Trumpet Tour to honour those who fought in the First World War. He has been granted special permission by the Royal County of Berkshire Army Cadet Force to play in four local care homes in light of public acts of remembrance being unable to go ahead. “On Remembrance Sunday, I would normally march down to the memorial on Arborfield High Street with the Army Cadets and play The Last Post there,” Freddie explained.
“It’s a bit weird not doing that this year and I’ll miss it a little bit.” Freddie is a member of the Royal County of Berkshire Army Cadet Band and is also a Cadet at Woodley Detachment. He joined the marching Band when he was 12 and has been playing the trumpet for five years — he is due to take his grade five exams soon. And this year, he will be playing The Last Post a number of local care homes: Lakeside Care Home in Earley, Braeburn Lodge Care Home in Beenham, Wild Acres Care Home in Finchampstead, and Suffolk Lodge Care Home in Wokingham. “Care homes have been so affected by the coronavirus situation, and we talked about how it would be nice to do something special for the residents,” Freddie’s mother Kathryn said, who organised the Remembrance Sunday
Shinfield residents celebrate lottery win SHINFIELD residents have been celebrating after their postcode came up lucky in a daily draw. Nine neighbours in Deardon Way each won £1,000 in the Thursday, October 22 People’s Postcode Lottery. People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Matt Johnson was pleased to be able to announce the winners. He said: “A big congratulations to all those who have picked up a prize in Shinfield. I hope the win will help lift their spirits and they treat themselves to something special with the cash.” This draw was promoted on behalf of Barnardo’s which has received more than £5.2 million in funding thanks to players.
Barnardo's purpose is to transform the lives of the UK's most vulnerable children through essential services, campaigning and research including Wokingham’s High Close School. A minimum of 32% of ticket sales goes directly to charities and players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised more than £600 million to date for thousands of good causes in Britain and beyond. Many good causes close to the winners have also benefitted from players’ support, and local charities can apply for funding next year. � For more information on People’s Postcode Lottery, visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk
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Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY Freddie Shaw will be performing outside four local care homes on Remembrance Sunday Picture: Fox Raven Photography
Volunteers join to clear ‘neglected’ route in Earley
mbrance tribute Trumpet Tour. “Even if he only goes and plays for 15 or 20 minutes, it’s great that Freddie’s able to do something to commemorate the day.” And residents at the four care homes are grateful. “This year, I think it’s more poignant than ever that we shouldn’t forget,” said Wendy Luck, manager at Suffolk Lodge Care Home. “It’s great that the younger generation are taking Remembrance Sunday seriously and showing their respect. “Because of Covid, there’s not been much for our residents to do and enjoy, so we welcome Freddie coming to play and think it will be really lovely for everyone.” Janet Elliot, manager at Wild Acres Care Home is also proud to be inviting Freddie to play for residents next month. “We have many residents who
have lost family during the First World War so this day is very special to them,” she said. “Freddie should be commended for giving his time and for thinking of others.” And Freddie is fundraising for The Royal British Legion, too. He has currently raised £370 of his £400 target. “I am immensely proud of Cadet Shaw,” said Kit Donal, Freddie’s bandmaster. “We are saddened that we are unable to do our parades this year, but this is why I personally love being an Army Cadet instructor — to see these young people become such kind and caring human beings, especially in these awful times.” � To find out more about Freddie’s Remembrance Tour and to donate to the fundraiser, visit: bit.ly/31MaTvU � For a full round-up of Remembrance Sunday events, turn to page 22
EARLEY is looking a little neater this week thanks to a clean-up operation, writes John Wakefield. Members of residents association ACER (the Associaton of Cental Earley Residents) tidied up Town Lane on Saturday morning. More than 20 people turned up to help. It is a popular route for dog walkers, school children and people on their way to Woodley’s precinct. Joining the volunteers
Last year, three million meals were collected as part of the Tesco Food Collection, and since its launch in 2012 more than 76 million meals have been donated to the two charities by generous Tesco customers. Foodbanks in the Trussell Trust’s network are expecting to give out six emergency food parcels every minute this winter. Sophie Greaves, south east area manager at the Trussell Trust, said: “A crisis can often bring out the best in people, and we have been overwhelmed by the support the UK has shown towards food banks in light of the coronavirus outbreak. “As we look to the one of the busiest times of the year for food banks in our network,
safer and more pleasant for people. “The picture does not really do justice to the amount of detritus we removed. A lot was placed in the adjacent woods, to keep it in the local ecosystem,” he continued. “At a time when we should all be trying to use our cars less, we must do everything we can to encourage active travel, that is, walking and cycling. The tidy-up has made the useable area wider
and improved sightlines.” And Cllr Croy said that work would continue to protect the lane. “We will be following up with Earley Town Council, Woodley Town Council and Wokingham Borough Council to see how we can further improve the condition of this otherwise neglected route,” he said. “We will be keeping our eye on it and will be back later to remove more of the autumn leaf fall.”
Police stop drug driver and finish delivering kebab to customer LAST WEDNESDAY night, police stopped a delivery driver who was suspected of drug driving. And after the arrest, police delivered the kebab too. Thames Valley Police stopped the driver, who was in Woodley at the time and had previously been chased
Food charities call for volunteer help TESCO shoppers can soon donate in-store for the UK’s biggest food collection this Christmas. From Thursday, November 19 until Saturday, November 21, charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust will be collecting food in Wokingham Tesco. FareShare is looking for people to volunteer at donation points in store, and the Trussell Trust is looking for social media volunteers to share shopping lists on social media to encourage people to donate. During the collection days, Wokingham customers are encouraged to donate long-life food to help food banks and community groups support people this Christmas. Tesco will top up customer donations by 20% in cash to aid the two charities in their work.
were Labour councillors Andy Croy and Shirley Boyt. Cllr Croy said: "Residents, councillors and volunteers joined forces to tidy up Town Lane — which joins Earley with Bulmershe. “It had become narrowed by encroaching vegetation and rotting leaves while the surface was starting to accumulate loose leaves, which can be slippery when wet.” And the residents wanted the tidy up the make the lane
we would be so grateful if people can share shopping lists of their local food bank’s most-needed items on their social media to encourage friends and family to donate. “Together we can make a difference and ensure that food banks are able to help people in crisis this winter.” FareShare will be supplying food to 11,000 front-line charities supporting people this winter. Claire Martin, FareShare development manager, said: “We would be hugely grateful to anyone who is able to volunteer this year to encourage more shoppers to donate much needed ambient food to those who need it most.” � To sign up, visit: fareshare.org.uk/foodcollection
by the force. “Driver gave false details as had no insurance, no licence, cord exposed on tyre and drug driving,” said police on social media. The driver was arrested and the car seized, with officers delivering the kebab to the correct address after.
Picture: Acabashi via Wikimedia Commons
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Elderly support charity to host silent auction AN OUTDOOR winter fair will take place in Wokingham next month. WADE (Wokingham and District Association for the Elderly) will be able to welcome visitors for the socially distanced event. There will be tombolas, raffles, gifts, refreshments and a car wash. The charity also welcomes applications for groups wishing to hire a stall. It takes place at the Reading Road centre on Saturday, November 14 between 11am and 2pm. Free parking will be available in the Masonic Hall opposite. The charity is also holding a silent promise auction, where the highest bidder wins. The bids will be accepted up to midnight on Saturday with the winners announced on Monday, November 2. All proceeds from both events will go to WADE's work looking after the elderly in the borough. � For more details, log on to www.wadecentre.org.uk
New restaurant opens tomorrow evening NO FRILLS and no fuss, just awesome food – that’s the promise for a new restaurant which will open in Wokingham tomorrow evening, writes John Wakefield. The Stables is the successor to Miltons and is based in Cantley House Hotel. The dining room has been completely renovated and a new chef has been appointed. Murray Lane has joined after spending five years working at some of the most exclusive venues in Dubai. He says his vision is to create simple, modern dishes cooked to perfection. The menu will include traditional English dishes including homemade Scotch eggs and sausage rolls, scallops, slow-cooked pork belly, braised lamb shoulder, British rare breed beefburgers and a selection of beautiful British steaks. There will also be favourite desserts such as sticky toffee pudding. Lane says that the aim is to reinvent ‘the local’ for Wokingham and create a mouthwatering menu to delight any foodie. And it’s all housed in a 17th century converted stable barn with exposed beams, inviting log burner and secluded courtyard garden adorned with festoon lighting. It will be open from noon to 10pm weekdays and 10am to 10pm at weekends.
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Council look to bid for share of £100 million leisure centre fund EXCLUSIVE By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today LAST WEEK, the government announced a £100 million package to support local authority leisure centres through the pandemic.
Locally, the borough council works with six Places Leisure centres; St Crispin’s, Carnival Pool, Arborfield Green, Loddon Valley, Ryeish Green and Bulmershe. But with the venues closed during the height of the pandemic, the centres lost their income stream. Secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Oliver Dowden, said that councils will have to bid for their share of the funding, with money allocated to the centres most in need. Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure said has been following the announcement. He told Wokingham.Today: “We of course welcome any government funding for any of our services and are now waiting to hear about the scheme’s finer details. “To access this funding, if relevant, we would continue to work
closely with our leisure centre operator Places Leisure.” Nationally, the chief executive of Sport England, Tim Hollingsworth supports the funding. In a statement, he said: “This £100m is welcome news for public sector leisure operators and is much needed given the challenges they are facing due to the pandemic. “These facilities are vital for local communities, helping more than 12.8 million people across England to get active and driving 36% of all physical activity across the country. “At a time when we recognise more than ever the importance of being active for both our physical and mental health, we must do everything we can to ensure the long-term survival of these facilities. “We will continue to work closely with the Government on the next steps.”
Cllr Parry Batth and Cllr Malcolm Richards inspect the gym equipment at the Bulmershe Leisure Centre official opening in August
Councillors cut ribbon for £4.4 million school extension
Cllr Ullakarin Clark and mayor, Cllr Malcolm Richards cut the ribbon to the newly expanded Addington School Picture: Stewart Turkington
THE NEW £4.4million Addington School building has been officially opened. Wokingham Borough mayor Cllr Malcolm Richards and executive member for children’s services, Cllr UllaKarin Clark cut the ribbon with headteacher Sara Attra at the school to declare the building officially open. The expansion means that 50 more pupils can attend the Ofsted-rated outstanding school in Woodley. Cllr Richards gave a short speech to declare the building open and the guests were given a Covid-safe tour of the building by two students and the headteacher. The opening was recorded on video to be shown to the rest of the school community. “I was delighted to be able to visit the fantastic new building and receive the tour where students and Mrs Attra explained the real-world benefits of this project and how it’s helping young people in our borough,” Cllr Richards said. Construction of the new block follows the opening of two new multi-use games areas (MUGAs), a new sensory path and an expanded car park at the end of September 2019. Thirty-five of the 50 new places have already been filled from September 2020, with the rest of the additional places due to be taken from next September. The new places have helped accommodate a new year seven class and an Early Years class, with two additional classes when the new school year starts
in autumn 2021. “The new sixth Form building at Addington school is an excellent addition to the school’s provision,” Mrs Attra said. “Its use is twofold, firstly to provide a new excellent teaching and learning environment for our 16-19-year-olds and secondly to provide space in our old building for an extra 50 special school places. “These additional places will enable more children and young people with learning difficulties living in Wokingham to attend a local special school. “Our sixth formers and staff have settled extremely well into the new building and are enjoying using the additional facilities such as the teaching cafe, teaching kitchen and business enterprise room which have greatly enhanced our vocational curriculum. “Our students have told us how happy they are with their new facilities and in particular the more age appropriate environment and are looking forward to developing the cafe as an enterprise project in the future.” Cllr Clark said: “The range of facilities on offer will allow students to learn life skills, as well as providing a social space and standard classrooms.” The construction was completed by modular construction specialists Reds10, alongside council design partners HLM Architects. Approximately 70% of the building work for the new block was completed modularly offsite, a decision made to reduce disruption to the school and its students, and for its environmental benefits.
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Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
PETITION: Footballer calls for schools to see past gender in PE class
Student pushes for equal sports opportunities for girls and boys EXCLUSIVE By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today A FOOTBALL fanatic from Mortimer is taking her sporting concerns to the big leagues.
Teenager Katie Allen, has launched a petition to require schools to offer equal sporting opportunities to boys and girls. And it already has more than 2,400 signatures. After realising that many of her teammates shared her concerns about being offered to play netball over football, she decided to do something about it. “I’m not asking for schools to change which sports they offer, but they should offer all the sports they run to all genders,” Katie said. Rather than some schools only offering netball to girls and football to boys, Katie explained that she
wants every pupil to have more options when it comes to sports. “I understand that school sports sometimes need to be gendered for safety reasons, but they should allow all students to play all the sports on offer. “I know that many schools offer a lot of sports clubs, but people won’t go. I want to make sure students have equal opportunities in PE lessons too,” she added. And she has received a lot of positive responses so far. “On the whole, I’ve received some really nice comments — one even nearly made me cry,” Katie said. “Even if I don’t get this petition to Parliament, I just want to let people know what’s going on — that we don’t have equal sporting opportunities in schools. “I’m 16 now, meaning if this petition does make a difference it won’t affect me but I want to help
change it for people like me in the future.” Outside of school, Katie plays for AFC Aldermaston and is also part of Oxford United's regional Elite Talent ID programme. For the Government to respond to Katie’s petition, it will need 10,000 signatures. The petition is open until March 23, 2021. � To find out more, and to sign the petition, visit: bit.ly/ 37pb1VS Picture: courtesy of Katie Allen
‘Reform will fail to deliver affordable homes’ GOVERNMENT proposals that could see Wokingham borough forced to build more than 1,600 new homes every year will fail to deliver affordable houses. That’s the verdict of the countryside charity CPRE, which says its analysis shows that the new formula would allow developers to build hundreds of thousands of poorly located new homes in the countryside, threatening locally valued green space and completely undermining government ambitions for urban regeneration. The government’s consultation on the planning system ends today (Thursday, October 29) and would
include a revamp of the formula that determines local housing need, known as a housing algorithm, which was introduced in 2014. The CPRE says that while there is a need for affordable housing across Berkshire, the proposed algorithm threatens irreparable damage to the countryside and do little to tackle the housing crisis. And it said that its analysis shows that the new algorithm could deepen the housing crisis delivering more unaffordable homes in areas based on higher housing prices and not genuine need. Under the new housing algorithm, areas in England with the
sharpest house price rises since the 2009 recession would get the highest number of new homes. While Berkshire does not fare as badly as some other areas of the country like Cumbria (178% increase) and Cotswold district (148%), the evidence shows the new algorithm would potentially only deliver bigger profits for developers at the expense of building homes in areas where people can afford to live. CPRE Berkshire branch secretary, Gloria Keene MBE, said: “The CPRE housing algorithm analysis reveals that compared to the current formula every district and borough in Berkshire
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will get an increase. “Wokingham’s housing target will increase by a whopping 107%. More simply, Wokingham’s housing target will go from 789 to 1,635. “Slough will see a 36% increase, Bracknell Forest 31% increase, and West Berkshire 35% increase. “Although substantially smaller, add to that Reading (8%) and Windsor and
Maidenhead (5%), and the pressure across the county on infrastructure, public services, clean air and access to local green spaces, the countryside and the Green Belt will be immense.” Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, added: “To begin delivering the homes we need at the pace we need them, the government should abandon centralised
housing targets and ensure planning remains locally-led with communities empowered to have a say in what gets built where.”
Have your say on the arts THE BOROUGH council is looking at the effect arts and culture can have on residents’ wellbeing. As part of its plan to become a “cultural hub”, the council has launched a public consultation calling for views. The 10 year strategy aims to promote the profile of arts and culture throughout the borough, making it a place that is recognised for its inclusive and accessible cultural activities and arts offering. The plan identifies six key priorities across the borough with the purpose of driving this ambition forward. These include enhancing the cultural identity and sense of place; fostering social interaction and community cohesion; improving health and wellbeing; developing opportunities for children and young people; supporting economic growth; and maximising partnerships and collaboration. “As an artist myself, I recognise just how much arts and culture can contribute towards making Wokingham borough a fantastic place to live and work for all our residents” said Cllr Charlotte Haitham Taylor, executive member for regeneration. “It’s not just the intrinsic value of how it enriches people’s lives, but the wider social value it has in bringing families and communities closer together, helping improve educational attainment and supporting people’s wellbeing, which is so vitally important at the current time. “Arts and culture also helps with local economic growth and job creation. With a large number of local people already employed in the creative sector and the opportunity to bring more creative companies to the area in the coming years, it is important that we look for further ways in which we can nurture growth in this area.” As part of this, over the summer, the council launched Wocca, an arts and culture phone app. The draft arts and culture strategy and questionnaire can be found by searching on the council website for Current Consultations. Public consultation is open until Friday, November 20.
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CORONAVIRUS LATEST How to get help in Wokingham borough: To access the ‘One Front Door’ service, call Citizen’s Advice on 0300 330 1189 Those calling from a mobile phone should enter if prompted: 0118 978 7258
Furlough: 9% of workforce use scheme JUST under a tenth of Wokingham’s workers were furloughed as a result of the coronavirus according to the latest statistics. And similar levels were reported for neighbouring boroughs: Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire and Reading. Only Windsor and Maidenhead had more, with 12% of the workforce on paid leave. The statistics were published last week by HMRC and reveal how many people have taken advantage of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) up to August 31. The data has been compiled from applications submitted to HMRC by September 30. As claims can be made until November 30, the data may be revised at a later date. HMRC said that there are 85,800 eligible employments in Wokingham borough, with 8,100 of these furloughed. Of these, 4,600 women were furloughed, while 3,500 men were. In all, this is 9% of the workforce. There were 7,700 eligible people for the SEISS as of September 30, and 4,900 claims made at a cost of £14.3 million. The average value of claims was £2,900 and there was a 64% take-up. As of October 18, there has been 9.6 million jobs furloughed across the country.
Council granted power to close businesses not following the regulations THE LOCAL Government Association has welcomed news that councils will be able to take effective action to close businesses failing to implement Covid-secure measures that would help protect customers and staff. This includes giving councils powers to issue improvement notices directing businesses to introduce more effective Covid-19 controls, as well as closure notices to shut down premises where issues are not addressed. Cllr Nesil Caliskan, chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Ensuring councils have a range of tools at their disposal will allow them to work quickly to help suppress the virus in their communities and take action before it is too late. “The vast majority of businesses are implementing the necessary measures to keep people safe and councils are supporting these efforts. “However, it is important that councils can take rapid action against businesses which fail to do this, as it both helps prevent the spread and supports those businesses which have worked hard to keep their premises safe.” He added: “We look forward to hearing more details on these proposals and are pleased with the Government’s commitment to work with councils to develop the details of the legislation.”
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We’re in this together: Council’s call to follow Covid-19 rules � Continued from front page
Cllr Margetts said the cases per 100,000 people is only one of many criteria used to make these decisions. “The Government hasn’t specified the exact details, but it seems to be related to level of cases, and outbreaks of a considerable size. “Overall, our pattern of infection hasn’t changed, and 18- to 35-yearolds are the group with the highest infection rate. “If you talk to a public health professional, they would say we are rising on a rising tide. It’s likely that discussions will take place in the near future. “From the council, we are asking everyone to think about what they’re doing, and self-isolate properly, if asked to do so.” Cllr John Halsall, leader of the borough council is spearheading a campaign, calling for people to think of their communities. In It Together calls on residents to keep to the Covid-19 rules and help slow the spread of infection. Cllr Halsall said: “Wokingham Borough Council has been proactive to protect its residents throughout the crisis and our communities and schools have responded magnificently to the challenge Covid-19 has brought. “However, we face a threat that is not going away, in fact, it is increasing in our borough as it is
elsewhere and so we will redouble our efforts and are calling on all residents to do the same: we are all in this together. “If we all can change our behaviour and observe the rules as a matter of course we may avoid the worst. I am asking everyone to be an evangelist for these rules. In essence the virus is spread through social contact, the more you minimise social contact the less the virus will spread.” If the borough is placed under Tier 2 restrictions, this means socialising indoors, outside of your household, social bubble or long-term relationship is banned. Residents can still meet with others, but they must do so outdoors, and keep a two metre distance, with no more than six people meeting at one time. Journeys should be limited where possible, but travel is still permitted to go to the shops and hospitality venues that are open. And face masks must continue to be worn. Residents should work from home where possible, and where it isn’t possible, workplaces should be covid-secure. Under high alert restrictions, gyms can remain open and organised sport and licensed physical activity are allowed in indoor and outdoor settings but may be subject to certain rules.
We need to work together to keep infections rates down, says the council leader Picture: Mohamed Hassan via Pixabay
Cllr Halsall added: “The effort to control Covid-19 and support the vulnerable in the borough has been phenomenal. But the numbers are going up and there are still some people who are not following the rules – and I have to say that they are putting others at greater risk. “We must all stick together in this – keep to the social distancing rules and, if you have to isolate, please do so.” A mobile Covid-19 testing unit will be located at Cantley Park on Friday,
November 13, Saturday, November 21 and Friday, November 27. Tests must be pre-booked via the national website: www.gov.uk/getcoronavirus-test. Slots are allocated the day before for morning appointments or in the morning for same day afternoon appointments. If no local appointments are available residents may be able to book a home testing kit, or find a booking at a nearby regional testing unit in Newbury or Slough.
Help others with Covid-19 blood plasma donation PEOPLE who have had Covid-19 are being urged to sign up to a new blood plasma donation centre which will open in Reading shortly, writes John Wakefield. Run by NHS Blood and Transplant it is one of 14 centres that will form part of the world’s largest plasma treatment trial. The new centre is expected to open in the next few weeks, with the location to be announced shortly. The NHS said that there is an urgent need for people in the greater Reading area who have had Covid to register as donors now, so that they can be booked into appointments in advance. It says that the plasma is rich in antibodies, and can therefore be transfused into people who are struggling to develop their own immune response. The antibodies could slow or stop the virus spreading, which could save lives. There is promising evidence for the effectiveness of convalescent plasma but before general use patient benefit needs to be demonstrated in randomised control trials. The NHS Blood and Transplant led trials are the world’s largest randomised clinical trials of convalescent plasma. Donations are urgently needed so that if the trial confirms patient
A man who has already had coronavirus donates his blood plasma to help others with the virus Picture: NHS Blood and Transplant
benefit, plasma can be made readily available for general use in the NHS. Hospitals in the Reading area have transfused five people with Covid-19 convalescent plasma. Professor David Roberts, NHSBT associate medical director for blood donation, and also one of the trial’s principal investigators, said: “We have so far seen a fantastic
response from the public. “We would love to see people in Reading offering to donate so we can book them into donation appointments now. Donation is safe and easy, and you could save lives.” Donation takes about 45 minutes. The whole visit – including the donation, snacks and checks – takes about one hour 15 minutes.
