COVERING WOKINGHAM, FINCHAMPSTEAD, EARLEY, WINNERSH, SHINFIELD, WOODLEY, TWYFORD & SURROUNDING AREAS
WOKINGHAM.TODAY TENSIONS RISE AS JAB SUPPLY FALLS
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Thursday, January 28, 2021 No. 298
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Residents left waiting as precious vaccine stocks held back
LOCKDOWN 3.0
EXCLUSIVE
One day wonderland
By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today
RESIDENTS enjoyed a socially distanced winter wonderland on Sunday, after snow fell. We’ve got a great gallery of your frosty pictures on pages 14 and 15
INFORMATION about the number of people vaccinated so far, and expected supply of the vaccine is being held back from Wokingham Borough Council.
� Continued on page 7
CLICK AND PLAY P7 PLAN FOR DINTON
£250,000 donation for mental health scheme EXCLUSIVE
By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today A RUSSIAN ex-banker granted political
TRIBUTES TO P6 POPULAR TEACHER THE YEAR-LONG FUNDRAISER P20 MAYOR PRESENTS CIVIC AWARDS P26
Picture: Sarandeep Gill
Health executive, Cllr Charles Margetts told Wokingham.Today dose supply is dropping, and he is concerned over the lack of information coming from Berkshire West CCG — the clinical commissioning group that oversees the borough. “There’s a lot of tension at the moment,” he said. “Residents are asking us when they can expect to receive the vaccine, and we can’t tell them — we aren’t being given that information. The CCG won’t tell us.” He said senior officials in the commissioning group told him “they are not allowed to publish figures on the uptake” and that NHS guidelines say they cannot provide information on “vaccine breakdown and supply”. Cllr Margetts said in the week commencing January 11, the borough received 5,400 doses of the vaccines. One week later, supply was 4,800. This week, the borough has been given fewer still, with 4,200 doses provided — a 22% decrease in a fortnight. This is penalising the borough, Cllr Margetts claimed.
CAMPAIGNLATEST P8 MAY FAYRE CANCELLED P3 RUNNING 100K FOR SUE RYDER P5
asylum in the UK, has helped fund a mental health scheme in the borough.
Andrey Borodin and his wife, Tatiana, have given £250,000 to Berkshire Community Foundation, to
FAMILY LAUNCH NEW COFFEE SHOP P8 fund an 18-month pilot scheme to help people suffering from anxiety, isolation and stress. They previously donated £1 million to The Royal Berkshire Hospital to help in the pandemic. The couple live at Park Place Estate, a £140 million mansion in Remenham, previously dubbed Britain’s most expensive home.
Council leader, Cllr John Halsall said: “This fantastic new service is coming thanks to the generosity of Mr and Mrs Borodin; I want to thank them personally.” This was echoed by the Lib Dem group, which called it a “very generous gift”. “If the pilot proves successful, we will make sure there is funding in place
for it to continue – but the incredible donation has allowed us to start this now and that means we can start helping people,” Cllr Halsall said. The leader also encouraged other philanthropic donors to approach him. But this approach has been criticised by leader of Wokingham Labour, Cllr Andy Croy. � Continued on page 2
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Schools will not reopen until March CHILDREN will not be returning to school until March, the prime minister said this afternoon. Speaking in parliament, Boris Johnson said lockdown would be reviewed, with updates from the end of February. This would include a gradual and phased approach, with a national priority on reopening schools. Mr Johnson said that two weeks' notice would be given for this, and said it would not be possible to immediately open schools after the February half-term. Instead, he said schools would be able to reopen from Monday, March 8.
“If we achieve our target of vaccinating everyone in the four most vulnerable groups, with their first dose by February 15, then those groups will have developed immunity from the virus about three weeks later — that is March 8,” Mr Johnson said. Cllr Prue Bray, Liberal Democrat lead for education said: “The worst thing we could do is reopen schools too early.” Cllr Andy Croy, leader of the Labour group, warned the government must not get the return to school wrong. The borough council was contacted for comment.
Courts clear Waltham St Lawrence man A MAN from Waltham St Lawrence has been found not guilty of sexual assault. Last June, David Mullan, 34 and from Broadmoor Road, had been charged with five counts of rape of a female aged 16 or over, and a
count each of sexual assault of a female aged 16 or over, and assault by beating. Following a four-day trial, held at Reading Crown Court, on December 10, 2020, Mullan was cleared of all charges.
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Borough support worker hopes to inspire others A WOKINGHAM support worker is hoping to inspire some optimism in 2021, writes Charlotte King. Richard Kibaja, 45, from Dimensions, has dedicated his life to improving the lives of vulnerable people — and he hopes others will do the same. Mr Kibaja has worked with the company, supporting people with learning disabilities and autism in the borough, for the past seven years. “Throughout my life, I’ve done voluntary work and done a lot with the community,” he said. “It’s important to have a job that is rewarding and where I’m making a difference to others’ lives.” He says it’s fulfilling to see people
grow and become more independent. And over the last few months, he has been working hard throughout the coronavirus pandemic, scheduling regular video meetings and group walks. “It worked so well in boosting spirits and helping people through the difficult period,” Mr Kibaja said. “Some people don’t think being a support worker is a proper career. “They don’t realise how much we’re actually doing, and I often get negative remarks made about it — but we’re changing someone else’s life for the better.” Going forward, he hopes that carers and key workers will get more recognition for their work.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Support worker Richard Kibaja
Russian ex-banker funds mental health scheme � Continued from front page
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
Cllr Croy said: “I would much rather we changed a couple of the top council tax bands than have our borough rely on the whimsy of the rich.” Mr Borodin is a former President of the Bank of Moscow. He, and his deputy were dismissed from office in April 2011, over concerns of alleged abuse of authority. Between November 2011 and May 2016, he was on an Interpol Red Notice, as a suspect in a case of alleged fraud committed in the Bank of Moscow. In March 2013, Mr Borodin was granted political asylum in the UK. He has previously accused the Kremlin of ordering his prosecution. Cllr Croy said he was glad to see Mr Borodin is safe in the UK, and stressed the importance of the country providing a “safe haven from political persecution, from wherever the persecution comes”. He added: “A quarter of a million pounds is a lot of money. It is more than the Emergency Winter Covid-19 Grant received by the borough from the Government. “Mr Borodin’s past in Russian financial systems means we may be linking public service funding with a world about which we know little of, but which we should be extremely wary.
DONOR: A former President of the Bank of Moscow has gifted £250,000 to fund the scheme Picture: Andrey Borodin via Wikimedia Commons
“There is something slightly obscene about rich people having a whip round to fund essential services that are underfunded by a Conservative government.” Cllr Croy called for a government that “taxes and spends fairly, including the proper funding of local authorities” instead of relying on philanthropy. The mental health scheme will focus on recognising issues early and intervening to prevent conditions deteriorating. It aims to ensure timely referrals to specialists, coordinate support available and promote awareness of issues in the community. Based in Wokingham town centre as well as in GP surgeries around the borough, the service aims to be inclusive, and meet the wellbeing needs of borough residents. It will be run by mental
health charity Oxfordshire MIND and develop nonmedical interventions such as social prescribing, selfmanagement, peer support, signposting, and activities. Wokingham Borough Council hopes it will support roughly 1,000 people per year. Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health said the service will build on the council’s work with the charities during the pandemic. “It will allow us to work with Oxfordshire MIND and other organisations to reduce the levels and impact of problems such as isolation, anxiety and stress,” he said. “I am particularly delighted as Oxfordshire MIND has a great track record of service – with a satisfaction rate of about 90% where it currently operates.” Cllr David Hare, the Liberal Democrat lead for adult care services also thanked the
Borodins for their “very generous gift”. He added: “The increased mental health service was developing slowly. This gift has meant that it can begin far quicker. With the tragedy of the pandemic mental health services will certainly be under more pressure with an increased workload. “This service, providing early intervention before it becomes too serious, along with prompt support for people with mental health issues and referral to particular specialists, if necessary, are just what is needed at this time.” Jon Yates, CEO of Berkshire Community Foundation said he was delighted to be partnering with the council to deliver the “wonderful gift from Tatiana and Andrey Borodin in support of the mental health of local people”. He added: “Berkshire Community Foundation have supported more than 200 charities and voluntary groups supporting people with a range of needs through the coronavirus crisis knowing that there will be long-term effects that will require specialist services. “The programme being funded at Oxfordshire MIND will be able to meet these needs as they continue to emerge.” � Council reports page 22
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
Emmbrook students walk Route 66 in active challenge CHILDREN at Emmbrook Junior School have walked more than 6,000km as part of The Conqueror Challenge project. For the last four months, students have been aiming to walk a mile each day — outside of their usual activities. And they’ve raised £1,600 in the process. The school’s sports lead, Jack Fisher, said: “Due to the pandemic, the PTA have had to cancel various events, which meant we lost out on a potential return of more than £4,000.” He said when restrictions eased in September, children were spending less time with their families, compared to the spring lockdown. “With the children and parents working towards the challenges together, many children sent back their forms citing family walks and bike rides — this was great to see.”
GET MOVING: Jack Fisher, sports lead at Emmbrook Junior School has been leading The Conqueror Challenge for his students
The target is 13,096.7km — the combined length of 18 famous hikes, including Lands End to John O'Groats, Mount Everest, the Inca Trail and Route 66. Mr Fisher is keeping the team up to date with their distance, and each route completed wins a certificate and medal — to be displayed in the school hall. The funds raised so far have helped improve the library, and future donations will go to the creation of a reading summer house, and installing gym equipment for break and lunch play time. “Both of these are quite expensive so the funds will really help contribute to this being done,” Mr Fisher said. The school has a donation page. � For more information, visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ emmbrook-junior-school
Lions cancel May Fayre for second year EXCLUSIVE By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today ONE of Wokingham borough’s biggest fundraising events has been cancelled for the second year in a row, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Wokingham Lions’ Club has pulled the plug on its annual May Fayre, which had been due to take place on Monday, May 3. The event sees local groups and charities run stalls to help boost their coffers, as well as a wealth of entertainment including Circus Scene, morris dancing and magic shows. Local groups are given a chance to entertain audiences on the main stage, while other attractiomns often include a petting zoo.. However, with new strains of the
Tales of growing old disgracefully A SHORT story competition has been launched exclusively for those over 90. The Grow Old Disgracefully writing competition focuses on childhood memories. Running until Sunday, January 31, residents interested must submit 500 words as a short story. The winner will receive £200 and a tree of their choice to be planted near their home. The story will also be featured on the Grow Old Disgracefully website. Judging the writing competition
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FAMILY FUN: Children enjoy a circus performance at the May Fayre in 2018
coronavirus more easily passed on, and the vaccination programme still in place, organisers have decided to follow the lead of the Glastonbury music festival and cancel now rather than wait until nearer the time. is BAFTA-winning Virginia McKenna OBE – famous for A Town Called Alice; Lauren St John, author of The White Giraffe and Dead Man’s Cove, BBC broadcaster and author, Nicholas Owen, crime writer, Peter James, and the Scottish Literary agent Judy Moir. Ms McKenna said: “It is a real delight to have been asked to judge this truly unique writing competition. I’m looking forward to reading a range of entries which share strength and impart wisdom on this time we’re living in – as well as a good dose of irreverence. “ � To find out more and enter, visit: www.growolddisgracefully.co.uk/ competition
The Lions said that the decision was made after consultation with local authorities. Ian Grange, organiser of the May Fayre, said it was a difficult choice to make. “Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we must protect the health and safety of the public,” he said. “For the second consecutive year, we greatly regret that this means having to cancel our biggest fundraising event that not only supports local charities and community groups, but also provides a showcase for local talent on our stages and for local businesses.” Acknowledging that the event helped groups receive funding, he pledged that the group would find alternative ways to help, just as the Winter Carnival organisers did last year.
“We are currently exploring the possibility of creating some smaller events later this year,” he said. Last year’s event would have been a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of VE Day, and have taken place on Friday, May 8. However, it was cancelled as the country was still in lockdown as a result of the first wave of the pandemic. It would have been one of the first events to have taken place in the new Elms Field, and would have included a funfair, a petting zoo and a variety of rides in addition to the stalls. The event was launched in 1995, and is one of the largest street fairs in southern England. The Lions aim to make it a lowcost family day out that celebrates the town’s culture. President of Wokingham Lions Club, Nigel Page, said: “I’d like to thank the Wokingham Town Council and the community for their support of this event. “Our efforts will continue for future events, and all the other things we do to support local people, both now and in the future. “We look forward to next year’s May Fayre on May 2, 2022.”
University commits to eco-eating scheme THE UNIVERSITY of Reading has become the first university in Europe to join an eco-friendly catering group. It has joined the Menus of Change Universities Research Collaborative (MCURC) to innovate and encourage people to choose healthier, more sustainable options. The news comes as the University was also named winner of the Innovation in Catering category of the CUBO Awards 2020 last month, which rewards and showcases the very best in higher education commercial services. Matt Tebbit, head of residential catering and bars at the University of Reading, said the move strengthened their commitment to sustainable eating. “Focusing on quality not quantity, creating delicious, planet-forward meals, and harnessing renewable energy are all ways we can drive down the University’s carbon footprint as well as make our students and staff healthier,” he said. “This all builds on the award-winning sustainability work we have already been doing on campus, which uses the expert knowledge of our own researchers to improve our menus, and has turned our dining rooms into live laboratories where we can study eating behaviours, teach sustainable practices, and come up with brand-new ideas.” The Menus of Change movement is led by The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It is a collaboration of scholars, food service leaders, executive chefs, and administrators for colleges and universities. Reading has been following the movement for around two years and is now one of 59 universities and colleges in the world to be members of the collaborative, with Google and the US Olympic Training Center also among its collaborating organisations. With more than 20 eateries on campus, the University is reaffirming its pledge to reduce waste. It hopes to soon display carbon footprint information on menus and source beef and lamb from the University’s own farms.
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‘Park and ride buses will stop outside children’s bedrooms’ EXCLUSIVE By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today “THE PARK and ride is going to take away our parking bay”.
This is the concern from a Wokingham resident who is angry about a new transport hub to be built at Coppid Beech roundabout. But Wokingham Borough Council said this is not the case, and is down to an error on the planning documents. Emma Kirkum, a Keephatch Gardens resident, is upset that the park and ride is being built “on her front doorstep” and fears it could impact the local community. In May last year, Wokingham Borough Council applied for planning permission to build the transport hub next to the housing estate. The land has been earmarked for the park and ride ever since Keephatch Gardens was proposed in 2015. Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport, said it is “a strong project which will provide long-term benefit for the council”.
But Ms Kirkum fears her building’s parking bay will become a bus stop under the new plans. “That parking bay has always been a visitor bay for Bur House,” Ms Kirkum said. “Even on the original plan for Keephatch Gardens, it says that it’s a visitor bay, but on the new plan for the park and ride, it now says it’s going to be a bus stop.” A spokesperson for Wokingham Borough Council said the visitor bay will remain just that, and this was incorrectly marked on the planning documents. Ms Kirkum has raised further concerns about the transport hub, and fears it will put her children at risk. “We’re going to have multiple buses driving past every hour, all day long, but we’ve got nowhere safe to cross,” she said. “The road is narrow and it’s going to have to deal with pub traffic [from the Oakingham Belle] as well as buses.” She said there’s nothing on the planning documents regarding a crossing. Cllr Jorgensen said the access road has been “safely audited” and deemed “acceptable”. Ms Kirkum said she is also worried about the privacy implications of
building the park and ride in a residential area. “Some of the buses are double deckers, so passengers will be able to look into at least the second floor of these houses,” she said. Cllr Rachel Burgess, Labour ward councillor for Norreys, is also concerned. “One resident said buses will be stopping right outside their child’s bedroom windows, which if so is really unpleasant,” she said. “There’s no other park and ride in the borough that is adjacent to housing in the way that this one is, and I think some residents are now only just realising how bad it’s going to be. “The rationale for the park and ride is still not clear to me I just can’t see why it’s needed in this location.” According to Cllr Jorgensen, the principle of the park and ride’s location is “long standing”. “The park and ride, which is included in the developer’s publicity materials, will help to reduce congestion on the A329 between Bracknell and Wokingham, and encourage sustainable transport,” she said. The £3 million project is due to be completed early next year.
Hurst villagers clear 18 tyres in weekend litter pick A COMMUNITY has collected more than 100 sacks of rubbish that were tossed into ditches and hedges around their area, writes Sue Corcoran. Wokingham borough councillor for Hurst, Cllr Wayne Smith delivered packs of litter picking sticks, high-viz jackets and sacks to around 35 families who cleared up many roads in the village. Then last weekend a residents’ taskforce assembled, distanced, to tackle a mile of the A321 from Forest Road to Pound Lane. Among their haul were 18 old tyres, large parts of cars which had been in crashes and many empty bottles and cans. The caring community’s good deed had taken a week up to Sunday, but it continues into this week. Cllr Smith said: “It’s quite disgusting that people feel they can just chuck rubbish into any area. “We’re very fortunate we have the great community that we have who turn out to help. “Usually, we would have a big litter pick centred on one day.
WEEKEND CLEAN: Volunteers show their community spirit
“But we need to keep distanced now because of Covid-19. We also gave residents the chance to choose when they wanted to litter pick, in their own time.” Last year, Hurst had more than 100 piles of fly tipping reported to Wokingham borough. But Hurst wasn’t the worst. In the ranking of 17 borough areas Hurst was number nine, with 17 the highest.
Rural life museum launches 70th anniversary celebration project A NEW history project is being launched at the Museum of English Rural Life, to mark its 70th anniversary. The 51 Voices project will connect people with the collections, from textiles and texts to straw crafts and souvenirs. Artists, community groups, specialists, makers, museum volunteers and the public can get involved and connect with items from 1951. Dr Ollie Douglas, curator of Museum
of English Rural Life (MERL) collections, said: “Each object, book, artwork or archival item that has been chosen has a strong link to 1951 but also resonates powerfully with 2021. “By looking more closely at these amazing and diverse things we want to share and develop our understanding of the links between the countryside seven decades ago and life today with the public. “These collections, including iconic material from the Festival of Britain,
FAMILY: Jo, Jess and Felix de Mountenay helped with the clear-up
Cllr Smith said: “In Hurst we have a brilliant community which is supported by Hurst Residents Facebook page which has grown from 50 members before the first lockdown to 744 now.” The village’s band of 60 volunteers has provided vital help with shopping, medicines and friendship to vulnerable and isolated people. “Hurst people are still helping in the present lockdown, that’s part of life here. It’s brilliant,” he added. already mark a previous moment of renewal. “Now 70 years on, and in these unprecedented times, this is the perfect moment to look at them again to explore reconstruction and regeneration. They are a springboard to thinking about our future as much as our past.” The objects and voices will be revealed online regularly during the year, including through blogs and an online exhibition. Events are planned to tie in with the Festival of Britain anniversary. � For more information, visit: merl.reading.ac.uk
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Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
Fly-tipping crackdown
Running for a cause close to his heart
MORE ACTION is being taken to stop fly-tipping across the borough. Last year, the council received £11,500 in fines, after launching it’s zero-tolerance approach. This is now being reinvested into enforcement action. Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure said: “We are actively monitoring hot-spot areas, inspecting evidence and using CCTV to ensure we can take appropriate legal action against this unlawful activity.” This includes setting-up earth bunds at Poperinghe Way in Arborfield, to stop vehicles driving on the grassed areas. The council has installed CCTV on site, and along the A329, which is regularly targeted. “We will continue to crack down on criminals who engage in the activity, but we need your help,” Cllr Batth added.
ON YOUR MARKS: Mark Welch running in aid of Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice
By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today A WOKINGHAM man has run 100km this month to support a nearby hospice.
Mark Welch, 34, started his 31-day ‘Ranuary’ challenge to raise money for Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice. With a friend working as a consultant in palliative medicine at the hospice, Mr Welch wanted to support a cause close to his heart. “We’ve been friends since we were 11 and I know how incredibly hard he and his
colleagues have been working during the coronavirus pandemic to support people at the end of their lives,” he said. “Sue Ryder is an amazing charity and their expert services are needed now more than ever.” He said the inspiration for the challenge came from a similar goal last year. “In September last year a few friends and I wanted to get more active and lose a bit of lockdown weight, so we challenged ourselves to run or walk 75km during the month,” he said.
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“This month we wanted to do something similar, but we increased the challenge to 100km and I decided I’d like to add a charitable element for some extra motivation. “Like many other people I have been working from home and running has helped me to get a change of scenery, some fresh air and generally feel good. “It’s not always fun to get out in the cold and wet for a run but knowing that I’m doing it for such a good cause really keeps me going.” Hannah Richards,
community fundraiser at the hospice, thanked Mr Welch for his contribution. She added: “The coronavirus pandemic is having a devastating impact on our funding and every pound raised by people like Mark helps us to continue to be there when it matters for local families.” Mr Welch has reached his £500 target, and welcomes additional donations. For more information, or to donate, visit: justgiving.com/ fundraising/Mark-Welchs100k-Ranuary
“We are asking all of our residents to support by disposing of their waste responsibly and to help us in keeping our borough clean and green.” Residents who do not dispose of their household waste properly could be hit with a £4,000 fine. To avoid this, residents should ensure any companies removing waste from their property has a license and is authorised to do so. Residents can check this on the Environment Agency’s website or the Right Waste Right Place website. Last month, the council issued two fixed penalty notices for flytipping, totalling £800. And it has been successful in court, winning £1,000 against a man who illegally dumped a mattress in Hurst in 2018. For more information about disposing of waste and recycling, visit the re3 website.
Retirement info event AN INFORMATION event is to be held in Crowthrone next weekend for people looking to move into a retirement complex. McCarthy Stone is offering socially-distanced one-to-one viewing of its Birch Place development. Appointments have to be booked, and include an opportunity to explore one of the apartments and learn more about the facilities on offer. Nicki Beswarick, Divisional
Marketing Manager for McCarthy Stone Southern, said: “Birch Place offers a relaxed set-up of private apartments where homeowners can continue to make the most of their later years, surrounded in comfort and with like-minded individuals who are also enjoying an active retirement.” The event takes place on Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6. For more details, call 0800 310 0383 or visit mccarthyandstone. co.uk/birchplace
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
CORONAVIRUS LATEST
‘My clinically vulnerable son should be higher on vaccine list’ EXCLUSIVE By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today THE CLINICALLY extremely vulnerable should be higher on the priority list, said a Wokingham mother.
Lynn Antink believes her son, who suffers from a hormone deficiency disorder, should be vaccinated at the same time as the elderly population. Colin Antink, 28, has Addison's disease, and is included in the Government’s list of clinically extremely vulnerable individuals. He, and his Mum, have been shielding themselves from contact,
but fear that is not enough to prevent a covid-related death. According to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, Mr Antink is included in the fourth category to be vaccinated, after care home residents and staff, and those over 80 and 75. The fourth category is for the over 70s and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals. This is not enough, Ms Antink said. “I can’t see why he’s at the bottom, after the elderly,” she said. “They should be at the same time. A lot of them are a lot fitter than he’ll ever be. He could die just as quickly.” Cllr Charles Margetts, health executive at the borough council,
said the order for immunisations was decided nationally, with the intention to reduce mortality. “The groups that are at the top, are those that are most at risk of death from Covid,” he said. “I do understand people’s frustrations. However, the issue about who gets it first would slip away if the supply was stepped up.” He said in the borough, roughly 90% of the over 80s have had a jab, along with 90% of care home residents and 55% of the 75s to 80s. “We are just about to start vaccinating the clinically extremely vulnerable,” he said. “Central Government has a policy to make it happen roughly simultaneously. “Some of the primary care
networks have progressed further than others, and the Government is trying to equalise that.” This, he said, meant the borough received fewer doses last week, than the week before — in order to even out progress across the country. After group four has been given the jab, the next eligible group is the over 65s, followed by anyone aged 16 to 64 with an underlying health condition. After this, the over 60s, over 55s and over 50s will be eligible consecutively. As part of the plan to speed up vaccinations, the borough council is soon to open a mass vaccination centre in the borough. This may be able to give 750 people a jab per day.
