Wokingham Today, April 6, 2023

Anger over BBC DJ’s Reading gaol comments

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

HUNDREDS have shared their anger with the BBC after a local DJ told Radio 4 listeners that people didn’t care what happened to the gaol site.

The BBC Radio Berkshire breakfast show disc jockey stopped spinning discs to appear on Friday’s Today programme in a slot devoted to news from the regions.

The campaign to see Reading Gaol turned into an arts centre, supported by the town’s two MPs, was one of the subjects that was raised.

Coming days after hundreds of people marched from The Hexagon to the Abbey Ruins to call for the empty site into an arts centre, DJ Andrew Peach told the nationwide audience: “I don’t think people of Reading care that much what happens to the gaol.”

He also pointed out that it has been empty for a decade and said the site was “daubed with graffiti”.

“The council want it to be turned into an arts centre, but I think they want the government to give it to them … I think (the government) would rather sell it to a developer and turned into posh flats or something,” he said.

Among those who disagreed with is Toby Davies, artistic director for RABBLE Theatre, which will perform an open-air production of Henry I in the shadow of the gaol this summer.

In an open letter, he urged BBC Radio 4 to revisit the story.

“Sadly, his statements were not only flippant, they were incorrect”.

The support for the gaol included a petition signed by 11,000 people, he added, also pointing out the graffiti was artwork by Banksy.

“It was an odd summary, given the show of support at the march just a few days before,” he said.

The BBC had not responded to our request for a comment.

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

SEWAGE was pumped into Wokingham’s rivers and streams during heavy rain last week. Now, a campaigning group are renewing calls for the practice to stop.

Last Friday, the heavens opened and saw many parts of the borough flood. They included the Winnersh Relief Road, the entrance to The Emmbrook School, roads in Hurst, and the Just Tiles roundabout in Woodley.

On Saturday, Sainsbury’s in Winnersh had to close for a short time after the ceiling of the Starbucks cafe collapsed due to water damage.

And Thames Water issued warnings after its sewage treatment works across the borough were discharging.

The Ash Ridge sewage works discharged into the Ashridge Stream, which in turn runs into the Emm

Brook, the Easthampstead Park works also discharged waste, and in Arborfield, Barkham Brook was used as a storm overflow.

The practice is one of the biggest problems facing the countryside according to the Berkshire Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

Do you have responsibility for supporting older relatives and don’t know where to begin?

The group is calling on all council candidates in the forthcoming local elections to commite to work with water companies to end the release of sewage into rivers and streams.

Greg Wilkinson, chairman of CPRE Berkshire, says: “We are appalled by these recent cases, especially the Ashridge near Wokingham and the Foudry Brook south of Reading.

“We cannot continue to allow the natural environment of the Royal County, and in particular the biodiversity of our beautiful countryside, to be ruined in this way.

“It is turning our waterways into sterile and polluted environments, with obvious impacts on nature as well as on human health.

“We are seeing too many examples of this happening.

“That is why we made the urgent need to address this problem one of the top priorities in our recently-published Manifesto for Berkshire’s Countryside.”

n Continued on page 4

WATER EVERYWHERE: Heavy rain brought flooding to much of the borough, including the Suttons Seeds roundabout

WE COVER WOKINGHAM BOROUGH In

Search is on as Easter chicks hidden around Woodley

SHOPPERS heading to Woodley town centre could win a cash prize.

A number of chicks have been hidden in shop windows.

Once they find the chicks, people should write the name of the shops on an entry form and hand it into participating shops, or The Oakwood Centre.

Correct entries will be entered into a prize draw, with first prize being £35.

The runner-up will receive £25, and third place gets £20.

The closing date is Saturday.

Entry forms can be picked up from shops, the Oakwood Centre or from the Woodley Town Council website: www. woodleytowncentre.co.uk

Fly-tipping down by 20% in Wokingham borough

By Ji-Min Lee jlee@wokingham.today

WOKINGHAM is getting better at disposing of waste, according to government findings.

According to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), there were 476 (20.8%) fewer recorded incidents of fly-tipping across Wokingham in 2021/22 than in 2020/21.

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A total of 1,808 fly-tipping incidents were recorded across Wokingham in 2021/22, down from 2,284 in the previous year.

One reason for the positive trend in Wokingham could be the council’s commitment to following up fixed penalty notices.

Francesca Hobson, Wokingham

Borough Council’s assistant director for environment and safety, said: “We’re pleased with the results we’ve seen since we stepped up our enforcement efforts.

“In the past year, we’ve issued more than £10,000 in fixed penalty

notices for offences like flytipping and failing to take due care when hiring someone to take waste away.

“We’ve been attending more incidents and searching for evidence of who tipped the waste, or who hired them.

“When we’re able to make that connection, we won’t hesitate to chase it up and issue a £400 fine.”

Ms Hobson added that the council was working hard to publicised the increased enforcement to serve as a deterrent to others.

This includes social media campaigns, attending public events, using CCTV cameras, and putting up signs at sites where fly-tipping is being investigated or fines have been issued.

She said: “We continue to urge residents to contact us at asb@wokingham.gov.uk if they’ve seen or know anything about fly tipping in our borough.

“We also urge everyone not to

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Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

risk hiring an unlicensed contractor. You must check that they hold a valid waste carrier’s licence and it’s so easy to do this, either on the Environment Agency website or by asking them to show it to you.

“Rememberyour rubbish is your responsibility, and ignorance of the law isn’t an excuse.”

Wokingham’s reduction in fly-tipping incidents mirrored the trend seen in the rest of the South East of England.

A total of 102,916 incidents were recorded across the region in 2021/22, down from 121,283 in the previous year.

Responding to the findings, rural insurance specialist, Lycetts, is calling on landowners to double down their efforts to keep environmental criminals at bay.

Amanda Harman, divisional director at Lycetts, said: “The figures are very encouraging, but it is important that landowners continue to remain vigilant if the downward trajectory is to continue.

“Making it difficult for environmental criminals to access land is one of the most effective preventative measures you can take.

“Gates should be locked when not in use, fences should be in a good state of repair and hedges should be cut back to allow good visibility for property owners.

“Fly-tippers tend to operate under cover of darkness, so exterior lighting should be installed, if possible. Security cameras can also be an effective deterrent, and can help secure successful prosecutions.”

THE SEARCH IS ON: Woodley Town Centre manager Brian Fennelly with Netty Allen of Home & Gifts (left) and Mandy Barker of House of Cards (right) highlighting the Easter Chick Hunt taking place in the shopping precinct this week Picture: Steve Smyth

Yarn bombers create Easter displays to brighten Hurst

By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today

HURST Hookers, the yarn-bombing crochet and knit group, have created an amazing Easter display round the village pond and also on the village post box.

Characterful hens, chicks, rabbits and even a sheep are all hopping round the posts on the village pond’s edge in School Road.

Pip Etheridge of the group said: “It’s all looking really good. Just after we put it up on Monday I saw a little boy going from post to post to look at what we’d done. It made my day.”

Many villagers said how delighted

they were with the display. One of them, Danusia Lupa, was inspired to get back into knitting again after a long break. Pip said she would send her the pattern to make the chicken.

Easter weekend chemist rotas across region

THE EASTER holiday weekend sees bank holidays on Friday and Monday. As a result, pharmacists will be having some time off.

CALCOT

The Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury's Savacentre will be open from 10am to 4pm on Good Friday and Easter Monday, but be closed on Easter Sunday.

LOWER EARLEY

In Lower Earley, Asda will open its pharmacy from 10am to 4pm on Good Friday and Easter Monday, but be closed on Easter Sunday.

TILEHURST

Asda will open its pharmacy from 10am to 4pm on Good Friday and Easter Monday, but

close them on Easter Sunday. Boots in the Meadway will be open from 8am to 6pm all three days.

The Tilehurst Pharmacy on School Road will open from 2pm-5pm on Easter Sunday. It is closed on the other two holidays.

READING

Boots in The Oracle will be open from 9am to 7pm on Good Friday and 10am to 6pm on Easter Monday. It will be clsoed on Easter Sunday.

Boots on Broad Street will be open from 11am to 5pm on Good Friday and Easter Monday, but closed on Easter Sunday.

Superdrug on Broad Street will be open from 8am to 6pm on Good Friday, and closed on Easter Sunday and Monday.

The Tesco extra stores on Napier Road and Oxford Road will open from 8am to 6pm on Good Friday and 10am to 4pm on Easter Monday.

The Erleigh Road pharmacy in east Reading will open from 10am to 1pm on Easter Sunday, but be closed on the other holidays.

WOKINGHAM

On Good Friday, Tesco's pharmacy in the superstore on Finchampstead Road will open from 8am to 6pm, while Morrisons in Woosehill will be dispensing from 10am to 5pm.

The Rose Street Pharmacy will be closed.

On Easter Sunday, it is only the Rose Street Pharmacy that will be open, but only from 10am to 1pm.

It is closed on Easter

Monday, while both Morrisons and Tesco will be open from 10am to 4pm.

WOODLEY

Boots in the Crockhamwell Road precinct will be open

from 10am to 4pm on Good Friday. It won't open on Easter Sunday or Monday.

Anyone with less-urgent health concerns can call the NHS on 119, or log on to 111.nhs.uk

APPEAL: Staff at The Mount Nursing Home in Wargrave are hoping people will pull out all the stops to help celebrate the 100th birthday of Joan Hulford

Help Joan’s 100th be memorable

STAFF and residents at The Mount Nursing Home in Wargrave have one hundred reasons to toast a very special lady – and they need your help. They are asking Wokingham Today readers to join them – and King Charles – in helping to make her day.

For Mrs Joan Hulford who has been at The Mount for the past three years will celebrate her 100th birthday on Tuesday, April 11.

She is the first resident to mark the milestone and one of the first people in the country to receive a birthday card from King Charles.

Now, The Mount’s activity coordinator, Miriam Queta, is asking people in Wokingham and Reading to send Joan a card congratulating her on a very special birthday.

“Joan is such a lovely lady with a wonderful sense of humour,” explained Miriam.

“It would be so nice if she received cards from well-wishers. It would mean a lot to her and her family. She is the first resident to turn 100 so it will be a very special day for Joan, staff and residents as well as her family.”

Joan moved to The Mount two years ago with her husband, Wilfred who sadly passed away last year. The couple have four children and eight grandchildren who will be joining the birthday celebrations.

“Joan was born and raised in Reading where for many years she ran a friendship club,” added Miriam.

“She was also the trip organiser which she loved doing, as well as cooking and knitting. She said the secret to a long life was to keep busy and helping others.

“ Joan is very popular with everyone at The Mount and we are delighted to be celebrating her 100th birthday. We hope she will receive many cards from people to help mark this wonderful milestone.”

n To help Joan celebrate her special birthday, cards can be addressed to her at The Mount Nursing Home, School Hill, Wargrave, RG10 8DY.

BRIGHT AND COLOURFUL: The Easter display at Hurst’s School Road pond created by Hurst Hookers Pictures: Sue Corcoran

Call for action after sewage discharge

n From front page Mr Wilkinson said the discharge into the Ashdridge was far from being an isolated incident.

“There have been numerous reports of sewage being released into Berkshire rivers and streams, as a stretch of the River Kennet near Hungerford has been found to contain significant amount of agricultural chemicals such as insecticides which may have drained into it from nearby farmland.

“This combination of sewage releases and accidental leakage of chemicals into our rivers is an absolute disgrace.

“I hope that councillors elected on May 4 will be able to work with the Environment Agency, the water and waste industry and with local farmers and landowners to find long-term solutions that will put a stop to this problem of pollution in our rivers and streams.”

Thames Water said that it is investing £1.12 billion on its sewage treatment plants, and is committed to reducing discharges by half by the end of the decade.

Sarah Bentley, Chief Executive of Thames Water, said: “The discharge of untreated sewage is unacceptable, and we are committed to tackling this problem.

“Because of climate change,

the south east of England is experiencing heavier downpours, which can overwhelm some sewage treatment works. The scale of the challenge demands urgent and systemic reform.”

The issue of sewage discharges was raised at the March council meeting by Sonning ward councillor Michael Firmager.

“Can you tell me what powers the Council has to stop sewage from Thames Water entering our stretch of river?” he asked.

Responding, Cllr Ian Shenton, the Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Leisure, said: “This Council is totally opposed to Thames Water being able to put raw sewage into rivers, but sadly I can only recommend that you contact your constituency MP, Theresa May. I would caution you that on 20th October 2021, she voted in Parliament to allow water companies to continue to dump sewage into rivers, just three days after attending a community cleanup event on the Thames in Sonning.

“She was accompanied through the lobby by the members for Wokingham and Bracknell Forest.

“If residents do spot a pollution incident, they can report it by using the Environment Agency 24-hour incident line.”

Visitors flock to Twyford show

IT was a right Royal occasion at this year’s Twyford and Ruscombe Horticultural Association’s Spring Show.

A new category in the popular event invited local youngsters to draw a portrait of King Charles.

Other competitions included art, photography, handicrafts and even tea pot flower displays.

More than a hundred people enjoyed the show which was held at Loddon Hall with organisers describing it as one of the busiest ever.

Secretary Diane Thirtle said: “A sign of how busy it was is we almost ran out of cake and even chairs as people were content to stay and soak in the atmosphere which was wonderful.

“This year we decided to open the competition to non-members which proved a great success. Our summer show takes place in June and we hope that will be just as busy.”

Diane said the organising committee was delighted to see so many young people at

See in the dark

BIRD enthusiasts in Finchampstead can look forward to an evening with Graham Giddens, who will explain what the winged creatures do when the sun sets. The talk will cover the hunting and feeding habits of nocturnal birds, and why some species choose to migrate at night.

The event, titled Bird Watching in the Dark, will be held on Thursday, April 13, at Finchampstead Memorial Hall in The Village.

Entry is £4 for non-members and £3 for local group members.

n For more details, log on to: group.rspb.org.uk/ wokinghamandbracknell

Classic car meet-up

the event and entering the various categories.

“We do a lot of work with all the local schools. Our hope is a few younger people will volunteer to help with the Association especially when it comes to organising our shows.

“It is hard work but the rewards are wonderful as more and more people are growing things in their own gardens.”

n A full list of winners from the Spring Show is available at: www.trha.org.uk

AUTOMOBILE aficionados who relish the retro can meet one another at a venue in Winnersh.

The Pheasant Hotel’s car park will be open for a classic car meet-up, where enthusiasts can compare models and swap notes about vintage cars.

There will also be an outdoor barbecue serving burgers and hotdogs,, as well as hot drinks and refreshments.

The fourth classic car meetup takes place from noon on Easter Monday, April 10, at The Pheasant Hotel, Reading Road.

n For more information, call: 0118 978 4529 or email: info@the-pheasant.pub

FULL OF THE JOYS OF SPRING: Twyford & Ruscombe Horticultural Spring Show: Sarah Darby, Claire Clark, Myrddin Jones (Chairman) and Diane Thirtle with Jean Moody (President)) Picture: Steve Smyth

Solar farm connection to National Grid could be delayed by 11 years

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

IT COULD take 11 years for Wokingham’s planned solar farm to be connected to the National Grid, a decision the council’s chief executive says is “incredibly frustrating”.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) signed an agreement with Wokingham Borough Council last year, with a target date of 2026 to connect the site in Barkham.

The project was expected to generate millions to help fund council services. But this plan has been jeopardised by the news SSEN could delay the connection to 2037.

Susan Parsonage, the council’s chief executive, said: “We were incredibly frustrated and angry to receive the notification of delays from SSEN.

“We have been working closely with them on our proposals before and since entering into a contractual agreement and at no point did SSEN express any concerns over capacity or timings.

“To suddenly announce a delay of this length is simply unacceptable.”

She said the council had not

received any real explanation.

“I’ve written to the Chief Executive Officers of both companies to express our concerns and seek a resolution and am also contacting other local authorities and bodies to discuss the situation and see what more can be done,” Ms Parsonage added.

“We will also be contacting the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero with our concerns.”

The council has paused the

installation on the site until the situation has been resolved.

Ms Parsonage said the delay would have an impact on budgets.

“It leaves us with a significant shortfall in our expected income after the new solar farm started feeding energy into the grid,” she said. “A gap which will have to be filled with further savings or a reduction in the critical services our residents receive.”

The new solar farms form part of the council’s Climate

Emergency Action Plan (CEAP), which in turn contributes to the nation’s carbon neutral objectives.

Lib Dem councillor for Evendons, Cllr Sarah Kerr, said her party were disappointed with the delay.

“The council’s excellent team of officers has worked tirelessly on this project and continues to do so, to try and remedy the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“It is unacceptable to

suddenly announce such a long delay. The root cause of this issue lies squarely with the Conservative government.

“The government are happy to set targets but have failed to develop a credible plan to ensure delivery on the ground.”

She continued: “The energy security plan launched last week is underwhelming, lacking clarity and support to give confidence to investors and shows a total lack of urgency. This is why energy generation schemes like ours are receiving notifications like this. We urge the government to act now before it’s too late.”

The Wokingham Conservative leader wanted the situation resolved.

Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, ward member for Hillside, said “The creation of the solar farm was a project begun by the previous Conservative administration to help the Borough move to more environmentally friendly forms of power and bring in valuable income to the Council worth millions of pounds each year,” she said.

“Under the Liberal Democrat/ Labour administration there have already been considerable delays and setbacks. This further delay of 11 years seems disproportionate.

“Other solar farms up and down the country have been created quicker.

“It is important that the Council works with SSEN and National Grid to find a way forward. Answers are needed as to what exactly is causing this latest delay.”

And Cllr Andy Croy (Labour, Bulmershe and Whitegates), the chair of the Climate Emergency and Overview Scrutiny Committee, was also unhappy with the delay.

“National Grid has paid £8bn of dividends to shareholders in the last five years and yet its failure to invest in infrastructure will cost local people £1m a year,” he said.

“The Conservatives have had 13 years in which to ensure, by legislation and by regulation, that the privatised national power infrastructure is fit for purpose and in this they have failed.”

He continued: “The implications are far reaching – and not just for Wokingham Borough. The news means that the uptake of cleaner, greener and cheaper energy production will be delayed all over the country which will delay our journey to reach net zero carbon emissions.

“It is vital that the government step in a get a grip of the situation.

“We cannot let an out of control private company behave is such a dysfunctional manner and hold the whole country to ransom like this – it is ludicrous.”

NEXT STOP GLORY

SUNNY SIDE DOWN: An example of what a solar farm looks like. Wokingham’s one could be delayed after it was revealed the connection to the National Grid could be delayed until 2037 Picture: TheOtherKev from Pixabay

University releases findings from Shinfield consultation

By JI-MIN LEE jlee@wokingham.today

SHINFIELD residents have supported the University of Reading’s proposals for new sports facilities, community gardens and green spaces.

The university has released a full summary of findings from its consultation, which received more than 70 submissions online and at its consultation event on Saturday, January 28.

More than 100 people attended the meeting, in partnership with Shinfield Parish Council. Visitors included residents and representatives from clubs and community groups.

Some concerns were raised about the location of the ‘northern pitches’, traffic and parking issues and the improvement of active travel pathways across the parish.

The university’s vicechancellor, Prof Robert Van de Noort, said: “Our work to deliver future sport and recreation facilities in Shinfield is entirely for the community, so it is important that we hear people’s views as we put plans forward.

“The feedback we have received has been incredibly valuable in helping us better understand the needs and

wishes of the Shinfield community. We have listened to the comments and will respond accordingly where we can.

“I know that the proposed site for the northern pitches has received a lot of comments. We recognise that this area, and other areas of open green space, are valued by the local community.

“Our next step will be to review the site and hold a workshop with relevant stakeholders to discuss alternative options for the

location of sports pitches and open space in more detail. We will continue to engage with local people and there will be more opportunities to provide input to our plans in the future.”

The summary recognised a ‘strong desire’ for the open space where the northern pitches were proposed to be located to be protected and not used for the development of pitches. The current site will be reviewed alongside associated concerns.

A stakeholder workshop,

featuring Shinfield councillors, residents who live close to the site, and local sports clubs, will be organised to discuss alternative locations for the northern pitches.

Invitations will be sent out shortly to arrange a suitable date and time.

Residents also asked how road congestion would be mitigated for the Manor Pavilion and High Copse Pavilion sites.

The university assessed the traffic impact associated with both locations at the time of the planning applications, with transport mitigation packages agreed.

These included improved walking, cycle and bus stop facilities in Shinfield, and contributing towards the delivery of the Shinfield Eastern Relief Road for Manor Pavilion.

The High Copse Pavilion facility required delivery of the Shinfield Eastern Relief Road, capacity enhancement at roundabouts within Shinfield, and also the provision of new bus services within Shinfield, Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross.

Questions surrounding the safety of cyclists on main roads and the number of cycle paths in Shinfield were raised by residents.

The university said it will work with Shinfield Parish Council on establishing a Shinfield Footpaths and Cycle Group, which will meet biannually to discuss active transport concerns.

It will also look to introduce further cycle paths across university land that act as shortcuts off the main road helping to improve safety for cyclists.

As part of the Millworth Lane Recreation Ground, the parish council is looking to bring about sports facilities which will increase variety, such as a running track, traverse climbing wall, fitness training, netball, padel and basketball courts, and table tennis tables.

Feedback for the Community Garden was very positive, with the parish council set to manage and maintain the site.

Cllr Ian Clarke, chair of Shinfield Parish Council’s recreation and amenities committee, said: “We are very grateful for the contributions from all those that took part in the consultation and we are working on a revised set of plans for Millworth Lane that takes those inputs into consideration.

“We support the decision to look again at the proposal for the northern pitches and look forward to being part of those discussions.

n The full summary from the consultation can be found here: www.reading.ac.uk/about/ local-community/shinfield-sportrecreation

Church to hold interfaith dinner

EARLEY St Nicolas Church will be hosting The Dialogue Society’s annual Ramadan Dinner event on Thursday, April 13.

The event’s theme, Ramadan is Community, aims to promote community spirit.

It is being organised in collaboration with Reading Borough Council mayor’s office, Reading Interfaith Group, Fellowship Educational Society, TTH UK, and St Nicolas Church. Entry is free, and all donations will go to TTH UK to support victims of earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

n For more details or to book, call the church on: 0118 966 9080, or log on to: www.stnicolas.org.uk

Scavenger hunt

THE NCT Easter Scavenger Hunt will return to Chaucer Woods in Crowthorne on Friday, April 14, from 10am to noon.

Children will be asked to search for pictures in the woods and return for a prize, refreshments, and a play in the park. There will be a buggy friendly path around the woods, which are adjacent to a lake.

The event is open to everyone.

n Tickets cost £3.50, are on sale now and can be purchased online by logging on to: ttps://linktr.ee/ CrowthorneSandhurstNCT

RESPONSES: The university’s vice-chancellor Prof Robert Van de Noort, described the consultation’s results as ‘valuable’ in helping understand what facilities Shinfield wants and needs. Picture: Ji-Min Lee

Every cloud has a silver lining ... Frank went fishing in the floods

KEEN fisherman Frank Whittaker hadn’t far to go for his latest fishing expedition.

A few strides from home he cast his rod out into the new river suddenly flowing down the road past his front garden.

Frank who is retired was inspired to have a bit of fun when he read that a woman had seen a fish swimming through the extensive flood water at Hogmoor Lane, Hurst.

“It amazed me when I read that as the nearest stream often dries almost completely up. But it just occurred to me to have some fun with it.”

Frank, who is a Twyford Fishing Club member, waded out into the middle of the road in his wellies to try his luck for a spot of fishing – and a photo taken by his wife Sheila.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have any bites. He has better luck usually in the Rivers Loddon and Thames and also at Whistley Mill Lane, Hurst.

He said the flooding after the rain deluge last week was the worst he had known in 25 years, adding: “The river was flowing down the road at three or four miles an hour. Further down it was nearly a metre deep.”

Also near his home a vehicle went off the road and became stuck with two wheels in a ditch. Frank said the driver managed to escape from the van and wade off to get help. A tractor later pulled the vehicle out.

