WOKINGHAM’S retail scene lost another clothes shop as New Look closed its doors, joining Marks & Spencer and Wallis as big names leaving the town.
The battle against covid continued, with new rapid testing sites cropping up across the borough, including Shute End, Dinton Pastures and Thames Valley Park. Some were temporary and others ran for longer.
And one care home that had been seriously affected by covid, seeing 49 staff members and 40 residents catch the virus, said that the loss of life experienced in the home would have been worse had it not been for the help it received from Wokingham Borough Council. Sadly, 10 people had serious reactions to the virus and four died. Shinfield View in Shinfield praised the “quick acion, clear guidance and abundance of support” from the council’s team.
Manager Amanda Tanner said: “I cannot thank them enough for their help and support and expertise. I strongly attribute our managing of this situation to them.”
Our Take Out To Help Out campaign continued, with David Cliff Estate Agents revealing that they had been running Support Local Fridays by ordering takeaways for breakfasts and lunches, in a bid to help independent businesses.
David Cliff said: “It’s not just about the takeaway, but the social interaction too.”
L’Ortolan in Shinfield was able to celebrate after learning its Michelin Star was being retained.
Organisers of Woodley Carnival were the latest group to announce that this year’s event was to be called off, however it is planning on returning on Saturday, June 11 this year.
“This decision will incur a loss for the year,” organisers said.
Wargrave artist Shelagh Casebourne was over the moon to be selected as a wildcard entry into Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year contest, winning her heat and making it to the final.
“I told nobody about taking part,” she said. “Nobody could ask if I won.. because they didn’t know I was doing it.”
February is also Feb-blue-ary for supporters of the Olly Young Foundation. Organisers ask people to wear something blue in memory of the Wokingham youngster who died of a brain tumour, and make a donation to the charity. We revealed that Olly’s Dad took the instruction literally and died his hair the right shade.
Twyford became the latest village to be awarded plastic free status from Surfers Against Sewage as the fight against single-use plastic continued.
May’s local elections, delayed a year by covid, were to go ahead this year, and parties called for residents to register for a postal vote to help keep them safe and enable democracy to carry on as normal.
Meanwhile, Council leader John Halsall received his first dose of the covid vaccine. “I was delighted to have been called by my doctor,” he said. “Please encourage everyone to have the jab.”
A warning was given to people using a town centre car park – it’s for shopping at a food store, not for Elms Field. Aldi had installed cameras and fining drivers who failed to register their car at kiosks set up in the store. A number of readers had been caught out and forced to pay a fine of £70. The change had been introduced because people had been using the shop’s car park as it was free and then going to other places within the town.
A name change made national headlines. Greene King announced that The Black Boy pub in Shinfield would be given a new moniker in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. Three names were put out to public vote: The Shinfield Arms, the King’s Rest and The Merry Monarch. Each one referred to an aspect of the village’s heritage. However, the decision was not popular with the public, leading to headlines in the Daily Mail.
Wokingham Borough Council said it had no plans to rename the roundabout around the corner.
A big blow to Twyford’s community was the death of its champion, Gordon Storey. Tributes included one from former Prime Minister and Maidenhead MP Theresa May, who said: “Gordon was a key figure in the Twyford. The village owes a great deal to Gordon, who did so much to bring the whole community together and bring new life to Twyford.” There was more to Gordon than just being Mr Twyford. He was also a former Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, among other roles.
There was bad news for council tax payers – the rate they pay was to rise 4.9%%, the most it could go up by without a local referendum. The rise was broken into two parts: the council’s rise was 1.99%, while 3% would go towards its work for adult social care. There were also rises to precepts including an additional £15 for the police.
A scheme to build 100 eco-friendly homes on land in Toutley East was first announced by Wokingham Borough Council. The project would also include a care home and would sit on land between Toutley depot and the new Matthewsgreen primary school. However, Labour councillor Rachel Burgess had concerns about the scheme’s location and its green credentials, saying reisdents had concerns about traffic and the loss of “precious” green space.
Spider-man took time off from saving New York to cleaning the borough’s windows. We revealed that Chris Smalley-Ward had taken to dressing up as the masked superhero to brighten up the days of children struggling with lockdown. The self-confessed Marvel true believer said: “I think some parents enjoy it just as much as their children”.
A consultation event was held to allow residents to learn more about plans to bring Hollywood to the borough. Shinfield Studios announced the event would unpack its plans for the 65-acre site at Thames Valley Science Park, which include 18 stages and offices to help create blockbuster movies on our doorstep. It’s expected to create 3,000 jobs and opportunities for students studying at the university.
Repair work at an historic pub revealed hidden details dating back to Tudor times. The Castle Inn in Hurst used lockdown to renovate the building following water damage to the wooden beams and some brickwork. During the works, an old doorway was discovered and has been resinstated as an emergency exit. The pub is haunted, with two ghosts said to nestle among the spirits on sale.
One of the problems of lockdown was the closure of barbers and beauty salons. One Wokingham man had really let nature take its course, ending up with a big bushy beard and shaggy hair that made him look more like a castaway than the svelte man he was previously. Sasan Starr-Padidar decided to shave it off to mark the first day of spring, and the Persian new year to raise funds for Crowthorne-based Sebastian’s Action Trust. He raised more than £1,000 in the process.
