News

A charity evening held on October 20, hasraised £1,031 for The Coombes CE Primary School in School Road, Arborfield.

Owner and manager Georgina Hustler is reported to have said: “I am so pleased to see so many of our regular customers and followers get this first glimpse of our festive treats.

“The team has been working round the clock like elves to fill the shelves and transform the shop and wow what a result.

“We have all been so excited to share all the beautiful new goodies and to pair this up with raising a significant sum for The Coombes School has really made it all worthwhile.”

The money raised is to help repair The Coombes School swimming pool facilities which were damaged by heavy snow in 2010.

Residents from Bracknell, Reading and Wokingham who use Smallmead and Longshot Lane Household Recycling Centres have once again given them both a comprehensive seal of approval.

Customer satisfaction surveys are carried out every year at both sites so re3 can act on any improvements identified by users. This year’s survey involved around 1,300 visitors to each site being asked a series of questions to gauge their opinion of the highly rated recycling centres.

99% of people surveyed rated Longshot Lane at good or very good, with a perfect 100% rating for cleanliness at the Bracknell-based site. Staff helpfulness at Longshot Lane was rated good or very good by 98% of people asked, and 86% of people rated the amount of time queuing as good or very good.

Over at the Smallmead Household Waste Recycling Centre in Reading, figures were similarly impressive. 98% of people rated Smallmead as a good or very good site with 94% placing cleanliness in the same category.

Staff helpfulness was described as good or very good by 93% of residents who visited Smallmead with 91% of people categorising queuing times at the Reading site as good or very good.

The re3 project was set up nine years ago between Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham borough councils and in 2006 they signed a Private Finance Initiative contract with Waste Recycling Group (WRG) to develop and manage waste solutions over the next 25 years.

Cllr Dorothy Hayes, Chairman of re3, Executive Member for Environment at Bracknell Forest Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted that residents quizzed about the facilities at Longshot Lane have given them the thumbs up. The 100 per cent rating for cleanliness is testament to the hard work that all employees carry out in order to provide an excellent customer experience for those using the facilities.”

Cllr Paul Gittings, Lead Councillor for Environment and Climate Change at Reading Borough Council, said: “I am very pleased to see the continuing high satisfaction rating for the Smallmead Household Recycling Centre, which is a testament to the hard work of the staff. The figures for Longshot Lane are also particularly impressive and underline the value the RE3 partnership has brought to all three councils in this vital area for residents.”

Cllr Gary Cowan, Executive Member for Environment at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “The improvements at both waste recycling centres have made a real difference and the results of this survey match the feedback we’ve had from Wokingham Borough residents. Using the centres also has the additional benefit of some unwanted goods having a future life through our partnership with Sue Ryder.

“It is now a much easier process to take your unwanted items to the tip for recycling or disposal. This is particularly important at a time when we are doing all we can to encourage our residents to recycle as much as possible and avoid the environmental and financial implications of putting rubbish into landfill.”

Mark Tipton, General Manager of re3, added: “This result really does acknowledge the very hard work that all members of the Smallmead and Longshot Lane teams carry out in order to provide an excellent customer experience for those using the facilities. WRG is proud to be part of a partnership whose facilities are so well regarded and which show such good results in providing sustainable waste and resource management for the people of Reading, Bracknell Forest and Wokingham.”

Waste Recycling Group Limited
Ground Floor West
900 Pavilion Drive
Northampton Business Park
Northampton
NN4 7RG
UK

Wokingham Borough primary school places could benefit from planned expansions to three primary schools from September 2012.

laces would increase at Colleton Primary School in Twyford (from 35 to 60 places per year), Winnersh Primary School (from 60 to 90 places) and Hawkedon Primary School in Lower Earley (from 70 to 90 places) under proposals by the borough council. These expansions are needed to give every child needing a place the best possible opportunity to attend a school near their homes.

Meetings are being arranged with the parents of existing pupils and school neighbours to discuss any concerns they may have about the plans and identify possible solutions. Formal opportunities to comment on the proposals will come through the planning process and through consultation on future admissions arrangements. These statutory processes are planned to occur between late December 2011 and March 2012.

Cllr Rob Stanton, Wokingham Borough Council’s executive member for education services, said: “This is very good news for the communities of Twyford, Winnersh and Earley. Every child should have the opportunity to attend a local school and these proposals mean that more children will be educated close to home. I understand the concerns some residents will have, particularly around school-run traffic, and know that schools, officers and consultants are looking at all the ways they can minimise these and be good neighbours.”

Wokingham Highways Alliance will be undertaking investigation works to the rail bridge on Church Road, Earley between its junctions with St Peter’s Road and Mays Close. To allow this work to be undertaken in safety Church Road will be closed with its junctions with A329 Wokingham Road and Woodlands Avenue for 2 days from 8am 26 November 2011.

Wokingham Highways Alliance is a three way alliance between Wokingham Borough Council, their design consultancy, WSP UK Ltd, and their works contractor, Balfour Beatty Living Places. The Alliance commenced in 2008 and will run for 10 years and delivers highways and transportation services across the whole of Wokingham Borough.

The Alliance is responsible for the delivery of the following:
Transport Planning
Traffic Management
Road Safety and Cycle Training
Highway Operations, including winter maintenance provision
Highway Structures Maintenance
Highway Development Control
Major Highways and Transport Projects

Music, song, dance and delicious food will be on offer at this year’s Taster and Performance Evening at Woodley Baptist Church, Hurricane Way from 6.30pm on Saturday November 26.