More than two inches of rain fell

A LOCAL weather recorder doing the maths of the recent deluge of rain says 55.8mm (two and a quarter inches) of rain fell in 48 hours.

That was rain from midday last Thursday until noon on Saturday – causing huge flooding and disruption in Wokingham area.

The recorder’s readings, taken in Hurst, showed that the total was more than a third of the March rainfall which was 132mm. Last March’s rainfall was 48mm.

Since 1985 the three wettest March months have been 2001 (105.5mm), 2018 (103mm) and now 2023 (132mm). In those 39 years the March totals have varied enormously. The lowest was 2003 with just 6 mm.

The recorder, who did not want their name published, said: “On Monday this week the BBC national radio weatherman said that for last month, March, Reading had three- and-a-half times its average rainfall for the month.

“I have added up the March totals for the 39 years from 1985 to 2023 [in Hurst], 1791mm divided by 39 = 45.923mm so [the BBC weatherman’s figure is] not far off for Hurst if you multiply that by three.”

Flooding: householders criticise council for not closing main road

By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today

HOUSEHOLDERS have criticised Wokingham Borough Council for not closing a main road to stop traffic swooshing tidal waves of water against their front doors.

There were complaints that pleas for sandbags were not heeded quickly and that road drains had not been cleared on the A321 Wokingham Road at Hurst. Watching the waves of water surging towards her home close to the road in the half dark on Friday evening Pamela Naylor, 72, said: “They drive past so fast, swishing the water back to the houses.

“The water’s only a couple of inches from coming in the door. I don’t want to go to bed – I don’t know if I’ll have water coming in the house.

“There’s been no response from the council or from the fire brigade. I’ve been calling the council emergency number, holding on for 20 minutes so far for an answer.

“It’s disappointing there’s no help or preference for people who are older. I’ve put compost bags up by my door. The council told my neighbour to use what you can. She asked for sandbags at 4.40pm [about four hours earlier] but they haven’t arrived yet.

“They said they could only leave them by the side of the road for her to move them [into place] due to health and safety. She’s older than me.

“They also told her they won’t close the road. It would help a lot if they did. I’m just hoping the rain stops and the

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water drains away a bit by tomorrow. It would help if someone came to assess the situation.

“There’s a lot of flood water in the field opposite. If it breaks the hedgerow there will be real problems.”

She’d been told it was the worst flooding at this time of year for at least 30 years.

Nearby, Roy Austin, retired, whose home is much closer to the road, said: “It’s going to rain all through this evening. Absolutely, I’m worried about the flood water getting into my house.

“I keep telling the council about clearing the drains here. I’ve been here ten years and haven’t seen it as bad.

I’ve reported it to the emergency line

and they say they’ll get someone here as soon as they can. They said they were extremely busy. We need this road closed.

“If the water comes off the field it’s going to be horrendous.”

Tape Lane at Hurst had a long stretch of flooding, in places above the top of people’s wellies. A plan for 200 homes in Tape Lane has just been refused. Residents said the flooding would be even worse if the homes had been allowed. Islandstone Lane was also badly affected.

Wokingham Borough councillor for Hurst Wayne Smith said on social media: “We have issues all over Hurst. The emergency teams are out reviewing roads that have been reported.”

GONE FISHING: Frank Whittaker tries his luck in Hogmoor Lane, Hurst

HEAVY RAIN: Cars driving through floods at Wokingham Road, Hurst

Pub reopens hours after kitchen blaze

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

PINTS were being pulled at a Wokingham pub hours after a fire forced it to close.

Shortly after 7.30pm on Thursday, March 30, fire crews were called to The Victoria Arms in Easthampstead Road to tackle the blaze.

Although the venue is yards away from Wokingham fire station, crews were also sent from Ascot, Crowthorne, Theale and Bracknell fire stations were sent to the scene alongside two officers and crews from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.

An on-call doctor tweeted that they raised the alarm after seeing the fire in an upstairs window.

The pub was getting ready to host an open mic session, as it does every Thursday, evening. But instead of singing voices that were raised, it was the fire alarm.

The pub evacuated and eye witnesses said customers inside the venue left safely.

Fire crews then sealed the road off to allow the blaze to be extinguished safely.

A spokesperson for the brigade said: “At 7.33pm on Thursday, March 30, we received reports of a fire on Easthampstead Road in Wokingham.

“Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue

Service crews from Wokingham, Ascot, Crowthorne, Theale and Bracknell fire stations were sent to the scene alongside two officers and crews from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.

“Upon arrival, crews discovered a fire on the ground floor of a commercial property. Using two hose reels, firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus extinguished the fire.

“Crews were on the scene for approximately four hours and returned the following morning to re-inspect the property for hotspots.”

The all-clear was given by early afternoon the next day.

The pub posted on its social media: “The gas, electricity and water have all been checked.

“The pub is now open for business all public areas are fine, all damage limited to private area.

“The beer chiller is now back on so, when you get here, the beer will be just right.”

The pub is planning to hold a live music evening on Sunday, April 30, with an appearance by The Vic Arms Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. This six-piece badn will perform blues, swing, jump jive and R’n’B.

Entry is free, but a hat will be passed round for tips.

Flute Choir Day

A FUNDRAISING Flute Choir Day will be held on Saturday, April 15, at Finchampstead Memorial Hall.

The event is open to players of all ages and will feature a day of flute choir fun. The choir will perform a variety of songs, including popular tunes and classical pieces.

The choir will also compete in a friendly competition. All proceeds will go to the Finchampstead Food Ban, which provides food to families in need in the Finchampstead area.

the Shinfield area, as well as those they care for.

Free cafe for carers launched

A BERKSHIRE care home has launched a free-to-use resource to help alleviate pressure off carers working within its community.

Shinfield View opened a monthly cafe at its site on School Green to give carers a safe space to enjoy tea, coffee, cake and biscuits, while also sharing experiences with others who work in the sector.

The cafe takes place on the last Friday of each month and is staffed by members of Shinfield View’s team.

Visitors are encouraged to bring along those who

they care for to give them the chance to socialise and meet some new faces too.

Jodie Whatmore, general manager at Shinfield View, said: “We are delighted to be opening the carer’s cafe at Shinfield View. It is important to us that we support carers in our wider community and this cafe is a great opportunity to do so.

“We understand the challenging nature of working in the care sector and hope that this cafe will provide a safe space for carers to come together, share their

experiences and build a support network.”

The cafe is being set up to support those in the sector who work in challenging environments and may be alone in their workplaces.

Organisers hope the initiative will grow over time, helping to strengthen the support for those working in social care at a time when employees face unprecedented pressures.

The cafe is open from 2.30pm-4.30pm on the last Friday of every month.

Places cost £30, and the event runs from 10am to 4pm. n For more information, log on to: raynermusic.co.uk or call: 07971 260579.

Easter fun at Holme Grange

HOLME Grange Craft Village will hold its annual Easter Fair on Easter Monday, from 11am to 4pm.

The fair will feature a variety of activities and attractions, including a barbecue, craft stalls, independent shops and cafes, beer and wine tasting, inflatables, and an Easter Bunny Hunt.

Admission is free and parking is available on site.

n For more details, log on to: holmegrangecraftvillage.co.uk

RESPITE: The cafe will be available for carers working in

Picture: Georg Arthur via Unsplash

New chief constable Jason Hogg lays out plan for future of police

By JI-MIN LEE jlee@wokingham.today

THE NEW chief constable of Thames Valley Police has announced his priorities for policing in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in the coming months and years.

Jason Hogg, who officially began his post on April 1, wants to focus on supporting victims, fighting crime and building trust and confidence in the police.

Mr Hogg served as the unit’s deputy chief constable from April 2019, and was responsible for professional standards, performance. He oversaw the force’s work to improve its diversity.

On becoming chief constable, he said: “I feel very excited and energised by the role. It’s a real privilege to lead TVP, which is a big organisation of 9,000 people, and which I’m proud to be a part of.

“I have a sense of responsibility as well, because there are some real challenges in policing at the moment.”

Mr Hogg grew up in a deprived area of Hartlepool and earned himself a place at the University of Oxford’s Christ Church College.

During his time there, he volunteered at a homeless charity called The Gatehouse, where he was inspired to join the force after watching TVP police handle a disturbance.

He has gone on to enjoy 28 years of service, representing Cleveland Police and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary, before joining TVP in 2016 as assistant chief constable for crime and criminal justice.

Speaking about his priorities, he made a clear commitment to those affected by crime.

He explained: “We need an absolute focus on putting victims at the heart of everything we do here at TVP.”

Of the nearly two million reports the force receives annually, Mr Hogg pledged to prioritise responses in line with the seriousness of the incident, as well as the vulnerability of those involved.

Thames Valley only has two sexual assault referral centres (SARCs), which offer medical and forensic services to anybody who has been raped or sexually assaulted – the nearest facility to Reading and Wokingham is in Slough.

Mr Hogg confirmed there were no plans for any new centres to be built as the number and location of sites are determined by NHS funding.

TVP is committed to

negating the issue of distance by continuing to offer comprehensive support to victims in the reporting process and providing transport where required.

Mr Hogg has occupied every rank as a detective, investigating a wide range of crime, including homicide, serious and organised crime, and sexual offences.

His strategy to prevent and pursue incidents involves clamping down on neighbourhood crime, tackling knife crime, acquisitive crime and violence against women and girls.

He explained: “[Being] proactive in targeting offenders in crimes that matter most to the public, is central to what policing is all about.

“It’s why we’ve got more and more officers on the streets.”

Mr Hogg described trust in policing on both national and international scales as ‘low’ – this is something he is determined to change as chief constable.

He hopes to achieve this through community engagement with officers who understand the needs and concerns of residents in the areas they work, as well as through professional behaviour and conduct.

He said: “I’ve been clear to all my officers that every time they go out of the station, no matter what they’re doing, stopping cars or stop-searching somebody, we can do it in a way which is fair and professional, treating people with dignity and respect.

“I’m going to be absolutely unapologetic in rooting out police officers and staff who don’t behave at the high standards the public would expect of us.”

The chief constable feels comfortable commanding strong working relationships with other agencies across Thames Valley, having chaired the region’s Local Resilience Forum for the past four years. He believes that through collaboration during the pandemic, the various services which operate in the area have developed a key relationship.

Mr Hogg also wants to continue TVP’s commitment to building a workforce which is representative of the communities it serves, describing the current team as ‘the most diverse it has ever been’.

Last year, 44% of new recruits were female while 18% were of Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds.

Churches in Crowthorne holding special events for Holy Week

CHURCHES in Crowthorne are coming together to hold a series of events marking Holy Week.

Today, Maundy Thursday, , a Tenebrae Service will be held in the Methodist Church. Starting at 7.30pm, the service sees the gradual extinguishing of candles until, at the end, the church is in darkness.

The service includes the Passion readings, hymns and Holy Communion but not the sharing of a meal.

Then, on Good Friday, there is a joint service at St John’s parish church in Waterloo Road at 10am. This is followed by a walk of witness to Crowthorne Baptist Church where refreshments will be served.

On Low Saturday, April 8, Crowthorne Baptist will hold a SHINE Easter Eggstravaganza for families. Running form 10am to noon, there will be crafts, games and an egg hunt for children.

The church is holding a breakfast on Easter Sunday from 8.45am.

n For more details, log on to: www.crowthornebaptist.org.uk

VISION FOR THE FUTURE: Thames Valley Police’s new chief constable Jason Hogg. He took up the role on Saturday

Be who you’ve always been... one of the lads

Bickerton House, Bracknell

Parsons Grange, Shinfield careuk.com/berkshire

Quality care in a place you can call home

At Care UK’s Bickerton House care home in Bracknell and Parsons Grange care home in Shinfield, we deliver high quality residential, nursing, dementia and short-term care.

As the UK’s most awarded large care provider, Care UK delivers high quality care that’s all about enabling you to enjoy the lifestyle you want. We support you to be who you’ve always been, or who you want to be, shaping your care and lifestyle to suit your interests, needs and preferences.

More like family

Our teams receive the latest training in all aspects of care. Our partnership with the Association for Dementia Studies at Worcester University means we stay up to date with the latest dementia care approaches, and a Dementia Champion in each home supports all colleagues to deliver high quality care.

Above all, our teams are passionate about supporting you to live life to the full. There’s a variety of activities, entertainment and outings to enjoy every day at Bickerton House and Parsons Grange. So, whether you’d like to continue enjoying a lifelong hobby, discover a new interest, make new friends or simply look forward to being pampered, Bickerton House and Parsons Grange has everything you need.

Relax in luxurious surroundings

Bickerton House and Parsons Grange are stunning purpose-built homes offering a wealth of superb facilities, including a hair salon, cinema, pub and café. And if it’s peace and quiet you’re after, we have plenty of comfy lounges and restful alcoves where you can relax with a favourite book. Each en-suite bedroom is beautifully furnished, with our ground floor rooms enjoying private patios. If you’re a gardener or simply love the outdoors, we have lovely gardens to explore too.

Trust us to care

At Care UK, we’ve been delivering high quality, person-centred care for over 40 years. What’s more, we have more ‘Good’ and ‘Outstanding’-rated homes than any other provider. That’s why over 8,000 families across the country trust us to care for their older loved one.

To find out more about care at Bickerton House and Parsons Grange please call us on 0330 173 5589 or visit careuk.com/berkshire

WHAT’S BREWING INFINCHAMPSTEAD?

LOOKING outthewindow, atthetimeofwritingat least,there’sabright blanketofblueacrossthe sky,brokenonlybyaballof gorgeoussunshine.

That’sagoodsignforthelong weekendahead!Springhas definitelysprung,thedaysare gettinglongerandthe temperatureiscreepingup…we’reallforit!

Can you reunite driving licence

By JAMES HASTINGS news@wokingham.today

LANDLADY Carol Williams has found some strange items during her 10 years working at the Queen’s Head pub in Wokingham.

From false teeth to train tickets, Carol is rarely surprised at what customers leave behind especially after a weekend or New Year celebrations.

But recently, she came across an unusual item abandoned on a shelf in the town centre pub and now hopes she can reunite it with the owner.

While recently dusting the bar area, Carol discovered an old drivers licence complete with a name and address as well as the year in which it was issued - 1967.

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Centenarian celebrates her special day

A SHINFIELD care home resident received a special delivery as she marked her 100th birthday.

Stella Jacobs, a Shinfield View resident, was treated to a card from King Charles III and a surprise party put on by staff members, which was attended by her family and fellow residents.

As well as decorations and food prepared by the home’s chef, local singer Amanda Jane dropped by to sing Stella’s favourite songs, including Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called to Say I Love You and We’ll Meet Again by Vera Lynn.

Stella’s son, Mel, was full of praise for the staff.

He said: “We cannot thank the management team and all the staff at Shinfield enough for making mum’s 100th birthday such a success. You are all amazing.”

To cap off what was a joyous occasion, Stella’s great grandson Ethan performed A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman, which moved many residents to tears.

Stella grew up in London and was married to Bob, a former fireman.

The home’s staff prepared a lunch prior to the main

entertainment, which allowed the birthday girl to host her loved ones.

When asked by staff what her secret to living to 100 was, Stella joked: “Luck – I’m not 100, am I?”

Jodie Whatmore, general manager at Shinfield View, said: “It was heart-warming to see Stella surrounded by her loved ones and our residents and staff as she enjoyed her party.

“Our team at Shinfield View takes pride in creating a warm and homely environment for our residents and it was great to be a part of celebrating Stella’s 100th birthday.

“We are honoured to have played a part in making her milestone birthday a truly special one.

“Celebrating her 100th birthday was a very special occasion for us all, and we were delighted to create such a memorable day.

“Our staff went above and beyond to make the day extra special by putting together a stunning birthday display and arranging the surprise singer.

“It’s moments like these that make our work at Shinfield View so fulfilling.”

“It looks like a post war one before the pink and then green drivers licence which many of us had before the new plastic ones were issued,” she explained.

“It was just sitting on a shelf as if someone had put it down for a minute and had forgotten to pick it up again. Maybe someone dropped the licence and another person found it and left it there thinking the owner would come back to claim it.

“How this old licence found itself on a shelf in the pub is a mystery, but what I want to do now is try and reunite it with its rightful owner.”

The name on the licence is Alan C. Smith with an address and postcode for Leicestershire.

In the 1960s, drivers licences came in the form of a little red book with a Royal crown on the cover. They contained information about the driver, a stamp and some pages taken from the Highway Code.

Carol added the one she found was clean and in remarkable shape considering it is more than 50 years old.

“It looks like someone has taken good care of it or maybe kept it in a

box,” she explained.

“It’s not creased or damaged or has torn pages. I don’t imagine it is valuable in monetary terms but I reckon it has sentimental value for someone. I wonder if it belonged to the owners’ father or grandfather and they are now wondering how and where they lost it.

“No one has come forward to claim it so I am now considering putting it on social media in the hope someone recognises the person named on it.”

If you can help Carol reunite the item with its rightful owner call her at the Queen’s Head or get in touch with Wokingham Today

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Ahugethankyoutoeveryonewho’shelpingus toraisemoneyforthesegreatcauses!Wehopeto shareadrinkwithyouintheTapYardsoon.

Add your coronation celebrations to online map

PEOPLE holding activities to mark the coronation of King Charles, can now add their event to an online interactive map.

Wokingham Borough Council invites all residents, town and parish councils, businesses, voluntary, community sector groups, organisations, multi-faith and local groups to add their coronation events to a map on Engage.

The Engage Wokingham site hosts a section dedicated to the coronation, where residents can see and join posted events.

They can also find out how to take part in the Coronation Big

Lunch and The Big Help Out.

To add a street party or public event to the interactive map, residents need to sign up for a free account on the Engage Wokingham website. Once signed up and logged in, they can also take part in consultations.

Applications for a free road closure as part of planned celebrations can be made by visiting the borough council website. These will be added to the Engage website once approved, and must be made by Sunday, April 16.

n To sign up and add events, residents should visit: www. engage.wokingham. gov.uk

VISITORS to two food stores in Wokingham and Crowthorne can vote for three new good causes when they finish their shopping.

To vote, shoppers simply post blue tokens they receive at the checkout into a voting unit as they leave the store.

There are always three local charities to choose from, with new causes and groups selected every three months.

At the end of the period, tokens are counted, and all three charities receive a proportion of Tesco’s Community Grant.

This can amount to a total of £3,000 every three months.

Louise Jedras, community champion at Tesco Wokingham says: “Depending what projects the charities are applying for, and how much support they are seeking, the winning group can win up to £1,500.”

The two runners up also receive

grants of £1,000 and £500.

During April, May and June, Tesco shoppers can vote for bereavement charity CruseSupport; local sight loss group, Berkshirevision; and3rd Wokingham Guide Unit, which meets at Wokingham Methodist Church.

CruseSupport is hoping to receive a grant to help them support bereaved children and young people in the area who are struggling with the death of a loved one.

Berkshire Vision has applied for support for its children and young people’s programme. This allows blind and partially sighted youngsters to develop skills and spend time with peers.

The 3rd Wokingham Guides are seeking support to buy new equipment and to subsidise a big adventure.

“We’re always pleased to be able to support new good causes,” says Louise.

BIRTHDAY GREETING: Stella Jacobs’ 100th birthday celebration kicked off with a special message from King Charles III. Picture: Shinfield View

Tesco shoppers can vote for three new charities instore

with

... from 1967?

Candidates from three churches come together for confirmation service

Another view Neil Coupe

Choosing to hurt, not help

THE dust has settled on the recent Gary Lineker Tweet storm. People wishing to give opinions on the rights and wrongs of a BBC employee expressing a point of view have been able to do so. The news cycle moves on.

‘Today’s news, tomorrow’s chip paper’ used to be the phrase.

Immigration in general, and small boats, in particular, can be a highly emotive and easily manipulable subject. In common with most difficult subjects, transparency and fairness should underpin UK Government policy.

A CONFIRMATION ceremony saw people from across churches come together for a memorable moment.

St Paul’s Church in Reading Road was the venue for the service, held on Sunday, March 26.

The event sees participants confirm their indentity as a Christian. Members of All Saints Church, St James Finchampstead,

POETRY CORNER

St Paul’s, and St Sebastian’s Church, Wokingham Without took part in the service.

The act of confirmation was led by the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham.

Hymns included Come Down, O Love Divine, and The Lord’s My Shepherd. The Scripture reading was Luke 11:1-10.

People of my generation who grew up during the 1970s were highly influenced by our history, and very significantly by Britain’s role in the two World Wars.

Remembrance Sunday was, and still is, a major event in the calendar, both at the Cenotaph and at ceremonies in towns throughout the country.

Saturday afternoon movies on the television would often be stories about our brave soldiers fighting on the right side.

When the films included both Americans and British characters, such as The Great Escape, the Americans would be charismatic and daring, whereas the British would be much more solid and reliable. Our people would be portrayed by the likes of David Niven or Richard Attenborough.

My sense of Britishness was certainly marked by a feeling of innate decency.

After the Second World War, the Allied Powers, including Britain, came together to establish The European Convention on Human Rights. This was intended to improve the development and awareness of human rights in Europe.

It was also to promote an agenda to prevent the most serious human rights violations which had occurred during the Second World War from happening again. This was supported by Churchill and the final drafting was chaired by a British MP. Every European country, except Belarus and Russia, are signatories to it to this day.

This is why I was so disorientated when I read the unsurprising news that nobody was quite sure whether the proposed legislation to deport refugees to Rwanda complied with international law.

MPs are talking quite openly about leaving The European Convention on Human Rights, as though there is something wrong with, well, human rights. Surely with our prestigious role in the world, our proud history and a seat at the United Nations Security Council, we should be reinforcing high standards, not simply racing to the bottom.

“There are so many worthy local groups.

“They are usually chosen by a panel, and we’re always torn in two trying to choose between them.”

Tesco Community Grants help to fund local projects across the country.

Since 2016 the scheme has supported over 50,000 community groups with more than £100 million in grants.

Charities, good causes and community organisations can all apply for the grant.

Shoppers will be able to vote for the three local groups at voting

units in both Tesco Wokingham, and Crowthorne Tesco Express.

“I’m looking forward to talking with the new charities about their projects,” says Louise.

“I’m excited to hear about what they are doing, and how Tesco can support their work.

“We’re always looking for more charities to apply, and we’d love to hear from more groups seeking support from our community grant.”

n Charities and local groups wanting to apply for the Tesco Community Grant should visit: www.tescocommunitygrants.org.uk

Those Amongst Us Void of Compassion

My parents came here legally, she says. They came on a plane, she says.

A shipwreck for your plane, then.

A waterlogged toy boat, my child in the water for your child

in the air, one to drown and one to breathe. I hold her up to the sky, hoping God sees her and sends me a guiding light, the same one the child in the air has, and takes her from me as my legs seize, and my face sinks. My waterlogged child to the sky.

Asia Khatun

We love receiving your poetry, and print a selection every week. Verse can be sent to poems@wokingham.today

In the 1990s, German Chancellor Kohl made a comment that he was worried about the future when there would be a generation of politicians who did not remember or were not influenced by the horrors of the Second World War.

I wonder whether that day has now come, and the values that we were brought up with are now being wilfully discarded.

Progress?

The cynic in me cannot help recalling the comments from a Trump-Supporting focus group in Florida ‘I voted for him, and he’s the one who’s doing this, I thought he was going to do good things. He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting’.

Is choosing who to hurt, rather than who to help, the route to electoral success? Is this why our Government pursuing the Rwanda policy?

If it is not, whatever is happening, it does not feel very British.

MOMENT TO REMEMBER: Some of the confirmation candidates at St Paul’s Church in Wokingham. The service was presided over by the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham

MOTORING ON: The Queen’s Head landlady Carol Williams is hoping to reunite a 1967 driving licence with its owner Picture: Phil Creighton

TOKEN CHOICE: Shoppers can choose between three worthy causes. Picture: Louise Jedras

A long wait to see the light

NEWS that the council’s planned solar farm won’t be connected to the National Grid until 2037 is shocking.

