Our usual round-up of  local news includes repairs, recruitment, consultations, cracker tubs. and music – plus the plans for Newbury’s wharf, the 2024 Newbury Show, reporting burst rivers, precept setting and Draughtbusters in Shaw-cum-Donnington.  See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Newbury events include: adventure talk, volunteer recruitment event & digital WWII collection day. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Is your new years resolution to do volunteer work and make a difference in your community? The Volunteer Centre West Berkshire is holding their 50th Anniversary Volunteer Recruitment Event on Saturday 13 January at the Corn Exchange in Newbury. There will be a diverse range of charities and non-profits attending, so whatever your interests or skillsets are, there is sure to be something for you. Click here to learn more.

• You might remember that a little while ago we mentioned that a new monthly Repair Café is coming to Newbury and Thatcham. The first one will be on Saturday 25 February at Newbury Methodist Church Hall and they are still looking for meeters and greeters, volunteer repairers (furniture, clothes, digital etc), PAT testers and knife sharpeners. If that could be you, please click here for more details and how to register your interest.

• There is still time to have your say about the future of Willows Edge Care Home in Newbury. Please fill out this council survey by 11 January 2024. See background information here and below for more council surveys that might affect you.

• West Berkshire Libraries are offering new online support for students: secondary students can sign up to a fun, interactive way of learning via Brillder, an exciting online resource, and a free 12 week Library Code Club starts from Monday 8 January for 9 – 11 years to learn to code at home with Scratch.

• Our local hospitals are under extra pressure during the Junior Doctor strike until Tuesday 9 January. For latest updates and advice please follow Great Western Hospital’s facebook page and Reading’s Royal Berkshire Hospital’s facebook page here.

• Have you got any Second World War related diaries, letters, photos, memorabilia, stories and objects which you would like to preserve for future generations? On Wednesday 17 January from 10am to 2pm, West Berkshire Museum will be holding a Digital Collection Day, in which items will be recorded and added to the free-to-use digital online achieve theirfinesthour.org. To learn more get in contact with Gemma Taylor at gemma.taylor@westberks.gov.uk.

• For the third year running, Thatcham Refillable is collecting empty sweet and cracker tubs until 3o January for the Tub2Pub scheme that raises money for Macmillan cancer. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable to find out where to drop off your tubs or if they can collect they from you. The tubs will be taken to The Bear Hotel in Hungerford, part of the Greene King chain that organises the scheme.

• Congratulations to Luke Humphries from Newbury who became the World Darts Champion this week beating Luke Littler 7-4 in the PDC World Darts Championship in London on Wednesday night. According to the BBC, Humphries began playing at the Crucible Sports Club in Newbury and will celebrate by putting money behind the bar there to thank his early supporters.

• For the low-down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page. 

• Newbury’s Wharf

West Berkshire Council has announced that “exciting proposals are progressing as we continue working on plans to revitalise some of our town centres.” The statement goes on to say that one of the “main visions is the Newbury Town Centre Masterplan which looks to broaden the leisure, community and cultural experience to help the town centre transform into a space for social interaction, economic growth, public engagement and community activities.” The word “transform” rather suggests that Newbury is accomplishing none of these things at present, which some might disagree with.

However bold its promises, no one can claim that the masterplan work on Newbury (or the similar projects being undertaken in Hungerford and Thatcham) are politically motivated as the work was started under the last (Conservative) administration and is continuing under the current (Lib Dem) one. All the projects (many of which are still to be confirmed) will be long-term and all will be dependant on funding. The more public engagement there is and the more evidence that can be provided to support the plans, the more likely it is that the necessary sums can be secured.

Phase one of Newbury’s work is the redevelopment of the Wharf and an application was lodged just before Christmas. You can view the details here. The works are summarised as being “Improvement works to Wharfside and Peace Garden, including the extension of public realm in both areas, introduction of rain gardens. new porous (SUDS) ground surfaces and water edge treatment. Extension of Peace Garden to increase green space. Removal of some parking spaces and signage. Introduction of new Peace Garden sign. New lighting and seating across all the areas. Areas of natural play.” WBC’s own summary, which employs less brutal syntax, is the project is will “improve and transform the current space into a more inviting and welcoming place.”

