Wokingham

Special people are needed in the Wokingham Borough to become foster carers. And during Foster Care Fortnight - May 12 to 25 - Wokingham Borough Council called on local people to think about whether they have the qualities to foster.

Kim Harris, Wokingham fostering services manager, said: “Foster carers play a vital role in giving children in care the best possible start in life. Looked after children can benefit enormously from the chance to experience a positive family setting and their future can be significantly improved if they are able to be cared for closer to their family home. They are able to stay at the same school, maintaining the continuity of their education and friendships is crucial if we are to do the best for our children and young people in foster care.”

Foster Care Fortnight, co-ordinated by national charity the Fostering Network, is an annual campaign to raise awareness of fostering and to recruit more foster carers. In the Wokingham Borough another 15 foster carers are needed to look after some of its children in care.

Cllr Norman Jorgensen, executive member for Wokingham children’s services, said: “Although Foster Care Fortnight is over, it’s not too late to get in touch with us if you think you have the qualities needed to be a great foster carer, we would love to hear from you.”

The council offers a comprehensive training and 24-hour support package and actively welcomes foster carers from all walks of life. All that is asked is that foster carers have patience, understanding and a genuine desire to help a child who, for that particular time in their life, needs a family. This will help them to return back to their own family or to a permanent suitable home.
Full training support is given and generous fostering allowances up to £450 paid per week per child. All foster carers are subject to criminal record bureau checks.

Foster carers Mark and Tracy Button, who live in Wokingham, said: “We have been fostering in Wokingham for two years, it’s wonderful, we love it, and we wish we had done it years ago.

“We enjoy being foster carers because we get to help children of all ages. We get to meet a wide selection of people from all backgrounds, and we love children. We hope we can make a difference to a child’s life. Sometimes it’s a challenge, but a good challenge and the support we get is fantastic. It’s a great job and the bonus is we get paid to do it. If there are people out there who have been thinking about finding out how to become foster carers, give the council a call. That’s what we did and we haven’t looked back since.”

Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer, can contact the fostering team on 0118 974 6204 or by emailing: fostering@wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham Borough Council

More than 20 Wokingham traders from carpet fitters to gardeners were checked out to make sure they weren’t rogue traders ripping off consumers in the Wokingham Borough as a special crackdown operation came to town on Wednesday (May 21).

Wokingham Borough Council’s trading standards team joined forces with officers from Thames Valley Police to warn off rogue traders and catch cowboy builders in the day-long crackdown.

A total of Wokingham 21 traders, including those doing major building work, landscaping gardens, laying carpet and investigating drains were spoken to by police and trading standards officers to make sure they weren’t con-men trying to pocket cash from vulnerable consumers without doing any work or charging for shoddy jobs.

The covert operation was linked to the national campaign, which took place on Wednesday May 21 across the country, to catch rogue traders preying on elderly and vulnerable people.

The operation was led by Wokingham trading standards, with an officer driving around the borough in an unmarked car looking for traders working on homes and gardens, details were then radioed through to other trading standards officers in a marked police car.

Police and members of the trading standards team then questioned the trader on their work, asked about their business details and if the work was being completed as a result of a cold-call to the homeowner.

All of the traders questioned in the Wokingham Borough were found to be carrying out legitimate work agreed by homeowners.

Paul Fenner, senior Wokingham trading standards officer, said: “It’s good news that out of all the 21 traders we questioned they were all carrying out legitimate agreed work at an agreed price, however we will not be complacent and think that rogue traders do not operate in the borough, because unfortunately they do.

“All consumers, young or old, must be on their guard and wary of anyone who knocks on their door offering to do work. Not all doorstep traders are rogue traders but there’s a greater possibility of being ripped off by someone who touts for business at your door than if you approach a business asking for details and quotes – legitimate businesses will not have a problem offering that additional information.”

Cllr Matthew Deegan, executive member for Wokingham community regeneration and safety, said: “We will continue to work with the police to catch rogue traders who prey on some of the most vulnerable members of our community. While this operation shows that not all traders are in the business of conning people out of money, consumers should always be on their guard when employing someone to do work to their property.”

Inspector Lindsay James, from Thames Valley Police, added: “This operation has shown that there are responsible traders out there doing work for the public. However, we will continue to work with our partners to identify rogue traders and will be robust in bringing a prosecution against them. I would urge anyone who has any information about rogue traders operating in the area to let us know as a matter of urgency.”

Advice for older people in the Wokingham Borough thinking of employer a trader is available via the council’s ‘Safe and Sound’ booklet. There is also general advice on doorstep traders available for all residents in the council’s ‘Not Wanted: Doorstep Cowboys’ leaflet. Both leaflets can be requested by calling (0118) 974 6765 or emailing trading.standards@wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham Borough Council

Setting the Wokingham scene for the year ahead at last night’s - Thursday May 22- annual meeting of Wokingham Borough Council, new council leader Cllr David Lee outlined the priorities for the year ahead.

Building on the achievements made over the last year, the Wokingham council’s key priorities - some of which were highlighted by Cllr Lee last night - are:

• To deliver a planning framework for the next 20 years that will achieve high quality development with infrastructure provided at the right time
• Work with the voluntary sector to help deliver effective preventative community services for vulnerable people
• Maintain excellent levels of educational attainment
• Improve services that safeguard children, particularly children in care
• To reduce the fear of crime in the borough
• Deliver a vision for the future of Dinton Pastures
• See a major new customer care drive ‘Customer First’
• See the Addington and Waingels rebuild projects move a step towards completion
• Keep the council tax increase as low as possible

At last night’s meeting Wokingham Cllr Lee also confirmed membership of the council’s ten-strong decision-making executive and announced the appointment of deputy executive members. There will no longer be any champions to the executive.

The executive is as follows:
• Cllr David Lee, leader of the council
- Deputy leaders: Cllr Simon Weeks and Cllr Rob Stanton
•Cllr Simon Weeks, environment and PR
- Deputy: Cllr Chris Bowring
•Cllr Dianne King, community development
- Deputy: Cllr Malcolm Bryant
•Cllr Rob Stanton, corporate services
- Deputy: Cllr Philip Mirfin
• Cllr Gary Cowan, local and regional planning
- Deputy: Cllr Angus Ross
•Cllr Chris Edmunds, social care
- Deputy: Cllr Bob Wyatt
• Cllr Anthony Pollock, council budgets
- Deputy: Cllr Alistair Auty
•Cllr Keith Baker, highways and transport
- Deputy: Cllr Tim Holton
• Cllr Matthew Deegan, community regeneration and safety
- Deputy: To be appointed
• Cllr Norman Jorgensen, children’s services
- Deputy: To be appointed

The ten lead members will continue to make decisions collectively through the executive Wokingham body, which will meet formally, in public, every month.

Cllr Lee said: “We have some interesting and challenging times ahead but I am delighted to say that we have a great team of councillors and officers in place to tackle these challenges and to meet residents’ needs.”

