Wokingham.Today January 21, 2021

COVERING WOKINGHAM, FINCHAMPSTEAD, EARLEY, WINNERSH, SHINFIELD, WOODLEY, TWYFORD & SURROUNDING AREAS

WOKINGHAM.TODAY

THE NEW NAME FOR THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

LOCKDOWN 3.0

THE VOICE OF THE BOROUGH

Thursday, January 21, 2021 No. 297

TAKEAWAY JOY More support for our campaign to back borough’s businesses P12

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

� Case numbers start to come down � 500 sign up to help with jab roll-out � New vaccination centres to open

EXCLUSIVE

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today AFTER a month of being in the country’s strictest coronavirus measures, at last Wokingham residents can have some reasons to be cheerful.

Infection rates have started to come down, as the new lockdown rules start to have an effect. Working from home and closing schools means fewer places for the virus to be transmitted.

Wokingham Borough Council is planning to open more vaccination centres as the race to get jabs into people’s arms continues.

And the process has been helped thanks to more than 500 volunteers across the

borough have signed-up to ensure smooth roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccines.

Community centres have been repurposed for the facilities.

Helena Badger, services manager at Wokingham Volunteer Centre, said there has been a fantastic response to the call for help.

Since the new year, the centre has sent volunteers to 215 sessions at clinics in Lower Earley, Wokingham and soon, Woodley.

Vaccination support volunteers have been managing the sign-in process, car parking, temperature checks and supervision sessions after the jab, Ms Badger explained.

This, she said, helps ensure medical staff are focusing on their roles. � Continued on page 6

(But keep on following the lockdown rules)

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Borough’s covid expert marks paper anniversary EXCLUSIVE

By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today A REMARKABLE anniversary in the life of Wokingham’s World Health Organisation Covid-19 expert is being recognised this week.

A year ago this Saturday Professor Ben Cowling travelled with colleagues to China, to work on a study which gave the first official estimates of how easily Covid-19 was passed on.

This was urgently needed information when Covid-19 was taking off to eventually become a pandemic.

The scientists were looking at details about the first 425 people to have Covid-19 confirmed in Wuhan last December and January.

Professor Cowling, who went to Sonning Primary School, said: “My colleagues and I ... started working with colleagues in China CDC (Center for Disease Control) on analysing the data immediately.

“We finished the paper [study] and submitted it on January 27, and it was published on January 29. That is one of the fastest papers I have ever worked on, and one of the most important in my career.”

Writing a paper and having it published so quickly is extremely rare.

The paper’s prestigious publishers, The New England Journal of Medicine, offers rapid publication within about two weeks if urgent public health concerns are involved. This time they condensed the time much further.

After publication, Professor Cowling spoke exclusively to Wokingham.Today. � Continued on page 7

2 | NEWS

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Clampdown on dangerous parking on roundabout

Due to the coronavirus, our offices are closed to the public. The best way to contact us is by emailing us

DANGEROUS parking is to be deterred after new restrictions have been introduced in Earley.

Since lockdown, an increased number of drivers have been parking on the Suttons Seeds roundabout, underneath the A3290 flyover.

Now Wokingham Borough Council is taking action to clamp down on the practice.

Last Thursday, notices went up on all entrances to the concreted section in the middle of the roundabout, and vehicles have received parking notices and tickets.

Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive

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Charity's call to arms for World Cancer Day WOKINGHAM residents are being urged to lend a hand to people affected by cancer.

Cancer Research UK is asking the public to show support on World Cancer Day on Thursday, February 4.

Jenny Makin, the charity’s South East spokesperson said one-in-two people will get cancer in their lifetime.

“This is why we’re absolutely determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for

FAMILY NOTICES

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 21, 2021

tomorrow,” she said. “World Cancer Day is a great opportunity for people in Berkshire to unite and show solidarity with everyone whose life has been touched by the disease.”

Ms Makin is asking residents to wear one of the charity’s Unity Bands this year. � For more information, visit: www.cancerresearchuk.org/getinvolved/donate/world-cancer-day2021

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ITTER, Daphne Joy Passed away peacefully on 9th January 2021 at home, aged 93 years.

A private family funeral will take place due to current COVID restrictions.

Donations, if desired, for Smile Train UK, can be made via www.abwalker.co.uk Enquiries to A. B Walker Tel : 0118 978 4040

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Family Notices

member for highways at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “We have recently had issues with the maintenance area in the centre of the Sutton Seeds roundabout being used as informal parking for significant numbers of vehicles, including commercial vehicles.

“Parking behaviour at this location has worsened and we now have drivers illegally joining the carriageway at locations other than the access road in an unsafe manner as well as damage to the bridge supports caused by heavy goods vehicles and significant damage to the paving.”

She added that the council has opened the Thames Valley Park & Ride car park even though bus services have yet to commence.

“The current (parking) suspension runs from last week through to Saturday, July 31, and may be extended as necessary to ensure the safety of the junction,” Cllr Jorgensen added.

“It is intended that parking restrictions will be introduced to make the parking restriction permanent and this proposal will follow the statutory procedures which will include a consultation.

“Vehicles that have been left for several days and not checked by their owners are considered as abandoned vehicles and can be removed.

“Vehicles without a valid MoT or current motor vehicle tax will be removed.”

MP supports statue plan EXCLUSIVE

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today A PROPOSAL to protect England’s heritage has been welcomed by one of the borough’s four MPs.

On Sunday, communities secretary Robert Jenrick said he intends to introduce new safeguards to ensure that historic monuments, statues and plaques would require full planning permission before being removed to ensure that they are only taken down with the consent of the community.

It comes following protests last year, which included a statue of a slave trader in Bristol being toppled and thrown into its harbour.

Mr Jenrick said that monuments “celebrate great moments in British history” and called for English Heritage to help explain their context.

“We cannot – and should not – now try to edit or censor our past,” he said. “What has

stood for generations should be considered thoughtfully, not removed on a whim.”

Bracknell MP James Sunderland agreed with the proposals.

“We can’t forget history, and we need to use the lessons from history to educate in the future,” he said.

“In my humble view, I think it’s wrong that people are seeking to pull down these reminders.

“They are parts of our heritage and we should be preserving as much as we can.

“We can’t change the past, but we have to learn from it.”

The MP has been part of a campaign to make it an offence to desecrate war memorials.

“In my view, there is no debate, no argument: war memorials must be protected by law, the memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice must be protected.

“I also support Robert Jenrick’s proposal for the same reason.

Chopping

things down is not the answer.”

Mr Sunderland, whose constituency includes Crowthorne, Finchampstead, Sandhurst, and Wokingham Without, has joined the 50strong Common Sense Group of Conservative MPs, which he says will stand up for the silent majority while supporting British values and the union.

“These MPs are very proud of their country, they’re proud of their flag, their heritage and they’re proud to be serving in a British parliament.

“So I have little time for those naysayers who seek to sell us short, to close down objective dialogue, who pedal political correctness as a kind of religious dogma or those on the woke left who seek only to divide. They don’t speak for me.”

He added that the group was not about “unpicking” or doing the nation down.

“It is about embracing everything that’s good about Britain, which includes its

proud history and traditions, reputation in the world, its fantastic diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism, new global trade and that wonderful rich tapestry of communities we’ve got across the UK. “It’s ultimately about opportunity and aspiration for everyone, not about feeling guilty or needing to apologise for who we are.”

The new group will be pushing for recognition for veterans involved in nuclear testing, and has this week written to the culture secretary Oliver Dowden calling for statues or plaques to be erected for people who had been awarded the Victoria or George Cross, for displaying valour in the presence of the enemy, or courage in circumstances of extreme danger.

These memorials would be placed in their home villages or towns, and would see nearly 1,700 such plaques erected.

“It’s absolutely the right thing to do,” Mr Sunderland said.

Four charities granted Councillors to vote on allowances report tonight £1,000 Christmas gift Classification (please tick) Births Birthdays Engagements Weddings Anniversaries Other Death In memory

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A MEETING of councillors tonight will see them consider changes to some of the expenses they can receive.

Wokingham Borough Council will be looking at recommendations made by the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP), including allowing claims of up to £20 per hour, up to 35 hours a month, to pay for specialist care while they attend meetings.

The carer contracted should not be a family member.

They also recommend that the IT allowance of £500 should only be claimed by members who allow constituents and officers to contact them by email, and to enable them to take

part in virtual meetings.

There are no planned rises in allowances.

Cllr John Halsall, leader of the council, welcomed their report.

“The first thing I said to the IRP is that there’s no chance of the council voting in rises, so they’d focused on childcare and carers allowances,” he said.

“There are two arguments about being a councillor.

“One is that it should be a vocation and not for money.

“The other is that you’re not going to attract the diversity of people if the money is not right.

“We will be considering the report carefully before voting.”

THANKS to the public’s support, four local charities received a special gift this Christmas.

As part of Ecclesiastical’s annual 12 Days of Giving Christmas campaign, Building for the Future (Wokingham) and the Hurstbased Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre were gifted £1,000.

Heart for Truth Limited and Launchpad Reading also received donations.

Last year, Ecclesiastical asked people across the UK to nominate causes close to their hearts for a share of £120,000. Ten nominated charities were then chosen at random over the course of the 12 Days of Giving.

More than 4,100 people

in Berkshire took part, nominating 62 local organisations.

Mark Hews, from Ecclesiastical, said: “Owned by a charity, our core purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society so charitable giving is at the heart of our business.

“We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do, and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.

“We hope these donations can bring a positive end to a difficult year and a promising start to 2021.”

Thursday, January 21, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

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‘Unstoppable 5G phone mast shouldn’t be here says councillor EXCLUSIVE

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today A NEW phone mast the size of an adult giraffe is to be installed in Woodley’s town centre – and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

The 20-metre-high mast was approved earlier this month under permitted development rights. It will be built at the Crockhamwell Road car park of The Chequers pub.

It will be 5G ready and include seven cabinets.

Many people objected, saying that the mast would be an eyesore and make the town “look awful”.

Others pointed out that there are industrial sites nearby that could have been used.

Another said: “It is a huge blott on the landscape, and will be an unavoidable extremely undesirable landmark”.

Woodley Town Centre manager Brian Fennelly also expressed concern: “There has been considerable improvements to this end of the town centre recently. The nearby trees are an integral part of our Christmas Lights display and having a large mast and two other constructions nearby will seriously affect the overall vista.”

Despite local opposition, under the rules the mast had to be approved and Waldon Telecom has five years to install it. Had the mast been one centimetre taller, it would have need planning consent.

These rules, introduced in 2016, were brought in to meet demand for superfast mobile broadband.

Bulmershe and Whitegates councillor Shirley Boyt is one of those who is concerned by the planned installation.

“Wokingham borough planners approved it, they had no opinion, it’s permitted development, but it’s irksome where it is,” she said.

WHY HERE: Town centre manager, Brian Fennelly and Cllr Shirley Boyt at the site of the planned 5G Phone mast in Woodley Shopping Precinct Picture: Steve Smyth

“People in Woodley will be vexed about where it is when it’s built, but by then it’s too late.

“The planning application was put in under the cover of covid and Christmas. It’s been done under the radar.”

She also felt that people can find it difficult to visualise the size of the new mast, which would be taller than one of the double decker buses that Reading Buses run through the town.

“The average street lamp is eight to 10 metres, this will be more than twice the height – it will be a huge thing,” she said.

“But it’s an unstoppable thing, people want the 5G roll-out, but the downside is that 5G needs more masts.”

She felt that Wokingham Borough Council could have looked at alternative places, such as Waitrose car park.

“My preference would have been behind the Oakwood Centre or behind the back of the shops. It would still have been visible but not so obvious.”

Cllr Boyt also wanted to know

what other sites had been considered by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning department and rejected.

“The old mast was in one of the industrial estates, it’s still there and is a bit like a pylon, but nowhere near as tall,” she said.

“The owners said they didn’t want (the new mast) there.

“Why can’t we say we don’t want

it in the precinct? If this company had said we want to put a mast in the centre of Wokingham town, (the council) would find a way not to do it.”

Cllr Wayne Smith, executive member for planning and enforcement: “The proposed mast at Woodley benefits from ‘permitted development’ rights laid down by central Government. This means that it is acceptable in principle subject to the ‘prior approval’ for its siting and appearance being granted by the Local Planning Authority (LPA). Prior Approval (203363) was granted on 11 January as there were not sufficient grounds to refuse it.

“As part of the application, the applicant submitted information to demonstrate that they had also considered several alternative sites; all of which had been discounted for various reasons.

“This information is detailed in the Supplementary Information report (Section 5 – Site Selection Process, page 15). All the relevant documents for the application are available to view at www. wokingham.gov.uk/planning, by searching for the application number 203363.”

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NEWS | 3

Recycling sack roll-out begins next month NEW green recycling sacks will start to be delivered from next month.

Replacing the black boxes, the green bags will have velcro fasteners in a bid to keep waste dry before being collected.

Wokingham Borough Council is introducing them to boost recycling rates as part of its ambition to be climate neutral by 2030.

“We’re on track to be delivering blue, green and recycling bags from next month. Residents will be able to use the new recycling bags as soon as they get them, but we won’t be enforcing them for a while,” said Cllr John Halsall, leader of Wokingham Borough Council.

“Over the course of the summer we expect to collect the black boxes, but residents are welcome to keep theirs.”

New area commander to start in Wokingham THIEVES beware, there’s a new sheriff in town.

Thames Valley Police has announced that it has appointed Temporary Chief Inspector Helen Kenny as the new Deputy Local Policing Area Commander for the Bracknell and Wokingham Local Policing Area (LPA).

She joined the force in January 2002, and has been the region’s Neighbourhood Inspector since 2018.

She has already earmarked her priorities: “I want to focus on those crimes that have the most impact on the local community, such as burglary, robbery and domestic abuse.

“I am also looking forward to continuing our work in partnership to maintain the low levels of knife crime in the area, through problemsolving and joint initiatives, essentially trying to tackle it before it becomes a problem.”

Ch Insp Kenny will work closely with the Bracknell and Wokingham Local Policing Area Commander Superintendent Felicity Parker, who is due to remain in the role until Monday, May 31.

4 | NEWS

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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 21, 2021

The Black Boy NEWS FOCUS may be renamed A FRESH bid to change the name of a 500-year-old pub has been launched four years after a previous attempt was rejected.

Greene King says it will hold a vote for a new name for The Black Boy pub in Shinfield, as it believes the name has racist connotations.

The poll will offer a range of suggestions and the brewer says that ‘global issues’ mean the change is now imperative.

Back in 2017, Barons Pub Company – which runs the refurbished pub – wanted to change the name to The Shinfield Arms. However, at the time, managing director Clive Price said that locals did not want this.

However, things have changed and he now said: “We appreciate Greene King’s proactive move to change a number of Black Boy pub names across the country. We hope a name change will add to an even friendlier, inclusive and welcoming environment for our customers and we look forward to this positive move.”

This view was echoed by Nick Mackenzie, the CEO of Greene King.

“It is important to acknowledge our history but just as important to work proactively to eradicate racism in our society today,” he said.

“While the origins of these pub names are obscure what is clear is that there is a perception that they are linked with racism today and we want to make this positive change for the better.”

And the company said that the decision was made after extensive discussions, particularly noting the heritage of the pub, while wanting to be a champion of equality and diversity, increasing support for people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

He also said that Shinfield residents will be consulted.

“We’re keen to involve local people in this project and look forward to working with them to choose a new and inclusive name for these pubs so they remain at the heart of communities,” he said.

Greene King is also looking to rename two other pubs called The Black Boy in Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury, as well as a pub called The Black’s Head in Wirksworth.

There is no consensus as to how the name came to be in usage.

‘It took a fortnight to get my free school meal hamper’ Catering firm says review of food caused delays EXCLUSIVE

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today WITH THE return of home learning, the government pledged to provide Free School Meals to children — but some in the borough have been left waiting for nearly two weeks.

When lockdown restarted on January 5, the government instructed schools to arrange weekly food parcels or vouchers worth up to £15.

A borough parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Wokingham.Today their child did not receive any Free School Meal provisions for 13 days.

“We’ve had a lot of issues with Free School Meals and, as of Saturday, we had still received nothing,” they said.

Shortly after the lockdown announcement, the resident said they were contacted by their child’s school and advised that they would receive a food parcel soon.

“By Tuesday, January 12, we had

no update,” the parent explained. “I reached out to the school and they said that they had only just started working with their supplier, Caterlink, and hoped to get parcels sent out by the next day.

“I’ve had to do my own thing and we’ve been left to our own devices.”

Instead, the family turned to charities.

“I would normally rely on my child being able to eat at school, but I’ve been supported by a charity who sent out some provisions,” the parent said.

“The food was supposed to accompany what the school had already given us, so it was very welcome.

“We were also lucky that we had some additional provisions left from First Days Children’s Charity from Christmas, which gave us some extra food.”

Nationally, food hampers came under fire this month, with parents sharing images on social media of halved vegetables sent to them.

Following this, Wokingham Borough Council’s contractor,

Caterlink, said it “enhanced the contents” of its hampers.

Neil Fuller, managing director at Caterlink said: “We have listened to feedback from parents and pupils, and in some cases it is clear our parcels have fallen short.”

This, he said, was immediately reviewed.

A spokesperson for the parent’s school, which we have chosen not to identify, said the review caused a delay in delivery.

“As lockdown for schools commenced at extremely short notice, we had to manage our transition to remote education, while continuing to provide on-site education to a high proportion of key worker and vulnerable children,” they said.

“At all times we have had to consider the mental wellbeing and safeguarding of all pupils as well as staff, including limiting footfall on site where possible.”

The spokesperson said that in line with government guidance, the school opted to provide food hampers for children eligible

PRIMARY SCHOOL HAMPERS: Caterlink changed the contents after a review

Thursday, January 21, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

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NEWS FOCUS Opposition councillors are calling for more

for Free School Meals who were not attending school.

“Due to the controversy in the national press over the contents of food hampers, Caterlink had undergone a review of their offer, and unfortunately this led to a delay in the delivery of hampers to our parents,” the spokesperson said.

“Those hampers were delivered to our parents by the evening of Tuesday, January 19.”

Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for children’s services said the council has been made aware of one family whose hamper had been delayed.

“We have spoken to the school in this case and know the school has now provided vouchers to their eligible children,” she said.

On Monday, the parent received a £90 food voucher to cover six weeks’ worth of Free School Meals up to the February half-term.

They were also able to collect the delayed food hamper on Tuesday afternoon, to cover their child’s lunches for the next two weeks.

“It doesn’t feel like providing the meals has been a priority at all,” they said. “While we’re getting vouchers and a hamper now, that period where we had no support has already gone.”

Free School Meals in Wokingham In the borough, there were 2,183 children and young people enrolled on the Free School Meals scheme as of October 2020.

Over the past five years, the percentage of students eligible for the scheme has increased, and is at its highest in the past five years.

As of October 2020, 8% of all primary and secondary students are eligible for the scheme. This rose from 7% in January last year.

As of January 2016, 6% of students were enrolled.

Following the lockdown announcement earlier this month, Wokingham Borough Council pledged to help arrange Free School Meal provisions for pupils at home, with fortnightly hampers from Caterlink and food vouchers for eligible families.

It said the majority of these have been delivered successfully, and within an appropriate time frame, and daily packed lunches were offered as an interim solution to all schools in the borough. Schools could decide whether or not to accept.

“This third lockdown is hard on all of us, but it is especially difficult on families with school age children,” said Cllr Clark.

