Burghfield/Theale Area Weekly News sections – 2022 archive

To see the current Burghfield & Area Weekly News (the new name for this section), please click here.

Please note that this section is presented as an archive of past columns and is not updated. Some web links may no longer be active (usually indicated by a score-through), for instance when draft parish council minutes are replaced by adopted ones or when a consultation has closed.

Click here for the 2024 archive

Click here for the 2023 archive

Thursday 12 January 2023

This week we cover a a forthcoming fayre, volunteers, bus fares, bikes and recycling centres. We also report on the last situation at the Easy Concrete site in Aldermaston and offer some advice about WBC’s local plan consultation – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• The Burghfield Residents Association is now accepting applications for this year’s May Fayre. If you would be interested in a stall, please send a brief overview of your wares or activities to the coordinator at burghfieldmayfayre@gmail.com.

• Burghfield Community Café B are looking for volunteers to help on Mondays and Wednesdays. There are multiple roles available including serving barista coffee, waiting on customers, operating the till or in the kitchen. Full training will be given. If that sounds interesting to you, get in touch at cafeb@togetherinmission.org.uk.

• Burghfield Football Club are looking for new players in their Under 10s youth squad (year 5 equivalent). Training takes place on Tuesday evenings, with matches on Saturday mornings. Head to their website for more information.

• Do you have any time on your hands? Volunteering is good for the soul (and the CV) and can be very flexible, fitting around other commitments. This Saturday 14 January sees the return of the big V365 2023 Volunteer Recruitment Day at Newbury Corn Exchange. Organised by Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, it is a brilliant opportunity to meet over 50 local charities, find out what they do and how you can get involved. They really need your help. See here for more details.

• Now that groundwater levels are rising (and rain is falling), concerns about flooding and sewage discharges of from overwhelmed sewers are back with us again. On the latter point, you can keep your eye on this map which has been produced by Thames Water. Traffic-light colours are used: red for discharging now; orange for discharges having happened in the last 48 hours; and green for not discharging now (but shows discharges since April 2022). The overall picture is, as one might expect, pretty awful.

• Quick reminder that single bus fares are capped at a maximum of £2 from January to March across the Reading Buses, Thames Valley Buses, Green Line 702/703 and Newbury & District networks. For more details about how the scheme will work, click here.

• The new cost of living support hub on West Berkshire Council website explains the different types of support available if you are struggling with rising living costs and are concerned about paying your household bills. You can also click here to read this article we’ve recently published about the Hub and what help and support you can expect from it.

• Aldermaston Parish Council is considering the options for spending the £53,000 CIL contribution from the Lidl development. All suggestions from parishioners are welcome: please contact the Parish Council office.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Aldermaston’s concrete

The meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council on 10 January considered, as other meetings have done in the past, the situation regarding Easy Concrete’s activities at The Woodyard, Paices Hill.

The Chair explained that she had recently attended a site meeting with WBC Planning Enforcement and ur District Councillor, Dominic Boeck. Planning Enforcement confirmed that the engineering activities onsite necessitated a planning application, which has subsequently been submitted (but not yet validated). Aldermaston PC has also received an email from WBC Planning Enforcement “explaining why they thought the site had permission for Easy Concrete’s proposals.” Aldermaston PC “remains concerned with what is happening at this site, and will continue to keep a close watch on it.”

The local plan for West Berkshire

Thursday 12 January update: WBC has announced a further delay to the Regulation 19 Consultation and it now seems likely that this will not start before Friday 20 January. If so, this means that it will end on 3 March.

Friday 6 January update: WBC has announced that Regulation 19 Consultation on the local plan has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. It is hoped it will have started by Friday 13 January. It will still run for six weeks from its commencement date.

A district’s local plan is the ultimate source of reference (subject always to any changes in national legislation) for planning officers and planning committee members when making decisions about planning and development. These generally have a life cycle of 15 years. WBC’s current local plan runs until 2026 and work has been taking place on updating this since 2018.

The final draft was submitted to WBC’s Full Council on 1 December 2022 and was approved to go to public consultation. This stage, which is known as Regulation 19, starts on 6 January 2023 and will run until 17 February 2023. This is an opportunity for everyone in the district, individuals and organisations, to have their say.

The document is important but also long and complex, to an extent that might make large parts of it unintelligible to anyone but a planning expert. In this separate post, we’ve suggested some local people or organisations whose advice you might want to get before making your comments. The good news is that these are all completely free…

Community notices

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

• The Mortimer and Burghfield toy library is a service run by volunteers providing toys to local families. It runs on the fourth Saturday of the month at Mortimer Methodist church 9.30am to 11am. Toys can be hired through a yearly membership or individually for a months hire and toys can be renewed on payment of another months hire. For more information, visit their Facebook page.

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• Theale Parish Council has urged residents to take part in the Patient Participation Group which aims to support and improve the way services are delivered by your GP Practice. See more here on the goals and how to join.

• Holy Trinity Church is seeking donations for the Foodbank that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 9am to 6pm. With another rise in people’s need for foodbank support, you can find out what has been requested each week by clicking here.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• More local hosts are needed for people escaping the war in Ukraine. If you could consider hosting a Ukrainian refugee or family, please get in contact with the local support group or visit westberks.gov.uk/homesforukraine.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Thurs 12 Jan Britain’s Railways in WW1 Talk, Reading Central Library.

• Sat 14 Jan Games Evening, St Mary’s Church Burghfield.

• Sun 5 Feb Repair Café, Spencer Wood Village Hall.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer, between April and October. There are three walk lengths to chose from as mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the café at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 11).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council for was on 10 January and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: Easy Concrete’s activities at The Woodyard, Paices Hill (see separate section above); a review of the 2023-24 budget (it was decided to keep the precept at £13,500 which is “ower than many other Parish Councils of equivalent size, and we will continue our efforts to ensure you get good value for your money”; planning matters (including “disappointment” that APC’s request for an extension had not been granted to the consultation on proposals for additional Light Industrial Units at Young’s Industrial Estate on Paices Hill; the Victorian Jubilee Water Fountain on the Loosey, which is deteriorating, “partly due to the heavy traffic on the nearby A340”; power outages following SSE workmen Raghill; and the possibility of producing a neighbourhood development plan.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 9 January and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Chair’s report; the Clerk’s report; the report from ward member Alan Macro; planning matters; the play project; CCTV; the council’s response to the local plan; plans for Christmas 2023; the war memorial; the annual parish meeting; financial matters; and correspondence.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 6 December and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a proposed telephone mast; the Village Hall; a huge and ownerless oak tree; footways; tree replacement; planning matters; planning enforcement issues; a report from the ward member; highways; affordable homes; the 2023-24 budget; defibrillators; and financial matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 5 December and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: hedges; the grit bin; a councillor vacancy; planning matters; highways; parking at Mallard Way; the Community Room and School Hall; speeding; and financial matters.To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 10 November and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 7 November and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 6 October and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 3 October and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 5 January 2023

This week we cover a repair café, congratulate the Santas, take a look at a mini recycling centre and admire a huge and ownerless oak tree in Bradfield. We also offer some advice about WBC’s local plan consultation and take a look at the latest news concerning Windmill Court – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• Many congratulations to the Burghfield Santas, who throughout the course of 2022 raised an incredible £30,000 for Thames Valley Air Ambulance. The Burghfield Santas have been long-term supporters of the charity through events like their pop-up pub events and Burghfest. Their total fundraising over the years have contributed over £300,000 to the Air Ambulance service. If you would like to make a donation to the Thames Valley Air Ambulance to help save lives, you can do so through their website.

• The Spencer’s Wood Repair Café is back this weekend on Sunday 8 January at the Spencer Wood Village Hall. Bring along your broken household items, such as bikes, electrical items, sewing machines, phones, laptops, garden tools, tool sharpening, mechanical items, small furniture and broken zips, bags and clothes and the wonderful volunteers will try to fix them. There is also a book and CD exchange, as well as a café with snacks and beverages. New volunteers are always welcome especially seamstresses. Click here for further details.

• A new mini recycling centre has opened in Tilehurst at Cotswold Sports Centre, Downs Way, RG31 6SL. Click here for details.

• Village halls that need finishing funds for well-developed projects can apply to the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund by 20 January.

