Wokingham

Wokingham District Council’s chairman Cllr Angus Ross joined corporate head of strategy and partnerships Keith Burns on Friday (July 21) at a volunteering day to improve the local environment for residents on the Norreys estate in Wokingham.

After a successful Wokingham volunteering day in 2005, Keith Burns decided to get into the spirit again this year and volunteer his services to the community during the two-day session. Keith was joined by Cllr Angus Ross and a band of over 40 willing helpers - made up of staff from tenant services, community safety, council contractors who also volunteered alongside Keith and local residents.

The merry band of Wokingham volunteers set about clearing Eustace Crescent of old furniture and over- grown shrubs and weeds. In all, two and a half tonnes of waste were disposed of, which has greatly improved the area and removed the eyesores for local residents.

Keith said: “During the two days many local residents approached us to thank us for the work that was being carried out. They told us that it would make a real difference to the area and I was pleased to be able to do something that would improve their lives. It makes it all worthwhile when you receive such positive feedback.

“It was hard work for two solid days and the heat was immense making it even more difficult for the volunteers. But, everyone did a really good job and it was enjoyable. It was great to see everyone in the community – young and old – joining in to make such a difference.”

Wokingham Council chairman Cllr Angus Ross said: “After school, some children came out to volunteer their services by picking up litter and sweeping away the dirt. I would like to say a very big thank you to the residents, contractors and council staff who joined in particularly as it was very hot on these two days.

“I would also like to say a special thank you to our contractors CTS, Continental Landscapes and Flow Drains, for their hard work and commitment. It was a good job well done by all the volunteers.”

Wokingham District Council

Residents are being ‘canvassed’ on their ideas for new a mural in Norreys Estate, Wokingham, as the district council and Churches of Wokingham’s Big Idea initiative join up to give the area a splash of colour.

The Wokingham Big Idea is a concentrated series of special events on the themes of social action, community and searching issues, with eleven churches in Wokingham taking part. And Big Idea volunteers have teamed up with Wokingham District Council to bring the action to the Norreys estate.

Between August 21 and August 25 a team of Wokingham volunteers will be out and about in the estate, having a general clear up. They will also be running a series of events such as a community event at Palmer School, and a special youth event at Howard Palmer Gardens.

And, to give the area something special, children and young people are being asked for their ideas to contribute to a mural to be painted at Eustace Crescent. Winning entries will be included in the final mural design and will receive a gift certificate of £15.

The competition is open until Friday August 11 and has two age categories: seven to 11 years old and 12 to 15 years old. All entries should be submitted to Hannah Linder, Wokingham District Council, Tenant Services, Waterford House, Erfstadt Court, Denmark Street, Wokingham RG20 2YF.

The competition follows hot on the heels of a two-day clean up by council officers, councillors, residents and volunteers on Thursday July 20 and Friday July 21.

Executive member for community care services and housing Wokingham Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons said: “This is a great opportunity for people in the Norreys area to get involved in a grass-roots community project and make a real difference to their surroundings.

“I encourage as many young people as possible to submit an entry and perhaps see their design work on a wall near them soon.”

Karl Relton, Big Idea planning team co-ordinator, said: “We are delighted to be working with Wokingham District Council’s tenant services and local residents to help create a mural and contribute to the Norreys area.

“Over 60 volunteers a day, all from Wokingham churches, are taking part in Big Idea projects across the town as part of the initiative to love and serve the community.”

Wokingham District Council

Everyone with an interest in the future of the Wokingham district is set to be asked for their views as Wokingham District Council’s decision-making executive considers initial options for allocating sites for future development in the district at its meeting on Thursday July 27, 2006

Wokingham council is currently developing the Local Development Framework (LDF) – a set of documents that will guide development in the district from 2006 to 2026, replacing the current Local Plan. The process involves extensive public consultation, and this latest round, set to take place between August 30 and October 11, 2006, will ask people to consider:

* A list of sites submitted to the council as being suitable for future development
* Potential settlement, green gap, wedge and Green Belt boundaries
* Additional information to inform the council’s final preferred option for the LDF

Under the LDF process everyone in the Wokingham district was invited to submit any ideas they have of land where development might take place during this period. All of these proposals are set to be published at the July 27 meeting of the executive and will be subject to consultation as outlines above.

Any proposals to develop land will, of course, be subject to the usual planning process. Sites submitted under the process - by anyone, whether the council, other landowners, developers or independent individuals and groups - are not a commitment to development, but an exploration of options for the future that may or may not be realised.

Each of the Wokingham sites submitted will be tested against national planning policy along with any comments received during public consultations. Only those sites that best meet national policy and the views received will be chosen as part of the final preferred option.

The executive will also be asked to consider the LDF’s sustainability appraisal which aims to ensure that all plans take into account economic, environmental and social matters. The aim is to make sure any future developments have good access to the services they need (for instance transport links, retail centres and health facilities).

Executive member for local and regional planning Wokingham Cllr Gary Cowan said: “The council remains committed to protecting the district and controlling the amount of development, having made strong representation to the government to keep future housing numbers for the district as low as possible.

“We have to accept, however, that there will be some further development in the district and it is vital that people take part in the LDF process in order to make sure that we have a robust strategy in place for securing the highest quality development possible.

“Our aim is to work to meet the aspirations of our residents within the framework set by government and so we are asking that people let us know what they think of the initial options for allocating sites.”

If the initial Wokingham options are given the green-light by the executive, people can make their views known by emailing policyandplans@wokingham.gov.uk, faxing (0118) 974 6385 or by post to Development Plans Team, Strategy and Partnerships, Wokingham District Council, PO Box 157, Shute End, Wokingham, RG40 1WR. People can also submit their views online at the council’s website: www.wokingham.gov.uk. All comments must be received by 5pm on October 11. Anyone with questions should contact the development plans team on (0118) 974 6478.

Wokingham District Council

Some 28 Wokingham teaching assistants were celebrating last week after they became the first to gain the higher-level teaching assistant (HLTA) status in the Wokingham district.

HLTAs are teaching assistants who have developed their skills against a set of national professional standards set by the Training and Development Agency for Schools and they have undergone assessment to attain the HLTA status. Achieving HLTA status demonstrates to headteachers, teachers, governors and parents that teaching assistants can make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning and achievement.

Wokingham Teaching assistants with HLTA status work in schools alongside teachers providing support for teaching and learning activities. They may be working across the curriculum or working on specialist subjects such as information and communication technology, music or helping those pupils with special needs. They are a key group in central government’s drive to raise standards in schools and to reduce teacher workload.

The assessment process is a rigorous one. To achieve the status, candidates are required to demonstrate they have sufficient knowledge and understanding to help pupils make progress with their learning. They have also been developed to support smooth progression to qualified teacher status if teaching assistants wish to become a teacher.

The teaching assistants from Wokingham district’s schools were presented with their certificates by David Hawthorne, corporate head of children’s services (education), at a celebration held on July 11. David said: “It is important that we recognise the achievements of these teaching assistants who have put in a lot of hard work so they can make an even more valuable contribution to improving standards in schools. I was delighted to be able to celebrate their success with them and present them with certificates for their achievements.”

Cllr Frank Browne, executive member for Wokingham children’s services, said: “Achieving the HLTA status is a celebration of the vital contribution teaching assistants make to the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. I would like to extend my congratulations to them all.”

Wokingham District Council

The case for a reduced level of house building for the Wokingham district is continuing to be made by Wokingham District Council. It still, however, has to accept that some development will take place and, whilst arguing for a lower number of houses, legislation requires the council to plan for the future housing growth set out in the Berkshire Structure Plan.

After several rounds of consultation, Wokingham council officers have produced the Local Development Framework core strategy setting out a broad approach for where future development should go. And at its meeting on Thursday July 27 the council’s decision-making executive is being asked to approve the document for final consultation and its submission to government.

The Local Development Framework is a series of documents that will guide development in the district from 2006 to 2026, replacing the current Local Plan. This process involves extensive consultation and community feedback has been used to amend and develop early ideas.

The core strategy has been designed to protect key features of the district’s landscape, ecology, heritage and environment. It also aims to ensure that everyone has good access to services such as schools, health and community facilities.

Therefore, it proposes that residential development should be concentrated in those towns and villages that either have an existing significant range of those services, or it is envisaged that they will have in the future (over the 20 year period of the plan).