• Draughtbusters

The following is taken from the minutes of Shaw-cum-Donnington’s Parish Council meeting on 20 December regarding David Marson’s presentation on West Berkshire Draughtbusters.

• Save the date

The Newbury Show – which didn’t happen on 2020, 2021 or 2022 due to, respectively, Covid, Covid and a change of management – was back with a bang last year, attracting over 32,000 visitors. The Newbury and District Agricultural Society (NADAS) which organises the event has recently confirmed that this year’s show will take place on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September. The latter is the date of the autumnal equinox, though I doubt that played a huge part in the decision.

The 2024 show will be introducing an area dedicated to the environment and sustainability and NADAS welcomes enquiries from interested sponsors and trade stands supporting this important initiative. All trade stands are now on sale with a Super Early Bird rate and Local Producers’ rate.

For more information, see this post.

• Setting the precept

The following has been adapted from Simon Kirby’s facebook post.

Newbury Town Council’s Planning & Highways Committee meets Monday 8 January. It’s at this time of year that parish councils along with other bodies who raise their revenue through a precept (such as the police and fire and rescue) review their budgets. Precepts are collected with council tax by the district council on behalf of these organisations. A precept is not itself council tax and increases are not capped by central government in the way council tax is: so while they have limited responsibilities, parish councils such as Newbury Town Council can levy whatever tax they please and this generally passes without comment.

If you’re interested in where the £1,200,000 of parish precept is spent you might like to go along to Monday’s committee meeting.

(It’s also worth bearing in mind that West Berkshire Council is proposing a number of service cuts. Some of these, including rubbish and dog bins and verge cutting, may be taken over by the town and parish councils. Unfortunately, they will need to set their budgets before the full results of WBC’s consultations are knows. Some towns and parishes may, therefore, be increasing their precepts to cover the cost of services that might otherwise disappear.)

• Have your say

Community notices

• Have your say on current consulations by West Berkshire Council. Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• The Corn Exchange café bar on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and 12.30pm hosts Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join its friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group and its Newbury Traffic Live Updates chat group (on facebook messenger).

• Printer ink cartridges can be recycled at the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk. – 01635 018500

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need. – 01635 43933

• Newbury Market welcomes small business interested in having a pitch in the Market Place get in contact with them at towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk or call 07399 122964 to find out more.

• Newbury Town Council Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall.

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafés on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Café in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2pm to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment.

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Until Sun 21 Jan: No Sudden Moves exhibition inspired by Newbury wharf, West Berkshire Museum.

• Wed 10 Jan Adventure at the Extreme – Talk with Jordan Wylie MBE, The Presidents Room at the Bowlers Arms, Wash Common, Newbury.

• Sat 13 Jan Volunteer Recruitment Event, The Corn Exchange, Newbury.

• Wed 17 Jan Digital WWII Collection Day, West Berkshire Library, Newbury.

• Sun 25 Feb Newbury Repair Café, Newbury Methodist Church Hall.

• Regular events

• A wide range of activities for over 55 year olds is offered by The Corn Exchange in its Ageing Creatively programme.

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Ukulele group workshops for all levels with the UTeam in Wash Common. Call 07963 647087 to enquire.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many art-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 23 October and you can read the minutes here. Note that many matters are delegated to committees.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 20 December and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; correspondence; a presentation from West Berkshire Draughtbusters (see separate section above); litter bins; trees and hedges; financial matters; ward members’ reports; planning matters; speeding; the recreation Ground; and Bill Graham’s bench.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 22 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.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 November and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 7 November 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.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 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.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

Our usual round-up of  local news includes winners, markets, diaries, consultations and adventures – plus a look back at some of the main things we’ve covered in this column in 2023.  See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Newbury events include: Christmas Market, Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar & Christmas Quiz. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Still got some last bits of Christmas shopping to do? The Highclere SustainHuble Market is on Saturday 23 December. Located at Westridge Studio, stalls will include Thatcham Refillable, Highclere Kitchen Garden, Artisan Columbian Coffee, Aston’s Bakehouse, The Rat’s Whiskers, Pre-Loved Jewellery and more. Click here for details.