Wokingham Borough Council

A mature oak tree at Addington Special School, Wokingham enjoyed by pupils, staff and Woodley residents, has been protected by the council, so that future generations will be able to admire it for years to come.

Wokingham Borough Council’s tree and landscape team served a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on the large oak earlier this month after residents, schoolchildren and teachers asked for it to be protected for the community to continue to enjoy – even after the school in Loddon Bridge Road, relocates to within the Bulmershe School campus next year.

The ancient oak is a haven for wildlife and is considered one of the most valued landscape features in the area by residents.

Many local homeowners and Addington Special School’s headteacher Liz Meek wrote to the council asking for it to be formally protected, as they were concerned that any development on the school site, after the school relocates to its new building on the Bulmershe School site, could damage it.

The TPO will now ensure that if any redevelopment takes place at the site in the future the oak must be retained and be fully protected during any construction work.

Cllr Simon Weeks, executive member for Wokingham environment, said: “The tree is a lovely large oak, which the residents and local community really enjoy as a landscape feature. It really adds significant environmental value to the area. Residents were concerned that any building work on the site in the future could damage the tree or even see it removed so the council agreed to protect it with a TPO.

“I hope that this landmark tree continues to be enjoyed by the community for many years to come, it really is a valued and important part of the area’s cultural heritage.”

Marion Clarke from Vauxhall Drive, who requested that the Wokingham council protected the tree, added: “This is a majestic and beautiful old oak tree, it is a home to wildlife and gives shelter to many different types of birds.

“The tree grows directly behind my house and each spring I look forward to it coming in to leaf. I am so pleased that it will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.”

Wokingham Borough Council

Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons was elected Mayor of Wokingham Borough Council on Thursday May 22.

Cllr Helliar-Symons took over as Mayor of the Wokingham council when out-going Mayor Cllr Annette Drake handed over the chain of office at the annual meeting of the council. The mayor of the council is the official ‘first citizen’ of the borough and has a civic role, representing the council and the people of the borough, as well presiding over borough council meetings. Unless Her Majesty the Queen or her representative is in attendance, the mayor takes precedence over any other dignitaries attending events.

Cllr Helliar-Symons was elected to Wokingham Borough Council as member for Wokingham Without in 1982. She was previously chairman of Wokingham District Council (1998 to 2000) and was the civic head when the council became a unitary authority in 1998. During her time at the council she has also held a number of key positions including chairman of the personnel board and the overview and scrutiny committee. She also spent four years as the executive member for adult social care (2003 to 2007).

Growing up in Somerset, Cllr Helliar-Symons was educated in Bristol before graduating in History from the University of Wales. Following a year studying for her postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), she taught in Swansea for three years before moving to Berkshire where she taught at a number of schools for over 30 years, 17 of those as a deputy headteacher.

Cllr Helliar-Symons now works as an Investors in People assessor and is an accredited peer member of the government’s Information and Development Agency, which involves coaching and mentoring new council leaders and executive members in social services, community development and children’s services. She also facilitates training workshops for elected members in a number of councils around the country.

Traditionally, the Mayor of the Wokingham council chooses a charity to benefit from fundraising during their year in office.

This year, the Mayor has chosen two charities - LINK Visiting Scheme and Life Education - to support during her time in office. LINK Visiting Scheme organises volunteers to offer friendship and support to the more isolated older people of the Wokingham Borough. The money raised by the Mayor will enable LINK to add extra quality to older people’s lives by organising visits to places of interest such as the theatre, garden centres, National Trust properties and other interesting locations, often including afternoon tea, as a way of giving them contact with other people.

The second charity the Wokingham Mayor will be supporting is Life Education, a national charity, which is working in Wokingham Borough primary schools to help children make informed choices about healthy living, particularly in relation to drug and substance abuse.

Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons said: “I believe Wokingham is one of the finest boroughs in the country and I am honoured to be appointed as Mayor. I look forward to this challenging role and a very busy year representing our council. I hope to use the role to build on our good relationships with the council’s many partners, so that we can all add value to the community.”

Another well-known Wokingham councillor Barrie Patman has been appointed as the new Deputy-Mayor to support Cllr Helliar-Symons during her time in office. Cllr Patman has been involved with local government since 1979 and was elected to the borough council in 1994. He was previously executive member for community safety and vice chairman of Thames Valley Police Authority. Cllr Patman is a keen sportsman with interests in fencing and sailing.

Cllr Patman said: “I am looking forward to meeting many people from all walks of life over the coming year.”

Wokingham Borough Council

A Wokingham health professional has received royal recognition for her skills, experience and devotion to her duties in the Wokingham Borough.

PCT nurse Mary Codling, who is a member of the Wokingham joint community health and social care team, based at Wokingham Community Hospital and the Council’s Community Care Services, has been named a Queen’s Nurse by the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).

Mary has been recognised for work specialising in people with learning disabilities. She will be presented with her award at a ceremony in London next month.

The title of Queen’s Nurse is awarded to individual nurses who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to patient-centred values and continually improving practice. Mary was short-listed following a tough selection process and assessment by a panel of healthcare professionals.

The QNI also considered her experience, leadership skills and clinical expertise and positive feedback from colleagues and patients.

Mary said: “I am delighted that the skills and expertise I gained over the years in working with people with learning disabilities and services have been recognised and feel honoured to be awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse”.

General Wokingham manager community care Pat Brecknock said: “Mary must be congratulated on this well-deserved recognition for her contribution to supporting vulnerable people in the community. She is a real credit to our integrated Wokingham Community Team for people with learning disabilities.”

Helen MacKenzie, Wokingham area director for Berkshire West Primary Care Trust said: “This prestigious award from the Queen’s Nursing Institute is a tremendous achievement for Mary; we are very proud to have such an experienced and skilled nurse as a member of the Wokingham team.”

Wokingham Borough Council

A free information event next month (Thursday June 12) will highlight the vast range of community based support services available in the Wokingham Borough for people with disabilities, older people and carers.

Hosted by Wokingham Council in partnership with the CResCent Community Resource Centre, in Warbler Drive, Lower Earley, visitors can drop in anytime between 10am and 4pm to find out about local support and services available, including: clubs and support groups; keeping active and healthy, help to live independently at home and getting out and about.

The Wokingham Council will also be celebrating the one year anniversary of ‘Linkup’, its online database of organisations providing community based services, with the launch of a new and revamped page. Internet access will be provided, enabling visitors to browse the database online.

Visitors, including service users and carers, will also be able to meet representatives of various local organisations and community care staff.

For more information on the event call Community Care Services on (0118) 974 6773.

Wokingham Borough Council

Wokingham Midwifery services are now available at The Brambles Children’s Centre in Wokingham every Monday - except Bank Holidays- and every Friday at The Ambleside Centre in Woodley.

