Wokingham Today, October 6, 2022

Concerts for WADE at Carnival Hub

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

THE SOUND of music is coming to Carnival Hub next month as two fundraising concerts raise the roof for the very first time.

Proceeds from the two events, held in the afternoon and evening on Saturday, November 19, will go to help fund a new Dementia Day Care fund at Wade day-care centre on Reading Road.

First up will be an afternoon of big band sound from The Glenn Miller Orchestra UK.

Then, in the evening there are two tribute acts: The Police Academy and Ultimate Elton and the Rocket Band.

It will be the first event to take advantage of Carnival Hub’s new multi-purpose hall that will enable live performances to take place.

Philip Mirfin, chair of trustees at Wade, said: “We are delighted to be able to put on two fantastic concerts with appeal across the age range of residents here in Wokingham borough.

“Please, join us, revel in some fantastic music on Saturday, November 19, and help raise much needed funds for Dementia day-time respite care here in Wokingham.

“Respite care that will enable dementia sufferers to stay with people they love, in their own home, for longer.”

The event is being produced by Wokingham Music Club’s Stan Hetherington, and he says the line-up is one to savour.

“Bringing two concerts and three truly amazing acts together in support of new Dementia care facilities in Wokingham has been a real pleasure and wonderful challenge. We’re looking forward to some outstanding music on the day,” he said.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra will perform from 2.30pm, with tickets costing £29.50 and £15 for under 16s.

The Ultimate Elton and the Rocket Band and The Police Academy will take place from 7.30pm, and tickets cost £25 or £15 for under 16s.

COST OF LIVING

SCRAPE MY CHILDREN’S PLATES TO EAT THE REMAINS’

Shocking survey reveals full extent of financial problems facing borough residents

worried about energy bills

EXCLUSIVE

By DANIEL BLACKHAM news@wokingham.today

WOKINGHAM residents have revealed the devastating impact that the cost of living crisis is having – just days after energy price cap rose to an average of £2,500.

Citizens Advice Wokingham, in collaboration with Age UK Berkshire, Wokingham United Charities and the Cowshed, asks residents how they have been directly affected by inflation and rising energy costs.

The results have come in thick and fast.

The 640 responses received so far reveal personal stories of hidden poverty in the borough, with people are already having to choose between heating and eating.

Nearly everyone was worried by rising energy bills, and four in five people were anxious about increasing food prices.

NEMETH Joseph "Joe"

Passed away peacefully in the Royal Berkshire Hospital on 23rd September 2022, aged 81 years

A much loved husbandof 53 years to Ann, a dear father to Anna, Paul, Victoria and Joseph, and an adoring grandfather to Mollie Sophie Freya Zack and Aryana He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends

Joe was a hard working Hungarian refugee who came to England in 1956 moving to Wokingham with Ann to live near family 10 years ago He bravely battled many health issues and could often be seen in town with his wheelchair and protective helmet He loved having breakfast at Cote and lunch at Sanpa,two of his favourite places to eat, and was always delighted to receive a warm welcome wherever he went

Funeral Service to be held at Corpus Christi RC Church,Wokingham on 17th October at 11 30am, followed by a private family burial Family flowers only please Donations in memory of Joe for the Palliative Care at Royal Berks Charity can be made via www abwalker co uk All Enquiries to AB Walker, Tel: 0118 978 4040

Paedophile jailed after incident in school toilet

By STAFF WRITER news@wokingham.today

A PAEDOPHILE who was working as a contractor in a Crowthorne school abused his position to attempt to take advantage of children has been jailed for two years.

Calum O’Reilly-Timms, 25 and of North Street, Martock, Somerset, was found guilty by unanimous verdict of one count of inciting a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, one count of attempted sexual assault of a child aged under 13 and one count of causing or inciting a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He was convicted and sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday, September 30.

Prior to the hearing he had pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

O’Reilly-Timms has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and is subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

He has also been banned from working with children.

On Thursday, August 5 last year, O’Reilly-Timms, who was working as a contractor at Edgbarrow School where a summer camp was taking place.

He followed two boys, both aged eight, into the school toilets, and asked the first boy an inappropriate question and then asked if he could touch him inappropriately.

The boy then left the toilet.

The second boy then entered, and O’Reilly-Timms also asked him an inappropriate question.

The boys both separately reported the incidents to their parents, and a police investigation was launched.

O’Reilly-Timms was arrested the following day.

During the investigation, various devices belonging to O’Reilly-Timms were seized and he was found to be in possession of indecent images of children.

He was charged on Monday, February 21.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Robert Chevalier, of Bracknell and Wokingham CID, said: “These were extremely shocking incidents, carried out by an opportunistic and predatory man.

“Although very young, both his victims provided officers with detailed descriptions of what O’Reilly-Timms had said and done, which enabled us to identify him and arrest him quickly following the incidents.”

He added: “I would like to thank them and their families for their support of our investigation, and I hope that this case demonstrates how seriously these allegations are taken, how thoroughly they will be investigated and how important the safeguarding of victims is to Thames Valley Police.”

Your wording

Bonjour Earley Panda! Cyclist rides from London to Paris

THE EARLEY PANDA has returned home after completing the London to Paris bike ride.

The route saw the furry cycling friend tackle a 550km journey across four days with more than 4,000 metres of elevation last month.

This was the panda’s third attempt at the trip with travel restrictions and covid forcing him to delay twice.

Joining 40 other cyclists, he rode through rain, thunderstorms and headwinds before arriving in the French capital.

The panda, whose identity is a closely guarded secret, admitted the arrival at the Eiffel Tower was a mix of emotions

He said: “There were mixed emotions when we arrived at the Eiffel Tower as we had learned about the passing of the Queen during the trip so everyone was sad about that.

“But it was an amazing experience and the support was fantastic.

In celebration of poetry

TODAY is National Poetry Day and to celebrate, members of a poetry group will be presenting live readings of their own work.

The free evening of poetry readings will take place at the new Wokingham Library at the Carnival Hub from 6.30pm.

Refreshments will be available.

The group usually meets on the second Saturday of every month at 10am.

n For more information about the poetry group, telephone: 0118 974 3712 or email libraries@ wokingham.gov.uk

Domestic abuse prevention conference

TO MARK this month’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a one-day conference is being planned.

The Kaleidoscopic UK conference will explore different types of abuse, how to prevent it and how to support victims.

It will be opened by the charity’s patron, BBC Radio’s Michelle Jordan, and aims to inspire, educate and empower those who attend.

Held in Finchampstead’s FBC Centre, the event covers a wide range of topics, with talks delivered by inspirational domestic abuse survivors and multi-agency professionals.

Representatives from the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office, Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, Luke Martin, Vickie Robertson, Dr Emma Katz, Sistah Space, and Lisa Lee are among the speakers.

Topics for discussion will include: stalking, coercive control, economic abuse, CSA & CSE, LGBTQIA+, children, Family Law, and the Domestic Abuse Act.

The conference will also look at Valerie’s Law, best practice responses, and how being traumainformed is essential.

The event takes place on Thursday, October 13.

It runs from 9am to 4pm at Finchampstead Baptist Church on Gorse on Gorse Ride North.

Tickets cost £76.05, and includes all workshops, question and answer sessions, a buffet lunch, and snacks.

n

To book a place on the conference visit: www. eventbrite.co.uk and search for Domestic Abuse Prevention.

Last year’s Domestic Violence Awarness event was held at the FBC Centre, on Gorse Ride North

BON

Tories’ petition to reverse parking charge rises

By DANIEL BLACKHAM dblackham@rdg.today

A PETITION to stop planned increases in car parking charges across Wokingham has been launched by the Wokingham Conservatives.

It comes in response to a decision by Wokingham Borough Council’s executive at a meeting on Thursday, September 29, to implement the rises from January 2023 (see page 34).

The proposal will see Wokingham town centre car parks rise more than the rest of the borough, with some more than double the current rate.

Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, leader of the Wokingham Conservative group, said: “We want the executive to reconsider its decision.

“We want business to increase and prosper in the borough and raising parking charges will not help.

“The Conservatives decided against increasing parking charges because they will be counterproductive for businesses in the area.”

At the executive meeting, Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for Active Travel, Transport and Highways, said the fees had to increase as income was between £600,000 and £800,000 below forecast, with usage below pre-pandemic levels.

Cllr Jorgensen is concerned the decision won’t have the desired effect of plugging the financial gap.

“There is no guarantee it has a positive impact on the budget,” she said.

“It may knock the income as people choose to shop elsewhere and that results in a fall in revenue.

“There are other places to look for funds as part of budget scrutiny which is taking place currently.”

The petition has received more than 1,000 signatures and will be presented to the council at a meeting on Thursday, October 20.

Cllr Jorgensen addressed businesses and residents who are discontent with the rises.

She said: “My message to businesses is we, the Conservatives, are on your side.

“And to residents who are struggling or are frustrated by the rises, we share your concerns too.”

Cllr Fishwick believes the amended proposal for two parking zones – Wokingham town, and the surrounding area – represents “the best possible compromise” between residents’ concerns and the need to make up the budget deficit.

He said: “We’ve always known that raising parking fees wouldn’t be popular, as this would be the first time in almost five years and small increases in the past would have lessened the impact now.

“However, we’re facing our worst financial pressures in decades. We have to find a way to continue maintaining our highways to the current

standard – and without affecting the critical services that our more vulnerable residents rely on.”

“We’re aware that our neighbouring authorities are also raising or considering raising their off-street car parking charges and, even with our proposed increases, ours will still be similar to other councils in the region and cheaper than some car parks in neighbouring authorities even before their increases.”

Cllr Andy Croy, Labour councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates, has criticised the Conservatives’ petition, describing it as “shallow opportunism”.

He said: “Wokingham Conservatives are asking for the council to implement a local version of Trussanomics – where the money to pay for services magically appears from nowhere.

“In effect they are asking for the council, ravaged by years of underfunding from their government, to find an extra £700,000 of cuts on top of the £3.3 million of cuts that will be needed for the council to balance the books over the next two years.

“Having to explain to Conservative councillors that the books must be balanced is not something I was expecting to have to do this year.”

Cllr Croy believes the previous Conservative administration delayed a decision rather than address the shortfall in revenue.

He said: “The Conservatives were planning to introduce a similar scheme at the start of the year but they pulled it from their budget, even though they knew this hole in the budget existed.

“They chose to kick the can down the road , to the other side of the local elections. It was a short term political decision to fix a long term financial problem.

“They simply cannot be trusted to manage public finances – either in Wokingham Borough or nationally.”

Cllr Croy said he understands the fears of traders and residents and would like to see all councillors working together to champion the borough.

He said: “At this time, councillors have a responsibility to talk up our town centres, not spread doom and gloom and discourage people from visiting them.”

n The petition can be seen at: www.wokinghamconservatives. org.uk

New fees means it’s pay to pray

CHURCHGOERS say they will feel the knock-on effects of Wokingham Borough Council’s plans to introduce parking charges for Sundays.

Kings Church is one of the churches that is already concerned about the effects.

Located on Station Road, its congregation relies on being able to park in the Borough Council car park opposite.

Parking is currently free on Sunday, as well as after 6pm on Monday to Saturday. But the planned charges, due to be brought in in January 2023, will apply every day of the week.

This means that a two-hour trip to church on a Sunday will cost £2.50.

If congregation members stay to chat, there will be a fee of £4.50 to park for up to four

hours.

For some church events, church members might even end up paying the all day charge of £9.

Kings Church has just three parking spaces and is concerned that its activities will be seriously affected by the charges.

It is asking its community to contact their local councillors and explain their objections.

One church member said: “I’ve already had

someone come up to me and say, ‘I just won’t be able to afford to come to church here, I’ll have to find another church where I don’t have to pay for parking.’

“Some of the people who come to our services and events are just about managing.

“Church is a non-political place, and I jealously guard that, but there is an issue here that really affects people.

“For those who are struggling to get by, it will make coming to church here unviable.”

They continued: “If I was a shop owner, I’d be seriously worried,” they continue.

“The council is being short sighted if it thinks it will collect more revenue from the increased charges.

“My personal view is that this rise in parking charges hurts people who are struggling most financially, and political parties that claim to look after the poor, seem to have lost the plot.”

Former Vogue editor toheadline fundraiser at Ascot Racecourse

A FORMER editor of Vogue is to take part in a fundraiser for a charity that helps women get back into work.

Smart Works Reading is holding the event at Ascot Racecourse on Wednesday, October 12.

Alexandra Shulman is a writer, columnist and will share her insights at the event, which includes drinks and canapes.

The charity says the fashion industry icon will discuss ageless style and clothes for confidence in conversation with Smart Works Reading ambassador, journalist and sustainable fashion advocate, Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey.

There will also be a chance to win prizes and grab a bargain with rails of clothes from a curated selection of independent brands.

The event will charity’s mission to support Berkshire women with its job interview dressing and coaching service.

Helen Francis, chair of Smart Works Reading said: “We’re delighted Alexandra is joining us at Ascot Racecourse.

“With such an amazing, influential name in fashion supporting us, we are expecting this event to be an enormous success, enabling us to raise vital funds to help more women into work.”

The event will be held in the racecourse’s Parade Ring Restaurant from 6.45pm. n Tickets are available at: eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-eveningwith-alexandra-shulman-

Literary society’s three diaries

A GROUP that meets to discuss the written word will hear from three speakers at its next regular event.

The Wokingham Literary Society will focus on three diarists from three different centuries.

Speaker Pat Vokes will look at Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary.

She will ask how successfully Bridget makes sense of life and love through her experiences in the diary.

Eileen Davis will discuss the way a virulent imported infection frightens the population and imposes severe restrictions on individuals’ liberty in Daniel Defoe’s 18th century Journal of

the Plague Year.

And Rosemary Hughes will demonstrate how Dorothy Wordsworth shared some of her brother’s literary skills in her early 19th century account, The Grasmere Journal.

The group will meet on Thursday, October 20.

The event takes place at Wokingham Baptist Church Hall, on Milton Road.

The society welcomes new members to the event which starts at 7.30pm.

To find out more email: enquiries@ wokinghamliterarysociety. org.uk, or log on to: wokinghamliterarysociety.org. uk

ON THE RISE: Off street parking charges could more than double under the proposals Picture: Phil Creighton

GUEST: Alexandra Shulman will speak at a special event in aid of Smart Works Reading

Volunteers celebrate 30th anniversary of a woodland haven

By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today

VOLUNTEERS who have created a woodland haven for wildlife are celebrating their group’s 30th birthday.

The Friends of Ruscombe Wood was started in October 1992 to tend the area east of Ruscombe and Twyford, known locally as Bluebell Wood.

The volunteers celebrated by having a work party ‘coppicing’ or cutting back hazel trees on Saturday.

Then they settled in a quiet clearing to enjoy sandwiches, ‘toadstool’ cakes and chocolate ‘log’ cakes laid out on rustic tree log ‘tables’.

The group’s co-ordinator Steve Loyd made an edible ‘dead hedge’ out of Twiglets. The Friends weave tree prunings to make dead hedges for creatures to shelter and nest in.

Also at the celebration were local musicians, Ian Helmore, John Woodward, Dave Goulbourne, Kris King and Mike Walker, who sang songs about nature. Known as The Garden Lizard Band, they played at Polehampton Infants School’s music day this year.

One of the songs, The Nutmeg and the Green by Ian and Kris, includes words inspired by Ian’s walk through Ruscombe Wood

then filled with bright yellow celandine flowers in spring.

Steve, 72, of Twyford, the Friends’ co-ordinator, says the wood reflects local history.

“The fields round here were fruit orchards. The wood was planted with hazel to provide stakes for the orchards in the 1920s,” he said.

“After the second world war there was no further coppicing of the hazel. But local people liked walking in Bluebell Wood.”

The Friends of Ruscombe Wood started thanks to former

Steve Loyd

Ruscombe Parish Council chair Sarah Hyde.

“Sarah Hyde invited the land owners, Twyford Orchards Trust and also Berkshire, Bucks and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers to walk round the wood. Lots of local people including myself came,” said Steve.

“We were shown what conservation work was needed, mainly coppicing which lets in more light so hazels and flowers can flourish.” The Friends were formed and new

permitted footpaths prevented widespread trampling.

Ten people regularly volunteer for work parties. Their effort means many flowers bloom including celandines, pink and white common spotted orchids and bluebells.

“The lighter a wood the more woodland butterflies and birds there are,” said Steve, who clearly loves the learning, work and friendships involved.

An ash tree is monitored to see when it first buds, an indicator of earlier springs. The wood is home to grass snakes, red kites, woodpeckers and protected great crested newts which use the pond. Rotting trees provide happy homes for insects and sometimes bats.

Veteran willow trees which are pollarded (cut back) are reminders of the old Twyford and Ruscombe willow rod industry producing baskets.

“The pond was either for animals grazing at Northbury Farm or was dug for clay for Ruscombe’s thriving brick industry,” said Steve.

Youngsters doing their Duke of Edinburgh Awards worked in the wood and Scouts dug a new pond. The Friends received the Dorothy Morley award for conservation groups in Berkshire.

Fun day open for SEND families

FAMILIES whose child or young person has special educational needs or a disability are invited to attend Wokingham’s Family Information and Fun Day.

Local Offer Live Day is an event with information stalls where parents and carers can find out more about locally available support, services and activities.

A representative from Wokingham Borough Council SEND Services will be attending.

Activities to keep the children entertained include: Berkshire Reptile Encounters; face painting; and circus skills with Circus Scene.

Tea, coffee, squash and cake will be available and personal re-usable cups or bottles can be refilled.

The event is open to families living in the Wokingham Borough, whose young person with special needs is 25 or under. Families of children on the waiting list for diagnoses are also welcome.

The event takes place at St Crispin’s Leisure Centre, London Road.

Doors open at 11am on Saturday, October 8.

All visitors to the free event should be pre-registered, including children and young people.

n For details, visit: www. eventbrite.co.uk and search for Wokingham local offer live

BIRTHDAY PARTY: Friends of Ruscombe Wood volunteers gather to celebrate the site’s 30th anniversary

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Campaign group’s letter bid to stop 4,500-home development

By JI-MIN LEE jlee@wokingham.today

A COMMUNITY group has penned an open letter to the University of Reading, challenging development plans in south Wokingham.

Save Our Loddon Valley Environment (SOLVE) Hall Farm, who are campaigning against the building of 4,500 houses in Arborfield, laid out their concerns to Helen Gordon, President of Council at the university.

Hall Farm is a 580-hectare agricultural site, the majority of which is owned by the university, and is shared with the Centre for Dairy Research (CEDAR).

Colin Watts, a member of the group, said: “We want to challenge the university and see if we can change the rules on setting housing targets.

“You wonder why it has to happen here. There’s already a lack of infrastructure, the roads are rammed. It’s not appropriate, they’re taking away agricultural land.”

The letter laid out residents’ concerns, highlighting the pressure such a significant development could have on the area’s infrastructure, biodiversity and the environment.

According to Mr Watts, the plans are inconsistent with four of the university’s research themes: agriculture, food and health, environment, heritage and creativity, and prosperity and resilience.

Hall Farm is currently home to a commercial herd of 550 Holstein dairy cows, which produces over 11,000 litres of milk per cow per annum.

He said: “A building project for more than 4,500 houses, which will take over three years to complete, generating an estimated 7,000 more cars, will add to the traffic and pollution in an area that is already highly congested and polluted.

“It’s simply environmental vandalism on an epic scale.”

Cllr Cowan said construction and climate change would make flooding worse, adding that part of the site is below a category A dam at Bear Wood Lake.

Responding to the letter, a spokesperson for the university said: “We understand the concerns that some people may have.

“In particular, we agree with the importance of the need to maintain and enhance our natural environment, and in supporting existing and new communities.

“That’s why we will only consider options for development that are in keeping with the university’s principles and long-term missions.

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Research is conducted into the sustainability of animal production systems, such as milk and meat composition, consumer health and antimicrobial resistance.

SOLVE highlighted the importance of the work the university and CEDAR conduct on-site, particularly in combating hunger, poverty and climate change.

Mr Watts also described the site as “unsuitable for housing”, due to the fact that it, in part, stands on a floodplain.

Arborfield councillor, Gary Cowan, also opposed the proposals, which he believes would endanger the biodiversity, ancient woodland and heritage, such as a 14th century church ruin and the archaeological remains of an Iron Age village, Hall Farm has to offer.

He said: “It would suggest the Reading University has lost the right to be recognised as anything other than a greedy developer, not a place of advanced learning.”

Mr Watts lives in close proximity to Hall Farm, moving to the area 18 months ago.

He has displayed large banners and posters outside his house and says passersby walking from Sindlesham and Barkham often stop to read the information displayed on their signage.

The Aborfield resident contacted his MP, Sir John Redwood, who expressed his desire to see top-down development targets removed, stating his understanding that the Prime Minister wishes to implement this.

Channels of communication have been open between the group and the university, but Mr Watts said representatives were happy to discuss “everything other than fundamentals”.

The university expressed its desire to create open spaces and natural habitats to encourage biodiversity and carbon capture, as well as active transport and recreation facilities for residents.

It also stressed the importance of the relationship between itself and the Shinfield and Arborfield communities.

The spokesperson continued: “Our mission as a university is to maintain and strengthen our role as a world-leading institution for education, research and innovation in our area, for the long term.

“We are committed to maintaining research and facilities for food and farming, in particular.

“The university will only seek to pursue development that supports our core goals, and we look forward to working with and listening to members of our local community as we look to make plans for the future.”

Free mental health and wellbeing courses

By EMMA MERCHANT emerchant@wokingham.today

COURSES are available to help people find new ways of responding to difficult experiences.

Wokingham Recovery College offers online and in person activities led by by both mental health professionals and those with lived experience of the issues.

“Each session has a particular focus.

“The facilitator will teach something specific, there will be discussions, and also a chance to hear shared experiences.

“People learn about things that we can all do to help our mental health.

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Any adults over 18, living or working in the Wokingham Borough, are able to register.

They do not need to have already accessed support for their wellbeing.

There is no requirement to have any diagnosis, nor to have had contact with other mental health support.

The college aims to help people become experts in their own selfcare and to enable family, friends and staff to better understand mental health.

Nikita from the college says: “We try to keep our groups small, so that people feel safe and comfortable.

“Often they say that what they find really valuable is hearing from other people with the similar experiences.

“They begin to realise, ‘oh, it’s not just me’ “.

Courses are grouped into four main categories:

n Wellbeing, which supports better understanding of mental health and skills for selfmanagement.

It includes a support group for those who hear voices, and a support group for carers of those with mental health needs.

n Life Skills, which promotes confidence in tackling everyday life issues.

n Creativity, which provides

opportunity to explore creative expression through various mediums.

n And Next Steps, which supports people wishing to move away from services, and into employment.

Classes for October include:

n Managing anxiety - online - Tuesday, October 11, 18 and 25, 1.30pm to 3pm

n What employment support is available to me? - Friday, October 21, 10am to 11.30am

n Improving self esteem - online

- Friday, October 28, 10am to 11.30am

n Four seasons arts and craftsevery Monday, 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Courses take place in the Wokingham Recovery College, on the first floor of the Old Forge, 45-47 Peach Street.

n For a full list of courses, to enrol, and to find out more visit: www. wokingham.gov.uk/health/ There is a form to fill out on the website, which can either be completed online, or posted to: Wokingham Recovery College, 1st Floor, The Old Forge, 4547 Peach Street, Wokingham RG40 1XJ

SUPPPORT: The Wokingham Recovery College offers courses for all adults who feel they need mental health support.

Picture: Sam, via Pixabay

AERIAL VIEW: The Hall Farm site in Shinfield/Arborfield. Campaigners fear 4,500 homes could be built on the site, which is prone to flooding Picture: Google Maps

He’s a record breaking deadlifter: Nick’s 24-hour challenge is a hit EXCLUSIVE

By DANIEL BLACKHAM dblackham@wokingham.today

A COACH from a Winnersh gym has smashed a world record after tackling a 24 hour challenge.

Nick Riding, a strength and conditioning specialist at Move HQ in Winnersh Triangle, deadlifted the most cumulative weight in 24 hours between Friday, September 23, and the following day

The gruelling effort resulted in Mr Riding lifting 580,220kg, a total of 8,660 repetitions at 67kg.

“It’s an individual event but you need people there to help you sort it out, especially if it is a world record attempt because there’s a lot of admin,” he said.

“You don’t really think about the cameras, is everything in the right place, who’s counting the reps, who’s logging it down, what time do those reps happen, that sort of thing.

“You also need someone to remind you to eat and drink at certain times to make sure you’ve got the right stuff because. even when it’s feeling good, it can soon go downhill if you don’t.”

The previous record was achieved by Sam Murphy in

November 2020, when he lifted 520,072kg throughout the day.

Mr Riding was inspired to take on the challenge after learning of the record through an old school friend.

He said: “One of my mates I went to school with trained at Sam’s gym, so when he broke the record I saw it on social media and thought ‘oh that was cool’.

“Then a year-and-a-half, two years go by, I’d stopped rowing and since then felt a bit lost training wise and nothing felt

Mr Riding then decided to take on the record, but wanted to do it for an important cause.

“When I was at tennis academy in Leeds we did a charity run and I really enjoyed the sense of fulfilment it gave me doing it for a bigger purpose than just myself,” he said.

Mr Riding decided to raise money for the Charlie Watkins Foundation, which hosts fundraising events for charities supporting young people who struggle with their mental health and wellbeing.

Their main objective is to

tackle the stigma around mental health issues and encourage young people to discuss it more openly.

Mr Riding went to university with Harry Watkins, who founded the charity after his brother Charlie committed suicide, so has witnessed the impact it can have on families.

“I’ll be very honest, I think over the last five years my perception of mental health has definitely changed,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily something that I fully

understood at the time but now having seen what happened with Harry and his family, it definitely opened my eyes a little bit.

“Once Harry said yes [to the challenge], it was a no-brainer so I just went all for it.”

So far Mr Riding’s recordbreaking effort has raised £3,000 for the foundation, triple his original target.

n For more information on the challenge, or to make a donation, visit: essexcommunityfoundation. enthuse.com and search Nick Riding.

Midland railway exploration

A WOKINGHAM railway club has invited speaker Richard Heacock to give a presentation at its next meeting.

Richard will be talking about the Midland and South Western Junction Railway, paying special attention to its history.

Today, part of the route is the Swindon and Cricklade Heritage Railway, which ran from Cheltenham via Swindon and Savernake to Andover.

The Wokingham Methodist Railway and Transport Club will meet at the Bradbury Centre, in Rose Street, at 7.45pm on Tuesday, October 18.

n For more information contact programme secretary, Jim Dunning on: 0118 977 1754.

Chat Italian

ITALIAN speakers can enjoy a social event that allows them to practise their skills.