“We want to ensure we support

our families as best we can, and one of the ways to do this is to ensure all those children who would normally get free school meals if they were at school are still getting healthy and nutritious food.”

Cllr Clark said the council is offering food vouchers which can be used at various supermarkets across the borough, but the responsibility to provide meals lies with individual schools.

“We have also been working with our free school meals provider, Caterlink, to create hampers of food with recipe cards that can be delivered to eligible families if they prefer this to the vouchers,” she added.

“We have reviewed the hampers to ensure they provide nutritious meals for the children and are good value.

“I can’t stress enough that we do not want any children in our borough to go hungry and we are doing everything we can as a council to ensure all our children have access to good nutritious food.”

Caterlink is working with 34 out of the 69 state schools in the area, and offers two separate hampers for primary and secondary school students.

The council said the hampers are in line with food standards and LACA guidelines.

What else is the council doing?

Wokingham Borough Council is covering the cost of Free School Meal food vouchers during February half-term through the government’s £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme.

Last year, the council approved £100,000 to cover the cost of the vouchers during the Christmas and February school holidays.

The money came from the £208,000 grant it received as part of the government programme.

It is also supporting families struggling to pay for food, fuel and other essentials through the Covid Winter Grant.

Looking to the future, council leader Cllr John Halsall said while they cannot eradicate poverty in the borough, it is developing a strategy to alleviate it as much as possible.

“Our position is we would be very supportive if the government decides to extend Free School Meals to the holidays permanently, but that’s up to the government,” he explained.

“It’s complicated by the fact that while we can intervene in holiday time, during term-time, it’s the schools that are driving it.”

At tonight’s council meeting, Cllr Andy Croy, Wokingham Borough Council Labour group leader, will be asking about the council’s Free School Meals provision.

He said families deserve “continued support” as pupils learn from home.

“It is evident in some parts of the country that the food parcels being provided in lieu of Free School Meals are totally inadequate,” he said.

He will ask Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for children’s services, to list the food items Caterlink is providing to each child, along with their national supermarket cost.

“My immediate concern is that people are profiting out of the delivery of these parcels to children,” Cllr Croy told Wokingham.Today.

“I want to make sure that the families are getting their entitlement, and that money isn’t being siphoned off somewhere else.”

At the same meeting, Cllr Prue Bray (Lib Dem), ward councillor for Winnersh, will submit a motion to expand the borough council’s Free School Meal offering.

She said the impact of the pandemic is likely to lead to further increases in child poverty, and welcomed Wokingham Borough Council’s guaranteed Free School Meal support over half-term.

She is calling on the council to write to Gavin Williamson MP, secretary of state for education, and Rishi Sunak MP, chancellor of the exchequer, to ask for the expanded Free School Meals scheme to become permanent.

The expanded programme offers meals to those with no access to public funds and provides additional funding to councils to help.

Cllr Bray also wants the council to cover the cost of Free School Meals throughout all school holidays in 2021, using the government’s £208,000 grant.

She wants the council to work with local businesses, charities and

organisations to ensure no child in Wokingham goes hungry, “whether they meet the eligibility for Free School Meals or not”.

Cllr Bray told Wokingham.Today: “We are one of the wealthiest boroughs in the country, so I want to make sure we are clear on what the council is going to do.

“We know that we have a problem with people who are right on the margins of being eligible for Free School Meals.

“Particularly in the last few months, there are a lot of people whose income has been hit hard and are not on benefits so don’t qualify for the scheme — and they are really struggling.”

Retrospective vouchers The government said parents who received an “inadequate” lunch parcel between Monday, January 4, and Saturday, January 16, can claim for a locally-arranged food voucher.

Matt Rodda, MP for Reading East, said he is “very disappointed” with the government’s provisions for families in need.

“It worries me deeply that the government is putting families last at this difficult time,” he said. “I'd like a complete rethink on how it supports families, including extending more generous universal credit.”

Cllr Croy suggested a cash-based system instead.

“Wokingham Labour argues that the best form of provision would be cash instead of giving children or families food parcels, which we can see have been problematic, or vouchers which are limited to a few markets,” he said.

“The evidence around the misuse of cash is zero.”

He added: “In Woodley, we had parents who, by the middle of the first week of lockdown, still hadn’t heard anything or received a food voucher.

“To me, that’s not the council’s or schools’ fault but a function of the chaotic way the government has handled the opening of schools.”

Charities step in to help In a bid to help families receiving Free School Meals, a number of local charities banded together.

Juliet Sherratt, founder of Woodley Lunch Bunch, said some of the families she is in contact with were also without food parcels or vouchers.

“That rang alarm bells, so we decided to put some food together to help,” she said.

“It was never intended to replace the hampers, because they need to come from the government, but to top up what parents already had.”

Woodley Lunch Bunch has been working with Wokingham Foodbank and SHARE Wokingham to distribute food to families in need.

“We just bumped their supplies up a bit to help plug any gaps. It was really a team response,” Ms Sherratt said.

She believes that schools and families have both found

themselves in a “horrible position”.

“There’s a lot falling on schools at the moment,” she said.

“Teachers are knackered, the pandemic has been ongoing, and they’ve had to respond to such a quick turnaround.”

Claire Revie, SHARE Wokingham volunteer, said the number of people relying on her charity’s services has increased over the last two weeks.

“Last week alone, we created around 170 food parcels,” Ms Revie explained. “When families have the kids at home, they aren’t only concerned with providing them lunch — kids are eating all day.

“We’re trying to help out by providing any extra snacky bits.”

She added: “Everybody is welcome at SHARE, please get in touch.”

To access help, search Facebook for Share Wokingham, Wokingham Foodbank or Woodley Lunch Bunch.

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CORONAVIRUS LATEST

Volunteers help make vaccinations a smooth process

Lockdown measures are creating a ‘clear risk’ A CARE agency believes England’s lockdown measures are leaving the vulnerable at risk.

County Carers, which supports more than 50 vulnerable elderly and disabled people across Berkshire, has introduced weekly testing to try and reduce the risk to its patients.

Eloise Wakeford, founder and managing director of County Carers, said: “Continuity of care for the vulnerable is essential, especially during the current environment where our patients are unable to see their family.

“Our enhanced coronavirus testing means our residents will see the same carers each week to provide the reassurance many of the vulnerable need during these difficult times.”

But Ms Wakeford says that communal religious worship and support bubbles are creating “a clear risk”.

Under current Government guidance, people can attend places of worship for a service, but must maintain strict social distancing at all times.

� Continued from front page

PPP reminds groomers: essential work only DOG GROOMERS are being reminded that during the lockdown, appointments can only be made for welfare reasons only.

Pets cannot have an appointment for beauty reasons until the restrictions are lifted.

Wokingham Borough Council’s Public Protection Partnership issued the reminder of government guidelines last week, asking businesses to remember to operate in covidsecure ways.

These include disposing of clinical and trade waste appropriately. � For more details, visit: publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk/covid-19

How to get help in Wokingham borough: To access the ‘One Front Door’ service, call Citizen’s Advice on 0300 330 1189 Those calling from a mobile phone should enter if prompted: 0118 978 7258

HELPING HAND: Volunteers Mary King and Jenny Cave at the Bradbury Centre last week coordinating the vaccine process from arrival to departure Picture: Helena Badger

“Practice managers have told me they couldn’t do it without volunteers,” Ms Badger said.

“They’ve been able to do more vaccinations than they thought, due to the smooth process.”

Mary King, said: “I’m so pleased to be able to volunteer at The Bradbury Centre and feel as though we are helping to make a difference — two shifts done and third one this week.”

Each volunteer can sign up to as many sessions as they like, using the custom-built booking form.

It also allows for easy cancellation if a volunteer is asked to self-isolate.

“It’s fantastic,” Ms King added.

“Secure organisation all round, slick process and everyone complimentary — well done Wokingham’s medical centres and the Wokingham Volunteer Centre.”

This is reassuring residents too.

Ms Badger said last week, an 86-year-old woman was vaccinated, marking the first time she has left her home since February last year.

“Stepping out for the first time could be quite daunting,” Ms Badger said. “Volunteers can provide some reassurance.”

One resident who had the jab said: “Thanks to the volunteers, who, despite the pouring rain, were so helpful, friendly and outgoing.”

Before the pandemic, the average volunteer was of retirement age, but this has all changed now.

“We have people who are furloughed, working part-time, working from home — there’s such a mix of ages,” Ms Badger said.

“It’s been massively positive, and it’s shown people they can fit volunteering into their life.

“It’s raised awareness of the need in our community — even an hour a month can make a difference.

It’s not too onerous.”

Berkshire Youth expands support EXCLUSIVE

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today A COUNTY-WIDE youth charity has expanded its services to help more people access the support they need.

Berkshire Youth launched a pilot scheme in May last year, signposting young people in West Berkshire to all of the services and clubs available to them in the pandemic.

After COE David Seward was recognised for this with a Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce West Berkshire Individual Hero Award, the charity worked to expand its information hub scheme.

“I’m not sure that all young people know where the resources

are,” Mr Seward said. “Sometimes people just need that introduction or nudge.

“Young people can think about what they want to get involved with, make a plan, and look forward to new activities when lockdown is over.”

The website now has a page for each local authority area in the county, signposting to activities and counselling options, with information about the services and who they’re suitable for.

Some are operating throughout the pandemic, and are able to support young people remotely.

The charity also launched a text service to support young people who may be more comfortable typing a message than calling someone.

“We’ve also been doing detached youth work,” marketing manager Julie MacLean said. “It’s about having a friendly face in the community to support young people — and this was all done following Covid-19 guidance.

“It included supporting police with covid messaging, and letting people know what they can do, how many people they can meet, or whether they need to stay home.”

Ms MacLean added: “It’s about connecting and listening. A lot of people are struggling with their mental health.

“Many of our youth workers said the first lockdown felt more like a novelty — people were doing arts and crafts at home. This time, people are fatigued.

“In September, a lot of young

people were thankful to have their routine back. Now it seems a lot are struggling.

“We’re trying to do what we can.”

The charity works with more than 12,000 young people each year, and marked its 80th anniversary in November last year.

Mr Seward said in the 21 years he has been with the charity, the number of organisations for young people, excluding sports, church and uniformed clubs, has dropped from 114 to 20 in Berkshire.

“I’m really proud of what we are trying to do, but we could do so much more,” he said. “We have to fight for every penny we get. I’m embarrassed this country doesn’t take young people seriously.”

He said up-and-coming cities, such as Bristol, have refocused their vision towards young people successfully, and hopes Berkshire will do the same.

“We’ve placated the taxpaying middle class, closed down youth services and overwhelmed local authorities,” he said.

“We’re not encouraging young people to be part of society. We have cafés, pubs, bars and restaurants on our high streets — what is there for young people?

“Young people are only meeting on streets because everything else has been closed.”

Mr Seward said he hopes covidrecovery will focus more heavily on young people, as the effects of the pandemic on youth mental health become clearer. � For more information, visit: www.berkshireyouth.co.uk

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CORONAVIRUS LATEST

covid expert Mass vaccination Borough’s marks paper anniversary centre in the works � Continued from front page

EXCLUSIVE

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today COVID-19 INFECTION rates have fallen across the borough to pre-Christmas levels — but there is still a lot of work to do, said the borough’s health executive.

Cllr Charles Margetts told Wokingham.Today all four primary care networks (PCNs) will start vaccinating the over 70s this week.

Plans are also in place to open two local mass vaccination centres, one in Wokingham, the other in Reading.

“We have a meeting in a few days to sign this off,” Cllr Margetts said. “We’re working to build up capacity. The Wokingham centre should be able to vaccinate 750 people per day — but this is very much dependent on vaccine supply. We want to see as much on the ground as possible.”

This week, Wokingham borough will receive 4,900 doses, 35% less than last week, due to issues with national supply.

Cllr Margetts said: “It is clear that some places, including Wokingham, are ahead in the vaccination programme.

“Matt Hancock is reducing vaccines in these areas to allow other local authorities to catch up.

It is disappointing, but I can understand the logic.

“Ultimately, I would like to see the capacity in Wokingham fully utilised — we could be giving out more.”

He said council leader John Halsall is meeting with the four borough MPs to “make this point strongly”.

And Cllr Halsall said that he was pleased that residents were receiving vaccines, with the UK being the envy of the world in this regard, but wished that supply would outstrip demand.

“We hope to vaccinate 1,000 every day in Wokingham,” he said. “But we’ve got to do better because, at the moment, our limiting factor is the vaccinations.”

He added: “My fear in November and December was that, because of the advent of vaccines, people had concluded that covid was all over. “[Case numbers] were alarming, have been alarming and will continue to be alarming because, while they are flattening off, (the number of) deaths follow in around two-three weeks. We’ll probably see an alarming number of deaths in the next two or three weeks.”

This was echoed by Cllr Margetts, who said staff at The Royal Berkshire Hospital expecting the peak of hospitalisations in the next week.

From there, things should start to slowly

improve again, he said.

“Locally, cases have dropped due to lockdown – we have to keep doing that,” he said.

“The vaccine should start to affect figures in March. But until then, we need to keep going with all of the restrictions – we’re not there yet.”

Next month, two lateral-flow Covid-19 testing sites will open in Shute End council offices and a second to be confirmed.

“This will be for all essential workers that cannot work from home,” Cllr Margetts said.

“We are recruiting 42 people to run these, and may even open a third.”

He said essential workers, including blue light services, essential retail, delivery, manufacturing, construction, education and council staff will all be eligible for the scheme.

It will require borough residents, or those that work in the borough, to sign up and book a regular slot, once or twice a week.

“People have to commit to it,” he said. “It will work to identify any problems. All the test does is tell you if you’re fine at that moment.”

On Tuesday, 1,610 people in the UK died within 28 days of a positive covid test – the highest figure yet. The same day, there were 33,355 positive cases recorded, a decline on last week’s highs, as lockdown takes effect.

In the borough, there were 53 cases, down from 76 recorded on Monday. This brings the current weekly rate of infection to 379.3 per 100,000 people.

Locally there were six deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive covid test from Saturday, January 2 until Friday, January 8. No further data is available yet for local deaths.

Slough continues to report high numbers, but saw fewer reported cases on Tuesday – 157, down from Monday’s 201, also down from last week.

It has now had 11,453 cases overall, and its rate per 100,000 has dropped to 1,044.5, down from 1,160.2 last week.

Windsor and Maidenhead reported 59 cases on Tuesday, down from last week.

There has been a decrease in its case rate per 100,000, which is now 446.4, down from last week’s 644.6.

Reading had 111 cases, down from last week. Its rate per 100,000 people has dropped to 712.1 from 760.9 last week.

Bracknell Forest had 53 positive tests on Tuesday. Its rate per 100,000 people is 439.6, down from 712.4 last week.

West Berkshire reported 53 new daily cases on Tuesday. Its rate per 100,000 people is 320.6, down from 350.3 last week.

Keep your hospital appointments says RBH leader THE ACTING chief executive of the Royal Berkshire Hospital is calling on residents to continue with their booked appointments.

Nicky Lloyd wants to reassure the public that they are “not a burden”.

“We’ve learned a lot from the first wave of covid and this has helped us to carry on treating other very seriously ill people and keep services going,” she said.

“It’s still really important that, if you have an appointment, you come in, because we want to see you.”

The hospital says it has infection control policies in

place including deep cleans of clinical areas between patients, hand sanitizer stations, one-way systems and socially distanced waiting rooms.

Ms Lloyd added: “A concern we do have is the number of patients not attending their scheduled appointments which has the potential for serious consequences if diagnosis or ongoing treatment is delayed.

“If you have been asked to attend an appointment or you urgently need care, it’s vital that we see you in a timely way and ensure your condition is treated or monitored.

“We are a National Health Service and open for multiple diseases and conditions.

“You will not be a burden and we want you to be seen.”

Ms Lloyd said although the hospital has seen a rise in covid cases, the hospital is “under control, calm and has comprehensive plans” to keep patients and staff safe.

She said the vaccine roll-out is good news, but residents must continue to follow social distancing, lockdown rules, and hands, face, space messaging to control the spread of the virus.

At the time, there were just two Covid-19 cases in the UK. In the interview he predicted the possible start of a coronavirus epidemic in the UK by early March.

He also warned the new virus was “a real risk to global health.” He was proved right on both.

A year after Professor

Cowling’s visit to China, a team of international scientists is now visiting Wuhan to study the virus outbreak there with Chinese experts.

Professor Cowling, who is not on this visit, said the study could help to reduce the risk of a future pandemic.

Professor Cowling director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre in Hong

Kong, went to Hong Kong in 2004 after the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak, as part of a new team to work on emerging infections and possibly the new SARS whenever it arose.

Sixteen years later he was still there when Covid-19 emerged.

His work continues in Hong Kong.

Mobile test site opens at Dinton Pastures this week A MOBILE Covid-19 testing unit will continue to operate on some dates in the overflow car park at Dinton Pastures on the Hurst/Winnersh border, writes Sue Corcoran.

The unit will be at Dinton today and tomorrow and also on January 28 and 29, said a Wokingham Borough Council spokesperson.

The tests are by appointment/booking only.

Only those with a pre-booked time will be seen.

“You cannot turn up on the day and if you do, you will be turned away,” they added.

Tests must be booked via the national website, www.gov.uk/get-coronavirustest.

If a mobile testing site is available it will come up when people book through the national system. Residents should not contact Dinton directly about this.

Bookings are allocated the day before for morning appointments the day after, or in the morning for same day afternoon appointments.

TESTING: Residents can book on the national website Picture: Sue Corcoran

Residents should only book a test if they have one or more of these coronavirus symptoms: a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

For the safety of other visitors to the park, testing will be in the overflow car park, which will be closed for regular parking on these dates. People with appointments will drive

in, get tested and drive out.

The council says it is committed to expanding the capacity of local test sites and is working closely with local partners to make it even easier to get tested.

If no local appointments are available, residents may be able to book a home testing kit or find a booking at a nearby regional testing unit, such as Newbury and Slough.

8 | NEWS

Charity shines a light on inspiring children AN AWARD-WINNING chef is championing a scheme to celebrate the bravery of young children with cancer.

The multi Michelin-starred chef JeanChristophe Novelli is calling on families to nominate young cancer patients and survivors.

Novelli’s youngest son Valentino was diagnosed with the disease in 2016, at just sixweeks-old.

The experience is driving the dad-of-four to back the Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Awards.

The Star Awards are open to under-18s who have been diagnosed with the disease in the last five years.

Each year, around 240 children are diagnosed with cancer in the south east.

There is no judging panel, because Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People believes every child diagnosed with cancer deserves special recognition.

Everyone nominated receives a trophy, £50 TK Maxx gift card, T-shirt and a certificate signed by a host of famous faces, including JeanChristophe Novelli, Nanny McPhee actress Dame Emma Thompson, This Morning’s Dr Ranj and children’s TV favourite Mister Maker.

Their siblings also receive a certificate.

Novelli said: “Knowing what Valentino went through, when we heard about the Star Awards we had no hesitation to get involved immediately.

“They are such a great way to show these amazing children how special they are. Now we want to help spread the word, so that as many children affected by cancer as possible have the opportunity to be nominated and can receive the acknowledgement they so richly deserve.”

Jenny Makin, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the South East, said: “A cancer diagnosis is heart-breaking at any age, but it can be particularly difficult for a child or young person and their families, especially when many of those who survive may experience serious long-term side effects from their treatment.