• Our local hospitals are under extra pressure during the Junior Doctor strike 20 to 22 December and 3 to 8 January.  Statement from Great Western Hospital in Swindon: While we will continue to provide urgent and emergency care, hospital may not be the best place to be seen for your treatment needs. If you have an appointment with us, you should continue to come to the hospital. Anyone whose appointment is cancelled or postponed will be contacted directly. For latest updates follow GWH’s facebook page. – likewise Reading’s Royal Berkshire Hospital’s facebook page here.

• While Christmas can be a time of enormous joy for many, heightened emotions can also magnify loneliness and grief. If you find Christmas stressful or depressing, you are not alone. See here for advice and help that is available.

• At this time of year when all normal routines take a buffeting and emotions can be stretched, a little levity and lightheartedness doesn’t go amiss. With this in mind, we folk at Penny Post are challenging each other to come up with the best Christmas cracker joke – or should we saw the worst because there is a good psychological reason why cracker jokes are so bad. Perhaps you and yours could do the same? Here is one to get you started: What do frogs wear on their feet ? Open-toad sandals…

• Students and staff at Newbury College have contributed to the festivities with their new Christmas music video I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day.

• Newbury Twin Town Association recently hosted a visit from Bagnoles-sur-Cèze to coincide with the lantern festivities for the visitors to enjoy. Thanks to Gill Durrant for her report and invitation to anyone who would like to join NTTA which is twinned with five different towns across Europe.

• Have you got any Second World War related diaries, letters, photos, memorabilia, stories and objects which you would like to preserve for future generations? On Wednesday 17 January from 10am to 2pm, West Berkshire Museum will be holding a Digital Collection Day, in which items will be recorded and added to the free-to-use digital online achieve theirfinesthour.org. To learn more get in contact with Gemma Taylor at gemma.taylor@westberks.gov.uk.

• Congratulations to everyone involved in organising the recent Boxford Christmas market which raised over £800 which will be split between the Village Hall and the Boxford Masques.

• If you would like to start the new year with a bit of inspiration, Jordan Wylie MBE will be giving a talk on ‘Adventures – at the Extreme‘ with the Newbury Yacht Club on Wednesday 10 January. Wylie is known for his appearances on Channel 4’s Hunted and Celebrity Hunted, as well as his books about his real life stories. He has also been commended for his charity work. Members are free to attend and guests/visitor’s pay £5 at the door – of which all proceeds will go to one of Wylie’s nominated charites.

• Are you over 65 and spending Christmas alone? Christians Together is holding a Community Christmas Day Event at St Georges Church Hall (Andover Road, Newbury), from 10am to 3.30pm with transport if required. There will be entertainment, Christmas dinner and a goodie bag to take home. If you would like to join in, contact marinaoabraham@gmail.com or call 07828 244119.

• Quick reminder about free bus travel this Saturday 23 December. If you start your journey in West Berkshire, the free travel even extends to our neighbouring areas such as Reading, Basingstoke and Swindon. Your return journey is also free. To learn more click here.

• If you are concerned about the future of Willows Edge Care Home in Newbury, please fill out this council survey by 11 January 2024. See background information here and below for more council surveys that might affect you.

• This year’s West Berkshire Toy/Gift Appeal in memory of Louise Purton includes an Amazon wishlist and local drop-off points across Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford. Please see their website here for all the details or follow Swift’s facebook page.