Children’s centres provide a one-stop shop for information, advice and services relating to children under five years old, their parents, carers and families. The Brambles Centre, in Budges Gardens, Wokingham has been open since November 2007 whilst The Ambleside Centre, in Ambleside Close, Woodley has been operating as a children’s centre since November 2006.

And now on offer at The Brambles and The Ambleside are a number of midwifery sessions including antenatal drop-ins, childbirth education sessions and a young mums’ group, which work alongside local health visitors and midwifery teams.

Antenatal drop-in sessions are run at The Brambles Centre, Wokingham from 9am to 10.15am on Mondays and The Ambleside Centre from 9am to 10.30am on Fridays. Midwives are on hand to offer help and advice and mums-to-be can listen to their baby’s heartbeat, have a check-up and meet other mums. This session complements the services already provided by the NHS, who are the main care providers for expectant mums.

First-time mums are also invited to attend childbirth education sessions which run at The Brambles every Monday between 10.30am and 12 noon and every Friday at The Ambleside between 10.45am and 12.15pm. The topics covered in this session are labour, pain relief available during labour, feeding, and tips on how to cope in the early days after the baby is born.

On Mondays between 1pm and 2pm, a young mums’ group is run at The Brambles offering support to Wokingham mums aged under 21, and a similar session is run on Fridays between 3pm and 4pm at The Ambleside. A postnatal drop-in for mums also runs every Monday between 2pm to 3pm at The Brambles and every Friday between 1pm and 2.30pm at The Ambleside. Both of these sessions offer advice and guidance to new mums and a midwife will be on hand to offer additional support with all aspects of feeding, such as safe preparation and formula feeding.

Wokingham Borough Council

On May 19 the Tennis Foundation served an ace when it announced to Wokingham Borough Council’s success in becoming one of the first five ‘hotspots’ for developing tennis at a community level in the country.

Wokingham Borough Council has been awarded this status jointly with Reading Borough Council. The initiative will improve tennis opportunities for all members of the local community in order to make the game more accessible to people of all ages, young and old alike, all year round.

Once the Wokingham council has received the final details from The Tennis Foundation, plans will be drawn up to improve tennis across the borough by working with clubs, coaches, and schools. The aim is to provide access to tennis courts across the borough in parks as well as developing community tennis clubs by providing quality coaching and competitive opportunities available to everyone. The council will be working with local coach Gary Drake to develop the ‘hotspot’ initiative in the borough.

Cllr Malcolm Bryant, champion for Wokingham youth and leisure, said: “This is great news for the Wokingham Borough and we look forward to finding out more details in due course. One of the main reasons behind the initiative is to offer coaching in a bid to engage more people to play tennis in the borough. We plan to develop the sport in the borough and look forward to working with local clubs, coaches and schools to take this exciting initiative forward. This is another step to improve sporting facilities in the borough.”

Wokingham Borough Council

The wheels on the Wokingham borough’s buses will be taking the service to extra stops from June 2 when a host of improvements start.

Wokingham Borough Council teamed up with Thames Travel in January to provide an enhanced bus service for residents and commuters and over the past six months it has proved so popular that the service is now being enhanced to provide an even better service.

Demand for the new bus service has meant that the 144 route which currently runs every 30 minutes from Reading to Arborfield Garrison and hourly on to Finchampstead and Wokingham from Monday to Saturday will be adding an hourly Sunday service between Reading and Finchampstead.

The 144 service will also be extended to run to Finchampstead in the early morning and early evening from Monday to Saturday to provide an extra commuter link from the south of the borough into Arborfield and Reading.

A late night bus on the 144 route will also run from Reading to Arborfield Garrison at weekends at 2.35am so late night revellers can get home.

The 122 service is also changing with an additional bus being put on at 6.39am from California Crossroads in Finchampstead to Wokingham train station. Commuters wanting to get to California Crossroads in the evening will also be able to take advantage of a bus leaving Wokingham train station at 6.42pm.

All the changes to the routes will start on Monday June 2 to provide an even better service for bus users – to meet more of their demands and needs.

The Wokingham council and Thames Travel have already received positive feedback from bus users since the new network was launched in January. It was launched to provide a more modern and comprehensive service, in line with the public’s need.
Roland Clausen-Thue, Wokingham Borough Council’s senior planner for public transport, said: “We wanted to provide an up-to-date service that reflected the majority of the community’s need, and in partnership with Thames Travel, the feedback we have been receiving suggests we managed to achieve that.

“However, we recognised that after the first few months of the service running there needed to be more buses going to Finchampstead and Wokingham town centre for commuters in the morning and evening, as well as a Sunday service for those wanting to get about at the weekend.

“The additional services on the 144 will also help people in the south of the borough move about much more easily.”

Cllr Keith Baker, executive member for Wokingham transport and highways, said: “Improved public transport networks are a key element in our quest to reduce congestion on the roads, therefore we are always looking at ways to improve our public transport network. Not only are we improving the service but also it is happening less six months after we originally upgraded it to a new and modern bus service.

“It is a tribute to the closer working relationship between Wokingham Borough Council and Reading Buses. Together we will continue to work together to provide the best possible service to meet the public’s greatest need.”

John Wright, managing director of Thames Travel, added: “The close co-operation between ourselves and Wokingham Borough Council has created a solid base, upon which local bus services within the borough can be progressively built upon to meet the needs and aspirations of local residents. We look forward to creating an expanding network of services over the coming years.”

Residents and those visiting the Wokingham borough can pick up a new timetable for the 144 service from Wokingham Borough Council’s website at www.wokingham.gov.uk/transport-roads-waste or from the information centre at Wokingham Town Hall in Market Place. Copies can also be ordered from the council’s transport planning department on (0118) 974 6472.

Wokingham Borough Council

New highways and transport specialists have been amalgamated into Wokingham Borough Council’s place and neighbourhoods service to create a more cost effective and efficient service under pioneering new contracts worth more than £6 million per year.

The Wokingham council is one of the first in the UK to take advantage of a new EU tendering process to appoint specialists, in a bid to provide even better services for everyone who lives, works and visits the Wokingham Borough.

WSP, a company that specialises in environmental and road services, was appointed as the sole highways and transport consultancy partner of the council earlier this year, after successfully bidding for the contract under the EU’s competitive dialogue tendering process.

This parallels the reappointment of Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services to provide highways maintenance, including emergency repair and resurfacing, across the Wokingham borough through the same EU competitive dialogue process.

This is a new process that is available to all public sector organisations to increase quality and tailored contracts with private sector specialist companies. However, only a handful of contracts have been signed under the process across the continent and they are believed to be the first set of contracts signed to offer a fully comprehensive range of highways and transport services via the new process.

WSP staff were integrated into the council last month, when the new contract started. They will provide a range of highways related services from the civic offices at Shute End, until the contract expires in March 2018.

Road safety, bridge maintenance, traffic signals, urban traffic control, transport planning and general traffic management will be the main areas that WSP will look after on behalf of the council.

