A record number of local children have thrown away their stabilisers this summer after pedalling their way to success, completing Wokingham Borough Council’s Bikeability Learn to Ride course at Woodford Park and other locations

Wokingham Borough Council’s My Journey team have successfully helped a massive 168 of our school age children master the skill of riding a pedal bike.

The My Journey team hosted regular weekly sessions at the FBC centre in Finchampstead and at Woodford Park Leisure Centre in Woodley, where children were invited to attend two consecutive sessions to learn to ride.

Due to its continued success, demand for the sessions have increased. To help accommodate as many enthusiastic wannabe cyclists as possible this summer, the My Journey team worked in partnership with Cycle Experience to run a number of additional sessions throughout the summer holidays at Floreat Montague Park primary school in Wokingham.

Over two weeks in August, 86 children attended the courses, bringing the total number of children trained this Summer to 168.

Congratulations

“I would like to congratulate all our young children who have mastered this fantastic skill over the summer, a skill that will stay with them for the rest of their lives”, said Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport.

“I would encourage any parent wanting some help with teaching their child to ride a bike to get in contact with the My Journey team and get signed up to one of their weekly sessions.”

The key to success for the Bikeability Learn to Ride course is partly down to the number of instructors, with the team able to offer one instructor for every two or three children.

During the sessions the team use bikes without pedals (balance bikes) and teach children to balance, glide, steer and stop. Once they have mastered balancing, they move on to learning how to pedal.

The My Journey Wokingham team will be running more Bikeability Learn to Ride sessions this term on Thursdays from 4 to 5pm. There is a £5 charge per session and booking is essential, via the My Journey Wokingham website at www.myjourneywokingham.com/events

Gold national award for Wokingham top canine carers 

The Public Protection Partnership’s canine carers have won a top national award for the gold standard way they look after stray dogs. For the tenth successive year the Animal Warden service has won the RSPCA’s Footprint Award in its Community Animal Welfare Footprint (CAWF) Awards

This award recognises public sector organisations going above and beyond basic and statutory animal welfare standards. Established in 2008, the annual Footprint awards are supported by the Local Government Association, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. Gold standard is the highest achievement.

Cllr Hilary Cole, Chairman of the Joint Public Protection Committee, said: “We are delighted that for the tenth year in a row our excellent Animal Warden service has received a top RSPCA award. Our aim is to reunite a dog and owner and get it home, or find it a new home, as quickly as possible. If there is a delay we take the dog to our kennels that are staffed by trained professionals and manned 24/7. All the dogs are assessed by a vet whether sick or not. We keep the dog for up to seven days to give the owner a chance to claim the animal. If the dog is not claimed we find a space in a rescue centre and we only use rescue centres that vaccinate, microchip, neuter and home check.”

Help

If you have lost or found an animal within Wokingham Borough we can be found online at https://publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk/environmental-health/animal-warden/and https://www.facebook.com/Animal-Warden-West-Berkshire-and-Wokingham-Borough-councils-421065871394741/.

Alternatively you can contact us:
• During office hours (9am – 5pm, Monday to Thursday or 9am – 4:30pm Friday) on 01635 519171 or
• Outside of these times (including Bank Holidays) on 0844 499 6063

Public Protection Partnership

Wokingham Borough’s Animal Warden Service comes under Environmental Health and Licensing which is part of the Public Protection Partnership, a shared service provided by Wokingham Borough Council, Bracknell Forest Council and West Berkshire Council.

The Public Protection Partnership – publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk – is a shared service delivering Environmental Health, Licensing and Trading Standards to over 450,000 people and 10,000 businesses on behalf of three authorities, Wokingham Borough Council, West Berkshire Council and Bracknell Forest Council. The Joint Public Protection Committee oversees the work of the Public Protection Partnership.

We are pleased to report that Woodley Town Council has received the External Auditor Report on its 2018/19 Annual Governance and Accountability Return stating that in their opinion the information in sections 1 and 2 of the Return is in accordance with proper practices and no other matters have come to their attention giving cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have not been met.

To view the notice of the conclusion of audit and the relevant sections of the Council’s Annual Governance and Accountability Return for 2018/19 click HERE.

Helping the local homeless

Wokingham Borough Council, in its commitment to support those at risk of homelessness and people who sleep rough, has a new draft strategy to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough and wants to know what you think.