• The national government initiative to cap single bus fares at a maximum of £2 from January to March 2023 applies to all single journeys across the Reading Buses, Thames Valley Buses, Green Line 702/703 and Newbury & District networks. The only exceptions will be on football buses and buses allocated for school travel. The scheme is designed to help families, commuters and other passengers save money this winter, as well as help to increase the number of bus commuters, thereby reducing emissions and congestion. For more details about how the scheme will work, click here.

• Newbury Samaritans is looking for more volunteers to join its team based at West Street in central Newbury. For more information about what is involved (and a link to Penny’s recent interview with Director of Newbury Samaritans, Andrew Melsom) please see here.

• Latest news from Healthwatch West Berkshire includes what to do if you are worried your child has scarlet fever or Strep A and new Urgent Treatment Centre at Great Western Hospital. Click here for full details.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

The local plan

Friday 6 January 2023 update: WBC has announced that Regulation 19 Consultation on the local plan has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. It is hoped it will have started by Friday 13 January. It will still run for six weeks from its commencement date.

The final draft was submitted to WBC’s Full Council on 1 December 2022 and was approved to go to public consultation. This stage, which is known as Regulation 19, stars on 6 January 2023 and will run until 17 February 2023. This is an opportunity for everyone in the district, individuals and organisations, to have their say.

Windmill Court

We’ve covered throughout 2022 the story of Sovereign Housing’s somewhat clumsy attempt to close the housing at Windmill Court in Mortimer. Discussions between Sovereign and WBC have been ongoing for some time, though with no public results. One thing I would like to see come from these is an understanding as to who is calling the shots in the relationship (it should surely be WBC) when it comes to deciding what facilities should be closed or renovated. As matters stand, this could happen again and cause a similar amount of confusion and upset.

In his latest newsletter published just before Christmas, WBC Councillor Graham Bridgman made the f0ollowing comment:

“Discussions with Sovereign have continued and as soon as there is something we are able to report we will do so. As I said in a recent Facebook post: ‘We have had meetings, both physical and virtual with Sovereign. The nature of the discussions have been necessarily confidential. As and when: (a) the request from Sovereign to WBC is discussed by WBC; and/or (b) the petition presented to the WBC Executive is discussed; and/or (c) any planning application by Sovereign comes forward; and/or (d) Sovereign agrees that the discussions can be made public; and/or (e) Sovereign make any announcements, I will be able to say more.'”

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 8 Jan Repair Café, Spencer Wood Village Hall.

• Thurs 12 Jan Britain’s Railways in WW1 Talk, Reading Central Library.

• Sun 5 Feb Repair Café, Spencer Wood Village Hall.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council for was on 13 December and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: a presentation by Jon Winstanley of WBC “who attended to respond to the petition organised by Shelley Fraser to express the views of Villagers concerned about a repeat of the 2007 floods”; a presentation by Mitro Homes (“although they described, at considerable length, the green credentials of the new builds, we explained that the new homes were unlikely to gain Planning Approval from WBC as they were within the AWE DEPZ. We were also concerned that they would be outside the settlement boundary, were on agricultural land, and could set a dangerous precedent”); a comment from a resident about the large heaps of soil that had appeared alongside The Woodyard, Paices Hill. The Chair said the she was “in regular contact with the developer, Easy Concrete, and WBC Planning Enforcement Team. APC had major concerns about developments on the site, and were keeping a close watch on it”; other planning matters; The Loose; the budget; and bin emptying.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 5 December and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: drains; wildflowers; the Village Hall; Roundhead Road; a report from the ward member Alan Macro; planning matters; committees and working groups; the play project; financial matters; £2,842 donated to the WBC Library Service; and financial matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 22 December 2022

We’re taking a couple of weeks off: normal service will be resumed on Thursday 5 January 2023.

Thursday 15 December 2022

This week we cover a mobility, tree-cycling, local newsletters, toys and a tea dance. We also take a look back at some of the stories we’ve covered in the area over the last 12 months (many of which are unfinished business) – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• The Burghfield and Mortimer Mobility Store received an early Christmas surprise. They have received a generous donation of £500 from the Burghfield Residents Association (B.R.A) who give out grants from the proceeds of their Annual May Fayre. Now the Mobility Store, which is free to use and volunteer-run, can replace its ageing stock as well as buy two new ‘all terrain’ wheelchairs, so that residents can access the local woodland with their families. You can read more about this story here.

• Did you know you can ‘treecycle’ your old real Christmas tree through the Sue Ryder charity? Register with them by Wednesday 4 January to get your real Christmas tree collected and recycled, in exchange for a donation. They’ll be collected them between the 9 and 12 January. Click here for further details.

• Don’t forget there’s still time to nominate someone you know for the Berkshire Community Champion Awards. This year the categories are: Community Group of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, the Pat Eastop Junior Citizen of the Year Award and Volunteer of the Year. If you know someone deserving of the award, make sure you have your nomination in by Monday 2 January. Click here for more information and click here to fill out a nomination form.

• Over at Spencers Wood there’s a Charity Christmas Trail taking place. Check out some lovely light display and be in for a chance to win some fabulous prizes. Trail maps can be picked up at the Spencer’s Wood OneStop or Dobbies.

• Quick reminder that Burghfield Parish Council has exciting new opportunity for a new café facility and is inviting expression of interest from local caterers, both experienced and those just starting out. For more information or to request a copy of the Information Package and Expression of Interest Form, please call 0118 983 1748 or email clerk@burghfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk. Expressions of interest forms must be submitted by Tuesday 3 January 2023.

• Newbury Samaritans are looking for more volunteers to join their team based at West Street in central Newbury. For more information about what is involved (and a link to Penny’s recent interview with Director of Newbury Samaritans, Andrew Melsom) please see here.

• The West Berkshire Toy Appeal 2022, needs your help! The appeal organised by the Swift Group involves donating a new unwrap gift to a local underprivileged child, as which there are several possible drop off point around Newbury and other places in West Berkshire. The Swift Group are suggesting local offices consider donating to the appeal in place of a Secret Santa this year. Click here to see a full list of drop-off points and click here for more details about how you can get involved.

• Aldermaston Parish Council is considering the options for spending the £53,000 CIL contribution from the Lidl development. Ideally this will be on facilities accessible to the south of the parish. All suggestions from parishioners are welcome: please contact the Parish Council office.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Christmas

• With the cost-of-living crisis affecting so many, Cafe B – Together in Mission (Burghfield Common’s first community cafe) would like to help to make Christmas a little better for the children of Burghfield by providing a gift for a child who may not receive one on Christmas Day. The Burghfield schools estimate that 130 children aged between four and 16 years old in Burghfield are unlikely to receive a gift this Christmas. Please help put a smile on these children’s faces by donating what you can.

• Thanks to the the Burghfield Community facebook group for this summary of Christmas events (click here to sign up for the Eye’s weekly events newsletter)

Friday 16 December
Baby & Toddler Group Christmas Party – Burghfield Common Village Hall – 10am-12pm ( Ticketed Event!)
Saturday 17 December
Christmas Carols Sing Along – Burghfield Village Hall 6pm – 8pm
Silent Disco – The Six Bells – Burghfield Village – 8pm
Friday 23 December
Rock & Roll Bingo – The Six Bells
Saturday 24 December
Christingle Services – Burghfield St Mary’s Church – 2pm & 4pm

A look back…

This will be the last news update of 2022: normal service will be resumed on 5 January 2023.

Over the last year we’ve published a large number of stories about this area. Some have been referred to many, many times: that’s not because we feel the need to re-cycle copy or go over old ground but because the issues themselves have not gone away, have re-surfaced or have, like a mutating virus, acquired new features which need considering.

At the foot of this post you’ll see a link to our archive section (which may in turn link to another one). Searching for any or part of the phrases mentioned in bold below will take you to the often multiple references to these issues. Many of these still have a lot of life left in them and so expect further coverage in 2023.

The two main things that tend to crop up are planning and flooding and/or sewage. These are the kind of things that normally we don’t think about at all: when they’re directly affecting us, however, it’s almost impossible to think about anything else. We’ve lost count of the number of times these have cropped up in our coverage (a few of the major ones are referred to below). Whenever we cover them, and indeed other stories, we try to present as many points of view as possible, explain the issues and provide links for further information.

Matters such as speeding, rights of way, dog mess,, jubilee and coronation festivities and defibrillators are, amongst a host of other things, dealt with by town and parish councils. We provide information on their activities and link to the most recently available minutes, and provide a summary of these if they are reasonably recent.

