Mayor’s Charity Quiz night raises over £1500 for Woodley Lunch Bunch
We are delighted to announce that the Mayor’s Charity Quiz night raised £1546.35 for the Mayor’s chosen charity, Woodley Lunch Bunch
Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, hosted a Charity Quiz night, along with Woodley Town Deputy Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson on Friday at the Oakwood Centre.
The event was compered by Juliet, and involved a fun mix of games and a main quiz, which concluded with an interesting round named “Ikea or cheese?’.
Woodley Lunch Bunch
The bar was run by team members of Woodley Lunch Bunch, with additional support on score keeping. A spokesperson for the charity commented: “We are so grateful for the Mayor’s support. We ran the bar and helped with the scoring and had a lovely evening. Thank you to everyone who came and helped to raise such a fantastic amount.”
Woodley Lunch Bunch is a local charity which delivers lunches to children in Woodley. You can find out more about the charity HERE.
Raffle
The Mayor also ran a raffle with prizes ranging from bottles of champagne, chocolates, candles to vouchers for meals out. Janet would like to thank all the local businesses who generously donated prizes and to everyone who bought a raffle ticket on the night.
Winners
The Deputy Town Mayor produced a challenging and fun quiz, with additional games, including a ‘Heads or Tails’ round. The overall winners of the Quiz were the Valiant Vikings, closely followed by the Quiz & Tonics. The Valiant Vikings were presented with chocolate lollies by Janet.
Woodley Town Mayor
Janet thanked everyone on the evening for their generosity to help raise such an outstanding amount. “I would like to thank everyone here for attending the quiz, buying raffle tickets and spending money at the bar. I am delighted to raise much needed funds for Woodley Lunch Bunch, who do such a wonderful service for children in Woodley. I would also like to thank the staff at Woodley Town Council for putting the event together, as well as Juliet for being such a great quiz host.”
Mayor attends Woodley Festival of Music & Arts
Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, attended the Finale Concert of the Woodley Festival of Music & Arts and was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers to thank the Mayor, Woodley Town Council and the staff at the Oakwood Centre for their support each year.
Fiona Fisher, chairperson of Woodley Festival of Music & Art gave huge thanks for the facilities of the Oakwood Centre and help from staff. She also said that the grant given by the Council goes a long way towards keeping the event going.
Cllr Janet Sartorel is picture with Ann & Rod Manning who have sponsored the festival for many years.
Annual Town Meeting 23 May 2024
Each year, we host our Annual Town Meeting for the electors living in Woodley to find out about Council activities and to make statements on relevant matters.
When & where
This year, we are holding the Annual Town Meeting on Thursday 23rd May, 7-9pm, in the Alan Cornish Theatre at the Oakwood Centre.
Community Heroes Awards
The evening will start with the presentation of our Community Heroes Awards to local individuals and organisations in recognition of exceptional service to the town.
Climate Emergency
This will be followed by a presentation from guest speakers from Wokingham Borough Council’s Climate Emergency team providing on climate change, and what residents can do to play their part in tackling the crisis.
Resident’s Forum
Electors will have the opportunity to raise any issues and concerns with Councillors, as their elected representatives, on any topic, activity or subject matter they believe to be affecting Woodley.
Cheese & wine reception
The meeting will conclude with a cheese and wine reception.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Town Council supports project to install CCTV in Woodley Town Centre
Progress to install CCTV in Woodley Town Centre continues with new fund donation
Woodley Town Centre Partnership has received a further £10,000 from the Police Community Fund, to add to the £5,000 they received in 2023. The money will go towards a CCTV system for the Town Centre.
Wokingham Borough Council has also recently agreed to contribute £15,000, and Woodley Town Council has now adopted the project and is currently inviting tenders.
Woodley Town Centre Partnership has already met with several bidders and is planning to work quickly to get an effective system installed.
Town Centre Manager, Brian Fennelly, said: “We are very grateful to have received this further contribution from the Police Community Fund. Wokingham Borough Council’s contribution is also very much appreciated, and it is very encouraging to have these two important stakeholders making an active contribution to Woodley Town Centre. Woodley Town Council has been fully supportive of the project all along and the Town Centre Partnership look forward to working with the Council at pace to get an effective CCTV system installed.”
CCTV Survey
The Town Council would like residents’ views on the potential installation of CCTV in the town centre. If you would like to feed into this, please take part in this short 1 minute survey.
We thank you for your time.