The gathering is not only for those who come from il belpaese, but welcomes those who would like to speak or listen to Italian.

The event, Conversazione Italiana a Wokingham, is held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Two Poplars on Finchampstead Road in Wokingham from 8pm.

The next event is October 19, and entry is free.

n

To find out more, search meetup.com for Conversazione Italiana a Wokingham

RECORD BREAKER: Nick Riding smashed the previous best by more than 50,000kgs

London Marathon runner completes race for The Link

A WOKINGHAM man joined more than 40,000 people to run in the 2022 TCS London Marathon.

Kevin McDaniel entered the race to raise money for local charity, The Link Visiting Scheme.

The charity matches volunteer befrienders with people at risk of loneliness, promoting meaningful friendships.

It has received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest recognition a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

Kevin is passionate about its work.

On the day that he completed the London Marathon, the unexpected warm weather was a bonus.

It enabled Kevin to realise his ambition by finishing in four hours and 17 minutes.

After the event he said: “Even before I took up running I’ve always thought this would be an amazing event to be a part of and it truly exceeded all my expectations.

“I had great support along the way from family and friends together with the cheering crowds, thishelped me across the finishing line.

“I chose to run for The Link Visiting Scheme in Wokingham and I am very grateful for everyone who has sponsored me so far.

“Funds will be used towards activities throughout December, including a Christmas Day lunch, so that no-one feels isolated.

“People can still donate on my giving page, helping to ensure that even more older people will feel less lonely this Christmas.”

Collapsed sewer causes sinkhole on Wokingham road

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

A COLLAPSED sewer on a Wokingham road has caused a sinkhole to open, swallowing a tanker.

A team from Thames Water’s contractors have been on site since Saturday attempting to make the site safe.

Thames Water was at the start of a four-week maintenance and upgrade programme on Evendons Lane, with works starting on Friday, September 30.

The sinkhole appeared overnight, leaving the lorry stuck and the road closed.

It is next to Evendons Primary School and the school had to close on Monday and Tuesday while work was undertaken to establish if it was safe to reopen. Lessons resumed yesterday (Wednesday).

due to the collapsed sewer, Thames Water’s crews needed to check the surrounding ground to ensure it can withstand the weight of the recovery vehicle.

road will also need to be repaired.

Thames Water told Wokingham Today on Saturday that it had been working as fast as possible.

signposting for a vehicle diversion. However, at this time we expect the road to remain closed.”

This has now been done, but it means Evendons Lane will now be closed until December 2.

To donate to Kevin’s fundraising page people can visit: www.localgiving.org/fundraising and search for running for link friends.

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Thames Water has been working with Wokingham Borough Council and the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service to confirm the recovery plan and ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.

To remove the tanker, a specialist crane will need to be brought in, but

The damage sewage pipe is 4.2 metres below ground, and Thames Water needs to check on the extent of the damage, and how far this goes on for.

And once the pipe is replaced, the

A spokesperson for said: “We’re very sorry to our customers impacted by the road closure on Evendon Road, RG41, today.

“Whilst supporting the repair of a collapsed sewer one of our larger vehicles has sunk in to a hole in the road.

“Our teams are on site, they have made the area safe and set up

They added: “We are working closely with the local council and other stakeholders to reduce the impact to local residents and the local school while we carry out our work.”

All businesses are open as normal, including Kimel Café and Trendy Cuts, but access is via Edneys Hill or Blagrove Lane only.

HOLE IN THE GROUND: A lorry in a sinkhole in Evendons Lane, Wokingham on Saturday.

Picture: Steve Smyth

London Fashion Week date for designer

By DANIEL BLACKHAM dblackham@rdg.today

A FINCHAMPSTEAD-based fashion designer has showcased her latest collection at London Fashion Week.

Yuniku London, located on Nine Mile Ride, presented its AVYANNA collection at the world leading show last month.

Aparna Jain, who founded the brand with her sister two years ago, said: “It’s a massive,

massive achievement for us, the design team and people behind the scenes.

“My whole energy and drive is to bring those designs and concepts to the world and share those creations, hence the route to London Fashion Week.

“I’m passionate about making it bigger and reaching more audiences worldwide.”

The inspiration for the latest collection was women who

want to feel strong coming out of lockdown.

“We wanted to bring that feminist point of view for women who want to feel strong, powerful and beautiful,” said Ms Jain.

“There are some glamorous pieces for evening wear and some sheek items which can be used for work.

“It shows how a female can easily balance work and glamour at the same time.”

Be who you’ve always been... a star baker

care homes being a star

journey

ON THE CATWALK: Yuniku London displayed its AVYANNA collection at London Fashion Week Picture: Yuniku London

52-marathon fundraiser paused with one to go

By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today

A FATHER’S 52 marathons in a year challenge was dealt a cruel blow when a car crash left him unable to run the final one.

In the collision, Justin Malin of Twyford broke his sternum bone in his chest and had whiplash injuries. His daughter, Fleur, 12, had a cut above her eye.

The smash involving the car Justin was driving and another vehicle was at Hare Hatch’s A4 and London Road junction on Thursday, September 21.

Police said of the person driving the other vehicle: “Rupert Woodhouse, aged 47, of Glebe Lane, Sonning, was charged with one count of driving a motor vehicle when alcohol was above the limit.

“He has been bailed to appear at Reading Magistrates’ Court on October 27. He suffered minor injuries in the collision.”

Justin’s last marathon, the day after his 50th birthday, was to be in the Twyford area with a triumphal lap of Stanlake Meadow, Twyford at the end.

He was to be accompanied by Fleur and her fellow players

in the Twyford Comets girls’ football team who play there. Fleur is a student at The Piggott School, Wargrave.

Justin still turned out three days later to see the Comets play – and to mark his runs so far. His family ran a cake stall to raise £271 for Reading-based national charity Make-A-Wish UK.

So far, his challenge has raised more than £6,000 for the charity.

He said: “I’m thoroughly gutted I couldn’t do the marathon. My injury will take a long time to repair but the final marathon is only postponed.”

Justin treated Saturday as a celebration of what he and his supporters have achieved, telling them: “What a super fantastic turn out to my celebration.

“You were all super generous. Thank you so much.”

During the past year Justin has battled on with his running despite having had Covid, painful legs, blisters, back seizures and toe nail problems.

“It has been an amazing challenge. A couple of weeks ago I was in Boston in the United States for work and a gentleman there created a marathon route for me,” he said.

“I ran marathons tied in with Fleur’s matches. If they played away I did a 26-mile route including the away venue. For home games I went from Twyford along the river [Thames] to Hurley, Henley and Shiplake,” he said.

Justin was inspired to support to support Make-AWish UK by his daughter Eva, a former Emmbrook School student, who works for the charity.

“She talked a lot about the children that the charity helps,” he said.

“I have three healthy daughters and I wanted to raise money to give other children that are either critically ill or their siblings a chance to experience a wish and joy in their lives.

“Make-A-Wish UK creates life-changing wishes that revive the childhood that critical illness takes away, bringing light and joy at the darkest of times for a child and their loved ones.”

Justin is pricing director for Volante in London who are match funding money raised by his supporters.

n To donate, log on to: justgiving. com/fundraising/Justin-Malin

Whatever the weather, the band plays on

A CONCERT band will be celebrating the weather in its seasonal concert.

Woodley Concert Band’s programme of music will take its audience through all four seasons of the year in just a couple of hours.

The group promises music for an autumnal day (Misty), a wintery toboggan

ride, Walking on Sunshine and a medley of hits from the Beach Boys.

The concert, Four Seasons In One Day, will be performed at The Bulmershe School, Woodley on Saturday, from 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £14 for adults, £12 for concessions (over 65’s), and £5 for under 16s.

People who have never been to a Woodley Concert Band concert can claim a free ticket to this concert as part of the group’s First Timers scheme.

Singers can try rockchoir for free

A MUSICAL group is offering people the chance to book a free trial rock singing session.

Wokingham Rock Choir says it welcomed interested singers to book for the taster events.

There are two to choose from: an afternoon and an evening session.

The group is a U- wide contemporary music making organisation.

The Wokingham branch is run by vocal coach, Glen Harvey.

Membership offers a chance to make new friends and to sing popular chart song arrangements.

There are two groups of singers that meet on Monday evenings or Wednesday lunchtimes.

Monday meetings this term are: October 10, 17, 24, 31 and November 7, 14, 21 all at 7.30pm

Rehearsals are at Holme Grange School, on Heathlands Road, Wokingham.

Wednesday meetings are: October 5, 12, 19 and November 2, 9, 16 all at 12.15pm.

For more details, or to book, log on to: www. woodleyconcertband.org.uk or call: 0870 321 2186.

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Are you missing out on a benefit worth £370/month?

The cost-of-living crisis means that it’s more important than ever to make sure you are receiving all the government benefits that you are entitled to. Let me show you how you might be able to get regular financial assistance to help you remain independent in your own home for as long as you wish.

Attendance Allowance is paid to people who have reached state pension age if they have a disability or health condition. Exactly how much someone receives depends on how their condition affects them, and there are two weekly rates. A lower rate of £61.85/week is paid if you need help during the day, and you may receive up to £92.40/week if you have health issues that disrupt your sleep. That’s up to £370/month tax-free. It’s not means-tested, and it doesn’t matter where you live, or if you have savings.

Attendance Allowance - Who can claim it?

I offer an initial free 30-minute confidential consultation to allow us to assess whether we can help and for you to decide if you’d like help. If we both agree that claiming Attendance Allowance is right for you, then we will look after you every step of the way.

Attendance Allowance is also known as a ‘gateway benefit’ as other benefits and opportunities are opened once you start to receive it.

We complete all the necessary forms and explain the process of claiming in straightforward, plain English so that you understand everything and are in complete control.

Nigel Pearce AIPW

The choir has performed in large venues, taken part in Guinness World Record attempts, and sings at local Berkshire music and food festivals, as well as event such as the May Fayre.

Rehearsals are at St Paul’s Church, Wokingham.

n To book a trial session, log on to: rockchoir.com/join

Vaccine location change

WOKINGHAM’S dedicated Covid-19 vaccine clinic is moving to a new location.

From today residents will be able to get their vaccines from Wokingham Borough Council’s Shute End offices, in the Shuters Café, located in the basement.

At present the booster jab to protect against coronavirus is offered to people aged 65 and over, as well as frontline health and social care workers who have completed their primary course of two doses.

People aged 50 and above, those over five years at clinical risk, care home residents and health and social care staff will become eligible as the programme rolls out.

Adult boosters will be given on Thursdays and Fridays.

At 4pm to 5pm on these two days, frontline care workers will be able to receive their boosters on a walk-in basis.

They will need to bring proof of status, such as workplace photo ID, a letter from their employer within

the past three months, or a payslip from the same period.

Children at clinical risk aged five to 11 will receive their boosters on Sundays.

Cllr David Hare, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services, said: “It is important for everyone, especially those who are more vulnerable, to get up to date with vaccinations without delay ahead of the winter months.

“Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect you and your loved ones so that we can live more safely with the virus. Wokingham Borough Council is continuing to encourage and facilitate our residents in getting vaccinated.”

People who become eligible for their boosters are advised to book ahead on the NHS National Booking Website or by calling 119.

Those attending the clinic are reminded to bring their NHS number and a face covering.

The clinic was previously held in the former Wokingham Library.

FUNDRAISERS: Eva, Lucy and Justin Malin at the Twyford Comets cake sale

ON SONG: Singers can try out a session with the Rock Choir. Picture: Steve Smyth

“We contacted Nigel and received wonderful service. He filled in the extensive forms for us and did so in a very caring way.”

Cedric Lander, Woodley

The devastating impact of cost of living crisis in Wokingham revealed

By DANIEL BLACKHAM dblackham@rdg.today

A SURVEY has revealed the devastating impact the cost of living crisis is having on families in Wokingham borough.

The questionnaire, created by Citizens Advice Wokingham in collaboration with Age UK Berkshire, Wokingham United Charities and the Cowshed, asks residents how they have been directly affected by inflation and rising energy costs.

Since its launch last week, there has already been 640 replies – with many residents already struggling and more fearing how they will manage through the winter.

One reply read: “Often the children eat pasta only and I scrape the plates down and eat the remains.”

Jake Morrison, chief executive at Citizens Advice Wokingham, said: “What we don’t know is what we don’t see and that is the purpose of the survey.

“We are helping a substantial number of people in the borough every month to get through their problems but what about those people who aren’t reaching out for help?

“Is it something we need to change as a service? Do people not need help and that is why they are not reaching out? And it was sent out in that way to understand what other perspectives are there in the borough other than what we are seeing on our own services.”

Mr Morrison has worked at Citizens Advice for four years but hasn’t witnessed this level of demand for support.

One person described the rising cost of living as “catastrophic” with many saying they are having to choose between heating and eating.

“In a place like Wokingham borough, these are not things we would expect to hear every day,” said Mr Morrison.

“Never in the four years that I’ve been here have I heard such a volume of stories of real hardship that people are living in and experiencing.”

As well as detailing increased levels of stress and worry, residents have said they are no longer able to engage in leisure activities and most are restricting spending to a minimum.

Mr Morrison said: “This really helps us understand a lot of different perspectives of how people are having to deal with and being affected by the cost of living crisis.

Dementia cafes on Shinfield

A BERKSHIRE charity has launched a new project to support those with dementia and their carers.

Age UK Berkshire are holding monthly dementia cafes at School Green Centre, Shinfield.

The project is part of a wider initiative to make

“It helps us to tailor our support.”

Of the responses to the survey, 93.4% were worried by energy costs with 78.8% anxious about the price of food.

Petrol and diesel was also high on the list of concerns, along with rising mortgage rates.

“One of the issues we have in Wokingham borough is that a large part of our community is just about managing,” said Mr Morrison.

“The issue for a lot of people is they were doing okay, they could get through it month-to-month but now people are saying they are nearly out of savings because they have had to dip in each month.

“We have 20% of people who responded to the survey saying they are having to use credit cards, loans, borrowing for everyday essentials such as food and rent which is going to be a difficult situation to get out of.”

Mr Morrison insists one of the priorities is to de-stigmatise the

negative connotations around people asking for help.

This includes the launch of self help tools on the Citizens Advice website such as a benefits calculator and a free to use budgeting planner.

If residents then find they need further assistance with the process, or it gets complex, the organisation will be available to assist with any queries.

He said: “Our goal isn’t to do things for people, we want to empower them with the information they need to make decisions.

“Whether we do that one-to-one, through our website or through things like a benefit calculator we want to reach as many people as possible.

“The goal ultimately is, we don’t want people to struggle on their own.”

To take the anonymous survey, search Citizens Advice Wokingham on Facebook.

n For more information on the support available, visit: citizensadvicewokingham. org.uk

from the careers is that their loved ones are actively motivated to get up and out for the day.

Wokingham a dementia friendly borough.

Sue Spiller, dementia support coordinator, said: “These cafes provide vital support for those living with dementia and their carers.

“Not only do they get to enjoy a session which is stimulating, the feedback

“It also improves their appetite and general mood after attending.”

Ms Spiller explained the sessions offer “respite” to carers and an opportunity to meet others in similar situations.

Attendees have fun, make friends and share experiences over

refreshments.

New for last month, the meet-ups take place on Wednesdays. Upcoming sessions take place on October 19, November 9 and December 14.

Visitors are asked to book places before attending. Sessions cost £2.50 per person.

n For details, contact: dementiawokingham@ ageukberkshire.org.uk or call: 0118 959 4242

YOU’RE NOT ALONE: Citizens Advice don’t want people to struggle on their own with the cost of living Picture: Adrian Swancar

Terms & Conditions of Employment: Why they really do matter

Recently, we’ve seen an increase in small to medium-sized businesses seeking advice on tightening up their HR infrastructure– including contracts of employment. Here are 4 key reasons why people come to us:

1. They need protection and security for employer and employee alike.

2. They want to avoid a repeat of a situation they now know could have been avoided with the benefit of a specialist’s experience. Free templates are free for a reason!

3.The conversation about the terms has become important at the point of dispute. We know documents support conversations, they don’t replace the need for them.

4. There’s an increase in understanding about discrimination. Terms of employment need to be inclusive for everyone. It’s not difficult to get right, but it’s not difficult to miss something either. It’s worth getting your ideas checked out before committing them to writing you’ll need to rely on later.

She said yes: Runnerproposes at finish line

A WOKINGHAM couple got engaged at the finish line of the London Marathon.

Phil West proposed to fellow Shinfield Running Club (SRC) member, Darcie Goulding, getting down on one knee moments after completing the race.

Club founder, James Suarez, said: “This club is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s incredible and quite emotional when you think about it.

“Had it not been for the club, they wouldn’t have met.”

The club was represented in the capital by nine of its members, who all completed the 26.2-mile course successfully.

James was full of praise for those who took part, seeing SRC’s participation at one of the world’s biggest races as a demonstration of the club’s success.

Despite negotiating traffic at the start of the race, James managed to secure a personal best time of two hours, 55 minutes and 47 seconds (see right).

Of the experience, he said: “I’m super, super chuffed. I have zero regrets, training went great with no injuries.

“The atmosphere was electric, the only quiet zones were in the tunnels. Anyone who gets the chance should do it. It’s the best race out there.”

James was running on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), a charity which helped his son, Javier, recover from nephrotic syndrome.

There’s power in walking can help

By EMMA MERCHANT emerchant@wokingham.today

NEW evidence reveals that keeping active is likely to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found “strong evidence that greater levels of physical activity and sitting down less are likely to reduce breast cancer risk”.

And the activity also lowered the risk of breast cancer by 40% with vigorous activity offering similar risk benefits.

Being sedentary, on the other hand, was associated with a higher likelihood of some types of breast cancer.

Nina Barough is excited by the study, and passionate about walking, indeed it’s her mantra

The Wokingham resident is the founder and chief executive of Walk The Walk, a charity she set up almost 25 years ago.

“This study confirms what we’ve always believed,” she says.

“It’s significant because scientists can now measure the impact physical activity has on the body.

“You know yourself that you feel better when you’ve been out walking, without anyone telling you that it’s good for you, but having that scientific proof is a great motivator.”

The language and tone of typical employment contracts will always be very formal, so they don’t lend themselves towards straightforward conversations. This can become a little confusing for employees and employers. However, while they are unlikely to ever sound friendly, the language can be adjusted to reflect your desired employment relationship and set it off to a good start.

And, from tribunal outcomes and our own experience, we know it isn’t necessarily what’s written down in a contract that gets relied on in a dispute. In making a judgement, a tribunal will place significant emphasis on how a contract is ‘carried out in practice’.

If you’d like to review your HR infrastructure, contact us today to find out about the cost-effective packages we’ve developed specifically for companies with between 11- 75 employees.

The free community group boasts a membership of almost 1,000 runners with a wide range of experience levels.

The former Binfield FC footballer also completed the marathon himself, having documented his gruelling 15week training block to his 5,000 Instagram followers.

Unable to receive a conclusive diagnosis from the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the family turned to the London hospital, who were able to identify and offer treatment for the condition.

Javier has gladly been in remission for the last two years, regularly participating in junior Parkruns.

Inspired by the care afforded to his son, James has committed to fundraising for GOSH at every race he runs for charity.

Have tea with the mayor

A TEA PARTY will be a civilised way to raise money for a mayor’s charity of the year.

On Sunday, October 23, Woodley’s town mayor will welcome guests for an afternoon of live music, sandwiches, cakes and scones, in aid of Keep Mobile.

Cllr Janet Sartorel will be joined by her deputy, Cllr Kay Gilder, for the event which will be held at The Oakwood Centre.

In addition to the entertainment there will a raffle and other fundraising activities.

Cllr Sartorel chose Keep Mobile as the Mayor’s Charity for 2022/23, after attending their AGM in May and hearing about the important service the organisation provides to residents across the area.

The voluntary organisation provides transport for elderly and disabled people throughout the Wokingham and Bracknell Forest borough areas, including providing a significant number of journeys to passengers from within Woodley.

After receiving funding from the unitary councils, together with

DRINK

will be

Does improving people’s health require a big shift in lifestyle?

“Not at all,” says Nina, “it’s not difficult to make small changes to what most of us are doing all the time anyway.

“Walking is an easy thing to do, and something that has often been underestimated.

“But it has also been described as the perfect exercise, and I think it really is.

“It only takes a little bit of focus to turn an ambling stroll into something powerful that can actually be quite lifechanging.”

Nina’s passion for walking began in 1996, when she dreamt that she was power walking in aid of breast cancer.

Despite having no previous fundraising experience, nor any link with breast cancer, Nina was inspired to take part in the New York Marathon.

She and her friends entered the event wearing their bras, and raised £25,000 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Nina believes that everyday walking is an achievable and powerful way to improve people’s overall health.

“And simply increasing the speed of your walking can make a big difference to your health,” she says.

“When you are walking while shopping, or taking the kids to school, just try to increase the pace a little.

“If you normally arrive in 10 minutes, try getting there in nine.

“Walking a little faster should increase the heart rate, but the walker should always still be able to talk,” she explains.

“You need to be able to hold a conversation.”

To help people to move towards better health, Walk The Walk has created a motivation tool on their website called MAD2.

in

on Sunday, October 23

PandaBearPhotographyWales from Pixabay

grants from a number of town and parish councils, the organisation is still short of funds by approximately 30% and rely heavily on public generosity as well to keep the organisation running.

Places cost £29.50, and proceeds from the event, which runs from 1pm to 4pm, will go to Keep Mobile.

Tickets can be purchased from links on Woodley Town Council’s website and social media pages.

Weeks later, Nina discovered that she herself had the disease, but undefeated, she entered fundraising groups for the London Marathon over the next two years.

In 1998 she organised a nighttime power walk, now known as The Moonwalk London.

Nina’s successful charity, Walk The Walk, has raised more than £133 million and is the largest grantmaking breast cancer charity in the UK.

“When we started out, nobody really walked, it was something that grandparents did on a Sunday,” Nina remembers.

“People either went hiking or they ran marathons, but it was very much about competition, and achieving.”

“People just need a device to measure their steps,” Nina explains.

“This could be a phone or fitness watch to measure their walking,”

The MAD2 training plan encourages people to walk two miles, or 5,000 steps as part of their normal routine.

“From the minute you wake up, to the moment you go to bed, the minimum you should walk for your health, is two miles,” she adds.

Some people may find that they reach that target in surprising ways.

“If you work in London, and you are walking quite a lot in the underground, you may already be clocking up your two miles,” she adds.

“But for others, whose jobs are very sedentary, they may be shocked to find that they actually walk less than half that in their normal day without

YOU?: Phil West and Darcie Goulding met at Shinfield Running Club, with Phil proposing to Darcie moments after completing Sunday’s London Marathon. Picture courtesy of James Suarez

BEST FOOT FORWARD: Nina Barough, CBE, believes

in your steps: how help you be healthy

PBs fall as running clubtackles London Marathon

Another view Neil Coupe

It’s not my fault,honest

WHY

is everything always somebody else’s fault?

I was reflecting on this when observing the economic meltdown caused by the recent budget (or ‘fiscal event’), which was also interestingly described as a ‘growth plan’.

To a lay person, it seemed odd that the new Government launched a smorgasbord of uncosted and unanalysed measures, with a cut in the 45% highest marginal tax rate for the tiny % of people in that tax bracket, during a cost-of-living crisis where inflation is ravaging more modestly remunerated people’s lives.

MEMBERS of a Wokingham running club took to the capital to complete the London Marathon on Sunday.

Shinfield Running Club (SRC) was represented by nine of its members, who all completed the 26.2-mile course successfully.

Founder James Suarez was full of praise for those who took part, seeing SRC’s participation at one of the world’s biggest races as a demonstration of the club’s success.

The free community group boasts a membership of almost 1,000 runners with a wide range of experience levels.

his 5,000 Instagram followers.

Despite negotiating traffic at the start of the race, James managed to secure a personal best time of two hours, 55 minutes and 47 seconds.

Of the experience, he said: “I’m super, super chuffed. I have zero regrets, training went great with no injuries.

“The atmosphere was electric, the only quiet zones were in the tunnels. Anyone who gets the chance should do it. It’s the best race out there.”

As people say nowadays, the optics were not good and, of course, since writing this, the plan has been dropped.

The markets did not like what was going on, and as well as the £ plunging to its lowest level against the dollar in living memory, a third of all mortgage products were being withdrawn and we then heard that only a £65b bail-out stopped pension funds collapsing. I am old enough to remember when a budget was considered catastrophic when VAT was put on pasties, not when the economy was torched and on the verge of collapse.

realising it.”

It can be difficult to persevere with an exercise regime, but Nina says that MAD2 walking is easier to maintain.

“There’s a lot of talk about 10,000 steps in the media.

“If you’re used to walking, that’s fine, but I’ve known people who’ve tried, and then given up because it was too difficult.”

The MAD2 plan suggests easy tips to help people add steps naturally to their day.

Even something as simple as walking up and down a set of stairs every hour can add 300 steps.

“It can be very satisfying to reach a goal, and these goals are both realistic and achievable.”

But Nina says that people shouldn’t see the plan as something to achieve or fail at.

“Walking is something that you can do at your own pace, and you are in control.

“Every day is a new day, and a new opportunity to slot in two miles of walking.

“It isn’t a fad, like giving up alcohol for a month, it’s about everyday lifestyle, building activity into your life, finding ways to get the necessary walking in.

“Even hoovering the house can be quite vigorous, there are so many very basic ways to add the steps to your day.”

Walk the Walk held a walking challenge in the summer where people were invited to put in two miles every day for two months.

“I defy anyone not to feel better

at the end of it, especially if you are someone who doesn’t have much activity in your life,” Nina says.

“And if you want to see a more radical difference, if you walk three to four times a week for around 45 minutes, around a 15 minute mile, your heart rate will be up, you’ll be toning your muscles, you’ll keep in shape, and you will really notice a difference in your health.”

Nina had covid, which affected her breathing, and she found that walking improved her symptoms.

“At first I found that I couldn’t walk very fast, but slowly over the weeks my breathing really improved,” she says.

Nina says that one of the good things to come out of covid was walking.

“It was one of the few things that people were able to do, and a lot of people suddenly realised that they enjoyed it.”

So, we should all start walking more if we want to improve and preserve our health?

“Yes, absolutely, both for our current health and for prevention,” she says.

“There are various different types of cancer, but it turns out that route to prevention for all of them is the same, and it’s all about lifestyle and being active.

“I cannot overestimate the mental, physical and lifestyle benefits of going out for a walk every day.”

n For information about Walk the Walk and to access the MAD2 motivational plan, visit: walkthewalk.org

On setting up the club, James said: “Firstly, I wanted to include a sort of team aspect, I guess that came from my football days. You’d have the Whatsapp notifications pinging every other minute with banter flying around.”