In general, the core strategy states that major development would be acceptable only where there is an existing population over 10,000 or where there is reasonable access to a current or planned town or district centre. Limited development may take place where there is a shop selling convenience goods, or a primary school.

Whilst Wokingham council is continuing to make a strong case for reduced housing numbers, the scale of development set out in the emerging South East Plan cannot be accommodated within existing settlement boundaries without harm to the character of the district. Consultation has also shown that there is community support for major growth in a few locations rather than distribution of development across the district.

Consequently, the core strategy suggests five strategic locations where residential development is most likely to be concentrated: Arborfield including the garrison, Shinfield/Spencers Wood/Three Mile Cross, north Wokingham, south Wokingham and south west Winnersh.

Other development is likely to occur in and around the established settlements of Earley, Twyford, Winnersh, Wokingham and Woodley. The council will look to improve the sustainability of all locations identified for development so that they can include the necessary services, amenities and infrastructure required for the period covered by the plan. Without these improvements, the areas would not be suitable for further development.

The core strategy states that all such improvements (including increased choice in the modes of transport available to the community) will need to be made before significant development proposals are completed.

Executive member for local and regional planning Wokingham Cllr Gary Cowan said: “Whilst we continue to fight excessive development at every opportunity, the council has to be realistic and accept that new homes will need to be built over the next 20 years. It’s a difficult job trying to balance this requirement with the aspirations of our communities, which is why the extensive consultation we have undertaken is vital.

“We have taken people’s views into account in this core strategy and, should the executive give it the green light, people will have another opportunity to comment on the document before it is considered by a government-appointed planning inspector at an examination in public scheduled to take place in February/March 2007.”

If the core strategy is given the go-ahead by the executive and subsequently full council, this further consultation is likely to take place from August 30 to October 11, 2006.

The core strategy will be available on Wokingham council’s website at www.wokingham.gov.uk or at the district’s libraries and the library in Crowthorne. Comments can be submitted online, emailed to policyandplans@wokingham.gov.uk, faxed to (0118) 974 6385 or sent by post to Development Plans Team, Strategy and Partnerships, Wokingham District Council, PO Box 157, Shute End, Wokingham, RG40 1WR. All comments must be received by 5pm on October 11. Anyone with questions should contact the development plans team on (0118) 974 6478.

Wokingham District Council

Green fingered gardeners from the Wokingham ‘Growing Places’ horticultural therapy project won prizes for perfect plants on Friday June 30. The ‘Thrive’ Trunkwell Garden Project held its annual flower show at Beech Hill, which this year received nearly 300 entries from 22 horticulture projects across the South East. And a group of gardeners with learning disabilities from Growing Places Berkshire, the horticultural project operated by Wokingham Resource and Opportunity Centre (WROC) went along to show off the flower arrangements and garden ornaments they have been making.

“It was a wonderful sunny day,” said Growing Places therapist Margaret Larby. “The gardens looked delightful and made a perfect setting for the show. There were stalls, refreshments and a steel band providing live music. But all our eyes were on the exhibition tent, waiting to see what the judges thought!”

There was no need for nerves – the Wokingham Growing Places team carried off a host of prizes. Peter Waite and Ellen Allwood both won gold medals, Peter for a wildlife photograph and Ellen for an arrangement of home grown summer flowers in a vase. Liz Cayzer and Iain Baines both won silver, Liz for a decorative garden ornament made from recycled materials, and Iain for a wildlife photograph. Nigel Roffe and Melvyn Allwright both won bronze medals, Nigel for his arrangement of home grown summer flowers, and Melvyn for his floral table decoration. The group as a whole also took a silver medal for their name plaque made of mosaics.

Executive member for Wokingham community care Pauline Helliar-Symons said: “Growing Places is a wonderful project. Gardening involves lots of creative skills and can really give people confidence – especially when their beautiful creations win prizes! Trunkwell Flower Show is a very popular competition and the Growing Places participants should be very proud of their achievements there.”

The Growing Places team have been hard at work growing plants to sell, and their next plant sale in the Mall at Wokingham District Council’s civic offices in Shute End will be on Thursday August 3. If you would like to know more about Growing Places Berkshire please visit http://www.growingplaces-berkshire.co.uk/ or email Julie.stevens@wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham District Council

With the hottest day of the year so far recorded this week, Wokingham District Council has set out common sense advice about how to protect elderly and vulnerable groups in the extreme heat.

The advice has been issued in response to soaring temperatures which could hit 39°C (102°F). The two most common forms of hyperthermia are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat stroke is especially dangerous and requires immediate medical attention. Key advice from the Department of Health aimed at preventing hyperthermia includes:

Helping others
• If anyone you know is likely to be at risk during a heatwave, help them get the advice and support they need. Older people living on their own should be visited daily to check they are Okay.

Keep out of the heat
• Try to plan your day in a way that allows you to stay out of the heat.
• If you can, avoid going out in the hottest part of the day (11am – 3pm).
• If you must go out, stay in the shade. Wear a hat and light, loose-fitting clothes, preferably cotton. If you will be outside for some time, take plenty of water with you.

Stay cool
• Stay inside, in the coolest rooms in your home, as much as possible.
• Close the curtains in rooms that get a lot of sun.
• Keep windows closed while the room is cooler than it is outside. Open them when the temperature inside rises, and at night for ventilation. If you are worried about security, at least open windows on the first floor and above.
• Take cool showers or baths, and splash yourself several times a day with cold water, particularly your face and the back of your neck.

Drink regularly
• Drink regularly even if you do not feel thirsty – water or fruit juice are best.
• Try to avoid alcohol, tea and coffee. They make dehydration worse.
• Eat as you normally would. Try to eat more cold food, particularly salads and fruit, which contain water.

Seek advice if you have any concerns
• Contact your doctor, a pharmacist or NHS Direct if you are worried about your health during a heatwave, especially if you are taking medication, or have any unusual symptoms.
• Watch for cramp in your arms, legs or stomach, feelings of mild confusion, weakness or problems sleeping.
• If you have these symptoms, rest for several hours, keep cool and drink water or fruit juice. Seek medical advice if they get worse or don’t go away.

Wokingham District Council’s champion for older people Cllr Bob Wyatt said: “Although it is nice to have some hot weather, it is very important for everyone to take care in extreme conditions. And we must all be very mindful of the extra strain on vulnerable groups such as older people. Hopefully by following these guidelines we can all enjoy the summer safely and help our older friends and relatives to stay cool.”

Wokingham District Council

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16 Jul - 3 Sep

Summer Treasure Hunt Spot all the money hidden in the museum displays! Price included in the Admission Charge.

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Sun 20 Aug

Make it ‘n’ take It (Minti) Club
Wacky Vehicles Make fast cars, build a DUKW, a wind powered dodgem; make moving pictures and a vehicle mobile Craft workshops
10.30 am – 12.30 pm or
1 – 3 pm

Each child £6
Parent or carer Free

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Tue 22 & Wed 23 Aug

Eats Sleeps & Shoots
A day in the life of a soldier Taste rations.
Bed down in a Basher.
See what’s in a Bergen.
See a weapons demonstration. Price included in the Admission Charge.
Demonstrations from 11 am till 12.30 pm

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Wed 30 and Thu 31 Aug
Build It Workshop Design and build a vehicle in our children's workshop. Price included in the Admission Charge

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Adult £3.50, Child £2.50, Family £10 (2 adults & up to 3 children) under 5s FREE.
Opening times:
Monday to Thursday 9 am to 4.30 pm, Friday 9 to 4 pm, Sundays

For more details about workshops and family events or to book places please call the Education Officer on 0118 976 3375. To find out about other forthcoming MINTI Club workshops and family events check out our web site at www.rememuseum.org.uk

REME Museum, Isaac Newton Road, Arborfield, Berkshire
RG2 9NJ

Local Wokingham adults with learning disabilities who attend the Wokingham Resource and Opportunity Centre (WROC) have been involved every step of the way in designing and equipping their brand new centre, which is set to open its doors in spring 2007.

Consultation with Wokingham service users and their families and carers on how the proposed new community resource centre and facilities could be developed and fitted out to best meet their needs has been under way for several months now as part of an overall six year consultation programme on service modernisation.