“Our Star Awards shine an important light on these inspirational youngsters, so we’re urging people to get nominating now so we can celebrate their incredible courage.” � To nominate a Star visit cruk.org/starawards

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Emm Brook to be restored in river trust recovery project EXCLUSIVE

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today THE EMM Brook will soon be the focus of a major recovery project, in an effort to help local wildlife thrive.

A project to breathe life back into the waterway has been launched in order to restore the river for the benefit of both local residents and animals alike.

The Emm Brook is nine kilometres or five-and-a-half miles long, and begins its journey near Old Wokingham Road.

It flows west, around Wokingham and through Woosehill, before joining the River Loddon near Dinton Pastures Country Park.

According to the South East Rivers Trust, the waterway was diverted in the past in order to power a mill which has since closed.

It made the river “straight as an arrow”, and now it suffers from a lack of habitat diversity.

“A natural, healthy river would be

gently meandering with deep pools, shallow riffles and a variety of flow speeds,” the Trust explained.

“This creates a patchwork of different habitats that supports a rich and diverse community of plants and animals.”

And it said the river suffers from “a lethal cocktail” which is toxic to any aquatic wildlife because it runs alongside the A329(M).

This leads to surface water flowing into the brook which is contaminated with “more than 300 different chemicals including heavy metals and ammonia” from exhaust fumes, car brakes and tyres, and roadside infrastructure.

Now, it’s hoped that the Emm Brook can be restored to its former glory when it used to meander through Riverside Park in Woosehill.

The South East Rivers Trust said this channel still exists today, and could become home to a “dynamic and wildlife-rich river habitat”.

The initiative has been launched

by members of the Loddon Catchment Partnership, and would be co-funded by the European Union and the Environment Agency.

The restoration project intends to revive the section of the Emm Brook that runs through Riverside Park, and hopes to reconnect the old waterway for people to enjoy.

This would also divert the brook away from the A329(M).

Cllr Imogen Shepherd-DuBey, ward councillor for Emmbrook, welcomed the proposal.

“I grew up living on Murray Road and have been very familiar with the Emmbrook all of my life,” she said.

“Until the Wokingham water works was built in 1881, this was the main water supply for the residents in the area and my own maps show a series of mills constructed along its route.

“This project will now see the river restored to its original route and allow more of the natural wildlife to return.

“It looks like a very good and sensible thing to do.”

Fellow Emm Brook ward councillor UllaKarin Clark says she is also in support of the regeneration programme.

“This is a exciting project with no doubt several benefits, such as restoring fish migration routes and the possibility of improving the water quality before it runs into the river,” she said.

“This will benefit the council’s Greenway project through Woosehill Park and finally, the path across the site to Morrisons will be less prone to flooding.”

The South East Rivers Trust said it will host a series of events in the future so that local residents can get involved in the restoration project.

“Help us make this stretch of the Emm Brook a space for local people, cared for by local people,” it said.

The Trust is currently in the process of applying for planning permission in order to carry out the restoration project.

Disease resistant trees planted in Elms Field TREE wardens have planted three diseaseresistant elms in the borough, to mark the 30th anniversary of the scheme.

The group, which is part of the Wokingham District Veteran Tree Association (WDVTA), planted two trees in Elms Field and a third in Charvil Country Park.

Two were gifted by The Tree Council, with support from the Network Rail Community Fund, and the third has been gifted by The Wokingham Society.

They are not English elms but a variety called New Horizon, which is 100% resistant to Dutch elm disease, resilient to waterlogging and sits comfortably in a range of soils and temperatures.

Sara Lom, CEO of The Tree Council said 30 commemorative elms were given to communities across the country to represent the duration of the Tree Warden scheme.

“They also symbolise the resilience of trees and the beauty of new beginnings,” she said.

“How many more amazing things will Tree

HOMES UNDER THE LOCKDOWN

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Wardens have achieved when these wonderful trees are 30, 50, 100 years old?”

Chairman of Wokingham Society, Peter Must, said the group was delighted to provide a tree for Elms Field, following their sculpture installed last year.

Alison Griffin, WDVTA chairman, said the New Horizon trees would provide “a wonderful opportunity to enhance the park and re-establish the species in the borough”.

She added: “The Wokingham Society’s offer to fund a second tree is very much appreciated.

“We would also like to thank the borough and town councils for their support, especially the town council team that has organised the tree planting.”

She said Charvil members of the society have spent three years surveying trees in the parish, recording 250 veteran trees.

“The award of one of the 30 elm trees offered

by The Tree Council rewards their work,” she said.

Town mayor, Cllr Tony Lack, thanked Ms Griffin for securing the trees, and the society for donating another.

He added: “Wokingham Town Council took over the management of Elms Park six months ago and has now addressed most of the teething problems so this is the perfect time to enhance the park with trees that recognise its history.

“While it is sad that we are not able to be there on planting day to thank the contributors, we do plan to hold a small thank you ceremony when conditions allow.”

Delivery and planting of the trees was delayed from November due to Covid restrictions.

Planting ceremonies planned for January have now been cancelled for the time being.

The trees should grow to a height of 12m and a spread of 4.5m after 25 years.

Thursday, January 21, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

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Petition launched against building plan on ‘designated countryside’ EXCLUSIVE

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today A PETITION has been launched to fight plans for a new supermarket and housing estate in Lower Earley.

The Save Swallows Meadow campaign aims to stop a proposed development in its tracks.

As we revealed last week, Lower Earley Properties announced that it hopes to build a Lidl foodstore and 40 new homes on the site off Meldreth Way. The developer cleared the woodland area last November, and has launched a digital consultation to get residents’ feedback on the latest proposal.

Cllr Clive Jones, leader of Earley Town Council, said he will oppose the development.

“That it is land that has been designated as countryside by Wokingham Borough Council,” said Cllr Jones. “It’s never been considered to be development land.

“We don’t want anything done there. In fact, we would actually like it to be restored to what it was six months ago.”

The councillor says he is concerned about the impact development could have on wildlife, and is still trying to get Swallows Meadow designated as a Local Green Space. He said this would offer it some protection against future planning proposals.

“Earley Town Council started that process in July,” Cllr Jones explained. “When the local plan is updated, which should hopefully be ready in the next few months, it will include that

area for protection.”

Norman Jorgensen, prospective Conservative candidate for Maiden Erlegh in May’s local elections, said he will also oppose the proposal.

“I think it’s an inappropriate site for the proposed development,” Mr Jorgensen said.

“That stretch of land has been part of the green lung between Lower Earley and the M4 so it helps protect the area in terms of noise, and also provides a bit of wild green space for people and animals to enjoy.”

He said the specific area of Lower Earley has already been fully developed, and it should now be left as it is.

“A supermarket would also encourage more traffic past people’s homes, and would completely change the character of what is a very quiet residential area,” Mr Jorgensen added.

However, a spokesperson for Lower Earley Properties says it has commissioned surveys to consider a whole host of issues, including ecology, highways, flooding and noise.

“These results will be submitted as part of a planning application and reviewed by the council against local and national planning policies,” they said.

Following the announcement, Wokingham Liberal Democrats launched a petition to protect the site and residents are being encouraged to sign it.

The group hopes to present it to Lower Earley Properties at the upcoming consultation.

“We want them to understand the strength of

NOT HERE: Liberal Democrats have launched a petition agains ta plan for a Lidl and 40 homes in Swallows Meadow

feeling among residents,” Cllr Jones explained.

“We also want to present it to the borough council’s Planning Committee, so they understand the depth of feeling against the development too.

“We’re not going to give up.

Just because they are a big company, we’re not going to roll over and let them develop our green space here in Earley.”

Mr Jorgensen said he also plans to oppose the development at the upcoming public consultation, and is encouraging residents to do the same.

“If people want to head to the council with their objections on planning grounds, that would be welcomed,” he said.

A spokesperson for Lower Earley Properties described the plan as a “multi-million-pound

Covid memorial wood planned as part of borough tree strategy A COVID-19 memorial wood could be planted in the borough, as part of a plan to achieve Tree Cities of the World status.

Tonight, the council’s executive member for emissions, resident services and communications will propose the motion at the council meeting.

Cllr Gregor Murray has set out eight different targets for the borough’s Tree Strategy, including planting 250,000 trees.

The garden forest programme will give greenfingered locals the chance to plant some of these in their garden.

Native trees will also be planted to form a Covid-19 memorial wood, in tribute to

those who have died in the pandemic.

The strategy includes setting a clear responsibility in the council for the care of trees across the borough, as well as agreeing a policy for tree management.

This will include standards for tree care, and penalties for noncompliance.

Cllr Murray’s plan will also create an inventory of local trees to manage planting, care and removal.

There will be an annual celebration of our borough’s trees, marking the contribution from schools, charities, residents and the council towards the tree city programme.

It would acknowledge the residents’ schools, charities and

council staff that contribute to our city tree programme.

The process will focus on continuous education to help residents learn about caring for trees in their own gardens, towns and villages.

This will all be supported with an annual budget, yet to be agreed.

Cllr Murray confirmed that once the eight targets have been met, the borough would be ready to apply for Tree Cities of the World status.

investment to boost the local economy”, providing jobs and homes in the area.

They said: “We will be sharing more information at our Virtual Village Hall consultation event next week.

“We are at an early stage of the planning process and look forward to engaging with the

local community and stakeholders in the coming weeks.” � To find out more about the proposed development and to register for the Virtual Village Hall on Thursday, January 28, visit: lowerearleyplans.co.uk � To view the’ petition, visit: www.wokinghamlibdems.org.uk/ meadow

Maiden Erlegh Trust plans expansion THREE schools in Reading may join the Maiden Erlegh Trust as part of a merger.

The Berkshire Schools Trust, which includes St John’s Primary School, New Town Primary School and New Christ Church Primary School, is consulting on the plans.

In a joint statement from Nick Jones, chair of Maiden Erlegh Trust and Angie Morrish, chair of Berkshire Schools Trust, both said the plans are in the early stages.

“We are clear that the merger must be the right one for everyone involved, especially the pupils, students and staff,” they said.

“We believe that there is a great amount of common ground between the two organisations, both in terms of values and ethos, and our ambitions for our pupils, students and staff.”

Maiden Erlegh Trust is already responsible for three secondary schools, one primary school and one SEND school.

The formal consultation will close at noon on Monday, February 22.

If successful, the merger will be completed this September. � To get involved, parents and residents can visit: bit.ly/ BST_METConsultation or email: BSTConsultation@maidenerleght rust.org

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Siren’s street food link TAKE OUT TO HELP OUT A FINCHAMPSTEAD brewery has teamed up with a local street food vendor to offer a taste of Malaysia, writes Charlotte King.

This weekend, Siren Craft Brew and Reading-based Makan Malaysia are partnering up to serve craft beers and bold flavours.

Tim Pritchard, from Siren, hopes the meal kit will help people recreate that restaurant night out from the comfort of their own homes.

“We’re missing restaurants,” he said. “There’s something truly lovely about heading down to a local eating spot.

“With that in mind, we got in touch with our friends at Makan Malaysia.”

The street food vendor was launched by lifelong best friends Kat and Sue a few years ago.

The duo grew up in Malaysia and then moved to Berkshire.

Over the years, they’ve brought food to pop up events across Wokingham borough and beyond, including at Siren’s Tap Yard.

Now, they have put together a variety of meat and vegan

Malaysian dinners which have been paired with Siren’s craft beers.

Mr Pritchard hopes it will encourage people to “pair and experiment” new flavour combinations.

The meals are available for collection from today until Saturday, January 23, and must be ordered online.

Siren Craft Brew is also busy celebrating the Tap Yard’s third birthday this Saturday.

“We’ve love nothing more than to open the doors and party with all our local friends but of course, that’s sadly not possible,” said Mr Pritchard. Instead, residents are invited to attend an online party.

To find out more Siren Craft Brew’s partnership with Makan Malaysia, visit: www.sirencraftbrew.com/browse/ c-Gifts-Extras-56/c-Experiences-60 More information on the Tap Yard’s birthday celebration can be found here: www.sirencraftbrew.com/item/507/ SirenCraftBrew/Tap-Yard-3rdBirthday-Box.html

‘Order a takeaway meal and you’re paying my wages’ LOCKDOWN3.0

TAKEOUTTO HELPOUT

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today OUR campaign to encourage Wokingham borough residents to buy a takeaway to support local businesses this lockdown has been receiving a groundswell of support.

Launched last week, Take Out To Help Out aims to give the local economy a boost while people are in lockdown conditions.

By ordering a click and collect meal or home delivery, residents are putting money back into our favourite pubs, takeaways, cafes and restaurants at a time when they cannot welcome customers as they usually would.

If enough people do so, they will ensure that these treasured businesses will still be here when the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Reading East MP Matt Rodda is the latest big name to support our campaign.

“We have some brilliant local cafes, restaurants and take-aways,” he said.

“They need our help now to survive the current covid restrictions because otherwise they may not be there when the restrictions are ended.

“Every meal ordered will support a local business and help protect local jobs.”

Business owners also

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Ordering from Roast Wokingham and Blue Orchid Bakery helps the local economy

know the importance of readers supporting them right now.

Chris Murray, owner of Roast Wokingham, says that people ordering takeaways are the “lifeblood” of his business at the moment.

“Anybody who orders from Roast Wokingham pays my wages,” Mr Murray explained.

“I quit my job to do this fulltime.

“And it’s not just important to order from local takeaways either – the whole hospitality industry is struggling to survive.

“We are all in this together and it’s a really trying time. If we don’t get any orders, we have to close.”

He says it’s easy to place an order online.

“We’ve created an entire website where you can go and pick the food that you want, pick the date and time that you want it, and then we turn up with a lovely hot

dinner.

“We want to support Take Out To Help Out and contribute to it because we need people to champion for businesses like us, especially during this rubbish time for the hospitality industry.”

Mr Murray adds that he is “incredibly appreciative” of any community support, especially at a time where people may not be able to afford it.

“We are very lucky and very blessed that we are busy every week - it’s what helps us survive so thank you everyone.”

Also encouraging residents to make that call or click to order a home dining experience is Blue Orchid Bakery in Peach Place.

Luke, the cafe’s manager, says that takeaways are vital to keep businesses afloat at the moment.

“You help us pay our electricity, buy our water, buy

our gas and pay our rent,” he said.

“You keep all of our team employed and support our family business.

“At this moment in time, we need as much help as we can get.”

And he says that the support the bakery has received since the start of the third lockdown has been “overwhelming”.

“It’s been absolutely incredible and we don’t want people to stop,” Luke adds.

“We get a lot of our supplies from local companies, including Danny ‘the fruit man’, so when you support us you support them too.”

To order from Blue Orchid Bakery, residents are encouraged to send an email, send a text message or give the bakery a ring. Then, Luke says they can sit back and relax while their delivery is prepared.

New chef to freshen up Indian’s menu A TALENTED chef with experience of working in some of the world’s finest restaurants and resorts will soon be plying his trade in Wokingham.

Chef Kuldeep Singh, who has headed kitchens in the United States, Ireland and India, has teamed up again with Raja Abdul Majid, the owner of the Sultan Balti Palace in Market Place, in a move that will see the Wokingham restaurant refresh and invigorate its delivery, collection and dine-in offerings.

The duo last worked together in Las Vegas at Majid’s Origin India Restaurant and Bar, which

grew to become one of the city’s leading Indian restaurants.

Chef Singh is an experienced culinary professional, and his global experiences and knowledge of Indian and Asian cuisine will showcase a fusion of Asian and Indian food with a modern, refined flair.

Speaking about the appointment, Raja Abdul Majid said: “I have known Chef Singh for several years as he previously worked with me in Las Vegas and London.”

He added that Chef Singh’s food had built up a loyal following of fans wherever he has worked.

Chef Singh graduated from

the Institute of Hotel Management in Meerut before working with two of India’s luxury five-star hotel groups, the Oberoi Hotel & Resort Group and the Taj Group of Hotels.

He says his approach is one of style and flare, respecting flavour profiles and food, but presenting it with his own unique style.

Chef Singh said: “I love the food from my country, its spices, herbs and flavours that are native to my hometown of Meerut, and other regions where I trained professionally including places such as Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai.”

He added: “What I will

serve is very different from other Indian food that can currently be found in Wokingham.

“I will stay true to the flavours and spices I grew up with, though I will tone down the heat, and focus on taste and texture combinations to create a modern interpretation of Indian cuisine.”

Although current restrictions prohibit diners, the Sultan Balti Palace has been maintaining delivery and collections for its evergrowing customer base.

The restaurant has been delivering to Wokingham and its surroundings for more than 30 years.

Thursday, January 21, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

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14 | VIEWPOINTS

WOKINGHAM.TODAY THE VOICE OF THE BOROUGH

A glimmer of hope in fight against virus IT FEELS like a long time since there has been good news relating to the wretched coronavirus.

Since November, we have mostly been in lockdown or similar to lockdown conditions.

It is draining, and we are missing friends, work colleagues, school chums and even the humdrum of everyday life.

With case numbers soaring, and grim highs recorded on a fairly regular basis, it felt that the virus was out of control.

It still is, and we must not be complacent, despite the encouraging signs around us.

This week, we have finally seen the daily number of positive tests decline. The rate per 100,000 people is coming down.

And it’s a genuine pleasure to record the amazing work of the volunteers who are helping our wonderful medical teams in administering those precious first doses of the vaccine.

It’s a real team effort, involving the NHS, the voluntary sector, Wokingham Borough Council and those people stepping up to get their jabs.

The lockdown is still here. It is for the good of us all, no matter how frustrating it is. The virus is still ripping large through our communities. And sadly the death toll is continuing to rise.

It might be tempting to take this glimmer of hope as a time to relax our guard. It’s not.

Stay at home and protect you, your loved ones, your friends, and the NHS. But remember, the end is in sight.

CHURCH NOTES

Shut that door

T

HIS time last year, when invited to write in this column I wrote about how music was such an inspiration, how it can lift us from one mind set to another.

A chorus that has been in my mind these last few weeks is: Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace. (Helen H. Lemmel) If you are able, play this piece of music now and close your eyes and imagine looking into the face of Jesus.

Think about how he looks…what do his eyes tell you…how do you feel?

What else can you see apart from Jesus’s face?

This song became popular in 1922 and the lady who wrote this song wrote many, many songs but this one stood the test of time.

It also has verses that will be less familiar to us the first verse of this song says: O soul are you weary and troubled No light in the darkness you see There's light for a look at the Saviour And life more abundant and free.

When we are concentrating on something, be it a hobby, puzzle, sport, reading etc then we are able to shut out those things that would distract us or cause us to worry.

The next time you find yourself being wound up by the news or someone is pushing your buttons think of this chorus and turn your focus on Jesus and allow him to take the burden from you.

God Bless you.

Captain Jan Howlin is from Wokingham Salvation Army, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham

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Your letters

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 21, 2021

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@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Send your thoughts to letters@wokinghampaper.co.uk

We reserve the right to edit letters Views expressed in this section are not necessarily those of the paper

Thank you for your kindness Wokingham A couple of weeks ago struggling with my purse, I dropped a number of credit cards et al at the checkout in Tesco Wokingham.

I thought I had collected them all up and continued through the checkout and home.

Several days later an envelope was dropped through my door containing my driving licence and small note – explaining that someone had picked up the licence, assuming it belonged to the kind person delivering it to me who accepted it because the picture ‘looked like her’.

When she got home she realised that it was not her licence and went to the trouble of putting it in an envelope and delivering it by hand.