“Second, to get people from the community out running regardless of ability.

“For us, it was all about creating something accessible and free, that was the whole concept.”

The former Binfield FC footballer also completed the marathon himself, having documented his gruelling 15-week training block to

POETRY CORNER

James was running on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), a charity which helped his son, Javier, recover from nephrotic syndrome.

Unable to receive a conclusive diagnosis from the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the family turned to the London hospital, who were able to identify and offer treatment for the condition.

Javier has gladly been in remission for the last two years, regularly participating in junior Parkruns.

Inspired by the care afforded to his son, James has committed to fundraising for GOSH “at every opportunity”.

However, we are in 2022, so it was not, of course, the fault of the people creating this, it was the fault of ‘lefties’ in the City, who thought that spending lots of money without a clear plan was not a good move. Of the people I know in the City, there are many adjectives that can be used, but none of them spring to mind as the type of people that knit their own muesli.

Or was it ‘lefties’ in the media for reporting the news? This reminds me of when football manager Alan Ball blamed the media for his sacking by Manchester City. As one wag responded – ‘Yes, well they kept publishing the results’.

If it was not the fault of lefties it was the International Monetary Fund’s fault for suggesting that the policy was flawed.

Or of course it was the fault of Mr Putin. Or the BBC. Or the Establishment.

When did we become a country of buck-passers, doing anything not to accept responsibility?

A few months ago, I was trying to organise an event with a very colourful and entertaining chap, who seemed keen to be involved, but on the proviso that I would try to obtain a knighthood for him. A very successful man, and one of the richest people in the country, he was extremely unhappy to only have one of the slightly lower honours and was forthright in his disgust with some of the other recently knighted businesspeople.

Firstly, how I was supposed to be able to organise this was not clear.

He then went on to mutter that the real problem was that that there was a conspiracy among the ‘Romanians’ who were preventing him from obtaining his honour.

‘Romanians?’ I said, ‘what have they got to do with you not getting a knighthood?’

‘Remainers, not Romanians’ he replied, with admittedly good humour.

Her Bees are all in mourning

Their boss is now no longer

She’s left the hive that was so alive

Now slipped just over yonder

King Charles now takes the reins

To produce the Royal Honey

The Bees will soon accept him

printing your poetry.

By Mickey Brown 2022

When I ran a junior football team, my only red line was that my players were never to argue with the referee, question his or her decisions, consequently putting the responsibility for the outcome of the match onto others, over whom they had no control.

Hopefully, the players have taken some of that philosophy into their working lives.

It is clear that politicians have a difficult job to do and need to make difficult and often unpopular decisions, but they need to take responsibility for their actions and not go round blaming everyone else.

OVER THE LINE: Shinfield Running Club founder, James Suarez, broke his own personal best time at the London Marathon, recording a time of two hours, 55 minutes and 47 seconds. Picture: James Suarez

Cos they need to earn their money It’s an old Royal tradition That will keep making history Her majesty’s gone but never forgotten

She was our very own Queen Bee

yours to

we’ll feature a selection every

Outlook is bleak, let’s pull together

THIS WEEK’S front page story lays bare the full extent of hidden poverty in Wokingham borough.

The council, under the previous administration, had done much to get alongside those already struggling. This included supporting families on free school meals during the holiday times, and helping establish a hardship alliance.

But the spiralling inflation, increased energy bills and larger mortgage payments means that over the next few months those the council know about will be dwarfed by those they don’t.

For many, being tipped into poverty is a shameful experience. Asking for help is embarrassing, difficult and seeing your pride burst.

The outlook is currently bleak. The mini-budget has wrecked even more havoc, and the whispers from the new government are more cuts to public spending and benefits.

But Wokingham is a place where we do help each other, we pull together, and we look out for our neighbours.

If you are struggling, do not be too proud to ask for support.

We can get through this, together.

CHURCH NOTES Peace

PEACE

is a word often used by Quakers; it is one of our four main tenets alongside Truth, Equality and Simplicity.

We talk of world peace, but at present, this is still a long way away.

There are many groups in this country and around the world that work tirelessly to help bring Peace, as well as many others that help treat those affected by various conflicts including: Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders), The Red Cross, Oxfam, Medical Aid for Palestinians and others.

All praise to those who give their time and energy and sometimes their lives to this cause.

Personally, I have met a lady who had worked in Palestine for the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme, liaising between the Israeli and Palestinian authorities, and helping people on both sides to find common ground and settle their differences peacefully, which did not always happen.

The lady said it was not for the faint-hearted, it was tough, very tough.

In fact, a Palestinian man she was working with on the West Bank was killed during an altercation with the Israeli military.

The work for Peace goes on, and thankfully there are many people working tirelessly, in places such as Afghanistan, Syria, Tigre, Iraq, Somalia, Ukraine, Israel and in other lesser-known conflicts around the world.

At the Quaker Meeting in Wokingham, we do what we can to help the cause of Peace wherever we can, by donating some of our Sunday collections to organisations involved in war zones or supporting refugees in the many camps that have sprung up in adjoining countries.

Let us hold all those people who work for Peace in all kinds of ways in the Light, and that gradually the World becomes a more Peaceful place.

Martyn Towle from the Wokingham Quaker Meeting, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham

Your letters

Send your thoughts to letters@wokingham.today

It’s mean to blame the Conservatives

To the Leader of the Council: I write as one who voted Lib Dem last time.

Your attempt to blame the Tories for having to increase car parking Charges now is mean and a cheap political move.

I put it to you that lower charges encourage people to come to Wokingham to shop. Higher charges may cause shoppers to go elsewhere.

I ask you not to increase car parking charges in Wokingham.

If revenue is too low, then increase Council Tax.

John Robins, via email

Easy to predict

Why is it always so easy to predict Liberal administrations?

They talk about “levelling up”, but this appears to mean matching our Borough neighbours by increasing our parking charges and reducing our excellent waste collection services.

May I remind the “coalition” that the Twyford library vanity project financing can still be returned to where it belongs .... in servicing the wider community.

Colin Bell, Ruscombe

Wake up councillors

We are entering a terrifying time of money management – much of it caused by the greed of major firms and manufacturers and share owners, looking for BIG dividends, which ultimately the general public have to pay for in higher prices, and, sometimes, smaller pay packets.

As councillors are in their place to be the public’s voice, I do hope that they will speak for the general public and will be pointing out that, by doubling the price of parking, they will probably half the footfall in the Wokingham shops.

Have they even realised that the shortage of parking, easily accessible, is probably part of the cause of so many failed enterprises in the town?

Do they understand that, with the price of petrol, most people think twice about getting the car out, to drive into town and will go there even less often.

O foolish people.

A very wise person, some 2,000 years ago said the love of money is the root of ALL evil.

Beware.

If you think that by doubling the price of parking in town you will increase your income, you may find instead that your coffers are emptier, the town is even quieter, surrounding roads more crowded with parked cars,and everyone will be angrier.

Think again, dear Councillors.

Yours, in worried fear of the future.

Nina Preston, Wokingham

Reasonable alternatives

Like so many others, I’m disgusted to see parking charges increase and cuts to waste collection services. But it takes only a few moments to realise these are reasonable choices given the unpleasant alternatives before the Borough Council.

I drive frequently in the Borough, but will gladly pay more for parking to

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

expressed in this section are not necessarily those of the paper

Parties need to work together on finance

As a rate payer of Wokingham Borough Council I am horrified to learn of the financial position of the council as outlined by Cllr. Jones in Wokingham Today (September 22). This just confirms the wretched political system that has contributed to the way the council has been run.

One just has to read Cllr Cowan’s letter of the same date. This tells us everything which has led to the current situation.

We have had, until recently, 23 years of Tory rule and depending on which side you support, is this the right way to run a political system which is a dictatorship where the residents have no say on the decisions? This is clearly undemocratic.

Most decisions that councillors vote on are non-political and that is why the public should have a say.

The position financially is very serious and Cllr Jones’ letter should have been sent to every rate payer in the Borough, just like Cllr Halsall did over the housing numbers.

Why wasn’t this done?

The majority of residents just do not know what is going on in the council and rely on the newspaper or social media.

This for some is very limited.

We have the absurd situation

enable a full bus service and avoid cuts to necessary services. In fact, petrol is down 25p per litre in the past few months, which effectively offsets the parking increases.

As for waste collection, my family barely uses one blue bag a week - so reducing the number of bags and/ or shifting to fortnightly blue bag collection is a reasonable, minor inconvenience.

But let’s look at the alternatives. Cutting bus routes or reducing public services are going to hurt those most in need, perpetuating a downward spiral.

It’s shameful to see food banks right across the Borough and country, the result of “nasty” choices by Conservative leaders nationally and locally.

It is gross hypocrisy for local Conservatives to feign outrage at parking charges that they themselves introduced just years ago during a pinch (eg, Sunday charges, night time charges - yes, they did).

So, I will grumble at the parking machine - but then remember that I’d rather my money go to local services than BP.

Then, I’ll silently thank the public for the change of local government that makes such reasonable and humane choices.

Lastly, I’ll long for the day when we return to investing in all the people of this country, not just the rich, and make food banks unnecessary again.

#EnoughIsEnough

Tom Ross, address supplied

Unsanitary waste

So, Wokingham Borough Council is now pushing for every household to only be issued with one blue bag per week - possibly fortnight.

locally of the Jorgensen husband and wife team slamming every letter in Wokingham Today written by the Liberal Democrats about the findings in the council books. As rate payers we should know the true facts.

The books should be examined by independent accountants, otherwise who do we trust?

Sadly there is no cooperation between the parties, which is what the voters want.

When Cllr Jones states that councillors will need to grow up and make proper decisions, it tells us everything and that we need a united front.

Is it right that we are continually underfunded by central government because we are a wealthy borough and do not need an increased subsidy? If we have all these wealthy millionaires in the Borough , where are they now in this time of crisis?

Do they want the council to go bust when they could be contributing and sponsoring the council?

We understand that there is a £500,000 overspend on school transport and some buses have been cut. This is an essential service and should continue to be funded.

All these assets just piling up in people with £2m+ in property and cash could be lent to the council

Just how are the many hjouseholds in Wokingham with elderly and incontient residents going to manage with that?

Think about it.

In one house alone, with an incontinent person living there, they are going to need a blue bah entirely for soiled waste. This kind of thing cannot be flushed down the toilet.

Not to mention the hundreds of households with children in nappies having to cope with just one blue bag per week or fortnight.

In hot weather, imagine the fly infestation that it will attract.

Perhaps a little forethought would be in order here? Maybe special allowances for these households?

There are enough records in Wokingham Borough Council to highlight these particular homes.

This idea is ridiculous, and will not work in keeping the environment clean.

Lynne Antink, Wokingham

Keep it weekly, please

This is a disgrace, we value our weekly waste collection, before the election they didn’t say they intended to scrap it.

We recycle to have the council get income from it, with no blue bags the recycling will be impossible to sort and end up unusable, all to landfill. This is an outrage, I am appalled.

Sue Doughty, via email

Car park price rise is not good

I agree with Mr Currer (letters, September 29) – it is not good for motorists also businesses in the area, also the churches.

The government will not take some tax off petrol and fuel for the car or trucks.

to enable it to continue with the projects planned. Otherwise we are faced with the councillors making decisions to cut services without consultation with residents.

The financial crisis affecting a council can be controlled and saved when all sides work together.

If the people with considerable wealth have a conscience, the council needs you.

Unfortunately the latest council decision to raise parking charges is a disastrous one, and not thought out.

It is not only going to affect latenight shopping, but pubs, restaurants, and the theatre in the Oakwood centre. Cllr. Jones must realise that he can’t continue upsetting the residents otherwise we will have another change of council at thr next elections.

The points arranged in this letter are essential as we also have a new Prime Minister who doesn’t seem to care who she upsets.

The council is up against a dictatorship that is not going to work and is completely wrong at the present time. It is now up to the residents to work together with the council to avoid a financial situation which has overtaken the likes of Slough and Thurrock.

Cedric Lander, Woodley.

Now we have a Liberal Dem, with support from Labour, to increase charges by over 100% to cover their book,

Next will be a cut in child services.

In my view Clr Clive Jones and Fishwick do not care about shops losing money – they are wrong in this and must scrap it.

Victor Rones, Bracknell

Think through food waste bags

I wonder if the removal of these food waste bags has been really thought through.

The Veolia refuse collection service from our road involves the operatives using three intermediate rolling bins.

One each for landfill (blue bags), recycling (green bags) and food waste.

To speed up the operation the operative (usually running)often collects all three categories in their bin to save all three visiting each address.

They then transfer to the respective bin or take straight to the truck if it’s close. It’s straight forward and clean with blue or green bags, for food waste at the moment they lift it out of the caddy by the bag which is fairly clean itself.

Loose-loaded rotting food waste in the caddies will not aid their fairly slick operation - think of the potential spills, mess and the need for remedial clean-up duties.

Let’s hope they are geared up for the inevitable.

David Arnold, Finchampstead

Where is the council tax going?

During the last 10+ years and continuing on now, Wokingham house construction has expanded greatly in and around the town and its environs.

Many of these new homes are in

the council tax band E and higher.

The district council has benefited greatly from all this additional income.

To put up car parking charges now by such large amounts is therefore totally unjustified and has no merit whatever.

The new proposed charges will completely deter Wokingham residents from working or shopping in the town.

What has happened to all the additional council tax income generated by the many new homes built in the Area? Will the Council please open the books for a full independent audit and report to the council tax and business rate payers, covering the last five financial years? I suspect that some imprudent investing and spending of their taxes by the District Council, producing large financial losses would then become clear.

Geoffrey W Ryder, a Wokingham resident for over 30 years

The game’s up... already

The Ad-Hoc Coalition has only been in power since May 2022 but is the game already up? It hasn’t taken voters long to learn that the NonLiberal Non-Democrats and their cronies are in the business of making the cost of living even more expensive with their proposals to increase and extend car parking charges by 100%.

I hope that WBC Councillors who receive free car parking in Wokingham Borough, by any means, including the Blue Badge scheme, recuse themselves from the vote on the proposals.

I don’t think the proposals are much to do with budgets as is claimed, I think it is the start of punishment for motorists by the Ad-Hoc Coalition led by wannabe MP Cllr Clive Jones.

As for the waste collections, when is a consultation a sham consultation? It’s a sham when Cllr Shenton states “....we just don’t have the choice to continue with collections exactly as

they are.”

This statement proves beyond reasonable doubt I think that the decision to end the weekly waste collection has already been taken. Any consultation is just a fig-leaf and sham designed to make out that the Lib Dems are in some way “democratic”.

We know they are not of course because they still don’t recognise the result of the Brexit/ EU Referendum vote. The greatest democratic exercise the UK has ever conducted. This makes Non-Liberal Non-Democrats Democracy Deniers.

On the Climate Change “Emergency”, Lib Dem Cllr Sarah Kerr states: “Unbelievably, we still live in a world of climate change deniers and sceptics...”

Some people are sceptical because the so-called emergency is being used as an excuse to punish others, normally the less well-off by telling them that they should buy unaffordable equipment for their homes and buy expensive new vehicles to avert the “Emergency”.

Yet the Earth’s climate has been changing for billions of years, and will continue to do so long after puny little humans have died out.

Recent years have shown that we are more at risk of being wiped out by nuclear war, meteorite strike, mass volcanic eruptions and rampant disease. Experts and scientists have assessed these lethal threats as being current or future. I wonder when the “Stop Volcanoes Now” movement will start it’s disruptive campaign?

So I ask Cllr Kerr, if the Climate Change “Emergency” is that grave, why is the WBC Ad-Hoc Coalition not committed to providing free solar panels for ALL buildings in the WBC area and free electric vehicles for ALL drivers in the WBC area? Another thing to add to the list is free domestic wind turbines for ALL buildings in the WBC area. I took advantage of the free loft insulation scheme and very good it is too. My heating stays on at 19ºC all winter now, although

thanks to the Eco Zealots and their failure to secure the UK’s strategic energy supply, I may have to risk my health and turn it down a lot lower this coming winter. (Please reply in Wokingham.Today Cllr Kerr.)

As the wannabe MP and Leader of the Ad-Hoc Coalition that is WBC, Cllr Jones and his new “friends” purport to be very concerned about the Climate Change “Emergency”. Shouldn’t they therefore be pursuing a certain type of the rich folks first? You know the ones. They jet everywhere, live in multiple properties and still use gas guzzlers for many journeys.

They are also fond of lecturing the poorer folks about what they must do because of the climate “Emergency”.

For this reason I am sure that Cllr Jones and the Ad-Hoc Coalition will immediately start campaigning for King Charles to have a three-bed semidetached house as his only dwelling place, and pay Inheritance Tax.

After all, as long as political parties are not willing to enact any of my suggestions immediately, there cannot possibly be a Climate Change “Emergency” and we are not actually in that much danger.

I think it’s about time that the AdHoc Coalition WBC put it’s Climate Change Emergency where it’s Climate Change Emergency mouth is. Or is the Ad-Hoc Coalition WBC frightened of King Charles? The electorate is about to find out!

Paul Clarke, Wokingham

Why bother, Peter?

What a shameful letter from Peter Humphreys (September 29)

I wonder why he bothered to cycle all the way to Windsor for an event he obviously had no time for.

I would question his reasoning with regard to numbers. 250,000 queued to pay their respects in Westminster Hall, (not Abbey as he stated), but this was limited by the time available.

His figures did not take into account those who congregated before the day of the Funeral at

so to know that this crucial agenda has the full support of Wokingham borough council politicians is a fantastic base upon which to build.

Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and many other venues around the British Isles.

It also did not include the crowds who lined the processional route on 19th September and certainly not the millions who were watching at home, where they had a much more comprehensive and comfortable view.

I suspect these numbers totalled together would be a lot higher than for the Lord Mayor’s Parade or the London Marathon.

The fact that the crowds at Windsor Caste were ‘corralled’ and roads were closed was for the safety of both spectators and those involved in the proceedings. The Police and other Security Forces do not have the numbers of officers to patrol an unlimited area or to keep a check on people wandering about. Two close relatives of mine are young police officers and were on duty at Windsor from 4am until late, working to ensure that security was maintained.

For Peter’s information I am not a great supporter of large and lengthy funerals and did not watch every minute of this one, however, I greatly admired all the preparation and precision involved in this important, historical event. Just to see those eight young men carrying the Coffin was a moment to remember.

It was a fitting tribute to our Queen of 70 years.

Wendy Graham, via email

Refreshing letter

I was impressed with the letter entitled Join Optalis in the paper dated Thursday 29th September. It was from a councillor who in the previous administration felt passionate about his role and what he achieved in supporting Wokingham Borough Council Voluntary and Community Sector. It was a positive and uplifting letter. This what local politics should be about – working for the good of the community. Let’s have more of these types of letters.

Name and address withheld

From the leader

Cllr Clive Jones

Strengthening external relationships

WEcan do more together than we can do separately

The new administration at Wokingham Borough Council is very much aware that we need to work in a partnership of equals with a wide variety of external bodies if our residents and businesses are to be properly supported and the borough is to continue to be a great place to live and work.

Over the last few months, we have been trying to develop, strengthen, and in some cases repair relationships with external partners.

This emphasis on partnerships is especially relevant to the way we handle the current cost of living crisis.

Members of the executive of leading councillors have been working with senior council officers to develop our involvement with the Hardship Alliance of local voluntary and charitable bodies to help to mobilise and coordinate efforts to address the local impact of the crisis.

As the council, like our residents, is feeling the pinch financially – with double-digit inflation, rising demand for services and significant shortfalls in anticipated income, and poor budgeting from the previous administration – we are not in a position to give the Alliance as much financial support as we would have liked.

Even so, we have managed to find resource to fund free school dinners during school holidays for children who in term-time would have received them.

We have also tried to make as generous as we can the rescheduling of council tax and council rents for those who are in difficulties. We will be striving to keep next year’s rent rise for existing council tenants as low as we can.

ALOT

has happened in the last four months since the Lib Dems took over running Wokingham Borough Council.

A few updates from my portfolio (Climate Emergency and Resident Services) include:

n The Executive decision to develop a ‘Violence Against Women & Girls’ strategy and for the council to become White Ribbon accredited (which aims to end the culture of misogyny);

n Signing the lease with the Polehampton Charity so that Twyford gets its new library in the old Polehampton Boys School site. The library will move from its temporary site to a permanent building, and it restores a heritage asset in the village which supports the development of civic pride;

n Progression of the website overhaul for the whole council as the current one is end of life and not fit for purpose;

n Signed the Heads of Terms agreement with our partner organisation Arts4Wokingham who are commissioning, paying for and installing a landmark public sculpture (called the Arc) outside the Carnival Hub. This partnership will assist in making Wokingham a destination place, boosting the local economy and supporting mental health and wellbeing;

n We are progressing the customer excellence programme that seeks to put the customer (our public) at the forefront of everything that we do.

Like my last article, I want to focus in on one area – the climate emergency.

In July 2019, Wokingham Borough Councillors unanimously declared a climate emergency and set to develop an action plan that would bring about carbon neutrality for the council as an organisation and the geographic region of Wokingham Borough.

Unbelievably, we still live in a world of climate change deniers and sceptics,

I’d like to mention my predecessor, Cllr Gregor Murray, and recognise that taking on this agenda from a standing start was always going to be tough, especially with all the conflicting priorities we have to deal with as local politicians, and the lack of central government support.

I’ve been really impressed with our fantastic officer team who have a wealth of knowledge and expertise and have worked very hard on adjusting the climate emergency action plan (CEAP) before I proposed it to Full Council.

Taking on board comments from the council’s cross-party scrutiny process and, in line with best practice, the CEAP consists of SMART targets and provides a much clearer view of what the projected carbon savings would be through actions in the plan.

What the CEAP shows us is a significant gap and we need to address this gap. There are three ways in which we can do this:

Do more as a local authority directly and within our sphere of influence; work in partnership to form a

One Wokingham approach where collective responsibility is taken and actioned; and lobby government to remove the barriers that still exist.

We are putting together business cases for some new initiatives such as a home decarbonisation service, a wider home decarbonisation and energy plan, active travel plans and a reusable period product scheme (please note that this isn’t an exhaustive list).

Underpinning everything that we do is the emerging behaviour change strategy in order to help our communities transition to a more sustainable future. And sitting alongside our climate mitigation work is our approach to climate adaptation.

All of this is being considered alongside the financial implications that come with them.

We also are looking to work collaboratively with organisations who share our vision to becoming net zero. We cannot do this alone, and developing strong partnerships is crucial to our success. The council cannot ‘fix’ climate change without wider involvement. We all need to be part of the journey through a One Wokingham approach.

Finally, I implore our new Prime Minister to listen to local government and provide us with the statutory obligations we desperately need to tackle the climate crisis. Net zero is unachievable without local action.

Cllr Sarah Kerr is the executive member for climate emergency and resident services and Lib Dem ward member for Evendons

But, recognising the limits of what we can do on our own, much of our effort is being channelled into working with others.

We are doing our bit to mobilise resources in a joint effort to help those in our community who are most vulnerable to the pressures created by the current Cost of living crisis.

To this end, a fund is being set up to facilitate donations from businesses, charities, and individuals. We will release details soon of how you can support this initiative.

Our work in the Hardship Alliance is an example of the benefits that can come from effective partnerships.

We will be looking to learn the very positive lessons of working with others on common objectives.

We can do so much more together than we can achieve on our own.

Cllr Clive Jones is the leader of Wokingham Borough Council and Lib Dem member for Hawkedon ward

From the Chamber

Rachel Burgess

A new age of austerity?

WHENI first was elected in 2018, I was shocked to observe the full force of cuts that had been meted out on local authorities, including Wokingham.

The massive reduction in government funding in the form of Revenue Support Grant, which finally fell to zero in Wokingham, was causing disruption to the provision of vital services, with some services being scrapped altogether.

Now, over four years later, I was both angered and deeply saddened to hear the Conservative “levelling up” minister state that “a new age of austerity” would be needed.

A look at any Council’s finances will show you that the “old” austerity never left us.

Successive Conservative governments have left local authority finances on their knees, and Wokingham is no exception.

And the cause of this “new austerity”? The disastrous “mini-budget”; in reality an enormous fiscal event that drew stark criticism from the IMF and which has had such farreaching consequences that the government’s economic credibility is left in tatters.

Even after the Chancellor’s humiliating U-turn on the 45p rate of tax, what was a £45bn hole to fill in the public finances is now a £43bn hole.

A host of unfunded pledges remain, including the reduction in corporation tax, which will cost the public purse £18bn.

Meanwhile the removal of the cap on bankers’ bonuses remains.

By pledging to give away

From the vicechancellor Robert Van de Noort

unfunded tax cuts to the very rich the Conservative government sent the UK into economic turmoil, causing the Bank of England to take its unprecedented step of pumping a whopping £65bn into the economy to avoid catastrophic pension fund collapse. Hardly, to use the Chancellor’s glib words, “a little turbulence”.

And, in turn, the result of the government’s economic recklessness will cause higher interest rates and therefore higher mortgage costs, as well as higher inflation, for years to come.

The damage is already done.

It is no wonder that many Conservative MPs are privately seething about Downing Street’s decisions, and that the markets appear to have little faith in their competence.

Their economic credibility is shot to pieces.

Truss and Kwarteng made ideologically-driven decisions without doing the basic economic maths and have tried to avoid Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) scrutiny. Some may assume they simply wished to defend the privilege of wealthy friends, allies and supporters of the Conservative Party.

A more generous view would be that Truss and Kwarteng genuinely believe in so-called “trickle down” economics – where you make the rich even richer in the hope that some of these riches trickle down to everyone else. Yet this is a dated idea rubbished by many economists - as the saying goes, I know a joke about trickle-down economics, but 99% of you won’t get it.

With the current huge pressure

on household finances, most people will be at a loss to understand how the Conservatives could give away tax cuts for the top 1% at a time like this. And Truss and Kwarteng tried desperately to double down on these “reverse Robin Hood” tactics, tax cuts which plainly redistribute money from poorer households to some of the richest in the country.

And so to the “new age of austerity” – the need to cut public expenditure, and fill a £43bn hole, to fund Kwarteng’s out of control economic policy, causing yet another hit to our public services. The Resolution Foundation have stated the new round of public spending cuts would need to be on the scale of George Osborne’s original austerity programme.

In Wokingham our Borough Council faces a stark financial situation. The combination of extremely high inflation pushing up Council staff wages, utilities and contract costs, an increase in demand for services as the economic challenges start to bite, a loss of much-needed revenue post-Covid, and the implementation of adult social care reforms, all contribute to the most difficult financial situation faced by the Council in many years, even during the worst years of the Cameron and Osborne austerity budgets.