And clients have had their say, from helping with the design to naming the building and choosing which bathroom equipment to fit. The name chosen by clients is the Acorn Community Centre. WROC members also named the centre’s coffee bar - The Rainbow Café.

The winning centre name was put forward by WROC member Derek Mackenzie who said: “I feel marvellous, really good that I did what I did, helping to name the new centre. The name came to my mind as I know Wokingham has a lot of history with oak trees.”

With planning permission given in April 2006, the brand new £1.25million centre in Woosehill is being built on Wokingham council-owned land ear-marked for community development near to Morrisons.

David Baker, whose son is a member of WROC, said: “As a parent with a son who has learning difficulties I am very excited about the move to the new centre at Woosehill. Having seen the plans, I am very confident that it will allow the more able clients to integrate more into the community whilst at the same time ensuring there is a secure environment for those who need more supervision and protection. I am sure that this will be a great improvement on the facilities at the current centre.”

Wokingham Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons, Wokingham District Council’s executive member for community care and housing, said: "I thoroughly enjoyed being involved with people who use the centre and their parents and the staff in deciding on a name for the new building and the coffee bar inside it.

“A specialist-designed building at the heart of the local Woosehill community will help us to provide more responsive, better quality, locally-based services that give our clients greater choice and involvement in mainstream activities such as education, preparation for employment and leisure and social activities.

“Some people may be concerned that people with learning disabilities might not want to be more involved with the community but this is what they themselves have asked for; they want to integrate, and we must help them to fulfil their potential.

“Those with profound disabilities will have their own secure area - off limits to other people – as well as being able to access other areas with support from staff. I am really pleased at how the service users and their parents and carers have all been involved in designing their building. They are genuinely excited about it and their enthusiasm is infectious! And our expert staff, who know the service users they work with well, have been especially conscious of how to build in proper safety and security measures,” added Cllr Helliar-Symons.

Services are being developed in line with the national policy ‘Valuing People’, which sets out how the government will provide new opportunities for people with learning disabilities and their families to live full and independent lives as part of their local communities. The new Woosehill building will also provide specialist dedicated facilities for those people who have the most profound disabilities.

Wokingham District Council

Wokingham District Council as corporate parents recently organised a fun day for its looked-after children and care leavers and it proved to be a huge hit with the youngsters!

The fun day was also an opportunity for the Wokingham children’s rights service to carry out consultation, via a questionnaire, with young people to find out what they think about council services and whether they are getting the services that they really need.

And, as Wokingham council is also keen to help looked-after children and care leavers celebrate their achievements on a regular basis, the questionnaire asked them how they would like to celebrate! Their achievements cover a wide range of things, including doing well at school, achievements in sport or drama, overcoming fears and successfully moving to independence, to name just a few.

Over 60 people visited the Wokingham fun day including 17 looked-after children, four care leavers and two looked after-children who live in the district but are the responsibility of other local authorities. They all completed a questionnaire. They also had the chance to enjoy a bouncy castle, learn circus tricks and take part in an art workshop.

Competition was in the air when the youngsters enjoyed five-a-side football, before playing each other at garden Jenga, chess and Connect Four! There was a free tombola and a ‘guess the weight’ of the cake competition, kindly donated by Waitrose. And if that wasn’t enough to keep the visitors entertained there was a ‘guess the name of the elephant’ and ‘guess the number of sweets in a jar’ competition!

Attending the fun day was Wokingham Cllr Annette Drake, vice-chairman of Wokingham District Council and chairman of the corporate parenting panel, and she said: “As a corporate parent, the council has a responsibility for looked-after children and this day allowed us to show to our looked-after children, and those who are about to leave care, that they are thought about and cared for.

“Opportunities for looked-after children to enjoy themselves are very welcome and of great importance. I would like to say thank you to everyone who has made this event possible and such a resounding success!”

The council will now be sending a questionnaire to all of the district’s looked-after children to gain their views.

Wokingham Cllr Drake added: “It's very important that the council recognises their achievements and we are keen to hear how they would like us to do this. We value all our looked after children and want to celebrate their achievements."

Wokingham District Council

Palmer C of E (Aided) Junior in Wokingham is celebrating once again after triumphing in the Syngenta Young Scientists Project – an honour they first took three years ago!

The school entered the competition three years ago and won the top award and the following year they finished second. This year, Wokingham pupils from year six were determined to regain pole position and their hard work paid off! Their experiment was to test household substances as rocket fuel. They tested fruit juices and vinegar to find out which would fire a cork rocket the furthest. The children had to deal with safety issues and organise the experiments themselves.

Four Wokingham pupils from year six - Harry Gowers aged 11, Luka Price aged 11, Marcus Dean aged 11 and Saskia King aged 11 – made a presentation and answered questions on their project asked by scientists from Syngenta. When judging had been completed the team from Palmer C of E (Aided) Junior School were awarded first place by the judging panel, who said: “It was an outstanding piece of work!” The judges also praised the pupils for their use of information technology, graphics and raw data.

The Syngenta Young Scientists Project is a competition that aims to encourage schoolchildren to take up and enjoy science. The well-established event is open to children from primary and secondary schools in the Berkshire and Surrey areas.

Wokingham Pupils received commemorative awards and also won a cash prize of ₤250. Headteacher Ann Davis said: “Palmer C of E (Aided) Junior School is very proud of the year six achievement. Science is an exciting subject to study and we thank Syngenta for giving them the opportunity to have such an enjoyable and interesting project to work on. Year six teacher Nicholas O’Connell was very pleased with all the children's efforts. The prize money will be used towards an addition to our adventure playground.”

David Hawthorne, corporate head of Wokingham children’s services (education), said: “The determination of the pupils from Palmer C of E (Aided) Junior was clear when they set about to win this prestigious award. They all worked extremely hard and impressed the judges with their creative experiment. I would like to extend my congratulations to the whole school.”

Wokingham District Council

Wokingham District Council’s Countryside Service is pleased to welcome the Distraction Theatre Company to Dinton Pastures for their hilarious reworking of Chaucer's most famous tales ‘The Miller’ & ‘The Wife of Bath’, on Friday July 28 at 8pm in the Café Garden.

Set in a Canterbury tavern in the Middle Ages but with a modern twist, this new stage version brings to life a mad miller, a handsome scholar, a beautiful tart and an East End bad boy, weaving a plot of betrayal, lies and bigamy. The play is rewritten in modern language and uses a combination of original live music and well known songs.

Wokingham Dinton Pastures Country Park is a beautiful setting for a theatrical performance. And theatre goers might also enjoy a walk on their summer evening out – Dinton Pastures is the largest of all the council’s country parks at just over 335 acres and offers seven lakes, two rivers, and meadows to explore. Three public bird hides provide secret viewing of the waterfowl, with one specially adapted for wheelchair users.

A free leaflet is available at the reception area at the cafe, which has several circular footpaths and trails illustrated, ranging from 1.5 km (1 mile) to around 5 km (3 miles).

Executive member for Wokingham environment services Simon Weeks said: “This promises to be a wonderful evening. Dinton Pastures is such an atmospheric place for a play. I do hope many residents will come along and enjoy the entertainment, and see the country park in all its glory as well.”

Tickets to the Canterbury Tales production are £10 (£7 under 16s and students). For more information and tickets, contact the countryside service on (0118) 934 2016 or countryside@wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham District Council

It’s hot, hot, hot! That was the message from the Wokingham Discover Culture festival event in Wokingham on Saturday (July 15) when the town centre, town hall and library were filled with arts, crafts, dance and music and hundreds of visitors enjoyed the festivities!

Discover Culture is a continuing programme of cultural events produced and supported by Wokingham District Council through the Wokingham District Cultural Partnership. Launched last month (June), the festivities started in the district’s schools some months ago and continued with the unveiling of the Arena for the Arts exhibition in June and an open-air festival in Woodley town centre on July 8.

Highlights of the Wokingham event included Italia Conti dancers, Berkshire Maestro electric string quartet and singers from the Cloudglider group who entertained the crowds with jazz and reggae numbers. And, the ‘Blue Jam’ jazz quartet from Maiden Erlegh School played a rousing set whilst the crowds also enjoyed the beats of Pan Everest Steel Pans Band and West African drummers. The Indian Community Centre also put on a fine Bharat Natyan dance display before streetdancers from Silverdale Youth Centre took to the stage.