Maintenance of the Wokingham borough’s roads will continue to be done by Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services, who have been working with the council for the past three years.

Mark Moon, general manager place and neighbourhood services, said: “Competitive dialogue was a complex process to go through but it was an essential process that needed to take place to ensure that cost effective and efficient highways and transport services are available to everyone who lives, works and visits the Wokingham Borough.

“It’s one of the first contracts to be signed under the EU’s competitive dialogue process, which meant we were able to ask those companies competing for the contract to provide the services we want and need in the borough in a more open and constructive way.

“WSP staff offering services from road safety to traffic management are now based at Shute End, making it much easier for all staff working together on projects to communicate effectively, which will benefit the whole community.”

Cllr Keith Baker, executive member for Wokingham highways and transport, added: “With radical changes in the process for investigating and implementing highways requests from residents, councillors and parish and town councils, it was inevitable that the volume of requests would increase. Therefore it was vital that we engaged consultants that could cope with the increased volume in a timely and cost effective manner. I believe that WSP, together with the co-location, will match our requirements and, more importantly, go a long way to match residents expectations."

Wokingham Borough Council

Last night - Wednesday May 14 - saw Cllr David Lee elected as the new leader of Wokingham Borough Council.

The election was held following the announcement in February 2008 by former leader Cllr Frank Browne that he was standing down at the May 1 local election.

Cllr Lee lives in Wokingham and was first elected to the council in 2003 as a ward member for Norreys in Wokingham. He is currently executive member for social care and housing, chairman of the planning committee - previously known as development control - and a member of the personnel board. Previously, Cllr Lee was champion to the executive for base budgets and a member of the highways board, audit and performance sub-group and the audit committee.

One of his first jobs as council leader will be to establish a new executive, and to decide on other positions to support the executive.

Cllr Lee will announce these appointments at the annual meeting of the council on Thursday May 22.

Speaking on his election as leader, Cllr Lee said: “I am honoured to be have been appointed to this position and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and working with all my colleagues and with the residents of our fine borough.”

Please note that Cllr David Lee’s appointment as Leader of the Council is subject to confirmation at the annual meeting of the Council next Thursday (May 22.)

Wokingham Borough Council

A live music festival is taking place on Saturday May 31 at Wokingham Youth Centre, 35 Reading Road, and will feature a selection of bands from the recent Battle of the Bands competition, including this year’s winner, Sister Gracie. Also featuring at the festival will be runners-up in the competition Freestone. Some other popular local bands including Streetfight Silence and U Burn First will also be making an appearance.

As well as the live Wokingham music, other attractions on offer include a bouncy castle, arts and crafts stalls, face-painting and hair-braiding. Entry is free to under-fives, £3 for children aged between five and 12, and £4 for those aged over 12. Family tickets (two adults and two children) will also be available for £12.50.

All money raised from the festival will go towards the Wokingham youth centre’s Africa ‘08 Project fund, which will see young people from the Wokingham Borough visit South Africa this summer.

The project is in its second year and gives the borough’s young people, aged between 15 and 19-years, the chance to learn about both British and South African cultures and history.

During the trip the young people will take part in workshops with youngsters from the townships, to share experiences about growing up. They will also visit key landmarks such as Table Mountain, Robben Island, and the Council of Equality, which abolished apartheid.

Wokingham Borough Council

Local Wokingham residents are being reminded to take some time to visit two public exhibitions where they can find out more about the Junction 11 and Mereoak improvement scheme, view plans and ask questions they may have.

Work on the £65m scheme to improve the notorious Junction 11 bottleneck began last month with the project expected to be completed in the Summer of 2010.

When finished, the new junction will incorporate extra capacity, new facilities for public transport, pedestrians and cycles, as well as a safer junction for everyone. However, it is usual in an improvement scheme of this size that there will be questions raised by residents who live in the immediate area, as well as local businesses and regular users of the junction.

Reading Borough Council, in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council, has therefore arranged two public exhibitions over the coming months where the improvements plans and information will be on display.

Representatives from Reading, Wokingham and contractors Laing O'Rouke will be on hand to answer any questions visitors to the exhibition may have and talk through any concerns.

The first exhibition takes place this Friday (May 16) at the Pioneer Room, Holiday Inn South, 500 Basingstoke Road from 2pm and 8 pm.

The second will be on Saturday June 7 at Three Mile Cross Church Centre, Main Hall, Basingstoke Road, Three Mile Cross between 9am and 2pm.
Further meetings and exhibitions will be arranged as the project progresses so local residents can keep up to speed on developments.

Tony Street, specialist project manager and Wokingham Borough Council’s lead engineer on the project said: “This is a huge improvement plan that has been planned for a number of years and represents a key component of our transport strategy, which will eventually lead to a range of traffic related benefits for everyone using the junction.

“Owing to it’s large scale and complexity there are bound to be many questions and concerns that residents, commuters and the local community have - which is why we are holding these two initial exhibitions. If anyone does have any queries they are welcome to pop along to either one of the exhibitions where plans and information will be available and project team representatives will be on hand.”

Anthony Bolton, transport programme manager at Reading Borough Council, added: "Residents, businesses and the travelling public can look forward to a much improved Junction 11 and local road network once the scheme is completed. However, it is now important to provide as much information as possible to those affected by the works, so that they can understand what is happening and how they may be affected over the next two years. The exhibitions will provide an opportunity to meet the construction team, ask questions and discuss any concerns.”

Government funding for the improvement scheme to Reading's main traffic gateway was confirmed in March this year.

Wokingham Borough Council

Come and Join in the Fun on 14th June at the Winnersh Village Fete

Winnersh Parish Council has been working with local organisations and businesses to put together an exciting family fun afternoon on Saturday 14th June.

The event will be a ‘traditional’ family fete with stalls, arena displays, competitions and other attractions. The stalls will have something for everyone from soft toys to jewellery to homemade goodies. There will be games and activities for all ages including face painting, a climbing wall, bungee running and an inflatable assault course.

Whilst you are enjoying the stalls there will be entertainment in the central arena throughout the afternoon. Dancing displays will range from traditional maypole dancing to line dancing and animal skills will be demonstrated with a pony display and a Dog Fly Ball competition.

For the more competitive there will be a children’s cake competition, a fancy dress competition for the under elevens and a photography competition for all ages to find the best views of Winnersh.

The fete is being held at the Bearwood Recreation Ground, Sindlesham, from 12:30 to 5pm and will be opened and closed by Battle of the Band’s finalist You Burn First.

John Southgate, WPC chairman, said “The enthusiasm for the fete, the first in Winnersh for well over 30 years, has been really encouraging and it promises to be a fantastic afternoon. All the money we raise will be going to local charities and we hope that people come along to support the community and help us raise money for local people.”

Winnersh Parish Council

All the children’s centres in the Wokingham Borough have been given the official seal of approval by central government’s Surestart programme.