The event is part of the Black and Minority Ethnic Forum’s (BME) celebration of Black History Month and it will include performance from a range of community groups and individuals to showcase the cultural diversity of the borough. This year, those attending will be treated to a variety of music and dance, particularly from the Asian and Caribbean communities.

To complement the performances, a wide selection of foods from around the world will also be provided for attendees to enjoy. As with last year’s event, the BME Forum’s successful Healthy Lifestyles Project is sponsoring the food for the event, so all the food provided will be as healthy as possible. More information on the Healthy Lifestyles Project will be available on the night.

The chairman of the Wokingham BME Forum, Surjit Jutla, said: “I would encourage everybody who wants to experience an exciting evening of music and dance to attend this year’s Taster and Performance event. As ever, there will be wonderful performances from local residents and excellent healthy food on offer to help celebrate the broad diversity that makes up Wokingham borough.”

Anybody wishing to attend the event should contact Ashwani Gupta on 07825 195 503.

A Wokingham pensioner in his 70’s, was restrained by one member of a small group of thieves, while others carried out a search of the house and stole a quantity of cash and a set of keys. The homeowner, who had been forced to open a door at the property in Twyford, was not injured in the incident which happened on Thursday 28th October about 6.50p.m.

The offenders are described as black and in their early 20s. One is said to be of a slight build and 5ft 4in tall, while the other is believed to be 5ft 10in in height and muscular. Both were wearing hooded tops.

Detective Constable Paul Sutton, investigating, said: “I am keen to hear from anyone who may have seen any unusual activity or vehicles near this property, which is near to the Bird in Hand public house.”

Anyone with information should call Det Con Sutton on 0845 8 505 505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Old School House in Reading Road, is to be auctioned at the Madejski Stadium in Reading by auctioneers and estate agent Martin and Pole on November 9.

Earlier this year council bosses decided the property is surplus to requirements by the borough council and agreed to sell it off to save money as part of the authority’s three- year financial plan.

The property formed part of the Walter Estate, built during the mid-19th Century in a distinctive style and by a former owner of The Times newspaper. As detailed in the legal pack the premises were for very many years occupied as a school. More recently they have been a Professional Development Centre (for teachers) and the Registrar’s Office. The property has some stylish features and with high ceilings to some rooms may well lend itself to conversion to two-storey premises.

Mark Sartorio, from the council’s property services department, has said a reserve for the building will be agreed between the authority and the auctioneer in the coming days.

He said: “We have had a series of viewings over the last four weeks and legal auction packs have gone out to people with a fair degree of interest.

Auction details: http://www.martinpole.co.uk/propertydetails.php?propId=558&lstSort=LH&currIndex=1&ret=AC

Wokingham Borough Council’s animal warden service has been awarded a Gold Footprint Award from the RSPCA for it’s the stray dog service.

Mandy Dorman, Wokingham Borough Council’s animal warden, said: “It is great to be recognised yet again for all the hard work we do to reunite pets with their owners and to re-home Wokingham’s stray dogs.”

Mandy is no stranger to awards; the team received a Gold Footprint Award from the RSPCA in 2010 as well as National Dog Warden Team of the Year Award in 2009, a Silver Footprint Award from the RSPCA for work with stray dogs in 2009 and Mandy was also named Dog Warden of the Year in 2008.

Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for internal services, said: “This is really good news for all those involved in animal welfare, particularly since the team had received the gold award in 2010. The team was determined not to let financial pressures get in the way of the service they offer.”

The team is already planning an event for 2012 in which Wokingham Borough Council tenants will be able to get their dog micro-chipped at a reduced rate. In the meantime, the animal warden is offering council tenants vouchers for cat neutering at a reduced rate. The scheme is offered in conjunction with Cats Protection and seeks to help those on benefits who may otherwise not be able to afford to get their cat neutered.

Residents can check if they are entitled to a voucher by contacting the Animal Warden Service on (0118) 974 6765.

Wokingham Borough Council are seeking residents’ views on crime and anti-social behaviour through a survey, which runs until November 11th.

It allows residents a chance to comment on crime and disorder within the borough and the impact it has on everyday life. The survey, which is published every year, is used by the council, police and other services to make people safer and reduce the fear of crime

In 2010, almost 600 residents responded, and year on year the fear of crime in the borough has decreased. Using the results of this survey Wokingham Borough Council and service providers intend to continue to make the borough a safer place to live and work.

To take part in the survey visit; http://consultations.wokingham.gov.uk/safe_communities2011/safe_communities2011.htm

The series of baroque music concerts at Wokingham’s Town Hall continues on Wednesday 26th October with an evening devoted to the baroque flute featuring Stephen Preston.

Stephen Preston is a founder member of many of the leading period instrument groups and has recorded as a soloist with, amongst others, Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert and the Academy of Ancient Music. He lectures, teaches and coaches at some of Britain’s leading music academies, the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as well as giving regular master classes in the United States.

The concert starts at 8pm on Wednesday, October 26. Tickets cost £12.50 and are available from Wokingham Library in Denmark Street, www.wokinghamconcerts.co.uk or on the door (subject to availability). They are not available from the Town Hall.