Wokingham District Council’s vice-chairman Cllr Annette Drake said: “This unique festival was a huge success and I was delighted to see so many people come along and enjoy the festivities which showcased the very best of culture in our district. The council, along with its partners, have worked hard to build and develop the festival over the last year and hope that it will continue to be an annual event that will go from strength-to-strength on the council’s cultural calendar.”

A whole host of workshops saw young and old testing their artistic skills by drawing portraits, trying out yoga, enjoying Indian head massages, making puppets and learning more about photography. They also helped the Millennium Volunteers create a mural. The district council’s community wardens had an information display and they were joined by St John Ambulance, Bracknell and Wokingham College, the Arts Forum and Berkshire Costume Service.

The Arena for the Arts exhibition will be on show throughout the summer in partnership with Churches Together in Wokingham, at St Paul’s Church in Wokingham from July 24 until August 18. The artwork also forms part of a ‘Trail of Belief’ around churches in the Wokingham district during THE BIG IDEA week in August (20-27).

A whole host of activities is planned for the year and full details can be found at: http://discoverculture.wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham District Council

Children in the Wokingham district are on a mission this summer and their target is a reading challenge at their local library.

Organised by Wokingham District Council’s library service, the reading challenge aims to get more children and young people to read and enjoy books and this year’s theme is ‘reading mission’ focusing on spy stories. The reading challenge starts this coming Saturday (July 15) in all the district’s libraries and runs throughout the summer holidays.

Cllr Dianne King, executive member for Wokingham community development, said: “The Reading challenge is a fun way for children and young people to read their way through the summer holidays. Their mission is to get through six books, collecting stickers and spy cards along the journey. All those who complete the mission, will receive a certificate as well as some surprise goodies!”

And that’s not all that is happening this summer in a library near you! Author Joe Craig will be on hand to talk about his books for teenagers at Wokingham and Lower Earley libraries on Monday August 7.

The district council’s libraries are teaming up the physics department at Reading University to offer Science of Slime workshops. Dr Averil Macdonald will be showing the children how to make slime, and then they will be given a chance to put the chemistry to work to make some slime themselves. This workshop will take place at Wokingham and Winnersh libraries on Wednesday August 16 and is suitable for 8-11 year olds.

All the district’s libraries will be hosting a themed monkey story time session for the under fives. The sessions are based on the Curious George books by Margaret Hey and children will also have the opportunity to make a monkey mask to take home with them.

All branches will also be hosting a fairy and wizard party for five to nine year olds. This is a chance for them to come dressed as their favourite fairy or wizard, hear some funny stories and make a magical wand to take home!

A Manga drawing workshop will be coming to Wokingham and Maiden Erlegh libraries and illustrator Sonia Leong will be encouraging youngster to create comic masterpieces on Monday July 31. Manga is the Japanese word for comic book and is a type of graphic novel.
The workshop will discuss what Manga is and will give an overview of the art and its style. This event is open to children and young people aged 10 years and older.

Lower Earley and Woodley libraries will be having a book debrief session. Young people can come along to hear spy and detective stories and discuss favourite book characters. This ties in with the film release of the Anthony Horowitz film Stormbreaker and is suitable for nine to 12 year olds.

All events are free to attend but places must be booked in advance by contacting the appropriate library. For more information including details of dates, times and how to book, please check out the council’s website at: www.wokingham.gov.uk/arts-leisure--libraries/libraries/childrens-zone/events

Wokingham Cllr King added: “It is important that we encourage children and young people to read and enjoy books. This reading challenge is a great chance for them to visit the library this summer and bring their parents and carers with them. Whilst they are at the library they can take part in themed story-time sessions and meet guest authors face to face plus much, much more. I hope that lots of children and young people will get involved.”

Wokingham District Council

After the success of last year’s project, Wokingham District Council’s youth service is once again offering young people the chance to attend a summer scheme programme of challenging outdoor activities at the YMCA’s Fairthorne Manor.

Located on the banks of the River Hamble near Southampton, Fairthorne Manor will see young people from Wokingham and surrounding villages taking part in a range of activities including abseiling, climbing, archery, orienteering, raft building and kayaking. All activities are supervised by youth workers and fully qualified instructors throughout their visit.

The summer scheme is organised by Wokingham District Council’s Wokingham Youth Centre and the Villages Youth Project. The two residential sessions run from July 24 to 28 (for young people aged between 13 and 19) and August 21 to 25 (for young people aged between 11 and 14). Day visits for young people, aged between 13 and 19, will also take place between August 7 and 11.

Richard Ferguson, senior youth worker at Wokingham District Council, said: “Last year’s programme was immensely popular with the young people. They took part in a number of team building exercises, which were designed to be fun, build confidence and raise self-esteem. In addition to the wide variety of outdoor activities, young people were encouraged to participate in other themed activities such as conflict resolution and anger management workshops.

“This year we will be focusing on the theme of ‘healthy lifestyle’ which is part of the Every Child Matters initiative. The entire programme has been designed with the aim of providing a positive experience that will help young people on their journey from childhood to adulthood.”

The cost of the residential course is £80 per person which will includes all activities, transport, accommodation and food. Day visits will cost £10 per person including transport and activities. With only a few places left, applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve a place contact Candice Wright on (0118) 979 7915 or email candice.wright@wokingham.gov.uk. A £10 non-refundable booking fee is required for the residential scheme and a £5 booking fee for the day visits.

Cllr Malcolm Bryant, champion for Wokingham youth and leisure, said; “It promises to be a great summer for the district’s young people. Many of the district’s youth centres are offering summer schemes including residential trips, football tournaments, BBQs and much, much more.

“And, over 2,500 children and young people will also be taking part in the sports development unit’s summer holiday programme which will include multi-sports courses, football competitions, play schemes, athletics, tennis and ‘kwick’ cricket courses. There is something for everyone this summer!”

Wokingham District Council

Wokingham District Council’s revenues and benefits team have been working harder than ever this year, bringing significant service improvements that have placed Wokingham council at the forefront of revenues and benefits’ performance in the UK. Their achievements this year include:

* Improving the speed of benefit payments from 46 days to 27.
* Improving the accuracy of benefit payments to 98.8%.
* Meeting challenging Public Service Agreement targets with this performance, to achieve the maximum reward grant from central government (almost £200k).
* Increasing the percentage of council tax collected to 99.1%, making Wokingham District Council the highest performing unitary authority in the country, and generating an additional £300k for council services.
* Collecting an impressive 99.7% of business rates, making Wokingham District Council one of the highest performing unitary authorities for this service in the country.

The Wokingham team also met the 12 key targets in their own service plan, and last week (June 23) they were proud to receive a special award recognising all their achievements from the council chairman Cllr Angus Ross.

The ‘Chairman’s Choice Award’ is the council’s monthly award designed to thank nominated staff for going the extra mile in their job and helping others within the organisation. The award is presented by council chairman Cllr Angus Ross and chief executive Doug Patterson, to staff members nominated by their colleagues.

Corporate head of Wokingham finance Graham Ebers nominated the revenues and benefits team for the award. He said: “I felt it was important that the significance of what has been achieved in revenues and benefits is properly recognized. These achievements are down to the combined work of staff dealing with revenues, benefits, cashiers, customer services and investigations.”

The performance of the service - which includes council tax and business rate collection and the processing of housing and council tax benefit claims – had suffered when it was outsourced to a private sector contractor on August 1 1999. The revenue and benefits service was subsequently brought back in-house in July 2002.

Since then, Wokingham staff have worked very hard to stabilise and improve the service that they took back from the private sector. They quickly cleared the backlog of revenue cases and have gone on to turn the service into one of the best performing revenues and benefits teams among unitary authorities in the country.

Cllr Ross said: “This team has turned the service around and achieved significant milestones in generating income for the Council, whilst ensuring that the money collected is made available quickly to those that need it, and tackling fraud. They are a credit to the organisation and I am delighted to be able to thank them for their work.”

Wokingham Deputy chief executive Paul Turrell, attending the presentation on behalf of Doug Patterson, said: "The revenues and benefits service is of utmost importance to the district. On the revenues side it collects the cash to pay for such vital services as education and care homes, whilst the benefits service helps many of the most needy in our community. Our goal is that the service to our customers meets the highest standards. It is not an easy service and the team deserves all our congratulations for their continuous improvement over the past three years.”

