ARTISTS SHOWCASE WORK IN TRAIL

Rural Pie Co. takes the cake at national awards ceremony

By Charlotte King cking@wokingham.today A TWYFORD bakery has been making waves across the country after winning five awards in a prestigious competition.

Amy and Philip Smith, coowners of Rural Pie Co., came home with a handful of prizes at last week’s British Pie Awards.

The national contest is held to celebrate the best of pie across the nation - and Mrs Smith said the results left her speechless.

“We’re absolutely thrilled,” she said. “[The prizes] are not what we expected, especially coming out of the pandemic when the whole world has been through such a rough time.

“To walk away with not just something but five awards feels surreal.”

At this year’s ceremony, Rural Pie Co. won two bronze awards, two silver and one highly commended.

It was also one of the 69 companies to be invited to the awards lunch on Friday, September 17 - an honour reserved for the best pie makers in the country.

Mr and Mrs Smith entered a range of dishes this year which are often available in store. These included the Rams Pie which won silver and highly commended in the Sports Pie category, a chicken and chorizo pie which received a bronze award, and its Squiggle Giggle Piggle dish, which was also awarded silver.

This is the second time the Rams Pie, created for Rams Rugby Club, has been crowned at the top of its class after being highly commended last year.

“People might just think it’s the same pie, so of course it’ll win again, but we’re really pleased it was awarded this year,” Mrs Smith said.

“The judges often look for different pies. For example, this year they wanted something traditional, so to win for two consecutive years shows a wide audience agree its a good pie.”

The co-owner said it was difficult deciding which pies to enter, after winning seven awards in 2020’s ceremony.

“It’s quite a process,” she explained. “The judges will consider a lot of things, including pastry consistency and how the gravy oozes out.

“After deciding which pies to enter, we then had to drive two and a half hours to deliver them to Melton Mowbray, which was a stressful drive, making sure we didn’t hit speed bumps too harshly and keeping the food to temperature.”

WINNERS: Amy and Philip were presented with Highly Commended for their Rams Pie Picture: Amy Smith

Mrs Smith has since thanked customers for supporting Rural Pie Co. throughout the pandemic so far.

“Thanks again to everybody for helping us to get to this point,” she said. “

We couldn’t be here without everybody walking through the door and supporting us.

“We’re only still here because of Twyford’s residents and everyone else around us, without whom we wouldn’t have entered the British Pie Awards in the first place.”

British Pie Awards aside, Rural Pie Co. has also been making a name for itself up North after a customer took a selection of pies to Skye last week.

Ms Smith said: “The customer wanted to take some pies to enjoy during a break.

“To see people enjoying our pies in other parts of the country is pretty awesome, and if people enjoy what we do enough to not go on holiday without us is comical, but also brilliant.”

Mr and Mrs Smith are back serving pies in Twyford following the awards ceremony.

They are also hosting a MacMillan Coffee morning tomorrow. n For more information, visit: www.ruralpieco.co.uk

New wastepicking robot

WASTE management partnership, re3, has installed the country’s first retrofittable AI-powered robotic wasting picking system in Reading.

The waste-picking robot, Recycleye Robotics, can identify, pick up and place materials at 55 picks per minute.

Members of the board, Cllr Parry Batth, Cllr Dorothy Hayes MBE and Cllr Adele BarnettWard said they are “extremely pleased” to be partnering with Recycleye.

FCC Environment’s general manager for re3, Rory Brien, is thrilled to have installed the first AI-powered waste robot in England.

He said: “In our commitment to continual improvement and innovation at FCC Environment, we believe that it is important to be forwardthinking and adapt to new technologies, especially when it will help to improve the efficiency of the recycling progress.”

Victor Dewulf, CEO of Recycleye said: “The installation of Recycleye Robotics at re3’s Reading facility showcases how such technology can deliver genuine benefits to local authorities and waste management companies across the UK. n For more details visit: recycleye.com

16 Community safe funding drive

POLICE and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber, has launched a £100,000 fund to support community groups across the Thames Valley.