In the Wokingham Borough three centres are already open – Ambleside in Woodley, The Brambles Children’s Centre, in Wokingham and the Rainbow Community Centre in Winnersh.

And now, services are being offered in Earley, Shinfield, Twyford, and Finchampstead. The council is currently working with local partners on developing children’s centres in Wokingham town west - Woosehill.

Building work has started on the new Wokingham children’s centre within the site of Shinfield St Mary’s Primary School in Shinfield and the Earley children’s centre, located within the Loddon Primary School, is set to be completed in June. The centres in Twyford and Finchampstead are operating ‘virtually’ meaning there is not be a physical building as yet but core services which are available in all the other centres will be delivered from various venues across the two areas and coordinated by an officer from the council based at The Brambles Children’s Centre.

Some £3.7million has been allocated to Wokingham Borough Council from the SureStart programme, and children’s centres aim to help deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support. There will be at least 11 children’s centres in the borough by 2010.

Children’s centres are a way of supporting families with children aged under five. The centres will make it easier for families to get advice, help and information they need all in one place, closer to their homes. Services will be developed for each individual centre according to demand and local need will also determine the frequency and timing of activities.

Wokingham Parents could be looking for a childminder or nursery place for their child. They might need help with a health issue or could be thinking about training or returning to work. Children’s centres can give information on a range of family support services that are available either in the centre or within in the local area.

Chris Jones, head of universal services for children, said: “The official seal of approval for all of our children’s centres is great news for families in the Wokingham Borough. We are now able to offer a range of services and activities either from dedicated buildings such as Brambles and Ambleside but also from a number of other different settings across the borough. Families are already participating in many activities at the centres. We continue to work with local people to develop further services appropriate to their needs.

Wokingham Borough Council

Hundreds of young people in Wokingham Borough aspire to achieve a Duke of Edinburgh (DoE) Award. The Award programme brings adventure, new hobbies, new friends and great skills to those who participate – and also to the volunteers who help to run the programme.

Wokingham Borough Council is looking for more energetic and enthusiastic people to become voluntary DoE assessors and instructors. Being an assessor means giving up three or four weekends a year to work with young people on DoE expeditions, exploring the countryside and helping participants to achieve their ambitions. Being an instructor involves teaching DoE participants new skills.

Wokingham Award co-ordinator Noel Apps said: “We’re looking for volunteers with a Basic Expedition Leaders Award (BELA), Walking Group Leader (WGL) or Mountain Leader (ML) qualification, who enjoy working with young people and prefer to be outdoors. We are seeking expedition assessors, and also people who could join our instructors’ team.

”Working with Award participants is extremely satisfying and I urge anybody who has the relevant qualifications and would like a fun challenge to get in touch.”

Interested volunteers should contact award co-ordinator Noel Apps on (0118) 974 6271
or at: noel.apps@wokingham.gov.uk . Applicants who are considered for the job will be CRB checked.

Wokingham Borough Council

Wokingham Students, parents and local residents will get a chance to view an initial design for the multi-million pound building project at Waingels College in Woodley later this month (May 20).

Work is progressing well on the Building Schools for the Future One-School Pathfinder project at Waingels College and the transformation is gathering momentum. And on Tuesday May 20 parents and local residents will have an opportunity to meet the architects, find out more about the scheme and view an initial design.

Final detailed designs for the college will be drawn up following the meeting on May 20 and there will be opportunity for parents and local Wokingham residents to comment on them during the summer, before a planning application is submitted in the autumn. The designs will then be subject to the normal planning process and, at that stage, interested parties will have a further opportunity to make their views known as part of the statutory consultation process.

Cllr Norman Jorgensen, executive member for Wokingham children’s services, said: “We are a step closer to turning our aspiration to provide our students at Waingels College with excellent learning facilities into reality and it is vital we get the design right from the outset. There are exciting times ahead for the college community, council and the local community.

“We are looking forward to seeking the views of parents and local residents on this exciting project that will deliver educational excellence in the borough.”

Waingels College executive principal Richard Green said: “We see the close engagement of our key partners in the local community, especially the parents of current or future Waingels students, as vital to the long-term success of this project. I hope as many people as possible will be able to come to this meeting and give us the benefit of their contribution to the design process.”

The meeting is taking place at Waingels College, Denmark Avenue in Woodley, at 7pm on Tuesday May 20. There is no need to book a place, simply turn up on the night.

A series of meetings are also taking place this month with students, staff and governors as well as other stakeholders including Bracknell and Wokingham College, Scout Association and Berkshire Maestros.

Wokingham Borough Council

Wokingham Community and voluntary groups, as well as town and parish councils, can get free advice on making their buildings more energy efficient at a workshop being held in the Wokingham borough.

Wokingham Borough Council is hosting the workshop, entitled How Green is Your Community Building? with the Community Council for Berkshire and Thames Valley Energy.

It will offer expert advice on how community buildings could be made more environmentally efficient, on possible uses for renewable energy and on grant funding that may be available for community and not-for-profit groups to become more environmentally friendly. Particular focus will be given to how becoming more energy efficient can save organisations money.

The workshop will be at the Borough Council’s Shute End offices from 7.30pm to 9am on Monday May 12.

Wokingham Borough Council income generation officer Alison Munro said: “Becoming more energy efficient is not just good for the environment, but also saves money – which is very useful for community groups and not-for-profit organisations.”

The event is free but places are limited and to book, or for more information, contact Wendy Dacey at the Community Council for Berkshire on 0118 961 2000 or email wendy.dacey@ccberks.org.uk or Wokingham Borough Council income generation officer Alison Munro on 0118 974 6043 or email alison.munro@wokingham.gov.uk.

Wokingham Borough Council

Young and old flocked to the Hands-on-Arts Pavilion at the Wokingham May Fayre on Bank Holiday Monday May 5.

The Wokingham Hands-on-Arts Pavilion is run by Discover Culture, a summer long season of arts and culture organised by The Cultural Partnership, and this year sponsored by Ready Steady Store. The pavilion offers people of all ages the chance to enjoy creative arts workshops and family-friendly demonstrations with local artists. Among the opportunities on offer was the chance to learn traditional weaving, puppet making and performance and print making – all free of charge.

It proved extremely popular at the Wokingham May Fayre, where hundreds of people joined in the craft workshops and watched the demonstrations.

Wokingham Borough Council executive member for community development Dianne King, who visited the pavilion during the fayre, said: “It was lovely to see so many people enjoying the pavilion and it made a tremendous addition to the day.”

The Hands-on-Arts pavilion will also be at the Crowthorne Carnival in Morgan Recreation Ground on Saturday July 5; Earley Fun Day, organised by Woodley and Earley Lions Club, in Events Field Kilnsea Drive in Lower Earley on Saturday July 12 and Spencers Wood Carnival in Clares Green Road on Saturday September 13.

Wokingham Borough Council

The housing management services delivered by Wokingham Borough Council are fair according to an Audit Commission report.