She overlooked the opportunity to sign it.

She saved me the ultimate horror of ‘missing it’ and having to apply for another etc etc., I would love to say ’thank you’ in person and to highlight how good it is that there are still people around who will go the extra mile to help someoneeven from their own carelessness.

The only way I know to find out who this was is to ask you to publish this appeal.

I don’t need to ‘hug her’ (not allowed of course!) but to be able to write and say ’Thank you’ would make me feel better – and perhaps make the kind lady feel it was worthwhile Nina Preston, Wokingham

Climate Change I refer to the letter from Bridget Hobbs in last week’s paper. The petition calling for the King Street Lane zebra crossing removal is not for the convenience of motorists it is for the safety of residents especially children.

The zebra crossing was originally installed during the latter part of 2008.

At that time, the Hatch Farm Way junction did not exist.

During 2017, the traffic signalcontrolled junction at Hatch Farm Way was introduced, including a safer pedestrian light-controlled crossing facility.

However, for a good part of the day traffic is queued over the zebra crossing whilst waiting at the new Relief Road junction.

This has created a ‘blind spot’ as the zebra crossing people cannot be clearly seen by drivers approaching from the ‘Sainsbury’s side’ and pedestrians have difficulty seeing those vehicles, resulting in increased near misses.

Cllr Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey, Lib Dem councillor for Winnersh Ward, Wokingham Borough Council

Higher standards Charlotte King’s article on the suspension of the standards committee meeting, published in last week’s Wokingham.Today, made very interesting reading.

Where does probity in the Council end and self political interest begin?

You could suggest it’s with Wokingham’s Conservative ruling party.

To begin with the role of a Council’s Standards Committee is to promote,

sustain and safeguard compliance along with the behaviour of members within the Council and the probity of all the Council’s proceedings. Sadly that is no more.

Members duties including the Leader include acting solely in the public interest, be accountable to the electorate for their actions and be prepared to submit to such scrutiny as is appropriate to fulfil their responsibilities.

Most importantly Members must promote and support these principles by leadership and example so as to promote public confidence in their role in the authority. Impartiality and integrity are key in promoting public confidence.

If the Standards Committee has a role in Compliance how can it be possible that the Leader can select to ignore the rules he has to operate under? Last week’s Standards committee was a clear example where Wokingham’s Conservatives were caught out as blatant abusers of all the moral and ethical principles associated with standards in local government.

The Constitution states that the Standards Committee shall consist of six elected Members but only one of those elected can be a Member of the Executive. The Leader of the Council is not entitled to be a Member of the Standards Committee but Wokingham’s Standards Committee consisted ofthree of its six Members were members of the ruling Conservative Executive and its Chairman was the Leader of the Council.

With 50% of the Committee being part of the ruling Executive and the Chairman (The Council Leader) holding a casting vote how can such a body be fair, balanced and unbiased?

How can it serve the best interests of staff, members and residents along with the probity of all Council proceedings?

The reality is it cannot.

The ruling administration bases its thinking on legal advice (which would be right and proper to be made public) and an odd belief that the constitution, as long as its not against the law can be just changed willy nilly to fit their political thinking if the mood suits them or to cover for any inconvenient discrepancy that might pop up.

The letter of the law and the spirit of the law springs to mind as does the Nolan Principles but these all seem to be lost in the long grass with so many other good ideas put before Wokingham’s ruling Conservatives.

If it’s the Conservatives intention to bat this into the long grass under the umbrella that Legal Advice has been sought that advice must be put in the public domain. It is vital we understand when the Constitution of Wokingham Borough Council is purely advisory and does not have to be adhered to.

Constitutional changes are reviewed by the constitutional review group who report their findings to Council. Council can then approve the changes but in this case this never happened. Members rightly are reliant on officers to advise them but this never happened heree.

Committee members are approved at Annual Council and the majority Conservative ruling group would have met in secret to agree their nominations.

With their majority whatever they say on the night goes. Why then did they agree to this?

It seems that Wokingham’s Conservatives can just change the Constitution if its inconvenient to their political ideology and to hell with its role to promote, sustain and safeguard the behaviour of members within the Council and the probity of all the Council’s proceedings.

The word anomaly used as an excuse by the Leader of Wokingham Borough Council means ‘something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected’ which is most definitely a Conservative trait.

Leopards do not change their spots so where is the red line drawn with our Constitution? Does it mean that the ruling Conservative Party now has the Authority to ignore any protocol they don’t agree with? It would seem so.

The Conservatives just don’t get it where a simple apology and sorry we get it wrong is the answer but sadly the sorry word is not in the Conservatives vocabulary.

A simple acknowledgement that this was an error would go along way to restore trust. Is the Leader of WBC really so arrogant that he cannot see this or does he just not care one bit for anyone but this fellow Conservatives?

Cllr Gary Cowan, Independent Borough Councillor for Arborfield at Wokingham Borough Council

Extra support here 2020 was a difficult year for everyone.

Though there is hope on the horizon, starting 2021 in lockdown is not how most people wanted to ring in the New Year.

It’s understandable that many of us are feeling down and in need of a little extra emotional support.

The situation is especially challenging for the more than two million people in the UK living with sight loss. Many have faced anxiety, sadness and even fear about the unique challenges they have experienced – such as problems social distancing, difficulty shopping without guidance and isolation from losing tactile contact with friends and family during lockdown.

That’s why the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) launched Emergency Mental Health Sessions for local blind and partially sighted people in October.

The sessions are completely free and offer people with sight loss the opportunity to speak to a counsellor for an hour over the phone about however they are feeling and any problems that are on their mind. It doesn’t have to be about their sight at all.

We know that the next few months might be tough for many, so we want to remind you that RNIB is here to help.

If you or someone you know could benefit from speaking to someone, please call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999.

We can set up a chat within 36 hours and the service can be used as many times as needed.

No one with sight loss has to suffer on their own. Blind and partially sighted people deserve the same expectation of

mental wellbeing as everyone else.

That’s why RNIB will always be here.

Amanda Hawkins, Specialist Lead for Counselling and Wellbeing, RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)

Stresses and strains We’ve all felt the strain of 2020 and with restrictions in place across England it’s important that looking after our physical and mental health remains a priority in 2021.

That’s why I'm encouraging people stay active throughout the winter months and improve their heart health by taking on the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) 30-day virtual cycling challenge, MyCycle.

The BHF found that signing up to a challenge has helped a quarter of people get fitter in the past. Completing an exercise challenge, like MyCycle, can also have a positive effect on your mental health as it helps to increase your level of endorphins, which are a natural mood booster. This, combined with the knowledge that the miles you’re covering are helping to raise vital funds for the BHF’s life saving research, is sure to help put you in a good mood.

The coronavirus crisis hit charities especially hard last year. The BHF anticipate they will have to cut funding for new research by £50 million this year which will put potential life saving discoveries at risk.

That’s why I’m taking on MyCycle this January. So, join me and start pedalling to up the miles and get sponsored to help raise vital funds for life saving research into heart and circulatory diseases.

For more information visit: www.bhf.org.uk/mycycle Aimee Fuller, British Olympic Snowboarder & cycling enthusiast

Thank you from Barnardo’s I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of your readers who supported Barnardo’s across the South East through 2020, a year like no other.

Our shops closed, they asked when they would open, they opened and they returned with their donations and custom. This was a huge boost to the charity as all of the proceeds from our shops in any area go towards supporting children and families. Throughout the year the support shown to our services by the local communities was truly humbling.

During the run-up to Christmas, again at a time when everyone was and is suffering in some way due to the pandemic, the generosity shown by individuals and local companies has been amazing, from supplying food parcels to gift tokens and offers of support.

I would like to extend a special thanks to all of our volunteers who have returned to the charity whenever they could. Their support is simply invaluable.

To them and to our staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, a very sincere thank you – and we hope to see you all in 2021.

Emma Bowman, Director, Barnardo’s South East Region

Thursday, January 21, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

louisetimlin From the stumps

Still time to have your say on equalities poll

T

HE Women’s Equality (WE) Party, Reading and Wokingham, are delighted to see that Wokingham Borough Council are calling for input and comments on their proposed Equality Plan 2021-2025.

Our WEP town councillor in Congleton, Kay Wesley, has shown the impact a WEP councilor can have by helping the town council there to implement an ambitious and future focused Equality and Inclusion Policy.

This policy focuses on the many benefits diversity and equality can bring. It reaches beyond the legal minimum to include those with caring responsibilities and differing socio-economic circumstances.

That slender thread

W

Kay has invited the CEO of their local domestic abuse charity to speak at council and as a result the council is now supporting a new domestic abuse hub in Congleton. She has also championed the town to become White Ribbon Accredited. White Ribbon is a charity of men aiming to stamp out male violence against women.

In 2020 we saw many examples of the dangerous impact of inequality on our society. The Black Lives Matter movement has rightly moved beyond the US to shine a light on the impact of racism and systemic racism in the UK. COVID has disproportionately impacted those from BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds. Structural inequalities result in BAME people being more likely to be employed in higher risk and lower paid jobs such as in the caring profession.

They also result in financial inequality and differences in how health care is accessed.

Black women are four times more likely to die than white women during pregnancy or childbirth in the UK. COVID is having a disproportionate impact on women.

Domestic violence escalated during lockdown. More women are having to leave their jobs or being made

That was the week

Tony Johnson

HAT started as an enjoyable ride in a powerful car on the dark evening of Jan 21st, 2017 turned into a crash and then a fatality.

The scene beforehand Mortimer Road runs straight, going south through Grazeley village, past the village hall on the right hand side and the primary school on the left. It then goes past houses on either side round a gentle left-hand curve followed by a right-hand curve before exiting the village along another straight bit of road out into open countryside.

The speed limit’s 40mph and there’s a 20mph variable speed limit by the primary school playground. This is only active during the school drop-off and pick-up times and there’s a large car park well off the main road, so that children can get in and out safely.

The road’s reasonably wide, clearly marked and the OS map and Google’s street view show that this has been the case for over 10 years.

One night at Council At the Council meeting on September 21, 2017, the resident of the house the car had crashed into told everyone about two more accidents that had happened since January.

He asked WBC’s then executive member for highways Cllr Chris Bowring, “What actions will be taken and by when to resolve the speeding issues that plague Grazeley residents?”

Replying, Cllr Bowring said that “the 40mph speed limit [is] appropriate for this location, the council have recently installed mobile speedlimit Vehicle Activated Signs”.

In a supplementary question, the resident spoke plainly on “a point of clarity, there [are] no speed indicators in the locality” and asked if the Council would work with the police to find a resolution?

To which the executive member replied “the council is aware of the problem and will certainly work with the [olice to find a resolution”.

Watching WBC’s video of the meeting, one can clearly see the then Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police along with the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner waiting to address the council, all the while observing the interchange unfolding in front of them.

And another …

Eight weeks later, the resident faced the full council again and after reporting that the average speed was 20% over the speed limit with peak speeds over 80mph, went on to ask, “Please can Chris Bowring advise why it is that Thames Valley Police, Shinfield Parish Council and the local residents of Grazeley all accept there is a serious issue … however WBC persist in

VIEWPOINTS | 15

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their denial … and refuse to attend the site”.

In a protracted answer, Cllr Bowring claimed that the average southbound speed was 37.8mph and indicated his awareness of a recent meeting with WBC Highways at which the resident had challenged the location of the speed measurements.

In WBC’s video of the meeting Cllr Bowring talked about the problem on the approach to Grazeley from Lambwood Hill (northbound), before indicating that WBC would undertake further speed surveys.

Local resident photography of the crashes show that vehicles were all going southbound down Mortimer Road towards Lambwood Hill.

The second accident After the first crash, the residents rebuilt the property back to the high standard they’d updated it to after first moving in and time passed … … until the night of Thursday January 30 last year, when death visited Grazeley again as a second vehicle collided with the property, injuring both occupants, one fatally.

The second collision was separated from the first by three years in time and less than three metres (10ft) in location.

The residents provided the police with CCTV footage from two cameras which had been installed on the property after the first accident.

Despite efforts of the police, the parish council, neighbours and themselves – dismayed that little had changed in the three years, the residents had put their house on the market and the sale had been due to complete on the Friday, the day after the second crash.

It didn’t.

Another night at Shute End …

Visiting Shute End three weeks later, the resident prefaced his question to the Executive meeting on February 20., 2020, telling those present that “the very small amount of SID data I have access to shows that nearly 60% of motorists drive in excess of 40mph … and [up to] 61mph at school drop off times in a 20mph zone, 81mph on a Wednesday evening” …

He went on to say “both my wife and I are petrified the same might happen again. Two lives lost and six incidents in as many years outside my property. What are you going to do about this and in what timescale – a verbal ‘we will look in to it’ will not wash”.

WBC’s video shows the resident’s full statement, whereas its minutes of the meeting

redundant due to the pressures of home-schooling and lack of childcare. The lack of support for early years providers is putting many at risk of closure which will continue to have an impact on women’s ability to work.

WE welcome the efforts of WBC with regards their proposed Equality Plan 2021-2025 but urge them to be more ambitious. WE encourage WBC to spell out in the plan how they will be a stronger role model, for example, putting in a place a clear and transparent action plan to address their gender pay gap.

WE would like to see a more ambitious plan, informed by data from local stakeholders and community groups, as well as from their own recent survey on racism in the borough.

WE feel there is an opportunity here to have aspirational, measurable goals, that will address the impact of COVID and have a real impact on the lives of many in our community.

Please do take the time to read and comment on the plan – the deadline is Sunday: www.wokingham.gov.uk/ news-and-consultation/consultation-and-having-yoursay/current-consultations/?entryid206=541633 Louise Timlin, Branch Leader, Reading and Wokingham Women’s Equality Party

for this question, both online and in print – formally adopted at the online Exec meeting of April 22, 2020 – are tantamount to being an incomplete, and not quite right, record of what was actually said.

A full transcript and comparison is available.

As WBC’s Leader, Cllr John Halsall “acknowledge[d] the significant impact that this … has had, both upon your household … as well as the families of the deceased and passenger injured, and extend[ed] its sympathies to all those involved”.

Cllr Halsall also stated that in conjunction with others WBC was collecting information and would “determine what further engineering interventions might be considered to prevent such a tragedy occurring again … and until the investigation is concluded and the outcome of any coroner’s inquest is known, it is appropriate that there should be no statement from the Council about specific proposals”.

The resident’s supplementary question struck to the heart of the matter: “I understand that the council do not wish to comment on the current ongoing investigations following the January 30 accident. However following the fatal accident in January 2017 please could you advise what process was followed, what measures were put in place to avoid a recurrence, and what criteria were used to determine those measures?”

He was told that he would have to await a written answer …

What happened since …

The resident did eventually manage to sell their house in Grazeley and now lives at the far end of a mile-plus long cul-de-sac some 100 miles distant.

Professional as ever, Thames Valley Police followed up with an accident reconstruction which was witnessed by two people, one of who’s a Borough Councillor looking after Grazeley residents’ interests.

As you might suspect, there’s much more to this case however, out of respect to all the families involved, this paper has kept to a minimum level of reporting and commentary, focused on matters of public record.

The last word Today, four years have passed and little has changed along this 330 metre stretch of Mortimer Road.

And yet… … Ten-plus years ago, when introducing traffic calming measures “to increase road safety”, WBC installed eight road humps and two chicanes along 330 metres of an otherwise unremarkable road in Winnersh. No primary school, not even any houses on this bit of road.

The opening of WBC’s community vision says “A great place to live …”

As local tax-payers, please could we have a highways system that works properly, that delivers on its actions promptly and is respected by everyone as a consequence? caveat.lector@icloud.com

Harry’s world

Harry Bradley

Here we go again

T

HE lie-ins are pretty good and the fact that I’m not leaving the house in the dark every morning is also a bonus but if I’m honest, news of the new lockdown and the continuation of home schooling was a major kick in the teeth.

So much for a new year and returning to normal.

The usual excitement (or horror!) of returning to school didn’t happen and online learning has started all over again.

Thank goodness for Microsoft Teams and Snapchat, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them as a way of staying connected.

As much as I like getting up later (a whole extra hour in bed), I actually liked the ritual of getting dressed and getting out there.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel really lucky to have access to online school but staring at a screen all day is far more tiring than being in the classroom.

I think it’s got a name - Zoom-fatigue.

The challenge for students is to stay motivated, especially as we still have no clear idea about what’s happening with our exams this summer.

Student life, like everyone’s, just seems a bit up in the air at the moment.

I’ve never been more hooked on the news – every day hoping for Boris, Matt or Gavin or to make an announcement that will clear everything up.

So far no luck.

Cancelled If I’m honest, I’m glad that my A-levels have been cancelled.

Not because I don’t want to do them, in fact it’s a shame we don’t all have a chance to prove ourselves after two years of hard work.

No, I’m glad they’ve been cancelled because it hasn’t been two full years of learning.

After pretty much one full year of no ‘proper’ learning, sitting and writing my full papers might not have gone as well as I’d hoped.

But, in the nature of a New Year and trying to be positive, lockdown has meant I can read a lot of books, and that’s something I’m enjoying having time to do.

I’ve challenged myself to reading one a week and so far it’s gone well.

I totally recommend The Hobbit and Perfume, and this week I’ve dived into Sapiens.

At this rate maybe I should write a Book Club column instead.

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16 | NEWS

Nellie knows

Nellie Williams

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How Brian’s walk rescued swan lake

nelliewilliams.co.uk

ONE WOKINGHAM woman is pulling out all the stops to get people talking about mental health.

HERE’S things I miss about life before lockdown yet there’s other things I’m not hankering after.

I don’t miss traffic or constant clock watching. It’s the simple things I miss the most though, those things we unknowingly took for granted that now seem so abhorrent like friends popping in on spec, nipping quickly into town, chats in the supermarket, impromptu get togethers and bizarrely meetings.

I won’t miss Zooms but I will have to be properly dressed at all times. I long to do all of that and more as I’m missing people.

When the time comes The other day we had a roast and we said this is like Christmas all over again, same people and places.

However, lockdown has given us the time to sit down as a family and talk nonsense.

When the time comes and we start socialising more it’ll be like Christmas and birthdays rolled into one.

No need to elaborate I’m often asked why I love Wales and am so passionate about what I do.

I used to justify myself and give lots of reasons, which undoubtedly were met with another why?

Now I don’t justify myself or explain. I just am and do.

Just say no Another example that shouldn’t need an explanation is no.

The amount of times I’ve said “no because” or “no but” when all I needed to say was a firm “no”.

I remember a girlfriend went on a date and the poor guy emailed her to ask her out again and she replied, “No thank you, I don’t think I want to”.

We thought she was harsh, in actual fact she was honest.

So, no means no and you don’t need to justify yourself and give excuses because that creates a lever.

Think about it .... “No I can’t that day” to be met with “oh what about another day?” Or “No I can’t I’m busy” and then you’re asked “what about when you’re less busy?”

No, means no.

You’re being asked to do something you don’t want to do or haven’t got time to do and you’re being pressured to justify yourself. If you don’t want to do something or you’re too busy to do it say it.

Say no. No no no. Just say no Zammo.

When the time comes I’m in real danger of turning into my Granny with her “when I was in India” with my “when the time comes”.

So when the time comes and we’re able to travel and visit there will be no surprises as to where I’ll be heading.

Wales of course. Always Wales!

Why Wales?

The photos will come out, your eyes will glaze over and that’s how I know I’m turning into Granny.

Nellie writes about all things at www.nelliewilliams.co.uk.

