We will remember…

Armistice Day 11th November 2023

Thank you to everyone who attended our annual Armistice Day and those who laid a wreath.

Our particular thanks go to Pat Jackson, Chairman of the Winnersh and District Royal British Legion, who read the Exhortation to the Fallen and recited the Kohima Epitaph. We also thank him for his help to organise the event. 

Our thanks also go to Rosemary Edgington of the Winnersh and District Royal British Legion Women’s Section and Vice Chairman of The Royal County of Berkshire and the Vale of the White Horse Royal British Legion for her help in organising the event.

Thank you also to Woodley Town Deputy Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson, for her moving words, summarising the importance of Armistice Day.

“As we stand here in peace and safety, I would like to thank you for joining Woodley Town Council and the Winnersh and District Royal British Legion to pay our respects and remember all of those who have fallen; all of the wounded; and all who have served in conflicts and wars.

Our thoughts are particularly with those currently in conflict and we hope for peace for all. 

Remembrance Day is the day we all remember the brave who have served and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. We remember those who volunteered, sacrificed, served, fought and died for our freedom.

As Woodley Town Deputy Mayor, I am honoured to represent the residents of Woodley today to pay our respects and I wear my poppy with pride as a symbol of remembrance and hope for a positive future and peaceful world. Thank you.”

You can watch video footage of the event on our YouTube channel HERE.

Woodley Schools Remembrance event 10th November 2023

All of the Woodley schools took part in a Remembrance event at the War Memorial in Woodford Park on Friday 10th November.

The Exhortation was read by students from Waingels College and The Bulmershe School; the Last Post and Reveille were played by a student from Waingels College.

The Kohima Epitaph was read by a pupil from St Dominic Savio Catholic Primary School. 

Proceedings were led by Mr Hickey, Head of Highwood Primary School, and the schools were very pleased to be joined by The Mayor of Woodley, Cllr Janet Sartorel, Pat Jackson, Chairman of Winnersh Royal British Legion and Rosemary Edgington, of the Winnersh and District Royal British Legion Women’s Section and Vice Chairman of The Royal County of Berkshire and the Vale of the White Horse Royal British Legion.

(School photos by Waingels College)

Woodley Memorial Remembrance Sunday 12th November 2023

A separate event was held by the Woodley Memorial Remembrance Sunday Community group at the War Memorial in Woodford Park on Sunday 12th November. The group also decorated the side of the Miles Suite at the Oakwood Centre and one of the trees in Woodford Park with stunning poppy waterfall displays.

We would like to thank everyone for attending the events and paying their respects.

Following the retirement of Deborah Mander in June 2023, Woodley Town Council welcomes Kevin Murray as the new Town Clerk. 

Kevin joined the council in 2008, and has served in the roles of Service Support Manager, Deputy Town Clerk and more recently Acting Town Clerk.

“I am absolutely delighted to be able to continue serving the people of Woodley and delivering our services to the community, in the role of Town Clerk. We have a strong, dynamic Council, a fantastic, dedicated staff team and I’m very excited to be taking the Council forwards in meeting the challenges and opportunities ahead,” said Kevin.

Woodley Town Council Leader, Cllr Keith Baker is looking forward to working further with Kevin in his new role. 

“Kevin joined Woodley Town Council many years ago and progressed to the post of Deputy Town Clerk quite rapidly. He did his job exceptionally well but there was much more to come. A couple of years ago the previous Town Clerk became ill and had to take a couple of long periods of absence. During these lengthy periods Kevin, not only carried out his own duties, but took on the responsibilities and work of the Town Clerk which was a tremendous ask of him. He did this extremely well to which I am really grateful. 

“When the Town Clerk retired it was not a foregone conclusion that Kevin would automatically be promoted. For the first time in my experience a highly professional recruitment process was put in place to appoint a new Town Clerk. There was a good number of applicants which were eventually whittled down to four well qualified people and the final part of this process was completed. Kevin was up against extremely stiff competition but the selection panel decided that he was the best candidate. As leader of the Town Council I look forward to continuing to work with him in the future,” said Keith.

Woodley Town Council approves new grants available to groups and organisations supporting young people in Woodley

Youth Grants are now available to assist and facilitate projects that reach, engage and support young people (those aged 21 and under) in Woodley and provide them with better life chances. 

Organisations are welcome to apply for an amount which will normally be capped at £3,000. However, all applications, including those for amounts in excess of this, will be considered on their own merits. 