We’ll be continuing to cover as many aspects of life in this area as we can in 2023 and beyond, seeking always to inform, explain, comment and (where appropriate) entertain. If there’s anything you’d like to see covered, or if you have anything to say about anything we’ve covered already, please email brian@pennypost.org.uk.

Here’s a brief summary, in no particular order, of some of the recurring stories in this area in 2022. It by no means refers to all the issues we’ve written about.

The Village Hall renovation in Burghfield. Earlier this year there was a certain amount of criticism about how the parish council had handled this matter. We looked into it and found that, possible communication problems aside, there was little wrong with what had happened.
The temporary café in Burghfield. An almost identical story here: similar comments; similar investigation by us; similar conclusion.
Windmill Court. Sovereign Housing’s decision to close this facility in Mortimer attracted – with a lot more justification than with the two issues above in Burghfield – a good deal of criticism. The situation now seems to have resolved itself although it still leaves open the question as to which of WBC and Sovereign calls the shots in this important relationship.
The solar farm at Bloomfield Hatch near Mortimer. This is a big project and one that seems to us to be a good (and not permanent) use of the land and of WBC’s money. Others disagree. This was discussed in detail at a planning committee meeting in the summer and we looked at some of the issues, about renewable energy and the planning system, that this exposed.
Burghfest is always a popular event and we were delighted to help support and promote it in 2022.

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 16 Dec Burghfield Toddler Group Christmas Party, Burghfield Village Hall.

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Sat 24 Dec Christingles Service, St Mary’s Church.

• Sat 31 Dec New Years Eve Celebration, Silchester Farm.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 10 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: Foudry Brook at the Station Road Bridge; a report from the Clerk; a proposed Friends of Mortimer Library; the coronation; CCTV and the Fairground; committee and working party reports; the Mortimer to Burghfield Cycleway and Footpath; the NDP; financial matters; and planning matters.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 7 November and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on I November and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 3 October and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 8 December 2022

This week we cover a Christmas trail, CIL ideas, local caterers, a wider pavement, 100m streams and a toy library – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• Keep your eyes peeled for Father Christmas this Friday 9 December as he will be paying a visit to Mortimer on the evening of the 9 December. Organised by the Loddon Valley Lions Club, Santa will be starting at St John’s Church before taking a tour of the village. Click here for more details.

• Thanks to Mortimer Life for covering this fairly unusual story of pavements being widened to make it safer for local children to walk to school. It also records that “in December 2014, Knutsford council approved plans to widen the pavements, 220 years after Lady Jane Stanley had paid for narrow pavements to be laid to prevent lovers strolling arm in arm.” The Iranian and Indonesian Presidents probably both have a picture of her as a screensaver.

• Congrats to Mortimer’s James Carter and Italy’s Meduza whose song Bad Memories (in collaboration with FAST BOY, Elly Duhe, Burghfield’s Mearsy and others) has just reached 100 million (Spotify) global streams.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Christmas

• Thanks to the the Burghfield Community facebook group for this summary of Christmas events (click here to sign up for the Eye’s weekly events newsletter)

Saturday 10 December
Christmas Decorations Craft Club – Burghfield Library – 10.30am-12pm
Christmas Tree Festival – Burghfield St Mary Church- all day
Christmas Jumper Disco – The Six Bells – Burghfield Village – 7pm -11pm
The Bulging Sack Pop Up Pub – Burghfield Village Hall, Burghfield Common 5pm-11pm
Sunday 11 December
Christmas Carols Sing Along – Sulhamstead Village Hall – 2pm-3.30pm
Wednesday 14 December
Christmas Carols – Café B – Burghfield Methodist Church 10am-12pm
Thursday 15 December
Christmas Party at The Hatch Gate Pub Live Music – 7pm-11pm
Friday 16 December
Baby & Toddler Group Christmas Party – Burghfield Common Village Hall – 10am-12pm ( Ticketed Event!)
Saturday 17 December
Christmas Carols Sing Along – Burghfield Village Hall 6pm – 8pm
Silent Disco – The Six Bells – Burghfield Village – 8pm
Friday 23 December
Rock & Roll Bingo – The Six Bells
Saturday 24 December
Christingle Services – Burghfield St Mary’s Church – 2pm & 4pm

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 10 Dec Aladdin Pantomime, St Johns Hall, Mortimer.

• Sat 10 Dec Children’s Craft Club, Burghfield Library.

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council for was on 8 November and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: four new planning applications; planning correspondence; light pollution at Rosebourne; two potential enhancements at The Loosey (the renovation of the Fountain Memorial and the provision of a replacement bench; bin collections; grass cutting; CIL funds; and planning and building-control issues at Woodyard in Paice’s Hill (see separate section above for part 2 of this).
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 7 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the proposed new school at Hayward’s Farm; a report from ward member Alan Macro; planning matters; reports from the committees and working groups; cycle racks; Theale Green School; the official opening event for the new play area; tree works; street trading; the Pavilion; the draft Community Engagement Strategy; financial matters; and correspondence.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 7 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the 2023 Village Show; a report from ward member Dominic Boeck; financial matters; planning matters; the Village Hall; repairs and maintenance work; and the Village Hall.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on I November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a proposed phone mast; the continuing saga of the Village Hall; the Almshouses; dog bins; repairs and maintenance work; trees; planning matters; affordable housing; highways and drainage; defibrillators; correspondence; and financial matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 1 December 2022

This week we cover a market, ice, toys, volunteers and a medieval play – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• Theale Parish Council’s annual Christmas Market kicks off this weekend on Saturday 3 December. There will be a variety of market stalls, a Santa’s grotto, children’s ride and carol singing. For more details click here.

• Also this Saturday 3 December Burghfield on Ice is going to be kicking off from 11am at Burghfield Village Hall, with a synthetic ice rink, street food, Christmas markets, live music, card making and much more.

• On Sunday 4 December there will be more festivities at the Six Bells in Burghfield, with a Christmas Craft Fair from 10:30am to 1pm. Check out their Facebook page for more details.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Christmas

• If you want to keep up to date with all the news and info about Theale’s Christmas Lights Event on Saturday 3 December, Theale Parish Council requests you follow their official facebook event page.

• The Burnham Copse Primary School in Tadley have their Christmas Fayre on Friday 2 December, from 3pm to 5pm.

• Thanks to the the Burghfield Community facebook group for this summary of Christmas events:

Saturday 3 December
Burghfield’s Christmas on ICE – The Village Hall Burghfield Common – 11am-5pm
Burghfield & Mortimer Christmas Concert with South Berks Band – Burghfield St Mary Church – 7pm
Sunday 4 December
Christmas Carols by the Tree, The Hatch – Burghfield Village – 5pm
Wednesday 7 December
Elvis at The Hatch Gate – Burghfield Village – 7pm-11pm
Saturday 10 December
Christmas Decorations Craft Club – Burghfield Library – 10.30am-12pm
Christmas Tree Festival – Burghfield St Mary Church- all day
Christmas Jumper Disco – The Six Bells – Burghfield Village – 7pm -11pm
The Bulging Sack Pop Up Pub – Burghfield Village Hall, Burghfield Common 5pm-11pm
Sunday 11 December
Christmas Carols Sing Along – Sulhamstead Village Hall – 2pm-3.30pm
Wednesday 14 December
Christmas Carols – Café B – Burghfield Methodist Church 10am-12pm
Thursday 15 December
Christmas Party at The Hatch Gate Pub Live Music – 7pm-11pm
Friday 16 December
Baby & Toddler Group Christmas Party – Burghfield Common Village Hall – 10am-12pm ( Ticketed Event!)
Saturday 17 December
Christmas Carols Sing Along – Burghfield Village Hall 6pm – 8pm
Silent Disco – The Six Bells – Burghfield Village – 8pm
Friday 23 December
Rock & Roll Bingo – The Six Bells
Saturday 24 December
Christingle Services – Burghfield St Mary’s Church – 2pm & 4pm

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Thu 1 to Sun 4 Dec York Nativity Play, Aldermaston.

• Sat 10 Dec Aladdin Pantomime, St Johns Hall, Mortimer.

