Get on your walking boots and enjoy Wokingham’s autumn

One of the great things about Wokingham is the number of footpaths in and around the town, many of which stretch right into the town centre.

During the past few months, walking in Wokingham and the surrounding areas has been an absolute delight.

As we head into Autumn, though the weather may be colder, the seasonal display of colours will be a pleasure that can be enjoyed by many. It has been a joy to follow some of the routes available from the Town Hall, and also to us the Ordnance Survey maps and app. to explore new routes.

I would encourage any readers of Wokingham.Today to get their walking boots on and make the most this wonderful autumn season.

Fred Sardo, Wokingham

We need to keep building back better

As a resident of Wokingham who wants to see the town thrive, I have found the statements from our council leaders and members against house-building in Wokingham to be disappointing.

I drove though one of the newest housing estates in the area recently, off Diamond Jubilee Way, and was really pleased to see the mixture of housing types and abundance of communal space.

I always enjoy walking through one of the older housing developments in our area, Woosehill, where there is also a mixture or housing types to suit residents’ needs and with it, a great deal of green space put aside for public use.

I think we should be wary of the profiteering urges of capitalists in the housing business, as in all areas of the economy, but I also want a strong local economy which can support our social amenities: shops, restaurants, cafes, churches, sports clubs and local associations; all of which need people to function.

And more people to let it function better.

At the moment, our country has a housing crisis, with an average home in our county costing more than £420,000 – nearly 20 times the annual salary of a first-home buyer.

We need to build houses for the good of those wanting a place to live and also for the good of our wonderful town: Wokingham.

Ronald Doon, Wokingham

Axe parking charges

I am appalled at Wokingham Borough Council.

Long story short, I use a WBC car park each week to drop my children off to a Saturday morning learning workshop.

The machines in this particular car park are, at best unreliable and every week, there are always people struggling to use them.

The situation is made much worse, by only offering card payments, due to the Covid situation.

Two weeks ago, I tried to pay for my parking, the payment was, yet again declined (not the first time) and so, despite at least attempting to pay, as evidenced by a Lions Club member eyewitness, I received the gift of a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

Naturally I challenged it, especially since said Lions Club lady jumped to my defence with the parking officer, on issuing the ticket.

Only to be informed, that ‘after careful consideration’ the PCN should be enforced. But I tried to pay?

It got me thinking. Why is WBC even charging for parking at this time?

With so many businesses under duress from lockdown and with the situation set to get worse before better, why wouldn’t they be investing in efforts to encourage high street spending, to activate the local economy and to add to the betterment of individuals, trying to make end meet. Instead of diverting that cash into the pockets of WBC do-gooders, where no one benefits?

I am of course irate at having to pay the PCN, but seemingly have no choice but to do so.

There surely is a wider issue here for consideration and a lot more WBC should be doing, instead of taking low-blow pot shots to pinch pennies.

J Leadley, Wokingham

Vital role of carers

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the vital role that carers play in our community. Wokingham Borough Council currently offer a council tax discount to those carers who qualify.

To date anyone who receives carer’s allowance has that money counted as income and as such many are not considered eligible for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

I believe that this is wrong and am calling on Wokingham Borough Council to change their policy so that carer’s allowance is not included when calculating an applicant’s income levels.

It is time to ensure these unsung heroes are fully eligible for the Council Tax Reduction scheme.

Phil Cunnington, Wokingham

Worried or stressed out?

Sadly many people are suffering from stress, mental tiredness, drinking more than usual etc., given the political environment we now have to tolerate and live with.

For example, how can ignorant government clerks possibly interfere with the human right we have to remember the Fallen, at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday?

It makes me angry, but is yet another reminder of the 1984 book and the prediction of a controlled state.

I hope by relating my personal experiences and applying psychology, I could help someone to reduce their torment.

I recently began to understand why a business friend was reminiscing in-depth of happier times long ago.

I concluded that it was probably due to stress.

Then when I was doing my ironing on Saturday morning and listening to music as I always do, I thought the music may help others relax as it does me.