Quite why it would take 11 years to stick a cable in the ground is beyond us. But there you go.

A planned net zero benefit that would also bring money into the council is, for now, a white elephant that has cost us money.

The solar farm, a plan from the previous administration, was always a weird idea. It took the arable land away from farming, and there were concerns raised the panels would be obtrusive –a blot on the landscape.

Alternatives, such as installing solar panels on all council owned buildings and looking at smaller schemes, should have been brought into play.

The current administration had to continue with the solar farm plan as it had progressed too far to halt. They have tried to achieve the best result for the taxpayer, only to be hit with a brick wall. After the election, can we look at a different scheme instead?

CHURCH NOTES I want to talk about love

IWANT to talk about love! Love your neighbour as yourself… Do we experience much of that?

Perhaps we haven’t learnt to love ourselves yet and if we are to love our neighbours as ourselves we need to know what it means to love ourselves first.

Journeying through the 12 Steps, I am learning to love myself through being patient, through being kind, through accepting who I am and understanding myself.

I am learning not to compare myself with others, but to walk my own walk.

I am learning to love myself by acknowledging my feelings and letting them go. I am learning to love myself by doing the things I enjoy, that refresh and restore me, in balance with my work and what I need to do as a mum and wife.

And what I am discovering is that by learning to love myself I am much better at loving others –everyone, authentically.

I am learning to be more patient and to treat others with more kindness because I know I need to understand and accept people for who they are.

I am aware of the importance of balance and boundaries that allow me to give and then step back. I am learning not to judge, but to look at the bigger picture.

I am learning that I can’t fix people, I can only work on myself. So perhaps that’s how we love our neighbour as ourself – invest in ourselves to be able to invest in others.

For more details, log on to: https://www. wokinghambaptist.org.uk/610/CelebrateRecovery

Or search social media for #celebraterecovery and #12stepstorecovery

Anna Adams is a member of Wokingham Baptist Church, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham

Your letters

Reporting potholes, reporting comments

Somehow the paper’s front page headline last week changed my council chamber statement on pothole reporting into a reference to pothole numbers. It is a fact that the number of potholes reported to the council this year is significantly lower than in previous years.

This may or may not mean there are fewer potholes.

The Council inspects all the roads for which it is responsible regularly. It also repairs defects that meet the council’s criteria for repair. However, with the best will in the world, we will never be able to find every pothole when it appears, especially so at this time of year.

Like any other local authority, we rely on the goodwill of the public to inform us about potholes and any other issues, for which we provide an easy to use tool on the council’s website.

This notifies the highways team who will inspect them and arrange for them to be fixed if they meet the criteria, with the timeframe for repair depending on how bad they are.

It may not be politically expedient for some to recognise this, but for the past year the Lib Dems have been using exactly the same processes and criteria which the Conservatives put in place and have been spending the budget which the Conservatives put in place for 2022-23.

While we would like to do more, we have had to work within the limited funding made available to us by government. The perpetual under-funding of road maintenance (currently £14 billion across England and Wales), has taken its toll for a further year, but there is some good news in that we have recently been granted some more money from the government for road maintenance which will address a small amount of the backlog.

The council is very grateful to residents who help us by reporting

From the ViceChancellor

Robert Van de Noort

A university striving for knowledge and discovery

AT THIS time of year, our Whiteknights campus really comes to life and is looking beautiful.

The cherry blossoms dotted around campus and in our botanical gardens are truly a wonderful sight.

If you haven’t been to our campus recently then please do come and pay us a visit. A walk around the meadows, through

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

An open letter from Jason Hogg

This week, I had the immense privilege of commencing in the role as your Chief Constable for Thames Valley Police.

I take this honour incredibly seriously and I am fully committed to working and engaging with you, the public, to ensure Thames Valley Police protects our communities.

As the person responsible for keeping you safe, I feel it’s important that you should know a little bit about me. I’ve been in policing for 27 years and Thames Valley Police since 2016, most recently as Deputy Chief Constable.

I was inspired to join the police when I volunteered at The Gatehouse, a homeless charity in Oxford. Police were called to incidents at the charity. The police officers I met on those occasions inspired me to join the service and I felt excited about the job that they did and the difference they made. I wanted to use their inspiration

potholes and other issues. If readers are concerned about a pothole or other issue with roads or pavements please report it at: wokingham. gov.uk/roadworks-and-outdoormaintenance/report-a-problem-withroads-and-streets/ Other systems, such as ‘Fix My Street’, are helpful and do feed into council systems, but are not a reliable guide to the number of issues with our roads as there is no process for ensuring that issues that have been addressed are cleared from their map.

Cllr Paul Fishwick, Executive member for Active travel, transport and highways on Wokingham Borough Council and ward member for Winnersh

Extra plastic with wheelie bins

At the March Full Council Meeting Cllr Sarah Kerr argued that the move to fortnightly bin collections will reduce the Borough’s plastic

to give something back to my own community, so in 1995 I joined the police.

As your Chief Constable, I want to share my priorities with you. They are: supporting victims, fighting crime, and building trust and confidence amongst our communities.

Supporting Victims

As an emergency service our response will depend on the seriousness of the incident, and vulnerability of those involved, enabling us to prioritise the nearly two million reports that come into the force every year. We will strive to provide the best possible response and victims will always be at the centre of our service.

Fighting Crime

We will continue to focus on preventing and disrupting crime. However, when crimes do occur, we will pursue those responsible, with an emphasis on neighbourhood

consumption. But what does she think wheelie bins are made from… 16kg of plastic.

On top of this most residents tell us that they will put their waste in plastic bags before they put it in the bin.

A quick glance at the supermarket shelves shows many of the bin bags on sale are made of virgin plastic.

When I was the Executive Member I asked officers to look into replacing the current blue bags for ones made from recycled plastic.

The Lib Dem administration could have continued the work I began and replaced the bags with ones made of recycled material.

This would have ensured residents weren’t lining bins with single use plastic bags which seems the likely consequence of the Lib Dem’s plans.

Instead, they have opted for wheelie bins which are the equivalent of nine years of blue bags, 54 of which weighs a mere 1.8kg.

If the motivation of the Lib

street food and a host of activities to get involved in.

Our museums will be open and there will be many more opportunities to see some of the research that academic colleagues based at the University of Reading are undertaking.

crime, tackling knife crime, acquisitive crime and violence against women and girls.

Building Trust and Confidence I know that trust in policing both nationally and internationally is low. Therefore, everyone in policing needs to take responsibility to build and maintain trust and confidence in the police. I take this responsibility extremely seriously, and although this will undoubtedly take time, we will work tirelessly to build trust through treating everyone with fairness and respect. It will be through having greater visibility within our communities, increased transparency and engagement with all of our communities that we can begin to make strides towards this. Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank all our communities for your continued support.

Jason Hogg, Chief Constable, Thames Valley Police

Dems proposal to scrap weekly bin collections is to reduce plastic use in the Borough it clearly fails that test.

If the objective is to save money we have already demonstrated that those savings are based on assumptions, not facts, and not guaranteed. Wokingham Conservatives are committed to reversing this decision if we are elected in May.

Cllr Gregor Murray, Norreys They think it’s all over. But only for now!

Some pertinent questions for the ruling Wokingham Borough Council’s Executive who have gone ahead with a Wheely Wallys wheeled waste bin scheme which will cost Council Tax payers an eye watering amount of money.

I haven’t bothered with a garden waste wheeled bin because I didn’t want an unsightly lump of plastic cluttering up the place, so why would I want an unsightly wheeled waste bin

When the world was in crisis and our leaders were exhorting us to “follow the science”, many of us turned to academic experts, speaking via the media, to help us understand what was going on.

the wooded Wilderness, a visit to the Harris botanical garden, or watching the swans, geese and ducks on our lake is a relaxing way to spend an hour or two.

With that in mind, Saturday, May 13, is a date for your diary.

We will be hosting our first ever Community Festival, bringing together everyone in the area, including students, colleagues, alumni and their families, and our neighbours, for a free one-day celebration of what makes Reading great: our diverse and welcoming community.

There will be live music, theatre and performance from local artists,

University academics are research leaders in their field, carrying out their own original research, helping us grow and develop as a society.

At Reading we are lucky enough to have hundreds of academic colleagues who could be considered among the best in the world across a vast array of topics –from exploring the forces within molecules, to the meaning behind art and literature, or the workings of the economy. And while researchers can help wider society by advancing knowledge, they can really help the world by sharing what it means with the rest of us.

This became very clear during the pandemic.

Trusted research specialists, sharing their knowledge and analysis on the TV or radio, or providing comment on the latest developments in news articles, helped provide much-needed balance and reassurance during a chaotic and worrying time.

We are lucky in Reading and Wokingham to have a University with people striving for knowledge and discovery, as well as a thriving local media scene. We should celebrate and defend both.

To find out more about what we do, and meet the people who work and study here, join us on the 13 May at our Community Festival. I look forward to seeing you there.

Professor Robert Van de Noort is the vice-chancellor of the University of Reading

imposed on me after a dodgy survey was undertaken?

I already have a container for my blue bag waste. It’s called a dustbin and is easily concealed. It seems though that this device is now just so last century.

The pertinent questions then: Will the bins be fitted with microchips to spy on people’s waste habits? This to record the weight for future waste disposal charging by individual property?

As Climate Change has so far not prevented snow and ice affecting the WBC area, if the wheeled bin lids are frozen tight will they still be emptied?

If a wheeled bin is full and the lid raised will the bin still be emptied?

If the wheeled bin wheel(s) become damaged or inoperative will the bin still be emptied?

If genuine extra waste is left in a blue bag on top of a wheeled bin will this waste still be taken away?

I suggest that the Wheely Wallys get their thinking caps on now because they need to read up on what some other Councils with wheeled waste bins get up to to avoid disposing of residential waste!

Paul Clarke, Wokingham

Thank you lottery players

I would like to send my personal thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, who have been supporting Cats Protection since 2018.

During that time, funds raised by players have enabled us to help and care for around 10,000 cats and kittens in our adoption centres.

In addition, they have also helped us provide cat behaviour expertise to our cat care volunteers and staff and adopters; run our Paws to Listen grief support service to help bereaved cat owners; and speak up for cats to help create positive change for cat welfare via our advocacy work.

Thank you to all the players of People’s Postcode Lottery for your ongoing support. For more, log on to: www.cats.org.uk

John May, Chief Executive, Cats Protection

From the chamber

From the chamber

The best of times and worst of times

THE weekend of March 25-26 was so good. On the Saturday I marched with about 500 others from the Hexagon in Reading to the famous HMP Reading.

The sun actually shone; the Go Dynamite Community Samba Band was wonderful; the many banners signalled local arts, history (‘it might not be a good history but it’s our history’); Pride and demands to unlock the prison and let culture in.

People supported the marchers along the route and in the Abbey Ruins the speeches were all about wanting the site to be an investment in the arts, culture and tourism for Reading and the surrounding area – crying loudly to the Ministry of Justice to consider the gaol’s potential for real value not just the money. Who cares? We care.

On the Sunday, Earley Town Council had its Huge Earley Litter Pick; the hugest ever.

There were 129 volunteers in 11 groups across the town, amassing a mountain of litter bags for Wokingham Borough Council to shift.

It was a great example of the town council, voluntary environmental groups, and the

private sector working together.

In Whitegates our local residents welcomed a group of Ukrainian refugees, working in the rain, tackling an anti-social problem together.

A thankless task?

No - because we care about our environment and making a difference.

This week over a decade of austerity will get worse.

On top of massive fuel costs and ever-increasing food bills, many household bills (phone, internet, water) will rise with inflation. Not so for many household incomes.

Unless you are one of the 1% likely to benefit from the Chancellor’s last budget many households will be worse off.

But unlike past claims that ‘there is no magic money tree’ for public services this government is wasting money or is allowing unscrupulous people to benefit at others’ expense. The government’s own watchdog has criticised it for waste and not achieving value for money.

As things deteriorate and fraud against taxpayers becomes normal and tolerated, public trust in the integrity of public services get eroded.

Governments choose their priorities. Quick fixes and sticking plaster policies unravel in the end but meantime many families will suffer. Who cares that more kids are going hungry this year? That schools are in need of repair?

Hungry kids in falling down schools with overstretched teachers don’t learn. That is a choice, it’s false economy and damages

more difficult, but not impossible, to defend from speculative developers, as was shown in the recent appeal decision that Hurst Parish and Wokingham Borough Councils won.

futures.

Sure Start isn’t a luxury it is social protection, family support and investment in children.

If every child matters, shouldn’t we care more?

Not everyone is suffering from the rising price of fuel price and water.

Some industry bonuses are eye-watering. Water is wasted and rivers and beaches are polluted but dividends are paid before problems are fixed.

The social care sector is broken. Changing the plaque on the doors of the Health Department hasn’t raised the standards of social care.

There is lack of oversight of care homes and supported housing while owners profit. But who cares?

The government is pouring money down the drain sticking a plaster on the inhumane and broken refugee and asylum system. We are funding cruelty. Who cares?

Broken promises – where is the new hospital programme and transformation of NHS infrastructure. Yes, the pandemic and a war have had their impact but without long-term thinking and planning we will continue to limp from crisis to crisis.

The climate change targets have been watered down; investment in skills and technology for a greener economy, in insulated and sustainable housing are battling against the fossil fuel lobby.

What will be the impact on the future of today’s young people? Who cares? Time to stop assuming that more of the same will fix the challenges we face. Time to stop the empty rhetoric of ‘working hard’ and ‘learning lessons’ but with no evidence of change.

As Oscar Wilde said, “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”

Who cares? We do. Vote for a kinder society on May 4.

From the deputy leader

Communities matter

AS THE local election campaign gets underway, you might be forgiven for thinking that the normal activities of the council attract less attention from councillors as they devote more hours to knocking on doors and delivering leaflets.

But that’s not the case; even at election time, we continue to work hard to make Wokingham a better place to live and work.

This week, in my role as executive councillor responsible for fostering, building, and creating partnerships with external bodies, I introduced and participated in two sessions to move forward the council’s commitment to a new and better way of deciding on the council’s priorities.

In the recent past, the council has drawn up a strategy and then consulted on it. With the ink already dry, there has been an understandable reluctance on councillors and council officers (who have invested time and effort in formulating the strategy) to make major changes at a late stage.

As a result, consultation has been more of a litmus test of the popularity of the council’s own proposals than a meaningful exercise.

Over the last 11 months, the new administration at Wokingham Borough Council has adopted a different approach, which is less topdown and more bottom-up. We have been bringing in key stakeholders to get a sense of what they think the council’s priorities should be. We then want to bring in the wider public to make sure we are in tune with their vision of a better future.

We want the views and preferences of the community to be a major influence on the council’s strategy and on the policies that flow from it.

We have already had successful meetings with the voluntary and charitable sector and town and parish councils, and two forum sessions with a wider range of stakeholders.

Update on the state of the local plan

THIS week, I want to explain to readers what has actually been happening behind the scenes on work towards developing a new Local Plan.

Here are just a few of the actions undertaken.

The Leader of the Council has been been lobbying the Government from the first day that the Lib Dems took control of the administration last May asking them to look again at the number of houses it is forcing Wokingham Borough to allow developers to build.

The Government recently consulted on new planning proposals, which included the possible introduction of a very important action to allow Councils to take

account of over-provision of houses in one local plan into a following new Local Plan.

Here in Wokingham Borough, the previous Conservative administration allowed 2,000 more houses to be built than the Government required during recent years. These houses took up land that was reserved for future house building.

If the Government will allow this over-provision to be taken into account, then the new Local Plan, which is being developed would have 2,000 houses less to build, than the present draft Local Plan update (LPU) that was consulted on last year, and included sites such as Hall Farm, Rooks Nest Farm and Winnersh Farm. This is something I believe is worth fighting for, because it would protect more of our important Green Spaces from being built on and prevent overdevelopment.

This over-provision has made it

The Government has said they will be announcing their new Planning proposals this spring, potentially only a few weeks away. It would make no sense to continue to progress the current draft Local Plan Update until we know the outcome of this Government Consultation.

It should be noted that many councils in the South East of England have currently suspended their Local Plan for this reason.

We have not done this, we have continued with the work that is required.

However housing numbers and their location is only part of what makes up a Local Plan.

The Council has to provide a significant level of background information and to provide a range of policies in a number of important areas and much work has taken place since last May when I took on this role.

The LPU was not fully finished and ready to go to Planning Inspectors, despite what some Conservative councillors may have been implying..

This includes the production of Evidenced Based Studies for the

period 2024 -2039 for The types of homes that are required and how they are to be future proofed to allow for the impact of climate change and improved insulation. This includes

n Affordable Housing and Housing for older persons.

n Estimated levels of Employment in the Borough.

n What retail requirements are needed across the Borough and what changes in how we use retail in the future.

n Overall Business requirement and what changes are likely to occur over this period. There is a cross-party Local Plan Working Group that has already met three times, with another session is due shortly.

I have, during March, asked the Planning Officers to include work on the impact of Sewerage discharges on the Local Plan process. It is essential that appropriate water supply, drainage and sewerage capacity is provided within the overall plan to ensure we do not have significant levels of flooding and sewerage discharges, as happened only a few days ago.

Cllr Lindsay Ferris is the Executive Member for Planning and the Local Plan, and ward member for Twyford. His seat is not up for election this year

This week, the focus was on local businesses. The sessions were again fruitful. We shared views on what is already going well and areas where we could do better. Perhaps the biggest impediment to successful partnership working with the council is the rules-based culture of parts of the council.

We want to encourage more flexibility where that is possible and greater focus on the biggerpicture benefits that can come from constructive and responsive engagement with local businesses. Successful and thriving businesses are vital. Most obviously, they provide jobs and underpin the local economy. The jobs put money in people’s pockets. But local businesses often contribute in other ways, too. They give money, services and time to local good causes and have a strong sense of community responsibility.

The experience of lockdown brought home to many of us how vital local businesses are to our lives – they are truly the lifeblood of communities. We should cherish and support them. It follows that we have to adapt as a council to respond to their reasonable requests rather than put obstacles in their way.

I don’t underestimate how challenging this will be. The partnership agenda is not a quick fix. It requires a lot of effort, as all relationships do. The council will not always be able to do what local businesses (and other stakeholders) want, for reasons beyond its control, or because it lacks the resources required. But so long as we communicate clearly and openly with each other, we will make progress.

And if we enter into partnership working in the right spirit and engage in constructive ways with each other, the rewards can be enormous. Everyone can be a winner.

Cllr Stephen Conway is the deputy leader of Wokingham Borough Council and ward member for Twyford

Sheena Matthews is the Labour ward member for Whitegates at Earley Town Council

Cllr Lindsay Ferris

Cllr Sheena Matthews

Cllr Stephen Conway

Date set for donkey day

THE runners are ready for the Twyford Scouts Donkey Derby and there’s a special treat for dads this year.

As usual the Recreation Ground is the scene for the event that puts Ascot to shame although top hats are optional.

The date for your race calendar is June 18 – Father’s Day.

As a special treat you can name a donkey after your dad and if it wins, buy him a treat from the amazing stalls that line the course.

The races start at 1.30pm and continue until closing at 5pm.

There is plenty of space on the

Lib Dem leader angered by Tories’ NHS ‘betrayal’

By JI-MIN LEE jlee@wokingham.today

THE CONSERVATIVES are ‘failing the NHS’ and ‘wasting taxpayers’ money’, according to the leader of the Lib Dems.

Twyford Recreation Ground to enjoy a picnic and be entertained by the Donkey Derby, Maidenhead Band, Fun Fair and many other attractions.

To make sure the humans and not just the donkeys are well fed, there will also be a bar, a barbecue and a tea tent. All the ingredients to have a great afternoon out with family and friends.

All village organisations are invited to participate by offering an activity or booking a space.

n For more information, contact John March by emailing: johnmarch58@btinternet.com

Sir Ed Davey believes the government isn’t doing enough to support its health service. This comes after recent data showed that South Central Ambulance Service staff took 12,889 days off due to poor mental health in 2022.

Speaking during Monday’s visit to Wokingham and Reading, Sir Ed insisted there are not enough staff to manage current workloads.

He added that reliance on expensive agency staff, who are less familiar with the hospitals they are assigned to, was not a sustainable recruitment model.

He said: “I’d like to say to John Redwood, and all these Conservatives, what have you been doing all this time? Why have you been wasting so much taxpayers’ money, and why are you failing our NHS?

“We haven’t got the staff we need because you’re not treating our staff properly, you’re not recruiting them properly, and you’re not retaining them properly.”

The former secretary of state for energy and climate change visited Freely Fruity’s community orchard in Shinfield, before offering his support to local election hopefuls in front of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The visit also formed part of his national campaign on health, with Sir Ed saying that even lifelong Conservative voters he had spoken to felt “let down” by its party’s healthcare delivery.

“The Conservatives have failed to listen to anybody,” he explained.

“They’ve failed to listen to doctors, they’ve failed to listen to nurses, they’ve failed to listen to the experts, they’ve failed to listen to the public.

“People should not vote Conservative in the next election. If you want to improve our health service you want to send them a message they’ll understand, vote them out – vote these people out.

“They don’t deserve anyone’s support, because they have betrayed the NHS.”

With local elections on the horizon, Sir Ed said he was ‘upbeat’ about public opinion, particularly his party’s response to the cost of living crisis.

Twyford

The Lib Dems were the first to call for a windfall tax on oil and gas giants profiting from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Of the proposal, he said: “It’s moral that they should pay a proper windfall tax and that be used to help people, businesses and hospitals struggling with their energy bills.

“Why aren’t the Conservatives doing that properly?

“They’ve got this pathetic, pathetic energy profits levy and John Redwood, what does he do? He says, ‘don’t tax them’, but they should be taxed. These oil and gas giants are making 10s of billions of pounds of profits.

“The flipside is people can’t afford to heat their homes – I don’t know where John Redwood gets his priorities from frankly.”

The Lib Dems are confident of a good showing in May’s local election in Wokingham, a ward which has been under the control of a Lib Dem-led partnership for the past year.

Sir Ed sees it as a prime opportunity for his party to capitalise on, what he believes to be, unprecedented levels of Tory scepticism.

Both he and Wokingham Borough Council leader, Cllr Clive Jones,

brushed off suggestions that recent upheaval in the chamber, which saw two Independent councillors leave the partnership, would have any bearing on voting.

Cllr Jones described their decision to leave as ‘disappointing’ and said: “They wanted us to take Hall Farm out of the local plan, even though we’ve been telling them for 10 months it’s something we can’t do yet.

We have to wait for the government to change the way that we calculate housing numbers.

That is fairly imminent, but they were just impatient and sadly they left.

“It’s disappointing, but maybe we will still be working with them [in the future].”

Sir Ed added that conversations he’d had while canvassing convinced him that voters in Wokingham “realise that they need to give the Lib Dems a majority”, although he admitted it wouldn’t be easy.

He said: “People are coming to us from all sides. I don’t know how many gains we’re going to make.

“We’ve already done very well in the last few years. Consolidate those gains and hopefully make some more – that will be a great achievement.”

Singers’ concert gives space to reflect

TWYFORD Singers’ concert on Sunday gave its large audience time and space to meditate and reflect.

The Palm Sunday concert started with Brahms’ serene and uplifting How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place. Next came Brahms’ Geistliches Leid, bearing the message: “fear nothing, trust God’s will and be still my spirit”.

Bruckner’s Christus Factus Est built to its loud climax, concluding with its haunting, very quiet, melody.

For those unfamiliar with some of the programme, Mendelssohn’s Hear my Prayer including O for the Wings of a Dove provided a familiar and much-loved

treat. Commendably, the two soloists, Anne Pearce and Celia Reinbolt, were from the choir itself. They gave creditable and moving performances.

The choir’s musical director Helen Styles gave excellent leadership to the whole concert. She also sang, with beautiful simplicity, Fauré’s Salve Regina, a prayer to Mary, mother of Jesus.