Youth grants will be considered by the Leisure Services Committee at its scheduled meetings throughout the year, with a recommendation made to the Strategy & Resources Committee for final approval of all grant awards. Successful recipients will be expected to attend a meeting of the Leisure Services Committee to provide feedback on how the grant funds have achieved the project aims. 

Cllr Darren Smith, Chairman of the Leisure Services Committee is pleased to be part of this scheme to help the young people of Woodley. 

“Woodley Town Council is keen to support youth initiatives with this new grant scheme, especially where help is needed to support vulnerable young people in the area. I very much look forward to considering grant requests, which will make a real difference to those younger members of our community,” he said. 

Cllr Keith Baker, Leader of Woodley Town Council, agrees.

“For many years Woodley Town Council have provided grants to Charities and individuals every year. This has provided financial support to many Woodley residents over the years, which is great. However, the Town Council, through sound financial management, finds itself in a solid financial position, so the timing is good to extend this concept to an area which we know is close to many residents’ hearts. The new grants will be available to support the youth of Woodley, especially those who are hard to reach and those who are disadvantaged. By making it a total separate grant with its own budget means the money will be totally ringfenced for the youths of Woodley.  As Leader of the Council, I am incredibly proud of this development and once again Woodley Town Council is at the forefront of supporting our youths,” he said.

Guidelines

The youth support service grant award guidelines and criteria, which were approved at the recent Strategy & Resources Committee meeting in September, outline which groups and organisations can apply for the grants and the process involved. 

The Council will prioritise the following areas: 

• Financially assist services that meet the needs of our vulnerable young people 
• Funding initiatives that tackle crime and anti-social behaviour through supporting young people 
• Funding initiatives that assist young people in gaining employment, education and training. 

In considering the applications preference will be given to: 

• Locally organised organisations/groups, rather than national groups (local branches of national bodies will be counted as locally organised)
• Groups/organisations where Woodley residents are the primary beneficiaries of the group/organisation’s activities
• Requests for grant funding that identify specific items or projects, rather than request for a contribution to running costs
• Requests where the Council’s contribution would make a significant impact on the gross income of the organisation/group. 

The Council will not normally award grants for costs that: 

• could reasonably be expected to be funded from other sources 
• could reasonably be expected to be funded from members’ subscriptions 
• seek to promote or oppose a party-political viewpoint.

Applications can be made by filling in a Youth Grants form which can be found HERE.  

4th September 2023

Woodley Town Council’s Planning & Community Committee has written a response to the consultations by South Western Railway and Great Western Railway to make changes to the operation of railway ticket stations. 

You can read the Council’s response HERE.

Woodford Park awarded the coveted Green Flag Award for the sixth year running as it is again officially recognised as one of the country’s best parks 

In a record-breaking six-year run, Woodford Park is again raising its prestigious Green Flag Award

Woodley Town Council is once again celebrating after receiving a Green Flag Award for Woodford Park for the sixth year running. 

“The news that Woodford Park has once again achieved the accreditation – the international quality mark for parks and green spaces – is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that care for the green space so that everyone can enjoy it,” said Cllr Keith Baker, Woodley Town Council Leader.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd MBE said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved at Woodford Park in achieving a Green Flag Award.

“Woodford Park is a vital green space for the community in Woodley, bringing people together and providing opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles. The staff and volunteers do so much to ensure that it maintains the high standards of the Green Flag Award and everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.” 

“The award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces and I am so proud of the team for their hard work and dedication to ensure that Woodford Park has kept this status for six years running. Each of them always goes above and beyond and I’d like to thank them and also thank The Friends of Woodford Park for the wonderful work they also do in the park,” said Kevin Murray, Woodley Town Council Deputy Town Clerk. 

 “Woodford Park has many areas for residents to enjoy, including the lake and boardwalk, the grass areas, two play areas, an outdoor paddling pool, the Garden of Remembrance, the Rotary Garden, the Memorial Ground and beautiful planting by The Friends of Woodford Park. Not many local parks can boast such facilities. In fact, Woodford Park is the only park in the Wokingham Borough area to have achieved and been awarded Green Flag status,” said Keith.