The report found a number of positive areas in Wokingham council’s service, including:

· Tenants are happy with the customer care team’s performance
· There is strong tenant involvement in the service and tenants are kept well-informed of developments via a magazine their representatives produce and the council’s website
· The council is making good progress towards the Decent Homes Standard and is on track to meet it on deadline
· There is generally good energy efficiency in social housing
· Tenants’ satisfaction with the repair service is high
· The borough’s estates are generally well-kept

However, the Wokingham council’s housing services team is obviously concentrating on the areas highlighted as needing improvement by the report and has already acted on many of these.

The report recognised that it has been a difficult period for tenants’ services, which lost a number of key personnel as a result of an internal investigation, and highlighted a number of areas that needed improvement.

The council has a new tenants’ services leadership team in place and is already has action plans in place to improve the service.

Wokingham Borough Council housing strategy and development manager Sarah Hollamby said: “There is a lot we can learn from this report and we are already looking at major service improvements. I am pleased that our tenants are strongly involved in services and are generally satisfied with our repairs services. But the message is that there is room for improvement and it is exciting to be able to be involved in those improvements.”

The Council has drawn up an extensive action plan following the report and has already taken action to improve the time it take to re-let empty homes in the borough.

Wokingham Borough Council

Pre-school Wokingham anniversary party

St Crispin’s Pre-school of London Road Wokingham are currently planning their ’30 years of excellence’ anniversary party which will take place later this year. Pupils, staff and families old and new will join to celebrate this exciting occasion.

It seems good things happen all at once at St Crispin’s Pre-school as in January 2008, Ofsted inspected and praised the staffs attention, care and interest in the children and found that the children were confident and had good self esteem. St Crispin’s Pre-school is dedicated to the educational development of its children and run a key worker system for each child, whom are responsible for tracking and recording their development.

The children develop independently by being offered a range of activities each day of which they can choose from freely aiding their independence. Activities offered cover all six learning areas, so children learn within play. Also since January the lunch club was successfully launched for two days a week and the pre-school intake was extended and can now accept children from 2.5 years

Finally in this busy year St Crispin’s Pre-school have just launched their brand new website (www.stcrispinspreschool.co.uk) where all the information about the Pre-school can be found. St Crispin’s Pre-school are really grateful to those who have voluntarily given up their time to get the website up and running.
Sessions are currently available, please call, drop in or visit the website for information.

St Crispin’s Pre-school, St Crispin’s Leisure Centre, London Road, Wokingham, RG40 1SR. Tel: 07800 751760. Email: stcrispinspreschool@yahoo.co.uk

People in Woodley have been invited by Wokingham Borough Council to join a project to transform a neglected piece of land into a community garden – and young people are leading the way.

Wokingham Borough Council’s Community Wardens Gemma Herbert and Zarron Phillips are organising a planting project with residents to turn a patch of grassland in Drovers Way from a regular spot for fly-tippers into a green oasis.

One of the main aims of the project is to get as many local people as possible involved in order to enhance community spirit and the Community Wardens have been in touch with schools, residential homes, businesses and residents to drum up support.

And young members of the Junior Wardens scheme joined Wokingham Community Wardens to clean up the area on Wednesday April 28.

The Junior Wardens, who are all pupils from Highwood Primary School and Southlake Primary School will also hold fundraising events for the project.

Residents have been invited to come up with ideas for the land and, once these have been collected, older people at Age Concern will pick which designs they like best. These will be shown to Wokingham Borough Council’s environment officers to see what is possible.

Gemma Herbert said: “It was great to have the Junior Wardens helping out and we hope to get all ages involved in this project. We believe we can transform this piece of land it something the community can use and also be really proud of.”

Wokingham Borough Council

Wokingham Restaurants, fitness centres, hair and beauty salons and hotels are just some of the businesses that could benefit from a groundbreaking collective online booking service being launched in Wokingham.

The online service would operate from the Wokingham businesses’ own website but would provide the technology for online bookings or reservations to be made at any time of day or night via a central database. It will be provided by webbookers, a company specialising in providing online booking systems.

Wokingham Town Centre manager Brian Newman has been working to bring the scheme to Wokingham over the past few weeks and, if there is enough interest locally, Wokingham could be the first town in the country to take part.

Mr Newman said: “Business in Wokingham could make this the first town in which customers’ and clients’ booking appointments or reservations online 24/7 becomes a reality. This is a great opportunity for Wokingham to be the leader in this exciting venture and it will be a great benefit to businesses that do not currently have an online booking facility.”

Mr Newman is hoping to organise a meeting with any business interested ahead of the scheme’s national launch on Thursday May 22 and any business that wants to know more should contact him on 0118 974 0889 or email: tcm@wokingham-tc.gov.uk.

Wokingham Borough Council

Wokingham Community and voluntary groups, as well as town and parish councils, can get free advice on making their buildings more energy efficient at a workshop being held in the Wokingham borough.

Wokingham Borough Council is hosting the workshop, entitled How Green is Your Community Building? with the Community Council for Berkshire and Thames Valley Energy.

It will offer expert advice on how Wokingham community buildings could be made more environmentally efficient, on possible uses for renewable energy and on grant funding that may be available for community and not-for-profit groups to become more environmentally friendly. Particular focus will be given to how becoming more energy efficient can save organisations money.

The workshop will be at the Wokingham Borough Council’s Shute End offices from 7.30pm to 9am on Monday May 12.

Wokingham Borough Council income generation officer Alison Munro said: “Becoming more energy efficient is not just good for the environment, but also saves money – which is very useful for community groups and not-for-profit organisations.”

The event is free but places are limited and to book, or for more information, contact Wendy Dacey at the Community Council for Berkshire on 0118 961 2000 or email wendy.dacey@ccberks.org.uk or Wokingham Borough Council income generation officer Alison Munro on 0118 974 6043 or email alison.munro@wokingham.gov.uk.

Wokingham Borough Council

Wokingham in the Sunshine

Perfect for lovers of classical music and families looking for an excellent day out, The Wokingham Cantley Proms returns for the third fantastic year on Sunday 20th July 2008. Once again guests will be treated to the return of the performing trio of previous years: Fiona O'Neill (ENO, Dublin Opera), Andrew Forbes Lane (ENO, Opera North) and The Lewisham Concert band back fresh from their second international tour in Berlin.

The Wokingham concert will be conducted by Tom Higgins (Opera Holland Park, Opera South and Dresden Staatsoperette) who has become well known for his charismatic and charming conducting style and the music will be presented by Robert Powell who is best known for his performance as the title character in the feature film Jesus of Nazareth and more recently for playing Mark Williams in the BBC's Holby City.

The gardens of Cantley House, Wokingham open at 5:30pm for those who wish to picnic whilst being entertained by the wonderful tones of Wokingham's own Take 4 barber shop quartet. As the evening comes in the gardens come alive with the performance of some of the best known classical pieces (March of the Dambusters, Land of Hope and Glory, The Light Cavalry Overture) as well as some more modern and amusing pieces including a feature on Pirates of The Caribbean.

