From today, Wednesday 15 December, you will need to show your Covid Pass in certain places where large crowds gather.
This includes nightclubs, indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any event with more than 10,000 people
It’s part of Central Government’s ‘Plan B’ measures to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant
The Covid Pass shows your vaccination details or test results. Find out how to get yours HERE.
ReadiBus is judged at the CT Awards to have been the best community transport service in England (and a runner-up in the entire UK) for its service provision during the pandemic.
The CT Awards in November 2021 named ReadiBus as the best community transport service in England – and a runner-up for the whole of the UK – for its service provision during the pandemic. The award was in the headline category of ‘Community Transport Provider of the Year’ and the ceremony highlighted the service provided during the last 21 months by community transport organisations throughout the length and breadth of the country.
The ReadiBus service in Woodley is funded by Woodley Town Council and Wokingham Borough Council. ReadiBus General Manager, Peter Absolon, commented: “Our grateful thanks to Woodley Town Council and Wokingham Borough Council and our other funders for the amazing support that has enabled us to keep the service available for vulnerable residents in Woodley during the pandemic.”
Woodley Town Council Leader, Cllr Keith Baker, is thrilled that ReadiBus has won the award and is very proud that the Council continues to support this vital service.
“It is with great pride that I speak on behalf of the Council congratulating ReadiBus on winning an award acknowledging the very important service that it provides, which has been in even greater demand during the Covid 19 pandemic. The staff and volunteers have gone above and beyond in helping the elderly, disabled and clinically or extremely vulnerable people of Woodley to make essential journeys safely during the pandemic, such as for attending GP and hospital appointments, food shopping and respite. Thank you for supporting the residents of Woodley.”
Bill Freeman, Chief Executive of the Community Transport Association, which held the CT Awards, offered his “huge congratulations for the incredible work over the last year and a half”, adding, “our judges were impressed”.
Throughout the pandemic, the ReadiBus service has provided a safe means for elderly, disabled and clinically extremely vulnerable people to make essential journeys, whether this has been for food shopping, medical appointments, respite or any other reason; and ReadiBus worked side by side with the South Central Ambulance Service to enable local people to safely get to non-Covid-related hospital appointments, such as for cancer treatment and dialysis, helping people when they were most in need.
“I am delighted that our team have received this recognition at the CT Awards”, added ReadiBus General Manager, Peter Absolon. “There are hundreds and hundreds of community transport service providers in the four nations of the UK, all doing wonderful work, and for the ReadiBus team to be recognised in this way for service provided during such a challenging time as this pandemic is quite something. ReadiBus staff showed great commitment to keep the service available and to ensure that it was safe, especially during the first lockdown. People needed a safe means of getting out, whether that was to get food, to attend a medical or hospital appointment, for respite, whatever the reason. I am so proud of what we did and what we achieved together.”
Those who relied upon the ReadiBus during the lockdowns were also very grateful. For example, Mrs Markham from Woodley commented during the first lockdown back in May 2020: “I know I’m safe travelling with you”.
The Chief Executive of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Steve McManus, wrote in a letter to ReadiBus at the end of the first lockdown (June 2020) that ReadiBus’ support “has been truly outstanding’ and that the service ‘has been a life-line for many”.
In total, over 60,000 safe essential journeys have been made on ReadiBus across the whole operation since the start of the first lockdown, including over 2,000 journeys during that first lockdown in 2020.
Peter Absolon, further added: “In the first lockdown, journeys had to be provided one at a time, for social distancing, with a deep clean after every journey in order to keep the travelling environment safe. It was difficult to source enough PPE at the outset but the ambulance service were great and helped us with that and we always had just enough for what we needed each day. We were very strict in our procedures – our team were determined to keep the virus out and to keep safe both ourselves and everyone who needed to travel. Some staff teams rotated to get breathers but the service itself remained available every day. It was exhausting – but it was what was needed.”