While Kevin added: “The addition of the Living Wall, planted this year to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, along with tree and painted stone dedications to our late Queen’s Jubilee, is yet another unique feature of Woodford Park, that also involved the community of Woodley. The stones were painted by local children and the wall was unveiled during a community Coronation picnic in the park, which was a huge success and really showcased Woodford Park.”

Love Parks Week

We will be celebrating the park and all of the parks and green spaces which we manage during Love Parks Week, which starts on 28^th July. Children can collect a Biodiversity Quiz to complete from the Town Council’s reception, as well as a seeded earth card to plant wild flowers, while stocks last. 

Year 1 children from five local schools had a great time at Waingels College yesterday (Thursday 8th June) creating tray gardens. 

They had workshops in the morning to build twig furniture and paper decorations and, in the afternoon, designed and built the most amazing and beautiful gardens. 

All the children worked well together and our judges from The Woodley Flower Club, Winnersh Garden Centre and the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson were very impressed with their teamwork and maturity, as well as their creativity.

The gardens will be exhibited alongside the Woodley Flower club displays at the Oakwood Centre during Woodley Carnival on Saturday 10th June.

Woodley Town Council awards community grants to support local community organisations

Woodley Town Council’s Strategy & Resources Committee has awarded the following community organisations a Community Grant to help support their continued work for the residents of Woodley.

We are pleased to be supporting the following local community organisations through our Community Grant funding:

• 1st Woodley Boys’ Brigade – £250 – to update and replace aging sports and camping equipment.
• Woodley Bowling Club – £250 – to pay towards new frames to display competition winners, the replacement of old light fittings to LED, and new metal shutters on the entrance. 
• Community Hopeline CIC – £250 – to purchase promotional material to be used across Woodley to highlight the organisation’s services and projects. 
• Woodley Festival of Music and Arts – £250 – to pay towards the cost of venue and piano hire, and adjudicator and other professional fees. 
• Woodley Volunteers for our Community – £250 – to cover the costs of hiring the Oakwood Centre for an event.

Members of the groups were invited to speak at the Council’s Annual Meeting on 16 May.

Dylan Harman, Captain of 1^st Woodley’s Boys Brigade said: “Thank you from all of us at the Brigade for the grant. This will go towards new camping and sports equipment. It is important to be able to take the boys camping and give them the opportunity to try new sports, which helps them to build friendships, improve their wellbeing and develop lifelong life skills.”

Stephen Treeves, Treasurer of Woodley Bowling Club said: “Thank you for this generous grant. As a self-funded club, this will help us to continue to run, providing local residents with the opportunity to play in a social environment.” Next year is the club’s 60^th anniversary.

Karen Smith, founder and managing director of Community Hopeline CIC, said: “This grant is very important and will help our volunteers to bring the Youthscope project to Woodley and help resource our parent support group to help them cope with children with mental health issues. Thank you very much for your generosity.”

Fiona Fisher and Angela Roberts from Woodley Festival of Music & Arts, said: “This generous grant is important to help us financially to put on the festival, which we are delighted is held at the Oakwood Centre each year, but also is a nod that we are doing something good for the local community. We hope to reach more children across Woodley.”

Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, thanked all of the speakers, congratulated them for their awards and wished them all the best. 

Separate to the Annual Meeting, Ronnie Goodberry, one of the founders of Woodley Volunteers for our Community, said: “I’d like to thank the Council for its generous grant, which helped us to celebrate our 1 millionth item collected. Thank you to the Council and all those in Woodley who volunteer and donate so that we can continue to support Woodley residents.”

Woodley Town Mayor

Voted at the Annual Meeting on 16 May, Cllr Janet Sartorel was re-elected to Woodley Town Mayor for an unprecedented third year running.

“Thank you for the nomination and I am delighted to continue to promote this wonderful town of Woodley and serve as Mayor,” she said. 

Mayor’s Charity

The Town Mayor has chosen Woodley Lunch Bunch as her charity for the municipal year 2023-2024.

“I have chosen Woodley Lunch Bunch for its generous and continued support for local families, especially in these financially challenging times.”

Deputy Town Mayor

Meanwhile, Cllr Juliet Anderson was elected as Woodley Town Deputy Mayor. 

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

Thank you to everyone who came to our community celebration for the coronation of King Charles III.

Here are a selection of photos from the day. Video footage can be found on our Facebook page or YouTube channel.