The aim is to assist voluntary and community groups that help to prevent crime and keep communities safe.

Organisations can apply grants under £1,000 or £5,000 for projects that support the PCC’s Police and Criminal Justice Plan.

Mr Barber said: “I’m pleased to be launching this year’s Community Fund, offering support to both community and voluntary organisations across Thames Valley to support my policing priorities.”

John Campbell, chief constable, said: “Today’s launch offers funding to those voluntary and community groups across the Thames Valley who run projects that contribute to preventing crime, protecting our communities and fighting modern crimes.”

“Those organisations who are reducing offending by focusing on prevention and early intervention are a key priority in this round, as well as those organisations who work with the most vulnerable.”

The closing date applications is 11.59pm on Sunday, October 3.

For more details, visit: thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/getinvolved/community-fund

THAMES Water has partnered with Berkshire-based organisation, Berkshire Vision, to help more customers with visual impairments.

Residents are encouraged to sign up to its priority services register, PSR, which is a database of customers who struggle when their water supply is disrupted.

Olivia Worthington, partnerships lead at Thames Water, is proud of the partnership.

She said: “Working with Berkshire Vision means we’re able to help more people should they experience an issue with their water supply or require billing information to be communicated in a format tailored to their needs.”

Laura Mitchell, Berkshire Vision CEO, said she is pleased to be partnered with Thames Water. She said: “Providing communication services tailored to their needs will help them in their daily lives and it also will help reassure them that Thames Water will support them during a water supply disruption.”

Charity support

PERFORMERS TAKE SHREK TO THE STAGE PERFORMERS from a Woosehill theatre group took to the stage last month

SHREK THE MUSICAL: Students at Platform YP take on the stage adaptation of the film series. Picture: Simon Drake for a performance of Shrek the Musical.

Platform YP students performed the show at The Whitty Theatre in Wokingham from Monday, August 9, to Friday, August 13.

Principal Tracey Eley said the week had guest teachers help prepare the production.

“I was just as proud of the teachers as the students, as all teachers were Platform alumni who have gone on to professional training,” she said.

“Our past students are all part of the Platform family, and always will be. It was such a privilege to have such a talented team, all of whom I have taught.

“I loved working alongside them as adults and it was amazing to see them inspiring the next generation. They were such a wonderful example to our current students.”

Vinny Coyle, who is currently in the West End Cinderella cast, said it was an honour to return to Platform YP.

“Having started my journey here as an actor, I am delighted to come back and help nurture the incredible talent they produce year in, year out,” he said.

“I owe everything to Tracey, for her guidance I wouldn’t be where I am today without her and my experience at Platform.

“Seeing budding young students thrive under the lights, I want to be a part of their journey into the crazy, but incredible world of the Arts industry.”

Mr Coyle has previously performed in Les Miserables, Phantom of The Opera and Miss Saigon.

Fellow school alumni Lucas Altoft, said that returning was a great opportunity to give back to the group.

Currently training at Italia Conti, Mr Altoft said: “It really is a rewarding job to be able to come back and use the training I’ve gotten and am now getting in order to teach the next generation of

Health leader says improvements needed for low performing GPs

By JESS WARREN jwarren@wokingham.today

SOME of our GP surgeries need to see urgent improvements, warned the borough council’s health executive.

Data from the NHS patient survey revealed that Wokingham has some of the worst ,and best, performing surgeries in the country.

Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health and social care, said the variation is concerning.

He is calling on Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to implement an improvement plan to bring those at the bottom back up.

Frances Brown, Healthwatch Reading board member, analysed the data from the national survey.

The data looked at the ability of patients contact someone at the practice on the phone, at overall experience of making an appointment, and at overall experience of the GP practice.