Austen House staff mark vaccine arrival
IT’S HERE: Staff at Austen House care home in Lower Earley celebrate the start of the vaccination programme
STAFF and residents at a Lower Earley care home were among the first to get their jabs. Those at Barchester’s Austen House were pleased to receive their vaccinations, and Natsayi Dunria, general manager, said it felt like “the light at the end of the tunnel”. “Our teams have been magnificent in how they have risen to every challenge during this
pandemic and we are proud to play our part in this next phase to ensure the most vulnerable are protected,” she said. Lauren, staff member at Austen House, added: “I am so pleased to be given the vaccine. “It will help to keep our residents safe, and is the first step in getting things back to normal and having a buzz of visitors in our home once again.”
Council starts lateral flow test scheme IN A BID to stop transmission of the coronavirus, Wokingham Borough Council is expanding its regular testing services, writes Charlotte King. As part of its Lateral Flow Testing pilot scheme, it will begin offering rapid tests to all key workers who must leave home for work or critical duties. This includes postal workers, private nursery staff and childminders, and supermarket staff. The council hopes that by doing so, any asymptomatic patients can be caught early to prevent them spreading the virus. Cllr Charles Margetts, executive
member for health, wellbeing and adult services, said: “Breaking the Covid chain is so important to stop the virus from spreading and we urge residents that need to leave home for work to come forward for a test.” He says Lateral Flow Tests should be done once or twice a week. “By offering regular rapid testing to key workers who do not currently have access to it through national testing programmes, we wish to lower the risk of Covid-19 and help restrict the spread of the virus within the borough,” Cllr Margetts added. “As we continue to expand our
Lateral Flow Testing pilot and help even more people get tested, we’ve also created an additional number of job opportunities for local people.” Wokingham Borough Council is in the process of creating two new rapid test sites, alongside a mobile outbreak response unit. “We will keep our residents informed about our Lateral Flow Testing programme as and when it is necessary,” Cllr Margetts continued. “We must stress, however, that a negative result does not give people immunity and should not be used as an excuse to bend the rules under current restrictions.
Tributes to Woodley teacher TRIBUTES have been paid to a Woodley teacher who has died as a result of covid. Victor Browne, who taught at The Bulmershe School for the past eight years, was the pastoral head of Year 10, and well respected by pupils and staff alike. He was well known for his bright coloured clothes and jokes. He died on Thursday, January 21,
and flowers and cards have been left outside the entrance of the school by pupils paying their respects and the school held a special assembly on Monday. Students also created a memorial video featuring pictures of him with pupils, along with messages in his memory. Bulmershe’s headteacher, Amanda Woodfin, said Mr Browne
was a “larger than life character” and “a very bright and colourful light in our school community”. “If I were to ask any of our
“We understand how difficult this can be and have a range of support measures in place to help residents, from access to food and help through the One Front Door scheme to a one-off Self Isolation Support Payment for those who cannot work from home.” � For more information about self-isolation support, visit: www.wokingham.gov.uk/health/ public-health-campaigns/coronavirusgrants-and-payments/apply-fordiscretionary-test-and-trace-supportpayments � For more information about lateral flow tests, visit: www.wokingham. gov.uk/health/public-healthcampaigns/lateral-flow-testing
students or staff to describe Vic in one word they would all say in unison, legend,” she said. “In his work Vic always put the students first, his selfless generosity had an uncompromising belief in all that is good. He had an unwavering commitment to the students and the rest of the school community. “My tribute does not truly capture the sense of loss that we are all feeling. We celebrate that we were privileged enough to work with him for the past eight years.”
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
NEWS | 7
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CORONAVIRUS LATEST
Health leader fights back over continued vaccine supply decrease � Continued from front page
“We have been told by John Redwood’s office and James Sunderland’s office that there is no issue with vaccine production,” Cllr Margetts said. “Instead, the NHS is prioritising supply to areas that are behind. “We believe they should be prioritising supply where there is capacity on the ground to deliver it,” he said. “The only conclusion I can draw is there is a logistics issue which no one is telling us about.” The health executive said the borough has increased capacity to give jabs to the community, with enough resources in place to give 7,500 vaccines per week. But this is dependent on supply. He said GP surgeries across the borough were hesitant to sign-off on plans for a mass vaccination centre at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre, because they couldn’t financially commit until vaccination supply was confirmed. “GPs are working hard to implement that vaccination programme, but they are being held back because supply
Number of vaccine doses sent to borough
5,400 Week commencing January 11
4,800 ▼ Week commencing January 18
4,200 ▼ Week commencing January 25
cannot meet capacity,” Cllr Margetts said. “At the moment, there is only a four to five day notification of supply delivery, which makes it incredibly hard to plan resources and staff effectively. “The only thing holding the borough back is reducing vaccine supply and a lack of any information from the NHS over what they are doing — or what they plan to do over the next few weeks.” He added: “We are pleading with the CCG to give us our GPs more
information, so they can deliver the vaccination programme successfully.” Cllr Clive Jones, deputy leader of the Lib Dems questioned whether 7,500 doses per week was ever confirmed for the borough. “Did we just go ahead and create this capacity,” he said. “Why did we think we’d have 7,500 doses in the first place?” He said he couldn’t understand the reason for hiding vaccination statistics, and called for greater clarity publicly. This was echoed by the Lib Dem leader, Cllr Lindsay Ferris, who added that any leftover doses each day should be used by a “reserve list”. Cllr Margetts said the lack of information was also stopping the borough council from starting a targeted marketing campaign for groups that are not coming forward for vaccination. “We are not able to send out the required public health messages and protect our residents due to this lack of information,” he said.
Click and play: New booking system at Dinton Pastures The council has changed its approach towards the country park, after concerns there were too many visitors at one time. Residents that live outside of Hurst, Woodley and Winnersh are being encouraged not to visit. Hurst ward councillor, Wayne Smith, said he couldn’t understand why people were driving across the borough to visit the country park. “I’ve heard reports of people coming from Finchampstead to Dinton, when they have California Country Park right on their doorstep. I’ve even heard there
were visitors from outside of the borough arriving.” He said Hurst residents have been getting in touch with him over the month, growing concerned about the number of people at the park. Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure at the borough council, said: “We ask that people should only visit Dinton Pastures for their daily exercise if they are a Wokingham Borough resident who lives nearby ideally in Winnersh, Woodley or Hurst.
“If you live further afield, we encourage you to exercise as close as possible to your home. “The Government has not given a specific indicator on how far you can travel for your daily exercise, but it does state that you should avoid travelling outside of your village, town, or the part of a city where you live – and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall. Common sense should always prevail, and we must act responsibly.” Now, the play area will have a booking system.
University vice-chancellor rejects union plea for tuition fee refunds NO REFUNDS will be offered for tuition fees this year, said the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading. Responding to an open letter from the student union officer team, Professor Robert Van de Noort said the institution had adopted a “blended learning approach” that was designed to be flexible with home learning. The union officers had called for a part refund on the annual £9,250 fee, but this was rejected by the university. Professor Van de Noort said support services, and campus facilities such as the Library, study spaces and catering had also continued to operate. Those unhappy with their education were asked
to contact their academic tutor first, before raising a formal complaint. In their letter, the union officers called for support for students renting in the private sector, a commitment to upholding graduation ceremonies when possible, and a no detriment policy to support student grades. Professor Van de Noort said he has written a letter to landlords, which will soon be circulated. Adding he was working on “flexible mitigation arrangements” to support students in their exams. But he did not comment on the possibility of graduation ceremonies happening. Following Professor Van
de Noort’s response, union officers said they understood students were not satisfied with the answers given. In a statement, they said: “We want to ensure that no student is worse off, financially or academically, as a result of Covid-19. “We understand that Covid-19 has had a detrimental impact on learning outcomes and that more money and support will be needed to close that gap for students. “We will collate individual and overarching student concerns to raise to senior members of the University Executive Board, while continuing to lobby the government.”
He is calling for vaccination figures for the borough to answer public questions, take up figures to address fears in any groups hesitant to be vaccinated, and a forward prediction of supply, to take the pressure of the GPs and give opportunity for planning. A spokesperson for Berkshire West CCG declined to comment on the call to publish figures of vaccinations given, and instead said the programme is “progressing well” and all over 80s and care home residents will be vaccinated by the end of the week. They said: “Vaccine allocation is being driven by NHS England and is dependent on the number of patients still to be vaccinated in the current cohort. This will ensure equity.” When questioned about the predicted supply of the vaccine, and communicating this to the borough council, the spokesperson said: “The roll out of the vaccine in Wokingham, as across the country, is dependent on supplies and deliveries. “Once we have notification about a delivery then we are acting very
fast in booking in patients.” The CCG declined to comment on whether the Government banned them from revealing supply information, or whether the Government was withholding this information from them as well. The spokesperson added: “This is a major mass vaccination programme and we’re asking people to be patient and not to ring their GP surgery – they will be in touch as soon as they have supplies and spaces available.” But Cllr Margetts said this is not good enough, and residents deserve more clarity about expected timelines. “Even telling someone they can expect a call in the next two weeks, and to call a number if they haven’t, would be better than what is happening now,” he said. Cllr Andy Croy, leader of Wokingham Labour, said he thought the numbers were being kept a “secret” because each time data has been published, it has shown “catastrophic failings in the management of the pandemic”. He added: “Being told to prepare for 7,500 jabs a day as ‘burst’ capacity is also a waste of time and resources. It is the same old story. The public and the public sector have been let down by the government over and over again.” The Department for Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.
Cllr Batth added: “This weekend, we are introducing a ticket booking system for the play park which will see it operate at 50% less of its usual capacity. There will also be socially distanced queuing and additional signage. “Visitors are of course permitted to purchase takeaway drinks from the Dragonfly café. However, we ask that they move along quickly afterwards to help avoid crowding.” “Covid Support Officers are on hand to promote best practice and ask people to move on if necessary.” The council has also put a formal Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) in place to prevent visitors from parking in the park’s surrounding lanes.
Over 50s still eligible for winter flu jab
� For more information, and to book a play slot, visit: www.dintonpastures.co.uk/plan-your-visit
� To locate a participating pharmacy, visit: www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-apharmacy
THERE is still time to have the flu jab this winter. Borough residents aged 50-64 are now eligible for the free vaccine, as part of the extended programme this year. Everyone in this age group is being contacted to confirm they are eligible, and GPs and pharmacies are arranging appointments. Dr Vaughan Lewis, medical director for NHS England and NHS Improvement’s South East region, said: “We know that lots of people are keen to have the Covid vaccine as soon as possible and we are working hard to ensure this happens but while you are waiting you can also help to protect yourself from respiratory illness by having a flu jab.
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TAKE OUT TO HELP OUT
WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
LOCKDOWN3.0
New cafe launches in Wargrave TAKEOUTTO HELPOUT EXCLUSIVE
FAMILY BUSINESS: Owners Sarah and Nick Hart, with their daughter Izzy outside the new H'Artisan cafe in Wargrave Picture: Sam Sturgeon
By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today A WARGRAVE family has been waiting years to open their community-led cafe, and the big day is finally here. Sarah and Nick Hart, along with their daughter Izzy, are lockdown launching H’artisan tomorrow after working on the speciality cafe for more than two years. Based on the village’s High Street, H’artisan is no ordinary cafe — it will be dog-friendly, stock a range of nutritious and naughty snacks, and has a dedicated bike cafe. The family said they cannot wait to open the doors to the public for the very first time, even though it is a takeaway-only venue for the moment. “This has been a two-plus year journey, and it has been a labour of love and passion,” Mr Hart said. “And more so than ever at the moment, with a full-time job and homeschooling on the side, you can imagine fitting in the café work has been a challenge.” After working in retail for 25 years, Mr Hart said he was taken aback by the amount of work it takes to become an independent
retailer. “To do it to a high quality standard is extremely time consuming,” he explained. “But we’re looking forward to opening.” Mr Hart said he will be using his retail knowledge, while his wife Sarah uses her experience as a nutritionist, to bring the cafe to life. Alongside the main eating
area, H’artisan will boast an outdoor, dog-friendly terrace for warm summer days. “The terrace is going to be a really, really nice place to be,” Mr Hart said. The family have also bought the adjoining flat, which is going to become its very own bike café. H’artisan is an official Rapha Cycling Club (RCC)
Partner Cafe, so it can act as a community hub and meeting place for RCC members, who hail from across the world. “This is a really big coup for us,” Mr Hart explained. “Rapha’s products have redefined comfort, performance and style for cyclists from absolute beginners through to WorldTour professionals. “It is very exciting to be working with the RCC.” Cooking up a storm in the kitchen will be the cafe’s new chef, who is coming from London to work in Wargrave full time. “He’s a chef, he’s a master baker, and he’s a barista,” the owner explained. “Some of the food will be pretty nutritious, with nourish bowls and healthy winter porridge, but it will change with the seasons and of course there will be some naughty treats as well, including our amazing locally baked cakes.” The Hart family said it has received nothing but positive feedback in the run-up to the grand opening. “Really, this is about community,” Mr Hart said. “You sort of get stuck into the process of setting everything up and you keep your head down, working hard. “Then you see the feedback from locals, which is so genuinely heartwarming and encouraging and reminds us that Wargrave has a really unique community.” While H’artisan is opening for takeaway only tomorrow, it plans to grow its services as coronavirus restrictions ease in the future. � For more information ,visit: www.facebook.com/HartisanSpecialityCoffeeCo
GOOD TO GO: New restaurant Chalk Wokingham is offering takeaways
Relying on your support CHALK, an independently-owned British eatery which launched in Wokingham town centre last October, said it is relying on takeaways to survive – showing the important reason why borough residents should join in with our Take Out To Help Out campaign, writes Charlotte King.
Benjamin Bond, Chalk’s general manager, said that due to changing lockdown restrictions, his restaurant has only been able to open its doors for just over a fortnight so far. “And alongside those 16 days, we were dealing with bubbles and tier restrictions, so our December bookings were down,” Mr Bond said. “It’s been a very interesting time.” He said that while the team anticipated one possible lockdown after opening, the latest restrictions came as a surprise. “We’re a really new business, so we don’t have a brand following in the area yet which is challenging because people don’t necessarily think of us when ordering a takeaway,” he explained. “We hadn’t really seen takeaway dinners as something we could do either, so it’s been challenging but interesting.” Mr Bond said the team at Chalk have learned a lot from lockdown however, and takeaways could become another string in their bow once the pandemic is history. For now, he’s relying on local residents to join Take Out To Help Out and treat themselves to a Chalk takeaway, saying their business is vital to support the restaurant’s staff. “Our team doesn’t qualify for furlough so the busier we are, the more hours we can potentially give our team,” Mr Bond explained. “That in itself is a massive help for us. “Also, it just helps us survive. We’re very aware that we’re probably not going to make profit at this time but every order really does make a difference for us to be able to survive and keep going.” Mr Bond said while interest on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays has been quite good, Chalk is often struggling on weekdays when orders slow down. “Because people aren’t really heading out, we’re getting less breakfast and lunchtime deliveries but that would really support us as well.” He said it’s important to support small businesses wherever possible during the third lockdown. “Smaller businesses are homegrown. They’re more personal and authentic,” he explained. “There are three of us that founded Chalk, and all of us are working here most days of the week because we’re passionate and we really care. “We want to be able to offer Wokingham a business that’s exciting, so it’s important for us to be able to be here for the long-term.” Mr Bond said it’s easy to order from Chalk, too. “There are four ways you can place an order. “If you’re passing by you can order there and then, and most of our dishes can be made in about 15 minutes. “You can also place an order over the phone and arrange to either collect it or have it delivered, and people can also order on our website, or download our app.” Take Out To Help Out has been hailed as an important campaign by council leader Cllr John Halsall. “It's a real positive initiative by our local institution Wokingham.Today,” he said.
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
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Walk-through covid tests open in Reading A WALK-THROUGH testing site has opened in Reading’s Prospect Park car park, in a bid to make coronavirus tests more accessible. The centre is working in partnership with Serco, and offers self-administered tests which can be pre-booked by anybody with Covid-19 symptoms. “New walk-in sites like this one make it even easier to get a test no matter where you live,” said Lord Bethell, health minister. He urges anybody with symptoms to book a slot immediately. Walk-through facilities have also opened in Bracknell and Maidenhead. People are now able to book tests at Bracknell Leisure Centre Car Park, and Magnet Leisure Centre Car Park in Maidenhead. All three sites are part of the government’s national drive to improve testing among local communities. � For more information, visit: www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
Charity relaunches website AS IT prepares to mark its 25th anniversary next year, a learning disability and autism support charity has relaunched its website. Promise Inclusion, previously Wokingham, Bracknell & Districts Mencap, worked with marketing company Dynamiq on the refresh. Mary Durman, charity CEO, said: “We hope that our new website will raise awareness of the valuable support that the charity can offer locally in both Wokingham and Bracknell Forest. “It will allow us to promote our activities and events, share our good news with a wider audience and will accept donations.” � The website is: www.promiseinclusion.org
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
Woodley HSBC to close as more residents turn to online banking EXCLUSIVE By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today ANOTHER bank is pulling out of Woodley’s town centre as part of a restructuring operation.
HSBC has said that its Crockhamwell Road branch will shut on Friday, June 18, following on the heels of its near-neighbour Santander which closed in July 2019. The bank said that after running a pilot scheme, it is ‘evolving’ its branch network by closing 82 branches this year, as customers make more use of online services. It says that customers can use Post Office branches for day-to-day transactions, or visit branches in Wokingham or Reading. The company’s new branch formats are a fullservice branch, a cash service branch which can help with issues such as bereavements. The digital service branches are counterless branches that utilise machines for transactions such as cash and cheques. And it will also offer pop-up branches later this year. “Giving more and better options to enable customers to manage their finances, including self-service, has uncovered a latent demand. The direction of travel is really quite clear and this is borne out by the reduction in branch usage and increase in digital interaction that we are seeing first-hand,” said Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK’s Head of Network.
She added that Covid-19 had emphasised the need for change, but hadn’t pushed the banking giant into this direction. “Making sure we have a sustainable branch network is essential to us, and decisions to close branches are not taken lightly,” she said. “By ensuring we have the most suitable branch format in each specific local market that we serve, we will ensure that we are in good shape to meet the challenges ahead.” It’s not all bad news for banking in Woodley. Last November, Nationwide reaffirmed its promise to keep its branch network open until at least January 2023. Mandy Beech, Branch Network Director of Nationwide Building Society, said: “We’re ensuring our members can go into their local branch and see their branch manager and speak to someone they know and trust, whenever they need to. “By extending our branch promise until at least January 2023 we can continue to provide face-toface help and advice and remain a part of so many communities across the UK.” Barclays also remains open, but with reduced hours. It is open 9.30am to 2pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Barclays is also intending to continue to serve Woodley residents. A spokesperson said: “There are no current plans to close Barclays Woodley branch. “That said, our branch opening hours and presence on the high street is constantly being
HOMES UNDER THE LOCKDOWN
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DIGITAL SWITCH: More than 80 branches will be closed
reviewed to reflect how and when our customers are choosing to interact with us. “As customer behaviour continues to change we must evolve our business to meet their needs, as such, we are not able to speculate on any future change in relation to our branch opening hours or branch network.” Woodley Town Centre manager Brian Fennelly said: “Most banks have had strategic plans in place for years to move away from the High Street to Online. The HSBC closure is clearly part of that plan but the decision will not be appreciated by their customers. “The covid crisis has had and I fear will continue to have a devastating effect on town centres the length and breadth of Britain. “Clearly HSBC has decided that this makes commercial sense, but it is very disappointing news for Woodley.” � Nationwide Woodley is reopening on Tuesday after a refurbishment.
University thinks food UNIVERSITY researchers are working on a new project to make healthy food more accessible to poorer communities. Professor Carol Wagstaff at the University of Reading is leading a team of charities, industry experts and researchers to create new ways to put healthy, sustainable food on everyone’s table. “Many struggle, not because they lack aspiration or knowledge about food, but because of the real impact of financial or time poverty,” Professor Wagstaff said. “The project, which brings together expertise from the Universities of Reading, Cranfield, Sussex, Plymouth and Kent, plus numerous partners from the food industry, civil organisations and policy makers, will give a voice and power to those who are so often left behind when food systems, food policies and novel products are designed. “Together, we will help to give everyone access to a diet that meets their health needs and which is produced in a way that is good for our planet.” The project aims to develop a framework for affordable and desirable food that fits with busy lives. It is part of a £24 million boost to transform the UK food system, by placing healthy people and a healthy natural environment at its centre. It is one of four research projects to have received funding through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF). Professor Guy Poppy, programme director of the Transforming the UK Food Systems SPF Programme said: “Never before has the role that the food system plays in both environmental and human health been so centre-stage. “I am really excited by the ambitious and transformative projects we have selected for funding – every single person in the UK could benefit from this research. We will ensure the best evidence is generated to offer decisions which need to be made in Transforming the UK food system.”
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
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Council improves blue badge application process CHANGES have been made to the Blue Badge application process, following resident feedback. The borough council said it was “aware of some frustrations” about the procedure. Applications can now be made without an online account, and can be completed on behalf of another person. The online form can be saved while working on it, and applicants can return and complete it within 14 days. There is also the ability to download the form for personal records.
The council has also changed the system, so an automatic email is sent to residents if their badge is nearing expiry. Cllr Gregor Murray, executive member for resident services, communications and emissions, said: “We recognised that our online application form was causing unnecessary frustrations for some of our applicants. “You spoke and we have listened. “The improvements we have now made means the customer experience is much smoother and more efficient.
“We’re always looking to make improvements for our customers and making it easier for them to interact with us. “Since the launch in December, we have received more than 100 applications and the early feedback is very positive.” Lisa, who applied for a Blue Badge on behalf of someone else, agreed it was now more straightforward.
She said: “The link for the new form was easy to locate on the website, and it was very easy and intuitive to use. “It was also easy to upload the documents, in comparison to having to post the documents last time we applied for a badge.” The online system can be found on the council’s website, by searching blue badges. There are also details on the website about eligibility criteria and how long a Blue Badge is valid for. The council can arrange a phone call for anyone that needs help completing the form. To book a telephone appointment, call 0118 974 6000 and choose option 5, then option 3 for the Blue Badge team.