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 24 November 2022

This week we cover a wonderland, a catering opportunity, Christmas lights, a nativity play, a tea dance an a toy library – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• This weekend is the Burghfield St Mary’s Primary School Christmas Fair, at which there will be a Santa’s Grotto, a raffle with some fabulous prizes, lots of stalls, as well as BBQ and refreshments. The fair will ben taking place of Saturday 26 November from 11am, click here for more details.

• Also this Saturday, the Falcon Pub in Theale is holding a Winter Wonderland with entertainment, a Santa’s Grotto, and festive refreshments including mulled wine, mince pies, hot toasted chestnuts and much more. All proceeds will go towards charities Breast Cancer Now and the Air Ambulance.

• The next Toy Library, over at the Mortimer Methodist Church is being held on Saturday 26 November. Due to Christmas, hire will effectively be for two months, rather than the usual one – ideal for entertaining any little holiday visitors. More information can be found on the events Facebook page.

• Burghfield Parish Council has exciting new opportunity for a new café facility and is inviting expression of interest from local caterers – both experienced and those just starting out. For more information or to request a copy of the Information Package and Expression of Interest Form, please call 0118 983 1748 or email clerk@burghfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk. Expressions of interest forms must be submitted by Tuesday 3 January 2023.

• Mortimer NDP team is hosting drop-in sections on 26 and 27 November. This is your chance to find out more about and have your say on the planned topics for the new Mortimer Neighbourhood Plan (climate/environment, energy, services, housing, facilities, employment and transport). For more information, please click here. For more information about neighbourhood development plans generally, please click here.

• West Berkshire Council is asking residents to take part in a survey regarding equality and diversity in the district. They want to make sure that the people of have an equal entitlement to high quality services, employment and opportunities for personal development, and that the council has a fair and inclusive organisational culture. Please complete this online survey by midnight on Sunday 27 November, if you would like to have your views heard.

• Do you know anyone who goes that extra mile? Please nominate them for the West Berks Community Champion Awards. The categories are Community Group of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, The Pat Eastop Junior Citizen of the Year Award and Volunteer of the Year. The deadline is Monday 2 January 2022.

• There is a lot of hype these days around Black Friday (25 November) and Cyber Monday (28 November). When it comes to shopping online, it’s tempting to grab a ‘good deal’ but it is also a great opportunity for scammers to take advantage of customers looking for a bargain. Please see these reminders from Citizen’s Advice on how to shop savvy and stay safe online. Remember, if an offer is too good to be true, it’s probably not true…

• Quick reminder that the Artists at Mortimer Hill will be opening their doors again this November. Sadie Brockbank is showing her sculpture, collage and prints, plus the occasional painting, alongside painters Sue Bartlett, Julie Pearson and Jonathan Newey (workshops available with Jonathan); contemporary textile art from Tracy Micklethwaite (our latest new and very welcome addition to the community); and Jason Leggett’s glass creations and workshop opportunities. The exhibition is open from 11am to 5pm daily on Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November at Mortimer Hill Studios, The Street (entrance off Strawberry Fields), Mortimer, RG7 3PW.

• Theale Parish Council needs volunteers to help man the road closures for their annual Christmas Market on Saturday 3 December. If you are able to help, please sign up to the mailing list on the volunteering page at thealeparishcouncil.gov.uk. Or sign up here to give the council permission to contact you in the future to see if you would be willing to help out at community events or be notified about any volunteer activities.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Christmas

• The Burnham Copse Primary School in Tadley is currently looking for craft stall holders for their Christmas Fayre. The fayre will be taking place on Friday 2 December, from 3pm to 5pm. If you would like to book a space there get in contact with meljrussell71@gmail.com.

• Thanks to the the Burghfield Community facebook group for this summary of Christmas events:

Saturday 26 November
Christmas Fayre – Burghfield St Mary School – 11am – 2pm
The Knight’s Tale Children’s Workshop – Burghfield Library- 11am-12pm
Saturday 3 December
Burghfield’s Christmas on ICE – The Village Hall Burghfield Common – 11am-5pm
Burghfield & Mortimer Christmas Concert with South Berks Band – Burghfield St Mary Church – 7pm
Sunday 4 December
Christmas Carols by the Tree, The Hatch – Burghfield Village – 5pm
Wednesday 7 December
Elvis at The Hatch Gate – Burghfield Village – 7pm-11pm
Saturday 10 December
Christmas Decorations Craft Club – Burghfield Library – 10.30am-12pm
Christmas Tree Festival – Burghfield St Mary Church- all day
Christmas Jumper Disco – The Six Bells – Burghfield Village – 7pm -11pm
The Bulging Sack Pop Up Pub – Burghfield Village Hall, Burghfield Common 5pm-11pm
Sunday 11 December
Christmas Carols Sing Along – Sulhamstead Village Hall – 2pm-3.30pm
Wednesday 14 December
Christmas Carols – Café B – Burghfield Methodist Church 10am-12pm
Thursday 15 December
Christmas Party at The Hatch Gate Pub Live Music – 7pm-11pm
Friday 16 December
Baby & Toddler Group Christmas Party – Burghfield Common Village Hall – 10am-12pm ( Ticketed Event!)
Saturday 17 December
Christmas Carols Sing Along – Burghfield Village Hall 6pm – 8pm
Silent Disco – The Six Bells – Burghfield Village – 8pm
Friday 23 December
Rock & Roll Bingo – The Six Bells
Saturday 24 December
Christingle Services – Burghfield St Mary’s Church – 2pm & 4pm

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 26 Nov Christmas Fair & Santa’s Grotto, St Mary’s Primary School.

• Thu 1 to Sun 4 Dec York Nativity Play, Aldermaston.

• Sat 10 Dec Aladdin Pantomime, St Johns Hall, Mortimer.

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 4 October and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 17 November 2022

This week we cover spices, candles and pins, art, CIL funds and Christmas lights. We also take another look the wall that fell down in Aldermaston and reflect again on what this tells us about planning enforcement in the district – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• A massive well done to The Hatch Gate and Burghfield Spices, who together have raised an amazing £1,100 to donate to St Mary’s primary school. The donations comprise of all profits made last Monday fund for improving school facilities and they had a brilliant day serving you all. Click here for a message from the pub.

• This Friday 18 November sees the return of the historic candle and pin auction, over at Aldermaston’s The Hind’s Head pub. Reportedly, this traditional practice dates back at least to the 18th century and is held every three years in either November or December. You can read more about the event in the Newbury Today, and all are welcome to come along and watch the bidding.

• After the restrictions of the past few years, the members of Burghfield Branch of the Royal British Legion were glad to be able to celebrate Remembrance Sunday, on the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War, with the traditional parade. Over 1,000 people attended on a dry, bright Remembrance Sunday this year at Burghfield St Mary’s Church. See here for full story and a gallery of photographs.

• The Burghfield Coop are currently looking for a new part-time team member. If you think you might be suitable click here for more details abo9ut the job and how to apply.

• The annual West Berkshire Giving Tree is back for Christmas 2022. The Giving Tree provides you with an opportunity to share your Christmas spirit by donating a gift to a child or adult who has been affected by Domestic Abuse. You can get involved in the gift of giving online or in person and all labels will contain anonymised information on the person you will be buying for, for example ‘Girl aged 3’ or ‘Man aged 34’. The gifts can be a mixture of donations, toys and experiences. Gifts should be new, unused and unwrapped. The Giving Tree will be open to donations from now until 6 December. For more information about how to get involved, click here or for questions contact Jade.Wilder@westberks.gov.uk.

• A reminder that there will be a road closure on the Bath Road Westbound exit and entry slip road and unnamed road from Bath Road to Station Road in Theale, between 9.30am and 3.30pm on Monday 21 November. The closure will be between its junction with Bath Road Westbound carriageway and its junction with Station Road/A4 Link Road roundabout. Click here for more information and detail on alternative routes.

• Burghfield Parish Council is still calling for stall holders, for the Burghfield On Ice. The event will take place Saturday 3 December from 11am to 5pm inside Burghfield Village Hall. There are only a few places left, so if you’re interested please get in touch ASAP by emailing enquiries@burghfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk or calling on 0118 9831748. There is also a booking form you can download from the website here.

• Quick reminder there will be free bus travel starting in West Berkshire (and the return journey if going beyond the West Berkshire border) all day on several allocated days in November and December. As well as being able to get around West Berkshire, free bus travel is available to Reading, Basingstoke and Swindon. For more information click here. As part of this scheme West Berks Council is offering a Free Christmas Shopper Bus Service for villages, including Hungerford Newtown, that don’t have a public bus service on Saturdays in the run up to Christmas, starting Saturday 19 November. To book your seat and request a shopping destination of your choice, please contact 01635 551111 or email transport@westberks.gov.uk. See here for more details.