The NHS says that it takes between 24 and 48 hours for a donor to replace the plasma given. All donations are tested for Covid-19 antibodies. NHSBT is collaborating with the REMAP-CAP and RECOVERY trials. � To volunteer to donate plasma, log on to www.nhsbt.nhs.uk or register online by searching ‘donate plasma’
Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
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CORONAVIRUS LATEST
RBH staff prepared to face winter of viruses By MARIE WILLIAMS news@wokingham.today THE HEAD of a local NHS Foundation Trust said the area’s health system is well prepared and ready to cope with the demands it’ll face over the next few months with winter pressures and any rise in Covid cases.
Nicky Lloyd, acting chief executive of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The NHS has learnt a lot over the last few months about the best ways of dealing with Covid and we have measures in place so we can cope with any increase in Covid cases while maintaining vital healthcare services for all our other patients. “We have spent the last few months on a very robust recovery plan to tackle reestablishing pre-Covid activity levels and, thanks to huge efforts by our staff, I’m pleased to say this work is progressing very well. Ms Lloyd said the hospital has met all of its commitments to re-establishing patient care activity levels. “In outpatients, inpatients, day cases and diagnostics we have met or exceeded our target levels, and in cancer, patient referrals from GPs to us are back up to well over 90% on last year’s levels and were at 97% last week,” she said. “Now our focus is on supporting patients who have been waiting the longest for elective surgery and it’s encouraging to see we have made a number of noticeable improvements here, “We’ve achieved this while still caring for patients who have tested positive for Covid and also working within the new strict infection control
Acting CEO Nicky Lloyd (right) with staff from the Minor Injuries Unit
guidelines which mean extra precautions and cleaning need to be put in place between appointments. “Of course this takes time and means that most of our services have made changes to how they work, but it’s very encouraging we’re managing this so well and continuing to keep on top of things.” Ms Lloyd said it was a credit to their teams that these measures were put in place quickly. And more appointments are being held virtually, a move welcomed by patients. She added: “We’re also very grateful to the partnership cooperation from our colleagues in Primary Care, the GPs, practice nurses and other health and social care teams who are helping us manage demand and support people so they can access the right care at the right time.” Ms Lloyd called on local people to do their bit to help the NHS to help them. “If you have an appointment booked for clinic or surgery, please do attend for your treatment,” she said. “Our Trust sites are all extremely safe with stringent social distancing and
other infection control precautions in place. “Outside the hospital environment, you must also continue to adhere to the rules on hands, face and space. “Please do also talk to your GP or pharmacist to see whether you are eligible for a free flu vaccination. We all have a responsibility to do as much as we can to look after ourselves and our families. That will play a big part in helping the local NHS teams care for those who need urgent care and easing pressure on our services.” She added: “I believe that we are well prepared for winter and any extra demands we face. We have adequate supplies of PPE at the hospital and other Trust locations to make sure our staff and patients are properly protected. “We’re also continuing to limit footfall on our sites so I’d urge you, if you have an appointment to try and visit alone if that’s possible. “There are also still restrictions on visitors on the wards and I’d like to thank our patients and relatives for their cooperation.” � For more information, visit: www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk
Volunteers needed for research study A NEW study aimed at helping older people at risk stay out of hospital is looking for volunteers. The University of Oxford trial is testing existing treatments for older patients in the community with moderate symptoms of the disease or a positive test for Covid-19. The volunteers will be taking part in a Platform Randomised trial of Interventions against COVID-19 in older peoPLE (PRINCIPLE) trial. Funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), it is evaluating whether a short course of antibiotics azithromycin or doxycycline can reduce the severity of Coronavirus symptoms in
vulnerable groups and help avoid hospital admission. People aged 50 to 64 with at least one of the following conditions can apply to take part: · weakened immune system due to a serious illness or medication (e.g. chemotherapy); heart disease or high blood pressure; asthma or lung disease; known diabetes; liver disease; stroke or neurological problem; obesity. Dr Christopher Keast of The Boathouse Surgery, Pangbourne, Reading, one of the participating practices, said: “Covid-19 is a new disease and it’s only by testing treatments through research that their effectiveness can be ascertained. “We can then use this
information in our clinical practice to reduce the symptoms of Covid-19 and reduce hospital admissions and mortality. “Without patients volunteering to take part in research, there will be no treatments or vaccines for Covid-19. We all have a duty to help where we can to overcome this global pandemic.” Those wishing to take part can register via 11 GP surgeries including the Wokingham Medical Centre and Crowthorne’s New Wokingham Road Surgery and Ringmead Medical Practice. They can also pre-screen for the trial at home via an online questionnaire. � To register online visit principletrial.org or call 0800 138 0880.
Wokingham charity helps by gifting £100,000 in grants A CHARITY that has given out more than £100,000 in emergency grants as a result of the coronavirus is to launch a new partnership to meet anticipated demand as the furlough scheme ends. Earlier this year, Wokingham United Charities, which has worked in the borough for more than 500 years, teamed up with charities taking part in the One Front Door support scheme to offer support to those who have a desperate need for help. They include grants to referrals to purchase essential items such as laptops for virtual school lessons, as well as microwaves and fridge freezers. It has also helped people in ‘substantial debt’ by funding bankruptcy fees and Debt Relief Orders. It says that demand for its help is at 400% of pre-Covid levels and that it is expected to rise as a result of changes to the chancellor’s furlough scheme. Now it is teaming up with Citizens Advice Wokingham and The Cowshed to trial a more streamlined and holistic support package for Wokingham Borough residents
in need with immediate effect. Citizens Advice, which receives the initial One Front Door calls, has been Wokingham United Charity’s principal grant referrer throughout Covid, and The Cowshed continues to offer support to the homeless and others in need through the provision of clothing and small household items. If, after a comprehensive review, Citizens Advice identify that an essential item is required the request will be passed on to The Cowshed to action. Wokingham United Charities will continue to fund these items. Tracey Hedgecox Operations Manager at WUC said: “I’m delighted to be trialling a new method of supporting Wokingham residents in need. “I hope that this will be the start of other partnership projects that don’t just resolve an immediate issue but may also provide a step up and prevent the need recurring. “Prevention is key.” Like many of the borough’s charities, both organisations have seen an increase in the number of people they have supported so Wokingham
United Charities says that teaming up seemed like a natural partnership. Sally Russell, The Cowshed’s CEO, is pleased with the link-up. She said: “We are really excited to be part of this fantastic new venture and look forward to helping those most in need in the Wokingham community”. Jake Morrison, chief executive at Citizens Advice Wokingham, said: “We're really encouraged by this new arrangement, ensuring that all people who benefit from emergency grant support, also get holistic support. “Our team provide income checks and debt support every day to help people through their individual circumstances. Working with Wokingham United Charities and The Cowshed in partnership, through the council-funded One Front Door, anyone who needs help can be confident they are able to receive it." Any Wokingham Borough resident in need should call 0300 330 1189 in the first instance. The service is available Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-1pm.
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Aldi opens 900th store in Sandhurst A SUPERMARKET chain has opened its 900th UK store in Sandhurst as it marks its 30th anniversary operating in the country. The milestone follows Aldi’s pledge to invest £1.3 billion over the next two years, including adding capacity to its store and distribution network to keep pace with demand from consumers. This will create around 4,000 jobs over the coming year. As part of this, it is opening on average one store every week – it plans to operate 1,200 stores in the UK by 2025. The Sandhurst branch is the town’s first Aldi, following on from Wokingham’s Elms Field branch opening last year. John Richardson, regional managing director, said: “Until last week, Sandhurst was one of many areas in the UK without an Aldi. That means it was another place where people didn’t have easy access to the highest-quality groceries and the lowest prices, every day. “Opening our 900th store means that, after years of careful investment in our UK store network, we’re another step forward in making Aldi available to as many shoppers as possible, which is more
Christmas toy sale A PRE-SCHOOL in Swallowfield is holding a fundraising toy sale to raise funds. Organisers say that income and the ability to fundraise has been severely limited due to Covid-19. However, toymakers Mattel have made a donation to Swallowfield Pre-School, allowing them to offer
important than ever before as many household budgets become squeezed. “Our 1,000th store is now firmly in sight and we’re on track to meet our target of operating 1,200 stores in the UK in five years’ time.” Store manager Rob Tandy said: “We had a wonderful morning at the opening of Aldi Sandhurst. It was lovely to welcome our new customers in to the store and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks. “I’d also like to thank our customers for following the social distancing guidelines we have in place to ensure the safety of both our customers and colleagues.” some new items that could make ideal Christmas gifts. Prices are up to 40% of the usual retail price, with proceeds going to the pre-school’s operating costs. There is a list of toys on Swallowfield Pre-School’s website, but stocks are limited and some items have already sold out. � For more details, log on to: swallowfieldpreschool.org.uk
WINning support for Wokingham care home A WOKINGHAM care home has thanked one of its supporters by presenting it with a special award. The Alexandra Grange home on Molly Millars Lane has awarded Wokingham In Need (WIN) a Community Partners
certificate as a way of acknowledging support it has received. Magda Anca, the centre’s general manager, and Katriona Beeton, the lifestyle team leader, said: “WIN’s support, donations and kindness have been invaluable to the residents,
team and home this year and we would like to acknowledge this with the Community Partners Award.” It was presented to WIN’s founder, Susan Jackson. Picture: Wokingham In Need
Oodles of noodles: Chef launches new restaurant in Twyford OODLES of noodles are on their way to Twyford later this week, writes Charlotte King. Woksta, a Pan Asian fusion restaurant is opening its doors for the first time tomorrow. With stores in Slough and Staines already, Woksta is preparing to open its third takeaway restaurant on London Road at the end of the week. And the franchise manager hopes that Woksta’s opening will offer the community a bit more choice when it comes to takeaway food. “We’re really looking forward to opening,” said Shazad Din, head of Woksta’s Twyford franchise. “We realised that there are a lot of small towns and villages which unfortunately, because of online
ordering systems, sometimes go without diverse takeaway options. “People shouldn’t have to go into Reading town centre to get a stir fry and we can’t wait to give the people of Twyford that choice which they might not have had before.” Woksta Twyford will offer customers takeaway street food, with gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and high protein options on the menu. “So we have a few ‘superstar’ menu items including tempura prawns, spring rolls, and mango chili prawns,” Mr Din said. “We also have ‘create your own’ wok bowls where customers can choose different bases and a variety of toppings. The whole philosophy of Woksta is that we are stir fry superstars
so whatever we do, we stir fry it.” Woksta Twyford also has a range of fusion wraps filled with egg fried rice and customisable fillings, and stir fried salad bowls. And the franchise head is looking forward to launching a chicken katsu curry at the Twyford shop too. “We’re especially excited about the katsu curry because we’ve received a lot of requests for that over the past six months,” he added. Mr Din is also hoping that Woksta will be able to give back to the Twyford community. “We will be looking to employ local people, and we will be sourcing fresh vegetables, salads and so forth from the community. Where we can give back to the area, we make an effort to,” he said. � To find out more, visit: woksta.co.uk
Building work begins for Crosfields new Senior School PUPILS at Crosfields School in Shinfield celebrated recently as construction work officially began on their brand new senior school building, due for completion in autumn 2021, writes Marie Williams. After a rigorous tender process, Crosfields is working with family owned construction firm, Beard, and together they held a traditional breaking ground ceremony with headmaster Craig Watson and four Year 8 pupils.
They were also joined by Beard’s operations director, Jamie Harwood who showed the pupils around the site and talked to them about the building methods involved on the project. The modern, two-storey senior school is being built within the school’s grounds and will include bright classrooms, a flexible performance space, library and café for pupils. In 2018, the independent, co-educational day school
announced that it would be extending its age range to 16, and from September 2021 will welcome girls and boys into Year 9 for the first time in its history. This will be the first cohort of children to go through to GCSE at Crosfields, where a range of GCSE courses will be available to them, including Dance, Psychology and PE. � For more information, visit: www.crosfields.com or call 0118 987 9902
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Labour group petition council to set up a Citizens’ Assembly EXCLUSIVE By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today WOKINGHAM Labour has today called for the borough council to set up a Citizens Assembly on the climate emergency.
But the plan for an independent advisory group is already on the cards, said the council. Announcing the plan, councillors in the Wokingham Labour group launched a video calling for the change. In the short film, Cllr Rachel Burgess, Labour councillor for Norreys, said: “Labour councillors supported the declaration of a climate emergency in Wokingham borough. But the numbers in the Conservatives’ climate plan simply do not add up.” Cllr Burgess said the Tory plan has “failure built into it” and warned that it would “not come close to delivering the carbon savings required”. Instead, Labour councillors have joined forces to call for a Citizens’ Assembly. Consisting of 30 to 50 residents, the group would be randomly selected to reflect the diversity of Wokingham borough. This would include a crosssectional of age, gender, ethnicity and attitudes to climate change. If created, it would be organised by professional facilitators who select the Assembly members — all of which would have to commit their own time to take part. Speaking in the short film, Cllr Carl Doran, Labour councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates, said: “Hard decisions will have to be made if we want to reduce carbon consumption — these decisions will need public support, but the Conservatives have refused to face reality and refused to be honest with local people.” He said there “is not enough trust in the council or politicians” but a Citizens’ Assembly would take “party politics out of the equation and make the decision making more
democratic, and more trusted.” Cllr Andy Croy, leader of Wokingham Labour said in the film: “Only a Citizens’ Assembly will have the moral authority to give direction to councillors and the council to tell them to make the decisions that need to be made. “The alternative is to stick with the Conservatives’ inadequate plan, a plan which is more concerned with looking good for elections rather than doing good for our planet. Theirs is an election plan, not a climate plan.” Cllr Shirley Boyt, also Labour councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates said: “We need a way for the people of Wokingham borough to tell the politicians exactly what changes they want to see. “And we need a decision making process which people can trust, free from normal party politics.” As part of the group’s campaign, Cllr Croy has launched a petition on behalf of the Labour group, calling for the council to adopt a Citizens’ Assembly on the climate emergency. Cllr Clive Jones, deputy leader of Wokingham Liberal Democrats said the plan is probably something the group can support. But Cllr Gregor Murray, executive member for climate emergency at Wokingham Borough Council said the plan is already on the cards. He told Wokingham.Today: “The Overview and Scrutiny Task and Finish Group have been reviewing the climate emergency plan. “We have been talking for quite a while about how we could use Citizens’ Assemblies. The group threw up quite a few challenges to us, and I think the best thing we can do is go to residents.” Cllr Murray said he would like to include young people in the project, “as this is an issue for future generations”. He would also like to keep members anonymous, to keep the group politically neutral, and to stop its members from using the Citizens’ Assembly to further a political career in the future.
Cllr Rachel Burgess opens the video calling for a Citizens’ Assembly Picture: Wokingham Labour
He added: “I would want to make sure that all people who serve on the Citizens’ Assembly are genuinely independent residents in our community — not environmental protestors, lobbyists or climate deniers. “It’s important to have a truly representative sample, and those involved have an interest in what comes out the other side.” Cllr Murray said he has a few ideas over how to set up the group but nothing has been decided yet. He will be answering resident questions on the climate emergency in tonight’s executive meeting. Last month, the UK Climate Assembly, a national Citizens’ Assembly with 108 members published a report on how the country will reach its current net-zero emissions by 2050 target. And last autumn, the Citizens’ Assembly
of Scotland was set up to consider the country’s future and produce a report of its recommendations for the Scottish Parliament to consider. They have also been used in British Columbia and Ontario in Canada, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Poland. � For more information about the Labour petition, visit: wokinghamlabour.org/greenvision
NEWS | 9
Police awarded for youth drugs help programme success THAMES Valley Police has won an award for its Youth Drug Diversion Scheme aimed at younger people, writes Charlotte King. On Tuesday, October 20, it was announced the winner of the Policing and Children category at The Howard League for Penal Reform annual awards. The charity organises an annual awards ceremony every year to recognise projects and organisations that encourage alternatives to prosecution for children and adults. Chief Inspector Jason Kew, from Thames Valley Police said: “I want to recognise the expertise from a wide range of partners involved in the scheme’s evidenced design — this is fantastic recognition for all of them. “But importantly, recognising the young people themselves, voluntarily engaging in a programme of drugs education; this award is for each of them.” The Youth Drug Diversion Scheme aims to reduce the harm caused by drug use and drug-related offences amongst under-18s by offering alternatives to prosecution. It also aims to reduce the risk of re-offending. The scheme does so by giving young people, who are found in possession of small quantities of illegal drugs, the chance to take part in a diversion to address their drug use. “We need to change the stigma towards drugs and create a safe environment to self-assess and learn the risks associated with drug use,” Mr Kew continued. “Education is key to positive behaviour and a reduction in harm.” More details about The Howard League for Penal Reform’s community awards can be found here: howardleague.org/community-awards � To find out more about the Youth Drug Diversion Scheme, visit: www.thamesvalley.police.uk
10 | BUSINESS
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Mediterranean restaurant expands A TASTE of the Mediterranean has arrived in Woodley. New Turkish restaurant, La’De Kitchen, is opening its doors on Crockhamwell Road next month. With restaurants in North London, Pangbourne and Newbury already, the Woodley branch will be the fourth for La’De Kitchen. “We are very excited to open, hopefully towards the end of November,” said Sez Gin, operational manager at La’De Kitchen. “We’re just waiting for the furniture to come in now, and we will be ready to open.”
The restaurant has been running a takeaway service in Woodley since mid-October as it prepares to open its doors for dining in. “We’re using the takeaway service to find out what customers like and what they want more of for when we open the restaurant,” Mr Gin added. La’De Kitchen’s takeaway menu includes a variety of meze dishes. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are also available.
Logistics firm win in SME awards The team won an award for their business growth Picture: Lila Logistics
� For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/ ladekitchenwoodley
Call to change business rates THE PANDEMIC has made the need to change business rates in the south east more urgent than ever. This is according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Avison Young. In a new joint report, the two organisations argue that Covid-19 has put many businesses under a lot of pressure. And they warn that business rates will continue to rise at nearly 50p in the pound without reform, costing businesses at least an extra £6 billion over the coming five years. Malcolm Hyde, the CBI’s south east director said: “It’s no secret that the Business Rates
system in England is archaic and unsustainable. “But the pandemic has fastforwarded the need for wholesale change. The scale of economic damage from Covid-19, along with growing shifts towards online retail and remote working, is a heavy weight to bear for already struggling businesses. “Left unchecked, business rates will continue to rise, sinking many investment plans and inadvertently growing inequality between England’s richest and poorest areas,” he added. The CBI is calling on the Government to rethink the system, to encourage investment and support levelling up.
By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today AFTER launching in 2018, a local freight company has not only gone global - it’s winning awards, too.
Lila Logistics, based in Wokingham town centre, was founded by Ian Antonio two years ago. Since then, it has gone from one man working in a tiny box office to a company with a global mission, which recently won UK Freight Forwarder of the Year in the annual Business Elite Awards. Lila Logistics, which runs tailor made freight services across the globe by sea, air and road, was recognised for its clientcentric approach. “That’s what makes us a little bit
different, our personalised services,” Mr Antonio explained. “Our clients could WhatsApp us at 10pm on a Friday night and we’ll still get back to them.” The awards aim to recognise the success and achievements of small- to medium-sized businesses across the country. “It was great to get a little bit of recognition for all the hard work we’re doing,” said Mr Antonio. “And I believe we were nominated by one of our customers as well, so that makes it even more special. “Now, we’re going to keep growing and expanding our client base, without losing that level of service that we pride ourselves upon,” he added.
Help for companies to go green THE COUNCIL is supporting the Low Carbon Workspaces initiative as it continues to roll out across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire. The initiative allows small medium enterprises (SME) across the area to apply for Low Carbon Workspace grants to help make their businesses more energy efficient and show a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. “This is a great initiative and one that will really benefit local businesses as well as the environment,” said Cllr Gregor Murray, executive member for climate emergency. “Not only will making their businesses more energy efficient help reduce their carbon footprint, but it can also help them reduce their energy usage and cut bills now and in the future. “And one of the best things about this initiative is that it offers businesses the opportunity to really think outside of the box and look at ways they can innovate to make their business more energy efficient. The Low Carbon Workspaces initiative is backed by the Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnerships Growth Hub. � For more information, visit: www.lowcarbonworkspaces.co.uk
‘Confidence is important for business rescue’ THE GOVERNMENT has announced new scrutiny measures for businesses going into administration. A new law will require pre-pack administration sales to be independently scrutinised. Pre-pack administrations are arrangements to sell a company’s business or assets before it enters into administration. Soon, mandatory independent scrutiny
of these arrangements will be required when connected parties, for example the insolvent company’s existing directors or shareholders, are involved in the purchase. And the move has been praised by R3, the UK’s insolvency and restructuring
trade body. Garry Lee, chair of R3’s South and Thames Valley region said: “We welcome efforts to enhance confidence and transparency in pre-packs, but these efforts should be balanced against protecting the valuable role pre-packs play.
Major employers join new initative to help young people FIVE MAJOR employers have signed up to help young people in Berkshire find employment, writes Charlotte King. Vodafone, Westcoast, SSE and Mace, Vineyard Group, and Heathrow Airports Ltd have all partnered with the Berkshire Enterprise Adviser Network to become Cornerstone Employers. This means they will invest time and resources into inspiring future generations of workers. Allison Giles, Careers Hub lead said:
“We are delighted to have signed up some key employers to be the first to join the Cornerstone initiative. “We’re very grateful for their time and commitment as we need the right skills for businesses now and in the future.” As Cornerstone mployers, these companies will work closely with the Adviser Network to ensure young people have meaningful contact with employers and can gain vital work experience.