Christmas lights help Olly Young Foundation A CHRISTMAS light show has helped boost the coffers for a Wokingham charity. Residents of Culloden Way decorated their home in the run-up to December 25. The display featured penguins, trees and other festive symbols. And even though the borough was operating under Tier restrictions for much of the month, residents were still able to give generously. In all, £509.87 was given to the Ollie Young Foundation, which funds targeted paediatric brain tumour research and support. A spokesperson for the charity thanked the family who organised the event and also those who gave: “Thank you to everyone who popped their pennies in the collection box and donated online, this certainly brightened our new year”. The charity is now preparing for its annual Feblueary campaign, asking people to make a donation and wear something blue. � For more details, log on to www.ollieyoungfoundation.org
Covid-19: Council plans to commit £1.2 million to pandemic recovery By MARIE WILLIAMS news@wokingham.today AN EXTRA £1.2 million may be committed to tackling the pandemic locally in a meeting tonight.
Wokingham Borough Council’s executive will consider setting aside the extra funding when it meets this evening. The money would be on top of the funds already being directed to the council’s response to Covid-19. If agreed, it is likely to be used to support the lateral flow test centres recently set-up, and provide practical support for the vaccine roll-out. This could include providing buildings, marshals, parking and staffing. Funds are likely to also be allocated to free school meal provision, and providing a “lifeboat” for preschools. It may also be invested in Covid19 contact tracing to help more people follow the self-isolation rules.
Businesses will likely get a slice, with fund hardship payments to individuals and businesses hit by the pandemic. And there will be a pledge to continue supporting voluntary and community organisations. Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health, well-being and adult services, said: “We are in a critical stage of the pandemic. “The number of cases is still alarmingly high and we need to do all we can to bring them down, which is why contact tracing and testing are vital. “We have led a successful contact tracing programme here in the borough and we are now rolling out rapid testing to more and more key workers and vulnerable groups. “This funding would enable us to go even further to help our community by expanding these initiatives. “But we also have the allimportant hope offered by the vaccination programme and we are
determined to help with that in any way we can. We are in regular contact with the NHS and local GPs to offer all the practical help they need.” Cllr Lindsay Ferris, leader of Wokingham Liberal Democrats said the council leader had asked the Lib Dems if there were any other areas that needed additional support. “I am pleased to say the council has taken up a number of those suggestions which includes providing additional support for our local charities who have been heavily involved in Covid-19 activities and support for the preschools, which have had changes to funding arrangements since the first lockdown,” he said. “It is essential that support is provided to these areas and we fully support such action by the council.” The borough council has received around £9.3million in emergency Covid-19 funding from central government — but this has
not covered the cost of the local response. Cllr John Kaiser, executive member for finance and housing, said: “The funding to be discussed is just part of our efforts, because our real commitment is much wider: it is that we will use our strong financial position – the reserves we have judiciously built up and the returns we get from sound investment – to get the borough through this incredibly difficult time.” Cllr Kaiser said the council is flexible in its support, by working with a range of organisations. He added: “We are also committed to preventing hardship through direct help to those in need, and by helping businesses — both with the national grants available and local discretionary help.” He said the pandemic has hit the borough in other ways, including an increase in fly-tipping. Some of the extra funding may also go to tackle this issue.
NEWS | 11
Smart drains installed to monitor water levels IN AN attempt to tackle flooding, drains across Wokingham borough are getting an upgrade. The borough council is trialling smart drainage sensors in Earley and Arborfield — and they offer real-time data on what’s going on in the sewers. Sensors have been installed in Gipsy Lane and Wilderness Road in Earley, and Reading Road in Arborfield. They provide feedback on silt and water levels in the sewer system. The project is part of an innovation programme to improve the borough’s roads. “We continue to look at ways we can use the innovative and green technologies on the roads around the borough,” said Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport. “We know if we can better manage and monitor our drainage system then we’ll be able to reduce congestion and be better informed about locations where we can carry out maintenance work.” It is hoped the sensors will help the council predict issues rather than react to them, saving money and time and reducing disruption on the roads. Similar systems have been trialled in Bristol and Kent with success. Wokingham’s smart drainage sensors are due to remain in place until the end of 2021 when the trial period ends. Afterwards, Wokingham Borough Council says it will consider rolling them out across the entire borough.
Call to put nature at heart of planning policies A COALITION of nearly 20 groups is calling on the government to rethink its housing white paper. Released in August last year, the paper outlined changes to make it easier for housing to be built, and more than doubled the target in Wokingham borough to 1,600 new homes. Now, a coalition of 18 organisations says the government must develop a planning system that puts people, and nature, at its heart. Groups from the housing, planning, transport, environment and public health sectors have produced their own ‘Vision or planning’ which says residents deserve a greater say in their local communities. Gloria Keene, from CPRE Berkshire, said: “This is a chance for central and local government to reset the agenda and put people, climate and nature at the centre of their planning rethink. “Why does planning matter to us in Berkshire? Because it makes a long-term difference to our environment and how we live. “It can help us reuse derelict land in a more sensible way, protect green space valuable to local people and wildlife, and it gives us the opportunity to be part of local democracy, helping us contribute to the decisions about what is built locally and where.” The government is expected to make a further announcement on the white paper in March.
Elms Field watering hole RESIDENTS can now refill their bottles in more places, thanks to the installation of a water fountain in Elms Field. The council’s regeneration team said it’s getting ready for summer, to keep park and play area visitors hydrated. “The first fountain we installed at Peach Place has proved a massive hit with visitors to the town,” said Cllr Charlotte Haitham Taylor, executive member for regeneration. “When the opportunity came up to install a second one as part of our Elms Field regeneration we jumped at the chance. “It’s vitally important, given the climate emergency, that we encourage people to do their bit towards reducing waste and helping to protect the environment.” It has been installed off Alexandra Court, opposite Nuffield Health.
12 | NEWS
PARISHNOTICEBOARD Parish and borough council meetings
Meetings online – contact councils for details
Thursday, January 28 Shinfield Parish Council. Recreation and Amenities. 7.30pm. shinfieldparish.gov.uk Wokingham Borough Council. Executive commitee. 7pm. wokingham.gov.uk
Monday, February 1 Hurst Parish Council. Council meeting. 7.30pm. hurstpc.org.uk Winnersh Parish Council. Planning committee meeting. 7.30pm. www.winnersh.gov.uk Wokingham Borough Council. Highwood Management Conference. 7pm. wokingham.gov.uk
Wednesday, February 3 Wokingham Borough Council. Audit Committee. 7pm. wokingham.gov.uk
Tuesday, February 9 Earley Town Council. Planning committee. 7.30pm. www.earley-tc.gov.uk Shinfield Parish Council. Staffing committee – meeting closed to public. 7pm. shinfieldparish.gov.uk Sonning Parish Council. Council meeting. 7pm. www.sonning-pc.gov.uk Swallowfield Parish Council. Parish Council Meeting. 7.30pm. www.swallowfieldpc.gov.uk Winnersh Parish Council. Parish council meeting. 7.30pm. www.winnersh.gov.uk Woodley Town Council. Full council. 8pm. www.woodley.gov.uk
Wednesday, February 10 Shinfield Parish Council. Finance and General Purposes. 7.30pm. shinfieldparish.gov.uk
Monday, February 15 Shinfield Parish Council. Full council meeting. 7.30pm. shinfieldparish.gov.uk
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FROMTHECOURTS � A TWYFORD woman has been banned from getting behind the wheel for 12 months after pleading guilty to drinking and driving. Courtney Grimshaw, 29 and from Cheriton Avenue, was stopped by police on Kings Road, Reading on September 12 last year. A test found that she had 95 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. She was fined £415, and ordered to pay costs of £85 and £41 to victim services. The driving ban will be reduced by three months on completion of a safe driving course.
� A WOMAN from Shinfield has been fined £100 for being in possession of a class A drug. Police stopped Angela Cox, 47 and from Westall Street, on October 31, 2019, at an address in Reading. Although Cox had originally pleaded not guilty, she changed her plea to guilty when she appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on December 15. In addition to the fine, she must pay £150 costs and £32 to victim services. � A NORCOT man who has been convicted for a series of motoring offences has been given an eightweek suspended jail sentence. Samir Mustafa, 21 and from Stone Street, appeared before
Reading Magistrates Court on December 16, where he admitted failing to provide a blood specimen for testing. He was stopped on the Winnersh Relief Road, Hatch Farm Way, and found to be driving while disqualified, and without insurance. All offences took place on November 13 last year. Mustafa is also banned from driving for 48 months, and must pay £128 to victim services. � AN ARBORFIELD man who failed to provide information relating to the driver of a car stopped by police has been given six penalty points on his licence. Jack Scott Fisher, 25 and from Vallon Road, pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place in Dorchester on May 3 last year. He was ordered to pay an £80 fine, £85 costs and £34 to victim services. � A GRAZELEY man who failed to provide a breath specimen to police has been given an eight-week suspended jail sentence. David Hewitt, 50 and from Manor Farm, was at Loddon Valley Police Station on September 25 when the offence took place. In addition to the sentence, suspended for 12 months, Hewitt must pay £85 costs and £128 to
WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
Cases heard in Reading and Slough Magistrates Court in recent weeks victim services. His licence will be withdrawn for three years. � DRIVING while over the limit has seen a Finchampstead man banned from getting behind the wheel for 18 months. Jay Rock from Burnt Oak, 28, was stopped by police in Southampton Street, Reading on November 14 last year. A breath test revealed that he had 71 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. Rock’s ban will be reduced by 18 weeks on completion of a safe driving course, and he must also pay £85 costs and £50 to victim services. He was also fined £500. The case was heard at Reading Magistrates Court on December 16, 2020. � A MAN from Lower Earley has been fined £522 and given six points on his licence after failing to provide police with information to the owner of a car when required. Christopher Hovell, from Maiden Place, pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place on February 1 last year in Reading. The 33-year-old was also found to be in possession of a quantity of the class A drug cocaine on the same day, and for this he was fined £185. The drug will be destroyed.
Hovell must also pay £85 costs and £52 to victim services. His case was heard at Reading Magistrates Court on December 17. � A SPENCERS WOOD man who failed to provide a breath specimen has been banned from driving for two years. Dharmesh Rashikant Patel, 38 and from Hyde End Road, was in custody at Loddon Valley Police station on November 10, 2018, when he was requested to give the sample. Although Patel had pleaded not guilty on November 28, 2018, he was found guilty on October 26, and given a community order on December 29. Patel must also pay £775 costs and £85 to victim services. His ban will be reduced by 24 weeks on completion of a safe driving course. � A SANDHURST man has been banned from driving for three months after being stopped in Wokingham. Philip Carter, 59 and from York Town Road, was driving along London Road on August 4 last year when police pulled him over. He was driving while disqualified and without insurance. At a hearing on January 4, Reading Magistrates Court fined him £180, ordered him to pay costs £85 and £34 to victim services.
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
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14 | NEWS
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
WINTER WONDERLAND
Wokingham smiles as snow falls around us IT doesn’t happen very often, so when snow falls, we like to make the most of it.
Wokingham was given a good blanketing of snow on Sunday morning, falling quickly after 8am to ensure we could have some wintry fun. And coming as lockdown ended its third week, it helped raise spirits.
People made snowmen, enjoyed walks and taken part in wintry activities including socially distanced sledging in Joel Park. Here, we feature a selection of images, sent in by you, and taken by photographer Andrew Batt and Wokingham.Today editor Phil Creighton.
Anna Adams
Thames Valley Park
Kathryn Rockall Elizabeth Bennett: Fiveweeks-old and a Finley had his first taste of snow... and loved it
Jenny Vertigan
Created by Jade Wheeler and Zac Diprose
Corrine Stamp - Cobie aged 7
Alan Dighton
Camilla Lovell Jade
Mark Wanstall
Carl Fenty Claire Eddison-Cardy at Riverways Farm
Dominique Brocklehurst-Waite
Emine Holden
Naomi Blake-Ross
Kerri Toop
NEWS | 15
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Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
WINTER WONDERLAND Around Wokingham by Andrew Batt
Pistol
George Anderson
Vicky Mason
Angelina Justina
Charlotte Munro
Jenny Partridge
Krissy Rapley
Chamz Lila Joseph
Frankie Ellen
Emma Lou
Marla White
Emma Whitaker
Kathryn Pelling - Socially distanced snowmen near Keephatch
16 | NEWS
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
‘Ignorance is no bliss’ says resident over committee concern EXCLUSIVE By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today RESIDENTS across the borough have joined the call for an independent investigation into the council standards committee.
On Monday, January 11, a meeting of the Standards Committee was cut short after Philip Meadowcroft, a Wargrave resident tried to point out that it broke the council’s own rules by including too many members of the executive, as well as the council leader. Last week, Wokingham Liberal Democrats called for an independent investigation into the issue. This has been echoed by borough residents, who say they are concerned the committee had not acted in the “spirit of the law”. Mr Meadowcroft said he noticed the issue after analysing the council constitution, following the council’s
public consultation into councillor conduct, back in November last year. He said: “I think a calm reflection of what has gone on is desperately needed. Cllr Halall said it’s an honest mistake that nobody noticed until I brought it up. “But ignorance is no bliss here, there has to be a penalty paid — and the penalty should be he stands down. This is not a personal issue, this is about principles.” Mr Meadowcroft said he didn’t want to see any “political shillyshallying” but for the issue to be properly dealt with. This concern was echoed by Charvil resident, Frank Moore, who said he was “appalled” at the way the standards committee was handled. Mr Moore, whose professional career involved chairing multiple standards committees in the textile industry, said it is “extremely important” the right process is followed. “I would like an independent
investigation into how this happened in the first place,” he told Wokingham.Today. After looking into the legality of the committee, solicitors confirmed the committee composition was lawful. A report from Legal Solutions, Sean O’Connor, solicitor and head of legal and Jenniffer Lee, solicitor, concluded that: “The committee was lawfully established and its decisions and any decisions of a subcommittee of the committee are lawful.” They said this is because the council voted to appoint the committee, despite the restrictions on membership in the constitution. Mr Moore said although the committee has been found to be legal, “that is not the spirit of the law”. He added: “We need to investigate how this happened in the first place.” Earley resident, Mike Shattock, questioned whether the council was
Congregation lends helping hand THE CONGREGATION at St Paul’s Church in Wokingham has been supporting patients at Royal Berkshire Hospital. The rector, the Revd Richard Lamey, and his team put out a call to see what could be done to support the local NHS staff. Two members of the congregation were hospital staff and were able to provide real insight into what would make their colleagues’ working days a little brighter. The church community decided to donate high-quality food and drink, such as squash and individually wrapped cakes and biscuits, to lift the spirits and energy levels of staff during their long shifts. They also took a personal approach too. One of the hospital’s staff said: “Just knowing we are being thought about would be brilliant – notes and cards would be a real boon in the darkest moments.”
The community around St Paul’s, including some of the local schools, rallied round and quickly notes and letters began appearing for the staff at the hospital. Some were emailed directly to the RBH Chaplaincy while others were delivered to St Paul’s — where they were quarantined and then passed onto the hospital. So far, roughly 50 notes have been delivered and £220 worth of refreshments have been donated by the community which have been shared around at least eight different wards, including ICU and Elderly Care. One matron at the hospital said in a thank you note: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to your church for their very thoughtful and generous donations. “They have been distributed to frontline clinical areas within the hospital and staff have been
HAMPERS: Snacks have been donated to hospital staff
so touched by this kind gesture. “It is so nice of you all to think of us.” Residents that would like to get involved can visit St Paul’s website for more information: www.stpaulswokingham.org.uk/
Campaigners row over leaflet delivery POLITICAL campaigners have been accused of ‘flagrant flouting of the law’ by delivering leaflets during lockdown – but they say that they have been sent out by commercial companies. In a letter to Wokingham.Today this week (see page 19), Conservative candidate for Shinfield South Jackie Rance says that delivering leaflets bent lockdown rules. “Government guidelines state the single most important action is to stay at home to protect the
NHS and by definition, every one of us,” she wrote, adding the voluntary causes were legitimate reasons for leaving home at this time. “Any idiot knows that voluntary services means working for Link Visiting Scheme, homeless charities, mental health organisations, church groups, not delivering political newspapers. “The Liberal Democrats decided to ‘bend’ the rules ... and ... delivering these newspapers was a ‘service’.
made aware the committee would break the constitution, when it was appointed in may 2019. “I accept they can change their constitution,” he said. “But they didn’t comply with what’s written down.” Last week, Cllr Andy Croy, leader of Wokingham Labour, suggested that residents unhappy about decisions made in the meetings, should be allowed to have that revisited — as long as there was some agreement within the committee. Mr Moore said he was concerned the presence of too many executive members may have influenced decisions made. “I think they should investigate what this means for past decisions,” he said. This was supported by Mr Meadowcroft, who said that past decisions should be revisited — even if it’s uncomfortable to do so. � Council reports page 22
Women’s Equality Party calls for vaccine priority THE Reading and Wokingham branch of the Women’s Equality Party is calling for the government to prioritise childcare workers and all school staff for the next round of vaccines. Louise Timlin, branch leader of Women’s Equality Party Reading and Wokingham said: “We support education leaders who are calling for early years and school staff to be prioritised in the next round of vaccinations. “The Prime Minister announced a few weeks ago that early years settings should remain open to everyone, but that is simply not possible without urgent support.
“With all these Lib Dems traipsing the streets it is very clear they are prepared to ‘risk’ spreading a ‘little risk’ rather than ensuring no risk.” Wokingham Liberal Democrats say that the leaflets in question were sent to a company that specialises in leaflet distribution and that the majority had been delivered. The content, they added, was relevant to residents. Group leader, Cllr Lindsay Ferris, said: “We have as yet not received any formal guidance from Lib Dem HQ, but of course we would abide by any such guidance.” Deputy leader Cllr Clive Jones argued that the Conservatives had
“Already many early years settings have closed their doors, either temporarily or permanently, because of funding cuts, lack of testing and staff shortages. “If we want schools and nurseries to open safely, then we have to make these workers a priority.” Despite being classed as key workers, early years workers are not explicitly included in priority categories. The Women’s Equality Party is organising an action called ‘home school the government’ on Saturday, where parents and childcare draw a picture to demonstrate the realities of childcare in a lockdown.
themselves put out their own newsletters. He asked: “Who delivered theirs back in the first week of January? Was it volunteers, or a commercial company? “In the past, they have also used the same commercial company we have used.” And parties have also been able to have leaflets delivered by postmen. “Do the Conservatives want to stop the Post Office delivering? It’s an important question. “It’s just another example of them trying to stifle democracy.” Wokingham Conservatives were invited to comment but had not done so as we went to press.
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY THE VOICE OF THE BOROUGH
The virus is still here, the measures matter THERE must only be a handful of people who are enjoying lockdown and all the curtailments of freedom that brings. We are missing friends, family and loved ones. Distance can make the heart grow fonder, while it can also weaken bonds. Visits to shops, nights out, gigs, days out – they are all on hold as we stay safe and aim to protect the NHS. So our small glimmers of light in the doom and despair are precious. For many that has meant making the most of our country parks. And that means that rather than safe havens, with people socially distanced in the great outdoors, the centres are struggling to cope with demand. We applaud Wokingham Borough Council for taking action. The measures taken, including a booking system for the play area, are a necessary evil. There are those who seek to discredit the work of the government scientists, arguing that lockdown is unnecessary or going on too long. No one wants lockdown to last a moment longer, but to help us all, it is needed. Protecting Dinton is an important part of that. We might not like it, but we’ll lump it to see the back of the virus.
CHURCH NOTES
Sailing in the storm
A
S a church minister you undertake many roles and one of those is to officiate at funerals. I feel it is a privilege to be asked to accompany a family through such a tough time in their lives and to allow the space and ceremony for them to say goodbye to their loved one. Over the next couple of weeks I will be conducting two funerals, both unconnected and both families have chosen Rod Stewart’s I Am Sailing for different reasons. Listening to those words and being reminded of a song that is so familiar to me it made me think of something that I have heard and have said myself over the last year. ‘We are all in the same storm but our boats are all different.’ These words have helped me in those times when the going has been tough, when you feel you are at breaking point and your little boat is about to sink and those around you seen to be cruising along enjoying the view from their yacht. Then suddenly you hit a calm patch and all is well and yet others are sinking fast and you can bring your little boat in to help steady them and offer a lifeline. Carrying on with the boat theme, where are you heading in your boat? What is your destination in life? Are you going round in circles looking for a way through or just tossed about by the storm with little control, or are you confident of your destination and know precisely where you are going to land? The Bible tells us in John 14:1-3: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” The Bible clearly tell us that there is a room in God’s home for us for eternity that has to be a direction worth travelling in. Bless you wherever you are on your journey. 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 28, 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
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We reserve the right to edit letters Views expressed in this section are not necessarily those of the paper
Don’t send me to Slough for my vaccination I have lived in Crowthorne since 1965, and will be 80 in June, when a birthday celebration has been planned. I live alone, but had two daughters, both of whom live in the Wokingham area. I have been reading of the so-called successful introduction of the covid vaccination programme in our area and was delighted to receive a letter from the Bristol NHS officer inviting me to book an online appointment to have both jabs. I entered the required details including my postcode and was advised that my appointment could be either 7pm or 8pm in 10 days time on a Friday evening at a location in Church Crookham, a village between Fleet and Farnham. I decided not to proceed as I needed something nearer. The next day, I tried again and was offered an appointment in Slough, which is the last place I would wish to visit at the present time, due to their high infection rate. I also tried the following day and was offered the Slough location again, or Wembley Arena, Epsom racecourse or various locations in the London postal area, all of which I refused to proceed with. Imagine my surprise when I read in your paper of all the local services being provided in the Wokingham area, when my Crowthorne postcode is sending me to Slough, Wembley, Epsom or London. I have decided to wait until my GP surgery makes contact with me, but goodness knows when or where that will be. The other surgery in Crowthorne is sending their patients to be vaccinated in Birch Hill, Bracknell. I assume NHS Bristol has no geographical knowledge of the area, hence the postcode lottery of the arrangements being offered. I now fear that I will be unable to have my two injections before my birthday celebrations in June, which will need to be cancelled. Terry Sparkes, Crowthorne
The Black Boy Pub I have never been in the Black Boy Pub but am aware where it is. I was astonished when I read in Wokingham.Today that the powers that be who engineer political correctness which has got completely out of hand, want to rename this pub. I wonder if any readers realise that the name is meant to mean a ‘chimney sweep boy’. After all the Water Babies were renowned in this area. I expect they will feel a bit stupid when they realise the meaning of The Black Boy. Keep the name for goodness sake and forget political correctness. Moira MacDougall, Wokingham The name was called after a chimney sweep boy I have been told. Nothing to do with political correctness. Douglas MacDougall, Wokingham
An Open Letter to Cllr Murray Dear Cllr Murray, Following on from my question at full council about air pollution, I wanted to follow up as I am disappointed to hear you say that targets have not been set for tackling air pollution in the borough. The borough has an air quality action plan which should set these targets but focuses predominantly on one pollutant – nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The report quite rightly states that there is a “link between air quality, particularly from PM2.5, and public health in the Borough requires exploration and this has been set as one of the priorities,” but since the action plan was written, nothing has been done about this. It took the Liberal Democrat motion last autumn to get this on to the agenda and get a commitment to monitoring these fine particles.
