It is with great sadness that we announce that Councillor John MacNaught passed away last week.
John was first elected to Woodley Town Council in 2015, when he first stood for election in South Lake South Ward. He followed this up in 2019, when he was elected to the Town Council in his home area of Coronation East Ward.
John was on several committees, including the Town Council’s Planning & Community Committee. He also was an active member of Readibus and the Woodley Volunteer Centre on behalf of the Town Council.
Town Council leader Cllr Keith Baker said: “Woodley residents have lost a very special person in John. Someone who was passionate in everything he did but always shaped by the compassionate and caring attitude that was deeply embedded in his character. Speaking personally, I have lost a very special friend who was always there when you needed help. A perfect gentleman in every way. May he rest in peace and our thoughts are with his family, especially his son and daughter.”
According to Keep Britain Tidy, it has been a record-breaking year as more than 2,000 green spaces across the country got the international quality mark, including Woodford Park for the third year running.
Grounds Maintenance team member Aaron Rogers and Grounds Maintenance Manager Terry Gough
Woodley Town Council is delighted that Woodford Park will be raising a Green Flag Award for the third year running. This is particularly poignant in the current Covid 19 pandemic, when millions of people across the country have seen the value of having great quality green spaces on their doorstep.
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Woodford Park is one of more than 2,000 sites across the country to collect the award for 2020.
Town Council Leader Cllr Keith Baker is proud that Woodford Park has retained the award for the third year running, providing local residents and visitors with a spectacular green space to enjoy.
“Winning the Green Flag award for the third-year running is a great testament to the hard work of the Town Council staff and the volunteers from the Friends of Woodford Park who help maintain such a beautiful facility. This has been all the more important during the lockdown period of Covid 19, where accessing green spaces was vital for mental and physical health.
The Council is particularly proud that this is the only park in the Wokingham Borough area to have received and retained Green Flag status.”
Commenting on Woodford Park’s success, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “This year, more than ever, our parks and green spaces have been a lifeline and we know that millions of people have used them to relax, meet friends, exercise or simply escape for a short time.
“It is testament to the incredible dedication and hard work of parks staff and volunteers that, despite the challenges that went along with record numbers of visitors, Woodley Town Council has achieved the highest international standards for Woodford park, demanded by the Green Flag Award.”