Heather kickstar with a very mo

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today

Back in the day

T

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 21, 2021

HE MAY not be Superman, but he came to the rescue anyway.

Brian Hicks, a local walker and swan fanatic, was busy saving an injured swan earlier this month with a helping hand from the RSPCA. “Recently, I went to feed the swans at Charvil Country Park as the cold conditions have made it hard for them over the Christmas and New Year period,” Brian said.

“On the way to the lake, I happened upon a solitary swan in a field nearby, penned in by a fence of barbed wire.”

With blood on its beak and feathers, he said the bird was in distress so decided to reach out to the RSPCA for advice, who came down to help.

“I was told that swans can get very aggressive towards other swans and even kill them, so I was relieved when the volunteer expertly ducked under the barbed wire and hooked the swan out,” Brian said.

RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector Mel Fisher, who rescued the swan for the charity before taking the bird to safety, said: “It’s always a privilege to be able to help struggling wildlife.

“The swan looked like he had been bullied by a breeding pair and crashed into a fenced off marshy

area.

“Apart from some scrapes on the beak and being exhausted after being bullied, he wasn't in too bad a shape.”

She added: “I was able to take him to Swan Support, a specialist rescue centre which treats and cares for sick and injured swans, who will let the swan recover before releasing into one of their 'singles' sites.”

“I have no doubt it will make some new friends there,” Brian added.

However, this is not the first time he has found himself assisting the swans of Charvil Country Park.

“I go to the park every week to see a family of swans on one of the main lakes there,” Brian explained.

“I’ve dubbed it Swan Lake. It’s a delightful place to explore.”

He says that last year, the lake’s mother swan gave birth to seven cygnets. It’s now more than six months on and five remain.

He says he’s been making a special effort to look after them as the cold weather continues.

“The mother chases off any other birds that may want to come and receive food from walkers,” he said.

Now, Brian hopes to inspire more people to get out there and enjoy the beauty of swans, even if only from a distance.

That’s why it’s closed IF you’ve been out on daily exercise this week and walked past Wokingham station, you will have seen that the historic footbridge has been covered over.

Regular readers will remember that the site needs to be refurbished, so that it can made fit for purpose for the 21st century.

The pedestrian crossing over the railway tracks is a Grade II listed structure and was originally opened in the late 19th century.

It is unusual as it uses iron from recycled rails.

A 2017 inspection found that there were cracks in the stonework, damp in the stair tread, paint loss throughout and corrosion causing loss of thickness on the full length of the stairs.

A planning application was lodged earlier last year, but rejected.

At the time, Network Rail said that as the bridge is in a poor condition, its works will “ensure the asset

continues to be safe for general public use as well as eliminating risks to the running services, passengers and all railway users”.

Now, a way forward has been found. Instead of a Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) for the stairs, Network Rail is preparing to go down to the woods today.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Network Rail has put up scaffolding and is awaiting approval from Wokingham Council so the work to refurbish the Grade II listed bridge at Wokingham station can begin.

“The stair treads on the bridge will be upgraded using hardwood timber that are anti-slip.

“When work begins, the bridge will be closed until mid-March to allow engineers to repair the ageing structure so the historic footbridge can be used by passengers for many years to come.”

Heather Murray has kickstarted the new year with a fitness charity fundraiser – she’s been busy ‘moving for Mind’.

The charity supports people across England and Wales who are facing mental health issues.

And on New Year’s Day, it launched Move for Mind, an annual fundraising campaign to get people thinking about their mental wellbeing while getting fit at the same time.

Those who take part sign up to get moving for 30 days this winter, and the money raised goes towards funding Mind’s support services.

“Last year, a friend of mine took part and she raised just shy of £3,000,” Heather explained.

“Recently, I’ve been on my own mental health journey and I decided that I want to turn my experience into something positive – I want to become an ambassador for mental health.”

She says that from a mental health perspective, the challenge has lifted her out of “that dark cloud”.

“I feel so much better for doing it,” she said. “I feel like it’s given me a purpose again so it’s been really, really good.”

After getting a Peloton bike for her birthday, Heather decided it was only fitting to ‘Move for Mind’ while making use of her gift and set herself the challenge of embarking on 30 continuous days of cycle rides.

“It might be 10 minutes of exercise, it might be 45 minutes, but that doesn't matter. Until the end of

HEALTHY MIND: Heather Murray is supporti

The panda with a pe WHILE people might have missed Santa’s sleigh last month, there was another friendly face out and about in Wokingham borough.

The man in the furry suit, known as the Earley Panda, was spotted cycling the streets last month in a bid to spread some Christmas cheer.

Wokingham borough’s furry friend was up to his usual tricks, riding around town to create GPS art online - but this time, he had help from a friend across the pond.

“I was cycling and making GPS art throughout lockdown, but in December I wanted to do something for the Christmas festivities,” the bear explained.

“And I thought why not make an advent calendar and create some Christmassy GPS art.”

Everyday throughout December, Earley Panda put his helmet on and got pedalling to create some festive cycle maps.

When he put out a call for help to

create the routes online, he received assistance from across the globe.

“I put a post up asking if somebody could help me with the GPS figures, and somebody from all the way over in Canada said he could lend a hand,” Earley Panda says. “He helped me find lots of Christmas-related routes, studying the Earley map

Thursday, January 21, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

rts her new year oving challenge January, I will be getting on that bike every day,” she explained.

While some days it’s easier to stay motivated than others, she says that her husband and a close friend are doing the challenge alongside her, which makes it a lot easier.

Heather is also taking to social media to keep people up to date on her progress while encouraging them to be aware of their mental wellbeing.

“What I want to do is show people that you’re not weak for being open,” she explained.

“If you have mental health problems, the process of working through it and having to deal with it, whether it maybe something like anxiety or low mood, can make you stronger and more resilient’’ “All I’ve tried to do is inspire people to move and I’m really liking it. I think it’s really impacting people in a positive way, particularly in the climate we’re in at the moment” And Heather says that the feedback from family and friends has been “amazing”, and has given her the confidence to keep sharing her journey.

“I’ve had quite a lot of people saying that I’ve inspired them to get a bike or move everyday and it’s really made me feel that I have a voice,” she said.

“It’s made me realise that actually, nobody has laughed at me or thinks that what I’m doing is silly so the support just really cheers me up.”

So far, Heather has raised just over £1,000 for Mind, doubling her initial target of £500, and says she’s feeling really proud.

ing a mental health charity this month

� For more details, or to donate, visit: moveformind.blackbaud-sites.com/ fundraising/the-murray-move-for-mind

enchant for pedalling and pointing out cookies and gingerbread men and all things festive – it was really helpful.”

And the bear says his shenanigans have been met with great feedback.

“Every day people were asking me what I was going to make next and everybody was quite excited,” he says.

“I think people want something to cheer about at Christmas, and with the coronavirus as well, I think it was accepted and applauded by a lot of people.”

Now, Earley Panda is looking forward to hitting the streets again – and this time, he hopes to raise money for a good cause.

The bear explained: “I’ve been approached by a couple of charities to raise money for a few different causes, but I haven’t made my mind up at the moment on the charity I’m going to support.

“I’m waiting for the better weather so I can go out cycling on a daily basis again, rather than doing a one-off event.”

And Earley panda says he is still working hard to raise awareness of safe cycling and male mental health.

“I hope that people see me

NEWS | 17

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cycling on the road and give the same consideration to the Panda as they do to anybody else, aside from the honking,” the bear says.

“But I also need to look after my mental health and make sure I don’t exhaust myself too much.

“It takes time to study the map and figure out which routes to follow.”

He isn’t sure when he’ll next be gracing Earley’s roads, but hopes it will be soon.

“I’m looking forward to starting up again,” he says. “When I started, I thought I would only cycle in Earley because it’s where I used to ride around before.

“But now, I’ve experienced going to Sonning and to Wokingham, and I really feel like I’m helping people smile and creating instant joy.

“In return, I’m motivated to cycle more.”

In the future, Earley Panda could be heading even further afield with a possible ride from Reading to London on the cards.

For now, he’s busy making plans to return to the local scene and spread some lockdown joy once more.

To stay up to date with Earley Panda, visit: www.facebook.com/ earleypanda

Great reads brought to book by kind Shirley

WHAT’S BREWING

IN FINCHAMPSTEAD?

H A NEW scheme launched to help children have access to quality reading materials during lockdown has been such a success that the organiser is hoping it will spread across the borough.

The Great Woodley Book Share launched earlier this month in response to bookshops, libraries and charity stores closing their doors due to the coronavirus.

Organiser Shirley Boyt, who is also a borough councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates, has been a volunteer for the Woodley Lunch Bunch.

This scheme provides meals during holidays for families who would otherwise receive free school meals.

She said that the closures mean that for many families there is a restriction on places where they can access reading material, something that could affect their child’s progress.

The scheme welcomed donations of good quality children’s books, which are then passed on to avid young readers – and people have donated in their droves.

“I am overwhelmed,” Cllr Boyt said. “There are more books than I can shake a stick at.

“They are being sorted out into age categories, ensuring they are in good condition, and then they are being shared on social media.

“If people want them, they can let me know and I can drop them round.”

The idea, she explained, came from a desire to ensure children were still able to read.

“I had read articles in the paper about how concerned education charities are about how lockdown is setting back children’s reading, especially from low-income families.

“Libraries are closed, charity shops are closed, suddenly all the places they’d use have gone. It’s OK for people who can shop online, but there must be loads and loads of families having a clearout and have books at home that people have grown out of.”

The success of the scheme has delighted Cllr Boyt, that she feels it could be adapted by other groups who are helping vulnerable families during the pandemic.

“The more (groups offer this) the merrier really,” she said.

For more details, search for The Great Woodley Book Share on Facebook.

Covid in a Nutshell

The Stranger’s Winter Story

Covid still here Lurking unseen, Wish it would vanish, Become a has-been.

The hour was late when the stranger came to the moor’s bleak edge.

The short cut – was dangerous but He was lured from the guiding hedge.

Nothing to stop it Spreading worldwide, Millions infected, Thousands died.

All for the gift he carried and the message he must bear, He paid heed - to his greater need, Though his conscience might cry: “Beware!”

Instead it rampages, Changes its spots, Flies round the world At a huge rate of knots.

The wind grew icy and savage gnawing his flesh like teeth.

Black as pitch - gaped a waiting ditch, As it snatched a prey for the heath.

It started in China, Spread to UK, Then it mutated, Got worse by the day.

Out of the murderous darkness in a weaving mesh of fog, Lifting jowls - with curdling howls Rose the massive form of a dog...

Kent had a variant Followed by Brazil, Who will be next Taking us over the hill?

It flung itself at the stranger and its coat was thick and warm.

So it lay - ‘til streaks of day Brought a rescuer with the dawn.

At last we have vaccines, In fact two or three, Will all these succeed?

Must wait and see.

The stranger leaned on the pillows and spoke from the drowsy bed “Was he yours - that dog on the moors ?

But for him, I was surely dead.”

Tis up to we humans To follow the rules, Stay in our houses, Don’t act like mules! © Lorna Minton

“Ah, no,” said the man. “My Pilot, he died ten years ago.

Tired and old – and stiffened with cold, From saving a man In the snow.”

Clare Bevan

We love receiving reader’s poetry. Email your submissions to letters@ wokinghampaper.co.uk

APPY New Year everyone!

We’re really missing restaurants. There’s something truly lovely about heading down to a local eating spot, whether it’s a fancy meal out to celebrate or just catching up with friends. With that in mind, we got in touch with our friends at Makan Malaysia to come up with a meal kit so you can recreate a night out in the comfort of your own home.

If you’ve not heard of Makan Malaysia before, get ready to find a new favourite! The company was started by two lifelong best friends Kat & Sue. The duo grew up in Malaysia, but have been Berkshire residents for a long time. Having worked other less satisfying jobs, they set upon the task of introducing Malaysian cuisine to the UK. Only a few years later, they are a staple of the local food scene. Having started out providing street food at events, pop-ups and our very own Siren Tap Yard, they now have their own kitchen and deliver fresh meal kits nationwide.

They’ve put together oneVegan kit and one with meat, which we’ve paired with two 4.2% Session IPA, Lumina and two 3.6% Session Pale Ale, Yu Lu. Each kit has two beautiful curries, coconut rice for two and four fritters. Head to the website to see the full details and place an order. Food will be cooked fresh, and ready for collection on the 21st, 22nd or 23rd January, which is then simply reheated at home. www.sirencraftbrew.com/makan

Whilst you’re on the website, check out the Tap Yard 3rd Birthday Box! That’s right, our bar and bottleshop is now three years old! We’d love nothing more than to open the doors and party with all our local friends but of course, that’s sadly not possible.

Instead, join the fun with this great little mixed case.

It includes access to our exclusive online virtual party on Saturday 23rd!

Last but not least - we’re turning lockdown on its head and making sure we can all make the best of a bad situation. Introducing - The Lockdown Calendar.

Whether you open door 1 first, or door 24, or even door 11, that’s up to you. Join us in counting down to (hopefully!) better days. There’s 24 unique beers, 15 new additions not seen in our incredibly popular Christmas Advent calendar.

So come Celebrate Lockdown with Siren and preorder your box now!

Go to www.sirencraftbrew.com/lockdown.

SIREN CRAFT BREW 18 Marino Way, Hogwood Lane Industrial Estate, Finchampstead RG40 4RF 0118 973 0929

sirencraftbrew.com

18 | BUSINESS

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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 21, 2021

Got a business story? Email news@ wokinghampaper.co.uk. or write to Wokingham.Today, Crown House, 231 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS LOCKDOWN BUSINESS

David Cliff wins top seller award during ‘frenzied’ year

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today WHILE 2020 was a rollercoaster for local businesses, one Wokinghambased estate agency says it was one of the best years so far.

GIFT: Priority Freight has donated medical-grade face coverings to Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice to help their staff stay covid-safe

A Devine donation A LOCAL hospice is now even more covid-secure, thanks to a freight provider’s charitable donation.

Priority Freight, which is based in London Heathrow, has donated 180,000 medical masks to multiple charities affected by the coronavirus pandemic – including Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice.

This is the company’s largest-ever donation, which has cost more than £100,000, and will see masks delivered to 30 organisations across Europe.

Mike Spellman, general manager at Heathrow, said: “To make such a sizeable and useful donation to such fantastic and deserving charities was a real personal delight for myself and the Heathrow staff.

“In such difficult and uncertain times,

the generosity of the company is outshone only by the inspiring work these organisations do in the most challenging circumstances.

“While all eyes are on more global issues, to be able to make such major local donations is humbling.”

Neal Williams, group managing director at Priority Freight, added: “Having fought hard to get our company back into a strong position this year, we wanted to give something back to people who literally spend every hour of every working day, helping those in need.

“We asked our team members at our offices across Europe for suggestions on where to donate some much-needed medical supplies and were delighted with the response.”

David Cliff Estate Agents went from closing its doors in March, to managing a “frenzied” property market in the summer, to being named as Right Move’s Top Selling Agent in the Wokingham area.

And company owner David Cliff says that when looking back on the past year, he realises his company has been “incredibly fortunate”.

“I remember watching when the prime minister put us all into lockdown and everything went a bit crazy,” said David Cliff, company owner.

“Actually, we were very lucky, but at the time I didn’t think that would be the case.”

Mr Cliff says that despite the property business closing for a large chunk of last year,

from a business perspective 2020 was one of the company’s best years yet.

It has branches in Wokingham town centre, Binfeld, Mortimer and Park Lane in London.

David Cliff Estate Agents was also chosen to work with Wokingham Town Council on the Elms Field redevelopment, which will see a whole host of town houses, luxury penthouses and apartments built in the heart of Wokingham.

However, Mr Cliff says his business was not immune to the impacts of the pandemic and he and his team had to adapt quickly to communicating online, and swiftly introduced covid-safety measures to put staff and clients at ease.

“It was really, really tough,” he said.

“Nobody had dealt with this before, there was legislation coming out left, right and centre, and it was hard to know which rules to follow.”

From enforcing gloves and masks for staff and customers, to discussing

with clients in outdoor spaces, Mr Cliff said it was important to make sure everybody felt safe.

And as England’s first national lockdown began to wind down and the stamp duty holiday was introduced, he said inquiries “went through the roof”.

“You could not answer the phone quick enough,” he said.

“The property market just went crazy.”

Looking back on the past year, Mr Cliff says the pandemic taught David Cliff Estate Agents a lot of lessons and gave the team a chance to grow.

“As a company, we’ve always been known for our levels of communication,” he explained.

“But I think we raised the bar on that again.

“Covid made us realise that, while we think we’re good at communicating,

there’s always room to improve.”

And he says the pandemic helped the team grow even closer.

“The David Cliff family has all been through Covid together, and we support each other.”

Now, as he looks forward to the coming year, Mr Cliff says he feels more prepared than ever.

“With changing coronavirus restrictions, we’re simply going to take it week-by-week, month-bymonth and see what comes,” he explained.

“As long as we look after our clients and look after each other, it will be fine.”

Rather than setting business goals, he hopes the agency can make new kinds of progress through supporting more charities and helping the community.

“That’s what an estate agent should be – part of the community,” he said.

More than 3,300 jobs

Help for insolvencies

Student’s rental win

THE LOCAL economy is going from strength to strength, with new job opportunities springing up.

Dspite the coronavirus pandemic, there are more than 3,300 job vacancies in Wokingham borough right now – and there are over 40,000 across the whole of Berkshire.

This is according to online jobs portal Berkshire Opportunities, which aims to help people access vacancies and training.

It says that job opportunities plummeted between March and June last year, but rose steadily afterwards.

And Berkshire has the highest job density of all the Home Counties, with more than nine positions available for every working age adult.

Dom Unsworth, board director at Thames Valley Berkshire LEP, said: “We are fortunate that Berkshire’s economy has remained strong, with key industries such as technology and health and social care continuing to thrive and offer attractive career opportunities for job seekers.”

According to Berkshire Opportunities’ latest statistics, demand for information technology and telecommunications

HELP is at hand for people in Wokingham borough.

R3, the insolvency trade body, has launched a new guide to help residents manage their debts and learn more about personal insolvency.

And it hopes that its new document Dealing With Money Worries – a Guide to Your Options will be the go-to resource for anybody worried about their personal finances.

It lists potential solutions to any debt worries, as well as sources of support and advice.

Garry Lee, chairman for the R3 Southern & Thames Valley region, said: “We’ve developed this document to provide individuals with all the information they might need about the various options they can access.”

He hopes it makes the idea of seeking help or advice on personal debt issues a bit less daunting.

“We hope it will encourage more people in Wokingham to seek help as early as possible,” he added.

To access the guide, visit: www.r3.org.uk

A READING resident has been named one of the UK’s next ‘young innovators’.

23-year-old Christopher Elliot is the founder of Untrapped, a one-stop student rental portal which manages the process for students and landlords. He hopes it will save money and improve renting standards.

Mr Elliot was named an award-winner in this year’s Young Innovators Awards, which recognise young people up and down the country who have the potential to become future leaders in business.

Seven of this year’s 64 winners were from the South East, and now, they will all receive a £5,000 grant and one-on-one business coaching.

“I am both thrilled and honoured to have been selected for the Innovate UK award,” said Mr Elliot. “Untrapped’s offering will significantly reduce the total cost of student letting, improve compliance and drive the overall market standards.”

He hopes the funding and business support will allow him to test Untrapped’s services in at least two cities in the UK.

professionals in Berkshire has risen by 12% in the past year.