The Liberal Democrat administration in Wokingham have already had to make extremely difficult decisions regarding waste provision and car parking charges, in order to protect the vital services the Council provides, such as supporting vulnerable children in care or looking after our elderly population.

We want to be a university for Reading, not just the University of Reading.

The Community Forum gave attendees the opportunity to hear about our recent review of community resource and the proposed new model for engagement.

Building links between town and gown

LASTweek, we hosted our first Community Forum event since before the pandemic.

It was a real pleasure to welcome local people onto campus for an open and honest discussion about the University, its presence in the area and its links with the local community.

The forum brought

From the Chamber Cllr Gregor Murray

Wasting your money

The number of referrals received by Wokingham Foodbank has already doubled in the last 12 months.

A refusal by the government to commit to raise benefits in line with inflation will mean a direct hit to people with disabilities, lowincome families, those with mental health issues and other vulnerable groups, in turn increasing the pressure even further on local authority finances.

Yet there is no democratic mandate for tax cuts and the consequent reduction in public spending. The Conservative 2019 manifesto pledged to “level up” the country – no talk of massive tax cuts for the wealthy or slashing public spending.

At the Labour Party conference last week there was some cause for optimism amid this Conservative self-inflicted chaos.

Labour’s plans can provide some much-needed hope to ordinary people, by providing practical plans for jobs and skills, ditching unfunded tax cuts, recruiting new teachers in our schools, and the launch of Great British Energy, a publicly-owned energy company that will invest in clean UK power.

I have heard many different perceptions on the doorstep about Labour’s economic competence. But the sheer scale of the Conservative government’s economic chaos, and the solid plans Labour have laid out, now mark Labour as the party not just of social justice, but of economic responsibility.

Cllr Rachel Burgess is the leader of Wokingham Labour group and ward member for Norreys

together more than 50 local people and 20 University staff and student colleagues.

We aim to be a university that is engaged with the world around us, and this was a great example of that.

Since becoming ViceChancellor of the University, it has been important to me that we further build on the already strong links between town and gown.

The recommendations include increasing the resource, driving support for students living off campus through a welfare-led approach and establishing an internal Engaged University Steering Group to provide better strategic coordination with the local community.

There was interesting discussion about what mattered most to the local community that the University could support.

The group shared some strong ideas about how to continue to build positive relationships with students. Feedback from community members ranged from

requests for better joint working on sustainability and climate change, improved communication around University activity in the local community, and tackling parking problems. We also had the suggestion of holding a local community day, and improved access to rooms and buildings on campus for people to hold local community events.

There were detailed conversations around students living off campus, sustainability and climate change, and community events on campus. This enabled some more targeted discussion on these specific areas and generated some great ideas.

Overall, the event was incredibly positive with some fantastic ideas raised and discussed. I would like to thank all of those who took the time to attend and engage in these important

discussions, on which we will now reflect, and where possible, take action.

This is just one step in our commitment to working more closely with the community, listening and responding to needs and ideas, and improving opportunities to speak face to face with members of the University.

Initial feedback from the attendees was that the evening was very useful and informative, and a step towards better collaboration.

We will continue to engage with our local community and if you have any thoughts, ideas or questions about this work we would love to hear from you.

n You can get in touch by emailing community@ reading.ac.uk.

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

Borough Council’s Resident’s Round-up email of July 15 states: “We’re no longer supplying food waste caddy liners.

WOKINGHAM

“This is to help tackle the climate emergency and reduce the Bourgh’s use of single-use plastics, as well as saving money”.

It was my motion on eliminating single use plastics from council operations that was passed by this council, but to say that food waste bags are being withdrawn because they are single use plastics is ridiculous.

The solution is not to remove the food waste caddy liners, it is to find another source for them, something that I had previously requested of the relevant council directors.

Bags that are 100% Biodegradable and compostable are available, many of which have a degradation life of 12-18 months.

Wokingham Borough’s participation rates are still not 100%, meaning that food waste is ending up in the waste stream, costing us significantly more money than cutting liners will save.

Rather than short term thinking of ‘cut the bags – save some cash’, we should be looking to the long term and finding ways to reduce food waste from going into the waste stream, therefore saving more money, sustainably in the long run.

I heard a ludicrous claim that the money for food waste bags wasn’t budgeted, but page 48 of the agenda for the full council meeting shows that £60,000 is in the Climate Emergency budget for Food Waste Collection with the handy added statement, for clarity, stating “They (the above budgetary items, including food waste collection) are therefore all financed by the relevant team and have gone through separate approval processes, so should not be affected by budget constraints.”

Finally, if this foolish action is about tackling the Climate Emergency, the coalition should know that the biggest thing this council can do to reduce our carbon footprint is to work to create more sustainable behaviours among our residents. By withdrawing food waste liners we create a barrier to residents participating in the food waste recycling scheme.

If this council truly wants to cut its carbon footprint then, rather than withdrawing food waste liners, we should actually do the opposite.

A 2020 independent report, backed by CIPFA, compiled for the council states: “In 2023/24 the report recommends a ROLLING provision (reduced numbers at increased frequency) of FREE food waste liners. This would encourage participation in the service through ensuring residents do not perceive the service as ‘messy’ to participate in. They expected a 1.2% increase in the recycling rate by greater participation, creating a greater food waste yield. This would cost £190.000, the impact on recycling rate was expected to be +1.2%, giving overall savings £80,000 p.a.

If the Lib/Lab coalition are doing anything other than greenwashing then they need to do everything they can to increase participation, not add barriers to prevent it.

The logic is clear. It is the logic that the Conservative group was committed to. Providing free food waste liners increases participation and saves money, fact. Withdrawing food waste liners to tackle climate emergency, reduce single use plastics and save money is untrue, short sighted and counter productive.

Cllr Gregor Murray is shadow member for climate emergency and Conservative member for Norreys ward

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng discuss their Growth Plan Picture by Rory Arnold / No 10 Downing Street

Energy saving firm wins key eco-award

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today

A READING-BASED building control and management systems company that aims to eliminate wasted electricity has won an ecoaward.

A team from measurable. energy were present at the Big Sustainability Awards, held in Southampton late last month, where they collected the Carbon and Energy Reduction Award.

The event saw more than 100 sustainable businesses attend, with awards showing how the south east working towards a sustainable future has become a priority for many businesses.

Measurable.energy, based in Queens Walk, won the Carbon and Energy Reduction Award, for its holistic approach to measuring, managing, and reducing emissions through eliminating wasted energy in buildings and helping UK businesses reach net zero.

Dan Williams, CEO and Co-Founder at measurable. energy, said the team were delighted at the achievement.

“Winning this award is a huge achievement for the whole team,” he said.

“We’re really honoured by this recognition and can’t wait to see what’s next for measurable.energy.”

And Anita Potten, Co-Director of The Southern Sustainability Partnership, said: “Measurable.energy

won this award as their mission to eliminate wasted energy in buildings is doing amazing things to help UK businesses reach net zero.

“It was a tough choice for the judges as all the finalists

are bringing about positive change, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them all.”

BBC Two’s Springwatch, AutumnWatch and WinterWatch presenter Chris Packham hosted the awards.

Blandy & Blandy helps Reading’s Winter Wonderland stay in town until

A READING-based law firm has helped make Christmas special by offering advice to organisers of a popular festive attraction.

Blandy & Blandy, based in Blagrave Street, helped the operators of Reading’s Winter Wonderland, Premier Winter Wonderland Events Ltd, on the company’s Premises Licensing application – and in doing so, helped secure its presence in the town for the next six years.

Last month, Reading Borough Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee gave their

Wellbeing at Winnersh

CHRISTMAS IS COMING: The last fair in Hills Meadow was the Winter Wonderland back in November Picture: Dijana Capan/ Dvision

Across the UK there were 10 3 million recorded instances of mental ill health over a one year period, and the third most common cause of disability was depression At Winnersh Triangle we take mental health and occupier well being very seriously

Well being and fitness sessions

We already run a host of sessions including free weekly bootcamps for occupiers encouraging people to take a break from screens and take some time to unwind At our Wellness Centre which includes The Court (an astroturf pitch) and The Cabin (our studio) where a multitude of sessions including yoga, pilates and boxercise are all very popular We are also fortunate to have a host of footpaths across Winnersh Triangle which makes a lunchtime stroll very easy Our business park is just a short walk from Dinton Pastures Country Park which is set over 450 acres and has seven lakes, two rivers, three public bird hides, and lots of meadows It’s good to take a walk as even a short burst of 10 minutes brisk walking increases our mental alertness, energy and increases productivity

World Mental Health Day

We wanted to ensure that we marked World Mental Health Day with a host of activities across all of our business parks in the Frasers Property UK portfolio Each park is hosting a Tea and Talk event between 10:00 11:00am on the morning of World Mental Health Day, Monday 10th October We are inviting occupiers to gather for a natter over a free, tea or coffee, and a sweet treat This is a chance to connect with colleagues and friends at Winnersh Triangle and will be held at our café and co working space The Exchange

It’s good to talk Talking is good for you it’s that simple! We understand the importance of wellbeing in the workplace and that’s why we wanted to offer occupiers the opportunity to connect and socialise Staying connected is often more important than we realise and with many of us spending a large proportion of our lives at work it is vital to be able to talk to colleagues and form strong relationships

There will also be signposting towards further information and support around mental health issues with links and downloads that we can email to anyone who feels they need more support We are offering a free online subscription to Happiful magazine Happiful is a mental health and wellbeing publication which is on a mission to create a healthier and happier society through inspiring life stories and positive news How can you celebrate World Mental Health Day in your workplace?

Share experiences It is great to share your own mental health experiences By being open and honest it may encourage others to open up Sparking conversations on social media Use the hashtag #WorldMentalHealthDay Practice self care Take a walk, read a magazine, have a bubble bath whatever makes you happy Expressing daily gratitude Write down one or two things that you

WINNERS: The team from measurable.energy with Chris Packham Picture: Kit Fanner

Mental health problems cost the UK economy at least £117 9 billion annually according to a report published by Mental Health Foundation and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) It’s no surprise that this year’s theme for World Mental Health Day on 10th October is 'Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority'

Plan to place 4,500 homes at Hall Farm questioned by residents

HALL FARM’S place in the forthcoming local plan update – where homes will be built in Wokingham borough up to 2036 – continues to see residents raise questions at council meetings.

The previous administration had announced plans to build homes on the site after the Grazeley market village scheme was nixed by the Ministry of Defence.

The new partnership, in charge of the council since May, has been worked on revisions following consultation earlier this year.

Resident Jan Heard said that the University of Reading, which owns the land, was still focusing on building 4,500 homes.

“At what point will Wokingham Borough Council make clear to the university that this plan is unacceptable to the Council?” she asked.

Cllr Lindsay Ferris, the executive member for planning and the local plan, said the council was looking carefully at its options to ensure the local plan would pass public examination and he couldn’t pre-determine the process.

“I can assure you that we are going into this process open minded, and that we will carefully consider all the views that have been expressed by residents, alongside those stakeholders and importantly, the technical evidence that must guide us to the best and most sustainable locations for

new development,” he said.

This included flood resilience – important as Halls Farm does flood during heavy rain.

“I believe it will be difficult, if not impossible, to know the impacts of climate change could have on future water levels this far ahead. This could put into doubt the sustainability of such developments,” he said.

Responding, Ms Heard pointed out that before the local elections, the Liberal Democrats had “made various public commitments”, including that they opposed Hall Farm on the grounds of flood risk.

The council had also considered a planning application without a neighbourhood plan, she said, adding she was concerned there was not enough scrutiny in the process.

“Is this a sign that voters are getting a raw deal from the coalition?” she asked.

Cllr Ferris reminded Ms Heard it was a partnership rather than a coalition.

On the neighbourhood plans, he said these needed to fit in with the local plan, with the executive approving the consultations for Twyford and Finchampstead later in the meeting.

The next question was from Paul Stevens, who wanted to understand more about whether Hall Farm would be a political decision or an officerled one.

“Any decisions made on the local plan must be based on evidence,” council leader Cllr Clive Jones, adding that officers are impartial and politically neutral.

“In terms of the local plan, decisions on the sites to be included in the new local plan will be made by councillors but they should be made having regarded the best professional advice from officers.”

Cllr Jones added that the council was trying to reduce the government’s housing targets.

“This has been made all the more difficult by having to deal with three secretaries of state for levelling up housing and community since we took over the administration in May,” he said.

Mr Stevens said there was group called Hall Farm Developments in negotiation with local landowners.

“Will the executive ensure that any discussion between council officers and developers is publicly disclosed … to ensure the local plan consultation is fully transparent?”

Cllr Jones said he was unaware of the development group and would find out more, and pledged to be as transparent as possible.

Cllr Ferris added: “Our discussions between the University of Reading and Wokingham Borough Council have been ongoing for a while.”

Two parking zones as car parking fee increase agreed

CAR PARKING charges will rise following a vote of Wokingham Borough Council’s ruling executive – but the plans have been amended.

From January, Wokingham’s car parks will charge seven days a week from 6am to 10pm, changing from the current 8am-6pm Monday to Saturday.

Wokingham town centre car parks will charge £1.30 for the first hour, an increase from 80p.

Two hours would more than double from £1.20 to £2.50, while all day rates would go from £4 to £9.

Market traders would have to apply for a £35 admin charge for a permit, and then pay £6.50 all day, rather than £4.

An evening charge from 6pm would be £1 for the first hour, and £2 for over one hour.

In borough car parks outside of Wokingham town, the increases are not as large.

Up to 30 minutes, where available, moves from 50p to 60p. It is then £1 per hour up to £8 for the whole day.

The same evening charges apply: £1 for the first hour, then £2 for anything afterwards.

Residents permits, with a new zone to be developed within Woodley town centre, would cost £300 for a year. They are currently free. Three months and six month options are available at £75 and £150 respectively.

Season tickets for Wokingham car parks would increase from £900.68 for the year to £1,200 within Wokingham town and £1,100 outside. Residental permits from 6pm to 8am will increase from £292 to £300 within Wokingham town, and reduce to £275 for outside.

The executive says it has benchmarked the fees against other local councils, and there had

been no increase in parking fees since 2018.

Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for Active Travel, Transport and Highways, said the fees had to increase as income was between £600,000 and £800,000 below forecast, with usage below pre-pandemic levels.

“Taking funding from the reserves, like the previous administration did, is not an option for open to us, as the reserves are now low,” he said.

The increase of charging times were because “a Sunday and a bank holiday is similar to a normal shopping day”.

He felt: “The introduction of charges on these days is likely to be there will be a greater turnover in car parking, bringing in additional footfall with more people spending money in our town centres.

“That will be a boost to the local economy rather than long stays taking up spaces.”

And Wokingham was not the only borough raising car parking fees. Cllr Fishwick pointed out that Bracknell Forest had announced price rises earlier in the day.

“I’m aware of several authorities locally that are reviewing their car parking charges as a means of partly overcoming rampant inflation and reducing government grants in order to protect vital services,” he said.

He said the changes would bring in an estimated £540,000 rather than £600,000.

“That would mean some additional reduction the expenditure elsewhere or cutting of some services to balance the budget,” he said.

“These revised charges are a reflection that we have listened and reacted to the feedback we have received. Unfortunately, we cannot please everyone, we are in a financial emergency.”

Council commits to Arc sculpture

WOKINGHAM Borough Council is fully behind plans to bring more artworks to the area.

Ahead of a discussion in the executive meeting held on Thursday, September 29, about public art, there were two residents questions, both from Arts4Wokingham members.

Robin Cops said the charity was set up to advance arts and culture for public benefit.

He asked the leader of the council: “Do you anticipate that the Council will positively support the installation of more public art in the future across the borough and particularly among the new housing developments?”

Cllr Clive Jones said the council had been working closely with the charity, and supported its vision.

The Cultural Alliance would be rebooted to be “a true partnership of equals to seek creative ways to deliver public art”, he said, adding that public art could be found in Montague Park and Arborfield green, with more planned.

“We really want arts and culture to be really vibrant,” he continued.

The financial picture meant the council would not be able to give as much support as wanted in the short term, but would improve in medium or long term.

Former council leader and now Arts4Wokingham member

Charlotte Haitham Taylor then asked specifically about plans for the Arc, which will be installed outside Carnival Pool.

“Do you think that there is anything that the council can do to continue to engage the public locally, to understand the impact of The Arc on communities within the borough?”

Cllr Jones said the council had a priority to developing partnerships with external organisations and communities that enhance the borough’s arts and cultural offerings.

“Subject to the costs and resources required, (we) would be in favour of continuing to work in partnership with arts4Wokingham,” he said.

Ms Haitham Taylor thanks council officers for their help so far, and wanted to know if The Arc could raise Wokingham’s profile, bringing “further investment and economic prosperity into the area”?

Cllr Jones said this was something the council was very keen to do.

“The sculpture, by Nicola Anthony, is really going to create an identity for Wokingham … wouldn’t it be nice if people, in a few years time, were talking about coming to see it, in the same way they want to go and see Anthony Gormley’s Angel of the North.”

Residents to get fewer blue bags

WOKINGHAM residents

will be receiving fewer blue bags from next spring, and no more food waste caddy liners following a moneysaving decision.

At a meeting of its ruling executive on Thursday, September 30, the council approved the decisions, which will see households receive 54 blue bags a year, down from 80.

Cllr Ian Shenton, the executive member for environment and leisure, said the cost had escalated by nearly 50% against this time last year, while the budget had remained static.

Just over half of the contents of the blue bags could be recycled, either by being placed in the green recycling bags, or being handled at the re3 recycling centres in Bracknell or Reading. Recycled waste is cheaper than landfill, and it is hoped by reducing

residents will use the green bags and food caddies more.

It was felt scrapping the blue bags altogether was not an option as residents would then use any bags, and reduce recycling rates: a consultation of the future of waste collection in Wokingham will be undertaken in the autumn.

Cllr Sarah Kerr said that her family of four used one blue bag a fortnight, and hoped that the reduction would encourage people to reduce waste.

Cllr Imogen ShepherdDubey reminded the executive they inherited a £2.2 million deficit this financial year, and expected it to be £4 million next year, and they had a duty to balance the books.

“General landfill waste within blue bags is very expensive to get rid of,” she said. “The same amount of money was allocated

bags last year but with the rising oil prices, the manufacturing costs has now escalated.

“Fifty four bags will still provide more than one bag per week per household.”

She added: “I recently visited a charity shop in Wokingham and they reported that over a third of their donations came in Wokingham Borough Council blue bags.

“This tells me that many people have too many bags and they have spare bags that they’re giving away.”

Cllr Clive Jones, the leader of the council, wanted to know if additional blue bags could be made available for larger households.

Cllr Shenton said: “On one hand, there is a need to assist larger families, on the other it could be open to abuse.”

The executive felt that the status quo should

be maintained, subject to review, likewise a consideration for people with medical needs.

Cllr Ferris pointed out it cost the council £128 per tonne to handle blue bags, but just £28 for recycling.

On food waste caddy liners, Cllr Shenton explained the background that the previous administration had not allocated funding for them in the budget – something the Conservatives dispute.

“They were funded by taking money from the garden waste scheme income,” he said. “I regard that as a financially irresponsible way of funding an ongoing, repeated expense.

“In June, I was informed the stock was exhausted, the cost had escalated by around 50% and there was no budget provision.

“I declined to find the

No key decision was taken because there was no budget provision.”

Cllr Shepherd-Dubey confirmed “there is absolutely no provision in the budget for these caddy liners. None at all.”

She said in Bracknell, many residents didn’t line their caddies, but instead washed them out when emptying them, or used old recycled bags.

Cllr Kerr said that burning the plastic bags, with their embedded carbon, doesn’t help the council’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Cllr Prue Bray said at the moment around half of households in the borough used the food waste caddies, but the bags go to every home: “What a colossal waste. You’re paying for bags that people don’t really use.”

subsequent vote

problems are not unique’

other councils in the south east

budget deficits

pressures.

a result of emerging

The leader of the borough council, Cllr Clive Jones, said the new administration had to plug a £2.2 million funding gap, and they could tap into the reserves as it would mean reducing this to below £7 million.

Speaking at the start of the meeting of the executive on Thursday, September 29, Cllr Jones said: “The previous administration chose to raid reserves rather than take tough decisions like increases in car park charges.

“Taking £2.2 million from reserves for the current financial year meant the general reserve forecast was reduced to £9 million as at March 31, 2023. Dealing with the revenue shortfall like this means the hole remains for the year 2023-24. This has to be addressed by this administration.”

Cllr Jones said that in meetings with fellow council leaders, the same issues were coming up.

“We are having with increased demand for services and dealing with inflation,” he said. “One council leader with years of experience said the current round of budget making was, and I quote, ‘Terrible, terrible, terrible’.

“They had not known a year like it when there were so many budget deficits as a result of emerging financial pressures.”

He warned the council would now need to look at additional ways to reduce costs or increase income across all services.

Wokingham

Discovering the Ghent Altarpiece

IN September, Paula Nuttall gave members of the Arts Society Wokingham a fascinating detailed account of the 15th century Ghent Altarpiece.

As well as explaining its importance she revealed the meaning of its complex imagery, its later history and its recent restoration.

Completed in 1432, this large altarpiece represents a milestone in the history of art. It marks the beginning of the northern Renaissance. Its dazzlingly realistic depiction of people, plants and objects is in sharp contrast to previous medieval flat, unrealistic and mainly religious images.

It was commissioned by Jodocus Vijd, a wealthy Flemish wool merchant and constructed and painted by the brothers Hubert and Jan Van Eyck.

Hubert died in 1426, and Paula explained that Jan Van Eyck is thought to be responsible for the majority of the painting.

He developed the oil medium, blending and layering colours to produce a depth of colour and create innovative effects such as the sheen on the armour of St George, as shown in the picture.

Van Eyck’s attention to detail can also be seen in the expression on the faces of the knights.

The complex altarpiece consists of 12 wooden panels. It is hinged so eight of the panels are painted on both sides.

The theme of the inner central panel is the Adoration of the Lamb with panels

either side depicting the secular judges and knights as well as the pilgrims and hermits all converging on the Lamb.

When closed, the outer panels show images of Jodocus Vijd and his wife as well as images of the Annunciation, again a mixture of the secular and the religious.

Paula explained that this work of art has had a turbulent history. During the Reformation it had to be winched up into the belfry to save it from desecration.

Napoleon’s troops stole the central panels. They were returned in 1816 but minus some of the original frames.

The outer wings were sold to the Germans and dispatched to Berlin but returned to Belgium at the end of the First World War.

In 1942, the Nazis took the altarpiece to the Salt Mines near Saltsburg where it was discovered by the Monuments Men in 1945, and repatriated. Despite all this it has remained largely intact.

It was restored in 1950, and then again in from 2012 to 2016. This second and more thorough project discovered and removed a coating of yellow varnish which had been applied in 1950, revealing the original paint colours.

Paula swept the audience along with her enthusiasm and knowledge. As one member said: ‘After listening to the lecture, I just want to visit Ghent’.

The Society’s next talk explores how women such as Lucrezia Borgia and Alfonsina Orsini overcame social constraints to become patrons of the arts in Renaissance Italy.

It will be held on October 17, at Moor Close, Newbold College. Guests are always welcome but do email memsectheartssocietywham@gmail. com to register beforehand.

The talk will also be available to watch on the society’s own YouTube channel.

n For further details please visit the Society’s website, www.The ArtsSocietyWokingham.org.uk

SUE BRYANT

Reading RSPB unveil group activities for October and November

THE Reading group’s new season of indoor meetings started on Tuesday, September 13, with a talk by Glenn Duggan on the hugely colourful Tanager family of birds richly illustrated by Glenn’s excellent photographs.

This family of birds contains more than 200 species spread throughout South and North America and thanks to DNA analysis is the subject of a major reclassification exercise.

Most are found in fairly restricted areas which means that habitat loss is affecting some of these birds.

Indeed, one of the rarest birds in the world, the beautiful Cherry Throated Tanager is estimated to have dropped to a population of between 10 and 20 individuals.

The talk was well attended and much appreciated.

On Tuesday, October 11, the group will welcome Steve Magennis, who will give a talk entitled Wings over Wales and then on November 8, there will be a talk by Andrew Cleave on the Bermuda Petrel.

Unfortunately, the planned minibus trip to the coastal reserve of Keyhaven on Sunday, September 18, had to be postponed as it was not possible to hire a minibus, many companies having sold their buses during the COVID lockdowns.

It is hoped that this trip may be able to go ahead on Sunday, October 16,

please see the website for updates.

Instead, the group went to Dinton Pastures for a morning walk and, on September 20, a group of members met at Thatcham Discovery Centre, a local BBOWT reserve for a sunny morning walk.

In addition to warblers, highlights included a treecreeper, green sandpiper and a hobby.

The group were very excited to see an otter in the reedbeds.

In addition to October 16, when we hope to go to Keyhaven, there will be a local trip on Tuesday, October 18, to

Hosehill Lake, a BBOWT reserve near Theale. On November 15, there will be a midweek trip to Port Meadow and on Sunday 20 a minibus trip to the coastal RSPB reserve of Pagham Habour.

All indoor meetings are held in Pangbourne Village Hall starting at 8pm. Visitors are very welcome.

There is an entrance fee of £5 for non-members, juniors half price. New members are always welcome with annual membership set at a modest £15 (£10 for juniors).

Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh enjoy Reading Legal Walk

AMONG those taking part in the recent Reading Legal Walk were a team from the Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh.

In all, 200 walkers took part in the event on Wednesday, September 19.

Starting and finishing from Forbury Gardens, participants enjoyed a circular 10k walk around Reading’s

scenic routes, raising funds for legal support for a number of charities including Age UK Reading, Citizens Advice Reading, FLAG DV, Launchpad, and Reading Refugee Support Group.

The Inner Wheel team said they were delighted to meet the mayor of Reading, Cllr Rachel Eden, at the end of the route.

Actors team up for Mill at Sonning fundraiser

A SONNING theatre welcomed two acting greats last month for a special fundraising performance.

The Mill hosted An Evening With Jeremy Irons and Simon Williams, an insight into their lives and careers with plenty of wit and charm.

Mr Irons has had a distinguished career including appearing with Brian Cant in the children’s comedy show Play Away as well as roles in major Hollywood productions such as Die Hard, The Lion King, and House of Gucci.

Mr Williams was a regular in Upstairs Downstairs, the sitcom Don’t Wait Up, and the radio serial The Archers.

Their event helped raise around £8,000 for The Mill’s new charity, The George Hatfield Theatrical Arts Foundation.

A spokesperson said: “The charity is named after a very talented young man who we sadly lost last year, and is to help young arts students during

their training.”

It’s not the only brush with fame The Mill has enjoyed in recent weeks.

