By George! Walk moves to avoid usurping the king

RESIDENTS are being invited to lace up their walking boots and get into the countryside at this year’s spring Wokingham Walk.

The event is taking place on Sunday, April 23 – a little earlier than usual so it doesn’t clash with the king’s coronation weekend.

Organised by Wokingham Lions, the event sees hundreds of people take part in one of three routes: a five-, 10- or 15-mile exploration of the land around the town centre. There is also a five-mile accessible route.

Each route starts and ends at Elms Field.

Entry fees go to charities supported by the Lions, and participants can raise their own donations from supporters if they wish – or they can just enjoy the fresh air and exercise.

Wokingham Walk organiser

Andy Slay said: “I’m delighted that this event has been so well received by the town and both the spring and autumn Wokingham Walks are now firm fixtures in Wokingham’s Calendar.

“Local charities also increasingly use the event to fundraise by sponsorship, something that we always wanted to happen from the event’s inception.” n For more details and advance booking, log on to: www. wokinghamwalk.co.uk

Entry is £15, or £5 for ages 12 to 17. Under 12s can enjoy the event for free.

Registration is between 9am and 10.30am on the day.

In February, it invited supporters to send in pictures of them wearing something blue, Ollie’s favourite colour.

Sarah Simpson and Simon Young’s son Ollie was five when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

He died in 2012, just before his sixth birthday. His parents set up the foundation in his memory, determined to help other families.

Sarah Simpson says: “Ollie’s anniversary and his birthday both fall in February. He loved the colour blue, so we decided to call it feBLUEary.

“Every year we run an online event, not necessarily to raise money, but to raise awareness, and to be inspired again by Ollie’s name.

“We ask people to send us their encouraging pictures of what they are doing to take part during feBLUEary.

“People have done fun events over the years. We have had people holding work dress down days, wearing blue, or hosting blue cake sales.”

Sarah says that since Covid it has been harder to get people involved in the event, but that supporters have posted some lovely photos again this year.

“I’d like to thank everyone who takes part each year,” Sarah continues.

“The event really supports the month for us as a family, and Ollie’s name.”

ALL CHANGE: A number of train stations, including Earley, will see their waiting rooms is to be given a modern makeover by SWR n For information about the charity, visit: www.ollieyoungfoundation.org

This year, as every year, the family went to the beach, and all wore blue to celebrate Ollie.

Free seeds will inspire green-fingered residents

DELAYED trains will soon be more bearable for Earley commuters –its waiting room is to be given an upgrade.

South Western Railway is investing more than £400,000 in the scheme which will also see a number of other stations receive a lick of paint.

Over the coming months, SWR will add new features including modern workstations with plug and USB sockets and wireless phone chargers.

The company says when the project is finished, the rooms will be better places for customers to relax and work while they wait for their trains.

Other enhancements include new decorations on walls and ceilings, new flooring and seating, and improved heating

And to help reduce the firm’s carbon footprint, they will use LED lighting.

There will be more priority seating space and lower-level workstations for customers who use wheelchairs.

Peter Williams, customer and commercial director for South Western Railway, said the firm was committed to creating a modern, sustainable and accessible railway.

“We are delighted to be making these significant investments as part of our ongoing effort to enhance the customer experience at our stations.”

The waiting room upgrades are one aspect of a wider programme of improvements to stations across the SWR network, which will enhance the customer experience and provide a more modern and accessible railway for all customers.

GARDENERS keen to get started on their early planting can visit a town centre eco shop to pick up free vegetable and flower seeds.

Maya’s Refillables in Wokingham normally stocks eco gifts, foods and products.

But visitors to the shop will also find a range of vegetable and flower seeds there later this month.

The shop is hosting a seed library, in collaboration with eco group, Wokingham In Bloom and Easthampstead Rotary Club.

Both groups have packaged up and donated the 2,000 seeds which are being distributed to residents, schools, and gardening projects around the town.

Refillables owner Maya says: “We started to collaborate, offering seeds to local growers when I still had my stall at Wokingham Market.

“This will be our third event.”

Habitat loss, increased urbanisation, intensive farming, and the use of pesticides all contribute to the falling numbers of bees and other insects.

Volunteers from Wokingham In Bloom plant flowers for pollinators all round the town, and encourage residents to stock insect friendly flowers in their gardens.

Visitors to Maya’s shop will find a range of seeds provided by the group, to plant at home.

These will include tomato, chard, bean (dwarf and runner), salad, radish, pea, pumpkin, and carrot seeds.

And because some gardeners prefer to grow flowers, there will also be Californian poppies, sunflowers, morning glory, ox-eye daisy, and nasturtium seeds available.

“Wokingham In Bloom wants to enable households to grow vegetables supporters paint the town Februar fundraiser

Jessica gives the thumbs up for a blue ice-cream. Others dyed their hair blue, made cup cakes, money in his memory Pictures: Ollie Young Foundation and flowers, not just for their own pleasure but to support the town’s ecology,” says Maya.

“Last year went very well, so we have bumped up the numbers of seeds.

“There should be around 2,000 packets of seeds for people to plant.”

Once they have collected their seeds, residents will be able to enter two competitions:

A sunflower growing competition starts on Monday, March 27.

And a pumpkin producing contest starts on Friday, April 21.