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“[They] are an important rescue tool as they are often the best way of preserving a business and maximising returns to its creditors. “These reforms, while not perfect, should help to improve confidence in this important business rescue tool.” The Government will introduce regulations into Parliament in due course. � For more information, visit: www.r3.org.uk
And they will invest time and resources into supporting local schools’ careers education, as well as encouraging new businesses in the area to get involved in the programme. Alex Tatham, managing director of Westcoast, based in Theale, said: “In a time when our country, our schools, our teachers and our young people need more help than ever, Westcoast continues to provide support, ideas, innovation and energy. “There is so much to gain for all and Westcoast is delighted to do its part [in the Cornerstone initiative].” These businesses will be the first to become Cornerstone Employers with the Berkshire Enterprise Adviser Network.
NEWS | 11
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Consultation: Council plans to change Rose Street layout EXCLUSIVE By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today THE COUNCIL is consulting on changes to a traffic restricted road in Wokingham town centre.
Rose Street, which restricts vehicles travelling towards the town centre with a 6ft 6in gap, is to be reviewed as part of a plan to “enhance the street scene”. The proposal suggests removing the existing traffic island which reduces the width of the carriageway and replacing it with kerb build-outs on both sides of the road. This would also include raising the section of the road between the buildouts, to create a speed-bump style section and would join the kerb with the roadside. The single lane would then be marked with priority signs, with priority given to those driving into Rose Street from Broad Street. And the 6ft 6in restriction would remain — but in the middle of the road. To make room for this, one disabled parking bay would
The plans would see the island removed Picture: Phil Creighton
be removed outside 11 Rose Street. Cllr Gregor Murray, Conservative councillor for Norreys said: “As someone who has almost been knocked over by a driver using the wrong side of the road at this crossing, I will definitely be supporting this new crossing.” Road resident Anthony Clark said he welcomed the plans, subject to a permanent speed limit change to 20mph for Rose Street. He told Wokingham.Today: “If the council wishes to go ahead with the scheme, I’m sure that’s probably sensible, as its tricky for drivers to get through the narrow curb. “But it must be subject to a speed limit along the entier road.”
Mr Clark, who lives near the narrow section of Rose Street, where it joins Wiltshire Road, said he often sees drivers speeding down the road, sometimes as fast as 40mph. “I’ve seen vehicles nearly miss children along that stretch,” he said. “The council must look at the impact on the other end — this isn’t about me, it’s about saving lives.” Colin George, of the Wokingham Business Association, welcomed the proposed change and said it would allow modern cars to get through the road easier. “It’s better than it was, because it’s removing that pinch point,” he said. “But I would have hoped to
have seen a pelican or toucan crossing there as well. “My only worry now is about buses. How is a 2.5m bus going to fit through a 2mwide gap?” A spokesperson at Wokingham Borough Council said: “As with all Traffic Regulation Order proposals, the first stage of the process is to take initial ideas to those directly affected by the proposal, in this case property owners along Rose Street. “Following this initial stage of consultation, the council will do the detailed design work and then have a public consultation on the proposals. “We understand that this area is of interest to many of our residents, not just the property owners along Rose Street, as this is in Wokingham town centre. “While we will consider any feedback we get at this stage, we intend to do a wider public consultation early next year on the final design.” � The first round of consultation is open until Monday, November 30 and emails can be sent to: TM.Consultations@ wokingham.gov.uk
From left: Ronnie Ashley, Hurst Bowling Club Committee member and Theresa May
Theresa May supports Hurst Bowling Club with patronship MEMBERS of Hurst Bowling Club were pleased to welcome their new patron, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, last Friday afternoon. Mrs May met with committee members in the Castle Inn, adjacent to the club, to discuss their work in the community through The Link Visiting Scheme and SHINE, and proposed future developments. The former Prime Minister said she was fascinated to learn that Hurst Bowling green is one of the longest established in the country, having been in situ since at least 1747. During the 1800s, famous cricketer W G Grace brought a team to challenge the club but left defeated. These days, the club plays matches against teams primarily
from Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Mrs May reviewed the club’s recently approved plans for a new clubhouse and, having toured the facility, agreed that the improvements are much needed. Fundraising efforts have been supplemented by a grant from Sport England but progress recently has slowed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A further £87,000 is needed to fund the project. To help meet the cost, the club is participating in an initiative from Local Giving where it will match donations made between Tuesday, November 3, and Monday, November 9, up to a maximum of £5,000. � To donate, visit: www.hurstbowlingclub.co.uk, and click on the Local Giving logo
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ELEBRATING six years in business this week, Nick Scott, founder of StrengthBox Gym attributes their success to the team’s professional approach. Based in the Hogwood Industrial Estate in Finchampstead, the gym is kitted-out with top range equipment to help clients reach their goals. The most important part of that, Nick says, is the team’s core mission to bridge the gap between professional sports coaching and personal training offered in gyms. “We focus on high-quality training, with highlyqualified coaches,” he explains. “That’s really our core message, delivering expert-led results.” With a master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology, and previous work with Harlequins FC in their premiership winning season, Nick has the skills to help. “Instead of just getting clients to jump up and down, do a load of burpees and wear themselves out for an hour, we take a more holistic approach to their whole day, in and outside of the gym,” he explains. “We help people to move more and become healthier in the process. And we can help to deconstruct their diet and analyse it to become much more healthy.” Nick says clients vary in their goals, from those with little to no exercising experience, to more experienced athletes who thrive from goal-setting training programmes. And may people fall somewhere in between. “Most people come to us looking to drop body fat and become more confident,” Nick says. “We can help them to change their body composition for the better. “In the gym, we focus on setting targets and beating challenges. “This is a really key part of our training. Research suggests that those people who focus more
on the process than the end goal have much better outcomes.” Clients have trained with Nick’s team from anywhere between six weeks to six years, with Nick’s longest client sticking with him for the past 11 years. “For a lot of people, it’s more of a lifestyle thing,” he says. “And unless you’re a world record holder, there’s always more you can achieve. Even Olympians aim to beat their own scores. We just keep on moving the goalposts.” StrengthBox has three dedicated personal trainers, all of whom offer one-to-one and group sessions. “All sessions have to be booked, and are coach-led,”
explains Nick. “Research looking at the way that coronavirus has spread shows that gyms are incredibly safe places due to the high standards we uphold. “Each client is given a bottle of disinfectant when they arrive to clean and wipe down equipment before and after use, and we are routinely cleaning everything on site.” At the moment, the gym is allowing 10 clients into the facility at one time, joined by either one or two coaches, depending on the day and sessions being run. If Wokingham borough enters Tier 2, for a high coronavirus alert level, the gym will decrease visitor numbers to six per session. And if the borough reaches
0118 327 3132 | Unit 11 Marino Way, Hogwood Industrial Estate, Wokingham, RG40 4RF | strengthboxgym.uk
Nick trains his clients in StrengthBox’s Finchampstead gym Pictures: Steve Smyth Tier 3, only one-to-one sessions will continue. Group training costs £160 per month, and includes 25 hours of bookable time slots each week. Personal training sessions cost £599 for a six-week programme and £999 for a 12-week programme. � For more information, and to join StrengthBox Gym, visit: strengthboxgym.uk
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PARISH NOTICEBOARD
Parish and borough council meetings Assume meetings are online – contact councils for details Thursday, October 29 Wokingham Borough Council. Executive committee. 7pm. Details: www.wokingham.gov.uk
Monday, November 2 Hurst Parish Council. Parish council meeting. 7.30pm. www.hurstpc.org.uk Sonning Parish Council. Planning committee. 7pm. www.sonning-pc.gov.uk Wokingham Without Parish Council. Full council meeting. 7.30pm. wokinghamwithout-pc.gov.uk
Tuesday, November 3 Arborfield Parish Council. Planning committee. 7.30pm. Parks Committee. 8pm. F&GP committee. 8.30pm. arborfield.org.uk Winnersh Parish Council. Recreation & Amenities Committee. 7.30pm. www.winnersh.gov.uk Woodley Town Council. Planning and community. 8pm. www.woodley.gov.uk
Wednesday, November 4 Finchampstead Parish Council. Rights of Way committee. 7.30pm. FBC Centre, Gorse Ride North RG40 4ES. Ruscombe Parish Council meeting. 7.30pm. William Penn Room, Loddon Hall, Loddon Hall Road, Twyford RG10 9JA.
Thursday, November 5 Wokingham Borough Council. Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committe. 7pm. Details: www.wokingham.gov.uk
Monday, November 9 Wokingham Borough Council. SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education). 6.15pm. Details: www.wokingham.gov.uk
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FROMTHECOURTS � A CHARVIL man has been banned from driving for 18 months. Steven James Yeatman was stopped by police in Maidenhead on May 23. A test revealed that he had 86 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The 28-year-old from Wenlock Edge will have his ban reduced by 18 weeks on completion of a safe driving course. He was also fined £100 and ordered to pay £85 costs and £34 to victim services when he appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on September 21. � A TRAIN passenger who used threatening behaviour has been fined £300. Dean Lewis Flynn, 34 and from Church Road in Earley, pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place on February 22. He admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress while onboard a train from London Paddington to Reading station. Flynn was ordered to pay £50 compensation and £85 costs, at a rate of £80 per month. � A SHINFIELD man who stole a dental compressor from a dental laboratory in Wokingham on February 3, has been ordered to pay back the value of the item stolen –
£2,300. At Reading Magistrates Court on September 24, Tony Francis Cook, 56 and from Oaklands Road, pleaded guilty to the theft. He must pay back at a rate of £30 per month from October 12. � DRUG DRIVING has seen a Wokingham man banned from driving for 12 months. Jamie Carl Benger, 28 and from Pineridge Park, off Nine Mile Ride, pleaded guilty when he appeared at Slough Magistrates Court on September 24. He had been stopped on Finchampstead Road on March 30. A test revealed that he had traces of delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol, a form of cannabis, in his bloodstream. Benger was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 costs and £34 to victim services. � A WOKINGHAM man who made abusive 999 calls has been given a community order. Stephen Carpenter, 35 and from Ashridge Road, pleaded guilty to four offences when he appeared before Reading Magistrates Court on September 28. He admitted making numerous 999 calls that were deemed to be grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character. A second charge was that he persistently made use of a public electronic communications
WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, October 29, 2020
Cases heard in Reading and Slough Magistrates Court in recent weeks network for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another. He admitted obstructing or resisting a police officer in the execution of their duty. All of these offences took place on September 23. And he also pleaded guilty to a third charge of beating a man in Wokingham on September 16. Under the terms of his order, he must not make any threats or derogatory comments about a police officer and comply with appointments set by the force. � A WOKINGHAM man has been fined £40 for threatening behaviour in Wokingham town centre. Peter Jarmola, 69 and from Longs Way, pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared before Reading Magistrates Court on September 28. The court heard that on May 21, Broad Street and Peach Street, he had been using threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. Jarmola must pay £34 to victim services. There was no order made for costs due to his limited means. � A WOKINGHAM teenager has pleaded guilty to assaulting two men and one woman. Howard James Platt, 18 and from
Crescent Road, appeared before Reading Magistrates Court on September 28, where he admitted the offences.. They took place in Wokingham on May 25. For each assault, he was fined £300 and ordered to pay £250 compensation. He must also pay £85 costs and £34 to victim services. � AN EARLEY teenager has been given a 12-month conditional discharge for obstructing a police officer. Faris Sheikh, 18 and from Chiltern Crescent, was stopped by police in Gas Lane, Twyford, on May 26. Reading Magistrates Court heard that he intentionally obstructed a police officer in the the exercise of his powers under section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Sheikh must pay £85 costs and £22 to victim services at a rate of £20 per fortnight from October 15. � A WOKINGHAM man who stole a bike has been fined £50. David James Connor, 34 and from Beanoak Road, appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on September 30, where he admitted taking the bike from Reading on July 4. Connor must also pay £34 to victim services. There was no order for costs due to his limited means.
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Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
Call for council to help with free meal vouchers for families � Continued from front page
Cllr Jones added: “But there is absolutely no doubt about it, we should be funding these vouchers. "Free school meals were introduced by the Lib Dems in the coalition government in September 2014. Conservatives didn't like them in 2014 and they still don't like them now.” He plans to submit a motion to the council meeting next month, calling for the council to “cover the cost of Free School Meals for those entitled to them during the Christmas 2020 and February 2021 school holidays as a stop gap in the absence of government support. fund the vouchers.” Wokingham Labour have also pushed for the funding, with councilors starting a petition for the scheme. In a campaign video, Cllr Rachel Burgess, Labour councillor for Norreys said: “It has been fantastic over the last few days to see the response of local businesses in Wokingham providing free children's meals over half term. “But we believe Wokingham
Borough Council now has to step in. Please sign our petition calling on Wokingham Borough Council to ensure that all children who qualify for free school meals receive food support over the Christmas holidays.” Cllr Andy Croy, leader of Wokingham Labour said the opportunity had been lost for the council to help families this half term. But he hopes a formal arrangement can be made in time for the winter break. “I have written to the leader and deputy leader of the council, asking for a plan to be put in place for Christmas,” he said. “We have launched a petition on the Wokingham Labour website that residents can sign.” Since the Government announcement, more than 20 local authorities run by a range of political parties have decided to fund the scheme themselves. Earlier this week, the leader of the borough council said he is grateful for the local businesses and others in the community have made the offer to support children and families
during half-term. Cllr John Halsall said: “Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic we have worked hard to support our residents who have faced a huge amount of pressure. “No family or individual should go hungry in Wokingham Borough, now or in the future. “I would encourage anyone who is concerned about not being able to afford food for themselves, or their family, to contact our One Front Door service for immediate support.” He added: “The council is looking to solve the root cause of poverty across the Wokingham Borough, and will be working with the voluntary sector, and other statutory partners, to tackle the issues and take action accordingly. “Wokingham borough is a great place to live and there is no place for poverty. We’re committed to fighting it, in whatever form it takes, whether it’s homelessness, rough sleeping, fuel poverty or hunger.” Run by Citizens Advice Wokingham, the One Front Door can provide help and advice to those struggling. Volunteers from the Grub Club at Norreys Church in Norreys in August 2019 Picture: Stewart Turkington
‘People don’t stop being hungry during the holidays’ “PEOPLE don’t stop being hungry during the holidays, do they?” That’s the view of Anna Rogerson, one of the team of volunteers running Wokingham’s Grub Club. The project is urging families whose children usually have free school dinners and need support during the half-term to get in touch. As well as food, it can offer a listening ear, a helping hand and a chance to access additional support. The scheme launched last year in time for the summer holidays. It initially provided ready-cooked nutritious meals and fun activities for families who needed a helping hand. It has adapted this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, switching to delivering meals and ingredients so that no one goes hungry. It expects to serve 4,000
meals before the end of the year. Based out of Norreys Church, the scheme has led to offshoots: there are similar schemes in other parts of the borough including the Woodley Lunch Bunch, and SHARE Wokingham helps share surplus food – often restaurant quality – for those who need it. It is also part of the One Front Door support network, backed by Wokingham Borough Council, that has run throughout the lockdown and beyond. The scheme sees residents who need help, be it emotional or practical, call Citizens Advice on 0300 330 1189. The Grub Club takes referrals from Citizens Advice and Wokingham Borough Council, and also accepts requests for support via its Facebook page. Anna admits that she was surprised that parliament voted against an extension of the
scheme that saw families who were eligible for free school dinners receive vouchers to allow them to receive additional food during holidays through to Easter next year. “It’s just a bit of a mystery to be honest,” she says of the MPs’ verdict. “I think most of us are struggling to understand the logic. People don’t stop being hungry in the holidays, do they? Either they’re saying that people stop being hungry in the holidays or they don’t need food. Those arguments don’t really hold true.” The Grub Club was launched by Norreys Church after they had identified that there was a need for such a scheme within Wokingham borough. “It was a response to the need of holiday hunger,” Anna says. “It’s been a bit humbling and overwhelming being able to help people.” � A longer version can be read on our website, Wokingham.Today
It can put residents in touch with foodbanks in Wokingham, Woodley and Crowthorne as well as other charities such as The Cowshed and First Days Childrens’ Charity, which provide clothes and other items for children and families. The scheme can also help with longer-term support such as advice on debt, benefits and housing. Jake Morrison, chief executive of Citizen’s Advice Wokingham, said: “It’s important that people know that if they need help, they can reach out to us. We welcome your calls. “Our dedicated and knowledgeable staff and volunteers want to help you find a way forward. “We know that circumstances can be complicated, so our advice and support is tailored to your individual needs. “While linking people up with immediate support, such as food, clothing and other essential items, our advice and information helps you take control of the issues, equipped with high quality advice and information, and specialist support such as debt and financial management."
‘Poverty recognised in scrutiny meeting’ WOKINGHAM Liberal Democrats have said they are glad to see the council recognising the pressures of poverty in the borough. Responding to discussions at the council overview and scrutiny management committee last week, Cllr Sarah Kerr, Liberal Democrat member for Evendons Ward said: “For too long the issue of poverty and the inequalities associated with it have gone under the radar in Wokingham borough. “The narrative being pushed out there is that Wokingham is one of the least deprived authorities in the country and levels of poverty are relatively low. What this says to me is, we’re doing okay, but the truth is we’re not.” During the scrutiny meeting, Liberal Democrat councillors made three proposals to improve poverty levels in the area — all of which were adopted as recommendations to be sent to the council. These called for the council to limit its use of comparative data and benchmarking when talking about poverty except when making specific reference to reduction in poverty, to co-produce an anti-poverty strategy with partner organisations and charities, and to ensure that all discussions, data, policy and actions focus on all who are suffering different types of rising and significant hardship. Cllr Paul Fishwick, Liberal Democrat member for Winnersh, said the anti-poverty strategy is something that “any council would struggle to tackle on its own but can be achieved locally with some real partnership working”. But one recommendation made in the meeting to formalise the communication and support the council offers poverty-facing charities fell, after being rejected by all Conservative councillors. Cllr Kerr said the vote felt like a step backwards. She added: “We just pray that for the sake of our many residents who are facing real, growing and significant hardship, that the Conservatives quickly revisit this issue.” Cllr Andy Croy, leader of Wokingham Labour also said he was confused why the recommendation was rejected.
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First Days calls for children's’ winter coats A CHILDREN’S charity is appealing for donations to keep youngsters warm this winter. First Days Children’s Charity, based in Hurst is now looking to collect unwanted, good quality coats. Emma Cantrell, charity founder, said: “We want to make sure that every child has access to a warm winter coat to ensure they can comfortably get to and from school, and play outside with their friends at break time. “We are therefore after good quality winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves for 3-16 year olds. “If you have anything that your children have grown out of we would love to take it and re-gift it to a family who need help.” Donations can be dropped off at the First Days warehouse in Hurst on Saturday mornings between 10am and noon, or dropped in the pink donation bins at Tesco Wokingham, Morrisons Woosehill or Sainsburys Winnersh.
MPs vote against free school meal voucher plan LAST WEEK, three of the four MPs that represent the Wokingham borough voted against helping children in poverty during the school holidays. John Redwood, MP for Wokingham, Theresa May, MP for Maidenhead, and James Sunderland, MP for Bracknell voted against a motion for food subsidy vouchers. Although not a legally binding vote, its support would have demonstrated a Government commitment to supporting families in poverty — worsened by the pandemic. It would have seen a £15 food voucher given to struggling families each week of the school holidays, including half-terms, until Easter next year. The bid was defeated 322 votes to 261. Nationally, approximately 2.2 million children are in receipt of free school meals during term time. In Wokingham, there are 1,800 children receiving these meals. A spokesperson from Mr Sunderland’s parliamentary office said the MP was unable to comment on his vote, as he is offshore on a Royal Navy visit. Theresa May and John Redwood were also contacted, but declined to comment on their vote. Matt Rodda, Labour MP for Reading East — which includes parts of Woodley and Earley — voted in favour of the motion. He told Wokingham.Today that he was proud of his vote, and believes it demonstrates that he is listening to residents’ concerns and standing up for them in Parliament. He said: “Extending free school meals into the holidays isn’t a long-term solution to the problems of poverty in our country but it is the solution we have available to us now to ensure children don’t go hungry. “There needs to be a proper look at the application of Universal Credit in the UK. Too many people wait too long to get the help they are entitled to — the wait is five weeks in most cases. “We also need to tackle in-work poverty. It should not be the case that having a job doesn’t pay enough to cover basic living costs. If we raise the living wage and find ways to reduce the cost of living, we can lift people out of poverty altogether. “I believe the Government has an important role helping support children and families. We are facing a national crisis because of Coronavirus and at these times it is the job of Government to step and help now.”
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Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
‘Fly tipping is irresponsible’ EXCLUSIVE
By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today RUBBISH dumpers reached new lows when they tipped out a purple sofa on to a traffic island in the middle of a main road’s swirling traffic.
Residents were furious about the flagrant dumping at the busy A4 roundabout which takes traffic from Twyford’s Wargrave Road towards Reading, Maidenhead and Wargrave. Last week, Cllr Stephen Conway, Liberal Democrat councillor for Twyford condemned the dumping as “shocking”, adding: “Unfortunately, we have seen a marked increase in flytipping lately. “It might have something to do with more people being at home and therefore deciding to get rid of old items of furniture. “It might also be connected
with perceptions that accessing the public rubbish tips is more difficult at the moment. “But neither of these possible explanations is an excuse for this kind of irresponsible and antisocial behaviour, which costs the community money as the council has to pay for it to be cleared.” Cllr Parry Batth, Wokingham Borough Council's executive member for environment and leisure, said: "Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and the council will follow its standard enforcement procedure, taking appropriate action. "With pre-existing financial challenges and budget pressures on services, we’re forced to spend over £150,000 a year on contracts to clear fly-tipping. “We’d like to urge anyone with any intelligence or dash camera footage of this
The sofa was dumped at the A4 roundabout Picture: Sue Corcoran
incident to come forward, by emailing: localities@ wokingham.gov.uk.” Wokingham Borough Council recorded 1,298 fly-tips in 2019/20, an average of over 100 a month. The total excludes much of the waste dumped on private land, which landowners have to clear. In April the council
approved a strategy aimed at tackling growing fly-tipping. At the time, Cllr Batth said: “We just should not have to tolerate this illegal behaviour and we are doing everything we can to try and stop it. “We are watching and monitoring you.” The sofa has now been removed by the council's contractors.