George Clooney, who lives in Sonning, was promoting his latest movie, Ticket to Paradise.

He was interviewed with his costar, Julia Roberts, on BBC One’s The One Show, and he took time to praise The Mill.

“I get to go next door and watch a play about once every two months,” he said.

“Literally, we open the door and you walk across an alley and you’re in the theatre.

We really have fun.”

He also praised The French Horn, saying it was “a wonderful little restaurant”

“We have a really nice little world right there (in Sonning) that’s very private and very quaint and the people are lovely, I love it.”

Julia Roberts said: “I wanna do that with you guys.”

ICONIC: A detail of the The Ghent Altarpiece showing St George Picture: courtesy Arts Society Wokingham

SPOTTED: A masrsh sandpiper bird Picture: Vinson Tan from Pixabay

SORE FEET: Members of the Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh with the mayor of Reading, Cllr Rachel Eden

TEAMWORK: Simon Williams (left) and Jeremy Irons (right) at their fundraising night at The Mill at Sonning Picture: The Mill at Sonning

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (A3290 ALPHA AND BRAVO, WOKINGHAM BOROUGH) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2022

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 29th September 2022 Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority made an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is to prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along:

1 A3290 Alpha between Thames Valley Park and A329M

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via A4 London Road A4 Shepherds Hill A4 London Road B3350 Pitts Lane B3350 Church Road, A329 Wokingham Road, A329 Reading Road and Loddon Bridge and Bader Way Interchange

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 13th October and 14th October 2022 between 20 30 and 06:00

2 A3290 Bravo between A329M and Thames Valley Park

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Loddon Bridge and Bader Way Interchange, A329 Reading Road, A329 Wokingham Road, B3340 Church Road B3350 Pitts Lane and A4 London Road

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 12th October and 13th October 2022 between 20:30 and 06:00

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Wokingham Borough Council contractors to undertake bridge Inspections and associated work in safety

Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times

The restriction imposed by the Order shall only apply during those periods when traffic signs complying with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 are lawfully displayed

The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 12th October 2022 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed whichever is the earlier

Dated: 6th October 2022

Chris Easton

Assistant Director Highways and Transport

Wokingham Borough Council

Civic Offices

Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

TRAFFIC REGULATION

BOROUGH

(REMENHAM CHURCH LANE, REMENHAM) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2022

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority proposes to make an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is to prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along: Remenham Church Lane, Remenham between its junctions with A4130 White Hill and Remenham Lane

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Remenham Lane, A4130 Henley Bridge and A4130 White Hill or by this route in reverse Works requiring this restriction will take place between 24th October and 11th November 2022

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Gigaclear contractors to undertake installation of fibre optic cable and ducting in safety Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times

The restriction imposed by the Order shall only apply during those periods when traffic signs complying with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 are lawfully displayed

The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 24th October 2022 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed whichever is the earlier

Dated: 6th October 2022

Chris Easton

Assistant Director Highways and Transport

Wokingham Borough Council

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (A327 EVERSLEY ROAD, ARBORFIELD) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2022

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 29th September 2022 Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority made an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is to prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along:

A327 Eversley Road, Arborfield between its junctions with Poperinghe Way and A327 Observer Way

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Langley Common Road, B3349 Barkham Road, Molly Millars Lane, A321 Finchampstead Road, B3016 Finchampstead Road, B3348 Jubilee Road, B3348 The Village B3348 Fleet Hill and A327 Reading Road or by this route in reverse

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 13th October and 22nd October 2022 between 09:30 and 15:30

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow EE contractors to undertake headframe upgrade on existing telecoms tower in safety Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times

The restriction imposed by the Order shall only apply during those periods when traffic signs complying with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 are lawfully displayed

The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 13th October 2022 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier

Dated: 6th October 2022

Chris Easton

Assistant Director Highways and Transport

Wokingham Borough Council

Civic Offices

Shute End

Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

TRAFFIC

WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (BARGE LANE, SWALLOWFIELD) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2022

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority proposes to make an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is to prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along:

1

Barge Lane, Swallowfield between its junctions with Bull Lane and Chequer Lane

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Bull Lane, Welsh Lane and Chequer Lane or by this route in reverse

Works requiring this restriction are proposed to take place between 30th October and 1st November 2022 between 08:00 and 19:00

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow LBP contractors to undertake filming work in safety Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times

The restriction imposed by the Order shall only apply during those periods when traffic signs complying with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 are lawfully displayed

The restrictions contained in the Order shall come into operation on the 30th October 2022 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier

Dated: 6th October 2022

Chris Easton

Assistant Director Highways and Transport Wokingham Borough Council

Offices

End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

NOTICEISHEREBYgiventhatonthe22ndSeptember2022WokinghamBorough CouncilasTrafficAuthorityrevokedtheWOKINGHAMBOROUGHCOUNCIL(B3348 THERIDGES,FINCHAMPSTEAD)(TEMPORARYPROHIBITIONOFVEHICLES) ORDER2021andmadeanOrderunderSection14(1)(a)and15(2)oftheRoadTraffic RegulationAct1984(“theAct”)theeffectofwhichisto:

a)prohibitanyvehiclefromproceedingalongB3348TheRidges,Finchampstead betweenitsjunctionswithB3348JubileeRoadandB3348WellingtoniaAvenue.

Thealternativerouteforalltrafficaffectedbytherestrictionshallbebyproceeding viaB3348JubileeRoad,B3016FinchampsteadRoad,B3430NineMileRide,A321 LowerWokinghamRoadandB3348WellingtoniaAvenueorbythisrouteinreverse.

b)prohibitanytrafficincludingpedestriansfromproceedingalongB3348The Ridges,FinchampsteadbetweenitsjunctionwithB3348JubileeRoadandDellRoad.

TherestrictionsarenecessarytoenableWokinghamBoroughCouncilcontractorsto undertakerepairsduetoroadsubsidenceinsafety.

Accessforresidentsandbusinesseswithintheboundariesoftheserestrictionswillbe maintainedatalltimes.

TherestrictionsimposedbytheOrdershallonlyapplyduringthoseperiodswhen trafficsignscomplyingwiththeTrafficSignsRegulationsandGeneralDirections2016 arelawfullydisplayed.

TherestrictionscontainedintheOrdercameintooperationonthe22ndSeptember 2022.

Inconsiderationofsection15(2)thetime-limitofeighteen(18)monthsspecifiedin subsection15(1)oftheActshallnotapplytotheOrderfortheCouncilaresatisfied thattheexecutionoftheworksinquestionwilltakelonger.Therestrictionsinthe Ordershallcontinueinforceuntiltheworkshavebeencompletedandoncompletion oftheworkstheOrdershallberevoked.

Dated:29thSeptember2022

ChrisEaston

AssistantDirector–HighwaysandTransport

WokinghamBoroughCouncil CivicOffices

ShuteEnd

Wokingham BerkshireRG401WL

ARE

A

Line-up revealed for biggest-ever Dance Reading Festival

THEline-up for the biggest Dance Reading Festival yet has been unveiled, as it returns in-person and online later this month, with live performances, workshops and films for all ages.

The event launched on Saturday, October 29, with the first-in person event for three years, the On The Block dance battle at St Laurence Church in Reading town centre.

In partnership with Reading Fringe Festival, which begins the same day, from 2-6pm the best dancers in Hip

The festival then runs at venues across Reading and online until Saturday, December 3, with grand finale of the JUMP! Showcase at Read College, including Ballet, Belly Dancing, Contemporary Dance, Hip Hop, Kathak, Lindy Hop and more.

A week earlier – Saturday, November 26 – the same venue hosts

The Royale Dancehall Flamingos, PC*DC’s celebration of old age featuring Tik Tok dance challenges, hot pink leotards and older people having fierce, fabulous fun, on a pay-what-youcan basis.

On Saturday, November 5, in Broad Street, just outside Marks & Spencer, MCDC will be performing a free, family-friendly outdoor dance show

Fish Out Of Water, with performances at 11.30am, 1pm and 3pm.

On Sunday, November 6, Wokingham’s Whitty Theatre hosts Avartan, a sensational evening of Classical Indian dance, music and poetry from Drishti Dance.

On Saturday, November 19, South Street is the venue for two performances of the beautiful Little Murmurs, from the world-renowned Aakash Odedra Company, mixing dance with stunning visuals, technology and humour.

As well as the public performances there will be a series of workshops for all ages, including Far From The Norm Hip Hop classes for intermediate, advanced and professional dancers,

and Kapo Dance’s GROW circus dance after-school sessions at libraries around Reading.

Following the success of Dance Reading’s online festival in 2020, digital highlights this time around include Reside Dance’s gentle, meditative and creative Move, Breathe, Be classes; the Boogie Baby Digital Disco with from local DJ and funk, soul and reggae legend Jewels Vass spinning tunes for your own living room or kitchen disco, and Nocturn Dance’s interactive QR Code piece The Riddle.

Films available to watch online include Alleyne Dance’s (Re)United, inspired by the true story of Sir Mo Farrah and his twin brother, and ILLUMÉ’s climate crisis-inspired

interactive video The World Is Broken. Festival producer Liz Allum said: “Our core aim is to help people find dance, whether that be showcasing the brilliant organisations that exist in and around Reading or bringing the best national and international talent to our town.

“This year with performances and workshops everywhere from Broad Street, Reading Libraries and St Laurence Church to South Street, Read College and online wherever you are, this is our most exciting and accessible, five weeks of dance for you to watch or participate in.

n The full line-up and booking can be found at dancereading.com

PHIL CREIGHTON

A modern day Janis Joplin and Tina Turner

SARI Schorr is described as a modernday hybrid of Janis Joplin and Tina Turner.

Her Back To LA Tour 2022 has toured extensively throughout the USA and Europe, and this month she plays in Maidenhead.

Signed to the UK’s leading Rock/Blues label, Manhaton Records, this American rock singer promises to unleash the power of rock and give her audience a night of joy.

She plays at Norden Farm Arts Centre’s Courtyard Theatre.

The event takes place on Thursday, October 6.

Doors open at 8pm, and tickets cost £16.

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

Under the sea

AN UNUSUAL show, designed specifically for babies and their grown ups, comes to Maidenhead.

Underwater is a dance theatre performance that takes the audience under the sea.

A ballerina wakes from a sleep to find herself in a comforting world of blue lights and bubbles beneath the waves..

The multisensory show, withgentle familiar melodies, promises to engage and stimulate a baby’s imagination, and there’s plenty for the adults to enjoy too.

The performance takes place at Norden Farm Arts Centre, in the studio.

It can be seen on Saturday, October 11. Performances are at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.

Tickets cost £20 for an adult with a baby under 18 months, and £10 for additional babies/infants.

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

Ghostly goings on in Victorian England

JULIET Mills, Maxwell Caulfield and Michael Praed star in a gripping tale of ghostly suspense.

Darker Shores takes the audience to a desolate stretch of the East Sussex coast.

It’s Christmas 1875 when professor Stokes (Max Caulfield) takes lodgings at The Sea House.

AT THE THEATRE

Bracknell –South Hill Park www.southhillpark.org.uk

01344 484123

The Greatest Hits of Motown

– How Sweet It Is. Thurs 6.

Bracknell Jazz: Tony Woods Project. Fri 7. Cocktails and Laughtger: POSTPONED. Fri 7. The Comedy Cellar. Fri 7. California Dreamers. Sat 8.

Crimes On Centre Court. Sun 9. Jarman. Tues 11. Americana Night: Paul Alexander Low and special guests. Wed 12. Imaginarium with the Jayne Coleman Academy of Dance. Fri 14-Sun 16. Conservatoire: Tomas Humphries and Pavel Timofejevsky. Fri 14. South Hill Park Arts Centre Mansion and Theatre Tours. Sun 16.

FILMS: Jack Absolute Flies Again.

Thurs 6-Sun 9. Mr Malcolm’s List. Fri 7-Sun 9, Thurs 13. Carry on Cruising. Mon 10. Her Way. Mon 10-Tues 11. Aida. Wed 12. The Forgiven. Fri 14-Sun 16.

October 14, and tickets cost £28.

n For tickets and information visit: whatsonreading.com or call the box office on: 0118 960 6060.

Destiny comes to Guildford

SHE’S going to be an MTV Base backing dancer.

Following J-Lo’s example of escape from the Bronx, fearless teenager Destiny is determined to make it out of her own rural Wiltshire council estate.

Born below the breadline, she’s desperate to see beyond her neighbourhood, and is hungry for success, when a big night out takes a turn for the worse and she sees her life spiral out of control.

Writer and performer of this one woman show, Florence Espeut-Nickless presents Destiny at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, in the Mill Studio.

The event takes place on Thursday, October 13.

Doors open at 7.45pm

Tickets cost £18, or £12 for students, under 25 yrs, and concessions.

NOUGHTS and Crosses is a modern day Romeo and Juliet story.

Sephy and Calum are forbidden to love in a world of racial and social divide. Their segregated community is on a volatile knife edge and as violence breaks out, romance leads them into danger.

When mysterious and unexplained events take place there, the caretaker, Mrs Hinchcliffe (Juliet Mills) reveals the house’s troubled history.

Forced to enlist the help of an American spiritualist (Michael Praed), the pair embark on a terrifying journey to discover the truth.

The play can be seen at The Theatre Royal, Windsor.

It runs from Wednesday, October 12 through to Saturday, October 22, with the exception of Sunday.

Performances start at 7.30pm.

Matinées on Thursdays and Saturdays start at 2.30pm.

Tickets cost from £23.50 to £38.50 depending on seats.

n For tickets and information log on to: www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk or call the box office on: 01753 853888.

Camberley – Theatre www.camberleytheatre.biz

01276 707600

UK Pink Floyd. Thurs 6. Lionel and Diana: Endless Love. Fri 7. Forever Elton. Sat 8. Matricks Illusion. Thurs 13. The Cavern Beatles. Fri 14.

Mercury: The Ultimate Queen Tribute. Sat 15. North Ascot Academy of Performing Arts. Sun 16.

Guildford –Yvonne Arnaud www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk 01483 440000

The Chalk Garden. Until Sat 8. Guildford Jazz: The Martin Pyne Quartet. Fri 7. The Lesson. Sat 8. Andy Griffiths: The 156-Storey Treehouse. Sun 9. Noughts and Crosses. Tues 11-Sat 15. Destiny.

Thurs 13. The MP, Aunty Mandy and Me. Fri 14-Sat 15. An Evening With Graham Norton – SOLD OUT. Sun 16.

High Wycombe –Wycombe Swan www.wycombeswan.co.uk 01494 512000

Artful Dodger and MC Kie Live.

Recommended for ages 12 and upwards, the show contains themes that may challenge, along with special effects such as strobe lighting.

Noughts and Crosses can be seen at The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. It runs from Tuesday, October 11 to Saturday, October 15.

He wanted to be a lumberjack

COMEDIAN, actor, writer and intrepid globetrotter, Michael Palin shares two most extraordinary journeys.

In his solo tour, From North Korea into Iraq, Michael describes how he has looked beyond the headlines that portray these two countries as international pariahs.

His aim is to discover what life is really like for the people who live there.

The tour coincides with Palin’s new book, Into Iraq, and a Channel 5 documentary series of the same name.

Audiences can hear him speak at Reading’s Hexagon Theatre.

The event takes place on Monday, October 10. Doors open at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £34.50

Vinyl Frontier - The Whole Story by Kate Bush. Sat 8. My Childhood, My Country: 20 Years In Afghanistan (15).

Performances start at 7.30pm, with matinées on Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm.

Tickets cost from £28, concessions for students and under 25 yrs cost £12. n For tickets and information visit: yvonne-arnaud.co.uk or call the box office on: 01483 440000

n For tickets and information visit: whatsonreading.com or call the box office: 0118 960 6060.

Easy listening with The Puppini Sisters

FOR A night of classic songs from the 30’s through to the 50’s, audiences should make their way to Reading.

The three Puppini Sisters’ brand new show features their own swing dance style arrangements of classic songs, jazzy pop hits, along with original music from their latest album.

With jazzy close three part harmonies, and syncopated dance rhythms, this show promises to have people up and on their feet.

The Puppini Sisters will sing at the Hexagon Theatre.

The event takes place on Friday,

n For tickets and information visit: yvonne-arnaud.co.uk or call the box office on: 01483 440000.

Hope he’s made it

SEANN Walsh has called his show Back From The Bed.

His comedy tour looks back on a year in which he says millions of people tragically lost their lives to TikTok.

He performs at The Corn Exchange in Newbury. The event takes place on Thursday, October 13. Doors open at 8pm, and tickets cost £16 n For tickets and information log on to: www.cornexchangenew.com or call the box office on: 0845 521 8218.

Dream on

DREAM is a vibrant, fresh and innovative new full-length ballet.

Ballet Cymru has collaborated with award winning composer Frank Moon to create a piece based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

This reinterpretation of the story for the 21st century presents a magical, gender bending world of fairies, lovers and bewitching enchantment.

Dream plays at The Corn Exchange, Newbury on Tuesday, October 11. n For tickets and information log on to: www.cornexchangenew.com or call the box office on: 0845 521 8218.

Sat 8. Magic of the Bee Gees: You Win Again Tour. Sun 9. The Osmonds: A New Musical. Tues 11-Sat 15. Hellfire Comedy Club. Thurs 13.

Henley – Kenton www.kentontheatre.co.uk 01491 525050

Henley Literary Festival. Until Sun 9. Pippin. Wed 12-Sat 15.

Maidenhead –Norden Farm www.nordenfarm.org 01628 788997

The Band of the Household Cavalry open rehearsal. Thurs 6. Sari Schorr: Back To LA tour.

Thurs 6. Motherland Voices with Tsungai Tsikirai. Fri 7. Keith James in concert: the songs of Leonard Cohen. Fri 7. Purple Zeppelin. Sat 8. The

Tues 11. Griff Rhys-Jones work in progress SOLD OUT. Wed 12. Paul Chowdhry work in progress. Wed 12. It Snows in Benidorm (15).

Thurs 13, Fri 14. Royal Opera House: Aida. Thurs 13. Strictly Movie Musicals. Thurs 13. Underwater. Sat 15. Windsor and Eton Opera present A Great Night at the Opera. Sat 15.

Newbury –The Corn Exchange www.cornexchangenew.com 0845 5218 218 Nomads: The Wedding Singer. Until Sat 8. NT Encore: Jack Absolute Flies Again (15). Sun 9. Dream. Tues 11. Royal Opera House Live: Aida. Wed 12. Marti Pellow. Wed 12. Seann Walsh - Back From The Bed. Thurs 13. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Sat 15-Sun 16.

Newbury –The Watermill www.watermill.org.uk 01635 46044 Othello. Until Sat 15.

Reading –South Street www.whatsonreading.com 0118 960 6060 Little Bulb presents Hibernation. Sat 8. The Big Issue and Roughhouse Theatre presents Unknown. Tues 11. SK Slomo presents Breathe. Thurs 13. Poets Cafe. Fri 14. Jessica Fostekew: Wench. Fri 14. Readiophonics. Sat 15.

Reading –The Hexagon www.whatsonreading.com 0118 960 6060 Katherine Ryan: Missus. Thurs 6. Michael Palin: From North Korea Into Iraq. Mon 10. The Puppini Sisters. Fri 14. Ed Gamble. Sat 15. Sing-a-Long-a Encanto (U). Sun 16.

Reading – Concert Hall www.whatsonreading.com 0118 960 6060 Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, piano. Tues 11.

Reading –Progress Theatre www.progresstheatre.co.uk 0118 384 2195 The Pride. Mon 10-Sat 15.

Reading – Reading Rep Theatre www.readingrep.com 0118 370 2620 Jekyll & Hyde. Mon 10-Sat

Shinfield –Shinfield Players www.shinfieldplayers.org.uk 0118 975 8880 Our House.

6-Sat

Sonning – The Mill www.millatsonning.com 0118 969 8000 Funny Money. Until Sat Nov 5. The Rod Stewart Experience.

Sun 9. Storytime. Wed 12. The Swinging Big Band. Sun 16.

Windsor –Theatre Royal www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk 01753 853888 Darker Shores. Wed 12-Sat 22.

Wokingham –Theatre www.wokinghamtheatre.org.uk 0118

Wokingham Lions Comedy Night.

Wokingham – The Whitty Theatre www.thewhittytheatre.org 0118 974 3247

Wokingham Film Theatre: The Duke (12a). Thurs 13. Woodley – Theatre www.woodleytheatre.org 07488337838

Jazz at the Oakwood: The Martin Hart Trio with Stuart Henderson. Sat 15.

A delicious silken web of a play

is sensuous, beautiful and witty.

LES Liaisons Dangereuses

And like the characters it portrays, it is both dangerous and attractive.

Set in France’s 18th century royal court, it follows the unholy alliance of the scheming Marquise de Merteuil, and her willing partner in moral crime, The Vicomte de Valmont.

Petty jealousy, idle gossip and boredom are the currency of this aristocratic community.

The pair, bound by a cruel love of pleasure and intrigue, amuse themselves, and each other, by casually ruining the lives of those around them in a series of competitive romantic conquests.

Director Rachel Pearson says: “People probably remember the 1988 film, when John Malkovich played Valmont and Glenn Close was the Marquise.

“The film was very dark, but the play, which was written first, is surprisingly funny.

“And watching two people at the top of their game is really fascinating.

“The beautiful dialogue, the smart wordplay, and the constant oneupmanship is enthralling.

“The pair manage to be both petty and pithy in the same breath.”

The production remains faithful to the period, with elaborate 18th century costumes being handmade and the beginnings of a gilt French chateau already appearing on stage, a few

weeks prior to opening night.

As the play unfolds, the scheming pair gradually begin to fall victim to their own web of lies, revenge and deceit.

Love, initially the tool they use to control and destroy others, returns to blow kisses of death, as passions rise and

Cupid’s arrows find their mark.

Have there been any special challenges with mounting this production?

“There’s the swordfighting,” says Rachel. “It’s not been a challenge as such, but we’ve had to employ a professionally

trained fencing expert to make sure everything is done, well and safely.

“And there are also, as you can imagine, some intimate scenes between actors.

“But the cast is brilliant, and they’ve dealt with this carefully and

professionally.

“The scenes are sexy and sensual, but they are not explicit, and they’re comfortable to watch - there’s nothing shocking.”

Caroline Loveys, who portrays the Marquise, says: “She’s complicated.

“In a way, although she is vile and scheming, she’s playing the game in the only way she knows how - she’s a woman in a man’s world.”

The play is based on a novel by Choderlos de Laclos, which in 1782 shocked the world.

Christopher Hampton’s adaptation two hundred years later won the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best New Play.

Rachel continues: “It’s set at a time when French society life was collapsing, and the country was on the verge of revolution.

“The aristocracy was running on gossip, sarcasm and irony, and money was being spent on finery, not on real people.”

No wonder, then, that moral outrage was about to peak, and heads would soon be rolling.

Les Liaisons is likely to delight and unseat in equal measures.

It can be seen at Wokingham Theatre, on Twyford Road.

It runs from Thursday, October 20 through to Saturday, October 29, with the exception of Sunday.

Performances start at 7.45pm.

Tickets cost £15.

n

For tickets and information visit: wokinghamtheatre.org.ukor call the box office on: 0118 978 5363.

SWORDPLAY: Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a web of lies coming to Wokingham Theatre. Picture: Emma Merchant

Emmbrook comedy night

A COMEDY night featuring three TV comedians is coming to Wokingham later this month.

Opening the show is Dinesh Nathan who made his Comedy Central debut earlier this year.

The middle act is Josh Baulf who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent in 2020.

Headlining is Matt Richardson, a multi award-winning comedian who has appeared on television for nearly a decade.

The Sports and Social Club on Lowther Road in Emmbrook will host the event on Saturday, October 15. Tickets cost £12.

Doors open at 7pm. n For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit: laughtercraftcomedy.com.

Charity concert

A LOCAL band will play to raise money for young Ukrainian refugees in the local area.

Bracknell and Wokingham Community Bands’ Second Wind Band will be joined by Twyford ladies choir Cantata Conviva.

Proceeds will go to Chance to Thrive, which will help young refugees.

The band will play at Wokingham Methodist Church, on Rose Street, and light refreshments will be on sale.

The event takes place on Sunday, October 9. Doors open at 7pm, and tickets cost £12.50 n For tickets email: secondwindbwcb@outlook.com

Progress continues with The Pride

Rock ‘n’ roll around the Christmas tree

its production of Jeeves and Wooster, Progress Theatre is set to continue its 76th season with Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride.

FOLLOWING

From Monday, Progress is staging the production which focuses on three characters as attitudes to homosexuality change over50 years.

Alternating between 1958 and 2008, the play follows Philip, Oliver, and Sylvia, who live similar but radically different lives, and tackles topics such as intimacy,

identity, and being who you are.

It stars Matthew Beswick, who recently directed Progress’ twopart triumph Angels In America, Adam Wells, and Faith Mansfield.

John Turner and Ken Deeks will also star.

The production is only suitable for those aged 15+ as it contains nudity, discriminatory language, and adult themes, as well as brief scenes of a sexual nature and assault.

The Pride is showing at Progress Theatre, The Mount, from Monday-Friday, October 10-15.

It will hold a relaxed performance on Monday, October 10,followed by a socially-distanced performance on Tuesday, October 11, and a come as you are performance on Wednesday, October 12.

Doors open at 7.15pm ready for the show to start at 7.45pm, and there will be one interval of 20 minutes.

n For more information about inclusive performances, visit: www.progresstheatre.co.uk

n For tickets, visit: www. ticketsource.co.uk.

THERE will be rocking around the Christmas tree thanks to a popular touring show, which is to be given a festive twist.

That’ll Be The Day is returning to The Hexagon next month for an early celebration of December 25.

The show, which is brandnew for this year, features a mixture of festive pop hits and traditional Christmas songs, fused with comedy sketches and impersonations.

Boasting brilliant vocals and first-class musicianship, the cast will take audiences on a seasonal, nostalgic sleigh ride

through the golden age of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Pop for an experience like no other.

The team behind the show say it is guaranteed to lift spirits and leave people wanting more.

Time Out has described it as ‘The best rock ‘n’ roll show on the road’.

Audiences can find out for themselves on Saturday, November 12. The show starts at 7.30pm, and tickets cost £25 or £27.

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

Scarlet Vixens ready for Hallowe’en Creepshow

BURLESQUE and variety troupe, The Scarlet Vixens, are bringing a special show to The Purple Turtle for Hallowe’en on Saturday, October 29.

The Purple Creepshow will see Mariposa Pop take up hosting duties in The Cellar at the venue.

They’ll be joined by Demonica

Llatex, who brings and element of horror to her brand of burlesque, along with Layla Cherry, powerhouse Tootsie Rocques, Lady Intrepid, and Mojo Jones.