Huge thanks to our suppliers:

LAX – for excellent sound and staging

Leader – for entertaining the crowd with fabulous music

Circus Scene – for entertaining the crowds and bringing the tallest Beefeater

Magic Moments – for magical entertainment and balloon modelling

Your Face or Mine – for amazing face painting

Roros Coffee – for supplying hot drinks and cakes

Homeshake Bar – for supplying cocktails and other drinks

Sir Whippy – for supplying ice creams

St John’s Ambulance – for first aid provision

Mammoth – for supplying the toilets

Wokingham Borough Councillors 

Bulmershe & Whitegates

Anthony Skuse, Labour

Coronation Ward

Alison Swaddle, Conservative

Loddon

Abdul Loyes, Conservative

Sonning

Michael Firmager, Conservative

Southlake

Laura Blumenthal, Conservative

Download the Declaration of Result of Poll for the Borough Councillors HERE.

Woodley Town Councillors

Bulmershe Ward

Kester Charles Bey, Labour

Yvonne Edwards, Labour

Mike Kennedy, Conservative

June Taylor, Labour

Coronation Central Ward

Juliet Anderson, Conservative

David Bragg, Conservative

Coronation East Ward

Keith Baker, Conservative

Robert Horskins, Conservative

Darren Smith, Conservative

Loddon Airfield Ward

Anne Chadwick, Conservative

Majid Nagra, Labour

Alison Swaddle, Conservative

Loddon South Ward

Greg Bello, Labour

Janet Sartorel, Conservative

Bill Soane, Conservative

Loddon West Ward

Linda Gutteridge, Conservative

Parvinder Singh, Labour (stood as an Independent Councillor at the election)

South Lake North Ward

Jenny Cheng, Conservative

Danny Errawalla, Conservative

Mary Holmes, Conservative

South Lake South Ward

Kay Gilder, Conservative

Beth Rowland, Liberal Democrat

Carol Jewell, Liberal Democrat

Warren Ward

Michael Firmager, Conservative

Vin Lewis, Conservative

Download the Declaration of Result of Poll for Woodley Town Councillors HERE.

Retiring Town Councillors:

Nada Al-Sanjari (2019-23)

Shadi Brindley (2015-23)

Martin Doyle (2019-23)

Michael Forrer (2015-23)

Mark Green (2015-23)

Alex Heap (2019-23)

Richard Skegg (2019-23)

Philip Wicks (2015-23)

Thank you for all the work you have done.

Matt Allwright hosts Woodley’s Community Heroes Awards for second year running

We were delighted to hold our annual Community Heroes Awards on Friday 24 February at the Oakwood Centre, compered by the BBC One Show’s Matt Allwright, honouring local heroes as nominated by the residents of Woodley.

The awards have been rebranded from the former Citizens’ Awards to introduce new categories for local residents to nominate their Woodley heroes.

Matt started the evening with tales of his childhood days as a ‘Woodleyite’ before introducing the winners, celebrating the very best of Woodley’s community. 

Environmentalist of the Year

The first winner was David Provins, who won Environmentalist of the Year.

Founder of the Friends of Woodford Park, David was nominated for his dedication, devotion and hard work he puts in to maintain certain areas and flower beds in Woodford Park.

Nominated by Morag Frost, she commented: “David sets such a wonderful example of leadership, always enthusiastic, reliable and hard-working. He is fully committed to anything he takes on board. A man of many parts, one in a million, David deserves a big pat on the back in terms of recognition as a community hero.” 

Also nominated by Bob King, he commented: “David always goes the extra mile and goes over and above. For example, saving money by buying smaller plugs and growing them at home before planting them in Woodford Park and showing true commitment when he is at the park early in the morning during dry spells to water the various beds.”

David thanked the volunteers who help him and also made a plea for more volunteers to join the team. 

Voluntary Group of the Year

Next to receive an award were Woodley Volunteers, who won Voluntary Group of the Year. The award was accepted by the Chairman, Alistair Todd and the coordinator, Karen Todd.

Founded over 40 years ago, the volunteers help to get Woodley residents to medical appointments, staying with them and taking them home. 

Nominated by Pamela Webber for giving up their free time and using their own vehicles and providing such an essential service. She commented: “I am nominating them as a user of this service. They are always prompt, helpful and friendly. It has helped me attend my medical appointments as I don’t drive and do not have anyone else to ask. The service is priceless and they all deserve a medal.” 

Alistair said: “It’s an honour to be recognised and awarded and we accept this on behalf of the volunteers.”