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Lions run through country park VISITORS to Dinton Pastures were left surprised last Saturday, when they came face to face with a lion roaming the country park. Leo the Lion was supporting members of the Woodley and Earley Lions during their sponsored laps of the woodland. The cancellation of the club’s annual fireworks display at Laurel Park has left a massive hole in their fundraising this year, said Lion president Val Oakley. “This hugely popular family event is the clubs major fund raising
event,” she said. “Left with limited alternative fundraising opportunities members were out walking circuits of Dinton Pastures throughout October.” The club hopes to raise around £2,000 for good causes in the borough. For the next two Saturday mornings, Leo the lion will be with Guy Fawkes, in Woodley Precinct. There will also be an opportunity to make donations � For more information, visit: www.e-clubhouse.org
Help to find a safe place AN APPEAL has been launched to help refugees and asylum seekers find a safe place in Berkshire. The Reading Refugee Support Group’s crowdfunding campaign has raised more than £8,000 so far, and it hopes to raise £40,000 overall. The charity says that it has helped people who have fled war, violence and persecution to try and start a new life in Berkshire. It also helps people who have been victims of human trafficking
and modern slavery. The appeal will help the charity reopen its drop-in centre to provide a place to meet, socialise, receive practical help and support. A spokesperson for the charity said: “With your help, we can give refugees in Berkshire a safe space now and secure it for the future.” � For more details, visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ reading-refugee-supportgroup-drop-in-centre Picture: Reading Refugee Support Group
THERE are now under 100 days left for selfassessment taxpayers to complete their tax return. HMRC says that the deadline is January 31 for electronic submissions – and anyone completing a paper version must submit their return by Saturday, October 31. Online versions can be uploaded at any time and provide an immediate calculation of owed tax. HMRC’s interim director general of customer services, Karl Khan, said: “The vast majority of Self Assessment customers complete their tax return by the January 31 deadline, but you don’t need to wait until January; you can send it back now and get it out of the way. “HMRC is determined to help customers during this difficult time. We know many customers will have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic or will need help to spread the cost of their tax bill. “That’s why we’ve made it quick and simple to set up a payment plan to spread the costs and help people get back on their feet. It’s easy to do online and there’s no need to call us to set it up.” This payment plan is called Time To Pay, and uses monthly direct debits. An online service, there is no need to call HMRC to arrange. � HMRC is warning people to watch out for copycat websites and phishing scams by typing the full website link into their internet browser � For more details, log on to www.gov.uk/pay-selfassessment-tax-bill/pay-in-instalments
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From classic cars to awkward dents, Forest can help you
The team at Forest Vehicle Repair specialists are ready to help you. The workshop is managed by Mark Leslie and Shaun Harris (below) Pictures: Steve Smyth
F
OR MANY people, their car is their pride and joy. So when things go wrong, it needs care and attention to put right. And that’s where Forest Vehicle Body Repair Specialists comes in. Run by Mark Leslie and Shaun Harris, it’s a one-stop shop for repairs, respraying, restoration and finishing. With more than 40 years’ experience – and a strong bond of friendship – the duo promise to treat every vehicle that comes through their doors as if they owned it themselves. Their workshop, based in Priors Farm off the Easthampstead Road, opened just five months ago. So not only does it feature some of the very latest specialist equipment, it is Covid-secure as it’s always operated under the strictest of safety measures. Mark and Shaun have known each other for years, highly skilled and at the top of their game. Starting out together made sense for them bringing their specialist knowledge together and, despite starting in lockdown, they have hit the ground running. “We like to be hands on when we’re in the workshop,” they say. “We deal with customers, deal with estimates and deal with insurance companies. “Doing the lot from start to finish means we’re concentrating on the quality of our work – it’s all about that quality and returning customers.” The duo are passionate about their work, be it domestic repairs, or commercial. They also specialise in helping repair classic vehicles including marques such as Aston Martins and Bentleys. They said that it doesn’t matter if it’s a newer vehicle or a classic one. Domestic repairs include dents, scrapes and scratches, complete panel replacements, repairing corrosion, resprays and colour changes. And they promise not to bamboozle you with technobabble – instead, you can expect straight
Leona Knight is hosting an outdoor extravaganza on Friday and Saturday Picture: Steve Smyth
talking and a straightforward service. “When a customer arrives, we ideally like to see the car in the flesh and discuss the repairs from start to finish,” they say. “Quite often, we’ll look to give more than one option of repair, which could include a new part or a used part. As it’s the customer who makes the choice, we like to discuss the repair from start to finish, give them the options and ensure they know what to expect – it’s all about communication.” Mark and Shaun go out of their way to make their workshop a comfortable experience for everyone who sets foot over their door, be they knowledgeable about cars or not. “Some people don’t like going to garages for fear of being lied to, or being made to spend more money than they need to – we aim to deal with everyone fairly, we can’t stress how important that is to us.” To help with this, they use social media to offer regular updates and insights into their projects. It’s already built up quite a following, something that the duo are proud of. “It’s nice to let people see the progress, what’s involved and some
of the specialist tools we’re using,” they said. And being a new workshop, there’s plenty of the latest kit for them to use, some of which they think is unique to Forest Vehicle Repair Specialists. “It’s a one-stop solution. We operate a recovery service via RPC Recovery. If the car is nondriveable we can help: we can organise everything. “We’re a one-stop shop, we like to cover every solution from start to finish and specialise in non-fault repairs, with a courtesy car available and a process of two to three days maximum. It’s stress free.” Covid-secure measures include the team wearing face coverings, and there’s hand gel available too. And customers don’t need to come in to the buildings. “We will sanitise the keys and steering wheel before handing the vehicle over,” they say. “Just to make everyone feel more secure – and for ourselves as well.” � For more details, or to arrange a quote, call Mark and Shaun on 0118 979 4422 or log on to www.forest-vbrs.co.uk. Alternatively, if you’re passing, drop in
Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
NEWS | 17
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Spooktacular Hallowe’en trails this weekend
By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today
MANY FAMILIES are cancelling their annual trick or treat outing due to the coronavirus pandemic — but that does not mean that children can’t take part in the spooky season this year.
A range of covid-safe Hallowe’en events are being run across Wokingham borough this weekend. From garden extravaganzas to pumpkin trails, local residents have organised a variety of spooky activities to keep children busy this autumn.
Spooky Garden Extravaganza A Wokingham business is running its haunted Hallowe’en event again this year — and is raising money for a very personal cause. On Friday, October 23, Leona Knight, from Leona’s Bespoke Catering, launched her annual Spooky Garden Extravaganza. There are no tricks, just Hallowe’en themed treats and a tour of her suitably spooky garden on offer. “The Garden is going really well so far,” Mrs Knight said. “We had a couple hundred people come along last week, and are also thinking about running the Garden next week if people want to come on a quieter day.” Mrs Knight is using the event to fundraise for Kidney Research UK following her husband’s diagnosis with end stage kidney failure.
The Spooky Garden Extravaganza will be open tomorrow and Sunday, with a possible third event running next week. Entry costs £1 for children and £2 for adults, and all proceeds will be donated to Kidney Research UK. The event is taking place at 31A Wiltshire Road, Wokingham. � For more information, head to: www.facebook.com/leonasbespokecatering
Earley pumpkin trail An Earley resident has been busy organising a Hallowe’en Hunt in the area, and more than 4,000 people are interested in taking part. Sally Evans has arranged a Hallowe’en Hunt across Earley, Lower Earley, Woodley and Winnersh. The event sees people decorate their houses with all manner of spooky decor. Then, residents are allocated numbers to include in their displays, and trails have been made for families to follow. “This could be something we do every year instead of trick or treating,” Ms Evans said. The Earley pumpkin trail is taking place every night until Sunday,. � For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/groups/ 941302719682551
Spooky Shinfield trail Another Hallowe’en trail is going ahead in Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross — and more than 70 homes across Shinfield Parish are taking part. Families can download a trail map to follow around the local area as they
search for haunted houses. And there are prizes up for grabs. On Sunday, November 1, prizes will be awarded for the best scarecrow; best decorated house; best fancy dress; spooky trail winner; and the overall winner. The event is running everyday until Saturday. � To find out more, visit: www.spencerswoodhalloweentrail.co.uk
Twyford Hallowe’en Hunt A Twyford resident has arranged a Hallowe’en Hunt as an alternative to trick or treating. Similarly to the trails in Earley and Shinfield, Rebecca Meeuwissen has created a Hallowe’en map for children to follow as they hunt for spooky houses. And every time they come across a haunted house, they collect a sweet. The event is running in Ruscombe, Hurst, Charvil and Twyford. The Twyford Hallowe’en Hunt is being held from Friday through until Sunday. � For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/groups/ 649500082369827
No to trick or treating The Public Protection Partnership (PPP) has advised families across the borough to avoid trick or treating this autumn. “If you are out and about, or planning activities at home, please remember the rule of six and not to gather in groups of more than six people — including children,” said a PPP spokesperson.
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY THE VOICE OF THE BOROUGH
We’re thinking of our community CORONAVIRUS cases in our borough have now reached 100 per 100,000 people. This means we have reached one of the criteria to be moved into Tier 2 restrictions — and this could happen fairly soon. It will be a sad moment for many, discovering they can no longer meet friends and family at a safe distance indoors. But we know the virus spreads through close contact, often through the air. So it’s important that if restrictions rise, we do our best not to panic, and instead take the calmest and kindest route forward. Nobody wants to be living though this pandemic, it’s putting a strain on many of our lives. But what we do next is of absolute importance. The borough council is right when it says we are in this together — we wear our masks to protect others, and we wash our hands to protect ourselves, and we make space to stop the spread of infection. If we enter Tier 2, we will only be allowed indoors with our household, support bubble, or long-term partner. There are of course slight deviances in the restrictions when it comes to weddings, funerals, indoor sports and other such events and activities. To get through the autumn and winter season and reduce the number of Covid-19 infections, we must continue to think of our community, and follow the guidance and rules — for everyone’s sake.
CHURCH NOTES
Count your blessings this All Saints Day
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OST of us have people we admire. Whether it’s a celebrity or a grandmother, there are people we want to be like in one way or another. And then there are those now passed we still remember because they helped us. People who set an example to inspire us to be our best, even after they have gone. I keep entries in my Google calendar of those who have inspired me in my life; either on their birthday or the day of their death. I am prompted to remember them at least once a year. The older you get the longer that list gets. The Christian community worldwide also keeps a list of people who have inspired others to live better lives. It allocates days for celebrating them. These are the saints like Saint Peter, Saint George, Saint Francis. Each has their own day for being remembered. This coming Sunday, 1st November, many churches will celebrate All Saints Day, traditionally called All Hallows. It is said that the day was created to remember all the other admirable and inspiring people who do not have a day of their own. We are more familiar with the evening before it, Hallowe’en. But I think it’s worth celebrating the day itself, not only the night before. This Sunday, the day after Hallowe’en, celebrate all the amazing, good, wonderful people you know or have ever known and why they are or were so good. Say thank you. Count them as blessings. The Reverend Canon David Hodgson, Rector of All Saints Church, Wokingham, on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, October 29, 2020 We love to hear from you! Send us your views on issues relating to the borough (in 250 words or less) to The Wokingham Paper, 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
Children shouldn’t starve — have some empathy I WAS saddened but not surprised to see the Tories reverting to their stereotypical behaviour by voting against the extension to the Free School meals holiday scheme. I would wonder how our local MPs voted but none of them appear in the list of five Tory MPs who voted in favour of the extension. In addition one of their number accused Marcus Rashford of ‘virtue signalling’, showing their usual arrogance and lack of knowledge as Mr Rashford was not born into wealth, his mother worked very hard at multiple jobs to keep her family fed and so he speaks from a position of personal knowledge, unlike most of those who voted against this much needed help in the current times. To say the benefits system provides support in the time of coronavirus is at best misguided, but at worst pure ignorance of the number of people relying on much smaller income than before and who are struggling as well as not knowing what will happen next. In addition if children receive free school meals during school times where does the magical money come from for families to feed them during holiday times. I know there will be some who will say it’s down to the parents but even if that were true whatever the sins of the parent, it's not the child's, and they shouldn't starve. At a time when a lot of people have lost income, but still have rent and bills to pay, then a bit of empathy would be useful. If you aren't outraged by the wasting of billions on dodgy contracts such as Track and Trace, but kick off about helping hungry children, then something is wrong in our Country. Paul, Emmbrook
Help for care leavers YOUNG PEOPLE leaving care face significant challenges, currently
exacerbated by Covid-19. When they move into their own accommodation and have to manage their own budget they can often find themselves struggling to cope with their personal finances. Since 2018 the council has been legally obliged to support care leavers up to the age of 25. Yet, in Wokingham, these same care leavers currently have to pay Council Tax as soon as they turn 21, on top of learning how to manage a household, job, studies and other bills, and often without the support of family or other networks. We know that Council Tax debt can escalate very quickly and it can be particularly daunting for those leaving care. Contrast this with young people who are not care leavers, who will often have parents to support them at this age. It’s time this council did the right thing and made our care leavers exempt from Council Tax until they turn 25. The cost of exemption is not material for this council – but could be life-changing for the young people concerned. I was extremely disappointed and saddened at September’s council meeting to be told that the executive did not support making this change now. Since then, both the Corporate Parenting Board and the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee have passed resolutions in support of making care leavers fully exempt from Council Tax this year. So once again I call on the Conservative executive to do the right thing, as many other councils have done, and make care leavers exempt from paying Council Tax until they turn 25. No more kicking the issue into the long grass – they should do the right thing, and do it now. Cllr Rachel Burgess Labour Member for Norreys Wokingham Borough Council
johnredwood Westminster diary
What proof is there shopping spreads the virus?
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ACKLING the pandemic remains the number one issue in my inbox and for my daily dealings with government. I have urged progress in trials for new treatments. The breakthrough with a steroids and an anti viral is welcome and now they need to complete work on the monoclonal antibodies. I am urging help and advice to businesses on how to improve air extraction and circulation systems to permit more safe operations in hospitality and entertainment settings. I have taken up many issues to help the councils and local services with Test and Trace, protective equipment, and with money to cope with the needs of the moment. The decision of the Welsh devolved government to impose a wider ranging lockdown on an already scarred and weakened Welsh economy has made the
Thank you CLASP held their AGM on Friday, October 23, over Zoom. We didn’t want to miss the opportunity for those who could not attend, to say a BIG THANK YOU to all those businesses, media outlets, guest speakers and friends who have supported with such enthusiasm and generosity over the last year and in particular during lockdown. To list you all would be impossible as we have had over 60 guest speakers alone. However we do need to thank those who have made donations and given us grants including Wokingham United Charities, Community Fund, Tesco, Asda, Get Berkshire Active, Wokingham Town Council, Zizzi and Cook, along with the local media who have kept us in the public eye including Wokingham.Today and BBC Radio Berkshire. If I have missed anyone I apologise however your contributions, support and awareness of CLASP, and our campaigns to make a positive difference to those with Learning Disabilities in our borough are always appreciated Debs Morrison, CLASP
It’s good news GOOD news this weekend – a vaccine may soon start being given to the NHS etc. Let’s hope it is successful and can be used on all of us. Also is the great news of the performance of our Royal Navy SBS, who with Police in support rescued the Tanker from violent stowaways on Sunday. I am so proud of our services – remember they are all we have to defend this country. That good news has little, if any, effect on one serious concern that causes me some distress – the everincreasing need for charity funds. Given that a few of the ‘urgent
contradictions and absurdities of too many controls more obvious. The supermarkets are told to tape up their shelves and fence off their aisles for so-called non-essentials. The devolved government stumbles over what is an essential. They defend their decision by saying that as they have closed non-food specialist shops it would be unfair to let the supermarkets sell items the specialist shops cannot offer. There is no good answer when people point out that the policy will just lead to many more people buying the banned items online, losing business not only to the specialist High Street shops but to the food shops of the High Street as well. How is that sensible? The idea is that stopping more shopping will abate the spread of the disease, which then will allow relaxation of controls which on their analysis, of course, will lead to a further spread of the disease. How does that help? Why should the virus wait until after Christmas before it builds up again, if the plan is to relax a bit for Christmas. What proof is there that shopping spreads the disease anyway? People do not spend much time in the company of another person from outside their household in a supermarket. Air flows through stores of course need to help control the disease, and can do so. As I argued in Parliament and put to the government, trying to change behaviour to contain the virus requires consent and co-operation from the public.
requirements’ may be fraudulent, there are many of our well-known charities which are suffering a serious decrease in revenue. Many of us do what we can to help, but may I raise my concerns about the future of these charities? Surely the strain on charities is shameful. That relates to what is happening in this country, changing rapidly in the retail sector especially, which like it or not is sure to end up employing far fewer personnel. We really have no idea how many people will be unemployed next year, and I fear our Charities may be called upon to provide physical and mental help to attend to those affected by a potential disaster. Where is their funding to come from? When one considers the vast amount of money being given to friends of politicians, e.g. Serco (can one believe £7,000 per day per person for advice)? My limited experience of Serco led me to detest their arrogance, but what else do you expect given the money tree reserved for them. I could provide the same advice for a few bob per day. While civil servants are obliged to follow procurement procedures, it appears that Government ministers can do as they please. It’s worth pointing out that the EU regulations are that tenders must be invited from potential suitable organisations so that the best value purchases of services etc., are obtained. I suppose that rule ends soon, if not already. We send money to India, China – I believe - and others when charity should start at home. All expenditure by civil servants and MP’s should be vetted by an independent office – perhaps by voted-for people unconnected with civil servants, politicians, the financial world, councils etc. Some hope. Where is Guy Fawkes these days? Reg Cliﬞon, Wokingham
There is no longer enough buy in to the detailed rules nor to Test and Trace. The even more complex and wide ranging Welsh rules have met with a hostile response from many Welsh people, showing that the devolved government is losing support for these measures. The UK government needs to learn from the Welsh experience. More needs to be done to encourage a business and jobs revival. There are many things that are being done and can be done to limit deaths. Improving treatments, safeguarding the vulnerable, improving ventilation and air flow in public buildings and improving infection control in health settings, can all help to get the death rate down. There are limits to how many detailed rules and controls government should seek to place on people generally, as government has reached the end of tolerance for the current degree of control let alone for tightening. People now want explanations of why and how a control will help or is necessary, and why it should continue. It is time to put economic recovery higher up the priority list, and to go out to save many more livelihoods. There needs to be another drive to get more non Covid-19 medical problems treated. We have to live with the virus, and do all we can to lower the death rates from Covid-19 and from other killer medical problems without shutting down the economy or seeking to control everyone’s social life and shopping habits.
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Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
‘We need a Citizens’ Assembly’
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OKINGHAM borough's Labour councillors are campaigning for Wokingham Borough Council to commission a Citizens' Assembly on the Climate Emergency. Labour councillors supported the declaration of a climate emergency in Wokingham Borough. But the numbers in the Conservatives' climate plan simply do not add up. The Conservatives' plan has failure built into it. Their plan simply will not come close to delivering the carbon savings required. Hard decisions will have to be made if we want to reduce carbon consumption. These decisions will need public support but the Conservatives have refused to face reality and refused to be honest with local people. And, let’s face it, there is not enough trust in either the council or politicians. We need a way for the people of Wokingham Borough to tell the politicians exactly what changes they want to see. And we need a decision making process which people can trust, free from normal party politics. That is why we are campaigning for a Citizens' Assembly on the Climate Emergency to be set up in Wokingham Borough. Only a Citizens’ Assembly will have the moral authority to give direction to Councillors and the Council to tell them to make the decisions that need to be made. The alternative is to stick with the Conservatives' inadequate plan, a plan which is more concerned with looking good for elections rather than doing good for our planet. Theirs is an election plan, not a climate plan.
There’s a child or young person that needs you
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Cllr Carl Doran, Cllr Shirley Boyt, Cllr Andy Croy, Cllr Rachel Burgess and Andrew Gray Picture: Wokingham Labour A Citizens’ Assembly is a group of 30 to 50 people who have been randomly selected to reflect the diversity of Wokingham Borough, including by age, gender, ethnicity and attitudes to climate change. The Citizens' Assembly must be seen to be free from political interference so it will be run by professional facilitators who will manage the selection of Assembly members, the provision of expert advisers and the deliberations and considerations of the Assembly. This will take time and Assembly members will have to commit many hours over several months in order to take part. Citizens' Assemblies have been used successfully by Parliament, other local
tonyjohnson That was the week
Tenants are people too
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susanparsonage Chief executive’s eye
T WAS a week in which Wales went ‘locked’, Boris shut Manchester, Sturgeon beat Boris, and Jenrick went ‘generous’.
During all the national hullabaloo, mainstream media has all but ignored the revelations that have continued each week in the Grenfell Tower inquiry. Now in its second phase, last week was the 15th week of hearings about the 2017 fire in a refurbished west London tower block where 72 tenants died.
The Grenfell Inquiry The day after the fire, Theresa May — as PM — announced that a public inquiry would take place and it was formally set up within two months. The first phase covered the events of the night of the fire and its report was published on October 30, 2019. The second phase examines the causes of those events and it commenced on January 27, 2020 with hearings during three of the weeks in the run up to the coronavirus lockdown. Hearings resumed in the first full week of July and are now likely to continue well into 2022. Both the hearings and the evidence are all public, with videos as well as full transcripts being made available on the Grenfell Inquiry website www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/ hearings.
Found and Lost The week started with a surprise as the
Authorities and in other countries to take the politics out of important decisions. It is the democratic right of citizens to participate in decisions that affect their lives. A Citizens' Assembly will take party politics out of the equation and make the decision making more democratic and more trusted. Wokingham Borough Council must commit itself to implement the decisions of the Citizens' Assembly. The borough’s Labour councillors are fully committed to accepting and promoting the decisions reached by the Citizens' Assembly. You can read more about Citizens' Assemblies and Wokingham Borough Labour's Green Vision for our Borough on our website.
Inquiry heard that Peter Maddison, the director of assets and regeneration at RBKC’s (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) Tenant Management Organisation Ltd (TMO), had admitted to Kennedy’s (the TMO’s solicitors) that he’d kept eight daybooks and five diaries at home — spanning the period from 23 January 2013 to 10 May 2017. According the Inquiry’s lead barrister “both Kennedys and Mr Maddison are going to have to give clear and convincing explanations of why these documents were not disclosed to the inquiry nor, so far as we can tell, to the Metropolitan Police, until now”. Things got worse when one of the TMO’s project managers for the regeneration, Claire Williams, was being asked by the lead barrister if she’d handed over all of the notebooks, diaries and records that she’d kept. The reply came back that she’d binned all except the last one, covering “probably 2017/ 2018”.