The Scarlet Vixens perform a monthly show at The Purple Turtle, having fused comedy, art, drag, horror, variety, and

burlesque for more than a decade.

They perform at the venue on the last Saturday of every month.

The Purple Creepshow will take place downstairs in The Purple Turtle from 7-10pm on Saturday, October 29.

A brotherhood of raw power at Reading’s Face Bar

A BROTHERHOOD of raw power and huge riffs is how a band performing in Reading later this month are described.

The Virginmarys – drummer Danny Dolan and guitarist/ vocalist Ally Dickat – have played with Queens Of The Stoneage, championed by Slash and collaborated on stage with Frank Turner, goes a little way to showing the diverse appeal of their music.

After releasing three critically acclaimed albums playing as a trio, Ally and Danny have decided to take on the next phase of the band as a power duo and their appearance at The Face Bar on Sunday, October 16, will be Reading’s first chance to see them in this incarnation.

Since their formation in 2013, they’ve been described as the buzz band of SXSW, received

Club Velocity and New Mind are teaming up to present the gig, which starts at 7.30pm.

n Tickets cost £15, and can be found by searching wegottickets.

QUEER THEATRE: Adam Wells, left, and Matthew Beswick in Progress Theatre’s production of The Pride, showing from Monday-Saturday, October 10-15. Picture: By kind courtesy of Progress Theatre

MISLETOE AND WINE: That’ll Be The Day will bring its Christmas show to The Hexagon this November

praise from Rolling Stone and USA Today, and performed on the main stage of Reading Festival.

Support will come from Anchor Lane and Pink Diamond Revue.

RaW Sounds Today Chris Hillman bit.ly/raw soundstoday

WE

love trailblazers, the groups that are pioneering and bringing fresh new sounds to our lugholes.

Heading up this week’s playlist is a London band who wowed us at Loddfest, with their new song, TRAILBLAZR.

Have a listen - we think you’ll love it.

The RaW Sounds Today playlist is on a mission to champion and showcase great music from acts that have a connection to Reading and Wokingham (that’s the RaW in our Sounds Today name).

It’s an eclectic mix of stuff that will help you discover something new. All you have to do is find it on Spotify.

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.

Louis and the Shakes – TRAILBLAZR

This band from London played a great set at Third Lung’s Loddfest event in Reading last month and we hear they may be playing a Wokingham gig later this year. Keep an eye on their social media for info.

The band are a tight energetic four-piece that perform exciting and melodic indie rock as evidenced on TRAILBLAZR, their latest single.

Like most of their material including their excellent debut album, How Badly Do You Want

Thursday, October 6

BRACKNELL – South Hill Park, Ringmead RG12 7PA. The Greatest Hits of Motown: How Sweet It Is. Details: 01344 484123.

READING – Blue Collar Dining, Hosier Street RG1 7JL. Grand reopening party with Jamie Reynolds (Klaxons) DJ set. Free entry, table bookings available. Details: www.linktr.ee/blue.collar

READING - The Botanist, Kings Road RG1 2HB. Request night. Details: 0118 959 5746.

READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. Found Native. Details: 0118 959 7196

READING – Q Club, Friar Street. The ABBA Disco.

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Black Sabbitch. Details: 0118 959 5395.

Friday, October 7

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Tim Shez Band and The Evening Edition. Details: www. theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF.

Ultimate RnB tribute: A flavour of the Old Skool. Details: 01344 303333.

BRACKNELL – South Hill Park, Ringmead RG12 7PA. Bracknell Jazz: Tony Woods Project. Details: 01344 484123.

CHARVIL - The Wee Waif, Old Bath Road RG10 9RJ. Rewind 90s.

READING – The Butler, Chatham Street RG1 7DS. Open mic night. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING - The Botanist, Kings Road RG1 2HB. Friday Night live. Details: 0118 959 5746.

READING – CultureMix Arts & Music Centre, Queens Walk RG1 7QF. Reggae Fridays open mic and live band, with special guest performances. Details: 0118 958 7351.

READING – The Face Bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. Sham 69. Details: 0118 956 8188.

Wokingham-based band who recently packed out The Redan for their hometown show.

One of our fave releases of the last few months –https://www.rilasedge.com/

Dandy Man – Flat Earth Society

Here’s Reading-based alt-indie/folk rockers, Dandy Man, with their new single which was recorded at Pyramid Studios in Hurst and is from their forthcoming debut album, Something I Have To Say – https://dandymanmusic.com/

The Wave Machine – So Far So Good

Angus Trott aka The Wave Machine has recently performed at both Wokingham Festival and Loddfest and here’s his new single which is another of his self-penned joyous uplifting songs – https:// linktr.ee/thewavemachine

Elucidate – Crossroads

It?. It’s inspiring and powerful – https://www. louisandtheshakes.com

Courting – Jumper

This is a single from a band that will be playing at a Heavy Pop promoted show at Reading’s Facebar on Thursday, October 13.

Courting are a Liverpool-based band that have just released their debut album, the excellent Guitar Music from which this single is taken.

The album is a very impressive debut. It feels like an edgy exciting sonic alt rock roller coaster ride from start to finish and even includes an epic over eight minutes long track, Uncanny Valley Forever.

This is definitely a band to watch – https:// courtingband.com

READING - Hope and Bear, London Road RG1 5DE. Greg The Axxeman Winters. Details: 0118 935 4095

READING – The Rising Sun, Silver Street RG1 2ST. Big Untidy presents All That Jazz. Details: 0118 986 6788.

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Resurrections: The Stone Roses Tribute and Noel Gallager’s High Flying Carpets. Details: 0118 959 5395.

READING – The Turks, London Road RG1 5BJ. A Night with Avian and The Rev!. Details: 0118 957 6930.

READING – Zerodegrees, Bridge Street RG1 2LR. Friday night live, from 6pm. Details: 0118 959 7959.

WOKINGHAM – Broad Street Tavern, Broad Street RG40 1AU. Neon Daze. Details: 0118 977 3706.

YATELEY - The Cricketers, Cricket Hill Lane GU46 6BA. Je’Zell. Details: 01252 872105.

Saturday, October 8

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Sell By, Holler, The Cover Up. Details: www. theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL - The Bridge, Wokingham Road RG42 1PP. Self Preservation Society. Details: 01344 862912.

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. The Altitudes. Details: 01344 303333.

BRACKNELL – South Hill Park, Ringmead RG12 7PA. California Dreamers: POSTPONED Details: 01344 484123.

CAVERSHAM PARK – Caversham Park Village Social Club, Milestone Centre, Northbrook Road. Abba tribute night. Details: www.cpva.org.uk

READING – The Castle Tap, Castle Street RG1 7RJ. Rocket Kings. Details: 0118 958 0473.

READING – The Face bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. The Gothisicles, Bitman, Def Neon and Vieon. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING – The Foresters Arms, Brunswick Street RG1 6NY. DJ Jacky

D: Soul, Funk and Disco. Details: 0118 304 3648.

READING – Grosvenor Casino Reading, Rose Kiln Lane RG2 0SN. Leanne Harper as Beyonce Details: 0118 402 7800.

READING – The Jazz Cafe, Select Car leasing Stadium RG2 0FL. Sound Intentions. Details: 0118 968 1442.

READING – The Jolly Anglers, Kennetside RG1 3EA. Fly Project.

READING – The Pond House, Oxford Road RG30 1EH. Wardour Street. Details: 0118 958 3664.

READING – The Retreat, St John’s Street RG1 4EH. The Sidemen. Details: 0118 376 9159.

READING – Salisbury Conservative Club, Kings Road RG1 4HX. Storm King. Details: 0118 926 5804.

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Hedex. Details: 0118 959 5395.

READING – The Turks, London Road RG1 5BJ. Syn City Rockers. Details: 0118 957 6930.

TWYFORD – The Golden Cross, Waltham Road. BAT. Details: 07889 226309.

YATELEY - The Royal Oak, Reading Road, GU46 7UG. The Congakeyz. Details: 01252 872459.

Sunday, October 9

READING – Community Hall, Watlington House, Watlington Street RG1 4RJ. Readifolk presents: Theme night, A Sting in the Tail. Details: www.readifolk. org.uk

SONNING – The Mill at Sonning, Sonning Eye RG4 6TY. The Rod Stewart Experience. Details: 0118 969 8000.

Monday, October 10

NETTLEBED – Village Club, High Street RG9 5DD. Nettlebed Folk Club presents: Chris While and Julie Matthews. Details: www. nettlebedfolkclub.co.uk

Tuesday, October 11

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The

Dakorra – Elevate Me

Here’s some guitar riffs over a pulsing electro beat combined with Kate Herridge’s powerful vocals. You can see Dakorra live on Friday, October 28, supporting LoneLady, at South Street Arts Centre –https://www.facebook.com/dakorraband

Lilac – Losing Myself (In You)

Lilac are a Reading-based three-piece band comprising Beth on vocals and guitar, Lewis on keyboards, guitar and backing vocals and Olly on Drums.

They describe their sound as floral indie which is a great description – https://lilacband.co.uk

Rila’s Edge – Someone New

This is the latest single, released in July, by this

Ring RG12 1JG. New Music Tuesday. Details: www.theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – South Hill Park, Ringmead RG12 7PA. Jarman. Details: 01344 484123.

Wednesday, October 12

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Open mic night. Details: www.theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – South Hill Park, Ringmead RG12 7PA. Americana Night: Paul Alexander Low and special guests. Details: 01344 484123.

READING – The Castle Tap, Castle Street RG1 7RJ. Monthly Shanty Session. Details: 0118 958 0473.

Thursday, October 13

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Call of Sirens, Alpha Line. Details: www.theacousticcouch. co.uk

READING - The Botanist, Kings Road RG1 2HB. Request night. Details: 0118 959 5746.

READING – The Face bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. HeavyPop presents Courting and Deep Tan. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING - The Botanist, Kings Road RG1 2HB. Friday Night live. Details: 0118 959 5746.

READING – The Face Bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. Sham 69.

READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. Found Native. Details: 0118 959 7196

READING - Wild Lime, Friar Street RG1 1DB. Open mic: spoken word, music and vibes. From 6.30pm.

Friday, October 14

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. The Fleetwood Mac Songbook. Details: www. theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. All About You. Details: 01344 303333.

GORING - Goring Community Centre, The

Elucidate are an alt-rock band from Reading, and this is their latest single which was released in the summer. It’s a good slice of melodic indie pop rock as are their other releases – https://linktr.ee/ ElucidateUK

OSP – Iyah

One of the success stories of Wokingham Festival was OSP, who stepped in at the last minute to cover for a cancellation, and got the crowd moving with an excellent set.

Here’s Iyah, their most recent single – https:// www.facebook.com/ospmusicuk

Phantom Booth – Apparatus

The latest single from the Reading/London-based band that create catchy indie pop.

They recently played at the Roseate Sessions in Reading – https://www.facebook.com/ thephantombooth

Old School, Station Road RG8 9HB. Goring Community Jazz Club presents Sarah Jane Eveleigh with Nick Hill, Howard King, Mike Goff. Details www. ticketsource.co.uk/goring-communityjazz-club

READING – The Butler, Chatham Street RG1 7DS. Open mic night. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING - The Botanist, Kings Road RG1 2HB. Friday Night live. Details: 0118 959 5746.

READING – The Face bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. Away With The Seas. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING – The Fisherman’s Cottage, Kennetside RG1 3DW. BOHO

Showcase: The Live Looper, Hattie Taylor and more.

READING – The Hexagon, Queens Walk. The Puppini Sisters. Details: 0118 960 6060.

READING - O’Neill’s, Friar Street RG1 1DB. The Strats. Details: 0118 960 6580.

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Bruce Juice. Details: 0118 959 5395.

WOKINGHAM – Broad Street Tavern, Broad Street RG40 1AU. Chestnuts. Details: 0118 977 3706.

YATELEY – White Lion, Reading Road GU46 7RX. Je’Zell. Details: 01252 890840.

Saturday, October 15

BRACKNELL – The Acoustic Couch, The Ring RG12 1JG. Foxpalmer and Majanin. Details: www. theacousticcouch.co.uk

BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. The Double Shots. Details: 01344 303333.

READING – The Butler, Chatham Street RG1 7DS. Swallow. Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING – The Castle Tap, Castle Street RG1 7RJ. Davey Dodds. Details: 0118 958 0473.

READING – The Face bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. Fools Gold and Success.

Details: 0118 959 5500.

READING – Grosvenor Casino Reading, Rose Kiln Lane RG2 0SN. Johny 2 Bad. Details: 0118 402 7800.

READING – The Palmer Tavern, Wokingham Road RG6 1JL. The Skavengers. Details: 0118 935 1009.

READING – The Retreat, St John’s Street RG1 4EH. Hugh Turner Trio. Details: 0118 376 9159.

READING – South Street Arts Centre. Readiophonics. Details: 0118 960 6060.

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club+. Details: 0118 959 5395.

READING – The Turks, London Road RG1 5BJ. The Lord John Band. Details: 0118 957 6930.

WOKINGHAM - Bond Brews, South Barns, Gardeners Green Farm, Heathlands Road. Bon Brew Tap Yard party. Noon-6pm. Details: bondbrews. co.uk

WOODLEY – Oakwood Centre, Headley Road RG6 4JZ. Woodley Theatre presents100 Years of Jazz from Buddy Bolden to Miles Davies and beyond with the Martin Hart Trio. Details: 0748 833 7838.

Sunday, October 16

READING – Community Hall, Watlington House, Watlington Street RG1 4RJ. Readifolk presents: Tom McConville. Details: www.readifolk. org.uk

READING – The Face bar, Ambrose Place RG1 7JE. Club Velocity and New Minds present The Virginmarys and The Pink Diamond Review.

Details: www.wegottickets.com/ event/545865

READING - Lola Lo, Friar Street. Loop Presents Volume 1.

SONNING – The Mill at Sonning, Sonning Eye RG4 6TY. The Swinging Big Band. Details: 0118 969 8000.

WHOLE LOT OF SHAKING GOING ON: Louis and the Shakes at Loddfest Picture: Chris Hillman

WHAT’SON

Thursday, October 6

EARLEY – Trinity Church, Chalfont Close RG6 5HZ.

Re:Fresh with Friendship Table. 2pm-4pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

READING – Blue Collar

Corner, Hosier Street RG1 7QL. Blue Collar Corner reopening night: Jamie Reyolds of Klaxons. 5pm-12.30pm. Details: letsbookfor.com/bluecollar-corner

TWYFORD – Loddon Hall, Loddon Hall Road RG10 9JA. Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group present Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group. 8pm. £10-£12 plus booking fee. Details: www. twyrusdrama.org.uk

SPENCERS WOOD – Library, Basingstoke Road RG7 1AJ. Rhymtimes for under fours. Booking essential. Free. 10.30am-11am. Details: 0118 988 4771.

SPENCERS WOOD –Spencers Wood Pavilion, Clares Green Road RG7 1DY. Social Seniors Tea and Coffee with Friendship Table. 10am-noon. Details: linkvisiting.org WOKINGHAM – Bradbury Centre, Wokingham Methodist Church, Rose Street RG40 1XS. Cafe Mosiac lunch club with Friendship table. Noon-1.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOKINGHAM – The Cornerstone, All Saints Church, Norreys Avenue, Wokingham RG40 1UE. Wokingham and East Berkshire Camera Club meeting: Round 1 PDI judged by Graham Sleeman. 7.30pm. Details: www.webcc.org.uk.

WOKINGHAM – The Ship Inn, Peach Street. Comedy on Tap. 7pm. £17. Details: 0118 978 0389.

Friday, October 7

EARLEY – St Nicolas Church, Sutcliffe Avenue RG6 7JN. Re:Fresh cafe with Friendship Table. 10amnoon. Details: linkvisiting. org

READING – RISC, London Road. Are We Getting Closer to a Nuclear Catastrophe? As part of Reading International Festival programme Nuclear Information Service, Reading Peace Group and Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp will discuss this question. 7pm. Free.

SHINFIELD – Shinfield Players Theatre, Whitley Wood Lane. Our House: A Musical. 7.45pm. £16, concessions £15, child £9. Details: www. shinfieldplayers.org.uk

TWYFORD – Loddon Hall, Loddon Hall Road RG10 9JA. Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group present Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group. 8pm. £10-£12 plus booking fee. Details: www. twyrusdrama.org.uk

WOKINGHAM – Wokingham Theatre, Twyford Road, RG40 5TU. Wokingham Lions presents comedy

night. 7.30pm. £17. Over 18s only. Details: wokinghamlions.org.uk

WOKINGHAM – Salvation Army, Sturges Road RG40 2HD. Cafe

Refresh Friendship table. 10am-1.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOKINGHAM – Norreys Church, Norreys Avenue RG40 1UU. T&C at SHARE Wokingham Friendship table. 12.30pm-2.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOKINGHAM – St Paul’s Church Parish Rooms, Reading Road RG41 1EH. Coffee and Chat: a warm welcome, a listening ear and refreshments. 2pm4pm. Details: 0118 979 2122 or church.office@ spauls.co.uk.

WOOSEHILL – Acorn Community Centre, Fernlea Drive RG41 3DR. Acorn Cafe with Friendship table. 10.30am-noon. Details: linkvisiting.org

Saturday, October 8

CAVERSHAM – Caversham Methodist Church Hall, Gosbrook Road RG4 8EB. Artists and Makers Fair. 10am. Free entry. Details: jean@alljazzedup.com or 07808 966928.

CROWTHORNE – Royal British Legion, Wellington Road RG45 7LJ. Quiz night. 8pm. Details: 01344 772161.

READING - Battle Library, Oxford Road. Board games club for teenagers upwards. Noon-2pm. Free. Details: 0118 937 5103.

READING – Prospect Park, Liebenrood Road. Car boot sale. Sellers from 6am. Buyers from 7.30am. £10 car, £12 van. Details: 07773 539172.

READING – Reading Central Library, Abbey Square RG1 3BQ. Meet the author event: Annie Murray. £3. 11am-12.30pm. Details: 0118 937 5950.

READING - IKEA, Pincents Kiln Industrial Park, Pincent Lane RG31 7SD. Balloon artist and face painter for children. 11am5pm. Free. Details: www. ikea.com

READING – The Rising Sun, Silver Street RG1 2ST. Bookface Chapter 13: handmade books, independent publishers, comic books, small books and more. 11am-4pm. Details: 0118 986 6788.

READING - Star Lane Wharf, behind Queen’s Road Car Park. Kennet and Avon trust 45-minute boat trips on Matilda Too. Noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. £9.50, £5.50 children, under threes free. Details and advance booking: matilda.katrust. org.uk

SHINFIELD – Shinfield Players Theatre, Whitley Wood Lane. Our House: A Musical. 7.45pm. £16, concessions £15, child £9. Details: www. shinfieldplayers.org.uk

TWYFORD – Loddon Hall, Loddon Hall Road RG10 9JA. Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group present Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group. 8pm.

£10-£12 plus booking fee. Details: www. twyrusdrama.org.uk

WINNERSH – The Pheasant, Reading Road RG41 4LR. Doggie meet up. From noon. Details: 0118 978 4529

WINNERSH – The Pheasant, Reading Road RG41 4LR. Comedy with headler Darius Davies, presented by Mates Rates Comedy. 7.30pm. Details: 0118 978 4529

WOKINGHAM – St Crispin’s Leisure Centre, London Road RG40 1SR. SEND Voices Wokingham and Wokingham Borough CAN Network present Local Offer Live Day 2022: Information day for residents with special education needs or disabilities. Information stalls, Berkshire Reptile Encounter, Circus Skills, Face painting, refreshments. 11am3pm. Free, booking essential. Details: www. sendvoiceswokingham. org.uk.

WOKINGHAM – Town Hall, Market Place RG40 1AS. Craft and gift market. 10am-4pm.

WOKINGHAM WITHOUT –Pinewood Bar and Cafe, Pinewood Leisure Centre, Old Wokingham Road RG40 3AQ. Friendship table available. 9am-4pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOODLEY – Crockhamwell Road precinct. Woodley Town Centre presents Saturday market. 9am3pm. Details: www. woodleytowncentre.co.uk

WOODLEY – Bulmershe School, Woodlands Avenue RG5 3EU. Woodley Concert Band presents Four Seasons In One Day. 7.30pm. £14, £12 concessions, £5 under 16s. Details: 0870 321 2186.

WOOSEHILL – Woosehill Church, Chestnut Avenue RG41 3RS. Sip and Share with friendship table. 11am-noon, every second Saturday. Details: linkvisiting.org

Sunday, October 9

READING – Blue Collar Dining, Hosier Street RG1 7JL. Family workshop: cardboard food making with Mark Hulse. 11am1pm. Free. Details: www. jelly.org.uk

READING – The Retreat, St John’s Street RG1 4EH. Bloody Mary contest. 3pm. Spectators welcome. Details: 0118 376 9159.

READING – The Rising Sun, Silver Street RG1 2ST. Sunday Alternative: Coffee and Catchup. 10.30am. Free. Details: 0118 986 6788.

READING - Star Lane Wharf, behind Queen’s Road Car Park. Kennet and Avon trust 45-minute boat trips on Matilda Too. Noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. £9.50, £5.50 children, under threes free. Details and advance booking: matilda.katrust. org.uk

SONNING – The Great House, Thames Street RG4 6UT. Wedding fair. 11am-3pm.

Free entry. Details: www. berkshireweddingfairs. co.uk

TWYFORD – Piggott School, Twyford Road. Twyford Together 5k and fun run. 9am-noon. Details: www. barnesfitness.co.uk/ twyford-together-charity5k-and-fun-run/

WOKINGHAM – Methodist Church, Rose Street RG40 1XS.Concert for Ukraine with Chance To Thrive, Second Windpart of the Bracknell & Wokingham Community Band organisation and Cantata Conviva - a ladies’ choir from Twyford. 7pm. £12.50. Tickets from Bradbury Centre in Wokingham Methodist Church. WOODLEY – Crockhamwell Road precinct. Woodley Town Centre presents car boot sale. 8am-1pm. Cars £10, vans £15. Details: 07861 654674 or www. woodleytowncentre.co.uk

Monday, October 10

ARBORFIELD – Royal British Legion, Eversley Road RG2 9PR. Friendship table. 9.30am-11.30am. Details: linkvisiting.org

CROWTHORNE – Royal British Legion, Wellington Road RG45 7LJ. Bingo night. From 7pm. Free entry members, nonmembers £1. £1.25 per book. Details: 01344 772161.

READING – Progress Theatre, The Mount RG1 5HL. Progress Theatre presents The Pride. 7.45pm. £14, concessions £11. Details: www.progresstheatre. co.uk.

WOKINGHAM – Holme Grange School, Heathlands Road RG40 3AL. Wokingham Rock Choir free taster session. 7.30pm. Booking essential. Details: https://www. rockchoir.com/join/ Wokingham_Late_Session

WOKINGHAM – Salvation Army, Sturges Road RG40 2HD. Cafe Refresh Friendship table. 10am-1.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOKINGHAM – Norreys Church, Norreys Avenue RG40 1UU. T&C at SHARE Wokingham Friendship table. 12.30pm-2.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOODLEY – Woodley Baptist Church, Hurricane Way RG5 4UX. Four Seasons cafe Friendship Table. 1.30pm-3.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

Tuesday, October 11

EARLEY – Earley CResCent Resource Centre, Warbler Drive RG6 4HB. Friendship table. 2pm-3pm. Details: linkvisiting.org.

FINCHAMPSTEAD – FBC Centre Cafe, Gorse Ride North RG40 4ES. Friendship table. 10amnoon. Details: linkvisiting. org

READING – Progress Theatre, The Mount RG1 5HL. Progress Theatre presents The Pride. 7.45pm. £14, concessions £11. Details:

www.progresstheatre. co.uk.

READING – Rising Sun Arts Centre, Silver Street RG1 2ST. The Finches social club for people with or without autism. 7pm-9pm. Drinks and snacks available to buy. Music, and friendship. Details: kingwood.org.uk

WOKINGHAM – Bradbury Centre, Wokingham Methodist Church, Rose Street RG40 1XS. CLASP Wokingham cafe with Friendship table. 10am-noon. Every third and fourth Tuesday of the month. Details: linkvisiting. org

WOKINGHAM WITHOUT –Pinewood Bar and Cafe, Pinewood Leisure Centre, Old Wokingham Road RG40 3AQ. Friendship table available. 9am-4pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOODLEY – Bulmershe School, Chequers Way RG5 3EU. Thames Valley Chorus free singing course for men. 7.30pm-9pm. Free. Details: www. tvchorus.co.uk

WOODLEY – Coronation Hall, Headley Road RG5 4JB. WISE Over-50s Forum: A visit from The Serenade Singers, plus topical discussion. £3. Raffle tickets 50p each. 2pm-4pm. Details: Woodleywise@ gmail.com or phone: 0118 969 6206.

Wednesday, October 12

BARKHAM – Village Hall, Church Road RG40 4PL. Berkshire Bonsai Society meeting. 7.30pm. Details: www.berkshirebonsai. co.uk

EARLEY – Brookside Church, Brookside Close RG6 7HG. Open Door cafe with Friendship Table. 2pm4pm. Details: linkvisiting. org

READING – Progress Theatre, The Mount RG1 5HL. Progress Theatre presents The Pride. 7.45pm. £14, concessions £11. Details: www.progresstheatre. co.uk.

WOKINGHAM – St Paul’s Parish Rooms, Reading Road RG41 1EH. Wokingham Rock Choir taster sessions. 12.15pm. Booking essential. Free. Details: www.rockchoir. com/join/Wokingham_ Morning_Session

WOKINGHAM – Bradbury Centre, Wokingham Methodist Church, Rose Street RG40 1XS. Cafe Mosiac with Friendship table. 11am-noon. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOKINGHAM – Salvation Army, Sturges Road RG40 2HD. Cafe Refresh Friendship table. 10am-1.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOODLEY – Crockhamwell Road precinct. Woodley Town Centre presents Artisan market. 9am2pm. Details: www. woodleytowncentre.co.uk

Re:Fresh with Friendship Table. 2pm-4pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

READING – Bar 77, Kings Road RG1 3BJ. A Nightmare on 77th Street: A drag show by Draven including quiz and prizes for best dressed. From 7.30pm.

READING – Progress Theatre, The Mount RG1 5HL. Progress Theatre presents The Pride. 7.45pm. £14, concessions £11. Details: www.progresstheatre. co.uk.

READING – The Centre for Heritage and Family History, 2nd Floor, Reading Central Library, Abbey Square RG1 3BQ. The Influence of Victorian Mourning on Reading Cemetery, a talk organised by the Berkshire Family History Society. 2pm3.30pm. £5, £4 members. Details: 0118 950 9553.