Careers in health and social care are also thriving, with nursing vacancies rising by more than 41% between December 2019 and 2020.

Claire Wardle, from Health Education England (South East), says the NHS has been “the hero” of the coronavirus pandemic and more people than ever are interested in joining healthcare.

“Lots of people think you need previous healthcare experience or qualifications to secure a healthcare role, but you don’t,” she said.

“We primarily look for people who embody the values of the NHS and show they have transferable skills.”

Mr Unsworth says that some sectors, including hospitality and retail, have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and workers now face a “precarious” future.

“My message to those affected by redundancy, closure or furlough is to take action now to access the support you need to put your best foot forward,” he said.

“With support and training it is possible to pivot to another career, in an industry where your experience and transferable skills are desperately needed.”

Dangerous gas fitter fined £2,000 A READING man has been fined after leaving a Wokingham resident with dangerous gas works.

Saeed Sajjad Quresh’s firm Gas Spec was subject to an investigation from Wokingham Borough Council’s Public Protection Partnership response team.

The company had been contracted to help renovate a bathroom between September 16 and 30, 2019.

Inspectors found that the substandard work posed a safety risk to the homeowner, while other instances it was of such a poor standard it breached the requirements of professional diligence – meaning it was below the standard of special skill and care reasonably expected of a trader acting in good faith and working with honest market practice in that field.

The PPP, which operates on behalf of Wokingham Borough, Bracknell Forest and West Berkshire councils, also found evidence that Qureshi had allowed

unregistered people to work on a gas boiler and trade body Gas Safe later found problems that put the gas supply “At Risk” because the pressure was too low.

As a result, the 33-year-old from Romsey Road in Norcot, was convicted at Reading Magistrates Court on Friday, January 8, after pleading guilty to one offence under Regulation 8 of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

Qureshi was ordered to pay a payment of £2,000 to the victim.

Thursday, January 21, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY

PARISHNOTICEBOARD Parish and borough council meetings

Meetings online – contact councils for details

Wednesday, January 20 Finchampstead Parish Council. Full council. 7pm. www.finchampstead-pc.gov.uk Wokingham Borough Council. Individual Members’ Decision: My Journey Wokingham Funding approval. 5.15pm. Overview Scrutiny Management Committee. 7pm. wokingham.gov.uk

Thursday, January 21 Wokingham Borough Council. Individual Members’ Decision: Consultation on the proposed new permitted development right for the change of use from Commercial, Business and Service use to residential. 11am. Council. 7pm. www.wokingham.gov.uk

Monday, January 25 Wokingham Borough Council. Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 7pm. www.wokingham.gov.uk

Tuesday, January 26 Winnersh Parish Council. Finance and general purposes committee meeting. 7.30pm. www.winnersh.gov.uk Woodley Town Council. Planning and community. 8pm. www.woodley.gov.uk

Wednesday, January 27 Earley Town Council. Policy and resources. 7pm. earley-tc.gov.uk Finchampstead Parish Council. Amenities committee. 7pm. finchampstead-pc.gov.uk Wokingham Borough Council. Individual Members’ Decision: West Berkshire Local Plan Reviews. 10.30am. www.wokingham.gov.uk

Thursday, January 28 Shinfield Parish Council. Recreation and Amenities. 7.30pm. shinfieldparish.gov.uk Wokingham Borough Council. Executive. 7pm. wokingham.gov.uk

Monday, February 1 Hurst Parish Council. Council meeting. 7.30pm. hurstpc.org.uk

NEWS | 19

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FROMTHECOURTS � A WOODLEY man pleaded guilty to drink driving when he appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on December 8.

Mazhar Abbas, 50 and from Woodlands Avenue, was stopped on Haywood Court in Reading on October 21. A test found that he had 50 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

He was fined £200, and banned from driving for three years. He must also pay £85 costs and £34 to victim services.

to making and possessing child pornography.

Marcus David Bennett, 38 and from Pyegrove Chase, appeared before Reading Magistrates Court on December 8, where he admitted possessing 9,443 category C images, 86 category B images and 19 category A images – the strongest kind – in digital forms.

Bennett has been remanded on unconditional bail ahead of his sentencing and will be placed on the sex offences register. The date for his sentencing has yet to be set.

Cases heard in Reading and Slough Magistrates Court in recent weeks behind the wheel for 15 months.

Sarah May Ambrose will have the ban reduced by 15 weeks on completion of a safe driving course.

The 36-year-old from Winnersh Grove, off Reading Road, appeared before Reading Magistrates Court on December 10, where she admitted the incident.

She had been stopped by police on October 30. A test found that she had 70 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

In addition to the ban, Ambrose must pay a £400 fine, £85 costs and £40 to victim services.

� A YATELEY man who drove while under the influence of drugs has been remanded on unconditional bail for sentencing.

Harley Lloyd, 22 and from Minstead Drive, was stopped in Longwater Road, Finchampstead on January 28 last year.

A test found traces of Benzoylecgonine, a form of cocaine, and traces of Delta-9Tetrahydrocannabinol, a form of cannabis, in his blood stream.

Lloyd initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea when he appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on December 8.

He has an interim driving ban ahead of the sentencing, which will take place on February 24.

� AN ARBORFIELD woman has been found guilty of three counts of assault by beating.

Amanda Brench, 48 and from Howell Close, appeared before Reading Magistrates Court on December 9.

She denied the assaults on three different people, which took place on June 27, 2019.

However, magistrates disagreed and ordered Brench to undertake a rehabilitation activity up to a maximum of 30 days.

She must also pay £250 costs and £85 to victim services.

Magistrates declined to order compensation as they felt it might make the situation worse.

� A WINNERSH man has been banned from driving for 18 months.

Adam Mark Render, 19 and from Woodward Close, was stopped by police on November 1 in the car park of the Trooper Potts pub.

A test found that he had 84 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

His ban will be reduced by 18 weeks on completion of a safe driving course.

Render must also pay a £340 fine, £34 to victim services and £85 costs.

He pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on December 10.

� A BRACKNELL man has been committed to Reading Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty

� DRIVING while over the drink drive limit has seen a Winnersh woman banned from getting

� A TEENAGER who drove in Woodley without third-party insurance or a driving licence has

been given a series of fines.

Vera Mintah-Yemoh, 18 and from Wensley Road, Reading, appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on December 10, where she admitted the following offences: • For obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty she was fined £300 • For driving without insurance she was fined £250 and had six points added to her driving licence • For driving without a licence, she was fined £100.

The incidents took place in Church Road, Woodley on October 27 last year. � A WOODLEY man has been ordered to undertake drug rehabilitation treatment for 12 months after pleading guilty to theft, assault and being in possession of a sharp, pointed item in a public place.

Joshua McClure, 23 and from Jasmine Square, appeared before Reading Magistrates Court on December 15, where is admitted to stealing alcohol worth £101 from the Asda store in Tilehurst.

This offence took place on January 29.

On the same day, he assaulted a man in Reading, and had a 12cm sharp bike spoke on his possession.

He was ordered to pay £85 costs and £90 to victim services at a rate of £5 per week.

20 | LIFE

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Watch Wokingham

Adrian Betteridge Wokingham Active Travel Community Hub

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 21, 2021

Inthekitchen Freely Fruity facebook.com/freelyfruityUK

Haggis cottage pie neeps and tatties

B The first column from Wokingham Active Travel Community Hub (WATCH) aimed at boosting greener transport.

Adrian Betteridge writes...

I

T’S hard to miss the ‘revolution in walking and cycling’ in the news these days.

Whether to reduce harmful emissions, improve air quality, for mental and physical well-being or just as a more enjoyable way to get around, everyone from government to local community groups are encouraging us to walk and cycle more.

We have a great opportunity in Wokingham.

Like most parts of the UK, we probably use a car for two-thirds of short journeys, even though on our congested roads it’s often as quick to walk as drive when factoring in parking.

Even a five-mile journey is under half an hour of gentle cycling in our generally flat borough.

So what’s stopping us?

One issue is that most people don’t feel it is safe to cycle on our roads, and see the off-road alternatives as equally unattractive. Wokingham is well below national and regional averages for travel by bike, and the proportion of cycling is falling year-on-year.

Similarly, difficulty crossing busy roads and poor pedestrian provision may deter many who might choose to walk.

Emergency Local plans to address the climate emergency and air quality depend on a many-fold increase in walking and cycling over the next 10 years.

The Council works hard to encourage this, but creating the required high quality safe, direct, continuous and attractive routes is happening very slowly, even though national surveys repeatedly show public support for this.

Making space for walking and cycling needn’t be to the detriment of motorists.

One of the first benefits of more people walking and cycling will be reduced congestion for those who have to drive.

Wokingham Active Travel Community Hub (WATCH) launched in late 2020 as a community group to help make Wokingham a great walking and cycling Borough.

We have over 100 members with new people joining every week via our Facebook page and member group.

We are delighted that Wokingham Today has given us this regular column where we can talk about the challenges, opportunities and how we can make change happen together. � Tell us what you think at: WATCHwokingham@gmail.com.

URNS night is just around the corner and while this year we will be limited to a household gathering it is still a great time to celebrate the seasonal vegetables; potatoes and swede.

This very comforting haggis cottage pie has a topping of neeps and tatties.

You can make this ahead to step seven then refrigerate, just cook for one hour from cold. Serve with your favourite green vegetables.

Don’t forget to raise a toast and shout: the haggis!

Ingredients � 2 tbsp olive oil � 400g minced beef � Salt and pepper to taste � 1 onion, finely diced � 2 carrots, finely diced � 2 sticks celery, finely chopped � 1 tbsp tomato purée � 200g haggis � 100ml red wine � 1 tbsp plain flour For the topping � 500g potatoes (maris piper work well), peeled and cut in half or quarters

the remaining beef, remove and set aside 2. To the empty pan add the remaining oil (1 tsp and 1 tbsp), lower the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots and celery; fry for 5 minutes to soften then mix in the tomato purée and return the meat to the pan 3. Cut open the haggis and crumble in 200g; mix well 4. Increase the heat and add the wine; cook for 2 more minutes 5. Mix in the flour and cook for 2 more minutes 6. Mix in 500ml water and cover the pan.

Simmer for 20 minutes, then transfer into a dish about 1.5 litre capacity / 21cm square; set aside.

Topping

� 250g swede, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes � 50g butter � Salt and pepper to taste

Method 1. Put a large heavy bottomed pan over a medium-high heat and add 1 tsp

oil. Spread out half of the beef evenly; season and fry undisturbed for 3-4 minutes then mix and cook for 2 more minutes.

Don’t worry about a brown crust on the pan – it’s intentional for flavour.

Remove and repeat with 1 tsp oil and

7. Put the potatoes and swede into a large pan and cover with water.

Place over a high heat and boil for 20-25 minutes until soft then drain 8. Preheat your oven to 180°C/ gas mark 4 9. Mash the topping with the butter and a good pinch of salt and place on top of your meat 10. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. � www.facebook.com/freelyfruityuk/

healthwatchwokingham Joanna Dixon www.healthwatchwokingham.co.uk

Don’t be down in the mouth over dentists

A

T HEALTHWATCH WOKINGHAM, part of our role is to provide signposting and guidance to members of the public about current issues in Health and Social Care.

If you are struggling to find the information you need you can call our helpdesk on 0118 418 1418. It’s open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.

Alternatively, email: enquiries@ healthwatchwokingham.co.uk.

We wanted to highlight two hot topics that people have contacted us about this month: the covid vaccine and dentistry.

The Covid-19 Vaccination has made headlines around the world and with three vaccines now licenced for use in the UK we know that many older or vulnerable Wokingham residents are eagerly awaiting their appointments.

The advice continues to be, wait to be contacted by your GP. We were also contacted by residents wanting to help the effort.

Wokingham Volunteer Centre (volunteer@wok.vol.org.uk) are coordinating volunteer marshals.

They said: “We are looking for volunteers across Wokingham Borough to be at the forefront of the local fight against the virus – you could be part of it.

“We are seeking Volunteer

DRILL DOWN TO THE DETAILS: Healthwatch Wokingham wants to hear about your experiences with dentists Picture: Rubén González from Pixabay

marshals to help at covid vaccination clinics.

“This is an exciting opportunity to join us and play your part in protecting the community and saving lives. The roles will include ensuring smooth arrival onsite of those coming for vaccination; ensure efficient patient flow to the clinical assessment, vaccination station, post-vaccination observation area and exit, ensuring speed, safety and security; addressing any issues that arise or escalate to a Healthcare Professional if needed and ensuring

that visitors respect national guidelines such as social distancing and mask protection.

“Volunteers must be a minimum of 18 years old. There is no upper age limit. Those who have been told to shield, due to being on clinically extremely vulnerable list should not sign up to volunteer.

“Clinics are likely to be based in Wokingham town, Earley, Wargrave or Swallowfield.’

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, we have seen a significant increase in the number of people telling us about the problems they face when

trying to get an NHS dentist appointment, suggesting the impact the pandemic has had on dentistry has been particularly acute.

As this is a national issue, we have been giving local information to Healthwatch England who are campaigning for improvements.

Your stories have fed into their work to affect change at the highest level.

You can read their report here www.healthwatch.co.uk/report/ 2020-12-09/what-are-peopletelling-us-july-september-2020 The British Dental Association said: “We back calls from patient champion Healthwatch for the Government to act on the ongoing crisis in dental services in England that has been cast into stark relief by the covid pandemic.”

If you have had a problem registering with a Wokingham dentist or getting an appointment with an existing dentist we would like to hear your experiences.

Sharing your experience with us will help us to continue to act on Wokingham Borough resident’s behalf and challenge service providers to make improvements.

You can call our helpline on: 0118 418 1418 to speak to someone or fill in our dentistry survey by logging on to: www.smartsurvey. co.uk/s/XFC4HJ/

INTHECOMMUNITY Wokingham Lions

P

ROCEEDS totalling £700 from the Wokingham Lions Club virtual pub quizzes in December have been donated to the Link Visiting Scheme, a local charity which supports older people who are alone or lonely.

Marjie Walker, scheme manager, Link Visiting Scheme, said: “Wokingham Lions have raised an impressive £700 for Link Visiting, which went toward our Christmas programme, and we are so grateful.

“This year we supported 107 people on Christmas Day with a delicious hot lunch, a well-stocked gift bag, and most importantly, a knock on the door and a socially distanced visit from a volunteer.”

She added: “Our Christmas volunteers made lots of extra phone calls too, and made a big difference.

Being alone over the Christmas period is never easy, and we are grateful for the Lions’ contribution to helping us make the day a little easier.

“We continue to support over 500 people with phone calls and visits each week, and couldn't do so without the support of our brilliant local community.

“Thank you.”

The next Great #Woky Pub Quizzes are scheduled for Thursdays January 28 and February 25 at 8pm via a live stream on Facebook.

Organised by Wokingham Lions Club’s member, Ian Grange, these virtual online pub quizzes will support two local charities, Thrive and Share Wokingham.

Anyone can participate via the Wokingham Lions Club Facebook page at fb.com/wokinghamlions/video.

For more information on Link Visiting Scheme or to volunteer, visit www.linkvisiting.org/volunteering CLAIRE MANGERS-PAGE

CLASP Wokingham MEMBERS of a charity that supports people with learning disabilities are preparing to put their best foot forward.

CLASP Wokingham usually holds a big fundraising event, known as Wellie Walk, in February. This takes in a specially designed route around Finchampstead.

However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic means that this cannot take place.

Wargrave Local History Society

W

ARGRAVE Local History Society held another successful meeting using Zoom in January, when – in a change to the previously announced programme – Simon Wenham gave an illustrated presentation on Hobbs of Henley.

Simon has a particular interest in the social history of the Victorian era. His research Doctorate had been a study of Salter’s Steamers, and having published that, he met Tony and Jonathan Hobbs, who commented that producing a history of their firm would be a good way to mark its 150th anniversary in 2020.

Simon explained that Hobbs do not have a large archive themselves, so other sources had to be found to establish the facts.

The first problem was to verify that the business was founded in 1870.

The family, he discovered, had been wharfingers at Hambleden since at least

SOCIETY | 21

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California Gardeners’ Club

L

AST week, the club held an online photography competition for members on the theme of Wildlife in the Garden.

This was inspired by the Zoom talk at the beginning of the month by wildlife photographer Tom Way. The winning entries: 1st Ian Gillott A deer fence is on the to-do-list!

2nd Peter Allington Red Kite over Windsor Ride 3rd Julia Goodall Busy, busy, busy You can view the other entries on the club website: www. californiagardenersclub.co.uk If you have not yet caught up with the article on Tom Way’s talk, you can also see it on the website in the January newsletter.

Why not join our friendly club? Membership is free during 2021.

This will give you access to the monthly talks which are currently held via Zoom, as well as a monthly newsletter and access to the garden trading hut at reduced prices.

JULIA GOODALL

And a proposed replacement, a Pancake Walk around Dinton Pastures, has also been axed.

In order to help the charity raise funds, they are asking members to take part in a 45-minute walk, jog or cycle between February 15 and February 19.

They can raise sponsorship from friends and family for doing so.

For more details, or to join in, log on to: claspwokingham.org.uk To donate, log on to :virginmoneygiving.com/fund/ footstepsfebruary

First Days Charity received an early Christmas present from The Arts Society Wokingham.

Before Christmas, The Arts Society presented its trustees with a cheque for

£500 to buy arts and craft equipment for children and young people who need these but can’t afford them.

First Days, which started in 2013, aims to reduce the long-term effect of poverty on children and young people by making sure they have all the essential items they need for their early years and during their school days.

Chairman of the Arts Society Wokingham, Robin Cops, said that members of the Society were so impressed when they heard of the First

the mid 18th century. Harry Hobbs had taken over the Ship public house and an associated boat business in Henley – licence records suggesting in 1871 – but a document from 1900 confirmed “established in 1870”.

At that time, there was still some commercial traffic on the river, with barges regularly operating to London.

By the end of the century, leisure boating was becoming popular, especially with anglers who would hire boats so they could fish in mid-stream.

The late Victorian and Edwardian era was the “Golden Age” of the Thames, and pleasure boating became very fashionable. Especially popular was the Henley Royal Regatta, it becoming much easier for visitors to reach the town following the opening of the railway in 1857.

There was a wide range of craft available then – skiffs becoming popular, whilst the latest technology being promoted by Hobbs at the turn of the century was electrically powered boats.

Another aspect of the business was pleasure craft to take passengers for trips on the river, whilst recreational camping along the Thames also began at this time – as the equipment was heavy, campers hired boats to carry the tents etc to the site.

After the Second World War, leisure cruising gained in popularity. By the 1970s there were more than a million craft working the locks each year – Marsh Lock the busiest, and there were about 800 such vessels on the river by 1980, including from Hobbs.

This reduced by 1990, when Hobbs sold their fleet. People still wanted to enjoy time on the river. Hobbs invested in larger craft and then, in 1991 an even larger vessel with two decks to provide for larger corporate parties etc.

Hobbs’ boatbuilding activities expanded from 1911, when they acquired the Springfield Yard at Goring from Sam Saunders, where a number of umpire launches for use at the Henley Royal Regatta, were built.

The Arts Society Wokingham

Days Christmas Stocking Campaign that they wanted to help the charity by providing funds to purchase arts and crafts equipment.

“First Days will get this support to those talented children and young people in Wokingham who may otherwise not get the equipment they need to develop their skills and achieve their potential” he said.