Consultation

The consultation is available on the council’s website from 9 to 27 September by visiting www.wokingham.gov.uk and searching ‘consultations’.

The strategy has four key priorities: early intervention and prevention; working towards ending rough sleeping and tackling hidden homelessness (people who become homeless but are staying with friends or family); building more affordable homes; and supporting our vulnerable residents.

To address these priorities, the council is proposing to work with long-term rough sleepers, look closely at the hidden homeless in the borough and reduce its use of emergency and temporary accommodation for the homeless.

“The impacts of homelessness can be devastating for individuals and families. Homelessness can affect everything — health, education and employment,” said John Kaiser, executive member for finance and housing. “Homelessness can have long term consequences for those affected. As a result, reducing homelessness and rough sleeping is a key priority for the council.

Homelessness is an important issue and we want to hear what you think of our priorities and aims. Visit our website to tell us how you think we should tackle this difficult issue.”

Help

For information on how to get advice if you or someone you know is or may become homeless, visit our website at www.wokingham.gov.uk and search ‘homelessness’.

To contact the council for help on homelessness, phone 0118 974 6000 during office hours or 01344 786 543 after hours, via email at housing.needs@wokingham.gov.uk or by visiting the council offices at Shute End, Wokingham.

If you are aware of someone sleeping rough in the borough, let the council know by sending an alert to StreetLink. The details you provide will be sent to the council, who will use the information to find the individual, offer them support, and explore ways to find them accommodation.

e-comic book classics hit Wokingham libraries

Whether you’re Fantastic Four fanatic or a X-Men enthusiast , Wokingham Borough Libraries are jam-packed with superheroes and villains, now available to you free of charge at just the touch of a button.

Comic book enthusiasts can now access a huge variety of e-Comics through the library’s digital service website. They are now able to login via their PC, smartphone or tablet and go to a whole new world of adventure.

With more than 60 new graphic novel titles, including popular characters Spider Man, the X-Men, Captain America, the Fantastic Four and Iron Man, as well as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek, Transformers and X-Files, there is something for everyone.

“We are thrilled to add e-comics to our already extensive digital library service which now boasts more than 2,000 e-books and 1,000 audiobooks, now with no limit to the number of audiobooks or comics you can borrow,” said Cllr Parry Batth, executive member of environment and leisure.

“We also have most of the daily and weekly national newspapers available, some local newspapers and hundreds of magazines”.

For further details and to create a free account with your library card number visit www.wokingham.gov.uk and search e-books.

The path around the lake has been repaired and resurfaced as part of the lake regeneration project. The old path surface was in very poor condition due to wear and tear and tree root damage.

The new surface has loose stones at present, which will compact over time with pedestrian traffic. The loose stones will become less and less as this happens.

For more information please call Woodley Town Council on 0118 9690356 or email admin@woodley.gov.uk

Celebrate age

To celebrate the International Day of Older Persons on 1 October, Wokingham Borough Council along with partners is hosting a Celebrate Age event at the newly refurbished Loddon Valley Leisure Centre, from 10.00-15.00. If you are feeling lonely or isolated, this is the ideal opportunity to get out there and see what the borough has to offer.

Taster sessions

The day will be packed with taster sessions, activities and arts and crafts, all free of charge.

The council’s sport and leisure team will be doing blood pressure checks and advising on the latest sporting developments, while activities such as Tai Chi, Zumba Gold, cycling and ballroom dancing are also due to be on offer. Local clubs and societies will be on hand to speak to with Sporting Memories, Aging Actively or Talking Therapies to name a few. Officers from the Thames Valley Police and Berkshire Fire Service are also due be available sharing their tips on staying safe and risk free.

In addition to the array of informative and advisory stalls such as assistive technology, housing needs, benefits and social care, local businesses will be present – beauticians, dietary experts and massage specialists giving demos and presentations, brightening the day up.

Refreshments

Light lunch will be provided for a small cost of £1 and those with a sweet tooth will be able to purchase and enjoy hand-crafted cakes and treats made by students from Addington School.

“I’d like to personally invite all of our senior residents to this wonderful celebration. The day looks incredibly promising with many fantastic stalls, activities and information stands. It’s all about coming together as a community and having a great time. We’ve got lots to celebrate after all! I look forward to welcoming everybody on the day,” said Wokingham Borough Mayor, Cllr Bill Soane.