As well as giving people the means and the confidence to make the essential journeys that they needed to make, the ReadiBus team also made hundreds of calls to people who were on their own who were not making journeys, to check they were OK. The comments that the team received from those contacted included, for example, “It’s so nice to talk to someone rather than myself”.
From today – 14 December – if a close contact tests positive for Covid 19, you must take daily lateral flow tests, even if you are double vaccinated.
Find out how to get test locally here: http://wokingham.gov.uk/community-testing
Woodley Town Council has received a letter from The Royal British Legion thanking the Council and the residents of Woodley for raising £7522.06.
Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, also wanted to pass on her thanks to the residents of Woodley for their generous donations.
“I would like to thank the residents of Woodley for their very generous donations to this year’s Poppy Appeal. Donations enable the Royal British Legion to help members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans and their families,” she said.
For more information about The Royal British Legion, which celebrated its 100th Anniversary this year, please visit its WEBSITE.
The UK Government has introduced new Covid rules in England from tomorrow, 10th December (2021).
😷 Face coverings required in most public indoor venues, other than hospitality from 10th December
🏠 Work from home if you can from 13th December
📜 Covid passes will be mandatory in certain settings (nightclubs and settings where large crowds gather)
Find out more HERE
Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, helped to start Woodley Town Centre’s Christmas festivities by turning on the Christmas lights on Saturday 27th November, along with Christmas poster competition winners Coco Mead (8) and Jocelyn So (6).
A long-time Woodley resident herself, Cllr Sartorel told the crowd that the lights switch-on and carol concert always marks the beginning of Christmas for her.
The following weekend (Sunday 5th December), Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel opened the 25th Woodley Christmas Fayre, which had been cancelled last year due to the Covid restrictions.
Cllr Sartorel was joined by MP for Reading East, Matt Rodda, MP for Maidenhead, Teresa May and Leader of Woodley Council and Wokingham Borough Mayor, Cllr Keith Baker.
Matt Rodda praised Woodley for being a “fantastic, vibrant place” and told the crowd to “enjoy Christmas, spend lots of money and support local businesses”.
Teresa May wished everyone a Merry Christmas and hoped they enjoyed the Fayre.
While, Cllr Keith Baker thanked Woodley Town Centre manager, Brian Fennelly for his hard work to get the event together, particularly praising the street entertainers.
Cllr Sartorel was delighted with the turnout at the Fayre and thanked the crowd for coming and supporting the fantastic community of Woodley on the Fayre’s 25th Anniversary.
Cllr Sartorel wished everyone a wonderful day and hoped that they purchased some special Christmas gifts before declaring the Christmas Fayre officially open.
There were many stalls at the Fayre, including a range of charities and craft stalls. Entertainers included the Starlet Dance School, Pauly Zarb, Anything Goes Theatre, Steppin Out Stars of Tomorrow, the Rock Choir and Woodley’s songstress Charis-Anne. Circus Scene entertainers, Sister Ruth on her motorised piano and R&R Fisher wandered around entertaining the town.
There was also a guest appearance of Santa in his sleigh!
At the recent Strategy & Resources Committee meeting, held on 23rd November, the following community grants were awarded:
Kick Twist Cheerleading
£250 – To purchase air track equipment to aid the teaching of beginners’ teams.
Woodley Adopt a Street Project (WASP)
£250 – To purchase additional street cleaning equipment for volunteers.
Wokingham Job Centre Support
£250 – To help towards the cost of providing internet access and training / support on how to find and apply for jobs.
Berkshire MS Therapy
£250 – To help fund exercise sessions for members.
Berkshire Vision
£250 – To help fund a monthly programme of activities for members.
Woodley United FC
£250 – To contribute towards the hire cost of additional training facilities.
Community grants are available to community organisations based in Woodley, which act for the local good of the town or those that can demonstrate how they serve Woodley residents and whose membership is open to Woodley residents.
Grants of up to £250 are available for one-off costs such as equipment, materials or building alterations or a youth (under 21) team/group attendance at county, regional, national or international level primarily within a sporting or cultural activity.