I was listening to romantic music – some of the greatest music of our times – soothing and emotional, it helps one close the mind to today’s trials and tribulations.

That is analogous to but better than old photos.

To realise the power of music, I offer the truest description of music ever written – “Music, that all pervading art, which soothes our griefs, inspires our joys, soft love creates, stone rage destroys and moulds at will each stubborn heart.”

May I suggest you try this relaxing technique based on some examplesI list below?

If you like me are a lover of classical music, try operatic arias, especially Verdi, or composers like Mahler (adagietto from Symphony no. 5) or our very own Elgar (the Enigma Variations – especially Nimrod).

There is a wealth of beauty in so many composers’ music.

Maybe gentler on the ears, turn to popular romantic music such as Limelight, the Warsaw Concerto, Dream of Olwen, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, the Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini, even including the lovely Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again.

Other singers from our own romantic era have to include Shirley Bassey, Nat King Cole, Matt Monro, the ‘Crooner’ and so on.

Ask your friends for their favourites – just test my suggestion of using music as it as intended, noting that tears may result when listening to some of it.

Even that can be beneficial.

A final note in this letter. I am very concerned to see the considerable reduction in church attendances in our country. When I was young, our local Baptist church was my second home.

In Southampton in the 60s, my family visited Above Bar Church which had an exceptional and gifted Minister in Leith Samuel. He was very popular with university students.

I have the feeling that many Churches are failing to relate to our present world, its evils, cruelty to people and animals, our climate, the evils of our enemies, crime, illness and the virus etc.

The people who once upon a time expected the Church and its leaders to provide help and guidance to us, to relate the terrible Coronavirus to Biblical predictions, for example.

Reg Clifton, Wokingham

Be careful what you say and when you say it!

Some of your many interesting letters re Wokingham meetings and council and otherwise, brought back a really great memory to me of the 1980’s.

I worked as a minion in a very large firm, the majority of which was grey suited and white collared business men. Once a month a meeting was held to air everyone’s grievances, and the meeting was published for all to see.

The notetaker – and tea maker – was one of the few women in the firm, so she valued her job and was, as most women are, full of initiative. All the notes of the meetings were published for all to see and comment on.

Getting fed up every month on hearing all those reading the minutes, howl “I didn’t say that” and “I didn’t mean that” etc etc, she came up with a cunning plan.

How she got permission I do not know, but for the next meeting a microphone was hidden.

When the notes of that meeting appeared there was uproar, and even more “I didn’t say that”, or “You got it all wrong” and many comments of the like.

At the next meeting the chairman said nothing but just put on the recorder. As you can imagine the embarrassment and uproar was unbelievable. It was promised the recorder would not be used again and there were no more grumbles or denials ever after that.

Of course, today that wouldn’t happen (human rights and so on), but it taught everyone a lesson, because sometimes we are so sure of ourselves and what we did or didn’t say (government take note).

The note taker got a well deserved promotion and the meetings became human again.

This should teach us all a lesson.

Francine Twitchett, Wokingham

Get a flu jab

Due to the Covid pandemic this year’s flu vaccination programme has been expanded to include more at risk groups including parent carers and children and young people with long-term health conditions or a learning disability.

This follows new analysis that shows an increased risk of having coronavirus with flu.

As a charity working to support parent carers we know many are often too busy to think about their own health.

And we know that the Coronavirus pandemic has stopped almost half of families with disabled children from seeking medical care for themselves and their children.

That’s why Contact is urging eligible families with disabled children in Berkshire to get the flu vaccine.

Who is eligible?

All children aged 2-11 – Primary school age children and children in year seven of secondary school will get their flu vaccination at school, so look out for the consent forms. Younger children and those who are home educated can get their vaccine at a community health clinic or your GP surgery.

• All children aged 12-17 who have a long-term health condition or a learning disability – you can choose whether to get your child vaccinated at a community health clinic or your GP surgery. Contact them to arrange.
• Young people aged 18 and over with a long-term health condition or a learning disability.
• Carers, including parent-carers, are eligible for the free flu vaccine if you receive Carer’s Allowance or are the main carer for a disabled person who may be at risk.