For more information about the event, please contact the sport and leisure team via email at: sport@wokingham.gov.uk

FIRST PHASE OF ADDINGTON EXPANSION PROJECT COMPLETED

The first phase of the £4.4million expansion of Addington School has been completed with two new multi-use games areas (MUGAs), a new sensory path and an expanded car park now in use. The work was carried out during the school summer holidays and means students will have use of all the facilities they are used to while a new block is built where the facilities used to be sited.

Fifty more children with special educational needs will be able to attend the Ofsted outstanding rated school, in Woodley, from next September following completion of the project. The first phase of the work are part of the preparations to increase its capacity from the start of the next school year.

The next phase of the project at the school, in Woodlands Avenue, will see work on the new single-storey block begin. It will include four classrooms, a café and social/breakout areas. Modular construction specialists Reds10 will complete the project, with 60 to 70 per cent of the work being completed offsite to reduce disruption to the school and its students.

As part of the project the boundary of the car park, which now has 30 more spaces to accommodate additional staff, will see additional planting around its border, including evergreen plants to provide screening all-year round.

Extra pupils

The expansion, which all takes place within the school’s boundary, will allow more local children with special educational needs and disabilities to be educated closer to home and boost the school’s capacity to more than 250 students due to the extra space.

“It’s fantastic to see the first stage of this work completed and to know that students at Addington School will have all the facilities they are used to for the new term ,” said Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for children’s services.

“The project will mean we can increase the number of young people who will be able to access the outstanding education for SEND children on offer at Addington. The expansion will help to make children and their families’ lives easier as they will be able to go to school closer to home, meaning shorter journeys and reduced travel costs for Wokingham Borough Council.”

“It’s absolutely crucial Addington’s students have access to the facilities they are used to while we work to expand the school,” said Sara Attra, headteacher at Addington School.

“Completion of this first stage of the work marks a successful start as we look to grow our outstanding school, and work to be able to support even more young people with the type of education they need. The students were extremely excited to see the new state of the art Multi Use Games Areas on their return to school and couldn’t wait to test out the new surfaces!”

The facilities will be officially opened by Borough Mayor Cllr Bill Soane and Cllr Clark later this autumn.

Re3 is working in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council, Reading Borough Council, Bracknell Forest Council and FCC Environment to help people in Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham Boroughs waste less and recycle more.

This month, the focus is on reducing the number of clothes that end up in landfill. Every week 11 million items of clothing end up in landfill. Throwaway fashion is putting increasing pressure on our planet and its people – it’s unsustainable.

Re3 is urging residents to help by joining Second Hand September and pledging to say no to new clothes for 30 days. To join in, click HERE and sign up. Furthermore, to receive Re3’s regular newsletter, sign up HERE.

Thames Valley Police are warning of an increase of doorstep rogue traders

TVP has released the following information:

We have received reports of potential Doorstep Rogue Traders and Cold Callers in the Earley and Woodley areas.

You may receive a cold call knock at your door from someone claiming to be a tradesman working in the area. They will call unexpectedly, offering services or goods you had not asked for. Those who accept work often find the price increases or the work is left unfinished.

The usual type of work offered includes pressure washing driveways, garden clearance, chimney repairs, replacing loose tiles, repairing leaking roofs or guttering and driveway work. If you accept work from a doorstep trader you’re very likely to pay much more than the price initially agreed for very poor, unnecessary and sometimes dangerous work and you are likely to be targeted by them again in the future. They often target the older generation, who are often more trusting and vulnerable to falling victim to these types of traders.

Doorstep traders rarely provide paperwork so they can’t be traced once they’ve left your home. Names, addresses and business details are often false and telephone numbers are not answered. They have no interest in doing work properly, their only concern is getting the cash and disappearing before Trading Standards or the Police can catch up with them.

Cold Calling can also be a cover for persons planning more serious offences, such as burglaries, to see if houses are occupied. Cold Callers might also commit Bogus Official offences where they gain entry to the house by deception in order to steal, whilst the occupant is distracted.

Please pass on this advice to friends and neighbours who might not receive Thames Valley Alert emails or texts. Genuine reputable local tradesmen do not need to find work in this way.

You should never feel pressured to accept any work or service you do not want or need. It is your home and your right to say NO. If you suspect a crime is in progress, or about to occur, please note any descriptions and contact police on 999.

Download your FREE Home Security Guide from the Thames Valley Police website: https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/advice/home-security-guide/

IF IN DOUBT – KEEP THEM OUT!