She used surgery “transformations” to compare the borough’s sites with others in the country, and was particularly concerned with those falling into the top and bottom 10% in England.

Using data for 2021, Ms Brown found five surgeries in the bottom 10% of the country. These are Wokingham Medical Centre, Loddon Vale Practice, Twyford Surgery, Woosehill Medical Practice and South Reading and Shinfield Group Medical Practice.

However, three surgeries made it into the top 10% in the country.

These are Finchampstead Surgery, New Wokingham Road Surgery and Wilderness Road Surgery.

Cllr Margetts compared Finchampstead Surgery and Wokingham Medical Centre. The latter has fewer patients per doctor, yet is ranked significantly lower in performance.

“They’re both in a similar situation,” Cllr Margetts said. “It shows there is something specific going on … its time the CCG did something about it.”

He said the council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee has invited the CCG to a meeting to discuss what surgeries can learn from each other.

“There are a wide range of factors at play,” he said. “It’s more to do with operational strength, and how well they’re running their practice.”

With surgeries run as different businesses, Cllr Margetts said a universal approach would not necessarily bring more success.

“They tend to bring everyone down to the middle,” he said. “This approach can work, because the top performers prove that. But it needs to be managed and controlled properly.

“If it’s not working, the CCG should get involved, and ask if they need any help with IT, staffing or more money. It’s not clear if any of this is happening.”

Cllr Margetts said councillors from all parties have regular complaints from residents about Wokingham Medical Centre.

“The key complaint raised is how difficult it is to get through and talk to anyone,” he wrote. “However the survey shows that the overall patient experience is poor and is getting worse over time.

“The performance of Loddon Vale Practice, Twyford Surgery and Woosehill Surgery is also poor and declining over time.

“It’s not me they’re letting down, it’s the residents that live there,” he said.

In a letter to the CCG, Cllr Margetts said he is fully aware of the pressure and strain on GP’s at the moment, but is concerned about mixed performance across the borough.

He said the borough council has committed to help GPs with a publicity campaign explaining the 40% increase in demand for services.

As part of this, the council is promoting the best NHS services to use for issues varying in severity.

He praised the “excellent” work of the top-performing surgeries but called on the CCG to implement a plan for those in the bottom 10%.

He wrote: “We have no authority or control over GP’s as they fall under [the CCG’s] remit.

“Please can [the CCG] advise how [it] plans to address this level of performance and help these practices raise their standards?

“Wokingham Borough Council would welcome a dialogue with the CCG on this issue and would be prepared to assist in any way practical and possible. Our sole wish is an improvement in the service offered to our residents’’

A spokesperson for Berkshire West CCG said: “Our GPs have been under huge pressure throughout the pandemic and we are pleased to see many of them continue to perform very well and offer their patients good quality healthcare.

“Despite a 40% increase in demand for GP services, we have been able to carry out a great deal of work to introduce changes, and to further improve access across all practices.”

They said this includes offering more GP appointments and allowing patients to book in-person at the surgery.

The spokesperson said the CCG is also piloting a scheme that allows the hospital’s Emergency Department to book patients into GP or pharmacy appointments.

A Community Pharmacy Consultation Service has been created, offering an alternative to the GP, they said.

And the CCG is exploring the possibility of improving GP telephone systems.

They said the group is also taking part in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, with the aim of creating multidisciplinary teams to support people with complex, long term conditions and tackle health inequalities.

“We are working very closely with the practices that are under the most pressure, looking at their performance, and how we can support them to provide good levels of service for their patients,” they added.

“We are also encouraging people to make the best use of the range of health care services available to them.”

Tasty success for tennis club

TENNIS players enjoyed an evening of wine tasting earlier this month.

Crowthorne Tennis Club, off Nine Mile Ride, invited members and their families to the event held on Saturday, September 11.

This was the second social event organised by the club’s new social secretary, Phil Timm, who hosted the tasting.