Near the middle of the concert the choir performed

Bruckner’s lovely Locus Iste unaccompanied – and without their sheets of words and notes. It can be hard for singers to tear themselves away from the support of their music scores. But Twyford Singers did it and with great effect.

The concert was accompanied on the organ by Robert Jones the musical director of St Bride’s Church in Fleet Street, London, known as the journalists’

church. His skilled performances of Brahms’ Es ist ein Ros’ enstsprungen and Frank’s Pièce Héroïque complemented the sung pieces well.

The choir’s final two songs, Panis Angelicus by Frank and Cantique de Jean Racine by Fauré gave a beautiful conclusion to the concert.

Twyford Singers’ excellent accompanist Judith Creighton played for all the practice evenings at St Mary’s Church, Twyford, before the concert. n Twyford Singers’ next concert is on June 24 at Loddon Hall, Twyford and will feature musical favourites.

LIB DEMS: Sir Ed Davey visited the Royal Berkshire Hospital on Monday afternoon to offer his support to councillors and candidates in May’s local elections. Picture: Ji-Min Lee

Bad drivers face penalties if council gets new powers

By JAMES ALDRIDGE Local democracy reporter

BAD DRIVERS could soon receive a fine not from the police but from Wokingham Borough Council.

The local authority is applying for powers to issue penalty notices for moving traffic offences at 11 spots across the borough.

Motorists will be charged for illegal maneourves including making banned turns, driving the wrong way down a oneway street, and stopping in box junctions.

These offences are currently enforced by Thames Valley Police, but the government is progressively allowing the highways departments of councils to penalise drivers for these offences. Reading Borough Council is introducing this at box junctions in 15 locations.

Now Wokingham Borough Council is hoping to do the same.

It has submitted an application to the Department of Transport outlining which offences it wants to prosecute and where they are located in the borough.

They are:

n Broad Street, Wokingham, at the junction with Rose Street: Banned right turn

n Barkham Road rail crossing, Wokingham, at the junction with Oxford Road: Banned right turn

n Station Road, Wokingham, at the junction with Station Approach: Banned right turn

n Wellington Road, Wokingham: Ahead only

n Gipsy Lane, Wokingham: Weight restriction

n Murdoch Road, Wokingham: Keep left

n Goatley Way, Wokingham: One-way street

n Milton Road, Wokingham: Vehicles prohibited except buses

n Easthampstead Road, Wokingham: Yellow box junction

n Hyde End Lane, Spencers Wood, at the junction with Fullbrook Road: Buses only

n Whitlock Avenue, Wokingham: Banned right turn

The decision to apply for moving traffic offence prosecution powers was approved by the council’s executive committee on Tuesday, March 21.

SHARING IS CARING: Runners give back with Easter egg run

Explaining why the sites above were chosen for the application, Cllr Paul Fishwick (Liberal Democrats, Winnersh), executive member for highways said: “These sites were identified and selected by a review of complaints received, officer knowledge and feedback from the local police. These sites were showing the highest level of driver non-compliance.”

He added that the council’s highways department conducted surveys of a variety of locations and further sites can be considered for enforcement if the powers are granted.

If the application is successful, drivers will be served with a penalty charge notice (PCN) for breaches of £70, reduced to £35 if paid early, or rising to £105 afer a ‘charge certificate’ is served.

Like in Reading, drivers will receive one warning notice instead of a fine for six months after council enforcement begins at each site.

The application for the powers was submitted to Department for Transport by the deadline it set in February, with a decision being due in June.

By JI-MIN LEE jlee@wokingham.today

SHINFIELD Running Club continued their

of giving back to the community with a themed act of goodwill.

Chairman James Suarez came up with the idea to run Easter eggs down to charity Helping Hand, to be donated to those who may not be able to afford one this year.

Members braved miserable conditions on Friday, March 31,

to make their deliveries.

He said: “I was super humbled by the way Shinfield Running Club bought into my idea.

“Thank you everyone, it just shows the power of people coming together.

“Giving back to the community fills my heart with joy and the thought of seeing children smiling with their egg makes it all worthwhile.”

The eggs were made available to be collected on

Monday morning through Share Shinfield, a food surplus project which takes place at Shinfield Baptist Church.

This effort comes off the back of club members donating bags of food and other essential items in November.

On both occasions, runners braved the pouring rain to make their contributions - one can only hope their next gesture is rewarded with more favourable conditions.

CHOCOLATE LOVERS: Members of Shinfield Running Club made deliveries of Easter eggs last Friday – despite the torrential rain

streak

Reader travel

HOLY ISLAND, DURHAM & Alnwick Castle

Sindlesham arts and crafts fair hailed as a great success

Departing Thu 15 Jun ‘23

Northumberland is home to rugged scenery, iconic landmarks and unspoilt seascapes. From our base in Newcastle, we explore Alnwick Castle, one of Britain’s most impressive castles, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and visit the famous Angel of the North.

Your break includes

 Return coach travel from Reading

 2 nights at the Leonardo Hotel, Newcastle Gateshead Quays with dinner & breakfast

 Excursions to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne & Alnwick Castle

 En-route visits to the Angel of the North & Durham

3 Days by Coach

ly £219

Single Supplement £40

BLACKPOOL & Cruising Lake Windermere

By EMMA MERCHANT emerchant@wokingham.today

A SINDLESHAM church held a creative fair, with paintings and crafted items for sale, and opportunities for visitors to learn new skills and techniques.

Event organiser and area pastor for The Gate church, Joanna Parmar, says: “We had a wonderful day.

“The event was well supported, with people coming not only from the local community, but from as far away as Abingdon.

“There were various stalls, including my own, with a range of art and crafts.

“Displays included Japanese art, acrylic art, textiles art, mixed media, knitted toys, cards, clothing, and stunning

Departing Mon 19 Jun ‘23

Vibrant, timeless and fun, Blackpool has remained one of the UK’s favourite seaside destinations. From here we explore the Lake District, visit a traditional market and enjoy a journey on the heritage East Lancashire Railway.

Your break includes

 Return coach travel from Crawley

 4 nights at the Melville Hotel, Blackpool with dinner & breakfast

 Entertainment every evening

 Cruise on Lake Windermere

 Heritage train journey on the East Lancashire Railway

 Excursions to Kendal, Bowness-on-Windermere & Bury Market

Optional excursion to Southport & Lytham St Annes (£13pp)

5 Days by Coach

ly £299

Single Supplement £60

Hong Kong cakes and bakes.”

While Joanna demonstrated the art of felting, other artists were showing visitors how to create Japanese Nagomi art with pastels, produce textile art and acrylic paintings, and make cards.

Those interested in jewellery making were able to take part in a three-hour workshop, before popping in to the tea room for refreshment.

“We have a thriving art community at The Gate,” says Joanna.

We love to encourage our artists with these sales, but we also offer workshops throughout the year, where anyone can come along and learn how to create art with different mediums.

“Our artists were even featured

VOLUNTEERCORNER

CITIZENS Advice

Wokingham offers free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information to anyone living or working in Wokingham borough. We are looking to recruit Trainee Adviser.

The role will involve; completing an introduction to Citizens Advice and work through the Adviser Learning Plan training programme, talk to clients over the phone, face to face, or online to explore what problems they’ve come for help with, find information about the clients’ problems and help them to understand their options, supporting clients to take action to resolve their problems.

This might include drafting or writing letters, making phone calls, or referring the client to another organisation, writing a summary of the clients’ problems and what action you’ve taken and looking out for problems’ that are common, or are unfair, and write a short report about the problem or a letter to an elected official like an MP, AM or local councillor. What’s in it for you?

Make a real difference to people’s lives, learn about a range of issues such as benefits, debt, employment, housing, family, health and consumer rights, build on valuable skills such as communication, listening and problem solving, and increase your employability, work with a range of different people, independently and in a team and have a positive impact in your community.

We will reimburse expenses too.

If you’re a law student and you train as a Citizens Advice adviser, you can get up to six months off your solicitor training contract! You don’t need specific qualifications or skills but you’ll need to: be friendly and approachable, be non-judgmental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own, have good listening skills, have excellent verbal and written communication skills, have good maths and IT skills, be able to understand information and explain it to others, be willing to learn about and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies, including confidentiality and

last summer on BBC One Songs Of Praise.”

Each artist and stall holder was asked to donate a percentage of their profits to the Churches Building Fund.

A final figure for the amount raised is still to be calculated.

As well as visiting the art stalls, people were able to enjoy a fashion show, and buy ethical clothing items from Good Lord London.

“The company is committed to the environment, recycling and the treatment of workers in the clothing industry,” says Joanna.

“And to support local people in need, they have partnered with the Churches In Reading Drop In Centre (CIRDIC) for homeless people in the area.

“They help CIRDIC with fundraising, and promise to donate an item of clothing to the centre for every garment they sell.”

The traditional style tea room at the art fair, and the homemade cakes, proved very popular with visitors.

“We were so encouraged to have so many visitors from the local community and beyond,” says Joanna.

“They were able to come and enjoy being part of the day, as well as taking home some beautiful pieces of art, and some inspiration for creating their own.”

n To find out more about The Gate, Sindlesham, search for them on Facebook.

n For information about Good Lord London, visit: www.morelord.com

data protection and be willing to undertake training in your role.

Ideally, we ask for eight hours per week, which can be over one day or spread over two days, for at least 12 months.

n Established in the early 1980s, the BMSTC now runs the Berkshire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre, offering a range of therapies and treatments that help our beneficiaries manage their MS, as well as offering support for carers and family members.

We are looking to recruit new Trustees. Trustees are the people who make the top-level decisions for our charity.

Our Board includes people with experience of MS, and skills in governing our operations. We’d expect new trustees to have empathy with our cause and our beneficiaries, but you don’t necessarily need full knowledge or experience of MS.

Similarly, you don’t necessarily need prior experience of charity trusteeship, as support and full induction will be provided, plus specialist support as a new trustee

including access

training.

to external

What you will need is the ability to think strategically and plan longterm; you’ll also need to be able to work collectively with other Board members.

We’re looking for trustees to bring new ideas, skills and abilities, particularly in marketing/ communications, or incomegeneration, or people management, or even with knowledge of Health and Social Care systems; but if you don’t have these, we’re still interested in you.

We ask for up to eight hours of your time per month, which includes all meetings, discussions, etc. You will need access to digital communications, as much of our charity’s business is run that way.

n If you are interested in the roles above or to discuss your specific volunteering needs, please get in touch with Helena Badger, Volunteer Services Manager; volunteer@wok-vol.org.uk 0118 977 0749 or visit our website www. volunteerwokinghamborough.org.uk

SHOWCASE: An Arts and Craft Fair was held at Sindlesham Baptist Church last month, giving people chance to sell their works including, from left, JD Vance with his clothing range, church pastor Joanna Parmar with her painting, and Mabel Boyd with some plants Pictures: Steve Smyth

Easter bunny visits vegan market

A MONTHLY market stall will be coming to Wokingham, offering a wide range of vegan products.

Sparkle Vegan stalls sell animal free products and foods, as well as cakes, natural skincare, eco-friendly products and gifts.

Visitors to the market will be able to meet the Easter Bunny and take part in a chocolate trail, unscrambling the letters found on stalls to receive a free dairy-free treat.

As well as existing stalls, new traders will include street food by Vegan n Fries (vegan chicken burgers and kebabs) and Mumbai Street Eats (Indian Thali); and themed baked treats by Tiny Sarah’s Cakes.

Visitors will also find Bam Bam Vegan and Goff’s Cakes, beer on tap by Elusive Brewing, and Easter eggs by Planted Treats.

Waffles with ice-cream will be provided by The Rolling Coconut, along with hot drinks by Cub Coffee, and cheeses by Sophie’s Delight.

The event takes place in Market Place around the Wokingham Old Town Hall on the second Sunday of each month from 11am through to 3pm.

People can visit the market on Sunday, April 9, when stalls are open from 11am through to 3pm.

n For more information, visit the Sparkle Vegan website, at: www.sparkleveganevents.com

Huge stroke of luck as oak crashes between two houses

By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today

BY a huge stroke of luck an enormous oak tree crashed down straight between two houses during last Friday’s torrential downpour.

Teacher Sally Pollington, who was indoors with her husband, said: “A metre either way and the tree would have got our house or the neighbours’. I don’t know how we were so lucky.

“Afterwards, the fire brigade came to check it was safe. They couldn’t believe it. They told us we should have bought a lottery ticket, we were so lucky.

“We were so shocked it came down. From its trunk, the tree looks about 200 years old. It was really tall.

“On Friday when it rained all day we were just at home. We heard a noise and thought it was thunder, but it was the noise of branches going down our roof. But nothing was damaged. Our neighbour just lost a fence panel. Even the rhubarb in our garden survived.”

The tree came down into the footpath which separates the

two houses in Harrison Close at Twyford, falling from the wide grassed open area in Broad Hinton. The firefighters put up warning tape to stop people using the path.

Sally went to inspect the tree’s root ball. “Strangely it didn’t look as if the roots went very deep. I think it fell because the soil was so wet.

“We’re at the bottom of the hill. The water has been running down the path like a river. It’s like a swamp outside our back door. There are many other oak trees up the road and in friends’ gardens.”

FELLED: The oak tree that came down in Twyford following last Friday’s heavy rain

tree was the local authority’s responsibility. WBC told them this week that the task of dealing with it had been passed to their tree team.

”There is one branch towering over our house we’d [particularly] like removing,” said Sally on Monday. “We’ve lived here more than 25 years. The tree has always been there, it’s just a bit of a shock. A squirrel was wandering round there looking a bit lost.”

She said they’d always worried about a massive branch hanging towards their house, but even that didn’t hit their home and fell to the ground instead. If it had hit the house they would have had to move out so a large repair job be done.

“We do feel very lucky,” added Sally.

People living some distance away in Cotterell Gardens and other roads heard the crashing tree.

The couple rang Wokingham Borough Council’s out-of-hours emergency line on Friday night.

Sally said they understood the

Francesca Hobson, Wokingham Borough Council’s assistant director for environment and safety, said: “We’ll be working with the resident to put right any damage that can clearly be linked to the fallen tree, which would be done through our insurers and we can explain this process to the resident in more detail if they need it.

“We’ve made the tree safe and carried out an inspection to assess what work needs to be carried out.

“We’re treating any overhang of private properties or blocked footpaths as a priority and, looking beyond that, we’ll do all we can to keep any sizeable oak on site where it can be made safe, in order to keep as many environmental and wildlife benefits as we can.”

Apprenticeships for budding business

By JI-MIN LEE jlee@rdg.today

A UNIVERSITY of Reading-based institution has announced a new partnership with a world-leading technology company, which will see students benefit from apprenticeship programmes.

Nokia apprentices will join cohorts on three Henley Business School programmes designed for professionals aspiring to become effective leaders.

Station Hill project’s first phase nears completion

ONE of Reading’s biggest development projects has reached its full height as the first phase of construction reaches a key milestone.

The Station Hill development has “topped out,” meaning that the building is now at its highest, and one step closer to completion.

The first phase of the scheme, designed by CRTKL, is set to deliver a living spaces available for rental, ranging from studio flats to three-bed apartments.

Residents are expected to be able to begin moving in by summer 2023.

The two-acre Station Hill Square development is also due to be finished next year, providing a pedestrian concourse linking Reading Station and the town centre as well as office and retail space.

When complete, the entire development will see more than 600,000 square feet of office space, 95,000 square feet of retail space, and 1,300 homes added to the town centre, within a minute’s walk of Reading Station.

Lee Fearnhead, Station Hill’s Director of Construction for Lincoln Property Company UK and Europe said: “It is fantastic to celebrate this significant milestone for the project with local stakeholders and our construction partners at Midgard.

“Events like this showcase the amazing achievement that has

been made on-site to date, but more importantly offer an opportunity to give thanks and show our appreciation to the hard-working teams delivering and making the Station Hill vision a reality.

“Phase 1 will deliver 600 incredible new homes and an amenity offering, creating a vibrant new community in the heart of Reading, and we look forward to welcoming the new residents to the Station Hill community.

He explained: “As the first phase nearing completion, and with office and retail elements also coming online early next year, we are already looking ahead to the final phases to ensure the successful delivery of the comprehensive Station Hill vision.”

Cllr Tony Page, deputy leader of the council and lead member for climate strategy and transport, said: “I am really delighted to participate in an event that celebrates the first major milestone for Station Hill.

“The development has been many years in the making and as local councillors, we have been working with the owners and the development team to deliver a first-class regeneration scheme for the town and its residents.

“Station Hill is on the doorstep of the ‘new’ Reading Station, which was reopened by the late Queen Elizabeth II in July 2014, and is a key part of the Council’s regeneration plan.”

Pathways include the senior leadership apprenticeship, business administration - senior leader apprenticeship, future leaders and improvement leader apprenticeship, and managing business transformation.

Phil Siveter, CEO at Nokia UK&I, said: “As an industry there has been much talk of late about the skills shortages. We are facing real challenges in recruiting the right individuals with relevant skills in this continuously evolving and always exciting technology sector.

“It is my personal belief that it is critical for companies like Nokia

to continue to find ways to offer opportunities and experiences to everyone.

“It is vital to support learning and growth, and we will continue creating an inclusive and diverse workforce for the future.

“At Nokia, apprenticeships are about investing in people that allow everyone to reach their full potential and uncover hidden talents to learn new skills as part of their learning journey, from those right at the start of the career journey to those more senior managers.

“We were delighted to send the first of our managers on the Senior Leader Apprenticeship as part of our Leaders for Tomorrow programme with Henley Business School.”

Developed to stretch and challenge, the programmes offer an integrated learning experience through structured online learning and immersive, in-person sessions that are held at Henley’s Greenlands campus.

Expected to be completed in 20-23 months, including the endpoint assessment, the programmes combine expert teaching with

Rapid payments firm moves into Spain

A READING-based rapid payments firm has announced it is buying the Spanish customer base of a German company.

Introduced to Germany and Spain in April 2021, Wellet is a card payment app.

It is now part of the UTP Group and, over the next few weeks it will be integrated into its tapeeno system, an app that uses Faster Processing technology. This sees payments sent to accounts within an hour of being made.

Michael Ault, CEO of UTP Group, said: “The acquisition of Wellet’s Spanish customer portfolio allows us to

accelerate our expansion in the region, while bringing the benefits of Faster Processing technology to thousands of customers across the country.

“The alignment of Wellet and tapeeno’s technology and target market made this a natural choice for us.

“The acquisition allows our new Spanish customer base to continue with the convenience of accepting payments on their phone, while benefitting from tapeeno’s Faster Processing technology.”

n For more, log on to: tapeeno.com/ or find the app on the Google Play Store.

practical, on-the-job experiences for learning that can have an immediate impact on business.

Mr Siveter added: “Nokia is excited to be working on a range of apprenticeship programmes for our middle and senior managers with Henley.

“Their experience of developing managers and leaders and facilitating transformation both at a personal and organisational level was one of the reasons we decided to partner with them.”

Anne Dibley, head of postexperience and apprenticeship programmes at Henley, said: “We are excited to be partnering with Nokia, a company on a mission to support the learning and growth of its employees and to develop leaders who will question the status quo and help drive the organisation forward.

“With businesses facing more challenges than ever before, developing leaders who can effectively manage the increasingly complex business environment is critical. We look forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”

BCN Group bolster portfolio

A DIGITAL transformation solutions firm has taken over a company with a base in Maidenhead.

BCN, a managed service provider delivering cloud-first data strategies, has taken over fellow MSP firm and Microsoft Solultions Partner New CMI.

The firm was founded in 2009 and its other offices are in London, and Belfast, and will see BCN grow its UK base to 1,200.

This is the second acquisition since ECI Partners invested in BCN last year, following on from the purchase of Microsoft Dynamics 365 specialists, Evo-soft, in September.

Rob Davies, CEO of BCN Group, said “CMI’s complimentary product and service offering allows us to increase our Microsoft customer base and strengthen our team of technical experts.”

And Ken Roulston,the managing director of CMI, said it was extremely positive news for his team and the firm’s customers.

“The additional capabilities BCN Group brings will expand the support, skill set and technology available and create even stronger IT support,” he said.

“We are looking forward to aligning our offerings.”

Classifieds PUBLICNOTICES

NOTICEOFMAKING

ROADTRAFFICREGULATIONACT1984

WOKINGHAMBOROUGHCOUNCIL (VARIOUSROADS,WOKINGHAMBOROUGH)(STOPPING,WAITING,LOADINGAND UNLOADINGPROHIBITIONSANDRESTRICTIONS,PARKINGPLACES,PARKING PLACESANDRESIDENTPERMITPARKINGPLACES)(CIVILPARKING ENFORCEMENT)(CONSOLIDATION)ORDER2017(AMENDMENTNO.5)ORDER2023

NOTICEISHEREBYGIVENthatWokinghamBoroughCouncil(“theCouncil”),inordertoimproveroadsafetyand facilitatethepassageoftraffic,hasmadetheabove-namedAmendmentOrderundersections1,2,4and124andPart IVofSchedule9oftheRoadTrafficRegulationAct1984,asamended(“theAct”)andunderallotherenablingpowers. TheOrderwillcomeintoforceon17thApril2023.

ThegeneraleffectoftheAmendmentOrderwillbetointroduceparkingchanges,newwaitingrestrictionsoramend vsectionsofexistingrestrictionsinpartsofthefollowingroads:

WOODLEY,EARLEY,WINNERSH,ANDSONNING

RoadName/Area

EastcourtAvenue,Early

AntrimRoadandFairwaterDrive,Woodley

BetchworthAvenue,Earley

ChurchRoad,Woodley

DetailsofProposal

WaitingrestrictionsnearjunctionwithCulverLane

Waitingrestrictionsnearpropertynumber93AntrimRoad

WaitingrestrictionsatjunctionwithWildernessRoad

WaitingrestrictionsnearjunctionwithButtsHillRoad

NightingaleRoad,Woodley WaitingrestrictionsnearjunctionwithSeafordGardens

PenroseAvenue,Woodley Waitingrestrictionsoutsidenumber2

PheasantClose,Winnersh Waitingrestrictionsoutsidenumber1

SonningLane,Sonning WaitingrestrictionsoppositeAccessintothatchedCottage

JerseyDriveandFresianWay,Winnersh WaitingrestrictionsnearNumber5JerseyDrive

FINCHAMPSTEADANDBARKHAM

RoadName/Area

BarkhamRide,StJamesRoadandCarolina

Place,Finchampstead

BastonRoad,Barkham

BearwoodRoadandTheLilacs,Barkham

LongwaterRoad,Finchampstead

NineMileRide,Finchampstead

PrincessMarina

DetailsofProposal

Waitingrestrictionsalongallthreejunctions

WaitingrestrictionsalongentireRoad

WaitingrestrictionsatjunctionofBearwoodRoadandThe Lilacs

WaitingrestrictionsoutsideGreayhoundPub

WaitingrestrictionsnearjunctionwithA327EversleyRoad

WaitingrestrictionsonLakesideBusRoute

REMENHAMANDWARGRAVE

RoadName/Area DetailsofProposal

AstonFerryLane,Remenham

RemenhamLane,Remenham

SchoolHill,Wargrave

Waitingrestrictionsalongallthreejunctions

ExtentionofparkingbaynearHomeFarmby5m

WaitingrestrictionsoppositejunctionwithSilverdaleRoad

SHINFIELDANDARBORFIELD

RoadName/Area DetailsofProposal

ChurchLane,Shinfield

AphelionWay,Shinfield

MimosaDriveandCutbushLane,Shinfield

EquestrainCourt,Arborfield

RoadName/Area

AcornDrive,Wokingham

HatchRide,Wokingham

StanleyRoad,Wokingham

OldForestRoad,Wokingham

VillageClose,Wokingham

WhitlockAvenue,Wokingham

WaitingrestrictionsnearjunctionwithBasingstokeRoad

WaitingrestrictionsatjunctionwithPerigeeandRossby

Waitingrestrictionsnearpropertynumber8MimosaDrive

WaitingrestrictionsalongentireRoad

WOKINGHAM

DetailsofProposal

WaitingrestrictionsnearaccesstoAcademyHouse

WaitingrestrictionsnearjunctionwithOaklandsLane

WaitingrestrictionsnearNumber1StanleyRoad

WaitingrestrictionsnearjunctionwithToutleyRoad

WaitingrestrictionsatjunctionwithEmmbrookRoad

WaitingrestrictionsatjunctionwithA328LondonRoad

DocumentsgivingmoredetailedparticularsoftheOrdercanbeviewedforaperiodofsixweeksfromthedateofthis Notice,duringofficehoursMondaytoFridayattheWokinghamBoroughCouncilOffices,ShuteEnd,Wokingham, BerkshireRG401WN.