Wokingham District Council

A sleek new computer aided design (CAD) suite has been opened at Wokingham District Council Waingels College by Tanya Budd, a former student and Young Engineer of the Year.

Tanya, who left Waingels College, Wokingham sixth form last year, was awarded ‘Young Engineer for Great Britain’ in September 2005. Part of Tanya’s prize money was allocated to the college and as a result they have been able to build a new computer-aided design suite, which Tanya officially opened at a special ceremony at the end of June.

Tanya also entered for the IKB competition, sponsored by Brunel University, and won two prizes - one for engineering and another for innovation. She also recently went to represent Great Britain in the ‘World Engineering’ Competition and was awarded fourth prize out of 1,500 students. She was given a special award by the US coast guards for designing a life-saving device. This is an award normally only given to US citizens.

To encourage GCSE and A Level students to follow in Tanya’s footsteps, the Wokingham college will in future present the Tanya Budd Technology Awards to those who have excelled in design technology. The first round of these awards was presented during the opening of the new CAD suite, by Stuart Ellins, young engineer director at Young Engineer Enterprise. The award winners were:

* Richard Masey, 17, from Woodley – A2 Resistant Materials
* Patrick Townson, 18 from Woodley – A2 Graphics
* Anna Minchinton, 17, from Woodley – AS Resistant Materials
* Vistral Giga, 17, from Woodley – AS Graphics
* Joe Zalinski, 15, from Woodley – GCSE Resistant Materials

Executive principal Richard Green said “Waingels College is very proud of Tanya. Inspired by her success, this year some 10 students from our college will be entering the Young Engineer of the Year Award. The new CAD suite will really help them to maximise their potential.”

Wokingham District Council’s executive member for children’s services Cllr Frank Browne said: “This is an outstanding achievement, and I would like to congratulate Tanya on this and all the other accolades she has collected. I hope that the new equipment she has won for her former school will inspire other students there to follow in her footsteps.”

Wokingham District Council

The summer holidays are fast approaching and Wokingham parents will be starting to dread those inevitable choruses of ‘I’m bored!’ and ‘there’s nothing to do!’ The strain of trying to keep your little, and not so little, ones entertained can be exhausting, not to mention expensive for families!

And that’s why Wokingham District Council’s children’s information service (CIS) is here to help! The service has put together a summer activities newsletter which is packed full of information on courses, workshops and activities that are running throughout the Wokingham district and surrounding area this summer. There is also information available on local Wokingham parks and playgrounds, as well as a days out guide for places to visit, such as theme parks and leisure attractions.

For those parents who unfortunately have to work during the summer holidays, the CIS can provide information on all registered childcare in the Wokingham district, including holiday schemes and childminders who are willing to provide holiday care.

The Wokingham CIS is open to members of the public and they can visit Monday to Friday between 9am to 5pm. The service is located at the Ambleside Centre, Ambleside Close, Woodley (behind Woodley Library). Alternatively, you can telephone them on (0118) 935 2255 or email CIS@wokingham.gov.uk . For registered childcare, visit www.childcarelink.gov.uk

Cllr Frank Browne, executive member for Wokingham children’s services, said: “The summer can be a stressful time when you have children to entertain over the long school holidays! Parents and carers often have enough to juggle without having to go searching for the activities and information they need. I hope they will find the children’s information service’s newsletter useful this summer in keeping their children entertained! Information is only one call away and the service can provide you with all the contacts and details on facilities and activities available in the district.”

Wokingham District Council

Police in Wokingham are warning teenagers to stay on the right side of the law as schools prepare to close for the summer.

The long summer holidays are a time when police across the country often see an increase in unruly behaviour and criminal damage.

But Wokingham officers are determined to ensure the holiday passes off peacefully in their district.

Wokingham LPA Commander Ch Insp Tony Ismay said: “Wokingham in common with other areas across the force has seen a rise in the number of criminal damage offences this year.

“Although we have recently had successes against three graffiti ‘tag’ artists in the area a significant number of offences are vehicle related, carried out at certain times of the week by predominantly teenage offenders.

“Now that schools are due to close for the summer we will be increasing patrols and visibility at key times to prevent any further increase in this area.

“Additionally we shall, with our partners and other agencies, be facilitating a joint approach to the criminal damage problem.”

Wokingham LPA has seen a small but significant rise in criminal damage offences since April this year and statistics show that there is traditionally an increase in criminal damage to vehicles in the month of August.

Ch Insp Ismay says that there is no excuse for youngsters carrying out criminal damage and those caught will be dealt with positively.

Speaking directly to the young, he said: “We can all remember getting bored from time to time during the long summer holidays, but that is not an excuse for damaging vehicles and property.

“There are plenty of activities available for young people as an alternative to just hanging around.

“We don’t want to stop anyone’s fun, we just want to ensure that youngsters stay on the right side of the law this summer.”

Cllr Barrie Patman, executive member for community safety at Wokingham District Council, said: “While Wokingham district is one of the safest places in the country to live and work, we have seen a small rise in criminal damage offences. The council along with its partners are committed to ensuring that these figures do not rise and we have a number of measures in place to deter and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the streets of the district.

“The district’s youth centres are offering summer schemes including residential trips, football tournaments, activity days, BBQs and much, much more.

“I hope that many young people will check out what is happening at their local youth centre this summer. It promises to keep them entertained over the long school break.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Wokingham

Wokingham District Council’s ListenUp! project is holding an end of term and beginning of the summer holidays BBQ for young people aged between seven and 19 years old to thank them for all their hard work over the past year.

Last year, Wokingham district council set up a new project called ListenUp! The project works with children and young people across the district to find out what they think about the area in which they live, and to make sure their ideas are being listened to when the council makes decisions about the area in which they live, work and study.

The BBQ has been organised to kick start their summer holidays - it’s taking place on Tuesday July 25 between 1.15pm and 3.15pm at 50 Reading Road, Wokingham (opposite Wokingham Youth Centre) and places are limited. Anyone interested in coming along, should contact Auma Obama-Manners on (0118) 974 6180 or txt her on 07944 615623. You can also email Auma at:
auma.obama-manners@wokingham.gov.uk.

There will be a BBQ, team building exercises and a tug of war. And there will be a creative workshop where the young people will be asked to design a poster for the ListenUp! project to use.

Auma Obama-Manners, children’s trust participation coordinator, said: “We want young people to come along, have fun, meet other young people and participate in lots of activities. It’s a chance for them to be updated on the ListenUp! project and hear about how they can make a difference to the services that the council provides. It will be a good chance to shake off their end of term blues. If you want to come along, book your place now!”

Wokingham District Council

New kitchens, bathrooms and central heating systems are on offer to Wokingham council tenants in Woodley after Wokingham District Council launched the second phase of its ‘Decent Homes’ work last week.

On Tuesday July 4, over 100 Wokingham tenants visited Christ Church on Crockhamwell Road, Woodley, to see the choices that are available to them under the scheme. Tenants were able to view displays of kitchens and bathrooms on offer through the scheme as well as ask advice and information from council contractors CTS and Preheat who will be carrying out the work.

Wokingham District Council is carrying out work on some of its homes to bring them up to the required ‘Decent Homes’ standard as required by central government. The government has said that a ‘decent’ home is one that:

* Is in a reasonable state of repair
* Has reasonably modern services and/or facilities
* Has a reasonable degree of thermal comfort (efficient heating and effective insulation)

Council homes in the Wokingham district are in a relatively good position already, with a survey in 2004 showed that approximately 30 per cent of the council’s housing stock needed work to bring them up to the required standard. Substantial work has already been completed on homes in The Courts in Winnersh, and work in Woodley marks the start of the second phase of the project. In total, the project will see some £2.7million invested in council-homes in Woodley.

The launch event saw head of Wokingham tenant services John Everett offer information on what the project would involve and, as a community event, Thames valley Police’s crime prevention officer name, was on hand to answer questions.

Head of tenant services John Everett said: “The launch was very successful with many tenants commenting on how they welcomed being involved right at the start of the project. Several tenants also expressed an interest in forming a residents’ association, something that is actively encouraged and supported by the district council. All in all it was a very positive day for all involved.