Complicated By Wednesday, Peter Maddison was being reminded of the events of a 2009 fire at Lakanal House, a 14-storey tower block in Southwark, where six people had died. Having indicated his knowledge of the fire, the consequences and the investigating coroner’s recommendations that sprinklers be retro-fitted to high-rise residential buildings, Mr Maddison was then questioned as to including sprinklers in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment. Reading the transcript, it shows Mr Maddison describing the the retro-fitting as “a very complicated issue that hadn’t been given full consideration”. When later challenged by the lead barrister that they weren’t fitted because there wasn’t
Labour’s Green Vision for Wokingham Borough has been developed to take account of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Goals have been developed to ensure that all aspects of economic and social change and carried out in a sustainable way. The Climate Emergency is one issue but we have to ensure that all our policies have sustainability at their heart. A Citizens’ Assembly on the Climate Emergency will be the first step on our journey towards a sustainable future. Please join us and please sign our petition at: www.wokinghamlabourparty.org/ greenvision Wokingham Labour Group
a legal requirement to do so, Mr Maddison responded by saying “Erm ... I think there’s a -I think there’s -- that’s a fair enough thing to say, but I think it was probably more complicated than that.”
Why this matters Engineering and Management daybooks, especially hard bound ones, are admissible in many courts and inquiries as evidence in the event that anything goes wrong. Withholding them, destroying them or throwing them away is tantamount to tampering with evidence. As to sprinklers, despite the Lakanal House deaths; despite the Coroner’s recommendations; the MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) did not make the retrofitting of sprinklers law and the TMO — the armslength company acting on behalf of the RBKC Council — did not include sprinklers in Grenfell Tower’s refurbishment.
The last word This phase of the Inquiry includes the bidding process, the prime contractor, materials suppliers, subcontractors and various consultancies and consultants. It would be an understatement to say that what’s been uncovered so far is tantamount to a shameful indictment of their working practices. If you’d like to find out more about the causes of the events, there’s a really excellent weekly digest from Peter Apps, the award-winning deputy editor of the trade magazine Inside Housing or, if you’ve the time for a longer more detailed read, there’s always the inquiry's daily transcripts themselves. They speak volumes, on behalf of tenants who can no longer speak at all. caveat.lector@icloud.com
AST month I talked about the importance of our partnerships with voluntary community groups to help us all achieve the best results for the borough. This month, I want to focus on the wonderful group of residents doing amazing work for our most vulnerable children — our foster carers. Foster carers provide a safe, loving environment for our most vulnerable children giving them the support, confidence and a positive family life to thrive and exceed. This is even more crucial now in these uncertain times as foster carers are needed more than ever. We currently have 74 foster families across the borough, and 63 children and young people in foster care. The number of children needing us can change instantly, especially in an emergency, which is why we always need foster families available and ready to jump in. Foster carers care for children and young people of every age – from babies, only weeks old, up to the age of 18. We also have 17 young adults still with their foster carers after 18. This lets them maintain relationships, receive support, prepare for adult life and continue their education and training during this pivotal period in their young lives. Foster carers can look after up to three children, or more if siblings are involved. But most foster carers care for one or two children. We also have a scheme called Short Breaks offering family-based respite for children with disabilities. I have been reading a letter from one of our foster carers who said they knew there would be some ups and downs, and, “they’ve had a few.” But then they said, “We never could have dreamt we would have the privilege of being able to support a child through to their adolescence and on to university.” These foster carers also supported contact with that young person’s birth family throughout. This is an incredible illustration of the impact foster carers have on young lives.
Important October is Sons & Daughters Month when we celebrate, recognise and thank the foster carers’ own children for the important role they play supporting their parents in fostering and for sharing their family life with foster brothers and sisters. They too make a valuable contribution enriching these young people’s lives. Like many, I’m a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing so it was great last week to see dancer Ian Waite supporting our campaign to attract new foster carers and meet one of our amazing carers. Ian, who lives locally, talked of his delight in helping us. It is fantastic to have such great advocates in our borough – a real coup. I was lucky enough before lockdown to attend a borough foster carer celebration, alongside our executive member for children’s services, where I heard wonderful and moving stories. I have the deepest respect for foster carers and see their overwhelming love and commitment. Our staff work hard behind the scenes to recruit, train and ensure the right placements. It is a vocation. So thank you to our staff and the amazing carers. You continue to change lives. Many types of people can foster. All you need is some life experience, a spare room and the time and energy to look after a child. You can find out more at our next online fostering information event on Wednesday, November 18, from 6pm to 7.30pm. Either email: fostering@wokingham.gov.uk or visit fostering.wokingham.gov.uk There’s a child or young person out there that needs you… Susan Parsonage is the chief executive of Wokingham Borough Council
20 | NEWS
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angelagarwood Honest motherhood
New music on thanks to Na
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T’S been nearly 12 weeks since the birth of baby Leo. He was born on a scorching Saturday afternoon in early August weighing 8lbs 10oz, which was a little larger than I was expecting. Maia, my seven-year-old was 6lbs 11oz, so I naively assumed that all my babies would be that small. I was brutally mistaken. Relatively speaking, it was a woman’s dream childbirth experience. There were no complications, no one got stuck, and the enormous baby exited my body the way I’d envisioned. The room could have been a smidgen cooler, no woman should have to give birth in 33°C heat. But then no woman should have to grab their partner by the scruff of their Biggie Smalls T-Shirt and demand to be “PUT TO SLEEP”. I won’t go into the hour-by-hour of my birth story, but I will say it was faster and seemingly more painful than the first time round. Everything felt like it was on fast-forward from the moment we arrived at the hospital. By this I mean I went from 4-8cm in about 90 minutes. I did not feel mentally on top of the pain one bit, it was terrifying. I’d done all the same preparation as when I had Maia, practiced all the breathing and visualisations. I skimmed through my birthing book, thinking I still remembered most of it. But every labour experience is different. And this one had me crying for my Mummy and less-than-politely requesting to be euthanised. You don’t beg for things often in life but I clearly recall begging for an epidural. I think I wailed. Sadly at 8cm, they deem it “a little too late for that now darling”. So after only a few hours, I stopped crying, pressed on with the old gas and air, got on my knees, and quietly* pushed my son out. *I wish, I roared. Then I did all the other things women do after they give birth. Which brings me to now, almost 12 weeks later. They say after you’ve had your first baby, after a little while you forget what it’s like. It all becomes blurry and faded, hazed over with the passing of time. Over the months and years, looking back, none of it was really that bad. I too forgot the agony of childbirth, I glazed over the sleepless nights and I barely remember changing one nappy, let alone hundreds. And now I’m back in the thick of it, I can say with some confidence, there is nothing quite like having a baby. The adrenalin rush giving birth, the warm and blissful oxytocin-fuelled highs in the days after bringing your tiny person home, the tears that would seemingly come out of nowhere. The breastfeeding, which deserves a whole other column. My partner and I have settled into a nice little rhythm now. He works during the day and is mostly at home, so helps out whenever he can. Which is brilliant because it means I can shower, put on laundry, grab something to eat, all knowing if Leo wakes up, I have a couple of minutes before he needs my boob. It also means he can shut down and be downstairs making dinner a minute later, no faffing with lengthy commutes. He does most of the cooking whilst I flail about with the baby, Maia or my third child, the laundry. Laundry has become a big part of my life. It’s a good thing I get a little kick every time I put a load on, and find the hanging-up part weirdly satisfying too, otherwise you’d think I was a bit sad. Some people travel the world. Others do three loads of laundry a day. The nights are a healthy mix of hellish and moremanageable. I’m exclusively breastfeeding which means Joel can help with the nappies, but not much else. Mostly his job is to make me laugh. We’re now 82 days in, touch wood, it’s going as well as it could be. Baby Leo has settled right into our little family. Maia absolutely adores him and neither of us can remember what life was like before he existed. This is of course a complete lie, I remember exactly what life was like, we both slept reasonably well and occasionally I did some exercise. Neither of those things happen now. Our sweet darling truly is a bundle of joy when he’s not pooing on my arm or crying from the bedroom when I’m trying to relax into a wee and yes we can remember a time before him, its just so much more fun with him.
WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, October 29, 2020
By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today ON WEDNESDAY, residents have the chance to attend the nearest thing to a live music gig.
Khadija Niang with some of her portraits exploring Senegalese culture
Artistic duo’s work goes on virtual show TWO ARTISTS from the University of Reading are putting their skills to the test this month. Graduates Khadija Niang and Natalie Sired have both been awarded exhibition slots in the Platform Graduate Award 2020. Organised by Oxford Modern Art, the annual initiative supports emerging artists across the South East. And following the exhibition, one of the exhibition’s artists will be awarded a £2,000 bursary and mentoring from a professional artist. “Having my work selected has given me a lot of confidence in myself and my ability,” Khadija said. “After graduating during Covid, I think I started to feel a bit disillusioned about the idea of being an artist or being within the art industry, but this experience and exposure is a meaningful push
towards seeing possibilities in the future.” Khadija’s exhibit, titled It’s Not Just Hair, explores her cultural identity as a Senegalese woman who has never lived in Senegal. And Natalie’s exhibit, called BEEFCAKE (below), uses poetry and film to challenge patriarchal portrayals of women and nature. “Working with Oxford Modern Art has been invaluable in learning about the process of building a professional exhibition,” Natalie said. “With it being online, we have had exposure to a different type of working.” Khadija’s and Natalie’s work is being displayed publicly online this month. To view the exhibition, visit: www.modernartoxford.org.uk/ event/platform-graduate-award2020
The Everyman Cinema, in Elms Field has teamed up with Jamma, a national music company supporting independent artists, for an evening of music. Founded by Nathan Fullbrook, who grew up in Wokingham, Jamma links musicians with venues and digital recording specialists to bring music to the country. Launched before lockdown, Jamma championed the importance of live performance. “I couldn’t believe we launched a platform for live gigging — and now it’s dead,” Mr Fullbrook said. “We revised where we were at, and launched a podcast series, called The Lockdown Sessions. “The Everyjam event came from thinking outside of the box,” Mr Fullbrook explained. “We met the Wokingham team when they opened up last year, and the partnership has grown from there.” The event, which starts at 8pm on Wednesday evening, includes an hour long, pre-recorded film with four performances from independent artists. It features acoustic performances from Mike Wagner, Chloe Leigh, Jay Bellamy and rockband, Mother Vulture will change the pace of the event at the end. “We wanted to include a range of genres to suit everyone,” Mr Fullbrook said. “Each artist recorded their live set at Generation Studio, in Maidenhead — they’re one of our partner companies at Jamma. “Any artists that use Jamma can get a 25% discount when using their studio.” He added: “It’s incredible working with such a strong brand as
Four acts in one show, all from the comfort of
Everyman. It’s the start of a long-term partnership — we both feel this is really important to help boost the local economy and bring people back into Wokingham. “Nobody has been able to go out and see live music for months.” A spokesperson from Everyman Cinema said: “Jamma offers a great opportunity for us to find and partner with musicians around the UK. We are excited to see what a partnership will look like in the future and about the prospect of bringing more live music to Wokingham and beyond. “Since 2015 we’ve created and run the Everyman Music Film festival – a celebration of the crossover and
Why buying a round cou IT’S A pub that dates back nearly 1,000 years – and it could be yours. Although it’s outside the borough, The Ostrich Inn in Colnbrook is so interesting that we thought you’d like to know. Dating back to 1106, it is regarded as England’s third oldest inn, occupying a prominent and highly visible location on the High Street in Colnbrook. Set on nearly half an acre, the pub showcases many original features dating back more 900 years, making it a popular spot for locals and visitors alike. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that The Ostrich is a Grade II listed building, and it’s been an important staging post since the Middle Ages. It has a rich history, which includes hosting many royal guests and according to local folklore, a series of mysterious guest disappearances that occurred in the 17th century. These were later found out to be a string of murders committed by the infamous
landlord of the time, Mr Jarman. He and his wife would fill the rich customers with food and wine before they retired for the night in one of the rooms with a magic four-poster bed. The bed would tip backwards when they were asleep and drop them into a pot of boiling water, killing them instantly. Today, the detached two-storey property comprises a characterful main bar, a restaurant with a focus on local produce, and an adjoining private dining room, all with original features including exposed timber beams, brickwork and a large fireplace. A function room featuring a large, vaulted ceiling and its own bar servery with capacity for 40 guests is also located on the first floor, while the rear of the inn features a south-facing terrace with outdoor seating and large car park. As far as we know, there are no vats of boiling water. The building underwent an extensive refurbishment in 2015 when
Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
the big screen athan’s vision
f Everyman Cinema’s plush seats
creativity between the fields of music and film. It has been held annually at our various venues across the UK, including Islington’s Screen On The Green – where The Clash and Sex Pistols played their first London gig. “Music is truly at the core of what we love to do and we work continuously to ensure our venues are filled with music – be it live or through our Apple Music curated playlists.” They added: “All guests will be socially distanced in the screen and we will serve everyone directly to their seats. Hand sanitiser is provided throughout the venue and masks are required to be worn at all times unless eating and drinking.
“We do have our full menu available but we recommend not arriving too early to ensure there is no congestion or crowding in the bar.” The first Everyjam event will be launched in Wokingham, as a nod to Mr Fullbrook’s hometown. But plans are in place to roll-out the pre-recorded performance evenings across the UK. On the night, ticket holders will be treated to a Jammatini cocktail, included within the £14.30 ticket price and created by events company and Jamma partner, Tin and Glass. For more information, and to book a ticket, visit: www.everymancinema.com/Booking/ wokingham/8548184
uld put you in hot water
Bernice’s award honours her care during Covid A LEAD nurse at Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) has been awarded for making a difference in healthcare. Bernice Bore was nominated for the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) 2020 South East Black History Month Making a Difference Awards. And she recently learnt that she has won. As part of the RCN’s Black History Month celebrations, the South East branch asked members to nominate individuals who made a difference in the delivery of healthcare. “Bernice was recognised for her excellent leadership and the depth of compassion she demonstrated to colleagues and families who were bereaved,” said Jessica Higson, director of nursing. “We were incredibly grateful for the inspirational leadership Bernice has shown over the last few months particularly during the height of the pandemic.” Bernice also received the nomination for supporting the RBH’s intensive care unit, and for the support she has given the wider renal team throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
HALLOWE’EN is this Saturday, and spooky costumes, decorations, pumpkins and sugary treats are the order of the day. While it can be difficult to avoid overindulging on sweets and chocolate, even when we’re avoiding trick and treating, but Heart Research UK says that there are some healthy swaps you can make. Dr Helen Flaherty, head of health promotion at Heart Research UK, suggests trying some of the following tips to ensure your night of spookiness is also more angelic. � Whizz up some ‘vampire blood’ smoothies by blending strawberries, raspberries and blueberries that are packed full of antioxidants to keep
Many a soldier died in the battle of the Somme Many a shell was dropped on the German bunkers strong Many a soldier marched towards the enemy line But many a soldier fell as the plan began to untwine
could be yours for £1,350,000. Simon Chaplin, senior director of pubs & restaurants at Christie & Co, said: “The successful inn is a prominent landmark within Colnbrook and would be an excellent opportunity for a range of buyers looking to buy a piece of Ye Olde England but not as a vanity piece as The Ostrich is a profitable business with many successful years ahead of it.”
Many a shell did not explode when they dropped on the enemy line so many a German still survived, throughout this time But as many a man marched, they still took the line Forcing many a German back, to the trenches behind
plasticfreehome Dave Lamont
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Why we’ve given Sainsbury’s a red card
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Bernice Bore with her Making a Difference award
Caroline Ainslie, chief nursing officer added: “This is fantastic news and so well-deserved. Bernice has demonstrated incredible compassion to her team and patients during the Covid-19 period. “We are incredibly proud of her.”
Hallowe’en diet doesn’t have to be quite so scary
Many A Soldier
it was acquired by the current owners. This included updates to the bars and the addition of 11 en-suite letting rooms, individually styled with a blend of contemporary and classic interiors. Christie & Co is the selling agent and said that this is a unique opportunity to acquire one of England’s most historic coaching inns, situated in a highly desirable village setting. It
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your heart and arteries healthy. � Pumpkin is high in fibre, vitamins and minerals and low in calories. When hollowing out your pumpkin lantern, save the flesh to make tasty pumpkin soup and call it ‘witches’ brew’. You can find more healthy recipes www.bbc.co.uk/food/ pumpkin � Swap some of the sweets for ‘bat droppings’ of dried fruit and unsalted nuts and give your little monsters a boost of vitamins, minerals and fibre, as well as plenty of energy to run around in their scary costumes. � Buy Hallowe’en-themed toys, puzzles, magazines or stationery to give the kids, instead of sweets and chocolate. Many a man thought the Allies had won But many a man was in surprise, with events to come The sadness of the Somme, something many a man will never forget But which many a soldier may always live to regret For this is the Somme, many a story told Many a man remembered for being so brave and bold But many a man’s child, never knew his father’s song And many a family’s life, was ruined by the Somme Joseph Franks
We love receiving reader’s poetry. Email submissions to letters@wokinghampaper.co.uk
FIRST wrote to Sir David Attenborough at the end of 2018, following his landmark words at the United Nations, to thank him for inspiring me and many others, and to tell him that I had established a small online community called Plastic Free Home in a small attempt to ‘do my bit’. An article on this was published in this very newspaper, which eventually led to my regular column of the same name. Earlier this month, I was very surprised to receive a second letter from Sir David, It was in response to one I had written thanking him and updating him on our progress. “I am delighted that your plastic free movement has been such a success,” he wrote. Another of Sir David’s recent sentences rings far louder in my ears however. “Don’t waste anything,” he said, pained, during a recent BBC Breakfast interview. This is very much a mindset we do our best to live by as a family at home and the ethos of Plastic Free Home. His words really resonated with us; it really is that simple. So, why is such a straightforward message so difficult for people to understand? Enter Sainsbury’s. Like many, particularly during the course of this year, we have relied on click and collect or home delivery services from our chosen supermarket. We have been routinely annoyed of late, to find a bundle of collectable Lego cards hidden within our shopping. We didn’t order these and there is no way to opt out of receiving them. And returning them right away is not always easy if you don’t know they are there until half of your food has already found its way to the fridge. We’ve unwillingly acquired 15 packets of cards in just the last fortnight. So, I wrote to Sainsbury’s to ask how this fitted with their aims to reduce packaging and waste and generally do better. They responded: “We appreciate your feedback. At Sainsbury's, we continue to look at ways to reduce the impact our business has on the environment. We can confirm that all the Lego cards, including the packaging, and albums can be recycled. Please let me know if you have any other questions.” I wasn’t surprised, I was angry. Firstly, clearly a stock response and a brief one at that. I wasn’t told what the cards and their packaging were made of. Was the paper/card FSC (sustainably) sourced? How can the packaging be recycled and what is it made of? Not good. So I responded again. Also directing the email to Lego’s head of sustainability. And I threw a little maths for good measure… Let’s assume that Sainsbury’s has approximately five million customers nationwide and they give five packs each to just half of those customers every week. That’s 12.5 million packs a week. The true figure may be higher. On that basis, that would be half a billion packs in a year. Imagine the carbon footprint of producing, distributing and perhaps recycling all of those cards likely thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide by the way. Or how many trees will — thousands again — have been felled in the process? The cards are there for two cynical reasons alone. Pester power and lazy brand marketing. These cards will be discarded and forgotten about as quickly as they are gained. How can Sainsbury’s and indeed Lego not see that this is nothing but wasteful? In a well-established sustainability model, ‘refuse’, ‘reduce’ and ‘reuse’ all come before ‘recycle’. Recycling should be the last resort; it’s not a get out of jail free card that allows for endless and mindful overconsumption. At Plastic Free Home, one of our favourite sayings is “vote with your feet”. That’s what we’ll be doing here. We’re showing Sainsbury’s a card, a red one. Au revoir.
For more tips and advice, join the online group at facebook.com/ plasticfree homeuk
22 | NEWS
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, October 29, 2020
Remembrance at home: how the borough will honour the fallen in this Covid year
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VERY aspect of the borough’s normal Remembrance Sunday will be different this year as a result of the coronavirus situation: large gatherings are not allowed and church services are limited to 30 people.
ground. A PA system will be used to ensure that those attending can socially distance themselves from others. There will be an opportunity to give to the Poppy Appeal.
David Dunham from the Wokingham Poppy Appeal outside Tesco in Finchampstead Road on Saturday Picture: Phil Creighton
Twyford
However, it is still important to take time to remember and reflect for all those who have served our country and their families. Remembrance Sunday is on November 8. Here is what is currently planned – although details may change in line with the latest coronavirus guidance from the Government.
Arborfield Having consulted with the Royal British Legion and local authorities, Remembrance Sunday in Arborfield will be different to usual. There will not be a parade featuring uniformed organisations and youth groups, serving personnel and also veterans, and there will not be a large gathering around the war memorial. The parish council is urging residents to decorate the village with poppies, including placing one in windows of homes. It will produce a remembrance video, which features The Arborfield Military Wives Choir. There will be a small wreath laying ceremony on the day, for which applications for places should be made to the parish clerk by emailing parishclerk@arborfield.org.uk. It is hoped to livestream the event and no one other than the agreed wreath layers should attend. The parish council asks people to stay at home, but wear Sunday best as if you were at the cross, and stand on doorsteps at 11am for a minutes silence. Remember at Home photos can be sent to to parishclerk@arborfield.org.uk
Crowthorne St John the Baptist Church Crowthorne is inviting the community to spend a few moments of quiet during the week of remembrance at the Lychgate War Memorial. Visitors can plant a poppy into the oasis by the memorial.