IfanypersonwishestoquestionthevalidityoftheOrderoranyprovisioncontainedinitonthegroundsthatitisnot withinthepowersconferredbytheAct,oronthegroundsthatanyrequirementoftheActoranyinstrumentmade underithasnotbeencompliedwithinrelationtothemakingoftheOrder,thatpersonmay,within6weeksofthedate ofthemakingoftheOrder,applytotheHighCourtforthispurpose.

Dated6thApril2023

ChrisEaston

AssistantDirector

HighwaysandTransport

WokinghamBoroughCouncil

P.OBox153,ShuteEnd,RG401WL

ROADTRAFFICREGULATIONACT1984 WOKINGHAMBOROUGHCOUNCIL (CASTLEHILL,ARBORFIELD/ FARLEYHILL) (TEMPORARYPROHIBITIONOF DRIVING)ORDER2023

NOTICEISHEREBYgiventhatonthe30thMarch2023 WokinghamBoroughCouncilasTrafficAuthoritymade anOrderunderSection14(1)(a)oftheRoadTraffic RegulationAct1984theeffectofwhichistoprohibit anyvehiclefromproceedingalong: CastleHill,Arborfield/FarleyHillbetweenitsjunctions withSwallowfieldRoadandHollyCorner.

Thealternativerouteforallvehiclesaffectedbythis restrictionshallbeviaSwallowfieldRoad,PriestHilland HollyCornerorbythisrouteinreverse. Worksrequiringthisrestrictionwilltakeplaceon12th April2023between09:30and15:30.

ThereasonfortheseprohibitionsistoallowBT contractorstoundertakesafeaccesstothenetworkto enableengineerstolaynewductsinsafety. Accessforresidentsandbusinesseswithinthe boundariesoftheserestrictionswillbemaintainedatall times.

TherestrictionimposedbytheOrdershallonlyapply duringthoseperiodswhentrafficsignscomplyingwith theTrafficSignsRegulationsandGeneralDirections 2016arelawfullydisplayed.

TherestrictionscontainedintheOrdershallcomeinto operationonthe12thApril2023andshallcontinuein forceforaperiodnotexceeding18monthsoruntilthe workshavebeencompleted,whicheveristheearlier.

Dated:6thApril2023

ChrisEaston AssistantDirector–HighwaysandTransport WokinghamBoroughCouncil CivicOffices

ShuteEnd

Wokingham

BerkshireRG401WL

ROADTRAFFICREGULATIONACT1984 WOKINGHAMBOROUGHCOUNCIL (LANGBOROUGHROAD,WOKINGHAM)

(TEMPORARYPROHIBITIONOF DRIVING)ORDER2023

NOTICEISHEREBYgiventhatonthe30thMarch2023 WokinghamBoroughCouncilasTrafficAuthoritymade anOrderunderSection14(1)(a)oftheRoadTraffic RegulationAct1984theeffectofwhichistoprohibit anyvehiclefromproceedingalong: LangboroughRoad,Wokinghambetweenitsjunctions withFairviewRoadandGipsyLane. Thealternativerouteforalleastboundvehiclesaffected bythisrestrictionshallbeviaA321DenmarkStreet, A321WellingtonRoad,A321StationApproach,A329 ReadingRoad,A329ShuteEnd,A329RectoryRoad, A328WiltshireRoad,A329PeachStreet, EasthampsteadRoadandMurdochRoad. Thealternativerouteforallwestboundvehicles affectedbythisrestrictionshallbeviaMurdochRoad, EasthampsteadRoad,A329PeachStreet,A321Market PlaceandA321DenmarkStreet. Worksrequiringthisrestrictionwilltakeplacebetween 11thApriland14thApril2023.

ThereasonfortheseprohibitionsistoallowCityFibre contractorstoundertakeexcavationworkstoinstall ductandbuildassociatedchambersandcabinetsfor fibreopticcableinstallationinsafety. Accessforresidentsandbusinesseswithinthe boundariesoftheserestrictionswillbemaintainedatall times.

TherestrictionimposedbytheOrdershallonlyapply duringthoseperiodswhentrafficsignscomplyingwith theTrafficSignsRegulationsandGeneralDirections 2016arelawfullydisplayed. TherestrictionscontainedintheOrdershallcomeinto operationonthe11thApril2023andshallcontinuein forceforaperiodnotexceeding18monthsoruntilthe workshavebeencompleted,whicheveristheearlier.

Dated:6thApril2023

ChrisEaston AssistantDirector–HighwaysandTransport WokinghamBoroughCouncil CivicOffices ShuteEnd Wokingham BerkshireRG401WL

ROADTRAFFICREGULATIONACT1984 WOKINGHAMBOROUGHCOUNCIL (A321TWYFORDROAD,WOKINGHAM) (TEMPORARYPROHIBITIONOF DRIVINGAND30MPHSPEEDLIMIT) ORDER2023

NOTICEISHEREBYgiventhatWokinghamBorough CouncilasTrafficAuthorityproposestomakeanOrder underSection14(1)(a)oftheRoadTrafficRegulation Act1984theeffectofwhichistoprohibitanyvehicle fromproceedingalong:

1.A321TwyfordRoad,Wokinghambetweenits junctionswithB3034ForestRoadandBellFoundry Lane.

2.ThesectionofA321TwyfordRoad,Wokingham betweenitsjunctionswithB3034ForestRoadandBell FoundryLaneataspeedexceeding30mph Thealternativerouteforallvehiclesaffectedbythe restrictioninitem1shallbeviaBellFoundryLane, WarrenHouseRoadandB3034ForestRoadorbythis routeinreverse.

Worksrequiringtheserestrictionswilltakeplacefrom 30thApril2023.

Thereasonfortheseprohibitionsistoallow WokinghamBoroughCouncilcontractorstoundertake creationofexistingaccesstonewdevelopment includingsectionsofthecarriagewaytobeplanedoff andre-laidaswellassomeminorroadwideningundera S278agreementinsafety.

Accessforresidentsandbusinesseswithinthe boundariesoftheserestrictionswillbemaintainedatall times.

TherestrictionimposedbytheOrdershallonlyapply duringthoseperiodswhentrafficsignscomplyingwith theTrafficSignsRegulationsandGeneralDirections 2016arelawfullydisplayed.

TherestrictionscontainedintheOrdershallcomeinto operationonthe30thApril2023andshallcontinuein forceforaperiodnotexceeding18monthsoruntilthe workshavebeencompleted,whicheveristheearlier.

Dated:6thApril2023

ChrisEaston AssistantDirector–HighwaysandTransport WokinghamBoroughCouncil CivicOffices ShuteEnd Wokingham BerkshireRG401WL

Classifieds PUBLICNOTICES

WOKINGHAMBOROUGHCOUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATION

TheTownandCountryPlanning(DevelopmentManagementProcedure)(England)Order2015 AND/OR Planning(ListedBuildingsandConservationAreas)Regulations1990

Thefollowingapplication(s)havebeensubmittedandareadvertisedforthereasonsbelow:

Application Address Reasonsfor Advert Description

223795 TheGreyhoundInn, 79HighStreet, Wargrave

Conservation Area

Fullapplicationfortheproposedchangeofuseoftheexisting buildingtoflexibleusewithinClassesE,C1andsuigeneris(drinking establishment)withchangestofenestration,demolitionofasingle storeystructureandprovisionofanawning,pluspartialdemolition andconversionoftheexistingoutbuildingincludingerectionofa parttwostoreypartfirstfloorextensiontocreateatwostorey outbuildingforflexibleusewithinClassesE,F1andF2;associated landscaping,additionof2no.AirSourceHeatPumps,parking alterations,removalofoldaccessandprovisionofnewaccessoff SchoolLanewithadroppedkerb.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR A TRAINEE REPORTER?

-Haveyoualreadydemonstratedaclearinterestinacareerin journalism(orsomeotherformofwriting)?

-Doyoulivein-ornear-theboroughsofWokinghamorReading?

-Areyouflexibleenoughtodealwithawiderangeofpeopleata widerangeoftimes?

-DoyouhaveA-levelsorsimilarqualifications?orareyouworking towardsanNCTJqualification?

-Doyouhaveadrivinglicence/car?

Ifso,youcouldsoonbeworkingalongsideourprofessionaland seasonedteamofnewsreporterswhoarekeentoteachyouallthey know.Theworkisnotalwaysglamorous-butitissometimes excitinganditisalwaysimportant!

230618

TheThatch,Church Lane,ThreeMile Cross

230743 LibraryParade, Crockhamwell Road,Woodley

230758 Bartletts Farmhouse, SwallowfieldRoad, Arborfield

230759 Bartletts Farmhouse, SwallowfieldRoad, Arborfield

Workstoa listed building

Major Application

Workstoa listed building

Workstoa listed building

ApplicationforListedBuildingconsentfortheproposedpartial demolitionoftheexistingsinglestoreyrearextensionanderection ofasinglestoreyrearextension.

Fullapplicationfortheproposedcreationofamixedusebuilding consistingoftheretentionoftheexisting3no.retailstoresat groundfloorlevelandtheadditionof14no.apartmentsonnewfirst, secondandthirdfloorlevels,includingtheerectionofthreeandfour storeyrearextensionswithassociatedcarparking,cycleandbin stores,followingpartialdemolitionoftheexistingbuilding.

Householderapplicationfortheproposednewdrivewayaccessand droppedkerb.

ListedBuildingConsentapplicationfortheproposednewdriveway accessanddroppedkerb.

Theapplicationisavailabletoview onlineatwokingham.gov.uk � Planning � Searchplanningapplicationsand typingintheapplicationnumberabove. Commentsontheapplicationcanbemade onlinefromthiswebpage. Anycommentsmustarriveonorbeforethe2ndMay2023. Anycommentsmadearenotconfidentialandcanbeseen byanyoneastheyformpartofthepublicrecord.Thecomments,unlessoffensive,discriminatoryand/orracist,will appearontheCouncil’swebsitewithin24hoursand includethesubmittednameandaddress. Duetothehighvolume ofcommentsreceivedwedonotprovideindividualresponses.

Date:6thApril2023

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The perfect Easter Sunday for all the family, we have a special Sunday lunch menu to make it an occasion to remember – new beginnings, full of the joys of spring! Join us for our delicious three courses Sunday Roast Lunch with all the trimmings.

Three Course Sunday Menu Tea, Coffee and Petit Fours Priced at £34.95 per person

LEISURETODAY

Your guide to what’s on across Reading and Wokingham

Flying in Reading Rep welcomes fresh cast for its trip to Neverland

READING Repertory Theatre is gearing up for its latest production, the world premiere of Chris Cuming’s adaptation of Peter Pan.

It is also undergoing the launch of its first repertory company, which features performers from Reading.

Reading Rep has announced the full cast of the show, with Marley Lockhart taking the title role of the eponymous Pan, and Holly Rose portraying Wendy.

They’ll be joined by Amy Ambrose as both Hook and Mrs Darling, and Jak Ford Lane as Smee and Mr Darling, with Joe Swift and Eugene Evans rounding out the principal cast.

The new Repertory Company will see Aiden Marshall, Zoe Peters, Sharae

Williams, Aniva Costa, Sam Francomb, and David Hill take to the stage for the company’s first outing.

David Hill said of being cast: “Having studied at East 15 acting school and now on my second year of Reading Rep Young Company, I am incredibly excited to be a part of my first professional show.

“Performing theatre has always brought me so much joy and I couldn’t wish to share the magic of Peter Pan with a better group of people.”

Zoe Peters said, “As of this year I was in the position to take part in various workshops with the National Youth Theatre and I joined the Young Company of Reading Rep devising new pieces of work where I heard

about the opportunity to audition for an ensemble role in the production of Peter Pan.

“From this experience, I have learnt the importance of the ensemble, setting the pace and driving the action forward. Working alongside some incredible actors and a professional crew has pushed me to further develop my approach to theatre.

“I was very lucky to start performing at a young age having opportunities growing up to take part in pantos, musicals, and ballets, and since my love for theatre has grown.”

Sharae Williams said, “I think rehearsals are such a joy to be in, we achieve so much which you’d think would be stressful but is quite the

opposite. It’s a very safe space and everyone is so kind and unjudgmental.

“I enjoy the dances and I love the sequences involving Tinkerbell– it’s a very magical experience.”

Paul Stacey, Founding Artistic Director of the company, said of the production, “Reading Rep Theatre is continually reinventing itself as we move toward the close of our second season in our new venue.

“What better way to tell that story than through the eyes of Peter Pan: the boy who wouldn’t grow up.

“For the first time at Reading Rep our incredible professional cast will be working alongside a Rep Company comprised of local young people from our awardwinning ENGAGE programme, which

exists to ensure that everyone in Reading can access their local professional theatre.”

Reading Repertory Theatre is a multi-award winning theatre, including a Pride of Reading award for its cultural contribution in 2016, with founding artistic director Paul Stacey also receiving the Pride of Reading Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2021.

It is also supporting the Pride of Reading Awards in 2023.

Peter Pan is running at Reading Repertory Theatre from Thursday, April 6, to Saturday, April 29. n Full details and access to tickets is available via: www.readingrep.com/ peter-pan/

Puss In Boots show

LYNGO Theatre is bringing to life a classic tale.

Using smoke and mirrors, hidden trapdoors, and a sloping stage, the story of Puss In Boots will be told.

The show includes puppets and a working windmill and is suitable for ages four and upwards.

It takes place in Maidenhead, at Norden Farm Arts Centre’s Courtyard Theatre.

Performances are on Tuesday, April 11 through to Thursday, April 13. Shows are at 11.30am and 2pm each day.

Tickets cost £12, £10 for under 16s, or £40 for four people together. Children under 18 months, happy to sit on laps, enter free.

n For more details or to book, call the box office on: 01628 788977 or log on to: norden.farm

Solo recital concert

Norden Farm is welcoming a talented pianist for a solo recital.

Meng Yang Pan will perform Liszt’s Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude: Funerailles, Glinka’s The Lark, arranged by Balakirev, Rachmaninov’s Prelude in B flat major, and Albeniz Cantos’ de Espana.

The programme will end with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

The event takes place at Norden Farm Arts Centre, on Thursday, April 13.

Doors open at 7.30pm, with tickets available for £18. Under 18s get in free.

n For tickets and information, call the box office on: 01628 788977 or log on to: norden.farm

Edie’s

From their sleepy farmhouse at the edge of Salisbury Plain, they await the

don’t know what we’re doing.

Eshaan Akbar’s new show The Pretender, see everyone making it up as they go along.

He has been seen on BBC1’s Mock

The Week, QI and Live At The Apollo.

His show comes to Norden Farm Arts

Centre, on Thursday, April 13.

Doors open at 8pm, with tickets £15.

n For more details or to book, call the box office on: 01628 788977 or log on to: norden.farm

n He will also be visited Reading’s South Street arts centre on Saturday, April 22

Boho opera

UKRAINIAN Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv will be performing La Bohème in Reading later this month.

arrival of a young visitor and a reunion that will expose a family whose closeness is fraying at the seams.

Performances are Tuesday to Saturday until Saturday, April 22.

Doors open at 7.30pm, with Thursday and Saturday matinées at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £10, £23, £30, and £35 depending on seat location. n For tickets, call: 01635 46044 or visit: www.watermill.org.uk

The set reflects the Bohemian art of the period and will include a local brass band, snow effects and Muzetta’s dog.

The opera is sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Directed by Ellen Kent, the traditionally staged production features international soloists and a full orchestra

The event is at The Hexagon Theatre, on Thursday, April 13. Doors open at 7.30pm, with tickets available for £31, £33, and £36 depending on seating. Concessions are offered £2 off the ticket price.

n For more details or to book, call the box office on: 0118 960 6060 or visit: whatsonreading.com

Bootstrap paradox

A COMEDIAN is preparing to have a proper laugh about the times when we

It follows the story of the doomed, and consumptive Mimi and her love for a penniless writer.

MUSICAL Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie, a shoe factory owner, struggling to save his family business.

Reader travel

His unlikely new friend Lola is a cabaret performer and drag queen, with an exciting idea.

The two have nothing in common, yet together they create a line of sturdy stiletto boots unlike any others.

The show will be performed at South Hill Park in Bracknell next week, and features local talent in the cast, as well as music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, audiences should hot foot it to Bracknell’s South Hill Park Arts Centre.

Performances, suitable for eight years and over, are on Tuesday, April 11 through to Saturday, April 16. Shows are at 2pm and 7pm each day. Tickets cost £24, with concessions available for £22.

Lunchtime brunch shows on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, offer afternoon tea and prosecco for an additional £17.50 per person, available from 11am.

n For more details or to book, call the box office on: 01344 484123 or log on to: www.southhillpark.org.uk

The Price is right

BRITISH guitarist Nigel Price will plays a blend of flowing bebop lines, blues and swing when he appears at South Hill Park this weekend.

A regular performer at Ronnie Scott’s, he is also the founder and champion of the Grassroots Jazz charity.

He will be joined by the Bracknell Jazz house band with Jonny Ford on tenor sax.

The event is at South Hill Park Arts Centre, on Friday, April 7.

Doors open at 7.30pm, with tickets available for £8.

n For more details or to book, call the box office on: 01344 484123 or log on to: www.southhillpark.org.uk

Twist and shout

AUDIENCES can enjoy an unusual evening of dance choreographed to some

Bracknell – South Hill Park

www.southhillpark.org.uk 01344 484123

Bracknell Jazz: Nigel Price. Fri 7. The Comedy Cellar. Fri 7. Kinky Boots.

Tues 11-Sun 16. The Comedy Cellar.

Fri 14.

FILMS: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (18). Thurs 6. The Whale (15). Fri 7-Sun 9 Carry On Cabby.

Mon 10. Broker (12a). Mon 10-Tues

11. The Amazing Maurice (PG). Wed

12-Sat 15. Royal Opera House Live - Cinderella (12a). Wed 12, Sun 16.

Women Talking (15). Fri 14-Sun 16.

Camberley – Theatre

camberleytheatre.biz 01276 707600

Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Thurs

6. Chris McCausland. Wed 12. The Hollies Story. Thurs 13. Pop Diva

Live. Sun 16.

Guildford – Yvonne Arnaud

yvonne-arnaud.co.uk 01483 440000

Room on the Broom. Fri 7-9. Grease. Thurs 13-Sat 15.

High Wycombe – Swan

wycombeswan.co.uk 01494 512000

Ministry of Science live. Thurs 6. The UK

Pink Floyd Experience. Fri 7. Fireman

Sam Live. Sat 8. The ELO Experience.

Thurs 13. Totally Tina. Fri 14. Giovanni Pernice - Made In Italy. Sat

15. Buckinghamshire County Youth Orchestra. Sun 16. Nadiya and KaiOnce Upon A Time. Sun 16.

Henley – Kenton

kentontheatre.co.uk 01491 525050

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Wed 5-Sat 8. Attenborough and his Animals.

Sun 9. Beatles Ballet. Fri 14. Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band farewell tour. Sat 15. Cinderella The Ballet. Sun 16.

of the Beatles greatest hits.

Choreographer Sara Knight, Royal Ballet School graduate and artistic director of New York’s Chevalier Ballet Company, has teamed up with British Beatles tribute band Beatlemania for a unique evening of music and dance.

Beatles hits including: Something, Here comes the Sun, and A Day in the Life, will accompany the choreography in this family friendly show.

Innovative and varied, with a cheeky sixties vibe, the event is at Henley’s Kenton Theatre, on Friday, April 14.

Doors open at 7.30pm, with tickets available for £20, or £18 for concessions. n For more details or to book, call the box office on: 01491 525050 or log on to: www.kentontheatre.co.uk

China Crisis tour date

NEW wave and synth pop band China Crisis will be performing in Wokingham next weekend.

The 1980s group, from Merseyside found success in the UK with five top 40 singles, 10 top 50 singles and three top 40 albums.

They also enjoyed hits across Australia, Europe and the Americas. The band is known for their string of hit singles, including African & White, Christian, Working with Fire and Steel, Black Man Ray and Wishful Thinking,

Their RETROspective Tour sees the band performing these and songs from all of their seven studio albums.

Hosted by Wokingham Music Club, the event takes place at The Whitty Theatre, on Friday, April 14.

Doors open at 7.30pm, with tickets available for £26.

n For tickets and information visit: www. luckleyhouseschool.org/the-whittytheatre

Maidenhead – Norden Farm

www.nordenfarm.org

01628 788997

Curious Investigators. Thurs 6. Simon

Brodkin: Screwed Up. Thurs 6. Meet

Me In The Bathroom (15). Fri 7.

Professor Slug’s House of Bugs. Sat

8. Wrong Jovi. Sat 8. Puss In Boots.

Tues 11. The Acoustic Sessions. Tues

11. Emmanuel Sonubi - Emancipated.

Tues 11. Singalonga Matilda (PG).

Wed 12. Royal Opera House Live -

Cinderella. Wed 12. Eshann Akbar

- The Pretender. Thurs 13. Pianists

at Norden Farm - Meng Yang Pan.

Thurs 13. Rock n Roll Concertini. Fri

14. Mummies (U). Fri 14. Art Themen

sax - Back to Bepop. Fri 14. Rye Lane (15). Fri 14. Flash - A tribute to

Queen. Sat 15.

Newbury – Corn Exchange

www.cornexchangenew.com

0845 5218 218

Francis Rossi’s Tunes and Chat. Thurs

6. Family Film: Chicken Run. Sat 8.

RB Live: Cinderella. Wed 12. Tots

Cinema. Thurs 13. The Wizard of Oz.

Fri 14-Sun 16.

Newbury – The Watermill

www.watermill.org.uk 01635 46044

Visitors. Until Sat 22.

Reading – South Street

whatsonreading.com 0118 960 6060

Jayde Adams: Men, I Can Save You. Fri

7. Bilal Zafar - Care. Thurs 13. Ivo Graham - My Future, My Clutter. Fri

14-Sat 15. Poets’ Cafe. Fri 14.

Reading – The Hexagon

www.whatsonreading.com

0118 960 6060

La Boheme. Thurs 13. Ward Thomas. Mon 17.

Reading – Concert Hall www.whatsonreading.com

0118 960 6060

Jonathan Biss piano. Tues 18.

Reading – Progress www.progresstheatre.co.uk 0118 384 2195

Dinner. Apr 14-22.

Reading – Reading Rep www.readingrep.com 0118 370 2620 Peter Pan. Apr 6-29.

Shinfield – Players shinfieldplayers.org.uk 0118 975 8880

NEXT SHOW: Ravenscroft. Wed Apr 26-Fri Apr 29.

Sonning – The Mill millatsonning.com 0118 969 8000 Noel Coward’s Hay Fever. Until May 13. Storytime - The Snail and the Whale. Wed 12. Dire Straits Money For Nothing. Sun 16.

Windsor – Theatre Royal www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk 01753 853888

Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear. Mon 3-Sat 8. Legally Blonde Jr. Wed 12-Sat 15.

Wokingham – Theatre

www.wokinghamtheatre.org.uk

0118 978 5363

NEXT SHOW: Flare Path. Thurs Apr 27-Sat May 6.

Wokingham – The Whitty thewhittytheatre.org 0118 974 3247 Music Club: China Crisis. Fri 14.

Woodley – Theatre

www.woodleytheatre.org

07488337838

NEXT SHOW: Educating Rita. June 20-24.