Volunteer of the Year

The next category was Volunteer of the Year and the first of two winners for this award.

Carolyn Wildman won Volunteer of the Year for her commitment and tireless dedication to Share Woodley, a free food sharing project which began at the start of the Covid pandemic at Emmanuel Church, using up surplus food that catering companies found they were left with; many supermarkets now also provide surplus food. It continues to be a life saver for lots of families, especially during the current cost of living crisis, also helping Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers accommodated in local hotels.

Nominated by Juliet Sheratt, she commented: “Carolyn has worked tirelessly to build links with local food outlets who can donate food and to build a strong team of volunteers who help to collect food and host the Share session on a Monday afternoon. Carolyn gives all her time and effort freely and offers support as well as food to the clients at Share. She works closely with Wokingham Community Engagement to keep clients informed of grants and funds they can apply for as well as being a link into council services. She is always professional but friendly and will go the extra mile for people. She truly deserves recognition for her hard work, as with or without an award, she is a community hero.”

Also nominated by Julie Smith, she said: “Carolyn was already helping out with Share Wokingham, so when the chance came to introduce the scheme to Woodley, Carolyn wasted no time in getting interested parties together.  It is true to say that without Carolyn’s enthusiasm and hard work; this invaluable community resource would not be the success it is. But Carolyn does much more than organise the team and manage the sessions. 

She has worked hard to develop links with local stores and collects food from them several times a week, all in her own time and at her own expense.  She makes it her business to get to know the clients who visit Share and their circumstances, often checking up on them and helping out in other ways if they need it and pointing them in the right direction for help. She devotes so much of her time and energy, and also genuine care and concern for the local community and deserves this award as an appreciation of all that she does.

Carolyn is the unsung hero of Share and the people that visit on a Monday afternoon would give this nomination a resounding ‘yeah’.”

Carolyn said: “I’d like to say a big thanks to my husband Pete – I couldn’t do it without him.” She also thanked all of the volunteers and suppliers. 

Young Person of the Year

Another new category to the awards, Dexter Rosier was the next award winner, winning Young Person of the Year.

Dexter was nominated by his mum Samantha for his dedication to help others and raise funds and support for those in need. During the first Covid lockdown, Dexter started running marathons to raise money for Royal Berkshire Hospital. He also camped out for a whole month to raise funds for another local charity, Camp Mohawk. Dexter also uses his own initiative to donate to local food banks inspired by Marcus Rashford and set up Dexter’s library based out of Whitley CDA, to help as many children as possible to have access to books during the summer holidays. 

Mum, Samantha, commented: “Dexter cares for everyone; indeed, he is a huge advocate of human rights for equality. Dexter is a young anomaly – he is gentle, mature, emotionally intelligent, empathetic and sympathetic in his approach to his everyday living. In this respect, I hereby nominate this outstanding nine-year-old boy for recognition of his services to others. Dexter Rosier makes the world a better place.” 

She added: “We are beyond proud of him – keep being you Dexter.”

Dexter, who already has more ideas for fundraising, said: “I do it to help people.”

Volunteer of the Year

The next award recipient was the second winner of the Volunteer of the Year category.

Lynne Shipton won Volunteer of the Year for creating a charity to support those newly diagnosed with breast cancer, following her own diagnosis. Chemogiftbags provides a bag filled with thoughtful and helpful items to help someone undergoing chemotherapy following a breast cancer diagnosis. 

Nominated by Tracy Linden, she commented: “I wanted to nominate Lynne for this award as she has worked tirelessly since the charity Chemogiftbags was born in 2015, to support the local people not only in Woodley but within the Thames Valley area. Lynne relentlessly fundraises to enable more women to benefit and she never gives up. The many reviews she has received from recipients of the Chemogiftbags is testament to the light she brings to others at what can be a daunting time.  If she can bring a smile to someone’s face, then she says her mission is achieved. It would be great for Lynne to be recognised for all she does to support others.”

Also nominated by Sandra Leary, a former recipient of a Chemogiftbag and now Ambassador for the charity, she said: “Lynne is the Kingpin of this wonderful Woodley based charity. She works so hard and puts in so many hours. The bags are so well thought out and put together with such care with things you wouldn’t even think about.”

Lynne said: “It’s a team award. Not just about me. We wouldn’t be here without the generous help from the team, volunteers, ambassadors. It’s about giving love for the people going through the treatment so they know we’re there to support them.”