Well written Love the first line of Page 3 article New Area Commander to Start in Wokingham: "Thieves beware, there is a new sheriff in town." Brilliant Merve Buston, Wokingham
Where are you going? When out for a walk last Sunday afternoon at about 3pm I could not help noticing the level of traffic in Wokingham's London Road. It was almost at the volume one would expect on a normal non-Covid Sunday - much higher than should have been the case during the current lockdown. The rules say that one should only leave home for essential travel such as food shopping; even going for exercise should be undertaken close to home on foot. So where were all these people going? It would be very interesting to know how many of those cars were occupied by people in breach of the lockdown regulations. Stephen Smith, Wokingham
Cheerful by the streams The headline on page 8 of last week’s Wokingham Today, really gave me a ‘reason to be cheerful’. As residents of Wokingham since 1960 we have often had reason to be sad about some of the aspects of our ‘town’ but the Emmbrook and Riverside walk has become a favourite place to ‘exercise’- especially during lockdown. We have often wondered and wished we could do something about the very aspect which makes it enjoyable and interesting, namely the apparent lack of care for the various shrubs and fruiting bushes that line, and sometimes invade, the walking paths
I was amazed that several members of the council chamber thought we already monitored PM2.5s when we’ve never done it despite how deadly they are. As you know, PM2.5s are solid particles that penetrate deep into the body, entering the blood stream. Depending on what they are made of, many are classed as carcinogenic. Air pollution is the number one environmental cause of premature death, with 80% of those deaths attributable to PM2.5s alone. Personally, in the last 10 months, I have had to say goodbye to two members of my family and two friends who have all sadly passed away from cancer. This does not mean it was solely air pollution that caused their cancers, but we would have a lot less pain and suffering from diseases like this if we tackled air pollution effectively. The recent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) report demonstrate that the number one
Of course, we also remember the times that the ‘brook’ flooded and the difficulty that the flooding imposed on travel (on one occasion we had to drive to Winnersh Crossoads, and back along Bearwood Road and down Barkham Road to get back from taking our young grandchild to the Swimming Pool because Meadow Road and Barkham Road bridges were flooded) and we remember the owners of the houses which suffered great difficulty because of the flood. I do believe that the Brook has since been dredged though in places it still looks very overgrown. Two years ago we were able to walk a circular ‘tour’ which took us past a hidden pool. Sadly at the time it did not smell very nice. The tarmacked paths are helpful for walking, being carefully laid and therefore not difficult for dodgy hips and legs to travel, unlike many pavements which have been dug up and ‘repaired’ with apparent little care as walking on them can be fraught with ankle twisting, variable levels. It provides a welcome break from ‘staying at home’ and cheerful greetings from similarly employed people, who smile and wave is also uplifting. Everyone takes care to keep us all officially ‘distanced’. So the news that a project ‘to breathe life back into the waterway’ is music to our ears. We just hope that the part of the Emmbrook which runs alongside Riverside Walk is included in the South East Rivers Trust Plans and that we will still be around to enjoy it. Nina Preston, Wokingham
cause of death in the borough is cancer, and we are above regional and national averages for young children being hospitalised for respiratory tract infections. Air pollution shortens people’s lives and makes those lives more uncomfortable due to chronic illnesses. You asked me for my input on what our local targets should be, and I am requesting that we take the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO). While the WHO admits that there is no threshold where no damage to health is observed, it recommends that for PM2.5s, a maximum annual mean of 10 µg/m3 is used. There is a huge amount of data and information that supports the WHO recommendation, and I strongly urge you to instruct the council to adopt this target. Kind regards, Cllr Sarah Kerr, Liberal Democrat Member for Evendons, Wokingham Borough Council
Speaking up As a close neighbour of Swallows Meadow, the proposed site for a supermarket and 40 homes in Lower Earley on land designated by Wokingham Borough Council as countryside I am carefully monitoring the campaign to protect this precious green space. I thank Wokingham.Today for their ongoing coverage. Residents and the three Liberal Democrat Borough Councillors for the Ward are campaigning together very effectively: lobbying hard, organising petitions, using social media, they have already delivered leaflets, and are preparing to robustly challenge the expected planning application. Last week, Liberal Democrat councillor Clive Jones was aptly quoted by your paper as one of the ward councillors who local residents recognise as having been at the forefront of the campaign. However, I was surprised to also see lengthy quotes from Norman Jorgensen, prospective Conservative candidate for a different Ward in the May elections. I was pleased that Mr Jorgensen stated his opposition to the proposed development, but surprised, as he seems to have been rather quiet on the matter in the three months since the campaign began. There are so many reasons why what has already happened to Swallows Meadow and the proposed development are wrong. Perhaps Mr Jorgensen might explain what he has done to support this campaign, and when he did it. I find it hard to discover, apart from the quotes in your newspaper, if he has done anything over the last three months. Larry Godfrey, Lower Earley
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
Many Happy Returns? No! I refer to Virus vaccinations – when all those who attended the Bradbury Centre on January 9, should be meeting next weekend for our second promised Pfizer dose. Now Joe Biden is US President, when he stated ‘national Health Policy’ will not be influenced by politicians, I thought he must have been watching the UK’s example of ignoring the medical profession. Many of our doctors and the BMA, believe we should adhere to the Pfizer treatment, and are ignoring the politicians where they are able to. We have to keep reminding ourselves of the lack of any evidence or test results that support any change to the treatment pattern defined by Pfizer, plus the risks to our fight against the virus are unknown. Do a risk assessment to pass the time! One difficulty we the public cannot understand, is the policy of ensuring everyone gets a first jab. This is an appealing idea until you
do the risk assessment. There is no prediction of the effect of not having the second Pfizer jab in terms of the possible rapidly declining first jab protection. That could lead to the farcical scenario whereby there could be an increase in cases involving first jabonly patients, and a decline for those being given a first jab! Until they also then become less protected! While having a good whinge, I am appalled at our MPs who apart from costing us I believe a quarter of £1m per annum each, seem to sit back and do little. I wonder why? They can so easily get their heads together and influence where we are going – well outside the Hancock and now Tony Blair’s clique? By the way, does anyone know if we tax payers are rewarding Tony Blair for his ‘so-valuable’ input? In closing, there are still far too many people in our area ignoring the spacing and protection rules – especially important in local streets with narrow sidewalks – although the town centre is the best place to spread the virus if that’s what you like doing!
Just ‘consulting’
H
ISTORIANS looking back on this week will mark it as ‘peak Covid’ – the point in the pandemic where the number of infections started trending down as we learned to respect and then to live with Coronavirus.
Hopefully. And while the pandemic dominates our everyday actions, locally there’s lots more going on, quite apart from a kerfuffle at a Council meeting. I’m indebted to the citizen who drew the subject of WBC’s consultations to my attention in mid-January, particularly as it’s a topic where WBC is improving.
When consulting’s a sham Consultations of the third kind are where the decision’s already made and it’s just going through the motions, before they launch their bright shiny new policy/service/product on an unsuspecting public. Which then promptly flops … … because � it always was a crock; � lipstick on pigs is cruel; � dodgy questions deserve dodgy answers; � we’ve got your number. Which is probably why last summer’s survey from “honest Bob” Generic on Housing was MHCLG at its finest. The surprise was that our MPs decided the problem would see them pitchforked out of parliament – so they objected.
When consulting is insulting The learning isn’t hard. When consultations have leading questions like “would you like lots more houses near you – or even more houses than that?” people get upset. Giving false options like “would you prefer to pay £15 or £20 extra for all these basic services that you thought you were getting already?” insults the people whose taxes pay your wages/ pensions. While the examples are exaggerations, if you wanted to learn about a precept consultation that’ll cost you £10 – £30 next year … you’re too late, it closed last week.
We’re late – dash off a survey would you? There’s nothing like a time-pressured close to get a survey off on the wrong foot. Yet it happens again and again, with some hoping that because there’s so little time, you’ll
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To advertise email advertising@wokingham.today Perhaps one day we may get enough policing of public behaviour – but that’s a dream I feel. Lastly, runners should get nowhere near pedestrians – and in my view should be made to keep at least three metres away from us. Reg Cliﬞon, Wokingham
Have focus on lockdown I would like to bring to the public’s attention the flagrant flouting of the law in the Wokingham area (and the whole country) by the Liberal Democrats. Government guidelines state the single most important action is to stay at home to protect the NHS and by definition, every one of us. You must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a reasonable excuse. This is the law. There are various sections and under ‘Volunteering’ it states: You can leave home to provide Voluntary or Charitable Services. Any idiot knows that Voluntary Services means working for Link Visiting Scheme, Homeless Charities, Mental Health Organisations, Church Groups.
That was the week
Tony Johnson
Not delivering political newspapers. The Liberal Democrats’ website advises its activists: “The WHO has concluded there is ‘very little risk’ of spreading the virus on paper, especially where the leaflets signpost ocal residents to Covid support. The Liberal Democrats decided to ‘bend’ the rules by intimating delivering newspapers was ‘exempt’ (can’t find that anywhere on any Government website) and that delivering these newspapers was a ‘service’. In the latest Focus there is no mention of Covid support and ‘what to do’. Litter Pickers were thanked for delivering. So with all these Lib Dems traipsing the streets it is very clear they are prepared to ‘risk’ spreading a ‘little risk’ rather than ensuring no risk. Jackie Rance, Conservative candidate for Shinfield South
The second asks you about your daily life in the Borough and whether you’re experiencing any inequality. One tells you what the Council wants – the other measures what you want. It’s a stark difference in approach, and in attitude.
‘Best’ – ‘practice’
go along with it anyway. When this tactic gets used on (or by) our Councillors for some fairly costly decisions, you’ll understand why the word ‘rubbish’ gets applied. Compare and contrast the following two examples (both real). Here’s the first: Your views on our draft objectives We are proposing the objectives below to build on our commitment to equality to meet the needs of our communities. Objective 1. Listen and learn from our communities and use this to deliver services that work well for everyone I feel this is an appropriate objective for [our] borough. Objective 2. Actively champion our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and tackle inequality together I feel this is an appropriate objective for [our] borough. Objective 3. Build a diverse and engaged workforce, where everyone is respected I feel this is an appropriate objective for [our] borough. Each with tick boxes for : Strongly agree; Agree; Neither agree nor disagree; Disagree; Strongly disagree. With a single ‘What could we do to improve them?’ box to write your comments in And here’s the second: Please tell us if you think any of the following areas of your day-to-day life have been affected because of your age, disability, gender, race, religion/belief or sexual orientation. If you think it has, it would be helpful for you to give more information about your experiences in the 'any other comments' box (Tick as many boxes as apply to you) Education; Employment; Housing; Transport; Access to health care; Participation in sports and leisure activities; Personal safety. The seven topics each have tick boxes for: Age; Disability; Gender; Race; Religion / Belief; Sexual Orientation And each has an ‘Any other comments’ box where you can say more. The first example gives you three things the Borough’s going to do and asks you to agree.
Wokingham Borough’s currently running three consultations, one of which concerns young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There’s a draft strategy document which explains the subject and showcases the threeyear plan that’s being proposed. While it could be franker, read carefully, it tells you where improvements are being considered. What’s impressive are the three main questions, asking: � Do you agree that the Outcome Measures and "I statements" will effectively measure that the Strategy and Action Plan is making a difference for children, young people and their families? � Do you have any other Comments about the Outcome Measures, "I Statements" or proposed measures of success for the SEND Strategy? � Do you have any other comments about the draft Wokingham 0-25 SEND Strategy? The first one’s box ticking (literally) while the last two give you an opportunity to express your views. Compared to some of WBC’s consultations, this is a big step in the right direction. Respect.
The last word Writing strategies and surveys is dead easy. Actually they aren’t (painful experiences), so bearing in mind we’ve yet to see 2021’s Local Plan consultation … As local tax-payers, please could we have WBC consultations which focus on resident needs / desires, that publish results openly (with the original survey docs) and where we can see how our contributions were applied (or not)? caveat.lector@icloud.com
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From the executive
Cllr John Kaiser
In a strong place to help during covid pandemic
C
OVID-19 has been the number one priority for Wokingham Borough Council for many months now, and it will not come as a surprise to you that it will continue to be our primary focus for many months to come.
It is vital that we put the spare resources that we have behind vaccinating and testing our community. Over the years, the council’s Conservative leadership has worked hard and made difficult choices to spend your money wisely after our Government funding was reduced to zero. We have reduced waste, made services more efficient, made sure that people are paying their fair share in Council Tax, and made investments which produce an income which we use to pay for some of your local services. Despite what you might have heard from other political parties, the council’s finances are in a very strong state. It is because of our good financial position that, as the councillor responsible for the council’s money, I am able to put forward an additional £1.2million to support the fight against Coronavirus. This funding will support an increase in Lateral Flow Testing to vulnerable people, as well as police and fire officers, paramedics, essential retail staff and delivery workers. It will also go towards providing buildings, marshals, parking and staffing for NHS vaccination.
Support The additional money will be also be there to support those in the community who are struggling at this difficult time. We will be continuing to provide free school meals to eligible pupils, offering a hand up to families and individuals who are having money difficulties, keeping pre-schools afloat, and backing community and voluntary organisations. But we cannot just put other priorities in the community on hold. Fly-tipping has become a particular issue in the Borough, which is why part of this additional funding will go towards tackling this blight. Your Council – your councillors and Council staff – are working hard around the clock to get us through this pandemic and starting us on the path of rebuilding for a world after covid. We are here to help you. If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our One Front Door service, run jointly with the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, on 0300 330 1189, or email admin@citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk Cllr John Kaiser, Executive Member for Finance, Wokingham Borough Council
20 | NEWS
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Blooming marvellous
Rachel Bradley
EARLEY Panda was spotted out and about last weekend - and he was certainly giving the polar bears a run for their money.
think we could all do with a little dose of magic right now and on Sunday we got an unexpected sprinkling of it.
It snowed. And, wow, it really did seem to give everyone a much-needed lift, didn’t it? It felt like life as we’ve known it for the last 10 months reverted back to the good old days. My teens, usually late out of bed on the weekend, jumped up like children on Christmas morning as big fat snowflakes fell. We could hear little ones whooping as they played in their gardens, building snowmen and making snow angels. Our usual family walk was a much cheerier affair, with sledges and snowballs entertaining us as we got our daily steps in. For just a few hours we had a moment of magic. Lockdown seemed to be forgotten, everyone was smiling again.
Long-haul And I suppose that’s what we’ve got to do, find those magic moments to get us through the latest lockdown. Because something tells me we’re in this for the long-haul. Schools might not open until May. Working from home is a constant and yes, the juggle is well and truly real. Like most people, I’ve not seen my Dad and my brother and his family for coming up to a year and I’m desperate (and I mean desperate) for a girls night out. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned during the last year, it’s to not let those little moments pass me by. Pre March-2020 I was here, there and everywhere. Seemingly leading a full life but almost too busy (and shattered) to enjoy it. The enforced slower pace and the fact that I can’t go anywhere has given me a renewed appreciation for the little things. I’m almost getting used to life in the slow lane for the first time ever. That said, last weekend as we played in the snow I felt as though the pause button had been turned off and life had been switched back on again. Even if it was for just a moment. Rachel is founder Gossip Girl Gang, a networking group for women in business in and around the borough
Panda spots sno By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today
Magic moments
I
WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
PETALS were in bloom in Lower Earley last week, to celebrate International Flower Day. Last Thursday, residents at Austen House Care Home competed in a flower-arranging competition, and enjoyed virtual garden tours to mark the event. Natsayi Dunria, general manager at Austen House, said: “Our garden is a much loved space, residents really enjoy looking after the plants and flowers and watching them
grow and change through the seasons. “We don’t have many flowers at the moment so our residents very much enjoy the escapism of virtually visiting some of the most famous gardens in the world.” The annual day promotes the psychological boost that flowers can give to people. From growing and nurturing plants and flowers, to gifting flowers to show love and appreciation.
Keep up your resolutions NEW Year’s resolutions can be a good starting point for making longer term health and lifestyle improvements, but most people who set them do not stick to them. Reasons include a lack of time, a lack of support from other people and feeling daunted by unrealistic targets. Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK says you should set achievable goals. Often, goals are unachievable because they are too difficult, or they do not allow enough time for you to make gradual changes. There is nothing wrong with aiming high and being ambitious, but it is important that your goal is not too
difficult or time-consuming as this could leave you feeling daunted. To help, break the goal down into smaller ones. Create or follow a plan for success and don’t expect immediate results. You can also involve other people. Having a buddy can help provide mutual support. And if it doesn’t go right first time, don’t beat yourself up. Dr Helen says it’s important to forgive yourself and aim to get back to working towards your goal as soon as possible. She adds that it takes between 21 and 28 days to create a long-term habit. For more ideas and inspiration, or to donate, log on to: www.heartresearch.org.uk
Thank you, whoever you are A WOKINGHAM resident has been blown away by a kind stranger’s good deed. After finding a lost wad of cash in town, a mystery resident didn’t take it for himself but instead set out to find its owner. Two weekends ago, a resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she lost £50 on her way home from Wokingham town centre. “I collected some money from the bank but when I got home, I realised I didn’t have the money in my bag,” she explains. “I had my card and the receipt, but my £50 was gone.” The resident says she was confused, as she remembered popping the cash in the front of her bag. She hoped that whoever found the money had given it to charity.
“Then, last Friday my neighbour pointed out a sign on a lamppost at the end of Sturges Road,” she says. “It read ‘valuables found’ and gave a phone number so I got in touch, and it turned out my £50 had been found.” She says the kind stranger then popped round and dropped the £50 on her front doorstep, almost a week after she had lost the cash. “I offered the gentlemen £20 to give to a charity of his choosing, but he said no and that he wanted to give me the whole lot back. “Now, I want to share this story with all of Wokingham because I’m so delighted that people are so good.” It seems community spirit is alive and well in Wokingham.
The familiar, furry friend brought smiles and laughter to local residents as he embarked on a tour of all the local snowmen. Bike at the ready, Earley Panda kicked off 2021 with a Snowman Tour and even broadcast his journey live on social media. “People were all so excited to see the snow, and then when Earley Panda came along it was like a double whammy,” the bear says. “I think snow brings some positivity. Everyone has been hoping since Christmas that we could get some snow, and it inspired me to head out and get on the road.” Earley Panda decided to set off on a tour to see all the snowmen of Earley, but he made sure to prioritise safety first so he didn’t slip in the icy roads. “I was lucky I rode a mountain bike which held its ground on the road, and there was no traffic which was really good,” the bear explains. “It was actually quite fun. “I took a lot of snaps of the snowmen people had created, including visiting people at Laurel Park who had made around 12 different snowmen.” Earley Panda says there were some “incredible” creations. Now, residents should prepare to see more of the lovable bear as his Sunday snowman tour marked the official beginning of season 2.0. “I plan to return regularly now,” the bear says. “The weather is getting nicer, and I think we have ridden the wave of uncertainty with Covid-19. “Cases are doing down, the positive is coming back, and I think it’s a good start.” To stay up-to-date with Earley Panda and find out when you can spot him next, visit: www.facebook.com/earleypanda
Why this fundraiser w By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today A WOKINGHAM family is dedicating 2021 to a new fundraising challenge, after the father was diagnosed with an incurable condition.
Ben and Jacquie Gee, and their nine-year-old son Austin, are taking on a series of challenges over the next 12 months to raise money for Parkinson’s UK. They were inspired to embark on the year-long fundraiser after Ben was diagnosed with Parkinson’s last year. As founder of Wokingham-based real estate agency Hat and Home, Ben has decided to work with his company to raise the vital funds. Hat and Home has since chosen Parkinson’s UK to be its charity of the year, and with the Gees’ help, it's aiming to raise £10,000. And to kick off the year-long fundraiser challenge, Austin played football for almost five hours earlier this month, raising £280 for the charity. Jacquie says that they are amazed by Austin’s dedication to the fundraiser.
“We are so proud of Austin for persevering with his challenge despite the bitter cold weather to raise such a great amount for Parkinson’s UK,” she says.
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
NEWS | 21
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owmen in Earley
Deshna turns to doughnuts Honest to get through lockdown motherhood Angela Garwood
Baby’s first snow fall THIS 11-year-old is putting her podcasting skills to good use with her latest lockdown project. Deshna Shekar, from Wokingham, has launched a new series of podcasts called Yellow Donut Stories in a bid to make children’s tales more accessible. “Last year, during lockdown, I learnt how to make podcasts and I recently told my mum I wanted to do it again,” Deshna explains. “So I decided to make somewhere I read stories for little kids, like my four-year-old brother. “Everyone should have someone who can constantly be there to read them a story.” After launching the series late last year, she says she’s been enjoying it so far, and has received positive feedback from people on her Facebook page which her mother Keerthy manages. “A few people have commented that she’s got a very sweet voice and she’s doing a really good job,” Keerthy says. “She’s learnt how to make these podcasts all on her own and I think it’s really great.”
Disability
will last a whole year CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: Ben, Jacquie and Austin Gee have planned a year of charity events in aid of Parkinson’s UK
“He’s a superstar.” Later this year, Jacquie plans to take on the Three Peaks Challenge alongside her best friend, in the hopes of raising
at least £1,500 for the charity. According to Parkinson’s UK, Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, affecting nearly 150,000 people in the UK. This includes nearly 20,000 residents in the South East. Katy Slade, regional fundraiser for the South East at Parkinson’s UK, says: “We are incredibly grateful to the Gee family and Hat and Home for supporting Parkinson’s UK so enthusiastically with their yearlong fundraising effort. “We want to say a big thank you to them.” Ms Slade said that with more than 40 possible symptoms, Parkinson’s can “devastate” people’s lives, and there is still room for current treatments to be improved. “Fundraising for Parkinson’s UK helps us drive forward the groundbreaking research we need to transform the lives of people affected by the condition,” she adds. � To stay up-to-date on the Gee family fundraiser, and to sponsor their challenge, visit: www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/hatandhome
I wrote this poem after Lord Sumption's appalling comments on The Big Questions about how some lives are worth more than others and reading similar stuff online. Emma Major Disability It is not a dirty word Where is the progress? Equality fail Are you learning your lessons: Inclusivity New resolution: Value our contribution Gaining our wisdom Rewrite tragedy Look beyond human robots Unmuzzled voices No longer dormant Joining together with power Listen to our words You've been on thin ice Cracks becoming crevices Inevitably You dance to OUR beat The sky must be the limit Disturbing the world We are NOT helpless Society disables Let us grab our lives
Deshna says she chooses which book to read each week from her younger brother’s selection of short stories. “I just give some a quick read through and decide based on which one sounds the best,” she explains. And Keerthy says she’s feeling extremely proud of Deshna and her new project. “She’s always loved reading. I think she’ll read any book you throw at her,” she explains. “I love the way she reads the stories. Whenever I listen to the podcasts I think it’s amazing that at such a young age and with no experience and training she’s doing a fantastic job. “I’m really proud of her for what she’s doing, and the thought behind it too.” Keerthy hopes that Deshna’s lockdown project is now making storytime more accessible for young children everywhere. � To find out more, search for Yellow Donut Stories on Facebook or visit Spotify: http://bit.ly/ YellowDonutStories NOT dispensable Disabled with loads to give Do not write us off We've nothing to lose Hope becomes social action We're silent no more
Silent Spring I wrote the first three verses of the haiku last spring before the first lockdown and added to it when I realised that, as if someone had been reading my mind, my musings had been answered. Wendy Rooke The light is stronger The birds are singing again The wood is greening. I didn’t notice That they were absent until They returned in spring. What other riches Are we so unknowingly the poorer without? Coronavirus Has helped answer that question With its restrictions. Quiet planeless skies A strong sense of connection Roads free of traffic.