We don’t know what we’re doing

VISITORS is a story about hope and enduring love and it’s coming to The Watermill in Newbury.

mind is starting to falter and Arthur’s legs aren’t what they were but, from the comfort of their armchairs, they dive into a kaleidoscope of memories from their life together.

The British Invasion is coming Tony’s Sounds of the Sixties coming to The Hexagon

THEY’VE been part of the soundtrack of our lives for more than 60 years, and this autumn they will be performing in Reading’s The Hexagon theatre.

The Hollies are one of the key bands of the 1960s British Invasion era alongside the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, thanks to hit songs including He Aint’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, Bus Stop, and The Air That I Breathe.

The band have more than 20 worldwide hits, including number one singles in both the US and UK.

And they have spent 263 weeks in the UK top 40, as well as performing continuously since their formation in 1962.

It’s not just in the hit parade that they have been wowing people. The Hollies hit have been used to create stand-out moments in movies and adverts.

In 1995, they were bestowed the coveted Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution To British Music, and in 2010 were inducted into the American Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame for their ‘impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of Rock and Roll’.

To celebrate their seventh decade as a band, they are going back on the road with a UK tour ending at the London Palladium. They will be in Reading on Friday, October 6.

The line-up includes drummer Bobby Elliott, and singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist Tony Hicks, both of whom are original members of the band. They are joined by lead singer Peter Howarth, as well as bass player Ray Stiles, Keyboardist Ian Parker, and Steve Lauri on Rhythm Guitar. n For tickets to the Reading date visit: whatsonreading.com/venues/hexagon/whats-on/ evening-hollies

n For more visit: TheHolliesOfficial.com

HE’S THE king of the jungle, the king of airwaves, and one of the nicest people in showbiz.

Few people know more about pop music of the swinging sixties than Tony Blackburn, and to prove it he’s coming to Reading’s Hexagon theatre this autumn.

Originally a pirate DJ for Radio Caroline, he was the first voice on BBC Radio 1. Since then, he’s hosted Top of the Pops, presented disco championships, worn medallions, seen his dog Arnold have a comic strip in Look-In, been a regular voice on BBC Radio Berkshire, and now he’s the host of BBC Radio 2’s Sounds of the Sixties.

The popular show, which plays sixties music for two hours every Saturday morning, includes some of the corniest jokes on the planet, while celebrating the decade that changed popular culture forever.

And he’s bring the show from the airwaves to the stage, including his stop in the Ding on Tuesday, October 3.

For one night only, theatregoers can imagine the days of the Top Rank club, as his Sounds of the 60s All-Star Band

and Singers perform classic hits from the likes of Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Everly Brothers, Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Drifters, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye.

A champion in particular of Soul music throughout the 60’s, Tony has been recognised with 37 awards to his name including two Gold Awards for Outstanding

Burlesque social

IOTA EVENTS is now offering a regular sessions for fans of racy routines and alluring acrobatics with its latest social.

The Social Burlesque Club now takes place on Thursdays most weeks, with one Thursday every month dedicated purely to socials.

There’s no syllabus or teaching course, as the group is free-form with a social focus and the aim to create a safe space for people to experiment with the discipline.

Sessions are led by Mojo Jones of The Scarlet Vixens, a troupe which has put on burlesque and cabaret shows for more than a decade.

The group fosters an atmosphere of body positivity and personal confidence, with a private, softly-lit performance space free from mirrors. Attendees must be over the age of 18, and full nudity is not permitted, with advanced booking required.

Tickets cost £10 per session.

Sessions run from 6pm-7pm most Thursdays, in Reading Biscuit Factory.

n For details, contact Iota Events via Instagram

From The Jam

MODS will be rocking in Reading this October, as From The Jam perform at The Hexagon.

The group formed in 2006, and include former Jam drummer Rick Buckler, and bassist and songwriter Bruce Foxton.

Contribution to Radio, becoming the first person in history to receive two of these lifetime achievement awards. Tony is also recognised for becoming the first King of the Jungle in the original series of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity –Get Me Out Of Here.

n For more details, log on to: whatsonreading.com/venues/ hexagon/whats-on/sounds-60slive-hosted-tony-blackburn

With Russell Hastings, they will perform some of the group’s biggest hits as they celebrate the 45th anniversary of the third studio album, All Mod Cons. Tracks include Down In Tube Station At Midnight, ‘A’ Bomb In Wardour Street, and David Watts.

For The Hexagon show, they will perform the album in full, along with fan favourites and other Jam hits.

Support comes from SKIDS.

Standing tickets cost £34.50, while seats are £5 more, and the gig is on Saturday, October 14. n For more details, log on to: whatsonreading.com, or call the box office on: 0118 960 6060.

ROCK ON: Tony Blackburn is bringing his BBC Radio 2 show Sounds of the Sixties to The Hexagon in October

Aynsley Lister to perform solo

AWARD-WINNING blues-rock aficionado Aynsley Lister will perform a solo show at St Mary’s Church in Twyford on Saturday, April 15.

Known for his distinctive voice, easy wit, and warm rapport with his audiences, Lister has been performing for over two decades and has released several albums. His solo shows offer a rare chance to see him up close and personal in a stripped-down, intimate setting.

The show will begin at 7.30pm, and will feature a mix of Lister’s original songs and classic covers.

Tickets are £15.

n For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the See Tickets website.

Come and sing

WOKINGHAM Choral Society is hosting a Come and Sing event later this month.

The group’s Greatest Choral Hits day will see participants learn some music, including Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Verdi’s Va pensiero, and Mozart’s Ave verum corpus.

They will then perform them in an informal concert.

It is held at The Holt School in Wokingham on Saturday, April 22. Doors open at 10am.

It is £25 for advance booking or £30 on the day, including music, with concert tickets at £5. n For more information, log on to: wokingham-choral-society.org.uk

Dave clicks and collects the laughs

Dave Gorman - PowerPoint

To The

People

Saturday, April 1

The Hexagon 0118 960 6060

whatsonreading.com

VISITORS to Dave Gorman’s show at a packed Hexagon theatre were able to enjoy plenty of click and collect, plus a healthy dose of name dropping.

The comedian with a black belt in PowerPoint slides, came to Reading to showcase his eye for fine detail and a nose for a perfect gag with his laughter packed show that left audiences wanting more, even though he had entertained them for more than two hours.

The set-up was fairly similar to his Modern Life Is Goodish series on Dave: there’s a theme, and a loose collection of vignettes are cleverly woven together to form a satisfying, coherent whole.

In some ways he is like Ronnie Corbett from his Two Ronnies days, sat in the chair telling shaggy dog story after shaggy dog story to get to the point. In others, he’s like Ringo Starr.

Part of his success lies in making you feel as if he’s your mate, chatting to you down the pub, filling you in the various

escapades he’s had since you last caught up. Relaxed and friendly, warm and engaging, quick witted and funny, Dave Gorman is a master storyteller, and also hilarious. He delights in our laughter, and sometimes gets caught up in our joy.

He also knows how to seed themes and jokes – sharing any of them ahead of seeing the show would spoil the entertainment for those yet to see it, and also the playful mischief that awaits.

That’s another thing about the affable comedian. He’s able to pull off the most amazing stunts and pranks because he’s not out to hurt anyone. If anything, it show that modern life is goodish.

The evening whizzed by, with the first act ending on a Found Poem – a verse written from

Dinner service

extracts of readers comments from newspaper websites. The announcement of his recital illicited loud cheers, the poem much laughter.

As for the name dropping? It’s all good natured mickey taking, involving the likes of Tom Hanks, Barrack Obama, Harrison Ford, Harrison Ford – yes that does make sense when you see the show – and Morgan Freeman. Among many others. Again, they are all name checked for a reason, and a satisfying chuckle.

Immaculately researched, flawlessly delivered, beautifully set up, and neatly stitched together, this was a hugely entertaining night out.

n For more on Dave, visit his website, davegorman.com

READING’S longest producing theatre is setting the table for its latest show.

Progress Theatre is set to show Moira Buffini’s Dinner, a dark comedy which first debuted at the National Theatre in late 2002, and revived at Wyndham’s Theatre.

Dinner sees protagonist Paige inviting friends to dinner to celebrate the publication of her husband’s book, Beyond Belief.

The arrival of an unexpected guest is just one of the events which threatens to derail the event, already marked by a series of bizarre culinary offerings.

Progress features a number of accessible show dates, including socially distanced performances.

Relaxed performances are

adapted to make provisions for families with young children and people with physical or special needs.

This includes a relaxed attitude to audience noise, adaptations to the production to reduce anxiety and sensory stimuli.

It also holds Come As You Are nights, which feature earlier opening times and space to change for trans, non-binary, or gender non-conforming people who can feel excluded or unsafe in certain public spaces

Progress Theatre is showing Dinner from Friday, April 14, to Saturday, April 22.

Accessibility information and tickets are available via: progresstheatre.co.uk/2023dinner

PHIL CREIGHTON

LAUGHTER TIME: Dave Gorman’s PowerPoint to the People

MAKING PROGRESS: Dinner is running at Progress Theatre, The Mount, from April 14 to April 22. Picture: Steve Smyth

LIVEMUSIC

RaW Sounds Today Chris Hillman bit.ly/raw soundstoday

ONE of the great things about the RaW Sounds Today is the diversity of styles, and this week we’ve got plenty of rock for you – all different styles of rock and all good.

There’s alt rock, prog rock and heavy rock for your aural pleasure.

Along with seven other songs, it’s a great listen – tune in for free on Spotify. It’s a mixture that will help you discover something new.

To hear this week’s selection, simply head to https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday and enjoy the music.

There is also a Facebook page and group chat that bands and music fans can tap into. You can search for RaW Sounds Today and it will come up.

Deva St.John – The Curse

Deva has just released her debut EP Nauseous Ad Nauseum from which this song is taken and it’s no surprise that every song is excellent.

There are a couple of songs you’ll know as they have been single releases (DIE! and Pity Party) but there’s new songs too including this one.

It has Deva’s unique alt rock style and powerful

GIG GUIDE

Thursday, April 6

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Iago Banet. Details: www.theacousticcouch.co.uk

READING – The Blagrave Arms, Blagrave Street RG1 1PW. Karaoke. Details: 0118 958 6775.

READING – The Butler, Chatham Street RG1 7DS. FSJB presents Limpopo Groove. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING – Milk, Merchants Place RG1

1DT. The Hub Radio Community Station 1 Year Anniversary Fundraiser. Details: https://gofund.me/b2dec44f

READING – Popworld, Friar Street RG1

1EP. Easter special. Details: 0118 959 5395.

READING – Revolucion de Cuba, Friar Street RG1 1EX. Hop Till You Drop. Details: 0118 207 7016.

READING – The Retreat, St John’s Street RG1 4EH. The Village festival presents The Barnstormers. Details: 0118 376 9159.

Good Friday, April 7

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. The Lost Trades, Tomorrow Bird. Details: www. theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. The Take That Experience. Details: 01344 303333.

BRACKNELL – South Hill Park, Ringmead RG12 7PA. Bracknell Jazz: Nigel Price. Details: 01344 484123.

BURGHFIELD – Cunning Man, Burghfield Road RG30 3RB. Earl Tee Live. Details: 0118 959 8067.

EMMBROOK – The Dog and Duck, Matthewsgreen Road RG41 1JT. Karaoke. Details: 0118 978 0544.

EVERSLEY CROSS – The Frog and Wicket, The Green RG27 0NS. Tequila Chase.

Details: 0118 973 1126.

READING – The Butler, Chatham Street RG1 7DS. Storm In A Teacup presents Edwards In Venice and For I Am, Missing The Scene, Launch Control, Harrison Wilde. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING – CultureMix Arts and Music Centre, Queens Walk RG1 7QF.

Reggae Fridays: music, dancing, bar, open mic, music and more. £5. Details: 0118 958 7351.

vocals with heavy but fascinating lyrics and the way the song changes into the piano and vocal ending is unexpected but it works brilliantly.

Deva will be live at a BBC Introducing show at Reading’s Purple Turtle on Thursday, April 20https://www.facebook.com/dayvasaintjohn/

Azure – Spark Madrigal

Modern prog from a Brighton-based band that will be visiting on August Bank Holiday Monday to headline the second stage at Wokingham Festival.

The band have been championed by Prog Magazine as one of the stand out new prog bands so, while we look forward to seeing them, here’s their single from last year on which you can definitely hear their high standard of musicianship - https:// www.facebook.com/azuresongs

Morass of Molasses – Terra Nova

These Reading rockers have been building quite

READING – The Lyndhurst, Queen’s Road RG1 4DG. The Village festival: Cafe Zazous. 1pm. Stever Morano and Band. 5pm. David Gray and John Dunsterville. 9pm. Details: 0118 950

3888.

READING – Pitcher & Piano, Friar Street RG1 1DB. Stars in the their Minds karaoke. Details: 0118 958 8964.

READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. OCD&B: Ghost Hardware, Magnum. Details: 0118 959 7196.

READING – Revolucion de Cuba, Friar Street RG1 1EX. Latin Addiction.

Details: 0118 207 7016.

READING – The Retreat, St John’s Street RG1 4EH. The Go Go Five. 4pm. Phil Braithwaite and Friends. 7pm. Details: 0118 376 9159.

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Ultimate Coldplay Live. Details: 0118 959 5395.

READING – Zerodegrees, Bridge Street. Live music with Amanda’s Music Events.

WOKINGHAM – Broad Street Tavern, Broad Street RG40 1AU. Piston Broke. Details: 0118 977 3706.

YATELEY - The Dog and Partridge, Reading Road GU46 7LR. Emma Baldwin. Details: 01252 870648.

Saturday, April 8

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Jagged Little Alanis with Follow Deep. Details: www.theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. Hedkandi. Details: 01344 303333.

BRACKNELL – The Royal Oak, London Road RG12 2NN. Ear Candy. Details: 01344 422622

CHARVIL - The Wee Waif, Old Bath Road RG10 9RJ. Moon Hill presents karaoke and disco.

PLAYHATCH – The Flowing Spring, Henley Road RG4 9RB. Box Set.

Details: 0118 969 98978.

READING – Hotel 1843 (was Great Expectations), London Street RG1 4PS. Club Candyshop with Mike Delinquent. Host Mr OV. £15. Details: 0118 950 3925.

READING – Grosvenor Casino Reading, Rose Kiln Lane RG2 0SN. Easter Extravaganza. Details: 0118 402 7800.

READING – The Face Bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. Switchblades presents Paul Ansells No9. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING - Lola Lo, Friar Street. Lost Saturdays Easter bunny bash.

READING – The Lyndhurst, Queen’s Road RG1 4DG. The Village festival: L:ily Beck and Friends. 3pm. Skates and Wagons. 7pm. Details: 0118 950 3888.

READING - Oakford Social Club, Blagrave Street. Tov.

READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. Goldsworth Jerry. Details: 0118 959 7196.

READING – The Retreat, St John’s Street RG1 4EH. The Village festival: The Keith Allen Band. 1pm. Jackie Doe and the Uncertainty of Passion. 5pm. Rufus Ruffcut. 9pm. Details: 0118 376 9159.

READING – Salisbury Conservative Club, Kings Road RG1 4HX. Move It. Details: 0118 926 5804.

TILEHURST – The Royal British Legion Club, Downing Road RG31 5BB. W3G. Details: 0118 942 9606.

WHITLEY – Whitley Social Club, RG2 7QA. Mythicals. Details: 0118 374 0052.

WOKINGHAM – Hope and Anchor, Station Road RG40 2AD. The Gas Trick Band. 7.30pm. Details: 0118 977 0918.

YATELEY - The Royal Oak, Reading Road, GU46 7UG. Arachna. Details: 01252 872459.

Easter Sunday, April 9

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. I Got Soul presents David Rodigan. Details: 01344 303333.

READING – The Jazz Cafe, Select Car leasing Stadium RG2 0FL. Genius Easter Birthday Bash. Details: 0118 968 1442.

READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. Hybrid Culture with Don Letts. Details: 0118 959 7196.

READING – The Lyndhurst, Queen’s Road RG1 4DG. The Village festival: Fleur Stevenson and Hugh Turner. 3pm.

Details: 0118 950 3888.

READING – The Retreat, St John’s Street RG1 4EH. The Village Festival: Mayor and James. 1pm.HybridPIG. 9pm .

Details: 0118 376 9159.

TURTLE

DATE: Deva St John playing at the Wokingham Festival. They will be in Reading later this month Picture: Andrew Merritt

a reputation with their brand of heavy blues riff inspired rock and that reputation is likely to be enhanced by their new album, End All We Know, which has just been released.

This is from the album and the band are currently on a UK tour which will see them in their hometown at Reading’s Facebar on Friday, April 14 - https:// www.facebook.com/MorassOfMolasses

Elucidate – Take It

It’s the new single from Elucidate, a Readingbased Alt Rock band, and it’s an exciting song with a driving rhythm section, great riff, and energetic emotive vocals. They will be appearing at Wokingham Festival in August - https://linktr.ee/ ElucidateUK

Jo Bartlett – I Waited A Year

Here’s a musician and singer from Sandhurst. Jo helped to start the legendary Green Man

READING – Popworld, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Easter Sunday Massive. Details: 0118 959 5395.

READING – The Victoria Cross, Basingstoke Road RG2 0NT. RG2 Radio presents Easter Soul Party.

Details: 0118 931 0115.

Easter Monday, April 10

READING – The Retreat, St John’s Street RG1 4EH. The Village Festival: The Acoustic Beatles Shambles. 3pm. Details: 0118 376 9159.

READING – The Polish Club, London Road RG1 4DX. The Village Festival after party: Limpopo Groove. 7.30pm.

Details: 0118 958 9908.

Tuesday, April 11

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. New Music Tuesday. Details: www.theacousticcouch.co.uk

BAGSHOT – The Foresters Arms, London Road. Bracknell Folk Club. Details: www.bracknellfolk.org.uk

READING – Fisherman’s Cottage, Kennet Side RG1 3DW. Live jazz, blues and more. Free entry, donations welcome. Details: 07866 251216.

READING – Pentahotel, Oxford Road RG1 7HR. Alex. Details: 0118 958 6222.

Wednesday, April 12

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Open Mic Night. Details: www.theacousticcouch.co.uk

READING – The Castle Tap, Castle Street RG1 7RJ. Monthly Shanty Session.

Details: 0118 958 0473.

STOKE ROW – Crooked Billet RG9 5PU. Moscow Drug Club. Details: 01491 681048.

Thursday, April 13

ARBORFIELD – Royal British Legion, Eversley Road RG2 9PR. Flying Visit.

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Mr Pineapple. Details: www.theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – The Golden Farmer, Reeds Hill RG12 7LS. Karaoke. Details: 01344 302038.

EARLEY – St Nicolas Church, Sutcliffe Avenue RG6 7JN. Iftar dinner time: Ramandan community dinner organised by the Dialogue Society. 6pm. Entry free, by tiket, donations to Victims of Earthquake

Festival and she’s just released this impressive new single and its wonderful stuff with its mellow synth pop feel - https://linktr.ee/jobartlett

Who Ate All The Crayons – Alive

This Reading band have a new single with a wonderful melody and vocal performance. They will be supporting Deva St.John on Thursday, April 20 at her Purple Turtle show and will be at Wokingham Festival - https://linktr.ee/whoateallthecrayons

Rila’s Edge – Share the Night

Here’s a band on the rise with their latest single, Share the Night. They will be at Wokingham Festival in August - https://www.rilasedge.com/

Spacehopper – Pure Essence

With their colourful fun style, their trance and dub sounds and tracks as good as this new single on our Magick Eye Records label are sure to get everyone up and dancing at Wokingham Festivalhttps://www.spacehoppermusic.com/

Steve Anderson & Chris York – Our Man from France

A wonderful tribute to our friend and guitarist Eric Bouillette by Steve and Chris, who played in The Room with Eric - https://www.ftf-music.com/de/ tributetoericbouillette/tributetoericbouillette.htm

Spriggan Mist – Resurrection

They will be playing not too far away at a double header with Kindred Spirit at Hampton Hub Club on Saturday, April 22 - https://www.sprigganmist.com/

in Turkey and Syria. Details: reading@ dialoguesociety.org

READING – The Blagrave Arms, Blagrave Street RG1 1PW. Karaoke. Details: 0118 958 6775.

READING – The Butler, Chatham Street RG1 7DS. Hugh Turner Funk Quartet

Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING - Lola Lo, Friar Street. Skint Thursdays: Skint Rock, pop punk and classic rock, plus house and techo.

Details: Twitter @skintmondays

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Club Velocity presents Shonen Knife 40th anniversary tour. Details: 0118 959 5395.

WOKINGHAM – The Grasshopper, Rose Street RG40 1XU. Live at the Grasshopper: Mark Warner’s Full Swing. From 6.30pm. Details: 0118 901 2678.

WOKINGHAM – The Victoria Arms, Easthampstead Road RG40 2EH. Open mic night. Details: 0118 979 9437.

Friday, April 14

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Scarlet Vixens Burlesque Show. Details: www. theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. Black Market. Details: 01344 303333.

GORING – Community Centre, The Old School Station Road RG8 9HB. Hugh Turner quartet. 8pm. £10.

READING – The Butler, Chatham Street RG1 7DS. Open mic night. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING – The Face Bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. The Swamp - Morass of Molasses hometown show. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING - Lola Lo, Friar Street. Wendy Allen saxophonist

READING – Pentahotel, Oxford Road RG1 7HR. One Eyed Man. Details: 0118 958 6222.

READING – Pitcher & Piano, Friar Street RG1 1DB. Stars in the their Minds karaoke. Details: 0118 958 8964.

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. The Beat featuring Ranking Jnr. Details: 0118 959 5395.

WOKINGHAM – Broad Street Tavern, Broad Street RG40 1AU. Plato and the Bees. Details: 0118 977 3706.

Saturday, April 15

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. The Slough Dominican Association presents Still Doing It For Dominica. Details: www. theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. Ultimate Party Band. Details: 01344 303333.

BRACKNELL – The Royal Oak, London Road RG12 2NN. Tequila Chase.

Details: 01344 422622

CAVERSHAM – Working Men’s Club, Church Street RG4 8AU. David Bunce

Presents. Details: 0118 954 5434.

LOWER EARLEY – Maiden Place Social Club, Maiden Place RG6 3HD. Gary Roman as Elvis. Details: 0118 986 8995.

READING – The Face Bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. Skanna Audio presents Stomptopia. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING – Fisherman’s Cottage, Kennet Side RG1 3DW. Wardour Street.

READING – Grosvenor Casino Reading, Rose Kiln Lane RG2 0SN. Chasing Mumford. Details: 0118 402 7800.

READING – Salisbury Conservative Club, Kings Road RG1 4HX. Audiotonic.

Details: 0118 926 5804.

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP.

Tuffbreaks 360º audio-visual showcase

Details: 0118 959 5395.

READING – The Turks, London Road RG1 5BJ. Big Black Boots. Details: 0118 957 6930.

WOKINGHAM – Hope and Anchor, Station Road RG40 2AD. Bottlekids. 7.30pm. Details: 0118 977 0918.

WOKINGHAM - The White Horse, Easthampstead Road RG40 3AF. Matt Bond. Details: 0118 979 7402.

Sunday, April 16

READING – The Blagrave Arms, Blagrave Street RG1 1PW. Sunday Karaoke.

Details: 0118 958 6775.

READING – Community Hall, Watlington House, Watlington Street RG1 4RJ. Readifolk presents: The Foxglove Trio.

Details: www.readifolk.org.uk

READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. Reggae Sundays. Details: 0118 959 7196.

SONNING – The Mill at Sonning, Sonning Eye RG4 6TY. Dire Straits Money For Nothing. Details: 0118 969 8000.

