Our mission is to nurture a great place to live, learn, work, grow and a great place to do business. All these strands support each other and in unison make Wokingham Borough our wonderful home.
In running my own business for over 45 years I have learned that business needs to become an integral part of its community to thrive. Without a thriving economy our community cannot be fully inclusive, and it requires a liberal society for capitalism to work for all. Our council is just one support in a structure that requires the equal support of business, community and education to stand strong. The collaborative momentum of Business, Government, Community and Education working together cannot be halted.
This was witnessed in our four-day celebration of our Wokingham Borough Forest of Imagination 2025 over the recent Bank Holiday weekend. As a Liberal Democrat I am excited to say that this project is something that truly reflects the values of my party and our wonderful Wokingham Borough community. We witnessed a vibrant and diverse series of free arts and cultural activities that fostered a deeper connection with the natural world and raised awareness about the climate emergency. For the first time ever, OUR council partnered with Bath Spa University, The University of Reading and Grant Associates to bring the award-winning Forest of Imagination to our flagship country park Dinton Pastures
We unlocked some substantial funding from The UK Shared Prosperity Fund for a project designed to bring our whole borough together. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is rewarding our pride in place by aiming to increase life chances. This by investing in our Wokingham Borough community and supporting business, people and skills
Wokingham Borough’s Forest of Imagination 2025 will elevate our profile in the arts and culture space. It not only showcased our commitment to nurturing creativity but also enhances our position as a vibrant cultural hub, both regionally and nationally. We are delighted to have worked with so many schools and cultural organisations across the borough inviting all of us to have a conversation about the importance of nature, imagination and the arts in our lives. There is also the long-term legacy of the establishment of community champion led initiatives. The amazing schools and community created art installations will also reside at Dinton Pastures for years to come. I encourage you to take a stroll around Dinton Pastures to view the installations especially our outdoor classroom the fantastic Forest Shelter
You can witness some of the amazing pictures of our Wokingham Borough Forest of Imagination 2025 four-day celebration event in today’s paper. I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank the team at Wokingham Today for their support. This newspaper incapsulates a business being integral to bringing community, education and government together to win!
Cllr Mark Ashwell, Exec Member Business Development, Sport, Leisure and the Arts
