Our first issue of March contained two conflicting messages. One the one hand, research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that Wokingham borough was the heal;theist place to live, something council leader John Halsall said was “great news”.
On but on the other side of the front page was a warning for people not to have picnics in parks. Wokingham Borough Council said “please don’t come to country parks to meet large groups for recreation”. The warning came after spring weather tempted people out of their homes for some daily exercise.
To help manage numbers, Dinton Pastures’ overflow car park was closed and a ticketing service was introduced to the play park to help maintain safe numbers given the ongoing nature of the pandemic.
The actions may seem extreme, but covid rates were on the rise again, and the number of people nationwide who died with covid-related symptoms was also increasing.
To help people find out if they had covid or not, home testing kits were made available for the first time. Initially these were from local sites or workplaces and pick-up slots had to be pre-booked.
St Teresa’s Catholic Academy in Wokingham set a challenge to its pupils over half-term, asking them to get active safely. The pupils rose to the occasion, dressing up, cycling 100lm, completing 1,000 burpees, and running a family triathlon. The project raised more than £9,000, which went to paying for new video conferencing and IT equipment.
The home-learners were also preparing to return to the classroom from the second week in March and school buses also returned to use. Cllr UllaKarin Clark, the then executive member for children’s services at Wokingham Borough Council, said safety measures would be followed on buses and the council would help pupils return safely to school.
The annual problem for pupils moving on up also raised its head in Wokingham, as there weren’t enough places at The Piggott for Twyford pupils. Cllr Clark said that 85% of Year 6 children received their first choice placement, and an increased birth rate had caused the problems for this cohort.
We also revealed that parents who moved into Arborfield Green expecting their children to be able to attend the new community’s primary school were being school places elsewhere. Clare Bryant lived under 100 metres away from the news school and could see it from their home, but couldn’t get a place to it as it was oversubscribed and priority went to children who attended Farley Hill Primary School, which was moving from the neighbouring village to the new development.
In happier news, a Winnersh resident was enjoying cuddles with her cat after bringing Stella home … from Somalia. Karen Lewin spent 18 months with the British Embassy in Mogadishu, and grew very attached to the very affectionate moggie, Stella. But there was an altruistic reason for bringing Stella home: she needed treatment for an allergy that wasn’t available in the African country.
A bin lorry went up in smoke in Spencers Wood after a battery put in the rubbish caught fire. Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure, thanked fire crews for their swift action and the bin collectors for spotting the fire early. “All residents should dispose of all batteries correctly”, he warned.
There was big news in our neighbouring town of Reading, when artwork by Banksy appeared on the wall of Reading Gaol. He was showing his support for the campaign to turn the derelict building into an arts centre and community hub and crowds flocked to see the amazing piece, depicting a convict escaping using a rope made from a typewritten manuscript. Sadly the work was defaced days later and it’s now behind a Perspex screen to protect it.
And fellow street artists Pistol returned to action, this time giving The Redan a lick of paint ready for hospitality venues to reopen. He said that The Redan was like a gallery in his hometown.
We like giving people something to look forward to, and it was thrilling to be able to share news that Twyford Beer Festival was planned to go ahead in the summer – days after the planned end of covid restrictions in June. The volunteer-led event raises thousands for Orchid Male Cancer charity and was one of the first festivals in the country for 2021.
Also planning a return was the annual Wokingham Fireworks event in November. Organisers felt that it was possible to run the outdoor event safely, despite the covid threat.
And a week later, we revealed that Wokingham Festival was coming back as well, once again taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Organiser Stan Hetherington was thrilled, saying: “As long as the (Government’s) road map doesn’t change, I’m very optimistic we will get there”.
But the first event that would take place was Wokingham Walk, which we exclusively announced in our March 25 edition. The walk was so popular that they started planning an autumn event as well.
The Census, held every 10 years, was taking place and would, Jeremy May said, be crucial in giving a snapshot of life in the borough during an unprecedented time.
A 90-year-old marked his big birthday by getting active. The Revd Clifford Smith undertook 90 press-ups to raise funds for SalGO Assist, a charity that helps vulnerable children and young people in southern India. He raised more than £1,000 for its work.
Police patrols in Woosehill were stepped up following concerns of knife crime. Officers didn’t give details of the incidents, but we reported an unconfirmed mugging in the area, as well as breaches of covid rules, and anti-social behaviour.
It was also revealed that violent crime in Wokingham had risen 50% since 2018, despite CCTV being installed at various hotspots. There were 357 incidents in 2018, but 542 in 2020.
One impact of the pandemic was on taxi drivers. With people working from home, fares had declined and a number decided to hang up their car keys. Their situation was not helped by the council planning a rise in license fees.
The first anniversary of the first lockdown was marked with a special report looking at everything that happened over the past 12 months… it had been a very busy time.
A family were reunited with their mobile phone, and precious memories, after 10 years. Litter picker Tony Howells found the device while clearing rubbish from a gulley in Old Wokingham Road. The SD card installed inside the machine still worked and through it was able to track the owners, who lived in Jennetts Park before moving to Shanghai.
Wokingham Town Mayor Cllr Tony Lack was re-elected for a second year in the role, after his first had been hampered by covid. The decision was formally ratified at a meeting in May.
A Wokingham couple made the most of lockdown by converting a delivery van into a camper van. George Douglas and Chloe Moore planned to use the van for their honeymoon after they got married in the autumn. “There are so many nice places on our doorstep which we’d never been to,” George said of their motivation. The couple charted progress with an online film series, Living Slow n Wild, gaining many fans in the process.