“I would like to thank everyone who turned out on such a searing hot day and the Rainbow Café for looking after everyone so well.”

Executive member for community care and housing Wokingham Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons said: “The Decent Homes project sees major investment in order to keep up the very high standard of housing that Wokingham Council has always set.

“Tenants’ involvement in the project is vital, ensuring that they get a say in how their homes are improved. The day was a great success and I’m thrilled that so many people turned out.”

Wokingham District Council

Over 100 school governors from the Wokingham district came together last month (June 14) at their annual conference, making it their most inspirational and successful ever!

Held at Easthampstead Park, the theme of the conference was ‘The best for every Wokingham district child’ and governors had the chance to network and meet key officers and members from Wokingham District Council to discuss future projects and initiatives.

Wokingham Governors also had the opportunity to listen to keynote speakers including Sir John Jones, a former headteacher and governor. He currently teaches on the Masters course at Liverpool University specialising on the leadership of change and is a member of the leadership and development unit, sponsored by the National College of School Leadership. Sir John in his own inimitable style spoke about his experiences with children, young people and educational professionals he has worked with over the years. His overall message to all the school governors was that the positive attitude of people working with children can change lives and shape their future prospects regardless of their background.

The governors also attended three workshops including one on extended services in schools and children’s centre. A presentation was given by Mike Welsh, a headteacher from Swindon, who described how his school successfully integrated a children’s centre and he explained about lessons they had learnt whilst developing this project. Wokingham Governors were also informed of plans to create children’s centres in the Wokingham district.

Another workshop looked at the challenges governors face in developing the school curriculum. Council officers gave governors a guide to understanding how they can provide more talented pupils with a more tailored curriculum. The final workshop saw a presentation on the remodelling of children and young people’s services within the district, which will include neighbourhood teams.

Wokingham Cllr Frank Browne, executive member for children’s services, said: “It was the most successful conference that we have held and that was down to the very informative keynote speaker and useful workshops. Many found it truly inspirational, entertaining and thought provoking.”

Fran Cooke, governor, said: “It was very refreshing to spend time in the company of so many people who understand the importance of education in everyone's life. Being a
governor involves you in learning all the time, and the conference was an excellent opportunity to learn, and gave us all the message that we have something to contribute. It also gave us the chance to consider how to improve the input governors can provide to the schools they support.”

Wokingham district council currently has a number of governor vacancies in the district’s schools and is keen to hear from anyone who may be interested in volunteering for one of these positions.

Cllr Browne added: “We need people to become governors as they play an important part in the lives of the district’s pupils to ensure they received the best education possible. The district council welcomes volunteers from all backgrounds and walks of life.

“Being a governor is demanding, but worthwhile. But it is an opportunity for people to have their voice heard and influence the future of education in their area. Working as part of a team towards a common goal is also something that governors find rewarding. We are keen to hear from anyone who may be interested.”

If you would like further information please contact the governor services team on (0118) 974 6165 or by email at: school.governors@wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham District Council

Wokingham Families getting hot and bothered in the recent heat wave are being encouraged to keep cool at California Country Park as Wokingham District Council opens the children’s paddling pool early.

Each year Wokingham council opens the popular open-air paddling pool just before the summer school holidays, providing a safe and friendly environment in which families can enjoy some summer fun. And this year, mindful of the particularly warm weather – almost bearing comparison with the other California! – Wokingham District Council has decided to open the pool several days ahead of schedule.

Head of the Wokingham countryside service Chris Buggy said: “Every year we prepare the padding pool a week before the beginning of the school holidays. This year, we’ve installed a new system in the pool which needed testing and so we’ve filled the paddling pool earlier than usual. We’ve therefore sped up the opening process and are pleased to have it open this week, before the school holidays start.

The paddling pool is open from today (Tuesday July 11). It will now be open every day between 12pm and 5pm until the school holidays start. From Saturday July 22 the paddling pool will be open from 10am to 5.30pm.

Executive member for environment Wokingham Cllr Simon Weeks said: “This is great news for families, particularly during this hot weather. Anyone getting hot and bothered can take time out to visit California Country Park and chill out in the cool waters of the padding pool.

“And, after the car park getting packed full last year, we’ve created some extra parking spaces. However, we would still ask people to park sensibly in the designated car park and bear in mind that the children’s pool and recreation areas at the park do have limited capacity. Once the car park is full, so are they!”

Wokingham District Council

Woodley town centre came alive on Saturday (July 8) when crowds of people were entertained by the fabulous, fantastic and free Discover Culture festival.

Discover Culture is produced by Wokingham District Council and is sponsored by the Wokingham District Cultural Partnership. The daylong spectacular involved lots of fun, with dancing and singing, and also saw lots of people taking part in arts and crafts workshops. The highlights of the day included Senegalese drummers Bucarr, Gamelan drummers and the Silverdale Youth Club’s street dancers.

Pupils from the Piggott, Waingels and Maiden Erlegh schools also worked together on a fusion dance display whilst the crowds also enjoyed the beats of steel and jazz bands.

Wokingham District Council’s chairman Cllr Angus Ross said: “Now in its second year, this successful event encompasses the whole community and everyone really enjoyed themselves. Woodley town centre came alive with so many professional and amateur performers, some even as young as five were taking part and entertaining the crowds. It was good to see many of the district’s schools taking part in the festivities along with many young people from the district’s youth centres.

“The festival brought together local artists, performers and schools to celebrate, demonstrate and promote the value of arts and culture in our district. It certainly was a festival to remember!”

A whole host of workshops saw young and old alike learning circus skills, trying out henna hand painting, enjoying Indian head massages and learning more about photography. The district council’s community wardens also had an information display and they were joined by St John Ambulance, Bracknell and Wokingham College, the Arts Forum and Berkshire Costume Service.

Discover Culture festival 2006 has also seen taster workshops in local libraries this week (July 8 to 15). And, the festivities will close with a festival in Wokingham town centre on Saturday July 15 between 10am and 4pm when everyone is welcome to get with the rhythm of world music and join in a whole host of creative workshops. On stage will be dancers from Italia Conti and Cloudglider Singers will be performing a range of jazz, pop and reggae numbers. The Berkshire Maestros, an electric string quartet, will also play classical and pop music. The sizzling samba rhythms of Maiden Erlegh School will bring Wokingham town centre alive with the sound of the Brazilian-style street-music.

Wokingham Cllr Ross added: “And if you enjoyed the festivities in Woodley, why not come along to a similar event being held this coming Saturday in Wokingham? There is a host of entertainment planned to suit all ages and there will be something for everyone to enjoy. We hope that the Discover Culture festival will be as popular in Wokingham as it was in Woodley. They are important events on the council's calendar and this year there is a fantastic programme for all ages!”

There will also be puppet shows, wax art techniques workshops and face painting. Local residents can also browse at the many information stands.

As part of the district council’s on-going commitment to Discover Culture, the festivities started in the district’s schools some months ago and the year-long programme of cultural events was launched last month with the unveiling of the Arena for the Arts exhibition. A whole host of activities is planned for the year and full details can be found at: http://discoverculture.wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham District Council

Town centres across the Wokingham district have a new representative to help drive forward their development and prosperity after a new champion was announced by Wokingham District Council.

Cllr Chris Bowring has been announced as Wokingham council’s champion for town centres, looking at how the council can best support traders, residents and town centre visitors so that the district’s town centres prosper in years to come.

“I’m delighted to be helping and supporting the decision-making executive with town centre initiatives. Our town centres are vital to the district’s appeal, both for businesses and residents, and I will be looking at all the ways the council can support them,” said Cllr Bowring.

And one of Wokingham Cllr Bowring’s first priorities is moving forward the council’s high-profile Key to the Gateway project.

“This is a vital project looking at the future for Wokingham town centre and how we can best utilise land close to the heart of our town,” he said.

“I’m very keen to get the most widespread response possible to our consultation on the development of the Elms Field area in Wellington Road. And, with less than a week to go for people to send in their ideas, I really would like to appeal to residents and businesses to have a think about what sort of area they’d like to see at the southern end of the town.

“Nothing is decided yet and all views will be seriously considered. Please contribute to the consultation if you can.”

Displays explaining the Key to the Gateway initiative can be viewed at the council’s Shute End offices, Wokingham Town Hall and Wokingham Library, where leaflets are also available. Alternatively, information is available on the council’s website at www.wokingham.gov.uk.