We love receiving your poetry. Email your submissions to letters@ wokinghampaper.co.uk
W
E’VE very nearly made it through January. This in itself might not appear to be much of an achievement but when you add lockdown, homeschooling and bitter frosty temperatures into the mix, you’ve got yourself rather a mean feat. Thankfully the weather gods gave us a sprinkling of magic over the weekend, to lighten the mood and shake things up a bit. About time. I, along with everyone else, had been longing for a change of scenery, so when I opened my curtains on Sunday morning to a beautiful icing-sugar-coated scene, I was very, very happy. It was like waking up in another world, absolutely enchanting. I did feel, for a brief moment, like a child again. My partner took Maia, the actual child, out first thing for various obligatory snow-based activities, while I caught up on sleep before joining them later, I love snow as much as anyone but I love sleep considerably more. Snow angels, snowball fights, and some time spent posing for photos next to various impressively-built snowmen – none of which were Maia and Joel’s. They attempted a snowman of their own, but gave up when it dawned on them how long it would take. Maia much prefers to lob hefty mounds of snow at me anyway. “Please not when I am holding Leo, Maia!” “SORRY, MUMMY!” We took Leo out of his pram so he could see the snow properly (or rather, so we could take better photos) and make proper use of the snowsuit he’s been wearing for months. It was a delightful day and a welcomed respite from the monotony of lockdown life. The days can be tedious, so to help keep my brain in order, I’ve introduced a new element into my routine: cardio. I put it off for months as part of my “I’ve only just given birth” list of things I cannot do, but now that Leo is nearly six-months-old, I don’t feel the birth excuse carries much weight. Spurred on by my partner’s decision to start exercising again, I too have begun pounding the pavements whenever the opportunity arises. I say this because for me to be in a position to go for a run, Joel must either be on his lunch break or have finished work, Leo must be settled and the weather must be reasonable. No rain, snow or gale force winds. If all boxes are ticked and I do manage to get outside, I absolutely relish the 30 minutes alone. I feel good about myself, in control and brimming with positivity. I tell myself I am going to do this every single day, rain or shine. I begin thinking of fitness targets and general big life goals. Then I don’t see my trainers again for at least another week and I regretfully go back to square one, where my only target is to get through an entire song without stopping to power-walk. Every little win counts. From one little win to another, I received an email from Maia’s headteacher a few weeks ago to inform me that Maia had been awarded Home Star of the Week for her beautifully written story. I, of course, read this as: “You, Angela Garwood, have been awarded Home-Teaching-Super-StarMummy of the Week” and felt rather pleased with myself. Pleased is an understatement, I was quietly thrilled. And by “quietly”, I mean I told anyone and everyone the amazing news. The story itself was co-written, and I’d propelled her along to actually finish it, so it felt right that I should award myself some kind of metaphorical star. It’s a chilly and challenging moment in time, so for getting through January 2021, gold stars all round.
22 | NEWS
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COUNCILNEWS One Front Door support cost THE council has provided £21,000 of help to families as part of its winter fund. The support was given out by the One Front Door scheme, which is run by Wokingham’s Citizens Advice on behalf of the borough, and is supported by the council. Cllr UllaKarin Clark, the executive member for children’s services said that as of January 8, they had helped 53 referrals, and that the money had been used to help those struggling with the costs of food and fuel. This is in addition to the free school meal vouchers and the council has also supported 75 people leaving care. “(The Winter Fund) grant is available until March 31 and we are encouraging anyone who is struggling to meet the costs of fuel or food over these incredibly difficult winter months to apply for support through the grant,” she said. “As of 8th January, £80,000 remains available to support families with and without children.” Cllr Clark was responding to a question by Jackie Rance, who is standing as a Conservative candidate for Shinfield South in the local elections.
Mental health support THE effect of the lockdown on the borough’s mental health was raised by Wokingham Town Conservative councillor Philip Cunnington. He asked Cllr Charles Margetts, the executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services, what plans the council was making to help those who had been struggling with their mental health “due to traumatic experiences of those who have suffered illness, bereavement, loss of employment or financial hardship as a direct result of the pandemic”. Cllr Charles Margetts promised that there would be two schemes. “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a marked impact on people’s mental health,” he said. The first project is in partnership with Earley Plus, PCN and Citizens Advice to help callers to the One Front Door support scheme. “Citizens Advice will try to resolve some of the underlying issues causing depression and anxiety, such as financial stress and relationship breakdowns,” Cllr Margetts said. “They can sign post to other specialist services, be it formal mental health services or other voluntary
organisations. If successful, the project will be rolled out across the Borough.” The second scheme will see Oxfordshire MIND create a scheme to support people with mild to moderate mental health issues. “This service includes Well Being Support Workers, who will talk through issues over a number of sessions, as well as signposting to groups and activities to support them,” he explained. “This service will be in place in the next couple of months and will be based in Wokingham.” He added: “The service will support the Council’s aim to improve the well-being of its residents and in particular it’s work to manage the Covid-19 pandemic and its direct or indirect impact on residents mental health, including the effect of the disease itself and increased isolation, anxiety, stress and depression generated from the measures to combat the pandemic, as well as the economic fallout.” Cllr Margetts also said that the council was capturing details of resources that the public can use to manage their mental health during covid, with this information posted on its website, Wokingham.gov.uk.
Beauty spot fears FEARS that the historic Kennetmouth beauty spot, a popular lockdown destination for daily exercise, could be concreted over were raised by campaigners. Campaigner John Booth raised concerns about the land between Thames Valley Business Park and Napier Road, known as Kennetmouth. The Wokingham Borough Council’s Local Green Space paper Cllr Wayne Smith, executive member for planning and enforcement, said that the council had received more than 100 suggestions for local green spaces. “In some instances, different views have been put forward by different people as to the extent of area that might merit designation as Local Green Space as well as different reasonings. This is the case in the Kennetmouth area where a wider area has now been promoted.” He added that it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on the proposals at this time, but pledged to consider all responses. Helen Palmer pointed out that a second path had been created by walkers using the land as a recreational space during lockdown. Cllr Smith said that there would be a topic paper update, and these would be a part of a future consultation.
WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
PHIL CREIGHTON reports from a virtual meeting of Wokingham Borough Council, held on Thursday, January 21
Time table for next municipal year approved THE TIMETABLE for the next municipal year was approved by the council. Speaking in favour of the proposal, Cllr John Halsall said looked back on the last year, where virtual meetings were introduced. “We are very proud that local democracy and transparency were impaired for the shortest time possible,” he said. “During that period briefing meetings were held for all the group leaders so that all members could be informed and influenced what we have been doing. decisions have been taken and the received knowledge of the situation. “These leaders meetings have been continued wherever the pandemic has been at its worst. Nothing has been done covertly nor have we shied away from difficult decisions because of imperfect information.” He added: “I’m a Democrat. I believe that the English adversarial system of an executive, an opposition, a free press, if operated properly, will give rise to the
optimal decision making, which is transparent and open.” At a time of national crisis, Cllr Halsall said, it was vital that the public had confidence in the council, its officers and its councillors. “This is not the only responsibility and the ruling group, but also the opposition and the press. Criticism of our staff who cannot reply demoralise them, and does nothing to improve service delivery,” he said. Speaking about the timetable, he said: “It includes a full panoply of meetings, which allow for full participation of all members of this council. “We anticipate the occurrence of this timetable, we will restart physical meetings, but not necessarily all meetings. “There could be hybrid, or in some cases, continue with virtual meetings.” Cllr Clive Jones (Lib Dem, Hawkedon) called for extra time for meetings. “There have been a number of full council meetings in the last year that have been
somewhat fractious. The main reason for this is there hasn’t been enough time to get through the council’s business.” He called for an extra council meeting to “enable more time for democratic debate and more opportunities for councillors to hold the executive to account”. Cllr Guy Grandison (Con, Maiden Erlegh) said that the overview and scrutiny panels were the most important part of the council, “It holds the executive to account” he said, praising officers for increasing the number of meetings planned. Cllr Jim Frewin (Ind, Shinfield South) welcomed the call for additional meetings, “the amount of meetings I’ve been to where we haven’t completed business has surprised me”. He also praised officers for their work in completing the timetable. Cllr John Halsall summed up by saying that his party had done everything he could to have tried to complete council business on time. The schedule was approved.
No change in cllrs basic allowances THERE will be no changes to councillors expenses in the next financial year, although changes will be made to make it caring easier. While Cllr Andy Croy from the Labour group called for allowances to be pushed back to the 2010/11 rate, this was dismissed by the rest of the council. However, they did approve changing the IT allowance so that it is open only to councillors who allow constituents and officers to communicate with them via email, and to allow internet connections of a standard to take part in online meetings. The panel also agreed to allow £10 per hour for members with direct care responsibilities to claim for non-specialist childcare, such as babysitting, and £20 per hour for specialist care, for example, care for someone who needs lifting or moving. An invoice is required for this claim, which is up to 35 hours per month. The carer must not be a family member living at the same address. And the panel will also be able to publish an update on their views on members allowances and the work as a councillor. This will appear in Wokingham.Today and on the council’s website. He added that the land in question was a “very, very small site”.
Safe crossing call A CALL for action over a crossing in Woodley was made by resident Carol Jewell. She wanted to know what the council was doing over the Bader Way route, which leads to Dinton Pastures. She said that it is placed between two bends on a fast road, and called for better signage. Cllr John Halsall, leader of Wokingham Borough Council, stepped in for Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, the executive member for highways who did not attend the meeting. “The existing informal
The report was proposed by Cllr John Halsall and seconded by Cllr John Kaiser. Cllr Lindsay Ferris, the Lib Dem leader, backed the panel’s decisions: “It is certainly not the right time to change or increase any of the allowances, particularly as so many members of the public have had financial issues due to Covid-19.” He added: “We also appreciate the greater transparency given by the IRP” saying it was very forward thinking of them. Cllr Andy Croy, the Labour group leader, called for an amendment, saying “the basic allowance be reduced to the basic allowance applicable in financial year 2010/11”. “I am proposing this amendment as it is the right thing to do,” he continued. “The burden of austerity was a political choice. “The continued Conservative underfunding of our Borough is also a political choice. We have had a decade of it.” He added that residents expected councillors to demonstrate the understanding of the problems they face. “Residents want to know we are on their side, they want to hear it loud and clear – what better way of sending a message is
crossing point is used seasonally, with crossing activity fluctuating over the year,” he said, adding that it was felt that the existing speed limit is considered “appropriate” and there had been six reported collisions in the past 10 years, of which just two were deemed to be serious. “Despite being a busy connecting route, gaps in traffic present opportunities for pedestrians to cross the road safely,” he continued. “It would not, however, be considered safe to introduce a formal pedestrian crossing facility on a high-speed road, without a reduction in the speed limit and physical measures to support this, which would be in contradiction of the road’s function and purpose.” Ms Jewell said she was
there than cutting our allowance?” He said by reducing the allowances would be the right statement to make. Cllr Rachel Burgess (Lab, Norreys) echoed this view, welcoming the lack of rise this year, but said “Taxpayers expect their money to be spent wisely”. “As we are frequently reminded, this authority has experienced the full force of cuts, with a massive reduction in revenue support grant causing vital services to be cut back or scrapped altogether,” she pointed out. Cllr Halsall said that he would not accept the amendment, a view shared by Cllr Stephen Conway (Lib Dem, Twyford). Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons (Con, Wokingham Without) said that the suggestion was political posturing. Summing up, Cllr Halsall said that the IRP had worked hard on these recommendations and that was the way it was supposed to work. “We are blessed with a panel that has worked very, very hard and met with a lot of people. I cannot see any reason why we should deviate from their recommendations. “This is just a political stunt and we should reject it.”
disappointed with the response and again called for more signage which would create better warning for motorists. Cllr Halsall said that he was not in a position to respond.
Footbridge update THE state of the footbridge at Earley Station was raised for a second time by resident Mike Smith. He was requesting an update to a question he asked in June last year. He had been told that “funding had been allocated and design for replacement was ‘work in progress’”, and he hoped that the new bridge would incorporate disabled access.
Cllr John Halsall, leader of Wokingham Borough Council, stepped in for Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, the executive member for highways who did not attend the meeting. “The project is currently at the detailed design stage and for the avoidance of doubt will be Equalities Act compliant with both ramp and stair access,” he said. “Network Rail were approached as part of this design process to seek their collaboration specifically around incorporating access onto their platforms. Unfortunately Network Rail have informed the Council that they are not interested in a collaboration at this time, and consequently we are unable to include this element within this project.”
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Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
COUNCILNEWS
NEWS | 23
BRIEFLY: A Labour party motion calling for a citizen’s assembly on climate change was voted down and the meeting did not have time to debate a plan to plant 250,000 trees
Leader’s high standards Clash over changes to council tax reduction plan THE COUNCIL tax base for the next financial year was approved by the council.
This refers to the number of Band D equivalent properties in a local authority's area after discounts and exemptions. This was 70,810 homes in October last year, so the adjusted figure – taking into account the new builds and bad debts, will be 73,297.1 for the year 2021/22. Introducing the debate, Cllr John Kaiser, the executive member for finance, said that it was ‘prudent housekeeping’. “We have seen an increase (in housing numbers) again this year, which shows that the borough is growing, it's 1.75%. And it allows … the precept to be set by parishes and towns alike. “The recommendation is quite simple. That we agree the proposed council tax base for the whole area by parish as set out in the report.” Lib Dem leader Cllr Lindsay Ferris queried: “Within the Council Tax base there is a 1% Allowance for nonpayment. This is the same level of allowance as last year, however I believe we have had greater pressure on Council Tax payments this year due to the Pandemic. I therefore ask whether a 1% allowance is sufficient to cover any potential losses?” Cllr Kaiser said that he had been assured by the officers that this would be sufficient. The numbers were approved. After this vote, the council approved a new council Tax Reduction Scheme, which ensures that working age borough residents who experience financial difficulties in paying their council tax liabilities have access to a scheme of assistance. As per the last financial year, the carers allowance will be ignored when calculating any
Air quality team-up with uni WOKINGHAM Borough Council is teaming up with the University of Reading to help improve air quality through smarter traffic management. Cllr Gregor Murray, executive member for Resident Services, Communications and Emissions, said that 30 air pollution sensors are being installed to help assess the project. “The results of this should also help to create a dynamic public health tool that will enable us, and our neighbouring authorities to make better traffic management decisions and air pollution interventions,” he said. He was responding to a question asked by Cllr Sarah Kerr (Lib Dem, Evendons) who wanted to know what the council as doing to implement PM 2.5 air pollution monitoring in the borough. Cllr Murray also said that the council had received funding from DEFRA to fund an eco travel officer, who will help develop action plans for air quality management zones. The council had also applied for funding to
discount. Arrangements for war widows and war disability pension residents will continue as usual. Cllr Kaiser said that this was a commitment fulfilled by the council and that the reforms “bring greater support for residents”. “I’m happy to announce there will be additional support for care leavers in next year’s budget. This is the removal of the financial burden of council tax for young people up to the age of 25.” He added that this was a worthwhile benefit for residents who needed support and “form part of the borough's councils strategy to help eradicate poverty in the borough”. Cllr Sarah Kerr (Lib Dem, Evendons) said: “How pleased I am that the Liberal Democrat proposal to disregard carers allowance in the award calculation has been taken on board”. Cllr Rachel Burgess welcomed the removal of the carers allowance from the proposals. “For years carers have been unfairly penalised – it’s astonishing that it has taken a global pandemic for the Conservatives to wake up to the value of our carers,” she said. And she argued that the council should have gone further: “With Covid, and with the proposed Conservative cuts to Universal Credit, more and more people will be left behind – protection of these people and their families should be at the heart of our response. A meagre increase after years of cut backs is quite frankly insulting.” Cllr Pauline Heliar-Symons (Con, Wokingham Without) said that the Conservatives first raised these issues three years ago when she chaired the Children’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee but the money wasn’t
available. “Because of incredibly careful financial management by John Kaiser, supported by John Halsall, our finances are in an incredibly healthy state. And that's why we have now been able to do it. But please don't claim credit for something that was already a Conservative idea.” Cllr Emma Hobbs (Con, Charvil) said that the proposal couldn’t have been adopted earlier because “the Labour party almost bankrupted this country and it’s taken us years and years and years to get out this”. Summing up, Cllr Halsall said it was shameful that the opposition focus on the council’s gross debt of £700 million, when its net debt was below £100 million, and that the council’s investments included property in Twyford and Woodley that provide “strong blue chip returns “so that we can be influential and develop these towns and the future regeneration”. “The opposition keeps announcing that they will do things which have already been done. But what do you expect? Remember when last Lib Dems manage the council's finances, the council went broke.” Cllr Carl Doran made a point of order at this point, saying that nearly 70% of that speech had nothing to do with the council tax reduction scheme, but Cllr Halsall said that Labour had consistently raised national issues that had nothing to do with the council. Cllr Kaiser said: “I’m absolutely stunned. We’re trying to help the most vulnerable in the borough … How dare the Labour party vote against it? This is savings for the most vulnerable in the borough.” The motion was carried.
create predictive maps where PM2.5 evels could be highest. “The council is currently rolling out technology upgrades, through the Highways ITS project, to deliver intelligent signalisation that can both reduce congestion and improve air quality,” he added.
“Any profits made from the sale of energy, either to the national grid or to the building operator, are then either paid as a dividend to investors or are ring fenced and used to support other sustainability efforts within the community. In recent years that dividend has typically been between 4 and 4.5% annually,” he said. “I have no doubt that it will prove hugely popular if approved by the executive.”
Energy fund WOKINGHAM could soon have the power, if a new Community Energy Fund is approved at Executive tonight. Cllr Graham Howe (Con, Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe) said that neighbouring Reading already had such a scheme which allows charities and community groups to apply for grant funding for solar panel and other green energy initiatives. He asked: “Are Wokingham Borough Council planning to launch a similar scheme?” Responding, Cllr Gregor Murray, executive member for Resident Services, Communications and Emissions, said that the funds increase the generation of renewable energy and would be working with Energy4All and Reading Community Energy for the launch of the scheme.
Sack race hit by Brexit and covid Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons (Con, Wokingham Without) asked for an update on the new recycling sacks. Cllr Parry Batth (executive member for environment and leisure) said that the bags would be delivered along with the blue bags during February and March. “The recycling bags are being manufactured within the agreed timescales but there are international shipping challenges being experienced due to Covid and Brexit,” he said. “The Council’s officer team is working hard to ensure that the bags
A SPEECH by the leader of the council was interrupted so that the Lib Dem leader could raise concerns over the recent standards board row (see page 16). Cllr John Halsall was attempted to apologise to both the chamber and Philip Meadowcroft, the member of the public who raised awareness that the standards board was meeting in contravention to the council’s constitution. This led to Cllr Halsall resigning from chairing the committee. He said: “(Mr Meadowcroft) was correct, there has been an anomaly (in the make-up of the board) and I thanked him for raising it.” Interrupting, Cllr Lindsay Ferris said: “As a result of actions arising at the last meeting of the Standards Committee, I believe the Leader of the Council owes a member of the public a public apology for the way he was treated at that meeting. “In addition I also believe the Leader of the Council owes this meeting of the Council an apology for the dismissive way that his Administration has acted. I am sure you can see the irony of having a Standards Committee, which is supposed to oversee all aspects of the Council, only to find itself was unconstitutional.”
However, the mayor, who was chairing the council meeting, said it was not appropriate for discussion at that point. Resuming his speech, Cllr Halsall reminded the chamber that no one had spotted the problem in the past 21 months, and had he been aware, changes would have been made. “I apologise to members and officers for the anomaly,” he said. “The Chief Executive has assured members that, although an inconsistency existed, the appointments were made by Full Council and therefore were constitutional. The Chief Executive has also pointed out that the composition and operation of the Standards Board are not statutory but local preference.” Cllr Halsall also thanked people for their work during the pandemic, including “all those, who have played a part in helping those who have suffered not just the effect of the virus itself but the problems which have accompanied it. “This includes all carers, doctors, health staff, emergency services, health, police, fire, rescue, ambulance, teachers, school staff, charities in short everybody who has stepped up to the plate and made it possible for life to continue during these unspeakable times.”
Free school meal pledge WOKINGHAM pupils will receive free school meals throughout all 2021. That’s the promise made by Cllr UllaKarin Clark, Executive Member for Children’s Services. She said: “I am pleased to announce that the Council is going to continue to cover the costs of free school meals during the school holidays in 2021”. She said that the council is using Government grants to cover the costs during the coronavirus pandemic. But the council wanted this support to be extended. “The Leader (Cllr John Halsall) has joined me in writing to the Secretary of State for Education not just to ask for the expansion of free school meals to be
permanent for those with no recourse to public funds but we have also gone further in asking that consideration be given for an uplift in Universal Credit to make sure no child goes without food. “In addition to this we are asking that the free school meal provision for primary school children is permanently extended to include all primary school children and not just those in Reception, Year 1 and year 2.” The council would also continue to work with local organisations to make sure no child in the borough goes hungry. Cllr Clark also said that some early years settings had tapped into the council’s covid business support grant as they had been impacted by the loss of income from parents.
are shipped so that these timescales can be met.”
Dubey, who said she had been contacted by residents over the problems they had boarding buses due to the pavement being lower than the bus step. Cllr John Halsall said: “Providing enhanced bus stops in this location is not a simple, quick or cheap option due to the topography of the area. There are complex constraints which prevent such enhancements ... without much wider works on Broad Street” He said that the council would explore solutions during future phases of the Wokingham town centre regeneration project. “Local bus companies whose buses serve the Broad Street bus stops have policies that state that the ramp, which all of their buses are fitted with, should be deployed upon request. The ramp deployment is not just for wheelchair users,” he said. Cllr Shepherd-DuBey wanted to know when there would be a commitment for this to happen. Cllr Halsall said that it was a conversation that needed to happen between the highways department and the executive member for highways when she returned from her absence.
SEND school concerns raised CONCERNS over the proposed SEND school at Winnersh Farm were raised by Lib Dem councillor Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey. She wanted to know what traffic modelling was carried out on the proposed Winnersh Relief Road, which she said would nearly triple the amount of traffic on Woodward Close. Cllr John Halsall said that the assessment looked at all the junctions and how they would be impacted. “The assessment shows that the Woodward Close junction would operate at a level below which its capacity is considered to become a concern.,” he said, pledging that as the Draft Local Plan Update continues, more detailed assessment would be required and would use specialist software.
Kerb call again A CALL to raise kerbs on Broad Street was made by Cllr Imogen Shepherd-
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Keith is driven to help learners through Covid-19 EXCLUSIVE By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today NEW FACES: Chris Harber and Nicola Patten have joined Boyes Turner
New roles at law firm THERE are two new fish in a local law firm’s ever-growing pond. Reading-based technology law firm, Boyes Turner, has recently welcomed two more recruits. Chris Harber has hopped on board as head of immigration and Nicola Patten as head of risk and compliance – two brand new roles. As head of immigration, Mr Harber will be tasked with leading Boyes Turner’s immigration team. The firm said he will bring “a wealth of expertise” to the role. And as head of risk and compliance, Ms Patten will be busy
working on external regulations and internal policies. Jonathan Grigg, managing partner at Boyes Turner, said: “2021 is going to be a pivotal year for many businesses. “Brexit presents new challenges, but also significant opportunities to businesses that recognise the value of their global mobility programmes. “As our new head of immigration, Mr Harber will help to grow and develop this important area of our business. We’re also delighted to welcome Ms Patten to the firm, to oversee compliance and risk.”