For more information, or to apply, please click HERE or email: Matthew.filmore@woodley.gov.uk.
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), a national charity representing and supporting rural communities, has created a virtual ‘Domesday Book’ for village halls to record the work they are doing in 2021.
ACRE hopes the record will help make the case for sustained funding and support for village halls, particularly with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity) said of the venture:
“Village halls have been a crucial part of rural life for the past century. They provide a space for activities and events that bring people together, create a sense of community, reduce loneliness and support local businesses.
At a time when many village halls are closed because of coronavirus, it is especially important to recognise and celebrate the work they do. As such, I wholeheartedly encourage anyone involved with a village hall to sign this ‘Domesday Book’ and help create a record demonstrating how important these buildings are, and what is needed to make sure they survive in the future.”
There are now over 380 village hall entries in the ‘Domesday Book’, including Coronation Hall and Chapel Hall.
Please click HERE to view the records.
If you’re heading into town to shop, remember to pack your face covering, as it’s now compulsory to wear one inside shops. Many local retailers are practising good hygiene by providing hand sanitiser, so use this too.
Please also be respectful to staff – always, but especially during these busy times. Visit Wokingham Borough Council’s website for tips on staying safe during a pandemic.
There are lots of exciting events happening in the borough this month, from Christmas Fayres to the synthetic outdoor ice rink. Meeting outside where Covid-19 particles can blow away will be much safer for you and your loved ones. Visit Wokingham Borough Council’s website for details of its Christmas events.
Remember, it takes two weeks for your immunity to build from the Covid-19 vaccine, so make sure you book yours to get protected over the Christmas season and beyond. Book your vaccine appointment on the NHS website.
If you’ll be enjoying the festivities outside of the UK, remember to check foreign travel advice, arrange any Covid-19 tests you need for entry, access your NHS Covid Pass to prove your vaccination status and check what you need to do when you return to England.
This now includes taking a PCR test at the end of the second day of your arrival and self-isolating until you have a negative test result. Visit the Gov.uk website for travel advice this season.
Remember, 1 in 3 people infected with the virus don’t show any symptoms, so stock up on your rapid tests ahead of the festive season. Taking regular lateral flow tests means you can check you aren’t infected and unknowingly spreading the virus to others.
There are several ways to get them – including ordering them through the Gov.uk website or collecting them from local test centres.
Older relatives, friends, and neighbours; be sure to check in on them to see if there’s anything they need during the busy festive period. You can also refer them to the One Front Door website for help and support during these challenging times.
It’s tempting to brush the sniffles off, but remember, Covid-19 symptoms can vary from person to person. If you’re feeling unwell, it’s best to stay home to avoid passing any illnesses onto others. Consider booking a PCR test on the Gov.uk website to check you aren’t infected.
Whether you’re out with your friends, family, colleagues, or anyone else, take precautions to stay safe, keep Covid at bay and have fun this Christmas by taking a lateral flow test before meeting others, getting vaccinated and self-isolating if you test positive.
Heading to a festive activity? Or travelling to another part of the country for the Christmas break? It is now mandatory to wear a face-covering on public transport in England (unless you are exempt).
Remember to plan ahead and try to avoid rush hour if you can. Find out tips on travelling on public transport safely on the Gov.uk website.
Make sure you have enough medication in case you are unable to go out and ensure you get your prescription medicines before pharmacies close on Christmas Eve. Visit Wokingham Borough Council’s self-isolation webpage for advice.
The festive season can be a hard time for many, so check in on friends and family, and access local and national support lines if you are struggling. Wokingham Borough Council’s online Local Support Hub website can help with a range of issues from finance to health.
Have friends or family coming over during the holidays? Viruses can spread easily when we’re gathered inside, so make sure you let fresh air in by opening a window or door and practising good hand hygiene. Visit Wokingham Borough Council’s website for tips on staying safe.
We are delighted to have hired a living, pot grown Christmas tree from the Festive Tree Hire for the Oakwood Centre as part of our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint.