The first was a tour round Wokingham-based brewery, Bond Brews, off Heathlands Road, held on Wednesday, August 18.

The wine was supplied by The Tasting Barn at Holme Grange Craft Village, and was accompanied by canapés which were provided by the club’s members.

Around 15 players and friends were treated to a tasting session of five oldworld wines.

Mr Timm said everyone enjoyed a memorable evening of wine tastings and selected food accompaniments.

Crowthorne Tennis Club won the Berkshire LTA club of the year in 2020, and now has 130 members.

To mark its new clubhouse, Mr Timm is planning an official opening event.

He also hopes to organise a Burns’ supper or barn dance, and other activities over the coming months.

Alison Nicholson, ladies captain, said the new clubhouse will be a great asset.

“Apart from giving us easy access to toilets, the new building will give us our own space to hold events, such as barbecues, quizzes, and aftermatch teas.

“It is already attracting new members.” n For more information, log on to: crowthornetennisclub.co.uk or search on Facebook

Crowthorne school opens new block

A CROWTHORNE school celebrated the opening of its new building earlier this month.

Edgbarrow School, on Grant Road, officially launched The Elsey unit after completing its block replacement scheme.

The old building was 60-years-old, and set to be removed as tooms in the old block were small and felt unsuitable for education today.

The Department for Education funded the scheme from the Priority School Building Programme making more than £7 million available.

Contractors ISG began work in January last year.

The building was finished in time for the new academic year.

The Elsey block includes 23 replacement classrooms and is an improvement in the learning environment for both staff and students.

With parent donations and support for the Edgbarrow PTA, funds were raised to provide new furniture and IT resources for the rooms.

And significant improvements were made to the outdoor space, including more parking and canopies.

The building was named after the school’s long-serving former headteacher, Bob Elsey, who launched the project several years ago.

It was opened by the mayor of Bracknell Forest, Cllr Ash Merry, and mayoress, Cllr Isabel Mattick.

Headteacher Stuart Matthews said: “The school and students are absolutely delighted to have such a wonderful new facility that really will enhance the learning environment at the school.” n edgbarrowschool.co.uk

Agency celebrates awards success

By LAURA SCARDARELLA lscardarella@wokingham.today

A FINCHAMPSTEAD couple’s search agency was named a winner at an awards ceremony earlier this month.

MRS Digital, run by Carol and Adam Blackford-Mills, brought home the trophy for Search Agency of the Year at the UK Agency Awards 2021.

Hosted on Thursday, September 9, the awards ceremony celebrated leading marketing agencies across digital, creative, PR, design, media and advertising sectors.

Mr Blackford-Mills, digital sales and marketing director, said he is “incredibly proud” to have won the award for the firm’s continuing achievements.

“Our self-funded, family-run agency has grown so much in the past few years, building upon the existing strong foundation from over 20 years in business,” he said.

The SEO agency has generated 10 new roles in the past year, as well as looking to create a digital marketing hub in North-East Hampshire.

Mr Blackford-Mills reflects on how far the business has come since it began.

“Our self-funded, family-run agency has grown so much in the past few years, building upon the existing strong foundation from over 20 years in business,” he said.

“We’re proof that growth doesn’t need to be cut-throat or turbulent, instead maintaining rock-solid company values and adapting to challenges effectively by nurturing talent and client relationships.”

The award joins a series of wins for the agency, having received five awards from the UK Biddable Media Awards, National Business Women’s Awards, Surrey and Hampshire’s Biz Awards, SME National Business Awards and UK Search Awards.

Mrs Blackford-Mills said she has “endless pride and admiration” in her team.

“They have continued to deliver amazing client wins as the digital sector expands. Our growing team, extensive awards and client list are proof of our passion and knowledge in the digital marketing industry,” she said.

“I can’t wait to see the strides we’ll make in the future as our business keeps thriving.” n For more information, log on to mrs.digital AWARD: Carol and Adam Blackford-Mills celebrating their business success