Kickstart for Kickstart THERE may be more job opportunities in Wokingham borough soon. This is because the borough council’s application to the government’s Kickstart Scheme has been approved. The Kickstart programme is part of the government’s Plan for Jobs initiative, which aims to get 16- to 24-year-olds who are struggling to find work into employment by offering six month job placements. It was launched during the coronavirus pandemic to create more job opportunities for young people who are on Universal Credit and at risk
of long-term unemployment. “There’s no doubt that the pandemic has hit young people hard and for many, employment opportunities have been few and far between,” said Cllr John Kaiser, executive member for finance and housing. “For these young adults who have been struggling to find work, the Kickstart Scheme will provide a life-changing opportunity to step onto the career ladder and we are delighted to help.” More than 19,000 jobs have been created for young people across the UK so far as a result of the scheme, which is due to end in December
£2.8bn in covid loans MORE than 200,000 regional businesses have benefited from two major coronavirus loan schemes over the last year. According to the British Business Bank (BBB), £8.8 billion in funding has been granted to hundreds of thousands of companies in the South East. More than 11,000 loans, worth more than £2.8 billion, have been distributed in the region via the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. The BBB said South East received the second highest number of loans when compared to the rest of England, with 14% of all loans being distributed in the area.
It came second only to London, which received 21%. Catherine Lewis La Torre, CEO of the British Business Bank, said: “Looking towards economic recovery, we’re pleased to see the coronavirus loan schemes continuing to support smaller businesses in the South East.” Business secretary Kwasi Kawrteng added: “These figures show very clearly that we have delivered on the solemn promise we made to support businesses. “While there are still tough times ahead, we will continue to offer all the support we can to protect jobs and keep businesses afloat, so we can not only look to restart our economy but build back better from the pandemic.”
THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic may have stolen six months of work from this business owner, he’s not backing down.
In normal times, owner of Wokingham Driving School Keith Gambles is busy running face-to-face practical lessons and offering online help with driving theory. But he says the virus has taken time and money away from his business over the last year. According to Mr Gambles, in 2020 Wokingham Driving School lost approximately 26 weeks of work when the coronavirus hit UK shores. “From a turnover point of view, that’s equal to about £38,000 lost,” he explained. And he says the pandemic has had a massive impact on his ability to organise week by week. “I might say to somebody ‘I’ll see you next week’, and then suddenly we’re in lockdown and who knows when they’ll get their next lesson,” Mr Gambles explained. “I try and keep in touch with my pupils to keep them motivated and informed, but it’s all been quite hard.” Despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Gambles says Wokingham Driving School has been finding new ways to work throughout the crisis to keep business booming while staying safe at the same time. From maintaining regular contact with students online to introducing his own Covid-19 practices, the business owner has innovated. While practical lessons are paused, when he is able to go out and work he
NEW ROUTE: Driving instructor Keith Gambles has made a number of covid-safe changes
has introduced a number of covid-safe measures to keep students safe. This includes making masks mandatory, wiping down all surfaces before, after and during lessons, and keeping the vehicle ventilated by having the windows open. “It doesn’t take that long to introduce these changes once you get into a routine,” he said. “It just becomes part of the process.” But with the majority of Wokingham Driving School’s work on hold until coronavirus restrictions are lifted, Mr Gambles says he is finding it hard to stay motivated. “When lockdown first kicked in, I was pretty distraught,” he explained. “I was quite motivated to work on marketing, my website, and other aspects of my business but as time goes on, it’s hard to find the energy.” He says he’s finding the third lockdown especially difficult given there is no end in sight, but says the key is keeping a routine.
“I email my students about twice a week with updates from the government and updates from myself on what’s happening,” he explained. “And I keep myself busy, but it can be hard watching the bank account go down when bills are still coming in.” One of the many ways Mr Gambles has kept himself busy is by being there to support his students, many of whom are frustrated because their driving tests keep being moved. “I think communication with customers, whatever business you are in, is important,” he said. “We should keep in touch with them rather than switching off. “You’ve got to be a shoulder to cry on, someone for them to talk to when they don’t know what to do.” All in all, the business owner says that 2020 has been a massive learning curve for Wokingham Driving School. “At the beginning, I thought maybe we were going to get a couple of weeks on holiday and then go back,” Mr Gambles said. “I didn’t anticipate the first lockdown lasting for three or four months in one go.” And he says if he could give one bit of advice to business owners out there, it would be to wake up every day and treat it like business is booming, regardless of whether coronavirus restrictions allow you to work or not. “Get up in the morning, do some work, orientate your staff,” he said. “Whether you’re marketing, fixing your website or keeping in touch with customers – keep yourself busy. It’s far better than sitting around the house for two weeks, watching the world go by. “And just remind yourself that while you may not be making as much money at the moment, you’re investing in the future.”
South East towns hit hard by pandemic TOWNS and cities in the South East have been hit disproportionately hard by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Centre for Cities (CFC). However, Reading UK says the local economy has been resilient against the virus and is gearing up for recovery. The CFC’s annual study of the UK’s urban areas has revealed that people claiming unemployment-related benefits in the South East has increased by 3.5%, outpacing the national average of 3.3%. And it said that Reading is in the top 10 of areas set to face the biggest economic challenge in the region. Slough has come in at number one. However, according to Reading UK, Reading is second to only Oxford among urban areas ready to withstand the major economic shock generated by the pandemic. And it said Reading is ranked 10th for the economy least impacted by
coronavirus across the entire country. “While in the medium-term, many places in the South East are better placed to bounce back from the pandemic than elsewhere, in the shortterm the government must act fast to prevent a levelling down of these places,” said a CFC spokesperson. The whole UK depends on the South East to “create jobs and
fund public services,” they said. Andrew Carter, CFC chief executive, added: “At the last election, the government pledged to level up the North and Midlands but now there is a very real risk that previously prosperous cities and towns in the South East could be levelled down – at least in the short term.” He said this could damage the entire country. However, Reading UK said that a new report by PWC/Demos showed that Reading has been relatively less impacted by the pandemic, thanks to a diverse mix of sectors in the region. Nigel Horton-Baker, executive director of Reading UK (pictured), said: “The Good Growth report identifies the strength and diversity of the Reading economy which has allowed it to bounce back from previous crises quickly and which will help it get back on track again quickly post-covid.”
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, January 28, 2021
Town mayor celebrates heroes with civic awards
By JOHN WAKEFIELD news@wokingham.today THE BEST in Wokingham was celebrated with a special virtual ceremony last week, as coronavirus put paid to the real thing.
Wokingham Town Mayor Cllr Tony Lack introduced the proceedings of the Civic Awards, broadcast live over the internet on Friday night. The event marks individuals who have undertaken outstanding community service in Wokingham town, or shown civic mindedness, personal courage, or service to family or community that is above and beyond the ordinary. Each of the winners are nominated by residents, and these entries are judged by a selection panel including members of Wokingham Town Council's Civic Committee and the High Steward of Woking-
ham, Lucy Zeal. Wokingham.Today editor Phil Creighton is also part of the panel. Cllr David Lee, who chairs Wokingham Town Council’s civic committee, was delighted with the quality of entries. “Usually these people quietly carry on these good works in an unassuming way without seeking recognition or reward and bring untold happiness to so many of our residents from running youth groups, out of school activities to simply quietly helping others and I am delighted that they are recognised by their friends and colleagues by putting their names forward for an award. “We have so many dedicated and selfless people running and helping these organisations on a day to day basis and it is a great honour to recognise some of these individuals each year through the Civic Awards ceremony.”
The winners
I
AN GRANGE: Nominated by Nigel Page and Andy Goffin for his contribution to keeping Wokingham entertained in lockdown with on-line quizzes.
Ian is a key member of Wokingham Lions Club and well-known planner and contributor to the many charitable events within the Town. As Chair of the Wokingham Lions May Fayre committee and an active member of the Lions fundraising team (involved in the Wokingham Walk, Winter Carnival, Wokingham Fireworks, Easter egg raffle, themed nights, comedy nights, and quizzes), Ian dedicates much thought, time and effort into making each and every event a success. With the country and town experiencing its first lockdown, Ian created the Great #Woky Pub Quiz to boost morale, provide family-friendly entertainment for all ages, and raise money for local charities overstretched by the pandemic. Some of the charities that have benefited so far are: The Wokingham Hub, Me2, The Ollie Young Foundation, Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service and Berkshire Vision and The Link Visiting Scheme. Ian attracted around 250 teams to the weekly quizzes, many from the local area. Some teams included extended families in other parts of the UK, Canada and the USA. This really brought families together at a difficult period of separation. Thursday nights became the Great #Woky Pub Quiz night; something that was talked about, looked forward to, that provided respite from the new daily life and a laugh or two along the way.
J
AN LONNON: Nominated by Annette Medhurst and Rev Hannah Higginson for her contribution to Wokingham Foodbank.
Jan works at every level within Wokingham Foodbank from
He felt that volunteering can bring more rewards than money can achieve and people would really enjoy it. “If you want any help in finding opportunities contact Wokingham Town Hall and we will put you in touch; make 2021 the year to get involved.” And Cllr Lack, who was joined for the ceremony by his wife Clare, said that the awards were one of the highlights of his year. “It is when we recognise great people for doing great things for the greater good of our community and our chance to say thank you to those who have been recognised for going above and beyond in their charitable activities,” he said. “Usually these awards are made to say Thank You to those who have made a big difference over a long period of time. But as expected this year includes Covid-19 supporters too.”
interacting with residents at the front desk to helping run the operation as Assistant Manager, as a Trustee and Treasurer. The Foodbank feeds and signposts thousands of people every year, ensuring that no one in Wokingham goes hungry and that people know where and how to find help in the event of financial crisis. Jan’s passion, dedication and understanding of the entire operation together with prudent financial management means that she is integral to the smooth running of the organisation and valued colleague to all who work there. Jan is often in the background, but through her work and compassion, has made an outstanding contribution to the Wokingham community.
K
ENNETH ROWLANDS: Nominated by Stephen Newton and John Griffin for his contribution to his work with our Town Centre and Evendons Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG).
Ken Rowlands is Wokingham born and bred. Kenneth has been serving the community in many guises over the years. From the basics of being a good neighbour and knowing almost everyone around his home area through to his current role as Chairman of the Wokingham Town and Evendons Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) where he works with the Police, Council and other town groups. Kenneth’s huge local knowledge, dedication to his community and desire to keep not just his own local area but Wokingham town centre as areas that meet resident needs is to be commended. Kenneth works selflessly in pursuit of his aim to help preserve and enhance the environment for all to enjoy.
L
YN BAILY: Nominated by Jean Ibotson and Lyndsey Browne for her contribution to Wokingham Lions and First Days
As President of Wokingham Lions
Club and formerly Community Services leader, Lyn has been instrumental in securing financial support and essential household items such as beds, washing machines, carpets and curtains etc. wherever needed during the pandemic. Lyn is kind, empathetic and sees the best in everyone, giving 100% to everything she does. Lyn is committed to helping young people succeed in life and has set up a new Lions Youth Programme to encourage young people to get involved in the community. Lyn is also passionate about School Days by First Days, a project set up to support low income and struggling families across Wokingham by providing pre-loved school uniform to children aged 4-16. Since the project commenced in 2018, in excess of 670 children have benefitted from the project and Lyn's commitment and dedication collecting, sorting, washing and distributing pre-loved uniform has played a huge part in ensuring this project has been successful.
M
ICHAEL SAYNOR: Nominated by Colin Mehuish and Barbara Stagles for his contribution to Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers
Michael has been a member of The Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers (HCCV) for 16 years and chairman/ joint coordinator of the group for 12 years. His work, firstly as a volunteer member then as chairman, has enabled the group to grow and flourish whilst raising people's awareness of the value and importance of the natural world. Michael has been the driving force behind many of the group's initiatives to improve Holt Copse for the benefit of wildlife and residents of Wokingham. Not just content with his contribution to Holt Copse, Michael is
always willing to share his knowledge and experience with other local groups and is an active committee member of Wokingham in Bloom as well. Many of Michael’s projects have benefited not just users of Holt Copse and Joel Park but the wildlife too. His projects include: improving access to Holt Copse by renovating the footpaths and wooden footbridges, restoring the historic avenue of red oak trees in Joel Park, and providing educational wildlife information signs throughout The Copse.
R
OB AND SUE HUGHES: Nominated by Patrick Pritchett and Jane Aust for their contribution to Evendons School and Wokingham Young Carers
Both Rob and Sue are well-known at Evendons Primary School. As volunteers and grandparents of children there, they are selfless and generous with the gift of their time. Their compassion shines through and their approach to projects, tasks and problems is ‘Yes...we can do that’. Both Rob and Sue are timetabled on a weekly basis and are very much part of the team and the staff and children benefit greatly from their involvement in school life. Sue has led the walking bus for many years throughout all seasons has been part of fund raising for the school’s sports court which has benefitted staff, children and local community groups. As the school’s resident engineer, Rob has designed games, bridges, rockets, a large scale build it yourself dinosaur skeleton, go karts, welly racks, bug houses, pulley system and many more things all to help explain the mechanisms or to link with the curriculum. Rob also works with young Carers through the Rotary Club, He works on a weekly basis often having spent many hours devising engineering activities that the young carers will enjoy.
S
HEILA McKEAND: Nominated by Pauline MacBrayne and Lynda Petley for her contribution to Wokingham Horticultural Association
Sheila has been a dedicated member of WHA for many years and willingly commits time and energy to various projects. All members of the Wokingham Horticultural Association (WHA) benefit from Sheila's commitment. She is a well-known figure on the management committee and has held many posts over the years including Show Secretary and Membership Secretary. She has inspired and helped others to take an interest in horticulture, which has not only benefitted their mental well-being but those around them too. Sheila was responsible for the Sow a Seed kits which were included with food parcels distributed by the local hub to vulnerable people and families in Wokingham, and was instrumental in creating the Ormonde Road garden room. The garden room was first used in June 2020 as a Tentative Steps Cafe to assist those cautiously coming out of shielding/self-isolating who needed a safe and serene space to socialise. The spring and summer horticultural shows bring a lot of joy to many people and rather than cancel, Sheila worked with others to take the show online. Sheila appreciates the health benefits of gardening and is keen to share her love of horticulture with all age groups and encouraged curiosity in the next generation of young gardeners. As well as leading the bulletin team providing a focus for local gardeners, Sheila helps run the Trading Store. She is a listening ear, compassionate and helpful to those who visit, some of whom are lonely at weekends when other clubs are closed.
Thursday, January 28, 2021 WOKINGHAM.TODAY
INTHECOMMUNITY Big Garden Birdwatch HAVE you heard about the Big Garden Birdwatch? If so, are you going to do it? The Big Garden Birdwatch is an example of citizen science, which means that no special skills or knowledge are required, so that anyone can take part, and each year nearly half a million people do it. It takes place this weekend and is organised by the RSPB, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Running since 1979, it is designed to give us an idea of how are garden birds are doing, year on year, and simply involves counting the birds in your garden during one hour over a long weekend at the end of January. It has shown for example, that Great Tits have increased by 70% in our gardens since 1979, while Song Thrushes are down by 80%. With this information the RSPB can then look at the possible reasons why these changes have happened, which may then help suggest ways to help birds that are decreasing. This year the Big Garden Birdwatch is taking place over the days Friday 29, Saturday 30, and Sunday 31 January. You can do the birdwatch at any time, but it needs to be a continuous hour, ideally in the morning. One important point is that you should count the most birds of one species that are in your garden at the same time, not the total number over the hour. This is to make sure that you are not counting the same bird more than once. Having done the hour, then you send the results to the RSPB. The best way of doing this is online, but you can post your results if you prefer. All the details and more can be found by searching for Birdwatch 21 online . Why not give it try and see what you can see? Patrick Crowley, Wokingham and Bracknell RSPB Local Group, ww2.rspb.org.uk/ groups/wokinghamandbracknell
Woodley Festival goes online THE Woodley Festival of Music and Arts takes place in March year and provides a warm and friendly environment in which performers may gain valuable experience and feedback from professional adjudicators. Many local schools encourage their pupils to enter the wide variety of speech and drama, vocal, instrumental and piano classes and the well-supported choir classes are always particularly popular with the audience. Open classes for amateur adult performers are also well attended. Over the past 50 years the Festival has provided a platform for young people to develop their talents in a supportive and encouraging environment. There are typically more than 1,000 performances over three or four weekends and parents and friends of entrants as well as the general public are warmly invited to attend to provide support and to be entertained. Sadly this year due to the ongoing pandemic the Festival is unable to run in its full format. Although this is very disappointing for everyone involved, the committee is determined to focus on what can be achieved during this difficult time rather than what is lost. The organisers are delighted to announce that a limited number of instrumental solo and ensemble classes will be run online via recorded submission. All entries will be professionally adjudicated, with both verbal and written feedback provided as well as class placings and certificates. Woodley Festival will return in its full format in March 2022 and hopes to attract many new and returning entrants and spectators. Further details are available at www.woodleyfestival.org.uk entries are open now until Friday, February 19 and the deadline for recorded submissions is Friday, April 2. Robert Tan, Assistant Social Media and Publicity, Woodley Festival Committee
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Sally Army provides lunches in lockdown By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today A SCHEME to feed some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents has made sure its following lockdown restrictions.
In December 2020, the Salvation Army, with a helping hand from Churches Together in Wokingham, is providing a hot lunch every day through until the end of March. Throughout the pandemic, it has already been providing takeaway meals three times a week, but Captain Jan Howlin said new restrictions inspired the team to do more. “Because of the lockdown, we felt that it wasn’t fair to bring people who were receiving meals out to us – we want as many people to stay home as possible,” she said. “So we decided to shift what we were doing into a delivery service. “Overall we’ve tried to adapt to the pandemic as much as possible, which seems to be working.” Captain Howlin said that by offering a delivery service, there has been an uptake in the number of people being referred for meals. “It’s been quite rewarding actually, now that the scheme isn’t dependent on people being able to get to us,” she said. The captain said the programme was launched to aid people during the winter months. “Last year, we did a night shelter with Churches Together in Wokingham and seven churches took part overall,” she explained. “This year, we knew we wouldn’t be able to do that, but as a partnership
READY MEALS: The Revd Marina Brain, community centre manager at Wokingham Salvation Army with some meals to be delivered Picture: Jan Howlin
we still felt that we wanted to do something.” Captain Howlin added that a lot of their service users have been housed in temporary accommodation, but have limited access to cooking facilities. “We can help them out by giving them at least one decent hot meal every day,” she added. And she said the community support for the initiative has been “amazing”. “We’ve had so much support that we’ve even had to put food donations on hold,” the captain said.
“Our freezers are rammed with food.” The Salvation Army is also busy working with Holme Grange School to distribute hot meals on the weekends, too. “They’re cooking meals for us in their kitchens on a Friday night, and that’s been a great collaboration,” Captain Howlin added. For more details, search Facebook for Wokingham Salvation Army or send Captain Howlin an email: jan.howlin@salvationarmy. org.uk
Parcels full of fun for care home A HOUSE BUILDER has been busy raising spirits at Murdoch House. David Wilson Homes Southern recently sent a care package to residents at the Wokingham care home to create a sense of togetherness. The hamper gifted a mix of essential items and entertainment, including biscuits, jigsaw puzzles and greetings cards. James Morl, care home manager, said: “A sense of community is so important to our residents, now more than ever. “It was lovely to be able to go round to the residents and give them all individual gifts from the wonderful care package provided for them and let them
GAME ON: A resident at Murdoch House Care Home playing draughtson a magnetic board game set gifted by David Wilson Homes
know the community are thinking of them.” Paul Crispin, managing director at David Wilson Homes Southern, added: “While we continue to ensure these challenging times, we wanted to show our support for key workers and the residents of
care homes within our local communities. “Our donation of a care package to Murdoch House Care Home is a symbol of togetherness, while letting the more vulnerable members of our community know they are in our thoughts.”
28 | PUZZLES
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LEISURE | 29
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WOKINGHAMLEISURE
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Am dram for lockdown times
A
THEATRE group provided two ‘outings’ to enjoy funny and inventive plays – a rare treat in these Covid-19 times. Twyford and Ruscombe Theatre Group staged six short plays under the intriguing banner Five Pints and a Pig. It was their way of keeping drama going while the virus makes usual performances – at Loddon Hall, Twyford – impossible. The final three audio plays were enjoyed last weekend. The first three were last month. Both releases each attracted more than 100 listeners. Jocelyn Robinson, directed four of the plays and her husband Gavin the other two. They did fantastic work in the unusual and difficult conditions. The plays were rehearsed online on Zoom before the actors recorded their parts at home. “Directing these plays has been challenging at times with the variety of acoustics and sound effects and ensuring that the audience is able to follow the story without visual aids,” says Jocelyn. “One thing that I have found very strange is that, by the time you get to the week before “curtain up”, it is all complete – there is no motivational speechmaking, no “go on stage and sock it to ‘em”.
AUDIO GO-GO: Five Pints and a Pig co-directors Gavin and Jocelyn Robinson
The actors’ recordings were sent to sound expert David Goddard who knitted them together for flowing plays. “We have all collaborated to overcome the challenges such as the slightly different audio recording characteristics of [phones]; internet delays and drop-outs; the actors’ room acoustics; … and the odd domestic background noise,” says David. His sound effects swept the audience to each play’s “set” whether it was in the buzz of a pub or the drama of freefalling from a plane. Last weekend’s Menage a Trois by David Evans had nicely delivered plot twists as husband Tim, played by Ian MacDonald; wife Jane, Jo Davis; and instructor Rex, Michael Higgins, made a parachute jump.