Town Centre Manager, Brian Fennelly, receiving a cheque from Matthew Barber, Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley
Great British Spring Clean
Woodley’s Clean Up Day 2024
Keep Britain Tidy’s ninth Great British Spring Clean is back and Woodley Adopt a Street (WASP) is hosting a Clean Up Day on Saturday 23 March
The WASP team will be meeting at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Haddon Drive, Woodley on Saturday 23 March, at 10am and welcome local residents to come and join them to lend a hand.
WASP asks volunteers to wear gloves, strong footwear and suitable clothing. The team is also encouraging volunteers to bring along their own litter picker and Hi Vis, if they have them. Otherwise these can be provided while stocks last.
For further details please contact:
Shelagh Flower: 07879330403 / shelagh.flower@googlemail.com
D-Day 80th Anniversary Event
Please join us to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day
Thursday 6th June 2024, 6pm – 10pm
Woodford Park Memorial Ground, Headley Road, Woodley
Live band performing on stage! Entertainers! Food & drink stalls!
The Woodley Town Mayor will light a beacon at 9.15pm along with the rest of the nation.
Bring a picnic, your friends and family and enjoy the celebrations!
More information to follow…
A reminder that photo ID is required for upcoming elections
Wokingham Borough Council is reminding residents to ensure they have suitable photo ID to help them get ready for upcoming elections.
Local elections
Local elections are taking place on Thursday 2 May, with all 54 seats up for contention on Wokingham Borough Council. On the same day, there is also a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) election for the Thames Valley and there may be parish council elections if any seats are contested.
Although photo ID was a requirement at last year’s local elections, not all borough wards were up and so for many residents this will be the first time they need to bring ID. The change was introduced as a result of the Elections Act, which was passed in 2022 and has seen a number of changes to elections and voting.
For those who do not have suitable ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC). This can be done online, or by completing a paper form and sending it to Wokingham Borough Council’s electoral services team.
For the local and PCC elections in May, the deadline to apply for a VAC is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.
Check your ID
Before applying, check the ID you already have. Accepted forms of ID include:
- Passport
- Full or provisional driving licence
- Blue badge
- Certain concessionary travel cards, such as an older person’s buss pass or an Oyster 60+ card
- Identity card with Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) mark
- Biometric Immigration document
- Defence identity card
- Certain national identity cards
Expired ID will also be accepted, as long as the photograph on the document still resembles a likeness of the elector.
A full list of accepted forms of ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website, along with more information about photo ID and how to apply for a VAC.
Check you are registered to vote
If you turn up at a polling station without suitable photo ID, you will not be issued with a ballot paper. Bringing your poll card alone will not entitle you to vote. Before starting an application for a VAC, you must first remember to check you are registered to vote. The deadline to register is 11.59pm on Tuesday 16 April.
Changes to Ward boundaries
Changes have been made to the electoral ward boundaries in Wokingham borough, with two new constituencies.
Key dates
Register to Vote – Deadline Midnight Tue 16 April
Cancel/amend existing postal/proxy – Deadline 5pm on Wed 17 April
New Postal Vote Applications – Deadline 5pm on Wed 17 April
Free VAC – Deadline 5pm on Wed 24th April
Find out more HERE.
Electoral Services Team
You can contact WBC’s Electoral Services Team by email, or call (0118) 974 6000 to request a paper copies of application forms. The team will also be happy to help with any queries you may have in completing a form.
Climate Emergency Information Hub
Woodley Town Council publishes Climate Emergency information on its website to help the community of Woodley to contribute to Climate Change
In October 2019, Woodley Town Council declared a Climate Emergency. Alongside becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030, the Council committed to work with all parts of the community to aid the reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions, as well as supporting Wokingham Borough Council with the implementation of its Climate Emergency Action Plan.
While we continue to make plans and carry out actions in line with our Climate Emergency Action Plan, we have updated our website to include a dedicated section with information to help our residents when considering how they can reduce their impact on climate change.
The information is divided into six key areas:
- Waste & Recycling
- Homes & Energy
- Food, Consumables & Goods
- Travel & Transport
- Carbon Offsetting
- Other Resources.
Each section has information about local and national initiatives, with references to useful apps and ways in which everyone can contribute to reducing their carbon footprint and the impact it has on climate change. You can access our Climate Emergency Information Hub HERE.
Council Tax bills 2024-25
Wokingham Borough Council has now finalised Council Tax bills for 2024-25
Paper bills will be posted from 11 March, however, Wokingham Borough Council is encouraging residents to access their Council Tax Bills online.
You will need to register for an account and you can switch to paperless billing, which is quicker and more environmentally friendly.
You can set up an account HERE.
Woodley Town Council Precept
We have reduced the Town Council Precept by £3.06 per Band D household for 2024-25. Find out more about this HERE.