First Days founder, Emma Cantrell said: “This very generous donation from The Arts Society will enable us to buy specialist arts equipment for children in need.

“We are very grateful to the Society for their support at this difficult time, when so many families have experienced a loss of family income.

“This donation will help make 2021 a special year for them.”

For more information visit: www.firstdays.net

They built more stylish craft, including some very elegant slipper launches, yachts, cruisers, etc. By the 1960s, however, the introduction of fibreglass meant that traditional boatbuilding diminished.

The firm continues to adapt to the prevailing conditions, and now considers itself as a ‘hospitality company’, that benefits from, and contributes to, the “Henley mystique”, to be, as their motto says, the “Best in Boating since 1870”.

Simon also outlined the family’s involvement in the community, three serving as Mayor of Henley, while two were appointed as Royal Watermen.

Much more will be found in his published history, available from local bookshops or at Hobbs’ offices.

The Society’s planned programme is at www.wargravehistory.org.uk/ - where the latest information can be found, or email info@wargravehistory.org.uk to confirm meeting details.

PETER DELANEY

22 | LEISURE

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WOKINGHAMLEISURE

Olly’s reasons to be cheerful

W

E ALL need reasons to be cheerful right now and here’s one: musician Olly Murs is planning for a live concert at Newbury Racecourse this summer. And he can’t wait.

“I’m so excited to get back on the road,” he says. “2020 has been a tough year for everyone, so it’s nice to have something to look forward to.

A

LIFE on the ocean wave is all the rage at the moment as sea shanties is the in thing.

And Wokingham Festival favourites The Salts makes an appearance in our Top 10

as a result.

Curated by Chris Hillman from White Star Records, the Wokingham Love Music soundtrack features songs from bands and artists with some connection to Wokingham’s music scene, including Steven Wilson.

You can listen to his track and nine great others all for FREE, via Spotify.

There’s a special page set-up for you to tune in and turn on at bit.ly/ wokinghamlovesmusic

The Salts – Drunken Sailor

SHANTIES: The Salts at Wokingham Festival Picture: Andrew Merritt With sea shanties in the news following new interest due to TikTok, now is a good time to revisit The Salts, those masters of songs from the sea. These quality musicians have visited the town a number of times performing great shows at Wokingham Music Club and Wokingham Festival and here they are with one of the most well-known sea shanties.

“I’m very aware that not only am I looking forward to it as playing live is the best part of my job, but also for all the people I employ to put on the shows – from my band, crew – sound, lighting, producers, riggers – so many rely on live music to make a living.

“To play at an amazing outdoor venue is going to be pretty special.”

The show is, pandemic permitting, part of a 25-date tour that starts in Swansea in June. The musician is no stranger to Newbury, having previously performed in the Party in the Paddock event, and also a special X Factor event in 2010.

He’ll be at the Racecourse on Saturday, August 14, as part of this year’s Party in the Paddock.

But with a fallow year caused by coronavirus, there is much ground to make up for. He promises that the show will be fun, upbeat and cheeky, giving people a boost.

Olly explains: “I’ve missed seeing my fans and having that connection with them when I’m on stage. There’s nothing better than seeing your fans singing and dancing to your music.”

Olly has had a successful career and when he last appeared at Newbury Racecourse, in 2017, more than 21,000 people came out to see him.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have so many amazing memories on tour – playing at Wembley Stadium with Robbie Williams really stands out for me,” he recalls.

“I was supporting him on his European tour in 2013, and to have 60,000 people singing back to me and

Wokingham Loves Music Chris Hillman

bit.ly/wokingham lovesmusic It also has a local connection as it is featured on their Brave album, released on Wokingham-based, Braccan Records – www.thesalts.co.uk

Mordecai Smyth – Tonight, You Belong To Me Here’s a track from an artist that appeared in our Top 20 of 2020. This time it’s a cover and it’s a wonderful version of a song that was actually written in the 1920s and become a big hit in 1956 for a duo called Patience and Prudence.

This new version by Wokingham based artist Mordecai Smyth was released last year as a single by Wokingham-based Mega Dodo Records and it features guest appearances from Icarus Peel and Tabitha – www.facebook.com/stickytapeandrust/

Deva St. John – Reckless This talented singer was at No3 in our Top 20 of 2020 with her Split the Dealer duet.

Here’s her excellent new single – www.facebook.com/dayvasaintjohn

Split the Dealer – Chinchilla This talented singer was at No.3 in our Top 20 of 2020 with his Deva St. John duet (see above). Here’s his excellent new single – www.facebook.com/splitthedealer

waving their hands in the air to my music was pretty special and I was overwhelmed with the reaction.”

While the live shows might have been on hold, Olly did have time to captain England in last year's Soccer Aid, something he says was an honour.

“We raised a record amount of money – more than £9 million – in the midst of a global pandemic,” he says. “I played shocking to be fair, but it will still be one of my most memorable Soccer Aids because of the circumstances in which we still managed to put it on.”

To get ready, Olly spent time with personal trainer Rob Solly. Just what was his favourite bit part of the experience?

“To see the results of your hard work is obviously the rewarding part, but for me it was more important in how it made me feel,” he says.

“At the start of lockdown, while still recovering from knee surgery, I was eating anything and everything out of boredom – but that made me feel less productive and more sluggish, so having Soccer Aid as a focus to get me fit again was a real drive.”

And has Olly used lockdown to create any new sounds?

“Yes, it’s been a while since I released my own music – so that’s the plan for this year.

“I’m starting to work on writing now and figure out what the next sound is for me, so watch this space.”

Olly will be at Newbury Racecourse’s Party in the Paddock on Saturday, August 14.

Tickets cost from £45, and there are dining and hospitality packages available.

Appropriate covid-safe measures will be in place. � For more details, log on to newburyracecourse.co.uk.

Kyros – ResetRewind The international band with Wokingham links who were No.1 in our Top 20 of 2020 have released a new EP, Four of Fear, which features this track – www.kyrosmusic.com/

Hester & the Heathens – Money This powerful pop-punk trip were No. 2 in our Top 20 of 2020 with their brilliant single, Regenerate. Here’s their previous single – www.facebook.com/hesterandtheheathens/

Frost* – British Wintertime Progressive rock band, Frost*, which includes John Mitchell on guitar with a track from their recently released eight CD box set, 13 Winters – frost.life

Skeleton Goode – Never Going (Back Home) Here’s a bit of psych-pop from an English artist living in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam released by Wokingham-based label Mega Dodo Records – www.facebook.com/ skellygood

Steven Wilson – In Floral Green Steven has had sell-out shows at the Royal Albert Hall. Here’s his cover of a song written by multi-talented John Mitchell – stevenwilsonhq.com

Kepler Ten – Weaver This trio of excellent musicians are signed to Wokingham’s White Star Records and their new album, A New Kind of Sideways has received rave reviews in music magazines around the world – www.keplerten.com

LEISURE | 23

24 | CLASSIFIEDS

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PUBLIC NOTICES

SERVICES

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (BROADCOMMON ROAD, HURST) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (THE DEVILS HIGHWAY, RISELEY) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 14th January 2021 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:

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority proposes to make an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along:

Broadcommon Road, Hurst between its junctions with Islandstone Lane and Nelson’s Lane.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Islandstone Lane and Nelson’s Lane or by this route in reverse.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 27th January and 29th January 2021.

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Thames Water contractors to undertake Ferrule Exchange 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 27th January 2021 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.

Dated: 21st January 2021 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (A321 SANDHURST ROAD, FINCHAMPSTEAD) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021

1.The Devils Highway, Riseley between its junctions with School Road and School Lane.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via School Road and School Lane or by this route in reverse.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 15th February and 19th February 2021.

2.Aldbourne Avenue, Earley between its junctions with A329 Wokingham Road and The Knapp.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via A329 Wokingham Road, B3350 Wilderness Road and Ramsbury Drive or by this route in reverse.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 9th February and 12th February 2021.

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Thames Water contractors to undertake new connection 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 8th February 2021 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.

Dated: 21st January 2021 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

SERVICES

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority proposes to make an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is prohibit any vehicle from proceeding along: 1. A321 Sandhurst Road, Finchampstead between its junctions with B3016 Finchampstead Road and Tintagel Road.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via B3430 Nine Mile Ride and B3016 Finchampstead Road or by this route in reverse.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 26th February and 11th March 2021.

2. A321 Sandhurst Road, Finchampstead between its junctions with Tintagel Road and B3430 Nine Mile Ride.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via B3430 Nine Mile Ride and B3016 Finchampstead Road or by this route in reverse.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 12th March and 25th March 2021.

3. Maidenhead Road, Hurst between its junctions with The Straight Mile and Carters Hill, Hurst.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Maidenhead Road, B3034 Forest Road, Terrace Road North, B3018 Church Hill and Carters Hill or by this route in reverse.

Works requiring this restriction will take place between 8th February and 12th February 2021.

The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Gigaclear contractors to undertake BDUK Superfast Broadband 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 8th February 2021 and shall continue in force for a period not exceeding 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.

Dated: 21st January 2021 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL

For up to date news in the borough follow us on @wokingham.today @WokinghamToday

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Thames campaigners prepare to revive plan to protect much-loved green space EXCLUSIVE

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today CAMPAIGNERS who helped prevent the concreting over of a popular beauty spot are warning that the plans may be revived.

In 2018, Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee twice rejected plans to build a bus lane bridge over the historic Kennetmouth, which links the River Thames to the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The scheme was called a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) scheme and would see some buses use the bridge to reach the rear of Reading’s railway station.

There are fears that if a third

bridge across the River Thames was ever approved, then there would be a campaign to convert the bus lane into a bridge for motorists.

The area by the Wokingham Waterside Centre is in Wokingham borough land, with Kennetmouth forming the border with Reading borough’s land.

The proposed would have dominated the Thameside footpath and saw a range of objections, including the number of trees and green space that the scheme would remove.

Now campaigners from SOAR – Save Our Ancient Riverside – have resurrected their campaign in the wake of new local plans being drafted up.

The group says that Reading Borough Council’s local plan, published in 2019 and running until 2036, names the MRT as

PUBLIC NOTICES WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATION The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 AND/OR Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Regulations 1990 The following application(s) have been submitted and are advertised for the reasons below: Application Address

Reasons for Advert Description

203501

Hill Farm, Jouldings Lane, Farley Hill

Major Application

203527

45 - 47 Peach Street, Wokingham

Major Application

Full application for the proposed change of use of existing offices (Use Class E) at 43, 45 and 47 Peach Street to 24 no. residential units (Use Class C3) consisting of 10 x 1 bedroom, 10 x 2 bedroom and 4 x 3 bedroom units, with associated formation of a ground floor foyer, addition of balconies and 7 no. dormers, changes to fenestration and provision of parking and bin storage.

203539

Land Off Bearwood Road, Bearwood Road, Wokingham

Major Application

Full planning application for the change of use of 14.77ha from existing private woodland to informal recreational land (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG)) and associated infrastructure including pedestrian and vehicle access, car parking and footpath network and landscaping.

210062

The Old Swan, Eversley Road, Arborfield

(Affect setting of) Listed Building

Application to vary conditions 2 and 3 of Listed Building Consent 201069 for the proposed part conversion of existing garage to create habitable accommodation, plus changes to the fenestration.

Condition 2 refers to the approved documents and condition 3 to the submission of joinery details and finishes, and the variation is to allow the new ground floor window in the south elevation to be double-glazed.

Application for the variation of condition 3 of 152899 (Application for variation of conditions 3, 8 and 17 of planning consent F/2015/0767 for anaerobic digestion power generation facility.

Condition 3 relates to the approved plan numbers and the new plans propose changes to bio-digester equipment including reduction in height of digester tanks, new digestate drier and the upgrade of ancillary equipment so they are grouped into one building. Condition 8 relates to the requirement for a scheme in the event of the plant becoming disused to be submitted for approval and the new details propose the scheme should be submitted within three months of the date of the plant being disused.

Condition 17 relates to the construction of the storage lagoon prior to operation of the plant and the new details propose the lagoon to be completed within 12 months of the plant being in operation due to the potential storage capacity provided by the changes relating to the variation of condition 3 as above). Condition 3 refers to the approved plan numbers and the new plans propose changes to the anaerobic digestion equipment and site layout.

The application is available to view online at wokingham.gov.uk � Planning � Search planning applications and typing in the application number above. All libraries in the Borough have internet access in order to view this page.

Comments on the application can be made online from this web page.

Any comments must arrive on or before the 11th February 2021. Any comments made are not confidential and can be seen by anyone as they form part of the public record. The comments, unless offensive, discriminatory and/or racist, will appear on the Council’s website within 24 hours and include the submitted name and address. Due to the high volume of comments received we do not provide individual responses.

Date: 21st January 2021

one of its planned projects.

And Wokingham Borough Council’s Local Green Space Topic Paper, published late last year, cites that the land, officially referenced as LGS09, is “safeguarded for strategic transport network improvements”.

This would include Crossrail, if needed, and “a high quality express bus service or mass rapid transit along the A4 and A329 corridors”.

The document notes that while the area is part of the Thames Path, and used as a route to access Reading town centre and Sonning, it “holds no formal recreational or historical value”.

As such, “the site is not considered to be of particular local significance”.

However, SOAR argues that the evidence presented in this paper was “partial, misleading, factually incorrect and completely omitted any mention of the community’s many successful efforts to protect the space”.

They are now appealing for supporters to come forward so they can raise awareness that “this beloved national asset is still under threat”.

John Sharpe, SOAR spokesperson, said: “SOAR does not believe that the background, evidence and justification submitted as part of the Topic Green Paper reflects in any way the long term and widespread concern that local people feel regarding development on this land.

“The evidence contains factual errors and misleading descriptions.

“We feel that there has been a deliberate misrepresentation of the evidence in order to support the use of the land as a transport link rather than the designation of a Local Green Space.”

He also said that so many people had used the green space during the pandemic, social distancing meant that a new pathway had been created.

“One of the suggestions of SOAR was that since the path is so heavily used a second path

CAMPAIGN: Save Our Ancient Riverside has been working to prevent the building of a single track bus lane bridge over the historic Kennetmouth area that straddles the Wokingham and Reading borders

on that line be established to relieve the pressure on the main path. This has now happened simply as a result of the number people walking along it,” he said.

Cllr Wayne Smith, executive member for planning and enforcement, said: “Local Green Space (LGS) is an optional designation under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that allows communities to identify and protect green areas which are of particular importance to them.

Designation must be through a local plan or a neighbourhood plan.”

He added that the NPPF advises that the designation should only be used where the green space is: a) Near the community it serves; b) Is special to a local community and holds a particular local significance, for example, because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value (including as a playing field), tranquillity or richness of its wildlife; and c) Is local in character and is not an extensive tract of land.

“Only a small number of green spaces were submitted to us for consideration as part of the local plan update process,” he said. “These were assessed and eight were proposed for allocation.

“An area of land at Kennet Mouth was promoted for Local Green Space designation but rejected as the area nominated

was assessed not to meet the criteria.”

Cllr Smith felt the draft plan consultation provided an opportunity for people to express their views on what the council had got right, and wrong and where things could be improved. He promised careful consideration of these comments.

“A number of views have been expressed regarding the assessment and rejection of the green space at Kennet Mouth.

“Some views provided additional information and some promote a wider area which incorporates the river frontage along the Thames.

“All views will be considered and responded to in a future consultation on the local plan later this year. Where necessary and justified, our draft proposals will be amended.”

And over fears that the historic green space could be repurposed into a bus lane bridge, Cllr Smith said: “A sustainable transport link between Reading and Thames Valley Park is identified in the council’s planning and transport strategies.

“It is also identified within the equivalent documents in Reading Borough.

“An application for a mass rapid transit corridor was submitted and refused in 2019 due to the impacts of that proposal being considered unacceptable.” � SOAR’s Facebook page is called Don’t Trash The Thames.

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TEAM BRIT RACING

RACING STAR BOBBY COMPETES AGAINST F1 LEGEND A 21-year-old racing driver from Wokingham who lives with autism has had the chance to race against one of his F1 heroes.

Bobby Trundley, a driver for alldisabled racing team Team BRIT, has been competing with the team’s sim racing arm, eTeam BRIT, and last weekend took to the virtual track against former F1 champion, Jenson Button.

Having won a number of karting titles, Bobby joined Team BRIT in 2019 and in his first season, racing in the Gaz Shocks BMW 116 Trophy he won four out of his five races.

Last year he moved up to GT4 racing in the Britcar Championship, driving the team’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, taking a ‘driver of the day’ award and finishing strongly each race.

During lockdown, Bobby is racing with eTeam BRIT which is currently running its GT Challenge, welcoming sim racing teams from all over the world to compete on virtual versions of

racing’s most famous circuits.

On Friday, January 8, Jenson Button joined the race, representing Rocket eSports and taking on 28 racers from eTeams across the country, including Bobby and a teammate from eTeam BRIT.

Drivers competed on the state-of theart rFactor2 platform, creating realistic racing simulations for PC users.

Following the race, eTeam BRIT lies in third place in the championship overall and will race against Jenson once again next week.

Bobby said: “It was an honour and a privilege to compete in the same race as Jenson Button, something I’d never thought would be possible.

“Unfortunately due to a racing incident, my car sustained extensive damage which sadly brought my race to an early conclusion.

“This will only increase my determination for the next race.

“Bring on Adelaide.”

Jenson and Bobby will return to the grid in the next round of the eTeam BRIT GT championship at Adelaide tomorrow night (Friday) at 7pm.

To watch, visit: Facebook: www.facebook.com/eteamBRIT Twitch: www.twitch.tv/eteambrit

FOOTBALL

FOREST FOOTBALLERS STAR IN FA CUP

Knowing the laws can help players

A

N unusual episode happened in the recent FA Cup tie between Newport County and Brighton and Hove Albion, involving their goalkeeper, Jason Steele.

Not of course his admiral saving of three of Newport’s kicks from the penalty mark, which saved his Premier League team the ignominy of defeat by a League two side and possibly, their manager Graham Potter his job.

This incident happened earlier in the game.

The ball was kicked back to Steele by a teammate, but in the air, bouncing before it reached him on the edge of the penalty area.

He tried to kick it upfield but only succeeded in ballooning it straight up in the air.

When it came down, he didn’t try to catch it, no doubt thinking that if he did, he would be penalised.

An opposing forward then kicked the ball towards the Brighton goal.

Luckily, a teammate managed to get to it before it crossed the line and clear it.

A local club posed me a question just over a couple of years ago.

Their keeper had faced exactly the same situation, except the opposing forward scored.

At half time, their referee said to the team’s manager, ‘Your goalkeeper could have caught that ball’.

Was he right, the manager wanted to know.

‘He’s not,’ I replied, ‘the law quite clearly states that that an indirect free kick is awarded if a goalkeeper touches the ball with his hand or arm after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team mate’.

The manager wouldn’t accept this, so I said I would take his question to the top.

This meant David Elleray, former Premier League referee now Director of the IFAB technical committee. which is responsible for the Laws of the Game.

He said, ‘you are right, but this February at our annual meeting, we are putting forward a change to allow the goalkeeper to handle the ball in this situation if it is clear he had tried to release it into play’.

So the law was changed two seasons ago but it seems that no one told Jason Steele.

FOREST School headteacher Shirley Austin expressed her pride after 14 alumni took part at various teams in the FA Cup third-round.

“I’m so proud of my former students who have followed their dreams,” said the Forest headteacher.

