Woodley Town Council Mayor and Deputy Mayor judge Woodley schools’ Tray Garden Challenge

Enthusiastic Year 1 pupils from Beechwood, Highwood, Rivermead, South Lake and St Dominic Savio primary schools recently spent the day at Waingels College, showcasing their creativity in a Tray Garden Challenge. 

The morning was spent in workshops run by Waingels’ Art Department, where the children made items to use to help decorate their gardens. In the afternoon, everything came together as they used those items, and a wealth of beautiful plants donated by Winnersh Garden Centre, to create gardens with an Olympic theme.

Judges

The gardens were judged by Woodley Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson, Deputy Town Mayor, Cllr David Bragg, Cassie King from British Garden Centres and Brenda Milton from the Woodley Flower Club.  

They were all very impressed with the children’s creativity, the teamwork that they showed and their ability to confidently discuss their designs with the judges.  All the children received a certificate for taking part, presented by the Mayor and Mr Hickey, Head of Highwood Primary School. While Winnersh Garden Centre donated seeds for all and prizes for the winners. 

The wonderful creations were then on display for all to see during Woodley Carnival, alongside the incredible Woodley Flower Club exhibition.

Woodley schools cluster

The Tray Garden Challenge is one of four Challenge Days run for different year groups on an annual basis. The projects, initiated by Mr Hickey, Head of Highwood Primary School, bring together children and teachers from Woodley schools to collaborate on an activity that provides real benefit to the children. 

“Hosting the events at local secondary schools also introduces the pupils to the sights and sounds of their next educational step, helping to ease transition worries. These projects would not be possible without the generous donations from local companies and the funding awarded from a Woodley Town Council grant, for which we are very grateful,” commented a spokesperson for the Woodley Schools Cluster. 

Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire and Woodley Town Council Mayor honour D-Day with a blazing Light of Peace

Woodley Town Council hosted a special D-Day 80^th Anniversary Picnic in the Park to commemorate the 80^th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings

We were delighted to see Woodford Park filled with hundreds of people who gathered to remember those involved in the D-Day Landings 80 years ago. 

The crowds were entertained by swing and jazz music from the era, played by The Hipcats, with circus entertainment for the younger ones from Circus Scene and face painting by Your Face or Mine?

The event was officially opened by Woodley Town Crier, Tony Roper, who welcomed everyone and read out the official Town Crier Tribute. 

Speeches

At 9pm, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, Mr Richard Anderson, and Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson, were accompanied on stage by the Wokingham Borough Mayor, Cllr Adrian Mather, Woodley Town Crier, Tony Roper, and Woodley Town Council Town Clerk, Kevin Murray. 

“What a special day today is and what an amazing and special occasion D-Day was for the world because that was the largest armada that has ever been put together in the history of all of the countries. I’m very fortunate that my father landed on Sword Beach D+ 30 minutes with the Canadians. He was in the Royal Artillery and, because of that, I have got his beret here and I am going to wear that right now,” said Mr Anderson. This was accompanied by a round of applause as he placed the beret on his head.

Also wearing his father’s medals, Mr Anderson then talked about a visit to Sword Beach with his father and some of the stories his father shared with him of the landings, including some very near misses from bombs.

Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson, followed this by thanking Mr Anderson for his speech and commenting that, for her, the most moving aspect of the D-Day commemorations had been to hear so many personal accounts and stories. 

Cllr Anderson also thanked the Town Crier for opening the event and also thanked the residents of Woodley for attending the event and being part of the community of Woodley. 

“It is a privilege to represent the people of Woodley as Woodley Town Mayor to honour those who sacrificed so much at the D-Day landings and beyond to end World War II. 

80 years ago, on 6 June 1944, over 156,000 naval, airborne and ground Allied troops of many nationalities under British, Canadian, and American commands landed on the Normandy beaches. This marked the beginning of the liberation of France and the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany. The sheer scale of the attack and the loss of life is quite incomprehensible.”

Cllr Anderson also commented on Woodley’s role in World War II: “Woodley had a pivotal role in World War II, as a base for Elementary Flying Training School courses. Indeed, there are several road names related to this, in particular, Bader Way, named after Douglas Bader who was a wartime pilot.”