TO ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE, CALL CLAIRE ON: 0118 327 2662

Quiz Challenge

1. In Greek mythology, who unwittingly married his mother, Jocasta?

2. A D-Day museum containing the Overlord Embroidery is in which city?

3. Boyars were once the highest order of nobility in which country?

4. Allison Fisher was the first woman to turn professional in which indoor sport?

5. Which Hollywood actor also directed the films The Ides of March, The Monuments Men and The Midnight Sky?

6. Which newspaper ceased publication in 1964 and was replaced by The Sun?

7. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina is a hit song from which musical?

8. Which fictional puppet was brought to life by the Blue Fairy?

9. What was the name of celebrity chef Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall’s country home, used in his TV series?

10. In 2022, Giorgia Meloni became Prime Minister of which country?

AJ EL WB UE LM

IU HI AI

RL IE PA LI MD

EO LE BL

DR AE ED DF SY

Here are two miniature five-square crosswords using the same grid –but the letters have been mixed up. You have to work out which letters belong to which crossword.

1. Actor, ever confused, will respond in an excessive way (9)

8. Pine woodwork? (4)

9. Now I’d include the head of state (9)

11. Doctor in 10 Down found in the wood (6)

12. Offender breaks reins about mid-morning (6)

13. Game bird fluttering around fictional village (8)

16. Father to strike our illicit lover (8)

20. Nathan by the river has character (6)

21. Recording a simple chance to score first goal (6)

23. Bird well below par (9)

24. She is called names in part (4)

25. Such clothes will stop old Bob moving like a duck (9)

Place the four signs (add, subtract, multiply, divide) one in each circle so that the total of each across and down line is the same.

Perform the first calculation in each line first and ignore the mathematical law which says you should always perform division and multiplication before addition and subtraction.

2. Take airline first class back to state (8)

3. Getting up a revolt (6)

4. The Spanish party take different road to a legendary city (2,6)

5. Money despatched, we hear (4)

6. Searched for a place to spend the night (6)

7. Around end of year staff go hungry (6)

10. Neckwear requires right fastener (4)

14. Gets the measure of building at farm? (8)

15. Station troops in a fortified town (8)

16. Dawdling craftsman? (6)

17. About to languish or feel discontent (6)

18. Picture the girl with Lisa (4)

19. In haste Roland obtains alcohol (6)

22. Look warm and scowl without hesitation (4)

S I T

1. Compact (5)

4. Talk over (7)

8. Comprehensive volume (7)

9. Mammary gland (5)

10. Meat pie (5)

13. Infected cavity (7)

17. Stray (3)

1. Body of soldiers (5)

2. Biological group (5)

3. Brindled (5)

4. Disqualify (6)

5. Ostracises (5)

6. Excessive (5)

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

123456 R 78910 O 111213

14151617 M 181920212223242526

Each number in our Cross Code grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. You have three letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters should go in the missing squares.

As you get the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and control grid. Check off the alphabetical list of letters as you identify them.

Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9, and so must each 3 x 3 box.

K C R

M U D

How many words of four letters or more can you make from this Nonagram? Each word must use the central letter, and each letter may be used only once. At least one word using all nine letters can be found.

Guidelines:

19 Good; 22 Very Good; 26 Excellent.

82 1 75 9 597 6 4 2 9 4 5 6 18 2 943 1 4 9 5 6 8 258 82 1 4

SOLUTIONS

Basis; 26 Blaze; 27 Lunar.

Swine; 17 Edge; 21 Errant; 22 Press; 23 Orate; 24 Prong; 25

Undue; 7 Sores; 11 Abhor; 12 Truss; 14 Brat; 15 Circa; 16

Down – 1 Troop; 2 Genus; 3 Tabby; 4 Disbar; 5 Shuns; 6

31 Smear.

Sinner; 13 Ambridge; 16 Paramour; 20 Nature; 21 Taping; 23 Albatross; 24 Edna;

Across – 1 Overreact; 8 Fret; 9 President; 11 Timber; 12

ACROSS DOWN

Meal planning

Healthy Heart Tip

IT’S 6pm, you’ve just got home from work and are about to make your evening meal, you look in the fridge and find some mince and a pepper and decide to make a chilli.

You open the cupboard, grab the kidney beans, and then realise you’ve run out of chopped tomatoes.

The chilli you planned on making is no more, you don’t have the energy to go shopping so you reach for your phone and order a takeaway.

If this sounds

familiar, you’re not alone. Effective meal planning can make eating healthier easier, save money, time and reduce food waste.

Read on for some meal planning tips.

Plan in advance

Planning your meals in advance is one of the most effective things you can do to make sure you eat a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet.

Seeing your week’s food together in one place can help you identify anything you might be missing.

For example, you may notice you haven’t

LifeofBrian

Brian Hicks

included your two portions of oily fish and can re-design your meals to incorporate them.

A shopping list is key

Once you have your meal plan, you can get to work creating your shopping list.

It’s wise to do this in your kitchen so you can check what staples you have in as you go.

If you find this task boring and time consuming, try creating a list of weekly staples that you can reuse each week.

You can always cross things off you don’t need that week but it can save time to have a master list and then add things to it based on what meals you’ve planned.

Utilise your freezer Plans can change and using the freezer wisely

can help. Take stock of your fridge every few days and freeze anything you’ve not ended up using.

You can always cook meals you haven’t used and freeze them

YOUR GARDEN IN APRIL Be water

wise

THE garden really comes alive in April and it can be a brilliant gardening month as the days get longer and the weather milder.

In addition to dead-heading spring bulbs it’s time to get planting, and some seeds can be sown directly into the ground now the soil is moist and warming up.

April can be a wet month … as the saying goes April showers bring May flowers so it’s a good time to think about water supply and usage in your garden - not just from a sustainable and environmental perspective but also from a cost consideration as water meters become the norm. So, thrifty tip for the month is … conserve water and harvest the rain.

Rainwater isn’t just free, it’s also better for your plants. If you have space and a downpipe from guttering then get a water butt.

There are a number of schemes around the UK offering free or subsidised water butts so check with your local council first before you buy one.

for a convenient meal another day. It’s a good idea to have some basics in the freezer like frozen vegetables and cookfrom-frozen fish. With basics like rice and pasta in the

cupboard you can make unplanned meals easily.

n For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www. heartresearch.org.uk/ healthy-tips

Star-studded cast for World Bipolar Day

THURSDAY 30 March was

World Bipolar Day. An on-line video conference was organised by the mental health charity, Bipolar UK, which provides a wide range of support services for those with bipolar. Several thousand people participated and the whole conference can be viewed at www. bipolaruk.org/conference-2023.

One of the highlights was when former world champion boxer, Frank Bruno, talked to mental health campaigner, Alastair Campbell, about how to live well with bipolar and his life after boxing. Campbell lost a cousin to bipolar and has himself suffered from long-term depression. He was formerly the communications director at 10 Downing Street and spokesman for the Labour Party.

The conference was hosted by the presenter of Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun, Leah Charles King, who has recently written a short book, Live Well with Bipolar, about her own experience of bipolar (free to view at www.tinyurl.com/ bipolar25).

Bipolar UK’s CEO, Simon Kitchen, and his deputy, Rosie Phillips, herself bipolar, gave an update on the charity and explained what steps you can take if you think you may have bipolar.

TV presenter Nadia Sawalha and her husband Mark Adderley joined psychiatrist Dr Nick Prior to discuss how a diagnosis of bipolar can impact relationships and family life.

Four world-leading experts and

those with personal experience discussed how to manage some of the bipolar symptoms no-one talks about: hypersexual behaviour, overspending, paranoid behaviour and disrupted sleep. There was also a discussion about parenting with bipolar.

The first World Bipolar Day was celebrated in 2014, so this year’s event was the 10th.

The date of March 30 was chosen as it is the birthday of the Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh, who was retrospectively diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Van Gogh was born in 1853, but was only 37 when he committed suicide. The aim of

World Bipolar Day is to increase awareness of bipolar disorder and eliminate social stigma.

Bipolar is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out everyday tasks. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe and different from the normal ups and downs that everyone experiences.

An estimated 1-2 million people in the UK suffer with bipolar, previously known as manic depression. Diagnosis is not easy and takes nearly ten years on average. Most start with symptoms in their late teens or early twenties.

Bipolar UK set up the Bipolar Commission in 2021 with the aims of reducing the risk of suicide and transforming healthcare for people living with bipolar. To see its report, visit www.bipolaruk.org/ bipolarcommission.

The Australian psychiatrist John Cade published a research paper in 1948 showing that lithium carbonate is an effective treatment for bipolar. The Danish researcher, Mogens Schou, subsequently confirmed the efficacy of lithium in further research and eventually it was introduced into psychiatric practice throughout the world. Lithium carbonate has proved to be the most effective treatment for bipolar and has been shown to reduce suicide risk. However, noone really knows how it works.

In the UK, lithium was introduced in the 1960s. Dr Frank Hullin, the father of a school friend of mine, was one of the UK pioneers in its development. I remember reading about his work in the local newspapers, little realising that 35 years later I would be diagnosed as bipolar myself.

I had a nervous breakdown when I was 23. I had a second, much worse breakdown 30 years later in 2005. This was wrongly diagnosed as reactive depression. It was a further three years before I was finally diagnosed as bipolar. Now that I am on the right dose of lithium, my life has been transformed. I have got my old mind back, which I had effectively lost at 23, if not before.

Better late than never.

Alternatively, you could use an old dustbin with taps and converter kits readily available from DIY retailers. Uncovered water butts will be a magnet for mosquito larvae, so make sure you keep you water supply covered.

Finding creative ways to reuse water will really make a difference. In addition to using grey water from washing up or taking a bath or shower, you can collect and use cooking water.

Simply remove whatever you were cooking, let the water cool to room temperature and then use it in the garden. It can also double up as a plant supplement as nutrients that leach during cooking from vegetables and eggs enhance the water.

When watering plants – especially in containers or around newly planted trees and shrubs – try to avoid any wastage by getting water right into the soil. An easy way to do this is to recycle a one-litre plastic bottle. Unscrew and discard the top, cut off the base of the bottle, and then push it lid end down into the soil.

Once deep enough so it doesn’t fall over, fill the bottle with water and it will drip water gradually where it is needed the most direct to the plant roots.

As garden soil gets wetter and warmer, now is the ideal time to sow your favourite annual herbs for a summer supply says the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society). Sow seeds of parsley, basil and chives in seed trays or individual modules and place on a sunny windowsill.

You can now start to sow coriander, dill and chervil direct into the ground and Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary or oregano can be planted outside this month in free-draining soil.

Rosemary is such a versatile herb providing evergreen interest all year round, fragrant leaves for use in cooking and nectar-rich flowers for bees in spring. It thrives in a sunny, sheltered spot in well-drained soil and also grows well in containers but may need to be potted on every couple of years.

There are a number of different varieties to choose from including … ‘Tuscan Blue’ one of the best for topiaries - with dense blue-green foliage it’s highly fragrant and grows four feet tall; ‘Prostratus’ is great for planting in window boxes because it cascades down; and ‘Majorca Pink’ produces pink flowers in spring/summer and is highly aromatic.

The RHS Gardener’s Checklist for April

n Plant hardy container-grown trees and shrubs

n Prune hardy Fuchsia back to healthy buds

n Sow sweet peas outside

n Prune winter stems such as Cornus and Salix

n Look out for pests on new shoots

n Sow hardy vegetables such as carrots and beetroot outside

n Plant out chitted potatoes

n Watch out for late frosts

n Check hedges and shrubs for birds’ nests before pruning

n Keep bird feeders clean to help prevent diseases spreading

Vincent van Gogh Picture: Prawny from Pixabay

JOAO GOAL ENDS LOSING RUN

BEST FOR YELLAS ON WAY WOODLEY WIN

RUGBY TO WEMBLEY CUP FINAL PLACE

ROYALS IN SCRAP TO AVOID DROP

TURN ON A SIX POINTS

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

READING FC have been given six point deduction from the English Football League for the second consecutive season.

The points penalty means that the Royals drop down to 20th in the

BOWEN: ‘THIS IS THE LAST OF OUR MEDICINE’

READING FC head of football operations Mark Bowen has released an open letter to the fans after the club were hit with a sixpoint deduction by the EFL.

Outlining the details why they have been punished for the league for the second season running, Bowen has reassured fans that he believes the club will no longer be under a transfer embargo come the summer.

The letter reads: “We are very confident that this six-point penalty is the last of our medicine and we will now be allowed to come out of the embargo and be able to trade again in the summer.

“We must still be sensible, we will still be given a budget to stick to, but we have earned their trust to operate wisely. Last summer we had so many different hoops to jump through to be able to get anything done at all.

“This summer will be different.” Bowen also explained why the club hasn’t been able to comply with the budget and what restrcitions may be in place in the summer.

He continued: “Last season, the club entered into discussions with the EFL on our punishment for breaching Profit & Sustainability rules.

“The club came to an agreement on a six-point deduction in 2021-22, with six points suspended until 2022-23 if an agreed plan to fill the financial gap was not followed.

Championship table and are now on 40 points.

This reduction sees the team in the midst of another relegation battle and have just seven games left to try and secure safety.

Two of these games are over the holiday weekend, on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

With the sextet of points docked, they now sit one point above the drop zone above Blackpool, Huddersfield Town and Wigan. Mark Bowen wrote an open letter to fans (see right), while Royals boss Paul Ince said: “The timing of it (points deduction) is really, really poor with seven games to go.

“That’s the most disappointing thing for me.

“It’s been hanging over us for a period of time.

“The reality of it is demoralising, but we have to deal with it.

“We just want to move forward and get these wins to keep us in the league.”

“Those terms were admittedly ambitious, requiring significant player sales income – but had the club not agreed that plan, our points punishment last season would have been more severe and – to be clear - would ultimately have led to relegation from the Championship.”

RUGBY UNION

NOONECHRONICLESTHEACTIONBETTERTHANUS

FOOTBALL

AS LEAD CUT TO ONE POINT NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR BERKS & BUCKS AWARDS

PROMOTION HOPES HURT

By RICHARD ASHTON sport@wokingham.today

RAMS have been urged to move on quickly after deafeat saw their lead at the top of the league cut to just a single point.

The side’s director of rugby, Seb Reynolds, wants the team to put the loss behind them ahead of the final games of the season.

On Saturday, they lost out 35-12 to second-place Sale, who are breathing down their necks.

Despite James McRae’s interception score giving Rams a 7-0 lead, the hosts hit back with skipper Robbie Stapley in the sin-bin to grab a brace of converted tries from Tom Walsh and Ben Bamber.

Trailing 14-7 at the break, Rams had a couple of chances midway through the third quarter. eld up over the whitewash. Walsh scooped up a loose ball to set the field

position for Josh Brown to cross at the back of a maul.

Nev Edwards’ interception try made it 28-7.

While Ellis Jones gave the visitors a glimmer of hope, another midfield steal from James Robins saw him coast over.

The Rams felt the final score was somewhat harsh.

Reynolds said: “It was another good game of rugby.

“It started cagey and error-strewn, and then went in little waves of momentum – we had it at first, then they wrestled it back and took the lead before it maybe came down to a couple of swing moments.

“(In the second half) we’re camped on their line, looking at a score and then the maul is brought down, there’s a goal-line drop-out and they go down the other end and score.

“Then we’re on the front foot again and they get the interception (for 28-7) – these

things happen and Sale deserved the win, although the final score probably doesn’t reflect just how competitive the game was.”

A feature of the game was the hosts’ suffocating defence. This stopped Rams’ continuity game and forced errors, including the two key interception tries.

“Their defence in the 9-10 channel was very good, although I thought it was there for us to score and it would come – in the last 15 minutes we looked dangerous,” Reynolds said.

“We struggled to hold our depth to access the width, and that gave them the opportunity when we had to force the pass to get an interception.

“We did have chances, but we weren’t quite able to take them. That stopped us really being in the contest. The good news is we’re creating them.

“It’s stuff to work on, but

that’s what we’re always looking to do – we’ll go away having been beaten by a side with several professional rugby players, and we’ll look to improve.”

And he said there was an eye-catching individual performance from full-back Henry Bird, who was looking lively in attack and rock solid in defence.

Reynolds said: “Henry is getting better and better – as he’s got older he’s learnt how to bring others into the game off the back of his runs whereas perhaps previously he would look to try and finish off those scores.

“He was arguably man-of-the-match across both sides, he was probably the stand-out player on the pitch and fair play to him for a fantastic performance.”

n Rams are next in action at home against Cinderford. Kickoff is 3pm on Saturday, April 15

By STAFF WRITER sport@wokingham.today

BERKS & Bucks FA are appealing for people to send in their nominations for this year’s annual Grassroots Football Awards.

The awards ceremony gives the chance for people to celebrate and recognise the people who make a significant contribution to grassroots football.

With three local category awards added for this year with the Volunteer of the Year, Outstanding Contribution and Impact of Football Award, people are encouraged to get in their nominations before the closing date on Wednesday, April 19.

In addition to the national England Football Award categories, Berks & Bucks FA have introduced a number of local awards this season.

Steph Clark, football communications officer at Berks & Bucks FA said: “The annual Grassroots Football Awards are the perfect opportunity to recognise and celebrate the volunteers that make grassroots football in our region happen week in and week out.

“There are thousands of people involved in the grassroots game across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and South Oxfordshire who dedicate their time and effort to support clubs and leagues in their local communities.

“It’s these grassroots heroes that we want to hear about – to do this we need your help, please consider nominating someone for an Award – just being nominated can mean so much to the individuals involved and will help us recognise the work of volunteers across the region.”

Henry Bird is tackled at Heywood Road Pictures: Tim Pitfield

Ascot United competing in the Southern Women’s Premier Picture: Andrew Batt

Berks & Bucks FA

Jak Rossiter tries to break a tackle

Zach Clow bursts down the touchline

James McRae opened the scoring for Rams with a fabulous interception try from 60 metres out

James McRae on the charge

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FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FIELDERS SCORE FOUR TO WIN AGAINST WARGRAVE KESTRELS SLIP UP AWAY FROM HOME TO REMAIN MIDTABLE

By DAVE READ sport@wokingham.today

BURGHFIELD took their eighth win of the campaign with a convincing away performance at Wargrave in the Thames Valley Premier League

The game started with the visitors taking the game to the hosts, the first 15 minutes saw Burghfield pushing Wargrave back, constantly probing to try to find an opening.

A free kick by Jordan Cox from the left corner of the area was well punched away by Ben Lallament and a shot from 20 yards by Will Vallins was straight at Lallament who gathered well.

Next a searing run down the left by Brown took him clear of the defence and into the area but Lallament got his angles right and saved well with his legs.

At this early stage Wargrave were under siege and just looking to weather the storm.

Burghfield are in fourth in the Thames Valley Premier League Stock picture: Andrew Batt

Just two minutes later Burghfield took a deserved lead. A throw on halfway was picked up by Brown and once again his pace took him clear.

He fizzed a low cross across the six yard box finding Beales waiting at the far post for a simple tap in to make it 1-0.

The second half started with Wargrave looking to make more of a game of

it. Some nice link up play between Zakir Chowdhary and Stuart Moss released the latter into the area and his shot forced McCulley into his first save of the match, a full length diving stop to his left.

Jordan Cox tried a curler into the top corner but Lallament was equal to it, tipping his effort wide. The visitors doubled their lead in the 59th minute.

Beales made a great run into the area, checked back to make himself space and then floated a lovely cross to the far post where an unmarked Brown headed home.

Burghfield went hunting for more goals and came close following nice link up play by Brown and Jack Bowyer which opened up a shooting chance for Harrison Amitage. His well hit shot from 20 yards was well saved low to his left by the busy Lallament.

They did make it three in the 75th minute. A nice ball down the right sent the pacy Brown clear into the area and he gave Lallament no chance, firing across him into the bottom corner of the net.

In the 88th minute, Burghfield put the icing on the cake with a fourth. A free kick from the left by James McClennan was flicked on by the one man wall and took two ricochets on the edge of the box before falling nicely at the feet of Cox, who finished coolly from the edge of the box.

WOODLEY UNITED lost out on their away trip to Penn & Tylers Green in the Combined Counties Division One.

The opening 20 minutes belonged to Woodley United but despite the positive play from Connor Sucking and Connor Richardson that caused the home defence problems, United failed to test home keeper Sam Butcher.

Richardson forced a corner kick four minutes later from which Pedro Monteiro’s shot went high and wide.

Tahir Carmichael’s saw floated free kick evaded the on running Gbla with a second free kick narrowly going over Butcher’s cross bar.

Penn’s first attack came in the 21st minute and required Sam Dabinett to make a double save in the visitors’ goal.

The opening goal came six minutes from half time when Alex Sethi cleared a ball to United’s left back position.

An interchange of passing between two players resulted in a cross into the penalty were Felix Prudden rose to head pass Dabinett.

Woodley started the second half as the first, having good tempo and possession until the final third of the pitch and were unable to trouble Butcher.

The second goal came in the 67th minute from the penalty spot when a Nico Palmer gave away the spot kick following a rash challenge which proved to be the final goal of the game.

Woodley United in league action Stock picture: Steve Smyth

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WOODLEY WIN SHOOTOUT TO BOOK CUP FINAL PLACE

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

Southern Region Women’s Chairman’s Cup

WOODLEY UNITED booked their place in the cup final after a penalty shootout triumph against Woking.

After a tense opening 75 minutes, Woking were reduced to 10 players when their goalkeeper was shown a straight red card for handling the ball outside the box with May Hamblin through on goal.

The Kestrels went in front just a minute later when Gemma Simms smacked a free-kick into the back of the net.

Woking came fighting back despite their player deficit through a free-kick with 10 minutes left to play.

The match went to penalty kicks and Woodley goalkeeper Sophie Chaedle proved to be the match winner.

Woking missed all three of their spot kicks, while Woodley held their nerve to take a 3-0 win in the shootout to progress.

Combined Counties

Premier North

WOKINGHAM & EMMBROOK collected three points on the road at London Lions to boost their survival chances.

Having won their seventh match of the league campaign,

the Sumas climb up to 17th in the table and four points clear of bottom side Oxhey Jets who have three games in hand.

The Sumas had several chances to go in front in the opening 45 minutes, but were thwarted by the Lions’ defence.

Wokingham’s positive play eventually paid dividends in the 67th minute when Jake Woods was found by Duval and dispatched the ball past the keeper to make it 1-0.

Sumas goalkeeper Sean Woodward came up with some immaculate saves to preserve his team’s advantage before the visitors made sure they would go back with all three points.

Brandon Curtis doubled

Wokingham’s lead to give them a more comfortable ending to the game which they saw out for their third away win of the season.

Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S

EVERSLEY & CALIFORNIA RESERVES soared to the top of the table with an excellent day in a double header against CAVERSHAM AFC

The first contest saw the Boars strike six times without reply.

Megan Averill scored a double, while Ciara Joliffe, Lily-May Varney, Lauren Broadhurst and Katie Rebecca Sayer were all

on the scoresheet in the 6-0 triumph.

Eversley then won the reverse fixture 4-0 with a Sayer double and goals from Varney and Laura Comerford.

Eversley are at the top on 38 points from 15 games, four points ahead of closest challengers Shinfield Rangers with a game in hand.

SHINFIELD RANGERS stay in the title race after they won against Taplow United.

With the game locked at 1-1 at half-time, Shinfield hit three goals in the second-half to secure a 4-2 win.

Lauren Smaje scored a double, while Chloe Bagshaw and Lauren Bagshaw netted to help the hosts bag three points.

BURGHFIELD moved closer to the sides above them in the table after a narrow win over WARGRAVE DEVELOPMENT

Tiny Leahy scored for Wargrave, but goals from Nicole Anderson and Naomi Paxford saw Burghfield take the points with a 2-1 success. Burghfield are currently in ninth on 15 points, but have plenty of games in hand on all the tema above them and will be aiming to climb the table.

Bracknell & District

Sunday League Cup: AFC Dukes 3-3 Harts of Bracknell (5-4 pens), Bracknell Cavaliers 1-2 AB United Division Three: Wokingham Wanderers 2-1 Bracknell Cavaliers Reserves

FOOTBALL

Woodley United Ladies are in the final of the Southern Region Women’s Chairman’s Cup thanks to a penalty shootout win against Woking Ladies Pictures: Andrew Batt

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YELLAS BOOK WEMBLEY DATE FOR VASE FINAL

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

ASCOT UNITED FC booked their place at Wembley Stadium to play in the FA Vase final after defeating Corsham Town in the semi-final.