• Theale Parish Council needs volunteers to help man the road closures for the forthcoming Remembrance Sunday procession and their annual Christmas Market. If you are able to help, please sign up to the mailing list on the volunteering page at thealeparishcouncil.gov.uk. Or sign up here to give the council permission to contact you in the future to see if you would be willing to help out at community events or be notified about any volunteer activities.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Theale District Councillor Alan Macro.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Christmas

• The Christmas Craft Fair on Sunday 20 November at the Willink Leisure Centre is in aid of Flint House police Rehabilitation Centre at Goring Reading and Burghfield Football Club. They are grateful for the kind sponsorship of Davis Tate Estate Agents from Burghfield Common. If you would like to enquire about a pitch please call 07990 667 503. See more here.

• Burghfield & Mortimer Christmas Concert will be on Saturday 3 December at St Mary’s Church.

Another brick in the wall

We mentioned last week (see below) about the slightly strange tale of a concrete firm in Aldermaston that seemed unable to build a concrete wall but which was, on the other hand, able to get exactly what it wanted from the situation despite what appear to be slightly half-heated attempts by WBC’s planning department to prevent this.

In last week’s column, we said that a site visit from WBC had taken place and that it was requested that the contentious work stop in that part of the site, pending the submission of a retrospective planning application. They key word here is “requested”: neither “demanded” nor “insisted” were used. One local resident told me that work was continuing on the site in general in much the same way as before, though they weren’t sure if this had stopped in the problem area WBC had identified. The difference now is the owners effectively have WBC’s blessing.

I’m also unaware if any time limit has been set by which time the retrospective application should be filed. I don’t think it has. In any case, that only creates another problem for WBC if the date is missed. Then what does it do? Pay another visit and say “this time you really have to do it, or else”: to which the owners may reply “or else what?”

Don’t get me wrong here – I’m not saying that councils should have the power to boss us around or stop companies making money or generally mess with our heads, such as happened quite often in the more heavy-handed municipal days of the 60s and 70s. However, there is a planning system and although it sometimes gets things wrong, the solution is not just to ignore it. However, if its decisions aren’t enforced there’s little point in having a system at all.

There’s also a separate question with this issue: why the condition that the site only be used as a timber yard was seen as vital 15 years ago but now doesn’t seem to be regarded as being of the slightest importance. It’s easy to see why many of Aldermaston’s inhabitants are a bit miffed by this – particularly, I would imagine, the ones who have building projects of their own and are prepared to follow the rules. Why, they might be asking, should we bother if it’s easy as this to ignore the system and do what you want?

Mortimer’s neighbourhood development plan

Thanks to Mortimer Life for pointing out that the Mortimer NDP team is hosting drop-in sections on 26 and 27 November. This is your chance to find out more about and have your say on the planned topics for the new Neighbourhood Plan (climate/environment, energy, services, housing, facilities, employment and transport).

For more information, please click here.

For more information about neighbourhood development plans generally, please click here.

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 18 Nov Historic Candle Auction, The Hind’s Head, Aldermaston.

• Sat 19 Nov Live Music by Stoney Lane, Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Sun 20 Nov Christmas Craft Fair, Willink Leisure Centre, Burghfield.

• Sat 26 Nov Christmas Fair & Santa’s Grotto, St Mary’s Primary School.

• Thu 1 to Sun 4 Dec York Nativity Play, Aldermaston.

• Sat 10 Dec Aladdin Pantomime, St Johns Hall, Mortimer.

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a review of Operation London Bridge; resurfacing at there swing dome; the Youth Club; the neighbourhood development plan; reports from committees and working parties; the village newsletter; the Fairground Utility Square; the Fairground footpath; financial matters; planning matters; the neighbourhood action group; speeding; and a wasps’ nest.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 10 November 2022

This week we cover Burghfield on Ice, suggestions needed on spending £53,000, artists’ open days and Christmas lights. We also take a look at a not very good wall that fell down in Aldermaston and reflect on what this tells us about planning enforcement in the district – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• This weekend is Remembrance Sunday and the Remembrance Parade will start from the Triangle at 10.15am, arriving at St Mary’s Church around 10.30am. The service will all be held outside, gathered round the memorial. All are welcome to join and pay their respects. Please click here for more information about the event.

• Great news for bus users. Following on from successful free bus travel last Christmas, this Easter and for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, bus journeys starting in West Berkshire, and the return journey if going beyond the West Berkshire border, will be free all day on several allocated days in November and December. As well as being able to get around West Berkshire, free bus travel is available to Reading, Basingstoke and Swindon. For more information click here. As part of this scheme West Berks Council is offering a Free Christmas Shopper Bus Service for villages, including Stratfield Mortimer, that don’t have a public bus service on Saturdays in the run up to Christmas, starting Saturday 19 November. To book your seat and request a shopping destination of your choice, please contact 01635 551111 or email transport@westberks.gov.uk. See here for more details.

• The Artists at Mortimer Hill will be opening their doors again this November. Sadie Brockbank is showing her sculpture, collage and prints, plus the occasional painting, alongside painters Sue Bartlett, Julie Pearson and Jonathan Newey (workshops available with Jonathan); contemporary textile art from Tracy Micklethwaite (our latest new and very welcome addition to the community); and Jason Leggett’s glass creations and workshop opportunities. The exhibition is open from 11am to 5pm daily on Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November at Mortimer Hill Studios, The Street (entrance off Strawberry Fields), Mortimer, RG7 3PW.

• So week two into the new food waste collection scheme and we forgot that the food caddy was collected weekly so we didn’t put it out…hope you did better than us. Luckily we have a home compost as well so a lot can go into that. Quick reminder that you don’t have to put your food waste in the green bags (it can go straight in the caddy which is easy to rinse out) and the lovefoodhatewaste.com website has great ideas about how you can reduce food waste.

• Please note that there will be a road closure on the Bath Road Westbound exit and entry slip road and unnamed road from Bath Road to Station Road in Theale, between 9.30am and 3.30pm on Monday 21 November. The closure will be between its junction with Bath Road Westbound carriageway and its junction with Station Road/A4 Link Road roundabout. Click here for more information and detail on alternative routes.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Theale District Councillor Alan Macro.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Christmas

• The Christmas Craft Fair on Sunday 20 November at the Willink Leisure Centre is in aid of Flint House police Rehabillitation Centre at Goring Reading and Burghfield Football Club. They are grateful for the kind sponsorship of Davis Tate Estate Agents from Burghfield Common. If you would like to enquire about a pitch please call 07990 667 503. See more here.

• Burghfield & Mortimer Christmas Concert will be on Saturday 3 December at St Mary’s Church.

Wall-building in Aldermaston

It’s been mentioned before in Penny Post that WBC doesn’t have enough planning enforcement officers. Every application that’s approved comes with conditions, often quite a lot of them. Many govern matters like tree planting and construction times and so only apply for a finite period. Others, like hours of operation and the maintenance of drainage works, are never-ending. With hundreds of new applications granted each month, the amount of work enforcement officers have to do is therefore only ever going to increase. The actual number of them, however, is less than it should be and less than it is in the Vale of White Horse, a planning authority of roughly similar size.

However, one incident in Aldermaston recently did result in the appearance of one of these shy and rare beasts, although this was more for planning-control reasons. This concerned the Easy Concrete site at Woodyard, Paice’s Hill.

The new owners acquired this earlier this year and over the summer went to work with a bulldozer. Aldermaston Parish Council (APC) raised the matter with WBC but it appears the Planning Department was happy that the B8 industrial use was still being adhered to and so took no action. As part of these works, the site was bounded by a wall that might politely be called rudimentary. As this was backed up with extra soil as a result of the cut-and-fill groundworks, it was clearly dangerous. APC sent photos to WBC and again received no immediate response. It was only when, last week, part of the wall collapsed very close to the A340,– a busy road that’s also a key access route to and from AWE in the event of a nuclear emergency – that it became clear that something had to be done. Following a site visit, WBC requested that all work in that area stop pending a retrospective planning application. AT the time of writing, it’s unclear if it has.