Mayor’s Outstanding Contribution Award

The final award of the evening was the Mayor’s Outstanding Contribution Award, which is chosen by the Mayor and awarded to a person or organisation for their contribution to Woodley. This year, Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel chose to award Rosemary Edgington from Winnersh District Royal British Legion the Mayor’s Outstanding Contribution Award for her dedication, persistence and continuing support of the Poppy Appeal in Woodley. 

In her speech, Janet told the audience that Rosemary has been involved in the poppy appeal across various committees since 1978, and took over from her father as the Poppy Appeal organiser for Woodley in 2017, inspired to support the Poppy Appeal by her grandmother who was part of a test case for war widows’ pensions as it was her way of giving back because the pension made such a difference to her grandmother’s life.

“In 1998, poppy selling migrated to Woodley precinct, where it still remains today. In fact, my husband Lou was out with Rosemary selling poppies last November. Luckily, they now have a few more comforts when selling, including a table and chairs and not just a ‘poppy box around the neck’.”

Rosemary is also responsible for distributing wreaths across Woodley, along with the poppies for schools and shops to sell, taking her over four hours to deliver each time, covering over 10 miles!

She also started working with Woodley Town Council and its Armistice Day event in 2021, following in the footsteps of her father. 

“She is a valuable and vital member of the team who put the Armistice event together and they have asked me to convey their very heartfelt thanks for her support and guidance, adding that they look forward to continuing this relationship and benefitting from Rosemary’s knowledge, dedication, kindness and support for many years to come,” said Janet.

“To quote Rosemary: ‘People always find their way to you; it’s deep-rooted in our society to buy a poppy’. Each year I wear my poppy with pride as a symbol of remembrance and hope for a positive future and peaceful world. Long may people continue to buy poppies to help remember the brave who have served and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace and to raise vital funds to support them and their loved ones.”

The awards ceremony was followed by a reception in the Carnival and Maxwell rooms, catered for by Brown Bag. 

Congratulations and Thanks 

We would like to once again congratulate all of the winners and thank them and their nominees and guests for attending the event. 

We would also like to thank Matt Allwright for hosting the awards ceremony and providing great entertainment and camaraderie. 

Finally, we’d like to thank Francesca Reed, an A Level student at Waingels College, for taking photos of the award winners. 

Find out more

Videos of the award winners can be viewed on our You Tube channel.

We look forward to honouring and celebrating the very best of our community again next year. Nominations will open later in the year. Details of the Community Heroes Awards can be viewed HERE. 

If you would like to hire the theatre or rooms at the Oakwood Centre, you can find out more HERE. 

Charities

Details of the various charities from the 2023 awards:

Friends of Woodford Park: https://friendsofwoodfordpark.webs.com

Woodley Volunteers: 0118 969 8849 / [email protected]

Share Woodley: https://www.facebook.com/sharewoodley

Royal Berkshire Hospital: https://www.royalberkscharity.co.uk

Camp Mohawk: https://www.campmohawk.org.uk/

Chemogiftbags: https://www.chemogiftbags.org

Winnersh District Royal British Legion: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk

At the recent Full Council meeting, held on 6^th December, community grants were awarded to seven organisations, presented by Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel. 

Community Grants awarded

Berkshire Vision

£250 – To support the organisation to continue to offer a wide range of events and activities for visually impaired and blind people in Berkshire.

Three C’s Cafe at Emmanuel Church

£150 – To pay for refreshments and food items provided for by the free café to users, providing a place for those who may be lonely or need advice.

Woodley Adopt a Street Project (WASP)

£250 – To purchase additional equipment for volunteers, such as litter picker bag holders and Hi-Viz jackets.

Woodley United FC

£250 – To contribute towards the costs of additional volunteers required to support an increase to the number of female participants, including to pay towards DBS checks, safeguarding and coaching training and qualifications.

The following organisations were also awarded community grants but were unable to attend to collect.

Berkshire MS Therapy Centre

£250 – To help fund sessions to provide specialist therapies to MS sufferers.

Friends of Woodford Park

£250 – To restock shrubs and plants for Woodford Park.

Woodley Schools Cluster

£200 – To fund the purchase of materials needed to run two cluster projects for school students from within Woodley. Jackie Andrews sent a written thank you to be read out at the meeting.

Community Grants in Woodley

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. 

More information can be found HERE.