Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, was delighted to attend a family fun day held recently at The Shepherds House Inn. 

The event was held to raise money for Arrhythmia Alliance, an organisation which focuses on improving the treatment for those affected by heart rhythm disorders. 

The fun day was organised by Claire Page, whose daughter Lilly-May Page suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and died while at school on May 15, 2014 at just 5 years old.

Claire has since raised money for Arrhythmia Alliance and also heads up its A-A defibs save lives Lilly may page campaign. 

Cllr Sartorel said: “I was very pleased to attend the event to help raise the importance of defibrillators being readily available to the community. It was a fun event with a lot of information available.”

Click HERE for more information about the Defibs Saves Lives Campaign.

If you would like to book the Town Mayor or Deputy Mayor for an event please email: matthew.filmore@woodley.gov.uk

Wokingham Borough Council is using its remaining allocation of the government’s Covid Local Support grant to ensure pupils who receive benefits-related free school meals during term time continue to have access to healthy meals during the upcoming summer holidays. 

The government has extended the Covid Local Support Grant, which was set to end in June, until 30 September. The council is using the additional funds to provide food and grocery vouchers to support children and young people who receive benefits-related free school meals over the six weeks summer holiday to the value of £15 per child per week. The vouchers will be distributed to eligible families through schools.

Cllr Graham Howe, executive member for children’s services, said: “This has been a really difficult year for all of us, but particularly so for families with young children whose lives have been so disrupted. The council wants to ensure that no child in Wokingham Borough goes hungry this summer and that parents are given the support they need to feed their families in these difficult times.”

Borough pupils who receive benefits-related free school meals are also eligible to register for the council’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme, a new initiative funded by the Department for Education which provides free places at organised holiday activity sessions over the summer and Christmas holidays in 2021. A free healthy meal is provided at every session.

There is a programme for primary school aged children, secondary school pupils, pupils with SEND and a series of community activities for all families. Parents and carers of eligible pupils will have been contacted through their school. For more information about the programme, visit the council’s website www.wokingham.gov.uk and search for ‘Holiday Activities Programme’.

Cllr Howe continued: “We hope that the combination of providing food vouchers and free places at holiday activity sessions over the summer help our children and young people enjoy their summer holidays and help the families in the borough who most need our support. It’s been a challenging year and these young people have earned a bit of summer fun.”

In partnership with Wokingham Borough Council, a new wellbeing service delivered by Oxfordshire Mind, is hosting a series of regular, free forum events to bring the Wokingham Borough community together to discuss mental health and wellbeing needs.

The Wokingham Wellbeing Service will host its first two forums on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 27 July between 2pm and 3:30pm. Residents who have completed mental health first aid training are invited to attend the ‘Mental Health First Aiders in Wokingham’ forum on Thursday 15 July to share experiences and challenges, and to discuss how their invaluable skills, both individually and collectively, can be used to help Wokingham Borough residents suffering from mental health issues. To book free tickets at the first virtual forum, visit the Event Brite website.  

On Tuesday 27 July, the ‘Mental Health & Wellbeing Community Alliance’ forum will be available to voluntary or community sector (VCS) organisations or groups that have a focus on improving mental health and wellbeing within Wokingham Borough. Facilitated by Oxfordshire Mind, the Alliance will help develop and integrate the local VCS offer of mental health and wellbeing provision for residents. The aim of the Alliance is to improve the experience of people accessing mental health and wellbeing support. Organisations from VCS organisations or groups can book free tickets at this virtual forum by visiting the Event Brite website. 

Executive member for adult social care and public health Cllr Charles Margetts said: “Partnering with Oxfordshire Mind on this fantastic mental health and wellbeing pilot scheme will provide residents with an efficient and effective service that offers quality support, at the right time. We have a duty to protect the vulnerable, and the two forum events are an excellent opportunity for those who have an interest or work in services to improve wellbeing, to get involved and help their local community.” 

Oxfordshire Mind’s Wokingham primary care wellbeing project manager, Claire Shropshall, said: “We’re really excited to begin this next phase of the project – it’s a privilege to be able to  support the Wokingham community to identify and respond to local mental health needs in such a collaborative way. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all our partners across the borough for their continued support with launching the new Wokingham Wellbeing Service.” 

Wokingham’s Wellbeing Service is an eighteen-month pilot project dedicated to help Borough residents suffering from mental health issues, including anxiety, isolation, and stress. The scheme was initiated by a generous donation of £250,000 to the Berkshire Community Foundation from a Remenham family earlier this year. The scheme will focus on recognising mental health issues early and intervening to prevent conditions deteriorating, ensuring timely referrals to specialists, coordinating the support available for those with mental health issues and promoting awareness issues within Wokingham Borough.