SPENCERS WOOD –Spencers Wood Pavilion, Clares Green Road RG7 1DY. Social Seniors Tea and Coffee with Friendship Table. 10am-noon. Details: linkvisiting.org

TILEHURST – Double Barelled Brewery, Stadium Way RG30 6BX. Double Barrelled Brewery Mark and Gary’s quiz night in aid of Launchpad. 6.30pm. Dark Beer Celebration. Details: doublebarrelled. co.uk

WOKINGHAM – Bradbury Centre, Wokingham Methodist Church, Rose Street RG40 1XS. Cafe Mosiac lunch club with Friendship table. Noon-1.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOKINGHAM – The Cornerstone, All Saints Church, Norreys Avenue, Wokingham RG40 1UE. Wokingham and East Berkshire Camera Club meeting: Macro group and portrait group feedback events. 7.30pm. Details: www.webcc.org.uk.

WOKINGHAM – The Whitty Theatre, Luckley House School, Luckley Road RG40 3EU. Wokingham Film Society presents: The Duke (12a). £6.50, £4 members. 7.30pm. Details: wokinghamfilmsociety.com

Friday, October 14

EARLEY – St Nicolas Church, Sutcliffe Avenue RG6 7JN. Re:Fresh cafe with Friendship Table. 10amnoon. Details: linkvisiting. org

READING – New Hope Community Church, York Road. Bell Tower Community Association and Left Foot Forward present community ceilidh. 7.30pm. £5, under 18s £2.50. In aid of association funds.

READING – Progress Theatre, The Mount RG1 5HL. Progress Theatre presents The Pride. 7.45pm. £14, concessions £11. Details: www.progresstheatre. co.uk.

READING – Central Library, Abbey Square.

Extraordinary Life of Charles Ignatius Sancho with Paterson Joseph, a live stream from The British Library. Part of Black History Month. 7pm. Free, booking essential. Details: info@readinglibraries. org.uk

TILEHURST – Double Barelled Brewery, Stadium Way RG30 6BX. Dark Beer Celebration. Details: doublebarrelled.co.uk

WOKINGHAM – Salvation Army, Sturges Road RG40 2HD. Cafe

Refresh Friendship table. 10am-1.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOKINGHAM – Norreys Church, Norreys Avenue RG40 1UU. T&C at SHARE Wokingham Friendship table. 12.30pm-2.30pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOKINGHAM – St Paul’s Church Parish Rooms, Reading Road RG41 1EH. Coffee and Chat: a warm welcome, a listening ear and refreshments. 2pm4pm. Details: 0118 979 2122 or church.office@ spauls.co.uk.

WOOSEHILL – Acorn Community Centre, Fernlea Drive RG41 3DR. Acorn Cafe with Friendship table. 10.30am-noon. Details: linkvisiting.org

Saturday, October 15

CLIVEDEN – Cliveden House, Taplow, SL6 0JF. Cliveden Literary Festival 2022.

‘Probably the world’s best small literary festival.’ Ian McEwen. For tickets and information visit: https:// clivedenliteraryfestival. org/ www.clivedenhouse. co.uk

CROWTHORNE – Royal British Legion, Wellington Road RG45 7LJ. Colin’s Club Auction. 7pm.. Details: 01344 772161.

EMMBROOK – Sports and Social Club, Lowther Road RG41 1JB. Comedy night with Matt Richardson, Dinesh Nathan, Josh Baulf, Jonathan Elston. £12. Doors 7pm. Details: laughtercraftcomedy.com .

READING - Battle Library, Oxford Road. Board games club for teenagers upwards. Noon-2pm. Free. Details: 0118 937 5103.

READING – Cattle Market, Great Knollys Street RG1 7HU. Reading Farmers Market. 8.15am-noon. Details: www.thamesva lleyfarmersmarket.co.uk

READING – Great Hall, university of Reading London Road RG1 5AQ. Gin and Rum festival. 12.30pm-5pm or 6.30pm11pm. £15 and booking fee. Over 18s only. Details: ginandrumfestival.com

READING – Kings Meadow, Napier Road RG1 8EJ. Reading Diwali Festival. Noon-6pm. Free entry.

READING – Phantom Brewing, Meadow Road RG1 8LB. Brewery tour and tasting. Noon. Booking essential. Details: www. phantombrew.com

READING – Progress Theatre, The Mount RG1 5HL. Progress Theatre presents The Pride. 7.45pm. £14, concessions £11. Details: www.progresstheatre. co.uk.

TILEHURST – Double Barelled Brewery, Stadium Way RG30 6BX. Dark Beer Celebration. Details: doublebarrelled.co.uk

WOKINGHAM WITHOUT –Pinewood Bar and Cafe, Pinewood Leisure Centre, Old Wokingham Road RG40 3AQ. Friendship table available. 9am-4pm. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOOSEHILL – Woosehill Church, Chestnut Avenue RG41 3RS. Sip and Share with friendship table. 11am-noon, every second Saturday. Details: linkvisiting.org

WOODLEY – Crockhamwell Road precinct. Woodley Town Centre presents Saturday market. 9am3pm. Details: www. woodleytowncentre.co.uk

WOKINGHAM - Bond Brews, South Barns, Gardeners Green Farm, Heathlands Road. Bon Brew Tap Yard party. Noon-6pm. Details: bondbrews.co.uk

Sunday, October 16

CLIVEDEN – Cliveden House, Taplow, SL6 0JF. Cliveden Literary Festival 2022. ‘Probably the world’s best small literary festival.’ Ian McEwen. For tickets and information visit: https:// clivedenliteraryfestival. org/ www.clivedenhouse. co.uk

READING – Dance Studio Reading, Lovelock Road RG30 1DZ. Indoor table top sale in aid of 19-monthold Lola who has PTCD. £7 per table, 50p entry, under 16s free. 9am-2pm. Details: 07710 408473.

READING – RISC, London Road. Reading Repair Cafe: “if it’s broken, bring it along and we are sure to have a go or at least provide some advice about what your best course of action might be”. 12.30pm4pm. Free, donations welcome.

TILEHURST – Double Barelled Brewery, Stadium Way RG30 6BX. Dark Beer Celebration. Details: doublebarrelled.co.uk

WOKINGHAM WITHOUT – Pinewood Minature Railway, Pinewood Leisure Centre, Old Wokingham Road RG40 3AQ. Pinewood Minature Railway running. £1.50 per ride, four rides £5. 1.30pm4pm. Under threes free. Now accepts card payments. Details: www.pinewoodrailway. co.uk

EARLEY – Trinity Church, Chalfont

RG6 5HZ.

READING – South Street Arts Centre. Poets Cafe. 8.30pm. Details: 0118 960 6060.

READING - IKEA, Pincents Kiln Industrial Park, Pincent Lane RG31 7SD. Balloon artist and face painter for children. 11am5pm. Free. Details: www. ikea.com

WOODLEY – Crockhamwell Road precinct. Woodley Town Centre presents car boot sale. 8am-1pm. Cars £10, vans £15. Details: 07861 654674 or www. woodleytowncentre.co.uk

Quiz Challenge

In 2021, Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Grand National riding which horse?

What is unusual about the pitcher plant?

Tripolitania is an historic region of which country?

In 2020, Laura Whitmore began presenting which British dating game show?

‘I would have given you all of my heart, But there’s someone who’s torn it apart’ is the opening of which Rod Stewart

B is a 2021 coming-of-age

Branagh

by

the name

The famous area for antique

called The Lanes

which English

is what type of

was the

astronomer

How

word must use

One takes steps to make it work (9)

Staff travelled ceaselessly (3)

Display of oral disorders on the first of the month (5,5,3)

In the tray one notices the material (5)

Appears content with only one vegetable (3)

Local match in Midlands town (5)

Helpless maid Aileen upset another girl (7)

Vehicle kit for a (noiseless) contraption (6)

and each

may be used only

At least one word

word found in the Concise Oxford Dictionary (Tenth Edition) is eligible with the following exceptions: proper nouns; plural nouns, pronouns and possessives; third person singular verbs; hyphenated words; contractions and abbreviations; vulgar slang words; variant spellings of the same word (where another variant is also eligible).

The first thing to do as a footballer .... (4,3)

.... who kicks the shins of a skilled computer operative (6)

Joel twists, finds way in, but has to push roughly (6)

Unfavourable publicity jingle (7)

Drunk held closely (5)

Bend rules in order to lengthen the rally on court? (7,1,5)

Sink or swim (3)

Rough performance of Equus? (9)

Keepsake of Eric, turning 50, inside (5)

Old British soldier’s brightlycoloured garment (7)

Have time for others on Sunday? (3,2,4)

Listens in a rush, having practised (9)

Withhold information when insurance has risen (5,2)

Commanding officer let up about eight times (7)

Catch her below (6)

movement of toothed bar (5)

gang leader

over a brook (5)

not right for

Mental wellbeing for women

Healthy Heart

INthe UK around one in five women have a common mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety.

Long-term mental health problems can increase our risk of developing heart disease, which is one of the reasons why it is important that we look after our mental health.

These are a few things you can do to keep your mental wellbeing in check and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

Reducing stress at work

Evidence suggests that young women with stressful jobs could be at higher risk of heart disease, so why not do a few stretches to get your blood circulating.

Getting the heart beating by using the stairs or walking part of the way to and from work will help you stretch your legs and refresh your thoughts.

It is not uncommon to feel overwhelmed at work especially when we have lots to do.

Try taking 10 minutes at the beginning of your day to plan the tasks you will complete, and focus only on those tasks.

inthegarden

Cut down on alcohol

Alcohol acts as a depressant and can have a negative impact on your mental health as well increasing your risk of heart disease.

Try cutting down on alcohol by swapping to drinks with a lower alcohol content or having a 0% alcohol beer or cider.

By picking a healthier drink you can still get all the benefits of socialising with friends at the local pub but without the negatives of alcohol.

Get some alone time

Not spending any time alone is one of the main factors affecting women’s mental health and wellbeing.

It can be so important for you to find this time so you can let down your guard, relieve any tension and

Walk on the wildside

OCTOBER

is one of the most colourful times of the year.

Flowers such as sedums and rudbekias are still blooming and the leaves on trees and shrubs are beginning to change to fiery colours like red, yellow and orange.

For many wildlife about to go into hibernation – bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies - late flowering perennials are a lifeline.

As you prepare your garden for winter keep in mind that wildlife is vulnerable in autumn – so clean and refill bird feeders, leave out water and plant berry-bearing shrubs for next autumn.

Many species including ladybirds and other insects, hibernate in old seed heads and plant stems. Birds eat seeds and rosehips in the winter and larger creatures, such as hedgehogs, hibernate in piles of twigs and leaves.

So, try to resist tidying up your outside space too much.

A few autumn jobs can make your garden more wildlife friendly and help provide food and shelter in the spring…

Plant bulbs – to flower in the spring so they can provide food for bees coming out of hibernation

Leave your borders – instead of tidying and cutting back leave your borders to rot down naturally, it’s great for wildlife

Create a pond – one of the best habitats for wildlife but make sure there are plenty of shallow areas for wildlife to climb in and out. If you have limited space,

then a container pond is a good alternative.

If you are growing your own fruit and veg then now is the time pick your pumpkins and squashes.

Test to see if your pumpkins and winter squashes are ripe by pressing the skin with your fingernail … it shouldn’t feel like it will pierce.

Harvest them with as long a stalk as possible and store somewhere cool and dry. Apart from being fantastic food, pumpkins and squashes are visually stunning. They are wonderful for creating beautiful autumnal displays for windowsills, front steps and window boxes.

problem-solve without any interruptions.

Setting up a routine to wake up an hour before the rest of your home is a great idea. If this isn’t possible try going on a daily walk by yourself.

You will get exercise and the alone time you need to reflect.

n For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www. heartresearch.org.uk/ healthy-tips.

n To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: heartresearch.org.uk/

heart-research-ukrecipes-2/ n Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers: https:// heartresearch.org.uk/ heart-research-ukcookbook/.

Volunteer corner Helena Badger

TWO

children in the average primary school class have suffered abuse or neglect.

That’s why we aim to reach every primary school in the UK. But we need your help.

Join the NSPCC Schools Service as a volunteer and play a vital role in protecting a generation of children, by helping them understand abuse and giving them the confidence to speak out if they need help.

Volunteers visit local schools twice a month and give our age-appropriate “Speak Out. Stay Safe.” workshops to primary school pupils.

You’ll work alongside other volunteers to make sure, by the end of each session, the children feel empowered and know who they can speak out to if they are worried.

As a Speak Out Stay Safe volunteer you’ll get the opportunity to: learn valuable new skills, be part of a friendly team of like-minded people and most importantly, make a huge difference to children within your local area.

When you volunteer with us we’ll be here to support you throughout. You’ll get lots of initial training which includes practice sessions, home study and multiple visits to schools to help you learn workshop materials.

When you start delivering the sessions, support will be on offer from both your supervisor and other experienced volunteers.

Commitment: Minimum of two school visits a month (plus initial training) Minimum commitment 12 months.

Initial training includes practice sessions, home study and multiple visits to schools to help volunteers learn workshop materials.

Support will be on offer from both the local supervisor and other experienced volunteers.

n My Journey Wokingham is a borough-wide sustainable travel campaign that aims to help and inspire Wokingham residents, employees and students to travel by alternative modes. If you enjoy cycling and would like to work with children aged 2 - 4 years, you may be interested in helping us at our weekly Balance Bike Club.

We are looking for a committed volunteer who enjoys cycling and would like to be involved in a rewarding activity. The sessions run on Wednesday afternoons in term time (2 - 3pm) - Outdoors on the track in the fine weather, or in the sports hall when the weather is wet or cold.

n Established in 2019, The Cowshed is a crisis charity whose primary purpose is providing excellent quality cleaned and ironed clothes, bedding, curtains and other essential items free to anyone in need in Berkshire.

The charity also runs a number of other significant activities throughout the year related to this. We currently run two referral centres that support our communities, a donation centre in Reading processing over 150 tonnes per year, two craft centres with over 100 volunteers producing our referral bags and many other items, a Little Black Dress shop retailing evening wear unsuitable for referrals and also a Prom Hire facility.

A couple of stand-out varieties are … Crown Prince, a blue-grey variety of pumpkin that has orange flesh inside – delicious when roasted and used in soups; and Celebration, a lovely orange-yellow variety of winter squash that is acorn shaped and works well in soups, stews and Sunday roasts.

Now is also a good time to think about your soil.

If it’s heavy clay you can dig it over so the winter frosts can break the clods down. Or sow green manures on unused areas to protect the soil over winter.

October is often a time spent clearing up after the Summer and preparing for the Winter and

Spring ahead and as the RHS says … Although we had some warmer days over September, the autumn is now definitely here for real, and it feels colder. It’s a beautiful time of year, with the trees changing colour. Sometimes it may seem pointless raking, when the wind blows even more leaves onto the ground, but just think of all the lovely leafmould you can make! It’s also time to start preparing for early frosts.

Top three jobs this month –move tender plants, including aquatic ones, into a greenhouse or conservatory; cut back perennials that have died down; and divide herbaceous perennials.

We are a rapidly growing and dynamic charity and have provided support to over 7,000 people in the last year. There is currently no other national charity providing this holistic service to all ages in the UK and we hope to expand to other counties as funds become available. Key to our ethos is providing practical support lovingly and without judgment.

We are seeking to expand our board of Trustees to help support and drive our ongoing growth.

At present we are looking for a number of new Trustees with particular skills in Marketing, HR, or Fundraising. We would also welcome a Trustee to take on the role of Secretary.

n These are just a few roles on our books. Please visit our website www.volunteerwokinghamborough.org. ukto find out more about volunteering and have a look at all the roles we have to offer. If you would like to get in touch with us, please call 0118 977 0749 or email volunteer@wok-vol.org.uk.

AUTUMN IS THE TIME WHEN ANIMALS AND INSECTS START TO HIBERNATE FOR WINTER

HELD IN THRILLING DRAW

HENDRICK’S

HOT SHOT

By ANDY PRESTON

JEFF HENDRICK’S equaliser ensured that Reading FC maintained their outstanding Championship form to stay third in the table.

Heading into the clash against

promotion favourites Norwich City, the Royals more than held their own in a positive first-half display.

Despite going a goal down just five minute after the restart, Paul Ince’s men regrouped to hit back with a leveller just 10 minutes later.

The Royals now face their third

game in just six days on Friday night at Loftus Road to take on Queens Park Rangers, who are just one place and one point behind Reading after their impressive victory away at Sheffield United on Tuesday night.

“It’s the first draw we’ve had

this season so that’s nice, it keeps the momentum going into another tough game at QPR,” said Ince.

“We’re learning all the time and growing all the time.

“We’ve got a great team spirit.” n Full Royals reports and reaction inside

IF I’VE GOT ONE LEG I’LL TELL THE COACH I’M READY’

READING FC forward Yakou Meite has said he’s eager to find his scoring form once again.

The Royals forward was out of action from June last year until January with a cruciate ligament rupture and has struggled for consistent game time since.

Having played a pivotal striking role for the side since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, Meite has netted 38 Championship goals in 116 appearances for the club.

“It’s difficult to come back and be 100% straight away so there is still a lot of work for me to do,” he said. “Even if I want to train every day and play every game, my body can’t really do that at the moment.

“If it’s not my knee then I will feel something else so I need to be careful.

“I’m trying to manage the way I train and the way I was training before, I can’t do that at the moment so I need to protect myself from any other injuries.

“When you have a lot of games coming up it’s all about recovery. The games are coming fast so we have to recover properly.

“But honestly if you ask me every time even if I’ve only got one leg I’ll tell the coach I’m ready to start.”

“When you’re playing as a lone striker you stay in the middle and can’t move too much because then there is no one in the box.

“I’m confident in what I can do and know exactly where I can progress and what I’m good at. After my big injury my confidence wasn’t low but I need to get that first goal.

“I think with all the strikers we’ve got we’ve got different styles. But If I talk about my style I think I can play with anyone.

“Lucas (Joao) or Andy Carroll won’t play the same so I can play with them.”

WHITEKNIGHTS INDOOR BOWLING CLUB HOSTS TASTERS

WHITEKNIGHTS Indoor Bowls Club

annual

EVERSLEY & CALIFORNIA BEAT CAVERSHAM IN WOMEN’S CUP

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

FA Women’s Cup

EVERSLEY & CALIFORNIA

got the better of CAVERSHAM UNITED to progress in the cup.

The Boars made a lightning start and went ahead in the opening minute as Joanna Harfield Brown applied the finishing touch to a quick attack.

The goats levelled up early in the second half when Sumaya Zayadi poked in from a corner.

There were chances for both teams but it was Eversley who restored their lead with 20 minutes to go when Rebekah Pantony scored.

The tie was sealed with five minutes to go when Varney netted Eversley’s third of the game to see them safely through to the next round.

ASCOT UNITED put their name in the next round of the competition with an away win at Milton United.

The Yellawomen went in front through Sarah Leonard and doubled their lead when Hannah Bennett capitalised on a defensive error and scored from close range.

Ascot raced into a three goal lead before the break when Dominique Carrington latched onto the rebound after Leonard and Alix Todd had their shots saved.

The hosts got a goal back in the second-half, but Ascot sailed through.

Thames Valley Women’s Division Two

S4K BERKS COUNTY were beaten despite an excellent second-half fightback at Goring United.

A disastrous start saw the Fawkes three goals down after a hat-trick from Sacha Standbury.

They were 5-0 down at the break, but a much improved second-half display saw them hit back with a brace from Kiah Owen and goals from Claudia Periquito and Megan Cox as the match ended 6-4 to the hosts.

FA Cup third qualifying round

BINFIELD lost out in an eight-goal contest away at Beckenham Town.

In their first game under new manager Garry Haylock, the Moles went behind after seven minutes but levelled up through Liam Tack.

The hosts hit abc with two more goals before Lewis Pegg made it 3-2 just before half-time.

Beckenham added a fourth but Binfield kept alive when Tack netted from the penalty spot. The home team wrapped up the game late on to make it 5-3.

Combined Counties Premier North

WOKINGHAM & EMMBROOK sit in 17th place after a disappointing 5-0 defeat at North Greenford united.

The Sumas have six points from their opening 10 games.

Combined Counties Division One

BERKS COUNTY moved closer to SANDHURST TOWN after they came out on top in a seven goal game.

An eventful first-half saw five goals scored as Berks had a 4-1 lead at the break with braces from Luke Hayden and Charlie Oakley.

The Fizzers produced an improved performance in the second-half and clawed two goals back, but were unable to complete a comeback as County took the points with a 4-3 win.

WOODLEY UNITED missed out on three points after Rising Ballers Kensington recovered from 3-1 down.

Rising took an early leave but Woodley responded quickly through Jahson.

A quick turnaround saw Reuel put Woodley in front and Jahson netted his second to give the Kestrels a 3-1 lead.

North Greenford United v Wokingham & Emmbrook Pictures: Andrew Batt

Visiting youngster, Eve bowls a perfect ball

Wokingham & Emmbrook TMW v Bracknell Rangers Pictures: Andrew Batt

Sumas in action

By RICHARD ASHTON

HAYHOW TREBLE KEEPS RAMS PERFECT START Binfield Tennis Club raises more than £1,250 for charity

CONNOR HAYHOW grabbed his fourth Rams’ hat-trick as the hosts maintained their perfect start to the National One season with a comfortable 40-15 home success against 14-man Darlington Mowden Park.

Yet, it was the away side who drew first blood when a beautiful 50-22 gave them field position before the ball was spun wide for Ollie Walker to touch down on the left.

Rams replied swiftly, though, as man-of-the-match Ollie Cole took a quick tap penalty before sprinting in from 40 metres out, and things got even worse for the northerners in the 26th minute, prop James Crickmay red carded for making contact with the head of Paul Englezos in midfield.

Rams hit the front almost immediately afterwards as Hayhow blasted over from close range, Cole’s fine pass

setting up the chance after a powerful rolling maul had been halted just short of the line.

Ali Ledingham missed a 35-metre penalty for the visitors shortly after, and Rams grabbed their third via a Hayhow interception just after the half-hour as their suffocating defence forced an error from DMP in midfield.

Leading 19-5 at the interval, Rams secured their try bonus-point early in

the second period as some fine hands from Cole, Drew Humberstone and Hayhow ended with the in-form Jak Rossiter diving over for his eighth of the campaign – the wing retaining his place at the top of the league’s tryscoring list as he took his Rams’ tally to 66.

The hosts moved further in front on 47 minutes when Vince Everitt collected the fifth from close range following a period of pressure, the flanker alert

to a gap in the DMP defence under the posts, Seers adding the extras for 33-5.

Park hit back when some sloppy Rams defence allowed Ledingham over on the right, his side having benefitted from a number of missed tackles in a move which started just outside their own 22.

This gave the 14 men hope, and they continued to throw the ball around, camping for a short time near the Rams line.

Yet some more solid defence repelled their attacks, and with Rams really getting on top at the scrum – twice they pushed their opponents back off their own ball to win penalties on the Mowden Park five-metre line – they collected their sixth score as Hayhow completed his hat-trick from close range.

It was Darlington who had the final word as Connor Fitzsimons crossed with the last play of the game for the away side, but by this stage it was far too little, too late.

BINFIELD Tennis Association’s charity day raised more than £1,250 for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation.

John Pascoe, and his wife Claire have received information and support from CLDF ever since their daughter, Isabella, now 15, was diagnosed with the rare and incurable disease, biliary atresia and received a life-saving liver transplant when she was still a baby.

John said: “Children’s Liver Disease Foundation have always been there for us and continue to support Isabella.

“Like many small charities, things have been very tough since the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

“I wanted to be able to give something back and was touched that my fellow club members not only agreed to a charity day but supported it so enthusiastically. I’m delighted with our fundraising total.”

Rebecca Cooper, Chief Executive of Children’s Liver Disease Foundation said: “CLDF is the only UK charity dedicated

to fighting all childhood liver diseases, by providing information and emotional support, funds for research and a voice for all those affected. In order to do this however, we rely on voluntary donations, so we are so grateful that Binfield Tennis Association supported us in this way and had great fun doing so. This really is community fundraising at its best.”

Binfield Tennis Club

Connor Hayhow on the run Picture: Tim Pitfield

How they rated

HENDRICK NETS FIRST ROYALS

Joe Lumley

Was not forced into any saves of note and could not do anything with Norwich’s goal. His distribution could have been more accurate.

Continued where he left off on Saturday. Full of energy and was not afraid to test Aarons, particularly in the first half.

Tom Holmes

Lost Hanley for Norwich’s goal, however the stand-in captain was otherwise resolute at the heart of the back five.

By Andy Preston apreston@wokingham.today

READING FC maintained their third place spot in the Championship as they recovered to take a point against Norwich City.

Although a little over-zealous, picking up an unnecessary yellow early on, the defender brought energy to Reading’s defence.

Tom McIntyre

A good display from the centreback, who rose to the challenge of handling the in-form Josh Sargent.

Exceptional. Quality deliveries from Reading’s right created clearcut chances for Carroll and Ince. Caused Byram problems all game.

Tyrese Fornah

Gave Guinness-Walker support. Not afraid to drive with the ball. Fortunate a sloppy pass was not capitalised on by the Canaries.

Sam Hutchinson Mamadou Loum

Marshalled the midfield competently, doing well to pick up Norwich forwards drifting into the pocket in front of Reading’s defence.

Jeff Hendrick

An outrageous finish from the Irishman. Was unlucky not to break the deadlock in the first half through a well-struck effort from distance.

Nesta Guinness-Walker Junior Hoilett Tom Ince

A so-so night by the winger’s lofty standards. Seemed on-edge, receiving an early booking for a poorly-timed challenge.

Andy Carroll

Used his power to great effect, dominating the aerial battle. Could have got on the scoresheet had it not been for the reflexes of Krul.

6 6 8

7 8 6

After a positive first half from the Royals, they fell behind just five minutes after the restart.

There was a suspicion of hand ball in the build up as Norwich skipper Grant Hanley knocked in the opener.

Jeff Hendrick replied just 10 minutes later with a well struck half volley to earn Reading a point.

7 6

7 6 6

Paul Ince made two changes from Reading’s 3-1 weekend win over Huddersfield Town which saw both Tyrese Fornah and Mamadou Loum return to the starting 11.

Royals captain Andy Yiadom missed out through injury and is expected to face a spell on the sidelines after being taken off against Huddersfield, while Lucas Joao dropped to the bench which left Andy Carroll to start up top.

After a tame start to proceedings, Sam Hutchinson picked up the first caution when he tripped Kenny McLean on halfway to break up the start of an attack.

The best chance of the half came Reading’s way in the 19th minute when Junior Hoilett, who caused problems for Norwich all throughout the half, stood the ball up to the back post where Carroll towered above his marker but was denied a strong hand from Tim Krul who flew to his left to keep his powerful header out.

