THIS weekend is Remembrance Sunday and events will be taking place across the borough.
Most churches will hold services that include a two-minute silence at 11am, and there are also gatherings and parades around village war memorials.
Here we round-up some of the events
ARBORFIELD & BARKHAM
A parade will leave the Arborfield Royal British Legion club from 10.30am, marching to the village memorial for 10.45am. A short act of remembrance at the memorial will be followed by refreshments at the Royal British Legion.
St Bartholomew’s Church in Arborfield will hold a remembrance service that starts at 10am.
It will be called Bleak Prospects and is part of its Full of Promise series, with the sermon based on the Bible passage 2 Peter 2:17-22.
EARLEY
The church of Earley St Peter’s in Church Road will hold a Remembrance Service that starts at 10am, while St Nicolas in Sutcliffe Avenue will hold a service from 10am.
FINCHAMPSTEAD
St James’ Church will hold a remembrance Sunday service at 10.50am. Then, in the afternoon, a Memorial day parade will leave the Memorial Hall at 2.30pm, heading to a service at the War Memorial at 3pm. Local Scouts will be involved in the parade.
HURST
St Nicholas Church in Hurst is home to the village’s war memorial. It will hold a service on Remembrance Sunday from 10.45am and will be led by vicar the Revd Simon Howard.
REMENHAM
The church of St Nicolas will hold the parish’s act of remembrance.
The service will start at 10.55am and will be followed by sung Matins from the Book of Common Prayer.
RUSCOMBE
St James’ Church in Ruscombe will hold an act of Remembrance at 8.45am, followed by a special service at St Mary’s Church in Twyford. Starting at 10.30am, the guest speaker will be the Revd Geoff Pugh. He will also speak at the evening service of St James, which starts at 6pm.
SHINFIELD
The village’s churches will be joining forces for an act of Remembrance which will be held on the village green. The event starts with a parade from the Health Centre at 10.40am, before the service at 10.45am. A two-minute silence will be observed while groups and individuals will be able to lay their tributes.
SONNING
St Andrew’s Church in Sonning will form the focal point for the village’s Act of Remembrance. It will hold a special service starting at 10.30am.
A parade from Pearson’s Hall precedes it at 10am.
Sonning Golf Club will be holding a commemorative event from noon.
It starts with classic 1940s singing from the D-Day Darlings and organisers are promising songsheets so all can join in.
A three-course Sunday lunch follows at 12.30pm, and more music at 2pm.
The event costs £28 and places can be booked by calling the club on 0118 969 3332.
SWALLOWFIELD
A Remembrance Day service will be held at the village’s War Memorial starting at 10.15am. After the short service there will be a procession to All Saints church in the village, where a Remembrance Service will take place from 10.45am. The roads around the War Memorial will be closed for the duration of the service.
TWYFORD
A special service which will be held at St Mary’s Church in Station Road. Starting at 10.30am, the guest speaker will be the Revd Geoff Pugh. He will also speak at the evening service of St James, Ruscombe which starts at 6pm.
WARGRAVE
A parade featuring uniformed organisations will meet in Church Street at 9.15am, marching to St Mary’s Church via Wargrave High Street and Station Road. It will be led by Saint Sebastian Band, Wokingham. Then, a service will take place at 10am at St Mary’s Church, before the congregation move to Mill Green to take part in an act of Remembrance at the village’s war memorial.
WOKINGHAM TOWN
A civic parade will leave the Town Hall in Market Place at 2.30pm, heading to All Saints Church via Rose Street. It will be led by Saint Sebastian Wokingham Band and headed up by the town mayor, Cllr Philip Mirfin.
A church service will be held at All Saints as the civic act of Remembrance.
At 11am on Armistice Day itself, November 11, a bugler will stand on the balcony of the Town Hall to lead the two minute silence.
WOKINGHAM WITHOUT
St Sebastian’s Church in Wokingham will hold a series of special services on Sunday
November 8.
An all-age service will start at 10am, leading to an act of remembrance at the War Graves, starting at 10.50am. Then, at 11.15am, there will be a shortened service of Holy Communion.
Refreshments will be served in the church hall after the War Graves two-minute silence.
WOODLEY
A SERVICE of remembrance will take place at 10.50am at St John The Evangelist Church in Church Road. Similar services will take place at 10.45am at Woodley Baptist Church, 10.30am in Christ Church, Crockhamwell Road and also St James in Kingfisher Drive. A service of remembrance will be held at St John Bosco from 10am.
Then on Remembrance Day itself, Wednesday, November 11, an act of remembrance will be carried out at Woodley’s new war memorial in the Memorial Ground.
This starts at 10.45am and will see local groups lay wreaths and take part in a two-minute silence.