Wokingham council is calling for strong, well-thought out ideas that feature a balance of uses. In order for ideas to be progressed, they will need to be self-financing, viable, sustainable and meet identified needs of the community.

Ideas should be submitted by July 17, 2006, to ‘Key to the Gateway’, Property Services, Civic Offices, Shute End, Wokingham, RG40 1WH. Alternatively, ideas can be emailed to keytothegateway@wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham District Council

Wokingham District Council is good to visit, according to 88 per cent of the people who came to the civic offices between June 5 and June 9. For one week all visitors to Wokingham District Council’s Shute End offices were asked for their views on how well the council meets their expectations.

Around 420 Wokingham visitors were asked to rate their visit in terms of the efficiency of staff, how well their enquiry was dealt with and their overall impressions of customer service at the council. In addition visitors were asked to comment on wider areas of improvement that they thought the council should be focusing on.

Almost all visitors welcomed the opportunity to pass on their views and talk about issues that mattered to them. The surveys were carried out by staff from different service areas and, as well as getting answers to important questions, it was a good opportunity for members of staff to interact with residents.

More than 88 per cent of visitors rated their overall experience of visiting Wokingham Council as either very good or good. Only 1.5 per cent said that it was poor or very poor. And more than 90 per cent of visitors were happy with the length of time it took to be seen and with the service they received from staff.

Every comment, service improvement suggestion, complaint and compliment has been recorded and will form part of a report on customer service improvements for the council’s corporate management team and elected members to consider. It is hoped that this feedback will inform the decision makers and help ensure that the council continually improves its service to customers.

Sarah Barrow, Wokingham council’s corporate complaints and customer care manager, said: “The survey was an excellent opportunity to find out what our customers really think of us. We were able to resolve some residents’ concerns straight away and give advice on other issues. Some of the suggestions for improvement were very sensible and we will be looking at how these ideas can be implemented.”

Anyone with a view on how the council can improve its customer service is invited to email sarah.barrow@wokingham.gov.uk or call (0118) 974 6026.

Executive member for corporate services Wokingham Cllr Rob Stanton said: “We are always trying to find ways to improve our service and I am delighted that we have this opportunity to learn about what the public really wants to see from us. It is also encouraging to see that most people are already very happy with the service. Clearly we are moving in the right direction. And now with this feedback we can make even more improvements.”

Wokingham District Council

Wokingham District Council came up trumps in the Good Communications Awards when it scooped the top prize in the IT Partnership Award category.

The Good Communications Awards recognise excellence in the public sector and the district council was awarded the top prize for demonstrating an effective partnership approach to delivering IT related services, which has resulted in better value for money for our residents.

Wokingham district council forged a partnership with specialist company Digica in 2000 when they outsourced the IT contract. The contract included all aspects of ICT support for the council including technical support, service desk and IT operations.

In 2004/05, the district council’s IT contract came up for renewal and Digica developed a proposal that would include the creation of a strategic board and the joint development of improved IT governance. The partnership has been so successful that the council’s bill for Digica’s services has been reduced by 15%, which has meant that the council has saved £590,000 over the three-year period of the contract.

Andrew Moulton, corporate head of Wokingham IT, said: “The district council has achieved a £590,000 saving over three years and we anticipate making further savings in the future as a direct result of the partnership. This partnership has evolved over the years and we now work very closely together. There have been a number of other significant benefits from the partnership, not least of which is the strategic and general input received from Digica. Our services have become more integrated as a result.”

Digica is also benefiting from the contract. Wokingham District Council is an excellent reference site, and the ability to show the partnership model in its fully working form is important to the company's business strategy as it seeks to develop further in the public sector. This was a significant contributory factor to enabling Digica to win the Winchester City managed ICT service contract recently.

The judges said: “Wokingham recognises the value of an open relationship. Over time they have moved from a nuts and bolts contract to a much more strategic engagement. But Wokingham also stands out as an example of a relationship that combines significant cost-savings with increased benefits to local citizens and businesses.”

Cllr Philip Mirfin, champion for Wokingham information and communication technology, said: “We were delighted to have been short listed for this award, and even more so when we picked up the top prize! The council entered into an IT outsourcing contract with Digica in 2000 and we firmly believe this has now developed into a ‘true’ partnership between both organisations.

“We have worked hard with Digica to ensure that we have a cost efficient system that does the business for our residents. I hope that the partnership will continue to be built on this success over the next few years.”

David Lewis, account director for Digica, said: “ ICT partnerships between local authorities and private sector organisations can sometimes lose integrity, often because of a lack of focus on the overall business goals. Wokingham District Council and Digica have developed a true partnership, built upon a framework of openness, honesty and joint responsibility with a clear focus on the district council’s business. I believe this contributed significantly to the council’s drive to modernise the delivery of services giving better value to the public.”

“I am absolutely delighted with the IT partnership of the year award, not only because is testament for what a public/private sector partnership has achieved at Wokingham District Council , but it is recognition by the industry that real partnerships have the ability to help local authorities streamline their business.”

Wokingham District Council

In July 2005 it was announced that the 2012 Olympics would be held in the UK. And one year on, young sportsmen and women from across the Wokingham district have scored a round of successes at their own Olympic-style event – the Berkshire Youth Games in Bradfield.

The Berkshire Youth Games were held at Bradfield College on Sunday July 2, where the opening ceremony in the Greek amphitheatre included guest appearances from England Netballer Karen Aspinall and a local break-dance team who have recently become national champions. Representatives from the six local authorities involved, as well as officials of the tournament, gave an Olympic-style oath to play fair throughout the games.

Over 3,000 children aged between eight and 16 from six local authorities across the county, including 250 children from the Wokingham district, competed in two-year age groups at sports including indoor athletics, basketball, hockey, netball, tag rugby, football and ‘Kwick’ cricket.

Teams from Wokingham district schools scored many successes at the games. Year seven and eight pupils from The Holt School won the girls’ tag rugby, while girls from year seven at The Piggott School won the girls’ basketball. Year seven boys from The Forest School took second place in the boys’ basketball, and a mixed team from St Dominic Savio Catholic Primary School came second in the ‘high five netball’ competition for years four and five. Many other Wokingham district teams were highly placed in the games, and all participants had opportunities to take part in exciting new activities – rowing and orienteering were among the sporting challenges offered at the event to encourage young people to try new things.

The Wokingham district heats for the games took place in April with over 230 pupils from across the district taking part in netball and tag rugby matches. Teams were selected through Wokingham District Council’s sports development team and The Bulmershe Schools Sports Partnership, who also organised the Wokingham district heats in partnership with Berkshire Sport and Wokingham District Sports Council.

Wokingham District Council’s sports development manager Beverley Thompson and Nicola Hopper, partnership development manager at the Bulmershe School Sport Partnership, worked with schools and sports clubs to select the squad and arrange coaching sessions.

Cllr Malcolm Bryant, Wokingham champion for youth and leisure, said: “More than 700 young people took part in these games and I was delighted to see so many enjoy themselves so much! The Berkshire Youth Games has been very well supported in its first year and Wokingham district’s young athletes have shown excellent sportsmanship and skills. The tremendous facilities at Bradfield College and all the dedicated officials, as well as all the young athletes, have come together to make it a resounding success. Well done to all of them!”

Nicola Hopper, partnership development manager at The Bulmershe School Sport Partnership, said: “The Berkshire Youth Games are an opportunity for young people to participate in their chosen sport and represent their district rather than their school, which can really build their confidence and will hopefully encourage them to take part in sport for life.”

Wokingham District Council

Robert Drinkwater from Winnersh, Wokingham is celebrating this July, as he begins his first permanent job as an administrative assistant – in spite of physical and learning disabilities which, in the past, have made it difficult for him to find paid employment.

This year Robert joined the Wokingham District Council’s ‘It’s Working’ scheme and found out how to unlock his own potential. ‘It’s Working’ is a supported employment scheme, based at Wokingham Resource and Opportunity Centre (WROC) in Woosehill Lane. The scheme enables job seekers with a disability, who need extra assistance, to succeed in work. All service users are matched with a district council job coach, who provides them with support during the search for a job. Once paid employment is secured, the job coach will work with the individual in their job until they are able to work independently. There is no time limit for this and it is very much a service that is based on a person’s individual needs.