The Cantley Wokingham Proms raises money for two local charities: The Thames Valley Lords Taverners and Wokingham Borough Mencap, last year the event raised over £1,000 which the organisers hope to double this year. Chris Monk, event organiser, explains "With the proms our eventual aim is to raise really significant money for charity, however we want to do this by providing a product of the highest quality and so we are not skimping on the necessities but rather putting on a wonderful event each year and gradually being able to give more to charity as our popularity grows.

Tickets are priced at £20 for adults, £17.50 for concessions and £7 for children. They are available from Cantley House Hotel on 01189 789912 or online at http://www.cantleyproms.co.uk

Cantley House Hotel, Wokingham

Wokingham Residents are advised that the Longshot Lane civic amenity site will be closed between 9am and 10am on Saturday May 10.

The closure is owing to the redevelopment of the site – which is currently being carried out by the re3 waste minimisation partnership, which includes Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Reading Borough Councils and Waste Recycling Group (WRG).

The new site will provide upgraded waste and recycling facilities for everyone using it, including Wokingham Borough residents.

While the redevelopment is on-going and so that it can be completed as quickly and safely as possible, the site’s opening hours for residents are 5pm to 8pm on weekdays, and from 8am to 6pm at weekends and bank holidays in the winter and until 8pm in the summer.

Cllr Rob Stanton, re3 chairman and Wokingham Borough Council’s executive member for corporate services, said: “The additional one hour closure of Longshot Lane on Saturday May 10 is owing to the redevelopment of the site. I would like to apologise in advance for any disruption this may cause residents.

“Smallmead household waste and recycling site in Reading will continue to be open as per usual on that day, so if residents need to dispose of waste from 9am to 10am there is an alternative available for them.

“I’d like to thank residents for their patience while Longshot Lane is being redeveloped and urge them to keep checking its opening times before they set off.”

Wokingham Borough Council

Local Wokingham residents are being urged to take some time to visit two public exhibitions where they can find out more about the Junction 11 and Mereoak improvement scheme, view plans and ask questions they may have.

Work on the £65.05m scheme to improve the notorious Junction 11 bottleneck began last month with the project expected to be completed in the Summer of 2010.

When finished, the new junction will incorporate extra capacity, new facilities for public transport, pedestrians and cycles, as well as a safer junction for everyone. However, it is usual in an improvement scheme of this size that there will be questions raised by residents who live in the immediate area, as well as local businesses and regular users of the junction.

Reading Borough Council, in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council, has therefore arranged two public exhibitions over the coming months where the improvements plans and information will be on display.

Representatives from Reading, Wokingham and contractors Laing O'Rouke will be on hand to answer any questions visitors to the exhibition may have and talk through any concerns.

The first exhibition takes place at the Pioneer Room, Holiday Inn South, 500 Basingstoke Road on Friday May 16 between 2pm and 8 pm.

The second will be on Saturday June 7 at Three Mile Cross Church Centre, Main Hall, Grazeley Road, Three Mile Cross between 9am and 2pm.

Further meetings and exhibitions will be arranged as the project progresses so local residents can keep up to speed on developments.

Tony Street, specialist project manager and Wokingham Borough Council’s lead engineer on the project said: “This is a huge improvement plan that has been planned for a number of years and represents a key component of our transport strategy, which will eventually lead to a range of traffic related benefits for everyone using the junction.
“Due to it’s large scale and complexity there are bound to be many questions and concerns that residents, commuters and the local community has - which is why we are holding these two initial exhibitions. If anyone does have any queries they are welcome to pop along to either one of the exhibitions where plans and information will be available and project team representatives will be on hand.”

Anthony Bolton, Transport Programme Manager at Reading Borough Council, added:" Residents, businesses and the travelling public can look forward to a much improved Junction 11 and local road network once the scheme is completed. However, it is now important to provide as much information as possible to those affected by the works, so that they can understand what is happening and how they may be affected over the next two years. The exhibitions will provide an opportunity to meet the construction team, ask questions and discuss any concerns.”

Wokingham Borough Council

Wokingham Choral Society Concert present:

14/06/08

A Summer Celebration of Love in words and music including:

William Walton: Jubilate Deo
Howard Goodall: Love Divine
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Te Deum
Howard Goodall: Psalm 23 - Vicar of Dibley
Antonio Carlos Jobim: The Girl from Ipanema
Terry Gilkyson: The Bare Necessities
Jerome Kern: The Way You Look Tonight
Carter and Hudson: Goodnight Sweetheart
Duke Ellington: I'm Beginning to See the Light

Conductor: Alexander Chaplin
Organ and Piano: Christopher Cromar

All Saints Church, Wokingham, RG40 1UE at 7.30pm

Tickets: £13 (concessions £11) to include after concert drink and refreshments from: Sue Bryant 0118 934 0283, tickets@wokingham-choral-society.org.uk.

Southfield School in Wokingham is this week celebrating the publication of a ‘good’ Ofsted report following an inspection in March.

The two-day visit by Ofsted inspectors saw the Wokingham special school for students with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, being ranked good in almost every area in its latest inspection report, even achieving a number of outstanding ratings. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school including its residential services as well as achivements and standards, personal development and well-being, teaching and learning, curriculm and other activites, care, guidance and support and leadership and management.

The school, located on Gipsy Lane in Wokingham, has 50 students on its roll aged between 11 and 16-years-old.

Inspectors were impressed with the school saying it ‘provides a good education and continually strives to improve the learning opportunities for all its students.’ Lead inspector Mike Smith wrote to students and thanked them for making him feel welcome during his visit to the school and he made a ‘special mention to the members of the school council who represented their school maturely.’

Inspectors said there the Wokingham school had many strengths including its ‘smooth running’ where staff ‘enable students to make the best of the learning opportunities’ and pupil achievement is ‘at the heart of all planning’. Students were praised for how well they got on with each other and with the adults of the school and inspectors were impressed with ‘their loyalty and support.’ One student said: ‘They treat you like an adult here, and don’t shout.’

Wokingham Students have a good understanding of the school rules which keep them safe and secure. They all enjoy practical activities and staff ‘are dedicated to improving the life chances for all students.’ One parent told the inspectors: ‘I would just like to say that I think the school is amazing. The staff have been a real life saver when things have been hard and they could not have helped us more. They are great!’.

The inspectors noted when they join Southfield School, Wokingham many students have attainment levels below the national average, as a result of poor attendance and behaviour. However they also noted that by the end of year 9, ‘students are attaining national average results in English, maths, science and information and communication technology (ICT).’ One parent said: ‘My son has made great progress in his reading and really enjoys his time at college. We have seen an improvement in his behaviour at home, he talks about things calmly and listens more.’ Many students also do well in their GCSE examinations. Individual student targets are monitored on a daily basis and they were praised by inspectors for having ‘challenging targets for improvement’.