Y
OU CAN’T beat live music, but that’s just not an option right now. So our Wokingham Loves Music playlist is the next best thing. 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 The Strawbs, who performed at one of Wokingham Music Club’s final gigs before the pandemic hit. You can listen for FREE, via Spotify. There’s a special page set-up for you to tune in and turn on at bit.ly/ wokinghamlovesmusic
The Strawbs – Lay Me Down
LIVE: The Strawbs at Wokingham Music Club Picture: Andrew Merritt A year ago Wokingham Music Club (WMC) got off to a flying start to the year with a string of sell-out shows. Who’d have thought that those shows would be some of the last we’d see for a long time? At least they were all great nights and at one of them The Acoustic Strawbs played
In Thirty Love, by Dorothy Lambert, Emma Cianchi as Kate and Mike Brooks as Nick had the audience questioning: “Will they, won’t they?” and portrayed great swings of emotion. Once more unto the breach, dear Vernon by Mark Waghorn, meant a large cast. Marc Reid as Vernon was beguiling, confiding his hopes of being a Shakespearean actor and leading us through the play. He and his fellow actors Gavin Robinson, Hazel Evans, Michael Higgins, Jane Rhodes, Ian MacDonald, Sally Castle, Jocelyn Robinson and Isobel Buck gave us vivid impressions of the many different scenes. Before Christmas the theatre group released three other short plays. Two teenage actors starred in An Awesome Award by Nicholas
a set of classic tracks from The Wokingham Strawbs extensive musical history. Loves Music Here’s one of their most
Richards. Lucy Wright was splendidly carried away as the award winner. Isobel Buck did good work as the compere. And we found out about the pig in Five Pints and a Pig. This play was by arrangement with Lazy Bee Scripts. The five others were with Pint-Sized Plays. In Chilled Wine, by Dorothy Lambert, Caroline RoseNewport, Elysia Robinson and Sally Castle were funny with their gossipy pub chat. The twist at the end worked well. Kathleen Shaw and Frank Kaye in The Lady and ‘The Tyger’ gave us an unsettling and intriguing look at a chance meeting in a seafront shelter. You wanted to know what happened next. � For more details, log on to twyrusdrama.org.uk
reminder
to ‘Settlement’, their brand new album out next month – www.facebook.com/ strawbsweb
Astralasia (featuring Icarus Peel) – Green Man This is from ‘The Darkest Voyage’, that epic album of more than six hours of music, a collaboration for charity between Astralasia, the well-respected Fruits De Mer Records and Wokingham’s Magick Eye Records. The album features many guests including this track with guitar and vocals by Icarus Peel, who has also appeared solo on Wokingham’s Mega Dodo Records and as a member of The Honey Pot and Crystal Jacqueline. Check out Mordecai Smyth’s track below too – astralasia.co.uk/
The Salts – Drunken Sailor It’s one of the most well-known sea shanties of all from a favourite of Wokingham Festival and WMC. It’s a track from The Salts, Brave album, released on Wokingham-based Braccan Records – www.thesalts.co.uk
Mordecai Smyth – Tonight, You Belong To Me This local artist released his wonderful cover of a 1920’ song on Wokingham based
A
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
Dress up for a great night in
SUE CORCORAN
Deva St.John – Reckless
bit.ly/wokingham and we’ll look forward lovesmusic
South Hill Park goes online
N IN demand dame has gone on demand for a new programme of digital dramas aimed at bringing the joy of theatre to the comfort of their own home. South Hill Park’s new streaming service includes a free 60-minute audio pantomime. Starring Brad Clapson, who is the Bracknell-based arts centre’s resident dame, Robin Hood has been devised by pantomime director Adam Stafford and co-stars, among others, Michael Ayiotis. It aims to bridge the gap for those who have missed the annual festive show. There are other plays now online as well. They include a new take on A Christmas Carol, a play that was meant to have been performed in the arts centre until the new Tier 4 structure forced the closures of theatres. Devised by Apollo Theatre Company, it was filmed in the Wilde Theatre, and made available to stream before Christmas. However, South Hill Park has extended the online run so everyone can continue to enjoy the festive warmth
Mega Dodo Records. It features a guest appearance from Icarus Peel (see above) – www.facebook.com/stickytapeandrust/
Chris Hillman famous tracks as a
PANTO ONLINE: South Hill Park has created some internet dramas to enjoy, including a new take on Robin Hood, which is free to listen to
This talented singer was at No.3 in our Top 20 of 2020 with her Split the Dealer duet. Here’s her excellent new single – www.facebook.com/dayvasaintjohn
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 and 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’s Mega Dodo Records – www.facebook.com/skellygood
NEVER has the phrase ‘all dressed up and nowhere to go’ ever been more appropriate. With lockdown continuing, an orchestra is preparing to put on their glad rags in a bid to help musicians, artists and backstage crews who have been mothballed since the pandemic saw arts venues close. Organised by Musicians For Musicians, the Dress Up To Stay In virtual event is planned for Saturday, February 6. It's the same date as the Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra planned its winter concert, which would have taken place in the University of Reading's Great Hall. Conductor Andrew Taylor is hoping that people will join in with whatever they feel is their Saturday night best. He says that no one attending an APO concert is expected to dress up, and the same applies to Dress Up To Stay In. All he asks is that participants share a
this wonderful production brings. And associate theatre company Blackeyed Theatre also has online shows to enjoy. The team produced The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde last autumn and now home audiences can immerse themselves in the myth and mystery of 19th century London. The group also produced a version of the Jane Eyre, which they says tells the moving portrayal of one woman’s quest for equality and freedom lives as one of the great triumphs of storytelling. These shows will be available to purchase to stream until Sunday, February 28. Once a digital pass is purchased, they can be viewed up to seven days from purchase, or first viewed. The arts centre has also launched a fundraising campaign called STAR 1,000. It is looking for 1,000 people who can donate at least £5 per month to help its mission to provide entertainment, support and inspiration to the wider community for many years to come. � For more details, or to donate, log on to southhillpark.org.uk
photo of themselves on social media with the hashtag #DressUpToStayIn, along with musicians from across the globe. And people can make a donation to a cause supporting professional musicians, many of whom have been excluded from Government support schemes. They include APO’s crowdfunding event for a post-covid concert featuring professional musicians and the Musicians For Musicians appeal. Last week, the Help Musicians charity announced that it had, in partnership with the MOBO Trust, supported 21 artists through its longstanding MOBO Help Musicians Fund. The charity said that they had shown adaptability in dealing with the impact of Covid-19, showing a desire to become as ‘digitally self-sufficient’ as possible in the face of current restrictions. � For more details, log on to www.aldworthphilharmonic.org.uk or www.helpmusicians.org.uk
30 | LIFE
In the garden January
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Inthekitchen Freely Fruity facebook.com/freelyfruityUK
Lockdown Loaf Cake: Pear and Chocolate
L
IFT your lockdown spirits by baking this easy loaf tin cake with store cupboard or corner shop ingredients and seasonal fruit. Get the children involved and once baked and cooled; slice, wrap and take on a long walk.
I
Ingredients T may be cold outside but there is plenty of gardening you can do with your feet up inside at this time of year.
Now is the best time to see the overall structure and shape of your garden which means you can assess what you already have and plan on how to improve it. You don’t have to spend a fortune and your garden can be any size whether in the country or in a town. Have a good look through the seed catalogues for summer flowers you can grow from scratch and flick through gardening books and manuals for ideas and easy to implement garden tips. If you’re thinking of growing your own fruit and veg then it’s a great time to plant seeds indoors for some early crops such as lettuces, summer brassicas such as cabbages and cauliflowers, spinach and salad onions. A job for January is to get seed beds ready and now is also the time to prune currant and gooseberry bushes. A simple garden solution for January is to bring colour to container evergreens. It’s a good idea to invest in a basic collection of container evergreens – box, conifer, holly and bay – that you can customise through the seasons by adding bedding plants around the base of each bush. You can create a mix of containers that look great grouped together or scattered through the garden with a variety of colourful plants decorating them such as white cyclamen for winter, lavender blue pansies in spring and white and pink daisies in summer. Another plant great for instant winterspring colour and perfect for containers, window boxes and borders is the Primula. The majority bloom in the spring, but they have been known to flower through mild winters. There is a wide range of colours available from bright yellow to pastel reds and blues and they can grow in most soil types and be planted in sun and semi shade. They can be used very effectively in bedding schemes with tulips and other winterspring bedding plants or planted alone in blocks of colour. When planting Primula in containers, use multi-purpose compost and ensure that they never dry out – and remember to dead head the plants regularly as this will encourage a longer flowering period.
January’s garden checklist … � Clean and oil garden tools � Scrub pots so they are disease free and don’t infect new plants � Sharpen secateurs � Take the lawnmower in to be serviced � If it snows, shake it off evergreens, hedges and conifers to stop the weight causing any damage � Treat timber fences, archways and sheds with wood preservative � Bring mature shrubs to life by pruning older branches as close to the stem as possible � Keep container plants protected from frost and check to see if they need watering � Remember to put out food and water for birds
� 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed � 175g caster sugar � 3 free range eggs � 150g self raising flour � 75g ground almonds � 2 soft ripe pears, skin on diced � 75g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Method 1. Preheat the oven to 170°C 2. Grease and line a 2lb/2kg loaf tin 3. In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until combined, about 3 minutes 4. Beat in the eggs one at a time 5. Sift in the flour then stir it in with the almonds and mix gently with a big metal spoon 6. Mix in the pear and chocolate and transfer into the lined tin 7. Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean 8. Cool on a wire rack, slice and enjoy. www.facebook.com/freelyfruityuk/
Bringing the office to you: five essential home office items
W
ORKING from home became the temporary norm in early 2020, and it’s continuing as we
enter 2021. Since many of us will be adapting to the hybrid way of working – finding a way to give your ‘work atmosphere’ a more permanent home is essential for our concentration and daily productivity, setting us up for success in the new year. This is where your home office décor comes in. Of course, finding the balance between your home and home office is vital especially as it is to be more permanent in the new year. This said, there are some small essential items you can use to help bring the office vibe to you without intruding on your cosy home aesthetic. Here, are some remote working ideas courtesy of online homeware firm Dowsing and Reynolds, dowsingandreynolds.com
White LED lights Natural daylight is thought to be the best way to help promote mental wellbeing and boost concentration. Not all homes have the means to draw in a lot of natural light. There are some small home adjustments you can make to help improve your workspace lighting. Lighting can do more than create a cosy ambience in our homes to help us relax. One study reveals that particular types of lighting help promote better concentration and learning ability.
RIGHT ON HOME: Getting the home office right is essential for homeworking It’s found that cool light is better for concentration because it mimics sunlight, whereas yellow light creates a more relaxed atmosphere. One substitute for natural lighting is white LED lights. White or blue are thought to help reduce drowsiness and keep you more alert throughout the day. That’s not to say that you should go and replace all yellow lights in your home for bright white ones. Instead, task lighting is proven to be beneficial. Whether it be desk lamps, table lamps, or wall-mounted lights, white LED task lights are small yet effective at helping you concentrate on your daily work tasks.
Choose your desk wisely Gone are the days where a pop up
camping table ‘will do for now’, it’s time to find a more robust solution. No one wants to feel like they’re at work all the time, so finding a desk that fits nice and subtly in your room rather than at the centre of it is essential. You could do this with a corner desk that fits the shape of your room. That way, after the workday is done, your desk out of sight, out of mind. Don’t be afraid to get creative with colour for your desk too – it can influence our mood. You could purchase a vibrant yellow desk, or one that is splashed with paint for a more creatively inspiring solution. Also, if you have a picture that is bursting with colour or a cushion that is an impressively bright shade, surround yourself with these objects.
Plants and productivity Other than adding a splash of greenery and life to the concrete jungle that is an office space, studies find that your productivity can increase by 15% when you add plants as décor. Plants are also proven to help decrease levels of anxiety, improve attentiveness, and heighten concentration. Whether it’s a cactus or aloe vera plant you place on your desk, an ivy vine plant to contrast against a plain wall, or a bouquet of flowers you replace weekly, adding plants to your office spaces can benefit your daily mood and motivation at work.
Files, folders, and all things vertically organisational It’s easier, while working at home, to let our workspaces become messy and unorganised if there’s no-one around to see it. Organisation can do more than make your papers easier to find – it can also help reduce work-related stress too. Boosting our mental wellbeing in 2021 is key to thriving at work so think – tidy desk, tidy mind. Since no one wants to fill up their homes with boxes full of work equipment, make the most of your vertical spaces. Whether you utilise a wall-hanging pin board, a tall cabinet, or a few shelves, vertically organising the space dedicated to an office in your home will help keep things organised and stress-free.
Comfortable, ergonomic chairs Plain old office chairs are renowned for not providing the best support for both comfortability and the correct sitting position, so opting for an ergonomic chair is a must. An ergonomic chair is one that has been designed to support and improve your body’s posture while sitting down. Health professionals often raise the issue of how prolonged sitting can have serious impacts on our spines, so correcting your posture with an ergonomic office chair at home is vital. No matter how big or little the changes you make to your home office are, any difference could have a drastic impact on your productivity and motivation in 2021. Maintaining that work frame of mind while working remotely is essential.
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34 | CLASSIFIEDS
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PUBLIC NOTICES ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (WATERLOO ROAD, WOKINGHAM) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING AND 30 MPH SPEED LIMIT) ORDER 2021 NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 21st January 2021 Wokingham Borough Council as Traffic Authority made an Order under Section 14 (1) (a) and 15(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which is to prohibit: 1. Any vehicle from proceeding along Waterloo Road, Wokingham between its junctions with Priest Avenue and the Wokingham Borough Boundary at a speed exceeding 30 mph.
WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL Hackney Carriage and Private Hire proposed fees In accordance with Section 70 (1) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, this notice sets out a variation in proposed fees.
Hackney carriage vehicle new / renewal
£290.00
Private hire vehicle new / renewal
£290.00
Private hire vehicle with dispensation
£290.00
Private hire operator licence Number of vehicles
New
Renewal
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL (EASTHAMPSTEAD ROAD, WOKINGHAM) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021 NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 21st 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: Easthampstead Road, Wokingham for a distance of 20m on either side of the level crossing. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Waterloo Road, Old Wokingham Road and Easthampstead Road or by this route in reverse.
1
£472.00
£354.00
2. Any vehicle from proceeding along Waterloo Road, Wokingham between its junctions with Priest Avenue and the Wokingham Borough Boundary
2
£545.00
£427.75
3
£619.50
£501.50
The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Network Rail contractors to undertake level crossing lifting, inspecting and plain line tamping work in safety.
3. Any vehicle the gross weight of which is greater than 7.5 tonne proceed along Waterloo Road, Wokingham between its junctions with Priest Avenue and the Wokingham Borough Boundary.
4
£693.25
£575.25
5
£767.00
£649.00
Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times.
6
£840.75
£722.25
7
£914.50
£796.50
8
£988.25
£870.25
9
£1,062.00
£944.00
10
£1,135.75
£1,017.75
The restriction for item 2 will take place between 5th March 2021 to 2nd August 2021 and 21st Jan 2022 to 31st Jan 2022
11
£1,209.50
£1,091.50
12
£1,283.25
£1,165.25
The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Old Wokingham Road, Easthampstead Road and Waterloo Road or by this route in reverse.
13
£1,357.00
£1,239.00
14
£1,430.75
£1,312.75
15
£1,504.50
£1,386.50
16
£1,578.25
£1,460.25
17
£1,652.00
£1,534.00
18
£1,725.75
£1,607.75
19
£1,799.50
£1,681.50
20
£1,873.25
£1,755.25
20+
£1,873.25
£1,755.25
Variation to licence
£59,00
£59,00
4. Any vehicle the width of which exceed 6 feet 6 inches (2 metres) to proceed along Waterloo Road, Wokingham between its junctions with Priest Avenue and the Wokingham Borough Boundary. The restriction for item 1 will take place between 14th Apr 2021 to 28th March 2022.
The restriction for items 3 and 4 will take place between 2nd August 2021 to 28th March 2022. The alternative route for all vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via Old Wokingham Road, Easthampstead Road and Waterloo Road or by this route in reverse. The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Wokingham Borough Council contractors to divert existing services, install drainage and culvert networks and construct new roundabout and distributor road in safety the Council being satisfied that the works in question will take longer than 18 months. 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 1st February 2021 and shall continue in force until the works have been completed. Dated: 28th January 2021 Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL
A copy of this notice is available for public inspection during normal office hours at Wokingham Borough Council, Shute End, Wokingham RG40 1BN for 28 days from the date below. Any objections to the proposed fees should be submitted in writing to the undersigned at Wokingham Borough Council by 25th February 2021 If no objections are received, or any such objections are subsequently withdrawn, the revised fees will come into operation for any licences commencing from 1st April 2021. Date: 28th January 2021 Sean Murphy, Public Protection Manager, Wokingham Borough Council, Shute End, Wokingham, RG40 1BN.
SERVICES
Works requiring this restriction will take place between 4th February and 5th February 2021 between 23:00 and 06:00.
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 4th 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: 28th 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 (B3030 MOLE ROAD, SINDLESHAM) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2021
SERVICES
NOTICE IS HEREBY given that on the 21st 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: B3030 Mole Road, Sindlesham between its junctions with New Road and Parkcorner Lane. The alternative route for all Southbound vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via A329 Reading Road, A321 Station Road, B3349 Barkham Road, Langley Common Road, A327 Eversley Road and B3030 Sindlesham Road. The alternative route for all Northbound vehicles affected by this restriction shall be via B3030 Sindlesham Road, A327 Eversley Road, Langley Common Road, B3349 Barkham Road, A321 Station Approach and A329 Reading Road. Works requiring this restriction will take place between 1st February and 12th March 2021. The reason for these prohibitions is to allow Thames Water contractors to undertake excavation to lay reinforcement main in safety. Access for residents and businesses within the boundaries of these restrictions will be maintained at all times.
SERVICES
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 1st 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: 28th January 2021
Please recycle me ! It’s good news for everyone
Mark Cupit Assistant Director – Delivery and Infrastructure Wokingham Borough Council Civic Offices Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1WL
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PUBLIC NOTICES
SERVICES
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
203534
Major Application
Loddon Court, Lambs Lane, Swallowfield
Full application for the proposed change of use of land from agricultural to mixed equestrian/ agriculture plus erection a stable buildings with associated hardstanding. (Part Retrospective)
203544
Land To The West Of St Annes Drive, And South Of London Road, Wokingham
Major Application
Full application for the proposed erection of 55 units (including 19 affordable homes) with associated access road from St Anne’s Drive, landscaping, and open space.
203560
Land At And To The Rear Of Willow Tree House, Brookers Hill
Major Application
Full planning application for the proposed erection of 23 dwellings and community hall with vehicular access off Brookers Hill, pedestrian and cycle access from Hollow Lane together with open space and landscaping following demolition of existing Willow Tree House and commercial buildings.
203616
Hogwood Farm, Sheerlands Road, Arborfield
Major Application
Application for approval of Reserved Matters pursuant to Outline Planning Consent O/ 2014/2179 (as varied by 181194, dated 14/11/2018). The Reserved Matters comprise details of 235 dwellings across parcels P2, P3 & P7 with access via development parcel P1 and the proposed Nine Mile Ride Extension bus loop; emergency access via Sheerlands Road, associated internal access roads, parking, provision of Public Open Space (PG1), children’s play areas including a LEAP, LAP and LLAP and NEAP, together with parking, cycleways, footpaths, landscaping and sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS). Details of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale to be considered.
210045
210064
Cutbush Manor, Cutbush Lane, Shinfield
Former Adwest Site, Headley Road East, Woodley
(Affect setting of) Listed Building
Major Application
Application for Listed Building consent for the proposed new kitchen and replacement of flooring. As part of the kitchen renovation, the stone hearth of the fireplace will be removed and install an Aga. The stone hearth removal is required to provide the height for the Aga. Underfloor heating (NuHeat) will be installed. The front door and lounge door, will be renovated by Fortis & Hooke. The kitchen has been designed by Edwards & Godding. 1no Chimney pot to be replaced (currently missing) from the roof. Application to vary condition 1 of planning consent 203049 for the application to vary condition 1 of planning permission 192826 for the demolition of existing buildings (retrospectively) and redevelopment of the site to form 5 industrial units for uses within Use Classes B1 (b and c), B2 and B8; and erection of a building to be used as a builders’ merchant (Sui Generis) for the display, sale, storage of building, timber and plumbing supplies, plant and tool hire including outside display and storage racks, with associated access, car parking and landscaping. Condition 1 refers to the approved plans and the application seeks to approve boundary fencing for the site. Condition 1 refers to approved plans and the variation is to allow the installation of site wide lighting.
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 18th 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: 28th January 2021
WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (GENERAL PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT) (ENGLAND) ORDER 2015 AS AMENDED NOTICE PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 4 OF THE CONFIRMATION OF AN ARTICLE 4(1) (DIRECTION WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT) RELATING TO LAND AT MILL LANE SINDLESHAM EARLEY WOKINGHAM WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL made an Article 4 Direction with immediate effect on 29 July 2020 under Article 4(1) of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) (the Order). The Direction relates to: Development comprising any building operation consisting of the erection, construction, maintenance, improvement or alteration of a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure being development comprised within Class A of Part 2 of Schedule 2 and any building operation consisting of the provision on land of buildings, moveable structures, works, plant or machinery required temporarily in connection with and for the duration of operations being or to be carried out on, in, under or over that land or on land adjoining that land being development comprised within Class A of Part 4 of Schedule 2 to the said Order. The Direction removed permitted development rights for the type of development referred to above. The Direction had immediate effect from 29 July 2020 and was due to expire on 28 January 2021 unless confirmed before expiry. This Notice confirms that the Council consulted on the Article 4 Direction from 30 July 2020 until 27 August 2020 and has now considered representations received during this period. The Council confirmed the Direction on 21 January 2021 therefore it will remain in force permanently after 21 January 2021 (unless cancelled) Planning permission on an application made to the Council under Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 will therefore continue to be required for development referred to in the second paragraph of this notice on over or under the Land at Mill Lane Sindlesham Earley Wokingham shown edged in red on the plan attached to the confirmed direction. A copy of the confirmed Direction, including a plan can be viewed on the Council’s website at www.wokingham.gov.uk/planning-policy/planningpolicy-information/local-plan-and planning-policies/ Dated: 28th January 2021
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CRICKET
BASKETBALL
OAKS AND FINCH HOPE TO BEGIN IN MAY
JONNY BE GOOD FOR ROCKETS RETURN
WOKINGHAM and Finchampstead Cricket Clubs are both due to begin their campaigns in the Home Counties Premier Cricket League on Saturday, May 8, if covid restrictions have been lifted by then.
The 2020 fixtures in the HCPL were changed to a 40/40 over cup competition format after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the usual league season. Wokingham will kick off their season with an away trip against Harefield, while Finchampstead are away at Tring Park. HCPL chairman Martin Phillips said: “The chances of playing a normal programme look much better, particularly now that mass vaccination is in prospect. “Players may have to change outside and spectators continue to socially distance, but these are minor irritations in the greater scheme of things. “Whatever next summer throws at us, we are all much better equipped to deal with the challenges having weathered the storm last year.”
RUGBY UNION
WORK BEGINS ON NEW STAND
By RICHARD ASHTON sport@wokingham.today
WORK on the new 300-seater grandstand at Rams RFC's Old Bath Road home has begun.
It is being installed by Duncan Lynch Precision Engineering, and they have made a terrific start despite some challenging weather conditions. The 60-metre long concrete base, which runs from one 22 to the other on the clubhouse side of the ground, has been put in, along with the main structure. The next phase of the project will see the roof and tread boards begin to be worked on, with the hope the project will be completed by the end of February. Other improvements to the ground made in recent months include new floodlights, an upgraded shack serving food and drink outside, and a disabled ramp for superior access.
READING Rockets have announced that 6ft 6in forward Jonny Foulds has agreed to rejoin the Rockets for the remainder of the 2020/2021 season.
Jonny was with the Rockets in the 2017/2018 before going to play in Europe in countries such as Italy, Ireland and Germany. Last season, he averaged 11.4 points, shooting an impressive 37% from three point range, and 3.6 rebounds whilst playing in the German league. When the club learned that Jonny was available, head coach Alan Keane contacted him and Johnny was
thrilled to be back at a club he knows well. The Rockets have not been in action for over six weeks after the club was impacted by covid-19, Academy and division one Men’s team, Rockets are looking to return to the court on Saturday, January 30 when they are scheduled to face Nottingham Hoods. Head coach Alan Keane is very glad to have Jonny back on the team: “He is somebody we know very well at the club. “Since his time at Reading, Johnny has worked incredibly hard to develop all areas of his game, most notably his shooting ability.