Getting the flu vaccination is one way to protect the health of parent carers, children and young people with disabilities.

Amanda Batten, Chief Executive, Contact, the charity for families with disabled children, 209-211 City Road, London, EC1V 1JN

A Winter of Disconnect

We are only at the very start of winter yet Shinfield, Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross residents have already been subjected to multiple ‘service’ issues such as power cuts, sewerage flooding across tens of gardens in multiple locations, repeated loss of water supply and low water pressures, broadband and telephony services outages/intermittent poor performance plus the regular garden flooding (or as described by University of Reading representatives ‘water retention’) and of course highway and SANG flooding.

Shinfield residents can only hope that winter is mild and service disruption and disconnections are minimal. We can only hope that the additional houses being built, and continue to be applied for, come with some real services infrastructure stability and capacity.

So, to Reading University and the army of ‘experts’ they used to force through development after development, to the Planning Inspectorate, to Wokingham Borough Council Planning Officers and to those Councillors and MP’s who did not stand up to protect our Shinfield community, we told you so.

If only you had listened. If only you would listen now.

Cllr Jim Frewin, independent councillor for Shinfield South, Wokingham Borough Council

Interesting reading

Democracy is dead locally so is Wokingham. Cedric Lander’s letter last week made very interesting reading as he really hit the nail on the head.

What chance do us mere mortals and minions have against the likes of Robert Jenrick and Dominic Cummings but not forgetting our local MPs whoever they are these days.

There are many excellent Councillors in Wokingham Borough of all political persuasions who work hard for their residents but many are all tarred with the NASTY PARTY CONSERVATIVE brush but until they see their role in life as not just lobby fodder to their so called superiors (Executive) than as Cedric Lander put it Democracy is dead locally.

Cedric adds that local councils should be run by residents etc or independents free from political ideology and to that I would agree wholeheartedly.

Wokingham has three independent Councillors who all work hard for the benefit of residents and who are not tied to any specific belief.

We work together but when we have different opinions or views we just vote accordingly and not on any party political lines.

The beneficiaries of this independent thinking is the residents benefit not the political administration.

It’s time now for all our residents groups to think seriously about putting forward candidates for next May’s local elections.

There will be 19 seats up for election and this is an opportunity for residents to drive their own agendas. Just putting up candidates delivers strong messages that will make the administration listen.

The only petition/referendum they will listen to is the ones that kick them out of office otherwise they don’t give a fig. Wokingham Borough Council’s own website has excellent information about standing as a candidate in a local election. It’s a very simple process and easy to do.

It’s an opportunity that must not be lost as unless the Conservative mould is broken in Wokingham then as Cedric Lander so eloquently put it DEMOCRACY IS DEAD – SO IS WOKINGHAM.

Cllr Gary Cowan, Independent Borough Councillor for Arborfield at Wokingham Borough Council

Mark black cat day

Cat lovers have a lot to celebrate this Black Cat Day on October 27, with Cats Protection’s news that black and black-and-white cats are no longer overlooked as they once were.

Since we created the awareness day in 2010 to highlight that black cats took longer to rehome than other cats, they now spend 11 days less on average in care than before, prior to moving to their new loving homes.

Around 65,000 black or black-and-white cats have been homed through our adoption centres in the decade since the campaign started, a remarkable 44% of all cats homed through our centres during that time.

We would like to thank readers for their support and for helping us make a real difference. Not only do these cats now spend less time in our care, but each year thousands celebrate the day and engage with our #BlackCatDay hashtag on social media.

Throughout the campaign, Cats Protection has explored reasons why black cats might be less popular, working to change perceptions and buck the rehoming trend. These included black cats being seen as unlucky or not photogenic in selfies.

We would love to invite readers to celebrate and showcase their black cat knowledge by hosting a quiz for friends and family while also raising vital funds for their local branch or centre.

More details about the quiz and Black Cat Day can be found at www.cats.org.uk/black-cats

James Yeates, CEO Cats Protection