Earley Earley St Peter’s Church will hold an invitation-only act of remembrance around the war memorial. It will be a shortened service that begins with a two-minute silence and see a limited number of people attend including Earley town mayor, representatives from uniformed organisations and the
WHILE the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the Poppy Appeal this year, a community of staff, volunteers, partners and suppliers have been working together to ensure it is able to go ahead and the nation can take part in Remembrance activities. The safety of the public, staff, members and volunteers is a top priority and they are working with charity regulators and the relevant local and national authorities to ensure that all activity is safe and in alignment with both national and regional regulations. Local collectors will have new ways for people to donate including unique QR Codes and Contactless Machines to ensure the safety of those collecting and those choosing to donate in person.
churchwardens. It is hoped to livestream the event. There will be a short Morning Prayer at 10am that day, but those coming are asked to leave the church grounds immediately at the end of the service to allow those arriving for the Remembrance Service to come in safely.
Finchampstead Coronavrius means that the usual services will not be held at either St James Church or the war memorial. At 10.50am, there will be a pre-recorded service of remembrance, and a 3pm service will feature the usual elements of the war memorial event. As roads around the war memorial will not be closed, St James is opening a field of remembrance on the green area at the church’s entrance opposite the Queen’s Oak pub. It will feature a cross, the names on the memorial and some prayers printed on lamented sheets. It opens from 3pm on Monday, November 2, and will remain open until Wednesday, November 11, when Canon John Edwards and the Revd Gemma Donnell will relocate any poppies and wreath to the memorial cross.
In Wokingham town centre, donation points where Poppy Appeal merchandise and collectors’ items will be available are: � McColls newsagents, Peach Street � Nationwide, Broad Street � Brown Bag, Denmark Street � Town Hall Information Centre, Market Place � Friday/Saturday Market, Market Place � Squires garden centre, Heathlands Road � Henry Street Garden centre, Arborfield � Tesco, Finchampstead Road � California Post Office � Creswell’s garage, Finchampstead Alternatively, log on to www.rbl.org.uk/ poppyappeal and click on ‘Donate’ or call the fundraising team on 0845 845 1945.
Hurst Pre-booking to attend a service of remembrance is required. St Nicholas Church is to hold the service on Sunday, November 8, from 10.45am. Government rules require attendance to be limited to 30 people socially distanced. To accommodate those who wish to participate, sister church St Mary’s in Twyford hopes to livestream their service over the internet. For more details, or to book a place, email witsend50pat@gmail.com. Closing date for applications is Monday, November 2.
Ruscombe As with Hurst, pre-booking is essential. There are two services at St James’ Church: at 8.45am, there will be an act of remembrance. This will be followed at 9am by a remembrance service. To book a seat, email stjameswarden@thruchrist.org.uk. Closing date for applications is Monday, November 2.
Shinfield Villagers are being asked to fill Shinfield with poppies ahead of Remembrance Sunday in lieu of their attendance at School Green.
Instead of the large act of remembrance around the war memorial, there will be three socially distanced ‘parades’ of no more than six people each, processing through the village bearing poppy wreaths. The parades will come from three different directions, taking in as many houses as possible and feature representatives of the armed forces and local community. All parades will all converge on School Green where there will be a short service which will be live-streamed – people should view from home if possible. In the service the Parish Council Chairman, Andrew Grimes, will lay a large wreath that lists the 20-plus people and organisations who usually lay wreaths. A silence will be observed at 11am. Following the service, personal wreaths may be placed on the war memorial but follow social distancing rules and do not congregate around the war memorial.
Swallowfield An Act of Remembrance will take place from 10.50am to 11.10am in the parish hall car park and surrounding pavements. If needed, people can also stand in the recreation
There is no annual Scout parade this year as a result of the coronavirus restrictions. Tom Toy, from Twyford Scouts, said: “We shall have a very limited attendance at the War Memorial service and in the church but it isn’t appropriate to organise a proper parade.” He hoped that some Scouts would walk to the church and back with flags, but this will not be a procession. St Mary’s Church is to hold a remembrance service from 10.30am, with spaces limited according to government guidance. It is planned to livestream the service via YouTube and on its Facebook page – search for THRU Christ. To book a seat, by Monday, email stmarys-bookings@thruchrist.org.uk
Wokingham Wokingham Town Council (WTC) says, after careful consideration, to retain elements of its civic traditions while also providing opportunities to share Remembrance in a different way and it hopes that its plans can still be appreciated by many. This includes the annual service at All Saints Church at 3pm on Sunday, November 8. Led by the Revd Canon David Hodgson, numbers will be limited but include the Town Mayor, the High Sheriff, the High Steward and representatives from uniformed organisations. In addition, there will be spaces available for members of the public if they have booked a place in advance, via www.allsaints wokingham.org.uk/events/ wokingham-civicremembrance-service/. Name and address details will be captured, upon booking, for track and trace purposes so that the church holds a record of who is in its building. For those unable to attend it broadcast live on YouTube at the All Saints Church Wokingham YouTube channel. There will also be twominute silences at 11am on both Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day on Wednesday, November 11. It is hoped to livestream this, but spaces will be available for up to 30 people in the triangle by the town hall. Wokingham Town Council will not be taking responsibility for social distancing from the paved areas in front of the retailers.
The war memorial, inside the Town Hall will be accessible to residents for quiet reflection or to add a wreath or a cross. A pre-booking system is in place, with spots between 10am and 2pm daily from Saturday, November 7 to Wednesday, November 11. Access cannot be guaranteed if a booking has not been made in advance. Track and trace systems will be in place. To book a slot to visit the memorial, please see www.ticketsource.co.uk/ wokingham Crosses are available from the Town Hall’s Information Centre on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 10am and 2pm and these can also be placed outside in our Market Place where a stand is provided next to the soldier silhouette. Cllr David Lee, chairman of Wokingham Town Council’s Civic Committee, said: “I am very pleased that Wokingham is doing all it can to mark Remembrance in a safe way. We have given a lot of careful thought about how this can be achieved, and I urge our residents to be respectful at this time.” Echoing his comments, Wokingham town mayor Cllr Tony Lack said: “It is so important that we still pay tribute to all of those who gave their lives in wars and conflicts. “I shall be honoured to be attending the Church Service and leading both the twominute silences this year and I am pleased that although not so many can join me, arrangements are being made for you to Remember from Home” As with all events, Wokingham Town Council will continue to monitor government guidelines and hopes to deliver all of the above, but activities are subject to change.
Woodley Remember at home – that’s the message from Woodley Town Council for this year’s Remembrance events. It is to compile a montage of organisations and schools, along with the Town Mayor, with their wreaths of remembrance. These will be published on its website, and social media platforms on the morning of Wednesday, November 11, in time for the two-minute silence. Anyone wishing to lay wreath at the war memorial can still do so, but these should be booked with Linda Matthews by Wednesday, November 4. Photos will be taken on Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10, under Covid-secure procedures. To lay a wreath, email linda.matthews@woodley .gov.uk
Thursday, October 29, 2020 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
FROMTHECLASSROOMS Lessons from Thorpe Park’s Fright Night
By JOHN WAKEFIELD news@wokingham.today
OMETIMES you have to stop and be grateful. And right now I feel so grateful for where I live.
My extended family are in Tier 3, struggling to get out and about, frustrated with new restrictions but aware of the need to follow the strict rules. Thankfully, life in Tier 1 means that the past few weeks have seemed a lot more normal for me. Maybe it’s that I’m just getting used to things being a little more low key – 18th birthday parties are small gatherings, trips out with friends ending that little bit earlier than usual. But despite the 10pm curfew and the rule of six, during half-term things have ‘felt’ okay. Among all the chaos and gloom and doom news, my annual trip to Fright Night at Thorpe Park went ahead and being allowed to do something that I’ve done for years now felt really good. A big shout out to Thorpe Park because although Covid-19 restrictions are place there, it was so well managed and it was a great day out. In fact, I think my day out at a theme park is a good example of how life can carry on as before, seemingly the same, just different. Ask anyone who’s been to an airport and on plane since March. The same as before, just different. I think it’s pretty impressive how we’ve adapted to our new ways so that now they just feel normal. And yes, I’m aware that I’m living life in Tier 1. I’m not ignorant of what life is like for my family up north right now and for millions of other people. As I said, I’m grateful.
Mazes So back to Thorpe Park. A trip there wouldn’t be the same without the queues and, of course, during half-term, we all had to stand in line. But unlike before, the queues were broken up to allow groups to be two metres away from another groups. Masks had to be worn, but that’s just the norm too, right? And rides were cleaned every half an hour and I’m okay with that. The Fright Night mazes were gone. Replaced by outdoor ‘scare zones’. The same – that element of fear was still there – but slightly different. Life since March has evolved and we’ve got used to finding new ways of doing things. Often we’re doing the same things, just doing them slightly differently. We’ve adapted, shown flexibility and I just love to see how businesses and even schools have moved forward in positive ways. Talking of school, half-term isn’t what it once was. That has nothing to do with Covid, just that the fact that my A levels are looming. I’ve had a lot of work to do with exams in a few weeks, as well as my driving test. Revision and coursework seem to have taken up the majority of my school break. Life seems to feel small and slow one minute and frantic the next. For most of us we never know what the next week will bring. There was something reassuring about sitting on a rollercoaster, being frightened one minute, laughing with friends the next and enjoying the moment. Perhaps Fright Night is more like real life than I realised.
We welcome contributions from pupils for this page– email stories, pictures and prose to news@wokinghampaper.co.uk
Lockdown heroes given Covid honours
harrybradley Harry’s world
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SCHOOLS | 23
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Kat from Happitots, the Winnersh branch of Complete Childcare, with her honour
LOCKDOWN heroes who work for a nursery group with branches in Wokingham have been honoured for their work.
Complete Childcare wanted to thank staff at its 13-strong nursery chain who have worked continuously since lockdown was announced in March. Five of the nurseries stayed open throughout the pandemic, with the rest reopening from June as restrictions lifted. As well as providing childcare for keyworker families and vulnerable children, they also accepted youngsters from other nurseries. Complete Childcare said that the Lockdown Heroes impressed everyone by adapting to new procedures enabling the nurseries to be Covid-Secure. Management said the team’s positive outlook and warm welcomes eased anxiety and made sure that parents could focus on their key jobs, safe in the knowledge that their Panto stars, clockwise from top: Aiyana Otway Fitzgibbon, Aimee Gunter, Lydia Regnes,and Zoe Kelsall
Young dancers chosen for panto roles LIFE might be unusual at the moment, but producers of a popular pantomime have decreed that the show must go on. Aladdin is this year’s show and will be limited to just one performance only on Christmas Monday, December 28. Produced by the Wokingham Pantomime Group, the show has been written by Bart Lee, and will be as Covid-secure as possible. That means that there will not the usual allsinging, all-dancing, all-booing and hissing that audiences expect: this will be a smaller affair. One part of panto remains: there is to be a young troupe of eight dancers and four of these have come from a Wokingham-based dance and drama theatre school, Steppin Out Stars of Tomorrow. Lydia Regnes, Aiyana Otway Fitzgibbon, Aimee Gunter and Zoe Kelsall have been cast in the show, and have attended classes at the school for many years. Principal Shelley Otway said: “Competition for panto is always very fierce but this year it’s been exceptionally tough to get into as so many are closed due to the pandemic. “It’s wonderful to give our future stars something to look forward to when everything around them is so uncertain right now.” The theatre school has been running for 10 years and a planned celebration event in the summer was postponed. It meets at Emmbrook School on Saturdays and Bulmershe School in Woodley on Fridays.
children quickly settled into the new routines. The heroes adjusted to changing guidance to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus but continued to keep a smile on their faces and an up-beat attitude. One of the Lockdown Heroes is Kara Tanner who works for the group’s Bees Knees Nursery in Reading has been nominated for an Apprentices on the Frontline award from the National Apprenticeship Service. Kara completed her NVQ Level 2 award during lockdown thanks to the support of her online tutor, and nursery manager, Michelle Bradley.
Managing director Alec Hodson said: “While the country came to terms with the massive challenges of lockdown, we set about adapting in order to support those families who needed us most. “I am so proud of the courage and flexibility of so many of our staff; being there for key worker families and vulnerable children. “When the pandemic is behind us, it will be important to remember how we responded collectively, and in particular what shining examples of compassion and care stood out from the crowd.”
24 | SOCIETY
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, October 29, 2020
helenabadger volunteer corner
British Modern Military History Society OUR next talk will be Operation Olive - Cracking the Gothic Line, Sept 1944. It will be presented on Tuesday, November 3, at 2pm. Patrick Mercer will look at an operation that the Allies launched, hoping it would be the dagger in the heart of German resistance in northern Italy – the assault on the Gothic Line. The US 5th Army would attack in the Apennines in the west while the British 8th Army would assault along the coastal plains in the east: it would be codenamed Operation Olive. He will show how over-reaching ambition paired with tactical blindness caused 1st Armoured Division to be wrecked against steely German resistance. Using first-hand accounts and detailed knowledge of the ground and those who fought there, he will unfold a story about which little has been heard before. In addition to Patrick's Zoom talk, we have organised an online quiz on The Italian Campaign in the Second World War. There are no prizes, it’s just for fun and is available on our website. Places for the talk need to be booked. We will send out an email with joining instructions on the day. The Zoom talk will open at 1.50pm and there will be time for questions afterwards. The duration of the meeting will be about an hour. For those of you that are new to Zoom, contact us by emailing zoom@bmmhs.org and include your phone number. We will endeavour to help you – please allow at least two days before the talk. Like many other organisations, the BMMHS can only survive in these difficult times with income from talks and donations to cover the costs of speakers, insurances, licence fees, the website etc as well as our continued contributions to military-related charities. Therefore we are asking for a donation from everyone who attends the Zoom talks. This is £5 per talk, £20 for five talks and £40 for 10 talks. Further details on BMMHS Zoom talks and the new Events Schedule for 2021 may be found on www.bmmhs.org/bmmhs-zoom-talks
ABC To Read THE charity ABC to Read has received a £8,100 grant from the Postcode Neighbourhood Trust to start bridging the gap in reading skills caused by Covid-19. It works with primary school children who have been identified by their schools as struggling most with their reading, with many of the schools assigning their pupil premium to provide an ABC to Read mentor. Children and families have encountered numerous difficulties as a result of the Covid-19 crisis due to the interruption to their learning and social experiences. The need for additional reading support is essential if children are not to fall behind with their education. Thanks to this grant, the charity will be able to
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Members of Younger People With Dementia pictured during a pre-lockdown activity
Younger People With Dementia A BERKSHIRE-based charity that supports people diagnosed with Young Onset Dementia, – dementia in those of 65 and under – has been the recipient of a Coronavirus Support Grant from the Julia & Hans Rausing Trust. This funds will be used to continue the charity’s specialist support for people living with this progressive and life-limiting illness as the pandemic persists and the charity’s income continues to be squeezed. Younger People With Dementia supports almost 100 people. Since lockdown in March the charity has kept its staff on full pay, working from home, and completely reshaped how it delivers its unique services to benefit this vulnerable
group of people and their carers, and to continue to help them to live well with their dementia by aiming to reduce isolation. The charity’s Director Mark Hainy explained: “Before the pandemic we were providing 500 activity-based workshops annually throughout Berkshire, offering age-appropriate and therapeutic benefits to people with Young Onset Dementia during the working week. “Since March we’ve migrated practically all support online, utilising live video platforms to bring our workshops into the home.” This change in services has been well-received by those that use the charity with one carer saying: “YPWD have done an incredible job in these very strange times. They have provided some excellent workshops online which has
recruit, vet and train 30 new volunteers in addition to supporting current volunteers to return to school settings safely. This will bring its total number of volunteers to 80, working within 80 school placements and reaching a minimum of 240 children twice a week for 30 minutes during term-time (39 weeks). This essential reading support complements the work undertaken by schools and is especially important for children from low-income families and those for whom English is an additional language (EAL). ABC to Read often work with children experiencing additional barriers to reading and/or disadvantages such as those from EAL or low-income families or with
definitely had an impact on both our moods. To interact with others even if it’s not in person is great.” The Julia & Hans Rausing Trust was launched by the couple to support organisations and initiatives that provide benefit to society in the UK. They said: “When reading through the many applications for the Charity Survival Fund, we were struck by the number of charities which are doing vital work supporting communities across the country. “We are thrilled that Younger People With Dementia will be able to continue to offer help and support to people, at a time when the pandemic has made their work more important than ever before.” � For more details about Younger People With Dementia, log on to: ypwd.info
additional educational needs. The charity’s model of assigning a volunteer to work with children on a one-to-one basis is achieving results and leaving teachers and children alike thrilled with their progress. In their most recent annual report, ABC to Read announced that 99% of the local Berkshire children who benefit from a one-to-one ABC to Read volunteer mentor have improved in their reading accuracy, 99% of the youngsters working with them have improved in their confidence in reading and 98% have enhanced their comprehension. Marcia Rowlinson, ABC to Read CEO, said: “We are yet to understand the full impact of Covid-19 and may not do so for a long time to come. What we do know is that we need to act now to start rebuilding connections in our community and support our local children with their reading so that the long-term consequences are minimised. “We are hugely thankful to the Postcode Neighbourhood Trust for investing in our work at such a critical time and thrilled that more children will receive the one-to-one support they so desperately need right now.” There are still spaces for new volunteers and for schools to sign up to the scheme. For more information send an email to: abctoread@ btconnect.com
winning mental health charity that was formed in Reading in 2010 with a simple mission: “To improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems through sport and physical activity”. It says it is the UK’s leading mental health sports charity and delivers physical activity projects, such as sport, walking, dance and movement, gardening and exercise sessions, in partnership with the amazing NHS in order to aid recovery, promote mental wellbeing, improve physical health, combat social isolation and empower people to move their lives forward in a positive direction. Sport in Mind is looking for kind, understanding, enthusiastic and engaged volunteers to assist at a number of sport sessions across Wokingham Borough, Bracknell, Slough and Maidenhead. The charity is currently operating on a reduced timetable with limited sessions across Berkshire, but is hoping that once things start to return to normal we can begin to offer its full range of sessions again. This is a fun and rewarding opportunity to support vulnerable people in your local community whilst also keeping yourself fit and active. If you are interested in assisting at a Sport in Mind session now or in the future, get in touch. � The Friendship Alliance is a project brought
together by The Link Visiting Scheme, Age UK Berkshire, Involve Community Services and the Wokingham Volunteer Centre to tackle loneliness, promote friendship and improve the mental and physical wellbeing of residents in Wokingham borough. The Alliance is looking to establish a network of Friendship Champions who will promote its services, actively encourage friendships and develop community spirit. It is currently running an online Friendship Café through Zoom for people to come together weekly for an informal chat and to make some friends. It would also like to encourage local places such as cafés to reach out about setting up a Friendship Table where people can take a seat, feel free to chat and connect with others. If you organise a group or activity, run your street’s WhatsApp group chat, work in your local café, library, or even if you’re just a friendly person who wants to spend more time in their community, the Alliance would welcome a few hours of your time. � Could you be a friendly voice at the end
of the phoneline? The Link Visiting Scheme is looking for volunteers to make regular informal calls to those in need of conversation and a listening ear. This can be at a time to suit you. An ongoing commitment of at least an hour a week is ideal. This is aimed at volunteers who can commit on a long-term basis. Guidance and full support and training will be given to ensure you have all you need for your role. We will call you to discuss in more detail what's required and will arrange for a DBS check and references. . � Contact us: tel. 0118 977 0749, email volunteer@wok-vol.org.uk or visit our website: www.volunteerwokinghamborough.org.uk
A real Sunday treat The Flavell Sindlesham Court Mole Road Sindlesham RG41 5EA 0118 978 390 www.the flavell.co.uk
Chris Hillman
bit.ly/wokingham lovesmusic
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The Flavell Suite at Sindlesham Court has some delicious menu choices Pictures: Claire Worsfold It’s clear that safety of both customers and staff is paramount at The Flavell. Don’t think that the atmosphere is lacking due to the spacing. This is a welcoming environment that is relaxed with its subtle background music. Drinks brought to the table, we were able to try our starters. My son opted for Deep Fried Garlic Mushrooms with a rocket salad (£4.95), which he thoroughly enjoyed. Other starters include Duck and Candied Orange Pate with Caramelised Plum Chutney (£4.95) or Mildly Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, served with toasted croutons and cream (£3.95). For the main course my husband and son chose the Traditional Roast Topside of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding (£13.95). You will be struck by its immaculate presentation: There was a generous portion of beef cooked to perfection, a large crispy yorkie, a plentiful portion of crispy roast potatoes, a ramekin of cauliflower cheese accompanied with roasted root vegetables and a rich beef gravy.
“Absolutely delicious” was my husband’s verdict, while my son said: “That was amazing”. Christmas came early for my choice: Roast Turkey with Pigs in Blankets. It came with chestnut stuffing, roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding, roasted root vegetables and turkey gravy (£12.95). There is nothing worse than dry turkey, but thankfully this was a succulent bird. Portion sizes are generous and the roasted root veg were sweet and wholesome. The cauliflower cheese was lovely and rich, and it came with some amazing roasties. There is also a children’s menu, and it was from here that my daughter chose from: Breaded Chicken Goujons with chunky chips (£5.95). With the speed in which it was polished off, it was a definite hit. The Flavell also offers main courses such as Poached Salmon with Chardonnay and Dill Sauce (£12.95) and, for non-meat eaters, a Vegan Cumberland Sausage with Red Onion Gravy and Creamed Mash (£11.95).