I’ve seen the photos of the “wall” as it was.nI’m no expert but it looks pretty poor to me, simply a line of concrete blocks without foundations or mortar, in places leaning alarmingly into a fence. I’ve also seen photos of the wall after it collapsed. It’s not easy to tell the difference between the two. Given what Easy Concrete does (the clue’s in the name), the shoddiness seems even more remarkable.

APC feels that the site shouldn’t be able to operate on this new business model at all. The original planning approval for the site in the 2000s specified it should be used for forestry-related businesses only, which satisfied a then, and perhaps current, policy about promoting rural industries. This conferred a B8 rating, one that it appears also works for the very different businesses proposed by the new owners. These might include concrete, toilet hire and construction and demolition equipment.

Once a site has a particular grade it would seem that this trumps any qualifications or conditions that might be appended. If that’s the case, what’s the point of making the qualifications and conditions at all? There are enough such things in decision notices anyway without adding ones that the planning authority doesn’t subsequently regard as being relevant.

When the retrospective application is filed, I wonder if APC may ask its ward member to call it in to planning committee so that the matter can be looked at thoroughly (10 letters of objection will have the same result).

There would also be another advantage: if any of the planning committee members have any experience at building walls, this would also be a good opportunity for them to pass on some tips to the applicant. These seem to be sorely needed.

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 13 Nov Remembrance Parade and Service, St Mary’s Church.

• Sat 19 Nov Live Music by Stoney Lane, Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Sun 20 Nov Christmas Craft Fair, Willink Leisure Centre, Burghfield.

• Sat 26 Nov Christmas Fair & Santa’s Grotto, St Mary’s Primary School.

• Thu 1 to Sun 4 Dec York Nativity Play, Aldermaston.

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council for was on 8 November and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: four new planning applications; planning correspondence; light pollution at Rosebourne; two potential enhancements at The Loosey (the renovation of the Fountain Memorial and the provision of a replacement bench; bin collections; grass cutting; CIL funds; and planning and building-control issues at Woodyard in Paice’s Hill (see separate section above).
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 4 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Village Hall; tree planting; the dog bin; village repairs and maintenance; planning matters; a proposed radio mast; enforcement issues; Admoor Lane; highways; Remembrance Sunday; defibrillators; trees and hedges; financial matters; bore holes near the Pang; and warm hubs.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 3 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: Englefield Estate; financial matters; dog bins; a councillor vacancy; and planning matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 3 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: speeding; a councillor vacancy; planning matters; village repairs and maintenance; the Community Room; and financial matters.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 3 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the circus’s lorries; a report from ward member Alan Macro; planning matters; reports from the committees and working groups; the play project; the John Cumber Hall; TPC’s social-media policy; and financial matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 18 July and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 7 July and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 3 November 2022

This week we cover a repair café, volunteers in Theale, a shoebox, fireworks and a proposed radio mast – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• St Mary’s church are holding a Shoebox Packing ‘Party’, on Saturday 5 November. The initiative apart of Christian outreach programme, Operation Christmas Child which offers gift filled shoeboxes to children in need worldwide. For more information click here.

• This weekend, Aldermaston Primary School are organising a firework display on Sunday 6 November on the field by Padworth Village Hall with plenty of parking. See here for details.

• This bonfire night, Classic FM, in partnership with the RSPCA, are doing a special radio programme on to help animals cope with firework noise. They will be playing classical music help calm and settle anxious pets on Friday 4 November and Saturday 5 November from 5 to 9pm.

• Two historic sights at Burghfield Common have been recommended by The West Berkshire Heritage Forum Selection Panel held on 27 October 2022 as heritage assets for local listing. See here for details of the Well Head Structure on Bunces Lane and the Water Pump on School Lane.

• We were surprised when we put out our new food caddy out this week by how full it was. By putting all food waste in a separate container, it becomes easier to see what foods you tend to throw away and to adjust shopping, cooking or consumption accordingly. The lovefoodhatewaste.com website has great ideas about how you can reduce food waste. See here for a reminder of how the new collection works and why it is being introduced. You can put your caddy out every week and you don’t have to put your food waste in the green bags (it can go straight in the caddy which is easy to rinse out).

• Also happening this weekend, the Repair Cafe, will be on at Spencer Wood Village Hall, on Sunday 6 November. Bring along your broken household items such as bikes, electrical items, sewing machines, phones, laptops, garden tools, mechanical items, small furniture and broken zips, bags and clothes, etc, to hopefully get fixed by the Cafe’s wonderful volunteers. There is also a book exchange and Cafe. Click here for more info.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Theale District Councillor Alan Macro.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Christmas

• Burghfield & Mortimer Christmas Concert will be on Saturday 3 December at St Mary’s Church.

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• The mini re-cycling centre at the end of Theale High Street has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 5 Nov Shoebox Packing ‘Party’, St Mary’s Church, Burghfield.

• Sun 6 Nov Fireworks Display, Aldermaston C of E Primary School.

• Sun 6 Nov Repair Cafe, Spencer Wood Village Hall.

• Sat 19 Nov Live Music by Stoney Lane, Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 September will be available here in due course. Items covered included: the announcement that “Out of respect during the period of mourning we opted to go ahead with a significantly reduced schedule covering urgent planning and finance decisions only”; and two commercial and four residential planning applications.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 27 October 2022

This week we cover a governor, spooky cocktails, soul, volunteers and a clean-up – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• St Mary’s School in Burghfield is currently looking for a new co-opted governor, to join the schools governing body. The role is voluntary and would involve attending around six governing meetings a year, as well as several committee meetings and two days per term in school. The role of the governing body is to set long-term goals for the school, see where improvements can be made and identify how to achieve them. There will be training available and attending regular training sessions is enco9uraged. For further details click here and an application form email scherry@burghfield.w-berks.sch.uk.

• Quick reminder about the new kerbside food waste collection starting next week (see here for a reminder of how it works and why it is being introduced). Over 100 local primary school children submitted name suggestions for the new food waste collection vehicles and the winners to look out for are: The Hungry Recycler, Composter Clemmie, Sir Andy Curry, Betty Banana, Food Feaster 2.0, Garbage Gobbler, Pikachew and Eva Egg Shell.

• Have you heard of the ‘Hallowclean’? It’s a week long initiative set by Tidy Up Britain to help keep or communities clean and tidy. The idea of the HallowClean is that you dress up in your scariest costume and go litter picking with your friends. Kind of like trick or treating but the real treat is a cleaner environment! You can even post #HallowClean with pictures in your costumes to let people know what you’re doing and maybe even more of your friends will want to get involved. Happy HallowClean!

• Looking for some fun and Halloween-y things to do this weekend? Well over at Mortimer there’s a Scarecrow Trail which is on now until Sunday 30 October. You can collect a map of the trail from Mortimer Library, Dad’s Shop, the Co-Op or online. Those that complete the trail quiz are in for a chance of winning a cash prize.

If that’s not spooky enough for you, then over at Spencer’s Wood and Mile Cross there’s a Halloween Trail, on now until Monday 31 October with family fun trail of scarecrows, decorated houses with prizes for those that reach the end.

• Slightly older ghouls and ghosts might prefer the spooky cocktails and DJ set at the Booze & Bones Party at the Victoria Arms (Mortimer), or the Thriller Dance Party with music from the 50s through to 90s, over at the Theale Community Hall. Both events take place on Saturday 29 October.

• Aldermaston Primary School are organising a firework display on Sunday 6 November on the field by Padworth Village Hall with plenty of parking. See here for details.

• Back in September, the Six Bells pub held a fundraiser with the Club Biscuit Soul Festival. The money raised has been totted up to an incredible £2348, which is going towards Motor Neurone disease charity. Amazing work!

• Important reminder from ARK (Action for the River Kennet) that although it’s late October and we have had some rain, we are still in drought conditions with a hosepipe ban. And yet somehow our household usage is higher than normal. Thames Water are applying for licenses to extract water from local rivers which would be really harmful to wildlife so let’s all please save as much water in our homes as possible. The more water that is tied up in our houses and sewage systems, the less is in rivers, canals, ponds and lakes – as we must remember that we all share the same supply of the wet stuff.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Theale District Councillor Alan Macro.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

CHRISTMAS

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• A new mini re-cycling centre has opened up at the end of Theale High Street. Replacing the previous smaller re-cycling point, the facility currently has banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• On now until Mon 31 Oct Halloween Family Trail, Spencer’s Wood and Mile Cross.