Another chance dropped the way

Match stats

READING: Lumley, Hoilett, McIntyre, Holmes (c). Hutchinson, GuinnessWalker, Loum, Fornah, Hendrick, Ince, Carroll

SUBS: Bouzanis, Abbey, Mbengue, Craig, Ejaria, Meite, Joao

NORWICH: Krul, Aaron,s Byram, Omobamidele, Hanley (c), Ramsey, McClean, Nunez, Gibbs, Sargent, Pukki

SUBS: Gunn, Gibson, Hugill, Dowel, Sara, Sinani, Hernandez

GOALS: Hanley 50’, Hendrick 60’

of the hosts when Nesta GuinessWalker’s cleared free-kick fell kindly for Jeff Hendrick who struck a clean half volley that flashed inches wide of the post.

Reading continued to threaten and had by far the better chances, but couldn’t find an opening. Hoilett bided his time in the box before pulling the trigger, but Norwich got a body in the way to deflect behind for a corner.

Tom Ince then came agonisingly close to getting on the end of

Hoilett’s whipped cross into the six yard box as the away team survived another scare.

The Canaries had very little in the way of chances despite enjoying more possession, but did come close when a drilled cross was hacked away from Tom McIntyre and his clearance looped up and bounced off the top of the crossbar.

The teams went in level at the break with the deadlock yet to be broken in the game between the teams in second and third in the

‘We will go under the radar and keep getting points’

READING FC manager Paul Ince was impressed with his team’s performance in their 1-1 draw with Norwich City.

The Royals stay third in the Championship table after Jeff Hendrick levelled the score to cancel out Grant Hanley’s opener.

“I thought we were very good,” said Ince.

“In the first half, we were disappointed at half time to not be winning.

“The fact we conceded a goal was disappointing because I don’t like conceding from set pieces. It was a foul on Loum, the geezer is all over him

“Then again, we got spurred on by the crowd. They never gave in and thoroughly deserved

the equaliser from Jeff, who was outstanding. it’s funny because the lads are disappointed, they’ve not won the game.”

The boss was particularly praising of Junior Hoilett’s display at right wing back.

He continued: “He (Hoilett) plays left wing-back, right wing-back, he doesn’t moan. He comes in, trains, he’s a great, great pro and can do both sides of it.

“First-half he was causing Byram so many problems and we should have got two goals on the back of it.

“He’s a credit, I just love him. What he gives me every time. He’s the type of player we need at this club.

“We’re growing in the games we’re playing. There will be bumps

along the road but we’re able to compete with a team that are one of the favourites to go up. If we are on it, we can compete with any team.

“They are very talented, play some lovely football and that’s where we want to be in a couple of years’ time.

“It keeps the momentum going and takes us into a tough, tough game at Loftus Road on Friday night.

“I watched the football league highlights and they were talking about our game against

Huddersfield, but if we win a game, Huddersfield were terrible. We don’t get any mention. Nothing about us.

“Maybe that’s the way it should be but we don’t get enough credit, the players aren’t getting enough credit for what they have done under the embargo.

“If it was any other team, they’d be shouting from the rooftops.

“It drives us on, but sometimes it irks me a bit, but we will go under the radar and keep getting points. The performances have been great under the circumstances.”

Tom McIntyre picks a pass

Nesta Guiness-Walker rises to play a pass

Reading celebrate Hendrick’s goal

Holmes slides to dispossess Pukki Jeff Hendrick notched his first goal

ROYALS GOAL TO TAKE HOME POINT

From the middle

Are the laws explicit enough?

Championship before kick-off.

Guinness-Walker’s launched long throw caused havoc in the Norwich box as they managed to scramble clear after Carroll’s flick on.

Norwich then broke down the other end and were presented a superb chance to take the lead when Josh Sargent rolled the ball to Marcelino Nunez who didn’t connect cleanly and scuffed his effort wide.

Dean Smith’s team grabbed the lead in the 50th minute when a flick on from a corner was met by an unmarked Grant Hanley at the back post who fired into the far corner.

Despite a suspicion of handball

in the build up and protests from Joe Lumley, the goal stood.

Norwich could have doubled their lead a few minutes later when they countered quickly from a Reading corner and Sargent delivered the ball into the middle, but McLean couldn’t connect properly to tap in from close range.

Reading were level 10 minutes after the opener as Hendrick opened his account for the Royals.

He showed his determination to beat Nunez to the ball before taking a touch to set himself and hit the bouncing ball beyond Krul at the near post.

With confidence in his stride, Hendrick tried his luck again on the half volley with a fierce effort that flew over the top.

With just under 20 minutes left to play, Ince made a triple change which saw Carroll, Guinness-Walker and Fornah replaced by Joao, Amadou Mbengue and Ovie Ejaria.

Norwich missed a decent chance to snatch the lead with three minutes remaining when Andrew Omobamidele’s glancing header from a corner drifted just wide.

The final whistle blew with the team’s taking a point each to both maintain their positions in the table.

ROYALS FACE FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS TEST AT LOFTUS ROAD

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

READING FC face their third game in six days when they face Queens Park Rangers under the Friday night lights at Loftus Road.

Since returning from the international break, the Royals have picked up four points after their win against Huddersfield was followed by a draw at home to Norwich City on Tuesday evening.

Reading’s superb form means that they sit third place in the Championship table on 22 points.

QPR are just one place and one

point behind Reading after they earned an outstanding away win on Tuesday against league leaders Sheffield United.

Chris Wilock netted the only goal of the game to give Rangers three points as the Blades were dealt just their second league defeat of the season.

Under new manager Michael Beale, who took over at QPR from Mark Warburton in the summer, the Hoops have made a strong start to the 2022/23 season with six wins, three draws and three losses.

QPR are unbeaten in their last four matches with three wins and

a draw which has boosted them up into the top six.

Rangers have collected eight points from their five home matches this season, losing just once which came against Blackpool in August.

Willock now has six Championship goals this season after his match winning strike against the Blades.

Reading suffered a heavy defeat on their last visit to Loftus Road, which came in January 2022 under Veljko Paunovic.

Lyndon Dykes netted twice, while goals from Luke Amos and

Jimmy Dunne earned the hosts a convincing 4-0 win.

Royals manager Paul Ince is hoping to have club captain Andy Yiadom back in contention for Friday night’s game after he missed Reading’s midweek clash with Norwich after picking up an injury against Huddersfield.

“He (Yiadom) might, at a push, be okay for QPR. If not, it will be next week against West Brom.”

Reading last won at Loftus Road in December 2020 when Michael Olise grabbed an 89th minute winner for the Royals in a 1-0 success.

RECENTLY

I read an article entitled ‘Why we should love our referees’, written by Craig Fowler who was writing about Scottish referees.

He wrote, ‘If only our national team was as terrible as our referees, we’d be a much more successful football country’.

He was referring to the fact that Scottish referees are regularly appointed to international games by UEFA or FIFA but the Scottish football team, seldom plays in them.

What attracted me, however, was the subheadline ‘The football rule book is extremely vague when it comes to fouls’.

He wrote, ‘the Laws of the Game tell a referee it’s a foul if a player ’trips, kicks, jumps at, charges. strikes, pushes, or tackles an opponent in a manner which is careless, reckless or uses excessive force’.

You can scarcely get more ambiguous. A group of referees could look at the same incident and have a 50/50 split on whether it constitutes a foul.

I’ve been to many referees’ meetings where a video of an incident is shown and there is seldom a unanimous decision among the referees present.

I’ve often said in this column that many decisions are subjective and perhaps Craig Fowler has found the real reason.

There are a lot of the Laws which are not spelt out, so it has to come down to the training referees receive.

Let’s take one point Craig makes ‘There isn’t any mention in the Laws of the Game about “playing the ball”, which is one of the most common phrases at all levels of football’.

As an FA referee tutor, I would physically illustrate this by acting as a player coming in from the side of an opponent who has the ball.

If I played the ball and then the opponent fell over my leg, that would be perfectly fair.

If however, I made contact with the opponents legs before playing the ball, it was a foul.

Also, showing that playing the ball fairly when coming from behind is possible but normally would involve in hitting the opponents legs first. So was the opponent falling over an outstretched leg after the ball had been played, or was he brought down?

That’s my interpretation of the Law but I’ve never seen it written anywhere, so other tutors may have their own interpretation.

Similarly, I always taught a charge as being a shoulder charge, and to be fair it must be shoulder to shoulder and not into the back or chest and if one player lifts his arm it becomes pushing.

Am I right? It is easy to see why the Laws are so subjective.

goal for Reading to earn a draw Pictures: Luke Adams and Steve Smyth

Andy Carroll on the move

Tom Ince Royals fans celebrate the equaliser

Jeff Hendrick Sam Hutchinson fights with his opponent

Junior Hoilett swings in a cross Andy Carroll’s bullet header is saved

Dick Sawdon-Smith

How they rated

MCINTYRE & MEITE ON TARGET

The keeper’s only concern in the first half was whether or not to keep his cap on. Remained untroubled in the second half.

A fantastic performanc. Was hardly challenged defensively. Adopted dangerous positions in advanced positions time and again.

Tom McIntyre

Powered home Reading’s first, converting an Ince corner. Worked well with Holmes. Got forward on occasion.

Tom Holmes

Joe Lumley Andy Yiadom

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

READING FC got back on track at home with a comfortable victory over struggling Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

A mature performance from the vice-captain. Was prepared to put a foot in and largely dominated the battle with the Terriers’ forwards.

Looks ever more comfortable in the right centre-back position. Protected the ball under the pressure well.

Nesta Guinness-Walker Sam Hutchinson

Shielded the defence effectively and started some attacks. Dropped back into the back line when Yiadom went off.

Jeff Hendrick

The midfielder’s best performance since joining. Got forward well, forcing an own-goal off Nicholls for Reading’s second.

Tom Ince

Another quality set-piece delivery. Could have got on the scoresheet but saw his first half freekick just graze the side-netting.

Junior Hoilett

Another reputable performance at right wing-back. Worked well with Ince to create openings down the right.

Lucas Joao

Not at his brilliant best. Will need some time to develop his understanding with Carroll. Wasn’t always able to get the ball to stick.

Andy Carroll

A constant threat in the air. Was always waiting at the back post on offensive set pieces to nod down for a teammate.

6 6 7

8 7 5

After a dominant first-half display they had a two-goal lead to show after Tom McIntyre’s opener was added to by a Lee Nicholls own goal.

Yakou Meite marked his substitute appearance with his first goal of the season to wrap up the points with 10 minutes to go in the home fixture at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

6 7

7 7 6

Tyrese Fornah 6 Continued in the same vein as he left off before the break.

Yakou Meite 7 The Ivorian will be pleased to get back on the scoresheet.

Huddersfield clawed back a goal in stoppage time but there was no time to mount an unlikely comeback.

The Royals’ outstanding start to the campaign sees them in third position on 21 points from 11 games.

Paul Ince lined up with Nesta Guiness-Walker taking the place of the injured Baba Rahman. Meanwhile, Andy Carroll was selected to start to make his first start for the club since returning last month.

There was a boost on the bench with the inclusions of Ovie Ejaria and Yakou Meite to add much needed depth.

Reading had plenty of possession in the opening 25 minutes of the game with Huddersfield understandably lacking in confidence after their terrible start to the season.

Nesta Guiness-Walker tried to pick out Carroll or Joao in the middle, but goalkeeper Lee Nicholls

Match stats

READING: Lumley, Yiadom (c), Hutchinson, McIntyre, Holmes, Guinness-Walker, Hendrick, Hoilett, Ince, Joao, Carroll

SUBS: Bouzanis, Abbey, Mbengue, Loum, Fornah, Ejaria, Meite

HUDDERSFIELD: Nichols, Turton, Russell, Thomas, Rhodes, Kasumu, Holmes, Rudoni, Lees (c), Nakayama, Helik

SUBS: Bilokapic, Mbete, Hogg, Mahoney, Camara, Ward, Jackson

GOALS: McIntyre 29’, Nicholls og 36’, Meite 81’, Lees 90+3’

was able to claim the cross, while Yuta Nakayama blasted a shot at goal that was held comfortably by Joe Lumley.

Reading went in front on the stroke of the half-hour mark when Tom McIntyre made use of a dangerous set piece delivery from Tom Ince.

Junior Hoilett showed quick feet to beat two players and traded passes with Ince who threaded an excellent ball into the box which led to the corner.

With plenty of aerial threat to aim for in the box, it was McIntyre who jumped highest and nodded the ball into the far right corner with the ball squirming over the line after a Huddersfield defender failed to clear on the line.

Ince threatened again when he charged down the right and clipped an inviting ball into the box that evaded his teammates in the middle.

But it didn’t take long for Reading to double their advantage,

‘We have to get 45 points as soon as possible’

READING FC manager Paul Ince after the Royals defeated Huddersfield Town at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Tom McIntyre headed Reading in front before an own goal and a Yakou Meite goal from the bench consolidated the points, despite a consolation strike from the visitors in stoppage time.

Ince was delighted with his team’s performance in the first-half.

“The first 45 minutes, yes. The second 45 we came off it a bit which you can understand,” said Ince.

“You subconsciously start to defend deep and allow them to take control of the game, that’s something we can’t do on Tuesday.

“The first 45 minutes, we were

excellent. People look at us as a counter attacking team and there have been games where we’ve let teams take the initiative and that has ended in us having a slow start.

“But at home we have to start getting on the front foot and to be fair to the players they were excellent at that today.

“We looked a very good side and defensively we were stable. I said at half-time we had to keep doing the basic rights, concentrate and we went completely the other way.

“We got sloppy with our passing but luckily got a third goal. But I’m thoroughly happy with the performance.”

Ince gave an injury update after Andy Yiadom was forced off, while Baba Rahman missed out after

picking up an injury in training.

However, he praised the impact of Nesta Guiness-Walker who had a superb game at left-back.

He continued: “I don’t know. It’s been a bad couple of days for us. We lost Baba on Thursday and hes; out for a month.

“Yids (Andy Yiadom) is with the doctor now. We can’t afford to lose him, that’ll be another massive blow to us. We’ll find out the diagnosis tomorrow but it’s not looking good.

“The kid (Nesta Guiness-Walker)

is only young, we got him from Wimbledon. We threw him straight into it.

“He’s still developing and learning. He was excellent today and has been out of the side since Baba came in.

“He doesn’t moan, always wants to do extra, is always asking questions and I love it. To perform the way he did was heroic.

“That’s why I’m so proud of the players because it’s needs must.

Some of his skills and crossing, it was a delight and he’s got an opportunity with Baba being out.”

McIntyre, Carroll and Holmes Junior Hoilett gets past his marker

Royals celebrate the second goal

Tom Ince sprints forward on the wing Tom McIntyre opened the scoring

AS TERRIERS TAMED

adding to the score just seven minutes after the opener.

Jeff Hendrick was played in down the left and fizzed a ball into the box that was diverted into the Terriers net after the ball ricocheted off a defender and hit goalkeeper Nichols before finding the net.

Ince had another couple of sighters at goal. First when his freekick whistled past the near post and into the side netting and next when Guiness-Walker’s quick footwork saw him glide past two players before teeing up Ince, who spooned the ball over the top.

But the Royals could be satisfied at the break having rarely been threatened and with a two-goal lead to protect going into the second 45 minutes.

Huddersfield made a switch going into the second-half which saw Duane Holmes replaced by Ward.

David Kasumu picked up an early booking for the visitors and another well worked set piece routine almost paid off for the hosts when Carroll headed the ball back across for Tom Holmes who almost found Lucas Joao to pounce from close range.

With 25 minutes left to play,

Carroll was next to be subbed off after making a positive impact on his first start back at the club and was replaced by Yakou Meite for the final 20 minutes.

Meite made his mark off the bench and added a third goal when he capitalised on some lapse defending and was able to stroke the ball into the empty net from a couple of yards out.

Huddersfield snatched a goal in stoppage time to deny Reading a clean sheet when Tom Lees headed past Lumley.

Dowie nets late penalty but Royals suffer Conti Cup defeat

READING FC WOMEN were dealt defeat in their first home game of the new season against Tottenham Hotspur in the Conti Cup.

Finding themselves 2-0 down after the first-half, the Royals showed fight in the second 45.

Natasha Dowie netted from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time, but there was not enough time left for a comeback as Reading opening their cup campaign with a loss.

The visitors made a quick start and opened the scoring six minutes into the match.

Reading were caught napping at

the back when a quickly taken freekick wasn’t dealt with and Ashleigh Neville burst into the box before curling the ball beyond Jacqueline Burns into the far corner.

The hosts responded positively in search of getting level and came close when Rachel Rowe slid the ball through to Lauren Wade whose shot was impressively saved down low by Becky Spencer after she got fingertips to the low drive.

Spurs doubled their lead with half an hour gone when Nikola Karczewska was first to meet the loose ball following an initial save

from Burns that fell invitingly for the forward to pounce from close range.

Eikeland came inches away from getting Reading back into the cup contest when she struck the crossbar. After a poor pass from Spurs keeper Spencer that went straight to the Norwegian, she took aim at goal only to be denied by the upright.

Emma Harries made her return from injury and made a strong impact on her first appearance back in the team, taking the place of Wade with 35 minutes left to play.

There was a big delay in play after an unfortunate injury for Spurs player Kyah Simon who had to be stretched off.

More positive work from Harries in the final third saw her drift past a couple of defenders before she was hacked down and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Dowie stepped up from 12 yards out and dispatched the ball into the bottom right corner as she sent the keeper the wrong way.

But there was no time for Reading to mount a comeback as just moments later the final whistle was blown.

Hector training with club ahead of potential return

FREE agent Michael Hector is training with Reading FC ahead of a potential return to the club.

The defender is available on a free transfer after leaving Fulham in the summer.

Hector rose up through the youth ranks with the Royals after joining in 2009 and made his Championship debut in 2014.

When asked about the player, Reading manager Paul Ince said: “We had Michael (Hector) come in last week. He played in the friendly with Brentford and did a bit of training.

“We’ll see where we go with that. Mark Bowen will sepak with Hector’s dad who is his agent and we’ll see what happens.

“But I think that’s it now and we will go with what we’ve got.”

Having had numerous loan spells during his time with Reading including: Bracknell Town, Didcot Town, Havant & Waterlooville, Oxford City, Dundalk, Barnet, Shrewsbury Town, Aldershot Town and Cheltenham Town, he eventually broke into the Reading team.

Hector impressed with his displays in the 2014/15 season where he became a mainstay in the first-team and played 41 times in the Championship, scoring three times.

His eye-catching performances earned him a move to Premier League Chelsea on transfer deadline day in 2015 and returned to the Royals on a season-long loan deal.

Despite his big move to West London, Hector didn’t make a single senior appearance for Chelsea during four years and was shipped out on loan deals at Eintracht Frankfurt, Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Hector found a permanent home in 2019 when he moved to Fulham.

He helped Fulham win promotion to the Premier League in 2020 after they defeated Brentford in the play-off final.

The 30-year-old has also won 35 international caps for Jamaica.

The Royals are under a transfer embargo which has limited them to signing loan players and free agents for the second consecutive season.

Michael Hector Picture: Wikimedia Commons

scoring in Reading’s 3-1 win Pictures: Luke Adams & Steve Smyth

Hendrick finds a teammate

Meite celebrates Nesta Guiness-Walker

McIntyre celebrates with Carroll Carroll strikes at goal

Joe Lumley kicks long

Lucas Joao fires in a cross

Andy Yiadom was forced off with an injury and replaced by Tyrese Fornah.

SONNING HIT SIX TO DISPATCH PHOENIX

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

South Central Men’s Premier 1

READING 2s lost out away at Bournemouth in a 2-0 defeat.

Reading have one point after their opening two matches.

South Central Men’s North Division 1

SONNING 1s earned their first win of the season in style against PHOENIX READING 1s

Sonning smashed six past their opponents to take a 6-1 victory at home to put them on four points from two games.

South Central Men’s North Division 2

SONNING 2s picked up an away point with a 2-2 draw at Berkhamsted & Hemel Hempstead.

Sonning have taken four points from their first two games in the league.

SOUTH BERKSHIRE 2s amassed a point on their travels to Newbury & Thatcham 2s.

South Central Women’s North Division 1

SOUTH BERKSHIRE added three points to their total with

an impressive display against Newbury & Thatcham.

Anabella Pio sealed a hat-trick, while Kelly Hancock and Sarah Kelly added to the score to pick up a 5-1 success.

South Central Women’s North Division 2

SONNING 2s suffered a heavy defeat at home to Thame 1s.

Sonning conceded seven goals without reply which condemned

them to their second consecutive loss.

South Central Men’s North Division 4

SONNING 3s were dealt a 4-2 defeat at home to Buckingham 1s.

Sonning have one win and one loss from their opening games.

South Central Women’s Thames 1

MIXED RESULTS IN KINGS’ OPENING WEEKEND OF NEW CAMPAIGN

By STAFF WRITER sport@wokingham.today

IT was a weekend of mixed results for Thames Valley Kings in the opening weekend of the British Wheelchair Basketball National League season.

In the first game of the day, the THAMES VALLEY KINGS III went head to head with the Hampshire Harriers in Division 3 for their first game of the season.

It was overall a tough game as Harriers put a sturdy two man hustle on the Kings for the entire game which Kings struggled to break at times giving them the upper hand. Resulting in Kings III losing their season opener, 43-31 with Peter Rapley top scorer for Kings III in the game with eight points.

In the final game of the day, THAMES VALLEY KINGS II team faced off with a welldrilled Swansea Storm team.

Both teams got off to a slow start with momentum picking

up in the second quarter from both sides.

It was Kings who pulled away by a short margin in the third, but Swansea went down swinging bringing the game back level at 40-40 with only a few minutes to spare.

After a nail biting two and a half minutes Kings manage to squeeze out the win by two points, 46-44 with top scorers

Chris Nash and JJ Francis being the top scorers for Kings II with 10 points each.

Kings are next in action at home again on Saturday with the first team starting their new season against Plymouth Fusion, the second team in action against Plymouth Fusion 2nds, and the Kings’ third team in action against Hereford Heat.

RESULTS

Saturday, Oct 1

FOOTBALL Championship Reading 3-1 Huddersfield

FA Cup third qualifying round Beckenham Town 5-3 Binfield

Combined Counties Premier Division North Broadfields United 1-4 Reading City

North Greenford United 5-0 Sumas

Combined Counties Division One

Bedfont 4-2 Eversley & California

Berks County 4-3 Sandhurst Town

Woodley United 3-3 Rising Ballers Kensington

Thames Valley Premier League

SB Phoenix 5-3 Wargrave Slough Heating Laurencians 1-1 Finchampstead

RUGBY UNION National Division One Rams 40-15 Darlington

SONNING 3s smacked five past Staines 2s without reply on their away trip.

The win puts Sonning on to four points in their positive start to the season.

South Central Men’s Premier 2

SOUTH BERKSHIRE lost out 2-0 on their away visit to Oxford Hawks 2s.

FOOTBALL

WOODLEY PENSIONERS KICK OFF NEW CAMPAIGN

By STEVE BOND sport@wokingham.today

THE Woodley Pensioners over 60s team kicked off for their new campaign in the Thames Valley Walking Football League last Sunday.

Following a very successful previous season, in which the Pensioners team only lost one game, they achieved promotion to Division One.

Playing at Bisham Abbey on the anniversary of the Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066) the team needed to step up to this greater challenge and find ways to penetrate the opposition defences.

They fought hard to establish themselves and, in spite of scoring four goals in their five matches, their own defence was breached eight times resulting in a win, a draw, and three defeats.

Only time and further matches will reveal whether this is a bridge too far, but the strong team spirit persists, and they will certainly continue to strive to avoid being walked over.

For the first time the club entered a B team who started their campaign in the second division on the same day.

Results did not go their way either with just a couple of draws to soften the blow of three defeats.

As with the A team, the players will battle on and hope to step up to the mark to improve on this undeniably pedestrian start in their future engagements.

South West Regional 2 Tottonians 69-7 Reading

HOCKEY Women’s National Premier Division Reading 1-2 Clifton Robinsons

South Central Men’s Division 1 Sonning 6-1 Phoenix Reading

BASKETBALL Kitking Trophy quarter-final Reading Rockets 93-87 Loughborough

Sunday, October 2

FOOTBALL

FA WSL Cup Reading 1-2 Tottenham

FA Women’s Cup Milton United 1-3 Ascot United Caversham United 1-3 Eversley & California Tilehurst Panthers v Long Crendon

Thames Valley Women’s One New Bradwell 2-2 Wargrave Procision Oxford v Ascot United Reserves

Thames Valley Women’s Two Goring United 6-4 S4K Berks county

HOCKEY

Men’s National Premier Beeston L-L Reading

Tuesday, October 4 Championship Reading 1-1 Norwich

FIXTURES

Friday, October 7

FOOTBALL Championship QPR v Reading (8pm)

Saturday, Oct 8

FOOTBALL

FA Trophy third qualifying round Hendon v Binfield

Combined Counties Premier North Reading City v Egham Town Sumas v Ascot United

Combined Counties Division One

Eversley & California v AFC Aldermaston

Molesey v Berks County Penn & Tylers Green v Sandhurst Westside v Woodley United

Thames Valley Premier League

Marlow United v Reading YMCA

Reading City U23’s v Finchampstead Windlesham United v Wargrave

Berks & Bucks Charles Twelftrees Trophy

AFC Reading v Burghfield

HOCKEY

Women’s National Premier Division Beeston v Reading

South Central Men’s North Division 1 Sonning v Aylesbury

South Central Women’s Premier 1 Amersham & Chalfont v Sonning

South Central Men’s Premier 2 South Berkshire v Fareham 2s

South Central Women’s North Division 1 Reading 3s v South Berkshire

BASKETBALL

Kitking Trophy semi-final Reading Rockets v Hemel Storm

Sunday, October 9

FOOTBALL

Southern Region Women’s Premier Division Eastleigh v Ascot United

Southern Region Women’s Division One North Eversley & California v Carterton Long Crendon v Caversham United Woodley United v Milton United

Thames Valley Women’s Division One

Ascot United Reserves v Haddenham Harwell and Hendred v Tilehurst Panthers Wargrave v Banbury United

Thames Valley Women’s Division Two Barton United v S4K Berks County

Thames Valley Women’s Division 3S Eversley & California Reserves v Shinfield Rangers Larkspur Rovers v Burghfield Wargrave Development v Yateley

HOCKEY

Men’s National Premier Division

University of Nottingham v Reading

Sonning 1s defeat Phoenix at home Pictures: Steve Smyth

Sonning 1s on the attack

Sonning smacked six past Phoenix Reading

Sonning 1s v Phoenix Reading 1s

Conal