Desserts were a real treat. Myself and my husband, so full from our main course, decided to share a Traditional Homemade Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce and Clotted Cream (£5.45). This was food heaven for those, like me, with a sweet tooth. Chef’s Homemade Berry Eton Mess Sundae (£5.95) was my son’s choice, while my daughter chose a Zesty Lemon Cheesecake with Raspberry Sorbet (£4.95). All equally delicious. It’s hard not to be impressed with the high quality of food, service, safety and atmosphere at The Favell, as a result, my family have all said they want a return visit. As well as offering dining, upcoming events planned include a Pottery and Prosecco event, and a Christmas market on November 21 and 22. Christmas dinners will be available throughout December and it will also be open on Christmas Day. Full details are available on its website. Claire Louise Worsfold
‘Raw and real’ Jane Eyre returns to South Hill Park
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T’S ONE of the most famous stories of all time and next week it’s being revived for two performances only. Blackeyed Theatre were touring with their production of Jane Eyre when lockdown hit. But on Tuesday and Wednesday, they will be reviving the show, with the same cast, for a socially distanced performance. It will also be available on demand. The tour had been going well – it had played to more than 19,000 people in 40 venues across the country and plans were in place to take the show to China. Coronavirus had other ideas though. So next week’s shows will bring some closure to the cast as they can take their final curtain call. It comes after last month’s revival of Blackeye’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, which was also performed at South Hill Park’s Wilde Theatre. Adrian McDougall, artistic director of Blackeyed Theatre and director of Jane Eyre, said: "Bringing the play back to the stage at such a precarious time for the theatre industry is an important step.
wokinghamlovesmusic
IVE gigs seem so 2019, but believe it or not they have taken place this year – and they’re still being held in some locations. The first track in this week’s Top 10 has been inspired by a gig that Andrew Merritt enjoyed at the beginning of the year. Split The Dealer featureing Deva St John is just one of the great artists chosen by Chris Hillman from White Star Records He curates the Wokingham Love Music soundtrack which features songs from bands and artists with some connection to Wokingham’s music scene. There’s a range of musical styles to enjoy meaning that there’s something for everyone, from those who know how to dance and those who think they do. You can listen for FREE via Spotify. There’s a special page set-up at bit.ly/wokinghamlovesmusic
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ITH many venues now not being able to hold large wedding receptions, conferences, dinner dances, exhibitions and trade fairs, Sindlesham Court have had to think outside the box while following Covid guidelines. Set in a peaceful location The Flavell banqueting suite has decided to open its doors to the community. During the week, there’s a dinner menu, there’s curries to takeaway on Fridays, Saturdays is takeaway breakfasts day – perfect if you’re watching the sporting action on the field opposite – and traditional Sunday roasts. Being a bar and function suite, one of the main selling points of The Flavell is its space, allowing tables to be placed at a minimum two metre distance apart. Although you can just turn up, booking in advance is highly recommended to avoid disappointment, particularly on a Sunday. There are many advantages to Sindlesham Court. It’s one of the biggest banqueting halls in the borough and, in normal times, can seat hundreds for special occasions such as weddings and fundraising events. As such, it’s got a large car park and is easily accessible. We were here to try the Sunday roasts. On arrival, we were greeted and asked to sanitise our hands, our temperatures were checked and we had to sign in to the track and trace system. Then, the venue’s one-way system was explained and we were led to our table, which is around three metres away from our neighbours.
LEISURE | 25
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“There's a real hunger among the cast and artistic team to get back to what we love doing, and among audiences for that shared live experience. “We achieved it in September with Jekyll & Hyde and the feeling was extraordinary. It shows what can be achieved and the benefits to artists, audiences and venues.” The performance of Jane Eyre features Kelsey Short, who is looking forward to being back on stage, even if the rehearsal time will be short and to the point. “We will only have one day in rehearsal on Tuesday and then have the
show in the evening, which is being filmed. It’s basically us getting back together with our lines,” she says. “We did the show for eight months, so all of it is already there, it’s already honed: the story, the journey, we all know all that stuff. For me, it’s all muscle memory, as soon as you get back into it, it all comes.” And she is loving her role: “It’s a big deal because for some many people it’s their favourite story, I’ve hot such big shoes to fill. She’s a great character.” Kelsey says that the show includes live music, a couple of songs and it is a “raw and real representation of the story”. She adds: “Nick Lane, who did the adaptation, comes from a comedy background, so there’s really nice light elements that come through as well, a nice contrast to the deep and dark.” The tour had been something that Kelsey was loving, enjoying being able to engage with audiences everywhere she went, especially as she feels that Jane Eyre still resonates today. “She’s a strong, independent woman.
What she wants is what she’ll strive for and no one will ever get in her path,” she says. “I think that’s so true for women today.” And returning to the stage is a thrill: “I’m so excited,” Kelsey says. “It’s going to be very surreal. Last weekend, I went to see a friend of mine at a theatre, with social distancing. To be in an audience again, watching people performing, it just got that fire going. I’m so excited that I can do this next week. “It’s an escapism, Jane Eyre is such an incredible story, but the way that we portray it, I think it’s so magical with the music, which adds such a different layer to it. With the sparseness of the set, it’s just so raw and real. If you want that experience, come and see the show.” � Jane Eyre is performed at South Hill Park on Tuesday, November 3 and Wednesday, November 4, at 7.45pm. Tickets £21, with concessions available. An on demand stream will be available from Sunday, November 15. For more information, visit: www.southhillpark.org.uk Phil Creighton
Split the Dealer (Feat. Deva St. John) – XV This one was recommended by Wokingham rock photographer Andrew Merritt who was impressed when he saw these two artists from Reading perform together at a live show at the Facebar in January. The track is an example of modern indie pop at its best with an atmospheric start and building to a powerful and dramatic ending, showcasing the vocal talents of the duo. Awesome. www.facebook.com/splitthedealer www.facebook.com/dayvasaintjohn Mother Vulture – Tell Me Here’s a track from a band that you can see featured at the Jamma Presents: The Everyman Everyjam’ event that you can read about in the separate article on page 20. Mother Vulture are a Bristolbased quartet who describe themselves as ‘hectic blues punk’ and this track is a prime example of that. It will be interesting to see them on the big screen at The Everyman on Wednesday, November 4 – www.facebook.com/MotherVulture Kepler Ten – Falling Down This prog-rock trio have just released their new single on Wokingham based White Star Records and it’s a melodic, uplifting and powerful rock anthem – www.keplerten.com Astor Wolfe – Emerald Green Psych chamber folk from Sweden, as featured on a compilation album called From A Distant Shore released on Wokingham record label, Mega Dodo www.facebook.com/astorwolfemusic The Veras – Paper Cup Telephones A wonderful pop singalong from this local band, that you may have seen in their other guise as Small Faces tribute, The Small Fakers - heveras.co.uk Marc Woosnam – Unspoken Marc is a local acoustic singer/songwriter who plays gigs in music venues and festivals across the South East of England – marcwoosnam.com Helta Skelta – Meanie Powerful guitar riffs, a driving rhythm section and a great vocal performance in the debut single from this Wokingham and Blackwater based rock band – www.facebook.com/heltaskeltamusic The Orange Drop – Make It Her, Forever Here’s some psychedelia from Philadelphia in the United States, brought to you by Wokinghambased record label, Mega Dodo Records – www.facebook.com/OrangeDrop Crooked Shapes – Let It Go A track from this Wokingham-based rock three-piece, who recently performed at a socially distanced show at The 1865 in Southampton www.facebook.com/crookedshapes A Bossa Elétrica – Sob A Luz Do New Wokingham Jazz vinyl specialist record label Wallen Bink, with a track by the Swedish band that draws on bossa, jazz and funky samba wallenbink.com
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PUBLIC NOTICES ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (THE HAWTHORNS, CHARVIL) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2020 NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 22nd October 2020 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: The Hawthorns, Charvil from its junction with Park Lane. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via The Hawthorns and Park Lane or by this route in reverse.
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
Reasons for Advert Description
202411
The Old Vicarage, 114 High Street, Wargrave
Conservation Area
Householder application for the proposed erection of a greenhouse. (Part retrospective)
202788
1 Farley Court, Church Road, Farley Hill
(Affect setting of) Listed Building
Application for Listed Building consent for the proposed single storey side extension to dwelling, conversion of existing loft to create habitable accommodation and internal alterations.
202794
1 Farley Court, Church Road, Farley Hill
(Affect setting of) Listed Building
Works requiring this restriction will take place between 2nd November and 6th November 2020. The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Thames Water contractors to lay and connect a new site main 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 2nd November 2020 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.
Householder application for the proposed installation of a ground source heat pump to replace the existing oil fired boiler, and repairs to the terrace wall, plus single storey side extension to dwelling, conversion of existing loft to create habitable accommodation and internal alterations.
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 19th November 2020. 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: 29th October 2020
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Dated this 29th October 2020
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: Bunces Shaw Road, Farley Hill between its junctions with Church Lane and Castle Road. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Church Lane and Castle Road or by this route in reverse.
NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 22nd October 2020 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. Easthampstead Road and for a distance of 20m on either side of the level crossing. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Easthampstead Road, Waterloo Road, Old Wokingham Road and Easthampstead Road or by this route in reverse . Works requiring this restriction will take place between 5th November and 12th November 2020 between 23:00 and 05:30. 2. Waterloo Road and for a distance of 20m on either side of the level crossing. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Waterloo Road, Old Wokingham Road and Easthampstead Road and Waterloo Road or by this route in reverse. Works requiring this restriction will take place between 2nd November and 4th November between 23:00 and 06:00 and 9th November and 13th November between 23:00 and 05:30. The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Network Rail contractors to undertake lifting, replacing and inspecting of level crossing activities in safety. Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times.
Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (BUNCES SHAW ROAD, FARLEY HILL) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2020
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (EASTHAMPSTEAD ROAD, WOKINGHAM) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2020
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.
SERVICES
The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 2nd November 2020 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier. Dated this 29th October 2020 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL
Works requiring this restriction will take place between 16th November and 18th November 2020. The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Gigaclear contractors to undertake resolution of blockages 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 16th November 2020 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier. Dated this 29th October 2020 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL
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PUBLIC NOTICES ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (CORING PROGRAM TESTS, WOKINGHAM BOROUGH) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2020 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: 1. Redlake Lane, Wokingham between its junctions with Honey Hill and Easthampstead Road. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Honey Hill, Heathlands Road and Easthampstead Road or by this route in reverse. Works requiring this restriction will take place on 24th November 2020 2. Holt Lane, Wokingham between its junctions with A329 Reading Road and A321 Milton Road. The alternative route for all southbound vehicles affected by the restriction shall be via A321 Milton Road, A321 Glebelands Road, A329 Rectory Road, A329 Wiltshire Road, A329 Peach Street, A329 Broad Street and A329 Reading Road or by this route in reverse. The alternative route for all northbound vehicles affected by the restriction shall be via A329 Reading Road, A329 Shute End, A329 Rectory Road, A321 Glebelands Road and A321 Milton Road or by this route in reverse. Works requiring this restriction will take place on 23rd November 2020.
ILLINGTON READY FOR RAMS RETURN
3. Barkham Ride, Finchampstead between its junctions with Commonfield Lane and Gorse Ride North. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Barkham Street, B3349 Barkham Road, Molly Millars Lane and A321 Finchampstead Road or by this route in reverse. Works requiring this restriction will take place between November and December 2020. 4. Church Road, Swallowfield between its junctions with Swallowfield Road and Bunglers Hill. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Swallowfield Street, B3349 Basingstoke Road, Hyde End Road, A327 Reading Road and Swallowfield Road or by this route in reverse. Works requiring this restriction will take place between November and December 2020 5. Church Road, Farley Hill between its junctions with Bunglers Hill and Jouldings Lane. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Bunglers Hill, Church Road, Swallowfield Road, A327 Eversley Road and A327 Reading Road or by this route in reverse. Works requiring this restriction will take place between November and December 2020. 6. Barkham Street, Barkham between its junctions with B3349 Barkham Road and Barkham Ride. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via B3349 Barkham Road, Molly Millars Lane, A321 Finchampstead Road and Barkham Ride or by this route in reverse. Works requiring this restriction will take place between November and December 2020. 7. Crockhamwell Road, Woodley between its junctions with Arundel Road and Nightingale Road. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Arundel Road, Wingate Road and Fosters Lane or by this route in reverse. Works requiring this restriction will take place on 16th November 2020. The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Wokingham Borough Council contractors to undertake coring program tests 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 16th November 2020 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier. Dated this 29th October 2020 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL
Greg Illingwoth in action for the Rams Picture: Paul Clark
By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokinghampaper.co.uk
RETURNING Rams’ scrum-half Greg Illingwoth admitted he ‘really missed it’ after taking a year out from rugby.
The No. 9 made his debut back in 2016, and scored the first of his 18 tries during three seasons against Bishop’s Stortford, prior to taking a year out to focus on work and exams as an investment analyst. His most productive season try-wise was 2017/18, when he crossed the whitewash seven times including braces against Broadstreet and Bury St Edmunds. Having helped Rams secure a place in National One before taking his sabbatical, Illingworth is desperate to get back on the park and test himself at the higher level. He said: “It’s been a long time out and it’s a bit frustrating with the current situation because we just don’t know when we’re going to be able to start, so it’s a bit of an extended pre-season really.
“It was good to have a year out and much-needed. “I was just trying to do too much and not doing any of it very well, so unfortunately it was rugby which had to miss out. “But you definitely miss it and I realise that after a year out. “Occasionally when you miss the odd week through injury you don’t quite miss it as much, but having a year out, you definitely do.” Illingworth has been back in training for the past couple of months, and numbers remain remarkably high despite the RFU announcing there will be no competitive action until January at the earliest due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And the half-back believes the team spirit is as good as when he took his break. He revealed: “The camaraderie is the same and if not, even better. It’s been nice to see all the guys again, especially given the current situation – to have something you’re actually allowed to do
and see people is great.” While Illingworth was unavailable last season the likes of Ollie Cole and Jack Moates came to the fore, while youngsters Alex Sparkes and Joe Booth also enjoyed some game time in the scrum-half jersey. But the Newcastle University alumni believes this is good news for the club. He said: “It’s nice to see the young guys coming through because how the club will progress, you always want better and better players to move things forward. “It’s always nice to have competition and it brings the best out of everyone.” During Rams’ sensational debut campaign in the third tier of English rugby crowds soared beyond anything Illingworth had seen at Old Bath Road before, but for those yet to seem him in action. He concluded: “I like to bring a bit of control, but at the same time, if the game does break down. “I like to be elusive and setup and score a few tries.”
SPORT |33
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SONNING 1S FALL DOWN TO ANOTHER HOME DEFEAT
Greg Illingwoth in action for the Rams Picture: Paul Clark Sonning 1s were beaten for the third time this season in MBBO Regional 1 with a home loss to Amersham & Chalfont 1s Pictures: Steve Smyth
By ANDY PRESTON
MBBO Regional 2
apreston@wokinghampaper.co.uk
MBBO Regional 1 SONNING 1s were beaten for the third time this season with a home defeat to Amersham & Chalfont 1s. Sonning have won just one of their four league matches, with the 4-0 defeat leaving them in eighth position in the table. SOUTH BERKSHIRE 1s fixture away at Oxford University 2s was postponed.
SONNING 2s were victorious for the first time this season as they ended a run of four consecutive losses. Harvey Richardson scored twice, while goals from Stephen Crowther and Jordan Manning ensured the three points with an impressive 4-1 away victory against Oxford 2s.
MBBO Division 1 SOUTH BERKSHIRE 2s put on a stunning display with an 8-0 victory over Maidenhead 2s.
Paul Kaplanski netted a hattrick, Mike Baylis and Daniel Ray both scored twice, while the scoring was completed by Sean Hardingham to give South Berks a comprehensive win. They are second in the table having won four of their opening five games.
MBBO Division 3 A hat-trick from Tom Pullen saw SOUTH BERKSHIRE 3s win their third game of the season with a narrow 3-2 victory over Oxford 4s.
South Berkshire Ladies 1s were beaten in a seven goal contest against Wallingford Ladies 1s Pictures: Steve Smyth
They are third in the league after three wins from five matches. SONNING 3s won their second game of the campaign with a goal from Jacob Bowley enough to see off Buckingham 1s as they moved up to seventh.
South Clubs Women’s Division 3A SONNING LADIES 1s unbeaten start to the season came to an end as they were defeated by Southgate Ladies 2s. Despite their 3-1 loss,
Sonning remain in second in the table having won four of their five opening games.
Trysports Premier 1 SOUTH BERKSHIRE LADIES 1s were edged out in a seven goal battle against Wallingford Ladies 1s. Wallingford moved up to the top of the table after they took the points with a 4-3 away win at South Berks, while the hosts dropped down to 10th.
Trysports Premier 2 SONNING LADIES 2s dropped
down to fifth after they lost at Henley Ladies with a 2-1 defeat.
Trysports Division 1 SOUTH BERKSHIRE LADIES 2s run of three consecutive wins was stopped as they had to settle for a draw against Marlow Ladies 4s. They drop down to third as a result of the 2-2 draw. SONNING LADIES 3s earned their first win of the season with a 5-2 triumph over Amersham and Chalfont Ladies 3s to move them up to seventh.
34 | SPORT
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MÉITÉ DOUBLE EXTENDS Reading 3 Rotherham United 0
By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokinghampaper.co.uk
YAKOU Méïté scored a double as the Royals continued their trmendous winning run at the top of the Championship.
Méïté scored the opener in the 42nd minute after a scrappy affair which saw Rotherham have the better of the play but the Royals were clinical to take their only chance of the half. The Ivorian then doubled Reading's lead with a perfectly executed acrobatic volley before Lucas Joao scored a penalty in stoppage time to earn the Royals their sixth Championship win of the season to continue their scintillating form. The Royals are now undefeated in their last seven meetings against the Millers. Veljko Paunović made three changes to the team that beat Wycombe Wanderers last Tuesday as Tomas Esteves and Alfa Semedo were both selected for their first starts for the club while George Puscas replaced in-form striker Lucas Joao. Much like the Wycombe game on Tuesday, the Royals started slowly and were pinned back by Rotherham early on. Wes Harding burst forward for the Millers and made his way into the box but Royals skipper Liam Moore covered well to make an important block from his low cross. Rafael was called into action for the first time after 15 minutes when Joe Mattock got down the left wing but his cross was palmed out by the Royals keeper for a corner, but the Millers wasted their chance with a short corner routine which ended with an over hit cross.
Josh Laurent wins a header
It was a scrappy opening half an hour in blustery conditions, but with the visitors dominating possession as Mattock had a shot on the edge of the box blocked before Omar Richards stayed switched on to clear a cross at the back post. Reading came forward for the first time through Yakou Méïté and despite Tomas Esteves beating his man on the wing, the young full-back put too much on his cross. Despite a complete lack of creativity, the Royals took the lead against the run of play in the 42nd minute. Ovie Ejaria showed his nifty footwork to work space for a cross which he clipped into the back post to find Méïté who took a touch on his chest to steady himself and drilled the ball through Jamal Blackman's legs to give Reading the lead. There was a suspicion of offside but the flag stayed down as Méïté put away Reading's only chance of the half to bag his second Championship goal of the season. Rotherham searched for an equaliser and turned to the bench as striker George Hirst came on. And he would have scored had it not been for a goal line clearance from Moore who took up an excellent position on the line to preserve Reading's lead. Paunović looked to seize more control in the match as Lucas Joao and Michael came on to replace Puscas and Ejaria. The Millers then tried an effort from distance in the 68th minute but Harding's shot sailed just over the bar. Rotherham looked to break the defensive resolve of Reading, who have conceded just one league goal this season, but Rafael kept his side in front
as he flew to his right to keep Freddie Lapado's fierce shot out. Andy Rinomhota then had a chance as he met Omar Richards cross into the box but he glanced his header harmlessly wide of the target. With Rotherham pushing forward for an equaliser, Reading had a chance to punish them on the break as Méïté broke forward but made a superb interception to keep his pass from reaching Olise in the middle. Esteves then tried his luck from 30 yards and was denied a stunning goal by the fingertips of Blackman who tipped the ball over. Reading had the points all but sealed in the 79th minute when Méïté scored with a stunning acrobatic effort following Olise's corner as he fired the ball past Blackman with a bicycle kick. Olise then nearly caught out Blackman with a free kick as he opted to go for goal which wrong footed the Rotherham keeper who just managed to get fingertips to the ball to tip it onto the bar. Reading were awarded a penalty in stoppage time as Lucas Joao was taken down in the box. He took the resulting spot kick and blasted it into the bottom corner past the reach of Blackman to continue his scoring form. READING: Rafael, Richards, Morrison, Moore (c), Esteves, Rinomhota, Laurent, Semedo, Ejaria, Méïté, Puscas. SUBS: Southwood, McIntyre, Gibson, Tetek, Olise, Aluko, Joao ROTHERHAM: Blackman, Harding, Ihiekwe, Wood (c), Mattock, Wiles, Lindsay, MacDonald, Barlaser, Jozefzoon, Smith SUBS: Johansson, Jones, Olosunde, Crooks, Sadlier, Hirst, Lapado. GOALS: Méïté 42', 79', Joao 90'
George Puscas tussles for the ball
Reading continued their stunning form as they beat Watford to claim their fourth win Pictures: Steve Smyth
Yakou Méïté scored a brace to extend Reading’s lead at the top of the Championship to five points as they continued their
Reading captain Liam Moore battles for possession
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DS ROYALS LEAD
Player ratings: How the team performed
Ovie Ejaria dribbles through the midfield Michael Morrison picks out a pass
unbeaten start to the season. Pictures: Steve Smyth
Lucas Joao scored a third goal in stoppage time from the penalty spot
RAFAEL 6: Didn’t have many saves to make thanks to Reading’s once again very solid defence. Has collected six clean sheets from the opening seven matches of the season TOMAS ESTEVES 7: Showed good potential getting forward and was comfortable when defending against a physical Rotherham. An impressive full debut from the 18-year-old who will likely be the first choice right-back while Andy Yiadom is out injured. MICHAEL MORRISON 7: Another solid display from the ever consistent centre-back. Made some important blocks and won the majority of his aerial battles, and is a large part of Reading’s superb defensive record this season. LIAM MOORE 8: Looks a changed player from last season where he struggled to find consistency. Another outstanding display from the Royals skipper who made several vital blocks, including a clearance off the line. OMAR RICHARDS 7: Reportedly attracting attention from Premier League clubs and it’s easy to see why, He’s made the left-back spot his own and provided brilliant defensive cover despite not adding as much going forward as previous games. ANDY RINOMHOTA 7: Another tireless performance in the middle and has managed to form a quick bond with Laurent who only joined in the summer. JOSH LAURENT 7: Has adapted to the Championship with ease
since making the move from Shrewsbury Town in the summer. Always battles to win the ball back for his side. ALFA SEMEDO 6: A disappointing first start having impressed so much from the bench against Wycombe. Played higher up the pitch but struggled to have any creative impact on the game. OVIE EJARIA 7: Showed superb footwork and dug out a good cross to claim an assist as he found Méïté in the middle to score the opener. Worked hard and provided defensive cover too. YAKOU MÉITÉ 9: Missed a sitter against Wycombe on Tuesday but made sure he didn’t repeat that with a calm finish just before half-time. Scored with a stunning bicycle kick to claim his second of the match, outstanding technique to execute it. GEORGE PUSCAS 6: A frustrating afternoon for the romanian who is yet to get off the mark this season. Tried to hold the ball up but doesn’t have the same physical presence as Lucas Joao. LUCAS JOAO 6: Continued his impressive scoring form when he came on and won a late penalty which he converted into the bottom left corner. MICHAEL OLISE 7: Provided some much needed creativity that was missing in his absence. Unlucky not to have got on the scoresheet when he hit the bar from a free kick which caught the keeper off guard.