• Fri 28 Oct Freestyle Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Sat 29 Oct Booze & Bones Halloween Party, Victoria Arms, Mortimer.

• Sat 29 Oct Halloween Thriller Dance, Theale Community Hall.

• Sun 4 Nov Repair Cafe, Spencer Wood Village Hall.

• Sat 19 Nov Live Music by Stoney Lane, Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Sat 3 Dec Theale’s Christmas Lights Event

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council for which minutes are available, was on 6 September and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Village Hall; advertising boards; dog bins; the Almshouses; cherry trees; grass curling; planning matters; highways; trees and hedges; picnic benches; defibrillators; financial matters; and the scarecrow trail.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 20 October 2022

This week we cover a pick-your-own, Halloween, Christmas and a choir – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• Click here (and scroll down to Across the area) for news of West Berkshire Council’s Library Service, new food recycling arrangements, a service of thanksgiving, political invective, a paint-recycling initiative and the cost of living hub.

• Looking for something fun and Halloween-y to do this half-term? Well the Wasing Estate near Aldermaston have a Pick your own Pumpkin and Woodland Trail between Friday 21 and Saturday 29 October. Visitors are invited to follow the enchanting woodland trail through Wasing’s stunning autumnal woodland and along the way, encounter some creatures inspired by those living on the Estate. Collect a wheelbarrow and head for the pumpkin patch to choose your perfect pumpkin to take home and carve. There’s plenty of entertainment for children along the way & as well as tasty seasonal snacks. Click here for more information. Weekend slots have sold out but there is still weekday availability and pre-booking tickets is recommended at wasing.digitickets.co.uk

• If that’s not spooky enough for you, then over at Spencer’s Wood and Mile Cross there’s a Halloween Trail, from Sunday 23 to Monday 31 October with family fun trail of scarecrows, decorated houses with prizes for those that reach the end. Check out their Facebook page for more updates.

• Aldermaston Primary School are organising a firework display on Sunday 6 November on the field by Padworth Village Hall with plenty of parking. See here for details.

• Theale Parish Council needs volunteers to help man the road closures for the forthcoming Remembrance Sunday procession and their annual Christmas Market. If you are able to help, please sign up to the mailing list on the volunteering page at thealeparishcouncil.gov.uk. Or sign up here to give the council permission to contact you in the future to see if you would be willing to help out at community events or be notified about any volunteer activities.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Theale District Councillor Alan Macro.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 23 to Mon 31 Oct Halloween Family Trail, Spencer’s Wood and Mile Cross.

• Fri 28 Oct Freestyle Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Sat 29 Oct Booze & Bones Halloween Party, Victoria Arms, Mortimer.

• Sat 29 Oct Halloween Thriller Dance, Theale Community Hall.

• Sun 4 Nov Repair Cafe, Spencer Wood Village Hall.

• Sat 3 Dec Theale’s Christmas Lights Event

• Sun 18 Dec Festive Tea Dance Party, Burghfield CSA Club, James Ln, Burghfield.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 8 September and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: public questions; the Clerk’s report; repairs and maintenance; youth funding; committee and working -party reports; the co-option of a new member; the NDP; the Windmill Common boundary; financial matters; a report from ward member Graham Bridgman; planning matters; and the fitness equipment.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 13 October 2022

This week we cover an award at the Willink, an appeal for volunteers, fireworks and cycling. We also re-visit the recent planning approval for the solar farm near Mortimer and look for any sighs of systemic corruption – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• Congratulations to the Willink School in Burghfield for being awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom. On their facebook page, Headteacher Mr Fry says: “The Willink school is delighted to have received this accolade by the British Council. At The Willink, our ‘Village School, Global Outlook’ ethos is truly embedded in the DNA of our school. We are extremely proud of all our students, who always seize every possible opportunity to take part in international and global activities. Our school collectively looks forward to continuing to be part of many more exciting and meaningful international projects over the coming years.”

• Theale Parish Council needs volunteers to help help man the road closures for the forthcoming Remembrance Sunday procession and their annual Christmas Market. If you are able to help, please sign up to the mailing list on the volunteering page at thealeparishcouncil.gov.uk. Or sign up here to give the council permission to contact you in the future to see if you would be willing to help out at community events or be notified about any volunteer activities.

• All businesses in Theale are invited to the Theale Business Engagement Forum on Tuesday 18 October to share your needs, gain a greater understanding of the Parish Council’s remit, what it does and how the Parish Council can help you engage with the local community. See more details here. There will be a free breakfast courtesy of Arlington Business Park Park. To register, please email enquiries@thealeparishcouncil.gov.uk

• Aldermaston Primary School are organising a firework display on Sunday 6 November on the field by Padworth Village Hall with plenty of parking. See here for details.

• Burghfield Library is closed this week inclusive for preparatory work (moving all the books), followed by redecoration, and that during this period no books borrowed from the library will be due for return.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Theale District Councillor Alan Macro.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on the website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

Buying the sunshine

An article in this week’s Newbury Weekly News suggests that secret payments were made by West Berkshire Council to the tenant farmer who will lose part of the land he has farmed for some time to make way for a solar farm that WBC plans to build at Bloomfield Hatch near Mortimer. The resident who spoke to paper said that this had come to light as the result of an “embarrassing disclosure” at the committee meeting which determined the matter. The payment demonstrated, he continued, “systemic corruption” which falls foul of the council’s bribery and corruption policy and which makes the decision unlawful.

I watched the 24 August Eastern Area Planning Committee meeting at which the matter was decided and reported on it the following day (visit the archive post of this column and scroll down to Out of Sight, Out of Mind on 25 August) and didn’t get any sense of an “embarrassing disclosure.” What was mentioned was the fact that “there has been conversation with the farmer about what the future might look like.” If this is going to involve a payment as compensation, goodwill or whatever then I don’t see this as falling foul of anything in particular: indeed, were WBC not to have done so this would have provoked a far more justifiable outcry.

The accusation certainly struck a nerve with WBC which produced a statement refuting the claims:

“West Berkshire Council expressed its intention to seek planning permission to build a Solar Farm near Grazeley earlier this year as part of its Environment Strategy. This followed an extensive feasibility study which found that a solar farm of the proposed scale could offset around 30% of the Council’s carbon footprint. The freehold of the proposed site, at Bloomfield Hatch, is owned by West Berkshire Council and is currently let under an Agricultural Tenancy. If the Project were to go ahead, it would be necessary for the tenancy to be varied. Details of the negotiations are confidential but the Council confirms that officers have had conversations with the tenant to reach a possible agreement. This is a lawful, commonplace approach within the powers of the Council as landowner and does not raise any issues relating to bribery, corruption or fraud.

“The Council takes allegations made against it very seriously and will thoroughly and consistently investigate any reports it receives. In the case of this particular matter, the circumstances have been reviewed and there is no evidence to substantiate allegations of bribery. West Berkshire Council looks forward to proceeding with this project which, if completed, would be an integral part of its carbon neutral aspirations for the district.”

As regards the solar farm itself, I agree with the committee’s decision to approve it. It’s also worth pointing out that the fact that the EAPC didn’t go into the details of any financial settlement (even assuming that these had been agreed) was partly because of normal commercial confidentiality;, but mainly because this is not a planning matter; and it is only planning matters which planning committees can take into account.

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 3 Dec Theale’s Christmas Lights Event

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 5 September and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the co-option of a new member; planning matters; parking issues. highways; repairs and maintenance work; mobile coverage; speeding; and financial matters.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 8 August and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 6 October 2022

This week we look at dancing, a relay, further progress at Windmill Court and a temporary closure at Burghfield Library – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• Judy’s Barn Dance is making a welcome return this Saturday 8 October at Burghfield Community Sports Association. This year the event’s proceeds will be going to Thames Valley Air Ambulance. Find out how to get your toe-tapping tickets here.

• Quick reminder that the world’s longest, non-stop relay ever attempted will be passing from Woolhampton through Theale to Reading on Friday 7 October. The Running Out of Time relay started in Glasgow, home of COP26 last year, and will finish in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on 6 November for the start of COP27, the next UN summit of world leaders discussing the climate crisis. Runners, cyclists and sailors will carry a baton containing a climate message that’ll be delivered to world leaders urging more support to help people tackle the climate crisis where they live. Sarah-Jane Lock will take the baton on Stage 142 leaving Woolhampton at 12.25, passing through Theale around 1.30pm to arrive at Lidl, Soutcote at 2.10pm.