Inspectors praised the Wokingham school highlighting the effective curriculum which meets students needs. The school offers a range of learning opportunities ‘that promote good academic progress and personal development.’ During this time many of the students learn useful skills that will help them either in the work place or in further education. The school has a very successful work experience scheme owing to their excellent partnerships with local businesses and employers.

Some of the students who attend Southfield are boarders. Inspectors said ‘students respond very well to the warm, family feel of the provision’ and there was ‘a high standard of care’. Inspectors were impressed that action points raised from the previous inspection in June 2007 had been fully addressed.

Whilst attendance remains an issue for some students, ‘many students make good and excellent improvements in their rate of attendance’. Inspectors praised the school for always thinking about how to improve and make students’ progress even better.

Wokingham Borough Council

There will be even more reason than normal to visit Wokingham town centre on the first Sundays of each month soon, when an art and craft market is launched on June 1.

Local Wokingham artisans and craftspeople will be selling their wares at the monthly markets from 11am to 3pm – and the only criteria for being allowed to rent a stall will be quality.

The idea for the arts and crafts market came from the Arts Forum, a gathering of artists, art educators and others interested in the arts in Wokingham borough, which met on Monday April 21. The Arts Forum put the idea to Wokingham Town Centre Manager Brian Newman, who has got the first date booked already.

Chariman of the Arts Forum Tim Byard-Jones said: “It is wonderful that the Arts Forum has had this success so soon after meeting, it shows what can be achieved when we get creative people together to discuss ways to enhance the artistic and cultural opportunities in the Wokingham borough.”

About 30 people attended the Arts Forum, which discussed the borough’s the Cultural Partnership as well as ways to further develop arts opportunities.

Wokingham town centre manager Brian Newman said: “Foodies are already well provided for in the Wokingham town market place, thanks to the farmers’ markets and continental markets we have set up – and now art and craft lovers will also be catered for. I am really excited about seeing good quality, locally made arts and crafts on sale in the town centre.”

Wokingham Borough Council

Visitors to Wokingham Borough Council’s Mall Gallery can enjoy an exhibition of henna paintings this May, with a new Art of Henna exhibition. The Mall Gallery is hosting a month-long photographic exhibition of henna painting by Berkshire artist Riffat.

Henna painting is an ancient art form. Leaves of the henna plant are dried and used to dye the skin, hair, nails – even fabric and leather. Riffat is a henna and make-up artist who specialises in contemporary, traditional and Arabic Henna. She works entirely free-hand to produce beautiful, exotic temporary designs inspired by the traditions of India, Pakistan and Arabia.

The Wokingham exhibition will be launched at a private view event on Thursday May 8 at 6pm by Wokingham Borough Council mayor Cllr Annette Drake. The event will feature demonstrations of henna painting by Riffat. Food will be provided by the Indian Community Association.

Wokingham Borough Council mayor Cllr Annette Drake said: “I am delighted that the Mall Gallery is hosting this exciting and unique exhibition. Henna painting is a beautiful art form.

“I am extremely grateful to Riffat and The Cultural Partnership for making this exhibition possible and I hope many people will visit The Mall Gallery to see these wonderful photographs for themselves.”

This free exhibition is running until Friday May 30 and is open for the public to view 8.30am to 5pm every weekday. The Mall Gallery is located in the Civic Offices at Shute End and is sponsored by the Cultural Partnership.

Wokingham Borough Council

It was a Wokingham baby bonanza at the Oakwood Centre when parents and tots learned all about the benefits of real nappies during a special coffee morning on Thursday (April 24).

Wokingham Borough Council joined forces with Woodley-based company Twinkle Twinkle to offer mums and dads a free cuppa and also find out about how to do their bit for the environment by using real nappies.

The coffee morning was held to coincide with national Real Nappy Week and offered advice and information on the practicalities of using real washable nappies as well as the environmental and cost benefits.

Miranda Stamp from Twinkle Twinkle, a real nappy specialist, Peter Baveystock, the Wokingham council’s waste and recycling manager, and other real nappy experts were on hand to talk to parents about the impact of disposable nappies on the environment as well as the different kinds and styles of nappies available.

Peter Baveystock, waste and recycling manager, said: “Disposable nappies are a real threat to the environment as they take up a lot of scarce and expensive landfill space. In the Wokingham Borough alone we send around 2,000 tonnes of nappy waste to limited landfill each year, costing more than £120,000.”

“We want more parents and child carers to switch to reusable nappies because the fewer disposable nappies that are thrown away the lesser the impact on the environment, plus it could save the council, and ultimately the tax payer, from having to pay hefty landfill charges.”

Wokingham Borough Council

Residents living in the Wokingham Borough, Bracknell Forest and Reading can now recycle their empty juice, milk and wine cartons at several new recycling banks.

The Wokingham recycling banks have been installed as part of the re3 waste partnership in conjunction with Tetra Pak Ltd and the carton industry body ACE UK (Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment).

The new recycling points mean that for the first time ever, residents can take milk, wine, chopped tomato and soft drink cartons to the banks instead of throwing them into the bin.

The recycling banks are at several locations across the area, near to shopping and amenity centres, so residents can drop off their recycling when they do their shopping.

In the Wokingham Borough, the new recycling points can be found at:
· ASDA, Chalfont Way, Lower Earley
· Tesco, Finchampstead Road, Wokingham
· Sainsburys, King Street Lane, Winnersh
· Polehampton Close, Twyford
· Headley Road car park, Woodley

In Bracknell Forest at:
· Albert Road Car Park, Albert Road
· Sainsburys, Bagshot Road
· Waitrose, Yorktown Road, Sandhurst

And in Reading at:
· Milestone Centre, Reading
· Rivermead, Reading
· Recreation Road, Reading
· Palmer Park, Reading
Previously residents were unable to recycle their cartons at the bring banks but were able to take them to Smallmead Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Reading. The carton recycling banks will still be available at Smallmead for residents dropping off waste and recycling there.

Once the cartons are collected and processed at a recycling mill they are recycled into a number of different products, including plasterboard liner, high-strength paper bags and envelopes.

Wokingham Residents should wash and squash all cartons before recycling and only put paper-based liquid food and drinks cartons in the recycling bins.

re3 is the partnership between Wokingham Borough, Bracknell Forest and Reading Borough Councils and Waste Recycling Group. The partnership was formed to manage the waste produced in the area over a 25 year period

Peter Baveystock, Wokingham Borough Council’s waste and recycling manager, said: “Residents in the Wokingham Borough have made a tremendous effort to recycle more and more over the past few years and last year we managed to recyle more than 37 per cent of all waste.

“These new carton banks will make it easier for people to recyle their juice, milk and wine cartons at convenient locations, instead of having to go to Smallmead in Reading or throw them out with the household rubbish – which ends up as increasingly expensive landfill waste.”

Wokingham Borough Council