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SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
RUTHLESS ROYALS PUT ROVERS TO THE SWORD AT EWOOD PARK
By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokinghampaper.co.uk YAKOU Méïté netted after just nine seconds in an incredible start to the match with four goals scored in the opening 18 minutes as the Royals continued their winning run in a six goal contest at Ewood Park.
The frantic start to the evening continued as Adam Armstrong equalised within two minutes before a quickfire double from Michael Olise and Josh Laurent to restore Reading’s advantage. Armstrong scored again in the second half as Rovers searched to make a comeback, but the Royals wrapped up the points through Lucas Joao. The Royals are now seven points clear at the top of the Championship after their seventh win in eight matches. The game started in bizarre but brilliant circumstances for the Royals as astonishing they took the lead after just nine seconds. Liam Moore hit a long ball from kick off which took a bobble off a Blackburn defender and with the goalkeeper out of his goal, Lucas Joao played in Yakou Méïté who was left with a tap in to score one of the quickest goals in English league history. But the lead lasted all of two minutes as Blackburn struck back quickly. Adam Armstrong nipped ahead at the near post and diverted the ball past Rafael with a clever finish to get the game off to a frenetic start. The Royals were put under
the cosh despite taking such a fast lead as Tomas Esteves made a vital headed clearance at the back post to prevent the visitors from going behind. Reading took the lead for the second time on fifteen minutes through Michael Olise. The young French midfielder skipped forward through the midfield and showed his pace before he rode a sliding tackle to break into the box and finished precisely into the corner past Pears. And the early goals kept coming as Josh Laurent scored his first goal for the club to continue a remarkable opening to the match. 20 yards from goal, Laurent took aim and produced a superb curling effort which kissed the post on its way in. Reading had another good chance in the 29th minute when Lucas Joao made his way into the box and fizzed the ball across goal which was begging for a touch from a red shirt to place into the net. After a frantic opening 45 minutes, the Royals went in with two goal lead to show for their ruthless attacking instinct. The hosts came out in the second half looking the stronger of the two sides as they searched to get back into the contest. And they did exactly that when Armstrong bagged his ninth goal of the Championship season when he met RankinCostello’s excellent delivery and dived low to guide the ball past Rafael with his head in the 66th minute.
Reading were on the back foot for much of the second half with Rovers hunting an equaliser. Sone Aluko replaced goalscorer Méïté was just over 15 minutes left in the contest. Reading came close to a fourth when Andy Rinomhota ventured into the box and guided a ball across the box which Williams almost diverted into his own net had it not been for the smart reactions of Pears. Lewis Holtby then tried an effort at goal that was parried behind for a corner by Rafael who flew to his left to make the save. But Reading sealed the points in the 82nd minute as Lucas Joao scored his fifth Championship goal of the season. He sprinted forward into the box and despite being tracked by two defenders, he showed immense footwork and then provided a finish to match to guide the ball into the corner. Veljko Paunović ’s side face a trip to struggling Coventry City on Friday evening. BLACKBURN: Pears, Rankin-Costello, Lenihan, Williams, Douglas, Trybull, Holtby, Evans, Elliott, Brereton, Armstrong SUBS: Stergiakis, Nyambe, Wharton, Davenport, Buckley, Dolan, Gallagher. READING: Rafael, Esteves, Moore, Morrison, Richards, Rinomhota, Laurent, Semedo, Olise, Meite, Joao SUBS: Walker, McIntyre, Gibson, Watson, Aluko, Tetek, Puscas GOALS: Meite 1’, Armstrong 3’, 66′, Olise 15’, Laurent 18’, Joao 83′
Yakou Méité celebrates after putting the Royals ahead Picture: Steve Smyth
SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
PAUNOVIĆ PROUD OF UNIQUE WIN READING MANAGER Veljko Paunović was left feeling ‘very proud’ after the Royals made it seven wins from their opening eight Championship games.
“I feel very proud of the guys,” he said. “This stadium has been known to me since I was a young kid, dreaming about playing one day here and now as a coach coming here for the first time and to win with a fantastic team and spirit in our group. “It is unique and that uniqueness is something we want to keep fostering and
cultivating because it’s very important that our players continue with this commitment. “I’m full of gratitude to this group and also to all our Reading family.” It took the Royals just nine seconds to go ahead when Yakou Méïté opened the scoring before kick off. “We always create positive expectations and this action was created from our stuff,” Paunović continued. “It’s great that it worked because it continues to grow the trust and belief
between all the team. “Starting on the front food was important for us after a couple of games where we didn’t have good starts. “When you look individually everyone had a fantastic game. The adjustments in the second half were important and the guys who came in, you don’t feel anything changes and they worked. It’s the most complete performance so far. “I’m still not looking at the standing. I just want to know who we are playing next, how did they do and get to know as much as I can about them.”
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HELLENIC LEAGUE DIVISION ONE EAST
SUMAS ‘WON’T UNDERESTIMATE’ KESTRELS IN LOCAL DERBY CLASH
Wokingham & Emmbrook Picture: Andrew Batt FootballinBerkshire
By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokinghampaper.co.uk THE FIRST local derby of the season has plenty to offer with Woodley United keen to turn their fortunes around as they search to break the unbeaten record of high-flying Wokingham & Emmbrook.
The Sumas have made a scintillating start which has seen win five of their opening seven league matches to put them top of the Hellenic Division One East. Meanwhile, the Kestrels have endured a difficult start to the season, with one win and four losses from their opening five fixtures putting them one place above the bottom of the table. However, Woodley United manager Jamie Williams is eager for his side to turn the tide after an ‘unsettling’ start to the season and get a positive result when they face Wokingham & Emmbrook on Saturday. “We’ve had injuries and the team has been unsettled. Now we're finally in a position where the squad we have got is what we will have for the season,” said Williams. “It’s about starting again for us but while the season is going on to work on patterns of play and set pieces. “We want to build our team spirit. “It’s been frustrating for us so now hopefully our run of bad luck
has come to an end.” The Kestrels have a tough test on their hands to break down the defensive resolve of the Sumas, who have only conceded two league goals in seven matches. “Wokingham & Emmbrook are absolutely flying so it will be a massive test for us, just as every game is in this league,” he continued. “We have played our best football against the better teams so that gives us hope but it will be very difficult. “It’s great for them that they are unbeaten but I'm concerned about focusing on us. “Our season won’t be defined by a result against them, by the way they’ve started, they will be fighting at a different end of the table but that isn’t to say we will go there and lie down and accept defeat. “But at the same time, if you were to offer me a point, I’d take it for sure.” Despite their tricky start to the campaign, there have been positives for the Kestrels who ran Hellenic Premier side Reading City close in a 3-2 defeat in an entertaining cup tie. “We should have knocked them out. They were down to 10 men and had we equalised, I think we would have gone on to win the game. “We had chances and their keeper made some really good saves. “We were really good and the boys
Woodley United Picture: Steve Smyth
will get a lot of credit for what they did with that performance, but it’s frustrating because we really want to win football matches and we should have done that. As a result of his superb performance against Reading City, Max Laschok made the move from Woodley United to the Citizens. “I spoke to Simon, the Reading City manager, and with Max. “I said to him that this could be his opportunity to play at a higher level and they have the chance to win the Hellenic Premier this season. “Worst case scenario if it doesn’t work for him, he’s always got a number nine shirt waiting for him here. “He scored twice on his debut for them which is great, but it will be tricky for us to replace his goals. “His goal scoring numbers are phenomenal It would have been
WOKINGHAM & EMMBROOK: Manager: Dan Bateman League position: 1st Ground:Lowther Road Nickname: The Sumas WOODLEY UNITED: Manager: Jamie Williams League position: 14th Ground: Rivermoor Stadium Nickname: The Kestrels
wrong of me to try and convince him to stay.” Meanwhile, the Sumas go into the local derby clash in outstanding form as they look to continue their run at the top of the table. “To be honest I think the break came for a good time for us,” said Sumas manager Dan Bateman. “We picked up a few injuries in the Wallingford game and the squad was a little bit threadbare so it allowed us to recover. “Since the season started, we’ve played 10 games in four-and-a-half weeks so its put a toll on the lads. “The opportunity to have a week off has allowed us to get some players back and get in better shape for the weekend. We still have a fairly lengthy injury list, but other than that we still have a strong squad to choose from.” Despite their contrasting form, Bateman is wary not to underestimate the Kestrels. “It's a local derby, our games with Woodley have always been great to watch,” he continued. “They will be looking to bounce back after a couple of poor results soI'm expecting a tough afternoon. “I’m sure they will set up well and be tough to beat so we will have to be at our best, its about us and if we perform, we can’t afford
to underestimate them. “They will be coming to get a positive result and doing that in a local derby would be a huge prize so we have to make sure that doesn’t happen.” The Sumas boss has been impressed with his team’s defensive record and has challenged them to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign to achieve their aim of promotion this season. “We want to keep our unbeaten run going and keep the draws to a minimum. “The two draws we have had, we’ve been the better team but didn’t create enough to win. “We don’t concede too many and that’s given us such a solid foundation. If you don’t concede, then you don’t lose games. The table looks good but there will be plenty of tough tests to come. Risborough will be up there again, as they were last year. “Penn & Tylers will also be up there, as will Milton and there will be several teams fighting for the top four spaces, which is where we want to be challenging. “I like being the pace setters but we need to keep concentrating on ourselves and not look over our shoulders too much at the sides fighting for the places in the top four.
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SOUTHERN REGIONWOMEN’S PREMIER
KESTRELS KNOCKED OFF THE TOP BY WYCOMBE
FROM THE MIDDLE With Dick Sawdon-Smith
Woodley United Ladies fell to their first league defeat of the season against Wycombe Wanderers Pictures: Andrew Batt FootballinBerkshire
Woodley United Ladies 0 Wycombe Wanderers Ladies 3 WOODLEY’S winning start to the season came to an end in front of a crowd of just shy of 100 people against a well organised Wycombe Wanderers team playing their first league game of the season.
The visitors started the stronger forcing three corners in the opening quarter of hour and Sam Jackson and Steph Mobbs shot wide. United’s best chance fell to Rosie
Page-Smith in the 18th minute when her strike, following good work and a pass from Mollie Haines, was gathered by Wycombe’s keeper Amy Whale. With the tempo of the game picking up a series of free kicks ensured before Nicole Haines made an outstanding save in the 25th minute to prevent a goal bound shot into the top corner entering the net. From the resulting corner kick Page-Smith was injured in a challenge and in the altercation that followed Mollie Haines was dismissed leaving the hosts
to play with 10 players for an hour. With United looking to get to half-time to regroup Wycombe struck the opening goal five minutes from the break when Lindsay Pinker beat a number of players before slotting past the advancing Haines. Wanderers started the second half in a hurry hitting the post following a Haines clearance then scoring a second in the 49th minute through Mobbs. Freya Jenkins saw a long range shot go wide as Woodley sought to reduce the deficit but the game was over in the 60 second minute
when Jackson completed the scoring. As Woodley tired they were indebted to Haines for a number of fine saves in the final five minutes of the game. The Kestrels drop down to second in the league as a result of their first defeat of the campaign.
WOODLEY UNITED: M Haines, Crook, Measham, Thomas (Bendall), Gooch( Poole), Surtees, N Haines, Quinn (Pearson), Page-Smith (Lambourne), Jenkins, Wilkins (Scott)
L
AST week I wrote that the IFAB and FIFA were unhappy with the Premier League’s introduction of VAR. Apart from not using the pitch side monitors, they were also perturbed by the method they used VAR to judge offside.
David Elleray, Director of the IFAB Technical Committee said that it wasn’t what they had introduced VAR for. Arsene Wenger, late of Arsenal fame and now FIFA head of global football development, was so aghast that he called for a complete re-write of the offside law, coming up with a version of his own. It was however similar, although using different words, to the current law. Like many others he spoke disparagingly of offside being given by two or three centimetres. In fact, sometimes it was worse than that and not offside at all. The method used froze the action at the moment the ball was kicked, which is when offside has to be judged. However, the VAR cameras are static, they don’t run up and down with play like
the assistant referees. This means it’s not often they are in direct line with the play. This they compensated by drawing an imaginary line across the pitch, and moving it towards the players until it hit a toe. If that is an attacker’s toe, he’s given offside. There is one offside which features in a television sports company’s top 10 worst VAR decisions. The Law says that a player is in an offside position if, while in the opponents half, any part of the head, body or feet is nearer the opponents goal than both the ball and the second last opponent. On this occasion a defender running back and leaning forward, breached the line with his chest, so was in front of the attacker’s toe but it was the attacker’s toe that got penalised. In the United States, where former world cup referee Howard Webb introduced VAR, they don’t use the lines. The referee looks at the monitor screen to see if it is a clear and obvious offside. If they have to look more than twice it can’t be obvious. No offside.
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FOOTBALL ROUND-UP
FINCH STAY UNBEATEN IN SECOND PLACE
RESULTS Saturday, October 17 FOOTBALL Sky Bet Championship Reading 3-0 Rotherham
FOOTBALL Sky Bet Championship Blackburn Rovers 2-4 Reading
FIXTURES
Friday, October 23 FOOTBALL Sky Bet Championship Coventry City v Reading
Hellenic Premier Brimscombe & Thrupp P-P
Saturday, October 24
Binfield
FOOTBALL Hellenic Division One East
Thames Valley Premier League
Wokingham & Emmbrook v Woodley United
Finchampstead 3-3 Burghfield Woodley United Royals 2-4 Wraysbury Village Berks County 2-1 Westwood Wanderers Thames Valley Division One
Thames Valley Premier League Westwood Wanderers v Finchampstead Woodley United Royals v Berks County
Hurst 1-3 Westwood Wanderers Reserves
Thames Valley Division One Hurst v Cookham Dean Reserves
Thames Valley Division Two
Wargrave v Mortimer Reserves
Datchet A-A Berks County
Finchampstead maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a draw against Burghfield Pictures: Andrew Batt FootballinBerkshire
Thames Valley Premier League BERKS COUNTY extended their winning run to three consecutive games with a 2-1 win over Westwood Wanderers. John Swift continued his superb scoring form as he bagged a brace to take his season’s tally to six to put the Swords top of the table with a perfect start to the campaign. FINCHAMPSTEAD are just one point behind Berks County in second as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season. Stephen Hunt, James Payne and Thomas Symss were on the scoresheet as Finch earned a point in a 3-3 stalemate with Burghfield. WOODLEY UNITED ROYALS fell to their second defeat of the season as they were beaten 4-2 at home to Wraysbury Village. Nathan Lock opened the scoring after just two minutes and scored again in the 65th minute, but the Kestrels were defeated as they
dropped to 12th in the table.
Thames Valley Division One HURST were beaten for the second time in three games with a 3-1 home defeat to Westwood Wanderers Reserves. Jake Horwood got on the scoresheet for Hurst, but they fell to their second consecutive loss.
Thames Valley Division Four BERKS COUNTY ROVERS took their first three points of the season with a 2-1 win over Phoenix Old Boys Development. Berks fell behind after 15 minutes, but replied with two goals from Laurence Marris in the firsthalf which was enough to gift them victory. FINCHAMPSTEAD DEVELOPMENT also earned their first win of the campaign with a 3-1
away triumph at Farnham Royals Mavericks. Thomas Day netted a brace, while Hayden Kirby also got on the scoresheet to boost their league position to sixth.
of the league with their fourth win of the season. S4K put four past Slough Town Rebels with two goals from Charisse-Ellouise and a goal from Sania Samad to move to the summit.
Reserves
Thames Valley Division Two
Hurst Reserves 1-0 Windlesham & Chobham Reserves
Twyford & Ruscombe v Henley Town
Thames Valley Division Four
Berks County Reserves v Phoenix Old Boys
Berks County Rovers 2-1 Phoenix Old Boys Development Farnham Royal Mavericks 1-3
Thames Valley Division Three Phoenix Old Boys Reserves v
Finchampstead Development
Woodley United A
HOCKEY
Thames Valley Division Four Berks County Rovers v Reading
Sonning 1s 0-4 Amersham &
Thames Valley Women’s Division One
Bracknell & District Sunday League
MBBO Regional 1 Chalfont 1s
City Development Finchampstead Development v
Millie Bilcliff scored a decisive late goal for WARGRAVE WOMEN away at Caversham AFC Ladies. The 1-0 win was their third triumph of the season which takes them up to third in the table after seven matches. EVERSLEY & CALIFORNIA LADIES moved up to fifth with their second win of the season with a 2-0 away victory at Tilehurst Panthers Women Development.
PREMIER DIVISION: Finchampstead Athletic 2-0 Woodley Saints Kits, Raglan 5-4 Bracknell Rangers, DIVISION ONE: Loveman United 1-0 Finchampstead Athletic Reserves, Wokingham & Emmbrook TMW 2-0 Panthers FC DIVISION TWO: Bracknell Athletic 2-5 Winnersh Town, Bracknell Corinthians 1-2 Winnersh Rangers, Woodley United Sunday 3-2 Ashridge Park Royals DIVISION THREE: Bracknell Cavaliers Reserves 2-2 Bracknell Royals, Bracknell Spartan Vets 2-1 Bracknell SaintGermain, Harts of Bracknell 0-6 FC Showcase, Newbold FC 5-2 Ashridge Park, Woodley Saints Tigers 2-2 FC Harmanswater
Oxford University 2s P-P South
Reading YMCA Rapids
Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S S4K LADIES moved to the top
Berkshire 1s HOCKEY MBBO Regional 2 Oxford 2s 1-4 Sonning 2s MBBO Division 1 South Berkshire 2s 8-0 Maidenhead 2s MBBO Division 3 Oxford 4s 2-3 South Berkshire 3s Sonning 3s 1-0 Buckingham 1s
MBBO Regional 1 Newbury & Thatcham v Sonning 1s South Berkshire 1s v Ashford 1s MBBO Regional 2 Sonning 2s v Marlow 2 MBBO Division 1 Henley 2s v South Berkshire 2s
South Clubs Women’s Division 3A Southgate Ladies 2s 3-1 Sonning
MBBO Division 3 Newbury & Thatcham v Sonning
Ladies 1s
3s South Berkshire 3s v Aylesbury
Trysports Premier 1
2s
South Berkshire Ladies 1s 3-4 Wallingford Ladies 1s
South Clubs Women’s Division 3A
Trysports Premier 2 Henley Ladies 2s 2-1 Sonning
Salisbury Ladies 1s v Sonning Ladies 1s
Ladies 2s Trysports Division 1 South Berkshire Ladies 2s 2-2 Marlow Ladies 4s Sonning Ladies 3s 5-2 Amersham and Chalfont Ladies 3s
Trysports Premier 1 South Berkshire Ladies 1s v Oxford University Ladies 2s
Sunday, October 25 FOOTBALL
Trysports Division 2
Southern Region Women’s Premier
Maidenhead Ladies 4s 2-1 South
Woodley United Ladies v Oxford City
Wokingham & Emmbrook TMW in their victory over Panthers FC Pictures: Andrew Batt FootballinBerkshire
Berkshire Ladies 3s
YOUTH FOOTBALL
Sunday, October 18
Thames Valley Women’s Division One
BRACKNELL U13 REACH HIGH FIVE
Southern Region Women’s
Banbury United Women v
BRACKNELL U13 Youth continued their recent good form with a 5-0 win over Spencer Wood Typhoons.
Joseph Walker capped off his man of the match performance with a hat trick with Alex Di Casolo and Jack Johnstone also getting on the scoresheet. U16 Colts lost 5-2
Saturday against Twickenham Tigers. They found themselves 2-0 down at halftime. It was a tough away trip as they were 5-0 down until Harry Carter scored twice in that last 10 mins. Lewis Walker won the man of the match U12 Joseph Walker, U07 Marley Alleyne, U8’s Blues Beau Spurdle (left) parents player, Archie Todd (middle) award in Bracknell’s bravery award and Blaise Williams Pictures: Neil Graham defeat.
Premier Woodley United Ladies 0-3 Wycombe Wanderers
Wokingham & Emmbrook Ladies Wargrave Women v Eversley & California Ladies
Thames Valley Women’s Division One Caversham AFC Ladies 0-1 Wargrave Women Tilehurst Panthers Women Development 0-2 Eversley & California Ladies Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S Slough Town Rebels 0-4 S4K Ladies
Tuesday, October 20
Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S Wallingford Town AFC Ladies v S4K Ladies Wargrave Women Development v Slough Town Rebels
Wednesday, November 4 FOOTBALL Sky Bet Championship Reading v Preston North End
PACKED WITH ALL THE ACTION
ROYALS ON TOP
STILL LEAGUE LEADERS AFTER FOUR GOAL SHOW AT EWOOD THE ROYALS are in the winning habit after they made it seven wins from eight games against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday evening.
BAD DAY BETWEEN THE STICKS
Their stutering start to the campaign has seen them win just once in MBBO Regional 1after they were beaten at home by Amersham & Chalfont 1s. � Full report on page 33
WOODLEY KNOCKED OFF THEIR PERCH
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SUMAS V KESTRELS 3PM SATURDAY LOWTHER ROAD
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DERBY DAY
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The Kestrels were reduced to 10 players before Wycombe Wanderers took advantage to score three goals to take the ponts in the Southern Region Women’s Premier Division.
� Match report on page 36
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WOODLEY UNITED’S reign at the top of the league came to an end as they were beaten for the first time this season.
Reading extended their lead at the top of the Championship to a remakrable seven points.
Published by The Wokingham Paper Ltd, Crown House, 231 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS. Printed at Reach Watford © The Wokingham Paper Ltd, 2020
IT was a day to forget for Sonning 1s who fell to their third defeat of the league season.
It was a game full of early goals, with four goals scored in the opening 18 minutes of the match in a frantic encounter at Ewood Park.