“We will shortly light the Beacon in line with others across the nation as a celebration of the Light of Peace that emerged out of the darkness of war, remembering and honouring those who fought at the D-Day landings and all of those who volunteered, sacrificed, served, fought and died for our freedom,” she added.

Light of Peace

The speeches were followed by Mr Anderson and Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson, lighting the Beacon at 9.15pm alongside the rest of the nation, representing the Light of Peace. This was followed by sounds of gun fire and the National Tribute, read by Woodley Town Deputy Clerk, Matthew Filmore. 

Thanks

We would like to thank everyone who came to the event to pay their respects and honour those who sacrificed so much for our freedom.

Our particular thanks go to Mr Richard Anderson, Cllr Adrian Mather and Tony Roper for their attendance and contribution. 

We would also like to thank the food and drink stalls for providing delicious refreshments, alongside our entertainers and band. 

Photos and videos

Video footage of the event will be available on our YouTube channel.

We were also lucky to have Woodley Photographic Club in attendance taking photos. Thank you to the team for so many great photos. Here is a selection of them.

Local residents given the opportunity to ask Woodley Town Council about matters in Woodley

We were delighted with the attendance at our recent Annual Town Meeting, which was held in the Theatre at the Oakwood Centre on Thursday 23rd May.

Community Heroes Awards

The evening started with our newly appointed Town Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson, awarding local community heroes as nominated by the community of Woodley.

In summary:

• Vikram Singh was awarded Neighbour of the Year for supporting people in Woodley to stay safe online and avoid being scammed. 
• Woodley Lunch Bunch were awarded Volunteer Group of the Year for their continued work providing a packed lunch delivery service to families in Woodley who are having a difficult time financially, or in other ways, during the school holidays. 
• Peter Hawkins was awarded Volunteer of the Year for his dedication helping others and encouraging individuals to take up and enjoy bowling.
• Former Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, awarded Shane Mason from the Good Companions Pub, for his work providing meals on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to the elderly & vulnerable, alongside providing a free soup kitchen during the winter. 

Full details of the winners can be found in an article on our News Page.

Pictured with Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson.

Climate Emergency

A presentation on Climate Emergency was delivered by Climate Officers Resh Thorpe and Mhairi Adams from Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) and Matthew Filmore, Woodley Town Council Deputy Town Clerk. The presentation provided an update on actions taken so far by the Borough and Town Councils and also focused on the importance of individual participation to help reduce carbon emissions.

Several members of the audience asked questions about climate issues in the Borough. These included how short car journeys to school could be addressed. WBC Officers advised that by 2025, all schools in the Borough will need to have an individual Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP).

A question was asked as to whether methane emissions from Ashenbury Park, which was once a landfill site, could be harvested. WBC Officers said that this comment would be passed on to the climate team at WBC.

A question was asked regarding how young people could be discouraged from discarding disposable vapes and drinks cans/bottles inappropriately. WBC Officers advised that this could form part of the discussion in schools and feed into their CEAPs. It was also noted that there was a planned campaign regarding the correct disposal methods for vapes.

A question was asked about the amount of waste generated by the Carnival and whether this was recycled. Cllr Anderson, as a member of the Carnival Committee, responded that some work had been done on this and the general waste bins this year will have recyclable materials separated by the waste contractor after collection.

General questions

The public were then invited to ask questions specific to Woodley Town Council. These included if whether a map could be produced showing the location of all publicly accessible defibrillators in Woodley. The Town Clerk agreed to look into this.

A question was asked regarding the Sunflower Hidden Disabilities Scheme and whether the profile of this could be raised in Woodley. The Deputy Town Clerk advised that Woodley Town Council had signed up to the scheme and the Town Clerk agreed to take the details of the resident and discuss this further.

A question was asked as to what happened to the old graffiti wall in Woodford Park. Cllr Baker advised that the wall was removed some years ago as it was old and in poor condition. He added that a suggestion had been made regarding the reinstatement of something similar but that this had yet to be formally considered.