“Johnny’s approach to his development and the game makes him a joy to coach and he will be a tremendous influence on our Academy players also.” After mutual agreement, the Reading Rockets have released Canadian-forward Lewis Diankulu. During his time at the Rockets, Lewis averaged 10 points, one block and 4.5 rebounds a game. Off-the-court, Lewis is said to have brought lots of positivity and energy while delivering community sessions and was a true role model for young basketball players in the local area.
YOGA
LOCKDOWN YOGA INSPIRES HOME FITNESS LOCAL sports yoga coach Helena Shirley has helped over 600 young athletes stay fit since launching her online sports yoga course at the start of the latest lockdown.
Helena, a Yoga Alliance Professionals Specialist Yoga Teacher and one of only a few qualified Sports Yoga Teachers in the UK, launched the online programme, for athletes aged 16 and above, just two weeks ago and has already delivered over 20 online sessions to more than 600 participants. Helena, who is based in Waltham St Lawrence, decided to launch the course to help keep young athletes stay fit, healthy and injury free during lockdown. She wanted to keep the teams connected with each other and now up to 100 athletes are taking part at any one time. “I wanted to support our aspiring young athletes to try and do something really positive while they are unable to train, play matches, and enjoy their sport,” said Sarah. “I sent details of my free trial session to football, tennis and netball clubs in the area and was delighted when Berkshire Netball’s Lead Coach, Sarah Feast, saw how
beneficial these sessions would be. “I immediately contacted Helena to arrange a taster session and was totally convinced about how it would benefit netballers. “I am really keen to encourage as many netballers as possible to get involved with Sport Yoga as it has huge benefits for them and will help
them to be ready to return to court strongly and safely when we are allowed to do so and hopefully prevent them from picking up injuries having not been able to train face-to-face for so long.” For many, this is the first time they have experienced yoga but the young athletes are already seeing
massive benefits to their flexibility, mobility, and stability. Helena is currently working with Woodley Netball Club and Berkshire Club Academy players whilst supporting a number of teams in Maidenhead and one in High Wycombe. All classes are delivered live, four times a week, via Zoom and Helena has capacity to help more young athletes as lockdown continues. “I’d love to get more people trying sports yoga, from tennis players and runners to footballers,” she continued. “Young people are cooped up all day over a desk doing online school lessons when they are used to training hard, playing matches and socialising with team mates. I’m not trying to turn them into yogis. “I just want to help them to become better athletes.” Helena now has a weekly class for parents on a Friday morning who have seen how beneficial sports yoga has been for their children. The six week course which only costs £3 per session or £15 for 6 is available for individuals as well as teams. � For more, visit: bookwhen.com/ vitalityhealth-fitness
RUGBY UNION
NATIONAL CUP POSTPONED FOR 2020/21
By RICHARD ASHTON sport@wokingham.today
THE NCA has sadly confirmed the proposed National Cup has been cancelled for the 2020/21 season – but there is still some hope of postlockdown rugby.
While the situation is very much dependent on the ongoing pandemic, the NCA have confirmed local friendlies or mini-
tournaments could be played during April and May if restrictions are lifted. Rams RFC have confirmed they will look into all available options once the current lockdown is removed or eased. They were due to take part in a fascinating pool also featuring Chinnor, Rosslyn Park, Henley Hawks, Esher and Barnes, but following a series of meetings this week
involving all 48 clubs in the NCA, there was unanimous agreement there would be insufficient time to stage an authentic competition, given the continued uncertainty over if and when, training and playing will be allowed. NCA chairman John Inverdale admitted there was a certain inevitability about the decision, stating: ‘With every re-tiering and subsequent tightening of
restrictions, it was getting harder to envisage the NCA cup getting off the ground. “It’s with a heavy heart we’ve made the call because there was a huge amount of enthusiasm for the idea, but ultimately we’ve had to concede defeat.” Speaking about the possibility of action come the spring, he continued: “It’s up to all our members to decide individually what they want to do.
“Some will shut up shop and prepare and hope for a September start next season, while others would like to play matches to satisfy the demands of their players, who are desperate to get back on the pitch, and their supporters who have been starved of going to clubs. “The NCA would like to thank all our clubs for their support and cooperation throughout this time.”
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WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE
ROYALS HURT BY LATE EQUALISER Aston Villa Women 2-2 Reading Women By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today
READING Women were left to rue missed chances as they were punished to see three points turn into one as Aston Villa stole a stoppage-time equaliser.
The Royals put in a superb display last weekend at the Madejski Stadium to hold title-chasers Arsenal to a draw. Kelly Chambers’ side made a similarly fast start having also scored in the opening moments of the match last week against the Gunners, when Angharad James put Reading ahead after three minutes against Villa. Reading worked a set-piece routine to find Jess Fishlocm in space 25 yards from goal and Villa keeper Lisa Weiss could only palm Fishlock’s fierce strike in front of her which was met by James who was perfect placed to nod the ball in on the rebound from a few yards out. The Villa keeper was kept on her toes as the Royals pushed for a second goal to put themselves in control of the contest. Defender Emma Mitchell ventured forward and powered a shot on target from distance which was tipped over the crossbar. Bethan Roberts then raced forward and had time to take aim at goal, but
Weiss did well to clutch on to the ball with a couple of Reading forwards ready to pounce on the rebound had it been spilled. James was next to try her luck as she searched for a second, but Weiss was equal to her effort to get fingertips to push it over the bar after Danielle Carter had held the ball up well and laid the ball off for the Welsh international to hit. Just 10 minutes into the second-half, Reading’s lead diminished as Villa debutant Mana Iwabuchi converted to mark her first game with a goal. Natalie Haigh drove in a low cross from a free-kick which was met by Iwabuchi who slid to reach the ball first and divert it beyond the reach of Grace Moloney to equalise for the hosts. But the Royals responded excellently and restored their lead just two minutes after being pegged back by the Villa leveller. Fishlock unlocked the Villa defence with a brilliant through ball to find Rachel Rowe out wide right in the box, and from an acute angle, Rowe pushed the ball out of her feet and buried the ball accurately into the bottom left-hand corner. The creative influence of Fishlock continued to cause trouble for the Villa defence when she weighted a perfect through ball for Carter, but she couldn’t finish from the one-on-one chance as Weiss made a vital stop before
FROM THE MIDDLE With Dick Sawdon-Smith
recovering to save from Amalie Eikeland on the rebound. A heavy downfall saw the pitch dusted with a coat of snow as Reading looked to press home their advantage and put the game to bed, but they were unable to do so and were left to regret several missed chances. Despite their dominance, Reading were made to pay for their lack of cutting edge as they failed to find a net for the third time after having a total of 24 shots as Villa stunned the Royals with a stoppage-time goal to draw level. Iwabuchi drove down the left-wing and into the box and pulled the ball back for Diana Silva who got enough contact to send the ball past Moloney and rescue a point with just their second shot on target in the match. Reading stay in sith place in the Women’s Super League table as Villa earned their first home point of the campaign. ASTON VILLA WOMEN: Weiss, Haywood, N’Dow, Asante, Siems, Haigh, Ewers, Syme, Iwabuchi, Larsen, Follis SUBS: Rogers, Ale, West, Hutton, McLoughlin, Silva, Hayles, Hanssen READING WOMEN: Moloney, Roberts, Cooper, Bartrip, Mitchell, Eikeland, Fishlock, James, Rowe, Harding, Bruton SUBS: Nayler, Carter, Woodham, Skeels, Childerhouse, Harries GOALS: James 3’, Iwabuchi 55’, Rowe 57, Silva 90+1’
WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE
The complexity of the offside rule
CHAMBERS: ‘RESULT D FEELS LIKE A LOSS’
EAN Smith, Aston Villa’s manager, received a red card and sent to the stand at their match with Manchester City, for protesting against referee Jonathan Moss’s decision, to allow Bernardo Silva’s goal.
By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today
READING Women manager Kelly Chambers said the Royals’ draw ‘felt like a loss’ after they conceded an injury-time equaliser against Aston Villa.
“I’m really disappointed. Disappointed in terms of not coming away from a game that we looked really comfortable in, with anything to show for it other than a point,” said Chambers. “I feel we had lost the game in front of goal. We had so many opportunities to put the game to bed and unfortunately I feel that’s what cost us dearly. Reading had 24 shots at goal, with nine on target, compared to just two from
the hosts, but were unable to find a clinical edge to take three points. “There were times in the second-half where we were very comfortable, but we weren’t ruthless enough,” Chambers continued. “We had two one-on-ones against the goalkeeper and made nothing out of it, so that side of it is very frustrating. “The second half shouldn’t even come into contention if we’d put the first-half to bed and I believe that is the one thing that really cost us. “I said to the girls after the game that we went from a huge high, taking points off Arsenal who are one of the best teams in the league and we did the same against Manchester City, to coming
to Villa and not getting the win. “We should have been taking three points in games like that if we can perform against Arsenal and City, and that was a huge frustration to the girls after the game. “Unfortunately, it has been the story of our season so far that we are just not good enough in front of goal and that is what has cost us games.” Reading have a one-week break from action having played the most games by some distance in the division so far this campaign. Chambers’ team have a stern test when they return on Sunday, February 7 when they face Manchester United Women, who currently lead the Women’s Super League,.
The offside law is often controversial but this showed its complexity. City’s Rodrigo was in an offside position about 15 yards behind Villa’s Tyrone Mings. Mings stopped the pass to him, chesting the ball down. He was bringing it under control. when Rodrigo came back and dispossessed him, then passed the ball to Silva who scored. There are two views of this incident, so let’s look at the relevant parts of the offside law. First it says, it is not an offence to be in an offside position. A player in an offside position is only penalised when interfering with play by playing or touching the ball, or interfering with an opponent by preventing him from playing the ball or being able to play the ball, or by challenging an opponent for the ball.
If I had been the assistant referee, I would have flagged for that last one. Rodrigo did challenge Mings for the ball, coming from an offside position. But, would I have been right? The law also says, that to become an offence, the ball must have last been played or touched by a member of the offside players team. In this case we could see that Mings had touched the ball while trying to control it, before Rodrigo ‘robbed’ him of it. Some will quote the part of the law which says, an offside player who receives the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball is not penalised. But is this clause relevant? Introduced in 2016, it was to distinguish the difference between the ball deflecting off an opponent to an offside player, who would still be offside, and a defender deliberately trying to clear the ball but only succeeding in knocking it to the offside player, who would not be given offside. As I say, this incident shows the complexity of the offside law. But who said refereeing is easy?
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SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
PENALTY BLUNDER: JOÃO MISSES CHANCE TO PUSH ROYALS UP TO THIRD Preston North End 0 Reading 0 By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today
LUCAS JOÃO missed the target with a penalty in the 82nd minute as Reading wasted the chance to go up to third in the Championship table with a goalless draw away at Preston North End.
The visitors created the better of the chances with a flurry of opportunities early in the second half but were unable to break the deadlock. The Royals were handed the chance to take the points when João won a penalty late on, but he missed the bottom corner and hit his shot wide. Reading stay in fifth position in the table after they recorded their 11th clean sheet of the campaign. Despite the frustration of a late missed penalty, Reading manager Veljko Paunović was keen to focus on the positives of another clean sheet and a point gained. “There are a lot of positives to take, like a clean sheet and the team created a lot of opportunities,” said Paunović. “We put up a solid performance, especially in the second half against a difficult team in conditions that weren’t great. “But this draw feels like a loss. “I think because of the way we played, how we build our performance throughout the game, we did a lot and had opportunities, but today we weren’t lucky enough to convert.” The Royals were hoping for revenge after they suffered a shock 3-0 home defeat to Preston earlier in the season. Sone Aluko came into the starting eleven to replace Michael Olise, who was named among the substitutes after he was subbed off with a shoulder injury in the 3-0 win last Tuesday against Coventry City. The hosts got out of the traps quickly and had a shot at goal inside the first minute as Scott Sinclair latched onto Riis' knockdown and forced the first corner of the game as Rafael parried his shot behind. Preston continued to dominate the ball in the opening 10 minutes, but without testing the Royals’ defence too often. After a slow start, Reading
Lucas João shot his penalty wide
began to grow into the game and started to stamp their influence of the game and threatened from a few setpieces with the delivery of John Swift. Having scored a spectacular free-kick against Coventry, Swift tried his luck from a similar distance, but Iversen pushed the shot away from goal. Brad Potts had the next chance of the match as he swiveled in the box to work space for a shot from a tight angle but fired his effort high over the bar. Swift showed his threat again from another free-kick which he connected with superbly but hit the side netting as his effort whistled just the wrong side of the post. Another Swift set-piece, this time from the right-wing, was met by Paul Huntington who got his head on the ball to take it away from Lucas João who was lurking in the box and ready to pounce had the defender not got a touch. A dangerous free-kick position came the way of Reading after Ovie Ejaria’s quick feet were too much for the Preston defence to handle. But having set his sights, Swift surprisingly left this effort to Aluko, who ballooned a shot high over the target. Both sides traded chances at the end of the half but to no avail, as Iversen saved Josh Laurent’s long-range strike before Rafael kept out Emil Riis’ shot from point-blank range, before Tom McIntyre managed to clear after a goalmouth scramble as the half ended goalless. Lucas João used his strong build to shrug off a defender and race at the Preston defence, before laying the ball off for Ovie Ejaria who tried to find a gap at the near post but was kept out by Iversen. The Royals worked a familiar
corner routine which saw McIntyre score against Luton Town, but this time his effort sailed on to the top of the net after he connected with Aluko’s outswinger. An early spell of chances in the second-half saw Reading press for the breakthrough as Aluko tried his luck from the outside the box on his weaker right foot, but hit a testing effort as Iversen got fingertips to tip it over the crossbar. Veljko Paunović made his first switch in the 77th minute as Alfa Semedo came on in place of Aluko. Having had the better of the second half, Reading were given the chance to take the points as they were awarded a penalty in the 82nd minute. Lucas João was pulled down by Rafferty as he looked to connect at the back post from Swift's cross, and after the referee had waved play on, he changed his decision after the linesman notified the ref that there had been a foul. João stepped up to the spot but fired his spot-kick wide of the mark as a huge chance to boost Reading up the table were wasted. The game ended without a goal as Reading were left frustrated having missed a big chance to take the points late in the game. “We are with Lucas when he scores and when he misses,” continued Paunović. “He started to be disappointed early in the game because of the way things were developing on the field, they made it very hard for us to develop our game. “We built the momentum where it could have culminated in the conversion of the penalty kick. “I am hard on myself when I don’t win. But we are unbeaten since Brentford, building our momentum and we have to still keep going.” Reading are in front of the Sky Sports cameras once again, when they host Bournemouth at the Madejski Stadium on Friday evening (8pm kick-off). PRESTON: Iversen, Davies, Browne (c), Hughes, Whiteman, Ledson, Riis, Molumby, Huntington, Sinclair, Potts SUBS: Ripley, Fisher, Rafferty, Johnson, Gallagher, Bayliss, O’Reilly, Barkhuizen, Evans READING: Rafael, Holmes, McIntyre, Morrison (c), Richards, Rinomhota, Laurent, Swift, Ejaria, Aluko, João SUBS: Southwood, Esteves, Gibson, Semedo, Tetek, Onen, Olise, Camara, Baldock
Reading manager Veljko Paunović has set his sight on new additions to the squad Picture: Steve Smyth
SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
PAUNOVIĆ SETS SIGHTS ON NEW SIGNINGS READING manager Veljko Paunović has insisted that the club are still working on bringing players to the club in the final week of the January transfer window.
Speaking after Reading’s stalemate against Preston on Sunday, he said: “We had conversations and this final week is going to be decisive. “There are two players we enquired about and are working towards getting done. “But it is still too early to tell. The Royals young star Michael Olise, who currently has the most assists in the Championship with eight, has been linked with a host of top clubs around Europe after his imperious displays. However, Paunović is
Michael Olise has been linked with a move away from Reading
determined for the club to keep hold of the midfielder despite a long list of admirers. Although he had five
substitutions available against Preston, the Reading boss opted to make just one switch in the match, with Olise left on the bench. “I think the team looked very solid. Sone was contributing a lot to the team in attack and defence,” continued Paunović . “The reason for his change was tactical. “For Michael (Olise), he is our diamond. We have to be very careful, especially when he has issues with his shoulder. There was a risk that we could have lost him for a long time. “I wanted to have him there, I spoke with him and told him to be ready. “I thought there was a risk he could get a knock and be exposed to a longer injury.”
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SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
PREVIEW: REVENGE IS THE AIM IN TOP SIX SHOWDOWN
VELJKO PAUNOVIĆ’S Royals are out for redemption when they host Bournemouth on Friday evening at the Madejski Stadium in a clash of two topsix sides.
Both sides have their sights set on promotion after strong first halves to the Championship season. The game will be under the spotlight of the Sky Sports cameras once again, as it was for the reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium which proved to be a cracker. Despite the entertaining affair, the Royals were on the wrong end of a Bournemouth comeback. Having stormed into a two-goal lead after strikes from Lucas João and Sone Aluko, the Royals had an advantage going into half-time. However, it was a classic case of a ‘game of two halves’. The Cherries came out with renewed vigor and were level before the hour mark after Arnaut Danjuma clawed the first goal back before Dominic Solanke netted an equaliser. Jason Tindall’s side scored twice more to complete a remarkable turnaround with a stunning strike from Lewis Cook before Solanke wrapped up the game in the 89th minute, with his second and Bournemouth’s fourth goal of the match. Reading sit one place and two points above the Cherries after 25 matches after Bournemouth’s recent run of results which has seen them struggle, while the Royals are on a run of five games without defeat. Bournemouth suffered surprise back- to-back defeats in their two previous Championship games, at h ome to Luton Town before an away
Reading
Manager: Veljko Paunović Position: 5th Form: WDWWD Top scorer: Lucas João (14) Goals scored: 37 Goals conceded: 28
AFC Bournemouth Manager: Jason Tindall Position: 6th Form: LLDWL Top scorer: Dominic Solanke (10) Goals scored: 38 Goals conceded: 21
defeat at Wayne Rooney’s struggling Derby County. Despite a recent run of poor results, Tindall has made a positive impact on their season since taking over from Eddie Howe after Bournemouth’s fiveseason stint in the Premier League came to an end last season. The Cherries potent attack has scored 38 goals in 25 matches, one more than the Royals have managed, and the squad boasts a tighter defence having conceded just 21 goals compared to 28 conceded by Reading but are still a place behind in the standings. Solanke is currently Bournemouth’s top scorer in the league with 10 goals and four assists, while
Lucas João netted from the penalty spot in Reading’s 4-2 defeat at Bournemouth in November
Junior Stanislas has seven goals and three assists from 18 matches. Reading are yet to bolster their squad in the January transfer window, meanwhile Bournemouth have added one player to their ranks. Free agent Jack Wilshere joined the Cherries having impressed manager Tindall in a spell of training with the club after being released from his contract at West Ham United. The England international will add experience, depth and leadership to the Bournemouth side despite his troubled injury record, and is already familiar with the club having spent the 2016/17 on loan with the Cherries, where he made 27 Premier League appearances. The central midfielder has vast experience of top flight football having made 125 league appearances with Arsenal, as well as winning 34 international caps for England as he looks to help Bournemouth to achieve their aim of winning promotion back to the Premier League after relegation in the 2019/20 season. Reading midfielder Josh Laurent, who won the man of the match award in the draw at Preston, wants the team to ‘finish the job’ this time around in Friday’s match. “We will stand up to anyone, and then try to play and try to be better then them, which I thought we did against Preston. “We can fight a team and we’ve got a lot about us. “It has been called payback month for a reason. It’s a big game and we want the three points. “We went toe-to-toe with them at their place but we want to make sure we get the job done this time.”
FROM THE TILEHURST END
With Olly Allen
It feels like the biggest game of the season
I
always wondered who would take over the mantle of Sky Sports’ favourite Championship team when Leeds United got promoted to the Premier League.
I never imagined it would be Reading. However, Friday’s enticing clash with Bournemouth will be our 12th game this season to be shown live on television, more than any other club in the second tier. Reading has always been considered an unfashionable club by those not Royallyinclined and never given an awful lot of attention by the wider media, so this new-found popularity with the broadcaster is all a bit confusing. Ordinarily, it would arguably be seen as a bad thing – as if the club was going over to the dark side and joining the evil commercial forces that only self-important clubs associate with. But the last year has put a different spin on things, and hey, being on television so often might actually be a good thing. After all, as supporters are not able to attend matches in person, it is the next best thing. Certainly for those with a Sky Sports subscription, it is an ideal scenario rather than spending £10 on an iFollow pass every matchday. Even those who are not signed up to the satellite giant can buy a £9.99 day pass from NowTV. It is a credit to the EFL and Sky that behind closed doors games are so accessible from home. Even rearranged kick-off times, which might usually be met with an eye roll, are not an intrusion because it is not like anyone has anywhere else to be. It is also good news for the football club.
All Championship teams receive an equal share of the EFL’s television deal with Sky Sports, but then receive an additional amount every time they are selected for a live game. The fee for a home game is considerably more than that for an away game, so it’s good news that the Bournemouth game will be the seventh Madejski Stadium match in 2020-21 that is on TV. With the club still in an unstable position regarding Financial Fair Play regulations, it is a much-needed revenue source. Some might say that there are downsides to being broadcast so often. Any hopes Reading had of going ‘under the radar’ in their promotion push are out of the window, as are their attempts to keep quiet the talents of Omar Richards and Michael Olise. The club’s record on TV this season also isn’t the greatest, with just three wins from 11 games so far and five defeats. But that is more to do with the level of opposition Reading have come up against in live games, and as last week’s column highlighted, the Royals’ record against the top 10 needs improvement. That leads us to Friday, as sixth place Bournemouth visit the Madejski Stadium for a game that feels like one of the biggest of the season so far. A win for either side would be a significant statement of intent in the play-off battle and it should be an entertaining watch for audiences across the country. Ultimately, Reading being on television so often means one thing – promotion is a genuine possibility.
ONE IN, ORNOCEKETOS GUIVET
VILLA FRUSTRATE ROYALS WOMENP37
SQUAD A SHAKE-UP By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today READING ROCKETS have welcomed back a new team member, while another has left.
LOCKDOWN YOGA BOOSTS FITNESS P36
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After a six-week break due to the impact of Covid-19, the Rockets are scheduled to return to action on Saturday, as they face Nottingham Hoods. They will have a familiar face back available for selection as Jonny Foulds makes his return to the Rockets. Meanwhile, Canadian forward Lewis Diankulu has been released by mutual agreement. � Full story on page 36
ROYALS V CHERRIES FRI 8pm
‘LET’S FINISH THE JOB’ Laurent calls on teammates to step up and go for payback
By ANDY PRESTON apreston@wokingham.today
READING MIDFIELDER Josh Laurent has challenged his side to ‘finish the job’ when they face Bournemouth on Friday.
The teams played out a six-goal thriller when they met earlier in the season, with the Royals beaten after going two goals ahead. � Match preview on page 39
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