The specially selected tree will return to the Festive Tree ‘family’ in January, to continue to grow and be nurtured, ready for us to hire next Christmas.
We’ve decorated the Christmas tree with the same baubles we have used for several years and it is lit using LED lights for that carbon-conscious Christmas sparkle.
We are aware that the tree is leaning slightly to one side but we think it adds to its charm and beauty of being a real, sustainably sourced living tree.
We hope the Christmas tree brings you some sparkle and joy during the festive season!
Merry Christmas to all of our residents.
If you have a real Christmas tree this year that cannot be replanted or grown, this should be recycled.
If you are registered with the garden waste scheme or have purchased garden waste bags, please chop your tree up and pop it in there for collection. Alternatively, take it along to one of our recycling centres.
If you’d like to take the hassle out of recycling your tree, while supporting a good cause, you could use Just Helping’s Christmas Treecycling scheme, who will collect and recycle your tree in return for a minimum £10.50 donation to a local hospice.
The Wokingham Charity and Community Hub, the first of its kind in the Wokingham Borough, has launched this week (1 December).
Initially the hub, which is located at Waterford House in Wokingham town centre, will open for appointments only. Appointments can be booked by calling (0118) 228 0480 or emailing reception@vcshub.co.uk from 8 December.
And it will fully open its doors in the new year for members of the public to drop-in and seek help, advice and support. It is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Earlier this year, Wokingham Borough Council agreed grants and contracts worth more than £2million with voluntary, and community sector (VCS) organisations to provide prevention services to adults.
The charities who will use the hub are Involve, Cranstoun Wokingham, Home Start Wokingham District, Health Watch Wokingham Borough, The Link Visiting Scheme, Mind in Berkshire, Citizen’s Advice Wokingham, CLASP, Promise Inclusion (Pinc), Wokingham Foodbank and Wokingham Volunteer Centre.
In celebration of National Tree Week, Wokingham Borough Council is launching a pilot Garden Forest Scheme, which is part of its aspiration to becoming a net-zero carbon borough, and invites residents to apply for a tree, or trees, for their own garden.
Over the next five years, the Council is looking to plant 250,000 trees across the borough to increase carbon sequestration rates. Carbon sequestration is a process whereby the trees will draw excess CO2 from the atmosphere and store it.
In order to apply to the Garden Forest Scheme, the Council invites you to visit its Engage platform, where you will find an application form and more information about the scheme, and the project as a whole.
The scheme is set to initially run for two years, after which it will be reviewed, and a decision made on whether to extend it. The initial application window, open until 31 January 2022, and applicants will be contacted throughout March, with successful residents being given more information on arrangements for collecting a tree, which will be early Autumn 2022, to coincide with planting season.
In order to be eligible, you must have space in your garden for a tree and permission to plant the tree if the garden is not yours.
Councillor Wayne Smith, executive member for planning and enforcement, said: “I am really excited that we are able to launch the Garden Forest Scheme, and offer residents another way that they can help towards reaching our goal of a net-zero carbon borough.
“We know that as a council we can’t do this alone, so being able to offer residents ways in which they can help is so important.”
John Tucker, Director of Woodland Outreach at the Woodland Trust added: “The Woodland Trust is proud to be supporting Wokingham’s Tree Project through our Emergency Tree Fund. Planting new trees is a vital step in fighting climate change and nature loss.
“By joining in the Garden Forest initiative, residents across Wokingham can play their part and get the lasting benefits of trees to enjoy for years to come.”
Councillor Gregor Murray, executive member for residents, communications and emissions added: ““The Garden Forest Project is just one part of our plans to plant 250K trees across the borough over the next five years.
“Through this project, we are inviting residents to get involved in greening up Wokingham borough. We know that we can’t get meet our climate emergency aspirations alone – we need to work with residents, partners, businesses and town and parish councils. Sign up and get involved.”
For more information about the scheme, please email: mailto:250ktreeproject@wokingham.gov.uk
© Woodley Town Council 2024
