Sadly, the Winter Carnival has to be postponed

Over the past four months, the 2020 Wokingham Winter Carnival Committee has been holding regular meetings to consider the impact of Covid-19 on this year’s event.

We have sought advice from many different bodies to see if it might be feasible to run the Winter Carnival with its parade, fairground, entertainment and numerous stalls throughout the town centre.

From previous years’ experience we know that the event is always well attended with huge crowds coming into the town during the day.

Our main concern has been around the health and safety of all those attending and the ability to adhere to, and manage, social distancing should there still be restrictions in place or we have a second wave of the virus later in the year.

Early on in our discussions, the committee decided that it would not be possible to run the parade this year due to the early financial commitments we would need to meet even if we cancelled. However, we decided to wait until now before making a final decision on the rest of the event so that we could closely monitor the situation and assess the impact.

At this week’s meeting it was unanimously agreed that, regrettably, we should cancel this year’s event which was due to take place on Sunday, November 29.

We do not know what the situation will be in November but felt that it was a responsible decision not to encourage a large gathering of our local community at a time when we are still faced with uncertainty about the impact of Covid-19.

We realise that this will be very disappointing news for everyone who normally attends and for all our stallholders. We are now looking at the feasibility of holding a ‘Virtual Wokingham Winter Carnival’, still taking place on November 29.

Our aim would be to incorporate Berkshire Maestros, other local entertainment, Christmas Carols, a message from Santa and links to, and information about, the charities and stallholders who would normally be present at the event. We are considering what we can do to bring this together to celebrate the run up to Christmas once again this year. As our plans progress, we will make further announcements to keep everyone informed.

Finally, I would like to say a very big thank you to all our sponsors, supporters, stallholders and volunteers for all of their continued support, to the Winter Carnival Committee who have looked into all possible options for this year and to everyone in the Wokingham community who turn out in all-weather to support us each year. We hope to be back again next year with a bigger and better Wokingham Winter Carnival.

Take care, stay safe.

Philip Mirfin, Chairman, Wokingham Winter Carnival

Thanks for your support

The Wokingham Pride team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported Wokingham’s first LGBTQ+ Pride last Saturday.

Hundreds of residents took part by putting a poster in their window or displaying flags in shops, cafes and churches, by showing their support on social media, and by donating art, posters, poetry and photographs.

The Borough and Town Councils were amazing.  Thank you to all of the officers, councillors and library staff who were involved in putting the flags up on Wokingham Town Hall and Shute End, and posting supportive social media.

We have had support from all the main political parties locally, and several of our churches – thank you to the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham and Father Richard Lamey for recording messages of support and the Revd Nick Hudson for sending us a prayer.

A special thank you to Phil Creighton and the Wokingham.Today team for everything they have done to publicise and record the event.

We’ve already started to look ahead to next year. Wokingham Pride will be on Saturday,  July 10, 2021 and we hope that the situation will allow us to enjoy an event without the restrictions of social distancing.  Please join us on the Wokingham Pride Facebook page as we start to plan for next year.

The Wokingham Pride team

Heathrow implications

I wanted to make clear the implications of the Heathrow expansion vote at last week’s Council.

The Conservative and Liberal Democrats are now supporting adding a Third Runway at Heathrow.

By doing so, they have shredded whatever environmental credentials residents thought they had.

The environmental impact of an airport occurs in two main areas.  First, the impact of flights into and out of an airport. Second, the running of the airport – the lights and heating and other energy consumption etc.

The Certification of Carbon Neutrality offered up by Councillor Murray, and implicitly supported
in the motion by the LibDems,
ignores the impact of airplanes and flights – a stunning failure to grasp the obvious.

By ignoring the impact of airplanes and flights a much lower threshold has been set – a threshold which Heathrow already expects to meet and which means the Council continues with its policy of supporting the Third Runway.

The impact of the Third Runway will be measured not just in making it much harder for the UK to achieve Carbon Neutrality. The Third Runway will fuel the over concentration of economic growth in the Thames Valley. With economic grown will come demand for houses. This has been the story of the last 40 years and it looks set to be the story of the next 40.

Resisting the over development of the Borough is critical if the Borough is to retain what is left of its character and to get a grip on the destruction of our local environment while stopping the extra carbon emissions associated with the Third Runway are a vital part of protecting our planet.

On  both issues, the Tory and LibDem majority in the Council have failed residents.

Cllr Andy Croy, Leader of the Labour Group

Bullies

I read, with absolute disbelief, the letter published last week from Keith and Sharon Kerr criticising Wokingham Borough Council for failing to express support for an organisation that is hell-bent on the destruction of this country.

Whilst Black Lives Matter is a worthy cause, the BLM UK is an ultra left-wing political organisation verging on a terrorist group promoting violent riots, ‘defunding’ the police and closure of prisons, as well as the downfall of our society which is based on reward for decent hard work irrespective of race colour or background.

It is clear that Wokingham Borough Council supports the spirit of Black Lives Matter, but they must not be bullied into using taxpayers money to fund or express support for such a menacing and violent group.

Alex Measures, via email

Clapping, cheering or paying?

So, Prime Minister Johnson has taken it upon himself to launch the coronavirus blame game by pointing the finger at care homes, based on an unjustified accusation that they failed to follow his Government’s confused and often non-existent advice – pretty rich coming from someone who has presided over an executive choosing to disregard warnings of a possible pandemic issued a number of years ago, failing to procure adequate personal protective equipment for frontline workers, delaying lockdown, allowing the transfer of elderly patients into care homes without always testing for the virus, a largely failed ‘world-beating’ track and trace app, dithering over the use of face coverings, dodgy data, phoney photocalls, and most tragically the worst death rate in Europe.

Now, finally adding insult to injury by proposing to reintroduce hospital parking charges on NHS and social care staff whose herculean efforts and personal sacrifice, he (the Prime Minister) stood on the steps on Number 10 Downing Street, clapping and thanking for saving his life.

Betrayal and abdication of responsibility surely representing a new low for even the world of politics

JW Blaney, Wokingham

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