The Yellas will play at the home of English football on Sunday, May 21 with the chance to capture silverware.

After a tense opening half an hour, Ascot found the opening goal of the game when Brendan Matthew continued his superb scoring season.

The hosts came fighting back to level the game just four minutes after the restart and then turned the game on its head to take the lead in the 66th minute.

However, the Yellas ensured that they wouldn’t go down without a fight and found a crucial leveller in the 76th minute after Marcus Mealing played the ball into the box to find Rob Gerrard who slotted home.

The sides couldn’t be separated during play, so the game had to be decided from the penalty spot.

The shootout was full of drama and after five spot kicks each, the score was at 4-4 meaning it went into sudden death.

LEICESTER CITY 2-1 READING

ROYALS SURVIVAL HOPES HIT BY LATE FOXES WINNER

READING FC WOMEN’s hopes for Women’s Super League survival took a huge hit after they lost to Leicester City in the 96th minute.

Carrie Jones won the game to lift the Foxes off the bottom and boost their hopes of surviving the relegation scrap, while Reading’s job was made significantly more difficult.

Charlie Wellings struck just before half-time to cancel out Sam Tierney’s opener, but Leicester deservedly took the points in stoppage time from Jones’ winner.

The result leaves Reading just two points above the drop zone.

Bottom of the table Brighton have two games in hand, while the Foxes are one point behind the Royals with five games to go.

The Royals won the first corner of the match when Sanne Troelsgaard ventured forward and the home side stayed organise to clear the early danger.

Leicester tried their luck for the first time in the match when Hannah Cain unleashed an effort to try and test Grace Moloney, but Jade Moore got her head in the way to turn it behind for a corner.

After a spell of stoppages through injury which saw the game regularly broken up, Charlie Wellings came close to breaking the deadlock.

Rachel Rowe’s inswinging free-kick was met by Wellings free at the back post and Janina Letizig got across to parry it behind for a corner.

Just after surviving that scare, Leicester grabbed the lead in the 20th minute when Sam Tierney connected with Courtney Nevin’s cross to the back post and volleyed into the corner.

Searching for an equaliser before the break, harries came striding through the heart of midfield and laid off for Amalie Eikeland to take a strike, who missed the target altogether from 25 yards.

Heading into stoppage time in the first-half, Reading claimed a vital leveller.

Rowe’s cross was held up by Harries for Eikeland to shoot and after her effort was blocked it fell into the path of Wellings who smacked the ball into the net with an emphatic finish.

Moloney made an important stop to prevent Tierney from adding her second when she stuck her left boot out to block the ball from creeping inside the near post.

Leicester very nearly re-took the lead when a ball smacked across the

face of goal by Carrie Jones struck Harries and squeaked behind for a corner instead of finding the net.

Moloney and Moore combined to keep the ball out from the resulting corner before the Royals keeper took a hit and needed treatment.

The Foxes went agonisingly close to going in front when Remy Siemsen cut in from the left and drove a curling shot which looked to have beaten Moloney but bounced off the post before they followed to convert the rebound.

Corsham missed their first penalty of sudden death but Ascot crashed their penalty off the bar which meant the shootout continued.

After seven penalties each, the Yellas confirmed their place in the final with a 5-4 win on penalties as Sean McCormack converted the all important spot kick.

Ascot manager Jamie Tompkins said: “We started our journey back in August against Long Crendon.

“We’ve been all over the place up to Manchester, to the Isle of Wight, Devon, Sussex and we’ve beat them all and now we can’t wait to get to Wembley.

“There are so many people that have been involved at the club for years and this is their moment now to enjoy it and see their club go to Wembley. I’m so proud for them and let’s go and win it.”

CORSHAM TOWN: Jepson, Swan, Greenland, Cooper (c), Keet, Davies, Davis, Simpson, Hobbs, Demkiv, Rusby Subs: Allen, Mundy, Smedley, Tylek, Bath, Hallet, Peare

ASCOT UNITED: Bailey (c), Balogun, Ellis, Forster, Gerrard, A Grant, H Grant, Lock, Matthew, McCormack, Tucker Subs: August, Mealing, Walters Goals: Matthew 33’, Davis 52’, Keet 60’, Gerrard 78’

Moloney came up with a big moment to keep out Cain, but it wasn’t enough to give Reading a point as Leicester took the lead in the 96th minute.

Deep into stoppage time, Jones planted the ball past Moloney into the corner to make it 2-1 to give her team a gigantic win.

Reading are now in danger, two points above bottom side Brighton who have two games in hand and just one point above Leicester.

n Reading’s next game is at home against Everton on Sunday, April 23.

Faye Bryson in action for Reading Stock Pictures: Steve Smyth

Brendan Matthew opened the scoring

Royals captain Emma Mukandi

The Yellas celebrate at full-time

Ascot celebrate in front of their fans

Ascot got the better of Corsham in the semi

Sean McCormack netted the winning penalty Pictures: Andrew Batt

How they rated

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CHAMPIONSHIP

JOAO’S LEVELLER SEES

BRISTOL CITY 1 READING 1

Joe Lumley

Came out and claimed crosses into the box with authority. Crucially sprinted off his line quickly to deny Nahki Wells in the first half.

Andy Yiadom

Started brightly and made some crucial interventions. Never fully in control of the battle with Anis Mehmeti however and tired.

Tom Holmes

An early booking didn’t seem to hamper the centre-back who put in another solid showing.

Naby Sarr

A few counter attacks almost exposed the defender’s lack of pace, but was fortunately bailed out by Lumley or another teammate.

Amadou Mbengue

A couple of moments of uncertainty were mixed in with some really positive and encouraging defending.

Nesta Guinness-Walker

Looked a little shaky up against Andreas Wiemann early on, but grew into the game. Was replaced by Azeez on the hour mark.

Tyrese Fornah

Enthusiastic, but very little to show for his efforts. Went close with a shot from range, but wasn’t able to create much in the way of chances.

Never really got anywhere near the spritely Tommy Conway. Wasn’t able to affect the game to any significant extent.

Cesare Casadei

Impressed with a couple of moments of magic, including a sumptuous turn to get away from two City players on the halfway line.

Andy Carroll

There was an obvious lack of understanding between Meite and Carroll, but did well once Joao entered the fray.

Yakou Meite

Barring a couple of promising runs, the Ivorian didn’t have the strongest of performancesunderstandable, given his injury.

Jeff Hendrick SUBS

7 6 6

By Andy Preston apreston@wokingham.today

LUCAS JOAO’s leveller ensured that Reading FC picked up a vital point away at Bristol City to improve their Championship survival hopes.

5 6 6

6 5 5

Following a run of seven successive away defeats, the Royals managed to put a point on the board on their travels thanks to substitute Joao who latched onto Andy Carroll’s header to equalise in the 72nd minute.

5 5

Bristol had gone in front on the brink of half-time through Tommy Conway, before the Royals recovered to secure a point.

Paul Ince’s side dropped to 20th in the table and are just one point above the drop zone after being hit with a six-point penalty by the EFL.

Looking for their first points on the road this calendar year, Reading faced a Bristol City side that has an unbeaten record at Ashton Gate in 2023 with Nigel Pearson’s side sitting in 14th.

Lucas Joao dropped to the bench as striker Andy Carroll was deemed fit enough to start and was joined up top alongside Yakou Meite who returned from injury.

Amadou Mbengue returned to the starting 11 to take the place of Scott Dann who is one of several first-team players out injured which left a youthful looking bench for the Royals.

Vice captain Tom Holmes picked up an early caution after his mistimed tackle on Tommy Conway meant that he had to play more

REACTION

Match stats

BRISTOL CITY: O’Leary, Tanner, Vyner, Pring, Dasilva, Taylor-Clarke, James, Conway, Mehmeti, Weimann, Wells

SUBS: Wilson, Cornick, King, WilesRichards, Bell, Wood, Leeson

READING: Lumley, Holmes, Sarr, Yiadom (c), Mbengue, Guinness-Walker, Fornah, Hendrick, Casadei, Meite, Carroll

SUBS: Joao, Azeez, Bouzanis, Abrefa, Abbey, Ehibhatiomhan, Senga-Ngoyi

GOALS: Conway 45+1’, Lucas Joao 72’ PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Lucas Joao

get lucky with the deflection off Naby Sarr and then the deflection off Amadou (Mbengue) which is just our bloody luck.

than 85 minutes on a booking.

The first attempt at goal came from the hosts when a cross swung into the middle was met by Nakhi Wells who hit a shot harmlessly wide.

Wells then had the ball in the net, but the offside flag had gone up well in advance of his finish to deny him the opening goal.

Carroll proved his worth in the defensive third by hooking a volley from Andreas Weimann off the

line before Wells found a wall of Reading bodies in the way of the target.

Reading’s best opening came in the 17th minute when Tyrese Fornah showed superb vision and execution to pick out the run of Meite who wasn’t able to convert.

A brave piece of goalkeeping from Joe Lumley stopped the Robins from breaking the deadlock when he smothered the ball at the feet of Wells after he was played in by Anis Mehmeti.

Lucas Joao’s goal ensured the Royals ended a run of seven away defeats on the bounce to take a point at Bristol City.

The Royals dropped down to 20th after they were hit with a six point deduction by the EFL on Tuesday.

“It was disappointing because we were comfortable,” said Ince, reacting to going behind on the stroke of half-time.

“We nullified them in the first half and had the best chance. It was a glorious, glorious chance.

“We let the ball back inside which was poor form us and they

“It can demoralise you, it really can, but not this group of players they’ve got this togetherness and spirit to go again irrespective of what the situation is.”

Some away supporters voiced their displeasure at the substitutes on the hour mark as Femi Azeez and Lucas Joao replaced Nesta Guinness-Walker and Tyrese Fornah.

Ince continued: “I get the fans are frustrated. We are all frustrated. We’ve got three or four kids on the bench.

“When you’re trying to get a goal you’ve got to change it around. We

had Femi (Azeez) and we had Lucas (Joao), I don’t know what they expect after that, that’s all we’ve got unless you want a 17-year-old kid who hasn’t played before.

“You’ve got to take risks and we went to 4-4-1-1; Lucas is a goalscorer.

“He’s had a tough week going to Angola with a lot of travelling which is why he didn’t start, but came on and got his goal and could have got another one.

“We’re at the stage where we are all frustrated but we’ve got to stick together. If we don’t stick

together then there’s only one thing that’s going to happen and that’s relegation.”

The Royals boss also reiterated the importance of Tom Ince’s quality to the side, something that will be sorely missed throughout his injury absence: “That’s what Thomas (Ince) brings us. He’s a top player, our best player. “He’s our top goalscorer and top of assists – to not have him in the team when you need that creativity...

“Unfortunately he’s out injured for a bit. He’s a massive, massive loss.

“We’ve got to stay calm, keep supporting the players until the end of the season.”

Femi Azeez fights for the ball

Carroll and Azeez challenge

Joao nods in the equaliser

Reading celebrate in front of the travelling fans The Royals ended a run of seven

MANAGER Paul Ince has urged fans to ‘stick together’ to help the club try and avoid relegation from the Championship.

‘We’ve got to stick together’ Ince sends message to fans

Lucas Joao 7, Femi Azeez 6, Kelvin Abrefa n/a

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ROYAL EARN A POINT

From the middle

New football rules book

DURING the interval at the latest Woodley Band Concert, I was approached by a football supporter.

‘Can you tell me’, he asked, ‘what are the rules on handball these days?

I answered, ‘I wish I could’.

I could tell him what it said in the Laws of the Game book, but after two law changes in quick succession on handball, it seemed that many players or even referees were not too certain anymore.

Years ago, I refereed on a Saturday and played hockey on a Sunday. The reason I mention this is because football has often followed hockey rule changes.

Now perhaps, football was again following hockey. Hockey fans know if your foot touches the ball, either accidentally or deliberately, you give away a free hit. In football, it started to seem that whenever the ball hits a player’s hand or arm, a free kick was given.

The reason for this I think, is that there are certain instances when the ball hits a hand or arm that should not be penalised, but these were not included in the latest version of the Laws.

If the ball comes off a player’s head, body or feet and hits their own hand or arm, this is not handball, but I’ve seen it given.

After a subdued period in the game, the Royals came close to giving Bristol a scare by utilising Meite’s pace.

The Ivorian rounded goalkeeper Max O’Leary after latching onto Mbengue’s long ball, but was forced out to the touchline and saw his shot hacked away.

With the half petering out in what looked like would be a goalless opening 45 minutes, Reading suffered a significant blow a minute before the break.

After failing to clear properly from a cross, Conway was afforded far too much room in the box and he made the Royals pau when he

PREVIEW

dispatched the ball into the bottom corner.

Needing a response in the second-half, Fornah tried his luck quickly after the restart, opted to try and beat the keeper from range after a surging run from skipper Andy Yiadom.

Ince decided to make changes with half an hour to play as Lucas Joao and Femi Azeez replaced Nesta Guinness-Walker and Fornah.

Joao’s substitution proved to be effective as he popped up with the equaliser.

Carroll flicked the ball on in the box and Joao connected to nod past O’Leary.

City thought they had regained the lead when Wells had the ball in the net, but the linesman was quick to raise his flag to deem the forward offside.

The home team tried to snatch a winner with a corner in the dying seconds of the game, but Lumley came to the rescue again to keep out a header as Reading gained an important point.

Reading could have punished Bristol on the counter attack, but Joao got the ball caught under his feet and couldn’t take the chance.

n Next up for Reading they host Birmingham City at the Select Car Leasing Stadium tomorrow (3pm).

ROYALS PREPARE FOR CRUCIAL EASTER DOUBLE HEADER

READING FC face a double header of fixtures over the Easter weekend in what will be a crucial few days for their Championship survival fight.

Paul Ince’s side claimed a crucial point away at Bristol City on Saturday to break a run of seven consecutive defeats on the road.

Friday’s opponents at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, Birmingham City, are in 16th and two points above the Royals.

The Blues have collected three wins in their last four league matches which has seen them move away from the relegation

dogfight at the bottom, which included an impressive 1-0 win over play-off pushing Blackburn Rovers.

When Reading met Birmingham back in December, the Blues ran out as 3-2 winners.

A disastrous start saw Troy Deeney give the hosts a lead inside two minutes before he doubled his sides lead from the penalty spot.

Tahith Chong added a third in the 36th and despite late goals from Lucas Joao and Tom Ince, Reading left with no points.

The Royals then travel to face Preston North End on Easter Monday.

Preston still have an outside shot of making the top six going into the final seven games of the campaign.

Ryan Lowe’s side are currently in 10th position before Friday’s round of fixtures on 56 points, five points outside the play-off places.

Preston have won three of their last four matches including a 3-1 success at the weekend over local rivals Blackpool.

The Lilywhites took three points on their last visit to Berkshire in November with a brace from Ched Evans giving them a 2-1 win.

Reading won on their last visit

to Deepdale in February 2022 which was Veljko Paunovic’s final game in charge of the club.

Paunovic’s future at the club was decided before the match with the two deciding to part ways after a torrid run.

However, the team managed to take three points to help their cause to stay in the Championship with a 3-2 win.

A Lucas Joao double was added to by John Swift to see Reading race into a 3-0 lead.

Preston clawed two goals back in the second-half, but the visitors held on to secure the points.

The same is true if a player is falling, and the ball hits their supporting hand or arm between their body and the ground. Only if the ball should go into the opponents’ goal or the player should score immediately, will there be a direct free kick for the other team.

Because of these and other omissions, I believe some referees and players felt that these instances are no longer valid.

A few days after my handball discussion, I was privileged to receive from David Elleray, who is Director of the Technical Committee of the International FA Board, footballs law makers, an on-line copy of a new book the Board has published entitled ‘FOOTBALL RULES’ simplifying the Laws of the game’.

This is not aimed not so much at referees as at players and coaches with the view that if they understand the Laws better it could save a lot of aggravation that referees face.

I quickly viewed the section on handball, and there were the missing exceptions, plus one I have never seen before.

If the ball hits a player’s hand or arm from a kick by a team mate, this is not an offence.

Mind you, we are still left judging whether a players’ hand/arm is in a ‘justified’ position.

away losses in a row with a draw at Ashton Gate Pictures: Steve Smyth

Meite chases the loose ball

Alex Rae Meite misses a chance in the first-half

Guinness-Walker crosses

Reading applaud their fans

Bristol take the lead Meite goes close after rounding the goalkeeper

Dick Sawdon-Smith

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READING ROYALS TO MARK DECADE ANNIVERSARY

By STAFF WRITER sport@wokingham.today

READING ROYALS FUTSAL CLUB will be hosting a celebratory event at Bradfield College to mark a decade since they were established.

The event which will take place on Sunday from 1.30pm will see the men’s first-team face off against Bedford Futsal Club.

A win would take the Royals one step closer to the FA National Futsal Series Tier 2 Midlands title.

Regardless of the result, the day promises to mark significant progress since the club’s foundation in 2013.

Initially created as a sole youth team, Club President Fernando Silva has since built up a thriving youth section, alongside a men’s and women’s team at Reading Royals.

He said: “Before we started Reading Royals, hardly anyone in Berkshire knew futsal existed.

“I am really proud that we have a created a pathway for men and women to play from youth all the way through to adult.

“It’s only been possible thanks to the help of some great people who are now part of the club.”

Over the decade, a significant number of Reading Royals youth players have progressed into the senior teams, reinforcing Silva’s vision of a development pathway for players in Berkshire.

FIXTURES

Saturday, April 1 FOOTBALL Championship

Bristol City 1-1 Reading

The club will be celebrating 10 years this weekend

Burghfield Yateley United 0-7 Larkspur

Reading Royals (pictured red and yellow)

“I started playing for Royals when I was 11,” said current first team player Scott Hargreaves.

“It’s been exciting to be part of the club’s growth. All the coaches I’ve had have always helped me develop my skills and got me to where I want to be: playing at a competitive level.”

For Club Secretary Rich Oxley, the progress of Scott and many other youth players has been pleasing.

“I’m proud that a high percentage

of players who have been brought up by Reading Royals are still playing and enjoying the game,” he said.

As a sport, futsal has grown greatly since 2013. Participation is at an all-time high, while the FA National Futsal Series (NFS) has matches televised live on BT Sport.

Promotion to the highest league in the country, which the men’s team hope to secure this season, would be the latest in a long line of club successes. From humble

TABLE TENNIS HOCKEY

LUSH TREBLE EARNS SONNING DRAW WITH TILEHURST

By NIGEL MALTBY sport@wokingham.today

IN Division One a hat-trick from Ed Lush saw SONNING COMMON & PEPPARD B draw

5-5 with TILEHURST RBL A, with Ed managing an excellent 11-3 11-2 12-10 win over Marc Brent.

Matt Isherwood managed a good 13-11 9-11 9-11 11-8 11-8 win over Keith Winter and Matt Stone also picked up a win after he beat Marc Brent 11-9 11-7 11-9.

Tilehurst’s draw saw them climb to sixth in the final table.

TILEHURST METHODISTS

A gave their hopes of avoiding relegation from division two a boost with a 7-3 win at relegated OUR LADY OF PEACE C with yet another maximum for Eric Van Looy.

The set of the night was between OLOP’s Pradeep Desh and Bill Stamatiou with Pradeep recovering from two games down to win 13-11 in the fifth.

Two days later the Methodists were in action again at home to TILEHURST RBL B which resulted in a very hard fought 5-5 draw, a result which gives Tilehurst Methodists a very good chance of avoiding relegation.

All but one set went to four or five with the stand out two being the Methodists Jess Eassom recovering from 2-1 down to edge out John Willcocks 13-11 in the fifth.

Then, in the clash between

two of the three top players in the division, RBL’s Kate Maksimenko recovered from 2-1 down to beat Eric Van Looy 11-8 in the fifth.

TIDMARSH C narrowly missed out on promotion from division 3 after they could only beat their D team club mates 6-4.

As a result SPRINGFIELD

A finish second, courtesy of matches won after both teams finished level on 113 points.

The last match of the season in division 4 saw SONNING COMMON & PEPPARD E win 8-2gainst SONNING COMMON & PEPPARD F and as a result won the championship by two sets ahead of long time leaders TILEHURST METHODISTS C.

Anthony Reeve was the star by gaining a treble including an 11-7 9-11 3-11 11-13 11-5 win over Gerry Bacon.

Meanwhile, for the F team, Graham Streets won twice including an 11-6 8-11 10-12 11-9 11-9 opening success over Jim Warren.

beginnings in the Thames Valley youth leagues, Fernando Silva is excited for what’s next for Reading Royals: beginning with Sunday’s match against Bedford. The last time the two teams faced off, Reading Royals triumphed 10-2.

Royals are hoping for a bumper crowd to roar them onto victory once again. Tickets are available on the door, with a raffle taking place on the day alongside refreshments and music.

READING 3S PIP SOUTH BERKS TO SECURE TITLE

South

Central Women’s North Division 1

A 2-2 draw was enough to see READING 3s secure their status as league champions.

On the final day of the season, knowing that they could have been overtaken by South Berks, Reading did enough to take the title with a 2-2 draw at Leighton Buzzard.

Reading finish in pole position on 51 points after winning 16 of their 22 league games.

SOUTH BERKSHIRE were unable to take the league title and had to settle as runners-up to Reading 3s after drawing with Buckingham 2s.

Kelly Hancock and Jemima Simpson scored in a 2-2 stalemate which meant South Berks ended on 49 points, two points behind the champions.

South Central Women’s Premier 1

SONNING ended their league campaign by taking a valuable point away at runners-up Oxford Hawks 2s.

The result means that Sonning end the season in ninth on 24 points.

South Central Men’s Division 1 North

SONNING ended their campaign with a stunning 7-0 home victory over YATELEY to secure a third place finish.

READING 3s finished in sixth after losing 2-1 to Banbury 2s.

FA Vase semi-final

Corsham Town 2-2 Ascot United (4-5 pens)

Combined Counties Premier North London Lions 0-2 Sumas

Combined Counties Division One

Penn & Tylers Green 2-0 Woodley United

Thames Valley Premier League

Wargrave 0-4 Burghfield

Westwood Wanderers 4-2 Reading City U23s

RUGBY UNION

National League One Sale 35-12 Rams

HOCKEY

South Central Men’s North Division One

Sonning 7-0 Yateley

Reading 3s 1-2 Banbury 2s

South Central Women’s Premier

Oxford Hawks 2s 1-1 Sonning

South Central Men’s Premier 2

South Berkshire 2-3 Witney

South Central Women’s North Division One

Buckingham 2s 2-2 South Berkshire

South Central Men’s North Division Two

South Berkshire 2s 2-1

Eastcote 2s

Bicester 7-0 Sonning 2s

South Central Women’s North Division Three South Berkshire 2s 5-1 Banbury 2s

South Central Women’s North Division Two Sonning 2s 1-1 Wycombe 2s

Sunday, April 2

FOOTBALL

Women’s Super League

Leicester City 2-1 Reading

Southern Region Women’s Division One North Eversley & California v Penn & Tylers Green

Thames Valley Women’s Division One Ascot United Reserves v Tilehurst Panthers New Bradwell v Mortimer Wargrave v Haddenham

Southern Region Women’s Chairman’s Cup Woking 1-1 Woodley United (0-3 pens)

Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S

Caversham AFC 0-4 Eversley & California Reserves

Eversley & California Reserves 6-0 Caversham AFC

Shinfield Rangers 4-2 Taplow United Wargrave Development 1-2

FIXTURES

North Holyport v Reading City Wallingford and Crowmarsh v Ascot United

Combined Counties Division One Berks County v Cove

Eversley & California v Bagshot Woodley United v AFC Aldermaston

Reading Royals Futsal Club in action Pictures: Ade Hone