“Through hard work and talent, they are now having the opportunity to play in the FA Cup, the cup of dreams.

“Having 14 former students take part in the third-round matches, with several teams, is just

phenomenal.

“At the Forest School, we challenge every student to aspire in everything they do.

“We are so proud when they achieve their goals.

“We will continue to support them all, after all they will always be Forest boys.”

Ten of the former pupils appeared for Reading in their 1-0 defeat at Luton Town.

Luke Southwood, Dejan Tetek, Imari Samuels, Nahum Melvin-Lambert, Tom Holmes, Jayden Onen, Jeriel Dorsett, Oliver

Pendlebury all turned out for the Royals.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Osho, who was left Reading at the end of the 2019/20 season, played for the victors in the tie, Luton Town.

Jake Cooper played for Millwall, Josh Barrett for Bristol Rovers, and Tyler Frost for Crawley Town in the world’s oldest cup competition.

The Winnersh secondary school has a special relationship with Reading Football Club, which has allowed them to build a brand new air dome Jayden Onen (pictured) was one of 14 former Forest pupils to play in the FA Cup third-round and 3G pitch .

RUGBY UNION

RAMS PAY TRIBUTE TO VICE PRESIDENT

By JOHN TAYLOR sport@wokingham.today

JOHN SHEFFIELD, often known as Sheff, passed away peacefully on January 8 after a three-year struggle with cancer.

Born and bred in Swindon, Sheff’s football affiliation was always with The Robins ,but he left school and his home town to start his career in training as a pilot with British Airways.

He retired as a senior 747 Jumbo captain after a working life with BA, which,

in its later stages on longhaul routes, gave the opportunity for rounds of golf around the world.

A long-time resident of Woodley and member of Sonning Golf Club, Sheff appeared at Rams Rugby club in the late 70s when his son Ben was introduced to the Under 8s.

Around that same time, in his role as a member and Chairman of Reading Round Table, John Sheffield was closely involved with community service work in the area.

Married to Gill for more than 50 years, their daughter Jemma and family live in Bristol, and budding

sportsmen and grandsons Henry and Alfie brought great delight to their proud grandfather.

In recent years Sheff had become a keen supporter of Rams as a Vice President, following the team to many away games as well as regular attendance at Old Bath Road.

He was well-known and well-liked in the bar and on the touchline and everyone who knew Sheff spoke of the courageous, positive, and self-effacing way he dealt with his illness.

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FA WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE

ROYALS HOLD GUNNERS Reading Women 1 Arsenal Women 1

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today READING earned a valuable point against title-chasers Arsenal after Vivianne Miedema levelled to cancel out Lauren Bruton's early opener.

Bruton gave Reading a dream start as she netted against her former club in the fifth minute, before the Women’s Super League top scorer, Miedema, found the back of the net just before half-time.

An end-to-end second-half presented chances for both teams but neither could find a winner as the points were shared at the Madejski Stadium.

Royals boss Kelly Chambers praised a much-improved performance after last week’s disaster against Chelsea.

“I’m very happy with the performance,” said Chambers.

“If you look at the way we played against Chelsea last week compared to this week, it was worlds apart.

“How we played against Arsenal, we put on display what we are about, I’m very glad the girls got the result.

“I said to the girls that we now need to keep the consistency and deliver that week in, week out.

We showed we can compete with the best.”

Chambers made three changes from last weekend when Reading were thumped 5-0 by Chelsea as Lauren Bruton, Molly Bartrip and Rachel Rowe looked to provide a response for the hosts as they were named in the starting 11.

Reading were also looking for redemption having been hammered 6-1 by the Gunners on the opening day of the WSL season.

The inclusion of Bruton paid dividends just five minutes into the match as the Royals took an early lead with the first chance of the game.

Emma Mitchell put in an inviting cross from a free-kick wide on the left which was met by Bruton who connected on the volley to slot the ball past keeper Manuela Zinsberger as two former Arsenal players combined to net an early goal.

There was little in the way of chances for the away side. But Miedema did get a sight of goal when Kim Little spun brilliantly in the box to beat her marker and found the Dutch striker, but she was tackled after taking one touch too many instead of pulling the trigger.

The Royals were showcasing an aggressive high press which caused Arsenal several problems throughout the half as they tried to play the ball from the back.

Rachel Rowe stole possession just outside the box but Zinsberger did well to save her sides blushes and force her out wide.

Lotte Wubben-Moy received the first yellow card of the game for a late tackle on Rowe.

Reading continued to create the better chances going forward in a complete contrast to last weekend's disastrous performance.

The hosts were also defending resolutely as Mitchell got across to sweep up the danger as Jill Roord tried to find some space down the right with players arriving in the middle.

But Reading weren’t able to go into the break with a lead as the Women’s Super League top scorers found the net just five minutes before half-time.

Royals keeper Grace Moloney made a superb save down to her right to keep out Roord’s header, but WSL top scorer Miedema was

in the perfect position to poach on the rebound to equalise.

Reading had a chance at the end of the half with a free-kick on the opposite side to where they opened the scoring, but Rowe underhit her delivery as the half ended even.

Clearly unimpressed by his team's opening 45 minutes, Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro made three changes at the break.

Leah Williamson, Jen Beattie and Beth Mead replaced Anna Patten, Wubben-Moy and Malin Gut for the visitors.

The Gunners again gave the ball away in a dangerous area as Bruton looked to capitalise, but she scuffed her shot which couldn’t find Tash Harding in the middle as Arsenal scrambled the ball away from goal.

Jess Fishlock picked up a yellow card as she brought down Williamson with the visitors looking to catch Reading on the counter attack.

Kristine Leine made a crucial tackle on Miedema who looked to cut into the box, before Reading broke down the other hand with a shot from Mitchell testing the gloves of Zinsberger who parried the shot away.

Chambers’ first substitution of the match saw another former Arsenal player enter the fray as Danielle Carter replaced Bruton Miedema had a golden opportunity to add to her tally when some brilliant work down the right-wing saw Mead beat her marker and then deliver an inch perfect cross for the striker but she volleyed over the bar from close range.

Mead then had a chance of her own just moments later when she raced into the box but she didn't control her effort which flew high and wide.

The Gunners began to turn up

the heat in search of a winner and Moloney made a super stop to keep out Roord’s effort from close range as she reached at full stretch to turn the ball behind.

Moloney made another important stop to keep the scores level as she smothered the ball from the feet of Roord in the 87th minute.

There was a lengthy stoppage at the end of the game as Leine had to be stretchered off after a heavy collision with her goalkeeper.

There were nine minutes of added time after the unfortunate injury to the Reading defender, but neither side were able to find a decisive goal to steal the three points.

“When you go ahead early against a top team, you know there’s going to be a point you’re going to be on the back foot,” said Chambers.

“We knew it was going to be difficult to maintain the intensity at times against Arsenal as they move the ball so well.

“To be fair to my girls though, they were incredible, not just at pressing, but when they needed to defend their box, they were magnificent at doing that.”

The Royals stay in sixth position in the league ahead of an away trip to Aston Villa next Sunday – see panel on the right.

Reading conduct socially distanced celebrations after Laure

READING WOMEN: Moloney, Leine, Cooper, Mitchell, Bartrip, Eikeland, Fishlock, James, Rowe, Harding, Bruton SUBS: Williams, Nayler, Carter, Skeels, Roberts, Childerhouse, Harries, Stewart ARSENAL WOMEN: Zinsberger, Walti, WubbenMoy, McCabe, Pattern, Little, Gut, van de Donk, Evans, Miedema, Roord SUBS: Beattie, Williamson, Mead, Maritz, Williams, Foord, Maier, Stenson, Mace GOALS: Bruton 5', Miedema 40'

Rachel Rowe dribbles past Arsenal captain Kim Little

Kristine Leine (left), Angharad James (middle) and Jess Fishlock (right)

Emma Mitchell defends for the Royals

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RS FIRE TO EARN DRAW

en Bruton gave the Royals an early lead in their draw against Arsenal at the Madejski Stadium Pictures: Neil Graham

Captain’s from both team battle for the ball

Ex-Arsenal player Danielle Carter sends in a cross

FA WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE

PREVIEW: BACK ON THE ROAD AT VILLA READING Women will be hoping to push on from their draw against Arsenal with their first away game of 2021 with a trip to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Reading captain Tash Harding attempts to block a cross

Kelly Chambers’ side stay in sixth position in the Women’s Super League table after Sunday’s game.

The Royals are just two points above Tottenham Hotspur Women – but they have played the most games of any team in the division.

Reading ended 2020 with an away win and have boasted better form away from the Madejski this season, and they will be hoping to continue that momentum when they face Villa this weekend.

The home side have endured a difficult start to the season and are currently just one place off the bottom having lost seven of their nine league fixtures.

They have picked up just two wins this season to keep them above bottom side Bristol City Women, who

they beat 4-0 away from home, and they also picked up three points against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Gemma Davies’ Villa will be striving for improvement after they were thumped 7-0 at the weekend by Manchester City.

City put on a masterclass first-half performance which saw them fire six past the Villans, who have now conceded 24 goals in nine matches.

Meanwhile, Villa have not only struggled defensively, but have also found goals hard to come by thesis campaign with just eight goals so far, four of which coming in an away win at bottom side Bristol City.

In a meeting earlier in the season, in September, Reading earned their first victory of the campaign over Villa at the Madejski Stadium.

Amalie Eikeland, Lauren Bruton and Fara williams put Chambers’ side 3-0 in front before Stine Larsen found a consolation goal from the

penalty spot for the away side.

The team’s didn’t face each other last season as Villa won promotion from the Championship to the top-flight.

In the process of winning promotion, Villa won 13 of their 14 league games to put them six points clear at the top before the league season was ended abruptly.

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SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP

RINOMHOTA ON TARGET IN 100TH GAME Reading 3 Coventry City 0

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

ANDY Rinomhota marked his 100th game in a Reading shirt with a goal as the home side soared to a comfortable win over Coventry City to push them up the table.

Lucas João showed immense strength and then precision to put Reading in front in the 16th minute before Rinomhota fired in a rare goal just a minute after the restart.

The Royals wrapped up victory as John Swift hit a fierce strike from a 30-yard free-kick to find the top corner after Kyle McFadzean was dismissed for the visitors.

Reading also earned their tenth league clean sheet of the season.

“We spoke about this as a payback month for us and it started well for us with this game,” said Reading manager Veljko Paunović.

“They ended our winning run earlier in the season so I’m very happy with the way we played and executed, it was brilliant.

“I am not satisfied with how we started the game. We conceded some unforced mistakes that could have cost us much more.

Fortunately, we had Rafael in goal who did a great job.

“The reaction after that was fantastic.”

A fresh Royals side were looking to push their way up the Championship table after a week away from action after a postponed fixture against Brentford.

The Royals suffered a shock defeat in their away fixture at

Coventry, at a time when Veljko Paunović's men led the Championship table.

A shaky start almost saw Coventry take the lead inside three minutes. Tom Holmes gave the ball away cheaply, with Rafael Cabral first coming to the rescue to save a one-on-one from Callum O'Hare, before Tom McIntyre beat the forward to the rebound to clear from danger.

The hosts had two free-kicks from similar positions either side of Coventry’s big chance, both of which were taken by John Swift, but to no avail.

The Sky Blues then missed another huge chance to take the lead, in the 13th minute.

Coventry beat the high press of Reading to get forward and win the first corner of the game. A short corner routine led to a cross from Sam McCallum which found Leo Ostigard unmarked in the middle but he glanced a header inches wide of the far post as another huge chance for the hosts went begging.

They could have been behind, but Paunović's side brushed themselves off, worked an attack of their own and punished Coventry with their first sight of goal.

Swift found Lucas João with an exquisite long ball and the in-form striker did the rest with a text-book finish.

He brought the ball under control with his chest and used his strength to shrug off a challenge before lashing the ball on the bounce past the keeper to take his tally to 14 Championship goals for the season.

Reading were beginning to find their rhythm in attack when Ovie

Ejaria’s shot nearly deflected into the path of João in the box.

Ejaria then went on a mazey run as he showed him immense footwork before he worked space for a shot instead of squaring the ball for João, but was unlucky to see his shot smack the inside of the post and stay out.

Reading should have added to their tally a minute before the break. Ejaria again showed his magic feet to beat a player, before Holmes sent in a superb low cross to the back post which was met by João on the stretch, but he missed the target from close range.

Paunović made a change going into the second-half as Tomas Esteves replaced Holmes at rightback.

The Royals made the perfect start to the second-half as they doubled their lead just a minute after the restart.

The ball fell for Andy Rinomhota who fired the ball past the keeper through a crowd of bodies into the bottom right corner from the edge of the box to mark a century of games with a goal.

Rafael was called into action to keep the Sky Blues from claiming a goal back as he flew to his right at the back post to keep out Ostigard's header from close range.

Michael Olise looked to have a clean run at goal when Coventry gave away possession just outside their box, but Fankaty Dabo made a cynical challenge just outside of the box and was shown a yellow card.

Olise lined up the free-kick in a favourable position but fired an effort high over the bar.

Kyle McFadzean was given his marching orders as he picked up a

second yellow for a foul on Ejaria who was bearing down on goal.

From the resulting free-kick, Reading wrapped up the game with a third as Swift hit a stunning strike from 30 yards which arrowed into the top corner.

That was to be Swift’s final contribution to the match as he was replaced by Alfa Semedo. Dejan Tetek and Sam Baldock entered the contest with just over 10 minutes left in place of Rinomhota and Ejaria.

The substitute Baldock should have put Reading further in front when he broke away on goal oneon-one but scuffed an effort wide of the target.

Despite being three goals up with barely anytime left on the clock, Paunović was demanding his players to concentrate and keep a clean sheet, which was almost wiped out when Coventry struck the post in the 90th minute.

But the Royals held onto the clean sheet and a valuable three points in their first home game of 2021.

Reading are away at Preston North End on Sunday (12.30pm kickoff).

READING: Rafael, Holmes, McIntyre, Morrison (c), Richards, Laurent, Rinomhota, Swift, Ejaria, Olise, João.

SUBS: Southwood, Esteves, Semedo, East, Tetek, Onen, Aluko, Camara, Baldock

Lucas João bagged his 14th Championship goal of the season

COVENTRY CITY: Wilson, Ostigard, McFadzean (c), O’Hare, Gyokeres, Hyam, McCallum, Dabo, James, Shipley, Hamer SUBS: Camp, Allen, Biamou, Sheaf, Bakayoko, Thompson, Dacosta, Kastaneer, Bapaga GOALS: Lucas João 16', Rinomhota 46', Swift 72'

READING FC

ROYALS UNVEIL BADGE TO MARK 150th ANNIVERSARY

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today

READING FC have unveiled a new club crest that will be used next season to mark the club's 150th anniversary.

The Royals are the oldest league club in the south of England having been founded in 1871, and will mark their 150th birthday with a gold crest to be used in the 2021/22 season.

The club has announced that they are working on 150 different projects with a range of volunteer consultants from local industry, key supporter groups, community trust, council representatives and club historians to celebrate with events throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

The club will also be revealing a new home and away kit for next season in due course.

Meanwhile, mural artist Chris Rutterford has been painting portraits of Royals supporters which will be adorned on the West Stand of the Madejski Stadium from the start of next season.

The club will also be announcing an ‘exciting’ legacy project designed to engage with the next generation of Reading fans within local primary school education.

Ovie Ejaria breezes past a defender

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E TO CREATE HOME WIN FROM THE

TILEHURST END With Olly Allen

Royals’ revenge month off to perfect start

W

E’VE got a few games this month which are reverse fixtures, and the manager has called it ‘revenge month’.”

n to open the scoring as Reading cruised past Coventry City at the Madejski Stadium Pictures: Steve Smyth

Rafael Cabral flies to his right to make a crucial save

I really loved this quote from Tom McIntyre in an interview last week. More specifically the term ‘revenge month’, which I suppose should be credited to Veljko Paunović.

It perfectly encapsulates what Reading should be trying to achieve over the next few weeks, and should give them an extra bit of motivation in each game they play.

Thanks to a quirk of the fixture calendar, the Royals’ next four matches are all against teams who beat them in the first half of the season – Preston North End, Bournemouth, Stoke City and Brentford. Coventry City too, who Reading beat 3-0 on Tuesday, were victorious over Paunović’s side in the reverse fixture.

In fact, the only teams to have won against Reading earlier this season who will not have faced them again by midFebruary are Norwich City and Birmingham City.

It means that this could prove to be a crucial period of the campaign.

If Reading can beat some of the sides that they lost to earlier in the season, they will give themselves an incredibly strong platform to build on against clubs they have already picked up points against.

If they are beaten again, they are likely to be left playing catch up in the promotion and playoff race.

This is even more pertinent considering that three of Reading’s upcoming opponents – Brentford, Bournemouth and Stoke – are all in the top seven at the time of

writing and no more than six points behind them.

It is these games that the Royals must improve in, as they have picked up just 11 points from a possible 27 available in games against the current Championship top 10 and only four from a possible 15 against the current top six.

But by placing the emphasis on payback, Paunović is ensuring that the team’s mindset is as focused as it can be.

It is another example of his strong man management that many players have already been quick to praise.

Some coaches might shy away from labels such as ‘revenge month’ and discuss the fixtures just as any other normal run of games.

But the Serbian is giving his players an additional incentive, almost as if it is not only the three points on the line, but the team’s pride and reputation.

They will not want to be defeated by the same team twice.

It might only be one game, but it clearly worked against Coventry on Tuesday.

Reading were clinical and assured against the Sky Blues, with an early misplaced pass from Tom Holmes being the only real moment of worry all evening.

There was a clear determination in the team and that resulted in a thoroughly professional performance.

There is no doubt that the likes of Brentford and Bournemouth, and probably even Preston on Sunday, will provide tougher tests, but the Royals have crossed off one payback target, and they will not want to stop there.

ALL-ACTION PICTURE POWER

BADGEOF HONOUR

STORY: PAGE 30

OBONBBYT’SRBIGADCRIVKE WITH F1 LEGEND

RAMSTRIBUTE TOCLUB LEGEND STORY: PAGE 27

READING 3 COVENTRY 0

PAUNO’S PAYBACK PLAN SWIFT STUNNER HELPS ROYALS BREEZE PAST COVENTRY

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today ANOTHER side were sent to Coventry as the Royals collected their first back-to-back win since October.

Veljko Paunović has deemed this period as ‘payback month’ with Reading facing several sides that have beaten them earlier in the campaign, and they made an ideal start by earning a comfortable three-point against Coventry City on Tuesday night.

The Reading manager hailed the quality of recently returned John Swift, who had missed the early months of the season with injury.

Swift scored from a scorching 30-yard free-kick to put the result beyond any doubt.

“Swift has been through a hard injury, he is now building his form and that will help us in the future,” said Paunović.

“He is a specialist, we are lucky to have him.

“I encourage him to score goals, he has a powerful shot and very good vision. All these attributes are important and we want to see him score more from open play.” Match report on page 30

GUNNER DRAW: WOMEN LEVEL WITH ARSENAL

By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today READING dealt a huge blow to Arsenal’s title ambitions by holding the Gunners to a stalemate at the Madejski Stadium.

The Royals made a flying start with an early goal from Lauren Bruton to turn their fortunes around after a

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miserable defeat the previous week against Chelsea thanks to a masterful display from former Royal Fran Kirby.

Kelly Chambers’ team held their own to earn a valuable point to keep them in sixth in the Women’s Super League table. � Match report on page 28

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