Through ‘It’s Working’ Robert was offered a work experience placement as a general assistant at Wokingham District Council. With support from job coach Tony Bland, Robert has adjusted quickly to the demands of working as an employee and has mastered a number of different tasks in the council offices. And this week, his search for a permanent job succeeded when he was offered the position of administrative assistant at Support Horizons in Broad Street, Wokingham.

Support Horizons is a community owned company providing trained temporary workers in the social care sector, primarily in the area of learning disabilities. The company also provides genuine employment opportunities for adults with learning disabilities, both within the business itself and as consultants who are available for help with training, awareness of disability issues, quality auditing and recruitment.

“During my work experience, I have learned many new skills and I have had successes and failures,” said Robert. “I feel prepared for a permanent job now.”

Tony Bland, Robert’s Wokingham job coach, said: “’It’s Working’ is about giving people with disabilities an opportunity to learn the skills they need for success in a working environment, and to gain the self-esteem that comes from having a role to fulfil and the respect of your colleagues. Robert has gained an enormous amount of confidence during his work experience with the council. He used to dwell on his difficulties and his mistakes. But now he focuses much more on his many successes.

“The offer of a permanent job just goes to show how much he has developed, and how valuable the scheme has been for him. ‘It’s Working’ really does work! I am delighted.”

Facilities manager at Wokingham District Council Peter Richardson said: “Robert has been a great asset to the office. We have tried to give him a variety of tasks and situations to tackle and he has certainly risen to every challenge. I am confident he will enjoy his new job and be very successful in it.”

Tim Holland, Robert’s new employer at Support Horizons, said: “We are pleased to be able to offer a job for Robert in this exciting new venture. As a community owned social enterprise Support Horizons is committed to providing employment opportunities to local people with learning disabilities in all aspects of our business.”

Wokingham Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons, the council’s executive member for social care services and housing, said: “Searching for a job can be a daunting task for anyone, even without the additional difficulty of a disability. The ‘It’s Working Scheme’ is providing invaluable support to many people who are extremely capable but who perhaps lack the confidence and experience that most employers want to see. I would like to congratulate Robert on his new job and wish him every success.”

Wokingham District Council

The first brick laid at St Crispin’s Secondary School in Wokingham, brings a step closer Wokingham District Council’s innovative housing scheme that aims to help stop teachers and other key workers from being priced out of working in the Wokingham district by the high cost of housing.

Work began at the Wokingham school in May, clearing land which is currently unused by the school and seen as an eyesore by some local people. And the first brick was laid by the council’s executive member for community care and housing Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons, helped by headteacher Alex Biddle, Warden Housing’s Christina Appleton and Louise Strongitharm, the council’s senior housing strategy and development officer.

Wokingham Cllr Helliar-Symons said: “I am delighted that construction work on this innovative scheme is now well under way, building much-needed housing for new teachers. Since these homes are available at a much lower rent than can be found in the private sector, it will make it easier for new teachers to start to save something towards buying their own house. I also hope it will encourage good teachers to come to Wokingham and stay in our schools."

Some 22 flats are to be built on the school site and could be ready for occupation at the start of the 2007-08 school year. Priority would be given to teachers but if there proved to be insufficient teacher demand for the St Crispin’s homes then the council would offer them to other criminal record-checked key workers, such as police officers, nurses and social workers. The flats would be let at 20-25% below normal rent levels on short-term tenancies.
Working together with Warden Housing, this pilot project could mean that Wokingham District Council is one of the first in the country to build much-needed key worker accommodation on unusable or surplus school land.

Christina Appleton, Wokingham project manager, Warden Housing said: “We are very pleased to be working in partnership with Wokingham District Council on this exciting development. It makes excellent use of a disused area of land and will provide high quality accommodation for the key workers who work in the local community.”

St Crispin’s headteacher Alex Biddle said: “I am pleased to see the project now firmly under way. It is absolutely vital that we do all we can to attract and retain the best teachers into the district's schools: the governors and I are delighted that we are able to contribute to this goal.”

Anyone wanting further information should contact Louise Strongitharm, Wokingham senior housing strategy and development officer, on (0118) 974 6779 or louise.strongitharm@wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham District Council

Some 71 teachers from 59 schools in the Wokingham district will come together tomorrow (July 7) when Wokingham Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) unveils its new look Religious Education (RE) syllabus.

Teachers from Wokingham district schools will be joining their colleagues from Bracknell Forest for a one-day course, led by RE consultant Jo Fageant, lead author of the syllabus. This will provide them with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the new syllabus and prepare for implementing it in September 2006.

Every five years, SACREs have to review the agreed syllabus. Coming to fruition, the new syllabus will be unveiled on Friday and is the result of a nine-month project involving SACRE and teachers across the district who helped to write and also gave comments on the draft document. The syllabus has been developed in partnership with neighbouring authorities: Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead, and West Berkshire.

The new syllabus aims to allow children and young people to explore some of the big questions in life and help prepare them for life in a diverse society.

Wokingham Teachers will be joined by Cllr Frank Browne, executive member for children’s services; David Hawthorne, corporate head of children’s services (schools) and the chairman of Wokingham SACRE, Reverend Colin James.

Cllr Frank Browne, executive member for Wokingham children’s services, said: “Many people have been involved in the development of this syllabus from officers and elected members of the council as well as representatives from all the main faiths in the Wokingham district. It has been a collaboration that has involved the thinking and writing skills of people from all local authorities in Berkshire.”

Helen Currie, adviser for minority ethnic achievement, said: “The hard work has paid off and as a result we have an exciting new-look syllabus, which we hope will inspire teachers to put Religious Education and spiritual development at the heart of their thinking and planning for the personal development of every child.”

The Oxford Diocese will be recommending that all C of E schools in the Wokingham district use this new syllabus when planning their RE work for the new school term. A copy of the syllabus can be found on the council’s website at www.wokingham.gov.uk/re

Wokingham District Council

People, groups and organisations across the district are being reminded to get their ideas for unlocking the potential south of Wokingham town centre with less than two weeks left in the ‘Key to the Gateway’ project.

Wokingham District Council’s ‘Key to the Gateway’ initiative to open up the Wellington House and Elms Field area and make it the southern gateway to Wokingham town aims to develop and revitalise the south of the town, significantly contributing to the vitality of Wokingham town centre.

Before the council goes ahead and develops a vision for the south of the town centre it wants everyone to submit their ideas to guide how the project moves forward. And with 11 days left until the closing date of July 17, people are being urged to let the council know their ideas.

People can view displays on the project at Wokingham District Council’s Shute End offices, Wokingham library and Wokingham Town Hall. Leaflets are also available from these locations as well as on the district council’s website at www.wokingham.gov.uk.

“We really want to encourage local people and organisations to let us have their ideas and suggestions. We want to know what people think the area needs and what would suit the site,” said chief executive Doug Patterson.

“This area could be a strategic entrance to the town centre providing much wanted facilities and a welcoming gateway to visitors from the south side of the town. In order to get it right, we want the public to kick off the ideas which we can then take forward to make this concept a reality.”

Some ideas were already discussed at the project launch on Monday June 5 when topics covered included the best use of valuable green space in the town centre; how to best engage the private sector; how to consider potential plans in line with development proposed for other areas of the town centre and achieve a balance of uses; traffic and transport links to the town centre; how to best utilise car parking; creating cultural spaces to complement the town centre and involving both young and older residents and visitors.

Other ideas submitted to the council include retail complementary to the existing town centre and communal facilities for older people.

Feedback forms should be returned to ‘Key to the Gateway’, property services, civic offices, Shute End, Wokingham, RG40 1WH. Alternatively, ideas can be emailed to keytothegateway@wokingham.gov.uk.

The area set to become the gateway to the south of the town encompasses Wellington House, Elms Field, the Paddocks car park and the nearby open space - all of which are in the single ownership of the council.

Opportunities exist to re-plan and redevelop this area, whilst still maintaining the unique character of Wokingham town. Wellington House is becoming unsuitable for delivering council services and plans are being drawn up to vacate the building. Some of the existing open space is low quality and under-used.

The council is calling for strong, well-thought out ideas that feature a balance of uses including business, leisure, residential, community and green space that c