• With the cost-of-living crisis affecting so many, Cafe B – Together in Mission (Burghfield Common’s first community cafe) would like to help to make Christmas a little better for the children of Burghfield by providing a gift for a child who may not receive one on Christmas Day. The Burghfield schools estimate that 130 children aged between 4 years old and 16 years old in Burghfield are unlikely to receive a gift this Christmas. Please help put a smile on these children’s faces by donating what you can.

• You have probably received your new food waste caddies by now. We have spoken to the team behind the scheme and lay to rest some of the concerns about the planned new weekly collection of food waste by West Berkshire Council. See more details here.

• Burghfield Library will be closed from Monday 10 to Friday 14 October inclusive for preparatory work (moving all the books), followed by redecoration, and that during this period no books borrowed from the library will be due for return.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Theale District Councillor Alan Macro.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Wheels turning at the Windmill

As we’ve mentioned several times before (see the archive section, the link to which can be found at the foot of this post), discussions continue to provide a solution to the confusions at Windmill Court which earlier this year seemed likely to be closed by Sovereign Housing. Amongst other representations, a petition was set up on the subject which was considered at the WBC Full Council meeting on 22 September.

In his latest e-newsletter, ward member Graham Bridgman says that he is “hoping that the conversations we are having with Sovereign mean that many of the issues raised will be resolved before the Executive comes to consider the petition.”

The discussions seem to be producing positive results in other ways, as Councillor Bridgman explains. “The conversations we’ve been having with Sovereign about Windmill Court have meant that when I was approached recently by the neighbour of a Sovereign property with concerns about that property, I was able to pass those concerns on to my contacts, such that action took place later the same day – much to the delight if the neighbour.”

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council is often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events. Please check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• If you own a bike Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommends registering it on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 8 Oct Judy’s Barn Dance, Burghfield Community Sports Association

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Many councils do not hold meetings in August and many postponed their September meeting following the Queen’s death.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 11 ocytober, the minutes for which will be available here in due course. Items covered included: a presentation by EasyConcrete (the new owners of the site at The Woodyard, Paices Hill); one planning application; the parish resilience plan; a forthcoming meeting with WBC’s CEO; the ditch along Fisherman’s Lane; the new skateboard ramp; the Recreation Ground; and the Queen Victoria Jubilee fountain on the Loosey.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 29 September 2022

This week we look at volunteers, spices, bikes and a pantry. We also have a reassurance about the plans for the 70-acre solar farm near Mortimer – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• As highlighted on the Burghfield Community Page, Burghfield Methodist Church has set up a Little Free Pantry with the idea being ‘Give what you can, share what you need’ and nourish our community by sharing with our neighbours. Maybe if there’s something you’re in need of, or if you have an excess supply of something that could be shared with someone else, maybe swing by. The Little Free Pantry initiative started in America and is not connected to FoodBank.

• Burghfield Spices at The Hatch Gate are truly delighted to be recognised as a finalist for the south central award at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards (ARTA). They thank the community for their continued support and we wish them luck at the ceremony on Sunday 2 October.

• The world’s longest, non-stop relay ever attempted will be passing from Woolhampton through Theale to Reading on Friday 7 October. The Running Out of Time relay in the name of climate action will start in Glasgow, home of COP26 last year, on 30 September and finish in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on 6 November for the start of COP27, the next UN summit of world leaders discussing the climate crisis. Runners, cyclists and sailors will carry a baton containing a climate message that’ll be delivered to world leaders urging more support to help people tackle the climate crisis where they live. Sarah-Jane Lock will take the baton on Stage 142 leaving Woolhampton at 12.25, passing through Theale around 1.30pm to arrive at Lidl, Soutcote at 2.10pm.

• There are a lot of bikes being stolen at the moment by theives who have bolt cutters so it doesn’t seem to matter how good your lock is. Neighbourhood Watch strongly recommend registering your bike on the bikeregister.com database as every police force in the country uses it to search for stolen and recovered bikes.

• West Berkshire Library Service are looking for local library volunteers in Mortimer and Burghfield, to help keep the libraries running smoothly. If you think that could be you, get in touch at volunteeringinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk or call 01635 519533 for further details.

• Theale Parish Council aisre often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events, as well as activities to keep the local environment in good order. Whether it’s staffing stalls and summer or Christmas fete’s, planting trees or picking up litter, the council rely on member of the community to help make these things possible. If you would like to find out more about local volunteer opportunities, check out their website to find out more and register your interest.

• Theale Parish Council has released a list of projects currently being funded by the Greenham Trust. Click here to see the work being done.

• Click here for information about the range of activities organised by the Burghfield Community Sports Association.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer District Councillor Graham Bridgman.

• Click here for the latest newsletter from Theale District Councillor Alan Macro.

• The latest edition of the Englefield Parish Magazine is available to read here.

• Ditto here with the latest Padworth Village Newsletter.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit its website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

Sun still shines on solar scheme

Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, there is no threat having over the solar farm at Bloomfield Hatch which was approved at the Eastern Area Planning Committee in August. (See the archive of this column for 25 August). It is true that there are regulations in place to prevent local councils from using the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) as a means of raising cheap long-term loans to fund speculative investments which are designed only to produce profits. However, not only were these regulations introduced some time ago but they also do not prevent councils from raising funds for projects such as this.

The PWLB rate has recently increased as a result of the financial confusions. Therefore the scheme will be a bit more expensive, as will everything else, but still viable. The central reason for doing it at all – to produce sustainable electricity in a way that isn’t at the whim of any outs power – remains as valid as ever: indeed, probably more so.

Community notices

• For how to avoid scams and what to do if you unluckily get caught, please see important advice here from Citizen’s Advice.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 1 Oct Guide Dog Family Fun Day, Burghfield Common.

• Regular events

• Burghfield WI (The Woman’s Institute) meets at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at Burghfield Village Hall. See their facebook page for details.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• All cyclists are welcome to join the On Your Bike Burghfield facebook group“which doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (September edition, p 17).

News from your local council

Note that many parish and town councils do not hold meetings in August. In addition, meetings which were scheduled to have taken place during the period of mourning following the death of the Queen (8 to 19 September) would have been cancelled or postponed.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council for which minutes are available, was on 2 August and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 21 June and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Burghfield area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

Thursday 22 September 2022

This week we look at slow progress at Windmill Court, a sponsored beer barrel, the pride of Reading and a free pantry – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and local councils’ information.

This week’s news

• Ticket sales have gone so well for Burghfest 2022 this Friday and Saturday that the organisers are busy counting glasses to see how many more tickets they can release…Please see their facebook page for latest updates.

• This weekend is also Mary’s Churches Festival of Creation, with a range of different activities for the whole community to enjoy. There will be a pre-loved book sale on both 24 and 25 September, as well as a display of entries from the young photographers competition. On Saturday there will also be a talk on Wildlife Conservation Through the Lens by Bridget Fry, a wildlife photographer with charity Big Paws 4 Thought. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

• Congratulations to all those who were nominated for Pride of Reading Awards 2022. According to the Burghfield Community Facebook page, we can celebrate Mashiur Rahman, nominated as Community Champion, for his work donating meals to hospitals and school as well as being involved in numerous fundraising events. Also, a massive well done to Stephanie Awbery, nominated for the Chris Tarrant Award, for her work fundraising for various charities and organising the West Berkshire Motor Show. Excellent work.

• Local charity The Cowshed have just launched a new appeal, the Warm Winter Campaign, which aims to raise £10,000 towards coats, blankets, pillows and duvets for families trying to keep warm this winter. The Cowshed is a crisis charity that provides clothing and support for individuals and families in Berkshire experiencing hardship. They have reported seeing a huge increase in demand for their services, as the cost of living starts to impact on vulnerable members of our community and they are worried the level of demand will exceed their current donations. If you would like to contribute to the Warm Winter Campaign click here or you can make a general donation to the charity here.

• Did you know Theale Parish Council are often looking for volunteers to help run fun community events, as well as activities to keep our local environment nice? Whether it’s manning stalls and summer or Christmas fete’s, planting trees or picking up litter, the council rely on member of the community to help make these things possible. If you would like to find out more about local volunteer opportunities, check out their website to find out more and register your interest.