A question was asked if more lighting could be installed in Woodford Park and whether the net on the basketball hoop could be replaced. The Town Clerk advised that the potential for additional lighting in the park would need to be carefully considered so as not to encourage people to gather in certain areas and that the damaged hoop basket would be removed.

A request was submitted to provide facilities for Padel Tennis at Woodford Park Leisure Centre. It was noted that this would be forwarded to the Town Council working group that was currently looking at future sports provision at the centre. The Deputy Town Clerk advised that there was currently a public consultation survey available for all users and non-users of the centre to feed ideas into, and that this had received around 1000 responses so far.

Cllr Baker rounded off the Q&A session by advising residents that if they wished to object to planning applications affecting them, they must respond to Wokingham Borough Council as the planning authority, and also to contact their Borough Councillor to request that the application be ‘listed’. This process means that the application will be considered fully by Borough Councillors, rather than simply decided by Planning Officers.

Other questions relating to areas covered by Wokingham Borough Council were recorded and will be referred to WBC. Full details of these and minutes of the meeting can be read here.

Reception

The evening concluded with a Cheese & Wine reception in the Carnival and Maxwell Halls at the Oakwood Centre.

Woodley Town Mayor Cllr Juliet Anderson awards local heroes as nominated by the community of Woodley 

We were delighted to award Woodley’s local heroes at our recent Annual Town Meeting, held in the theatre at The Oakwood Centre on 23rd May. 

Neighbour of the Year

Vikram Singh was awarded Neighbour of the Year for supporting people in Woodley to stay safe online and avoid being scammed. David Lawson, one of Vikram’s nominees, said: “Vik is a real community hero because he has helped me and other neighbours stay safe online.”

Volunteer Group of the Year

Woodley Lunch Bunch were awarded Volunteer Group of the Year for their continued work providing a packed lunch delivery service to families in Woodley who are having a difficult time financially, or in other ways, during the school holidays. Brent Lees, one of the nominees, said: “Many people have had challenges associated with the pandemic and the cost of living crisis and are juggling whether to put the heating on or feed their children. Lunch Bunch is an organisation that helps with some of those challenges and that’s why I felt they were very deserving of this award.”

Juliet Sherratt, chairperson of Woodley Lunch Bunch praised and thanked the volunteers of the group for their dedication and continued support to help the local children of Woodley.

Volunteer of the Year

Peter Hawkins was awarded Volunteer of the Year for his dedication helping others and encouraging individuals to take up and enjoy bowling. Peter is a founding member of Woodley Bowling Club and also helped build the Clubhouse. Stephen Treeves, one of the nominees, said: “I can’t think of a better tribute as Woodley Bowls Club celebrates its 60^th anniversary than to give someone who was a founder member and who helped build the club and see it move forward to get an award for his work in the community.” Stephen also praised Peter’s wife Viv, who is also a valued member of the community. 

Mayor’s Award

Former Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, awarded Shane Mason from the Good Companions Pub, for his work providing meals on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to the elderly & vulnerable, alongside providing a free soup kitchen during the winter. 

“Ever since Shane and Leanne took over the management of the Good Companion Pub, they have set out to make community the heart of what they do. From November last year to January this year Shane and Leanne provided a free soup kitchen at the pub. On Christmas Day and Boxing Day, in collaboration with the charities Woodley Lunch Bunch and Woodley Share, they sent out over 120 Christmas dinners, celebration boxes and presents for local children. For their outstanding contribution to the community, I am delighted to nominate Shane and Leanne for this year’s Mayors Award.”

Videos of the winners can be watched on our YouTube channel: @WoodleyTownCouncil.

Voted at the Annual Meeting on 7 May, Cllr Juliet Anderson was elected as Woodley Town Mayor, while Cllr David Bragg was elected as Woodley Town Deputy Mayor. 

Cllr Anderson’s chosen charity for the year is SHARE Woodley.

It is one of 15 free community fresh food and pantry sites set up by the food sharing charity SHARE.

You can find out more about SHARE’s services on its website.

Invite the Mayor

To invite the Mayor or Deputy Mayor to an event, please email: 

Matthew.Filmore@woodley.gov.uk