• Santa’s Grotto at the Community Furniture Project/Resource Centre is giving out the gifts donated above to children in need from Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm until 23 December.

•  See calendar here of Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar’s final venues and dates during December.

• Local charity Home-Start needs help collecting Christmas donations and presents for families going through a tough time. Many local businesses have signed up as collection points to accept donations, including Dunelm, Tesco and Vodafone in Newbury. Please contact office@home-startwb.org.uk or call 01635 760 310.

• For the low-down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page. 

• The man on the bus

Newbury Town Councillor Steve Masters set himself the task of trying to ride every bus out of Newbury on on Saturday 16 December. We joined for part of the journey (not to check up on him, you understand, but in a spirit of support and encouragement) and, to our delight, ran into someone we know on the Number 4. You can read Steve Masters’ account of his bus-a-thon in this post.

The free travel is also available on the buses on Saturday 23 December: more information can be found here.

I’ve asked WBC if they can let me know how the number of passengers on Saturday 16 December compared to an average Saturday and will hope to have an answer in the new year. I don’t know how much this cost WBC (I’ve asked that too) and I imagine given the current state of its finances it can’t afford to make this a more regular event. None the less, buses are for life, not just for Christmas. I’ll also be enquiring if they’ve looked into whether any large private companies in the area might be willing to sponsor a similar initiative at other times of the year.

• A look back at 2023

Each week in 2023, with a couple of exceptions, we’ve provided an overview of what’s been going on in the area. The more important ones have merited their own sections. Some of these have been referred to time and time again as there are very few issues of any significance that can get resolved within seven days. 

All the previous versions of this column are archived: follow the links at the foot of this post and then thereafter to locate them. You can use search (command + F on a Mac, control + F on a PC) to find a particular subject. Many of these appear very frequently. Here I’ve picked out a few stories in this area we’ve covered this year.

• Probably the most important single event was the local election in May which ended 16 years of Conservative rule in West Berkshire. Of course, new councils rarely produce immediate results (and no council can change as much as it would like to) so the full effects of the election on this area will take some time to be felt. One matter which has already become clear is that WBC needs to make some serious savings. This has led to a number of consultations which close on 11 January preparatory to the final budget being set in February.

• That said, the return of football to Faraday Road in Newbury was one of the first demonstrable acts performed by the new administration. This isn’t the end of this sorry saga which stretches back to 2018: indeed, this latest change merely returns the situation to the closure of the ground in June of that year but misses the parts of the infrastructure which were torched, sold, given away or stolen during this time.

• Which inevitably leads to the scarcely-less-important matter of the proposed replacement (if that’s what it was – no one seems quite sure) for Faraday Road at the Rugby Club at Monks Lane. It’s currently uncertain what will become of this project (which still has planning permission and a line in WBC’s budget) so this is one worth keeping an eye on.

• So too is the redevelopment of the Kennet Centre, now known as Eagle Quarter. We’ve followed this very closely in its stop-start journey through the planning system and have been in touch with both the developers and the Newbury Society which has led the charge to have the plans scaled down.  The main problem for some is its scale and it remains to be seen if the latest changes have provided a plan that WBC can live with. A decision is expected in the early part of 2024.

• The London Road Industrial Estate (now officially Bond Riverside) has been rumbling on for the best part of two decades. Many feel that it needs redevelopment but no one agrees into what it should change. Various visions have been produced by WBC but all have – through a combination of legal obstacles, planning issues and robust opposition from down-stream residents who fear that any development would worsen their flooding problems – led to nothing much having happened. The new administration has yet to grasp this particular nettle or take this bull by the horns. Other cliches are available and may yet need to be resorted to as the coverage continues into 2024.

• Another live issue in Newbury is that of the proposed pedestrianisation in the town centre. It’s probably true that there has never been a pedestrianisation scheme which pleases everyone but, after a broadly successful experiment for three months during the first pandemic summer and armed with some positive reactions through the town-centre strategy survey, WBC is going to try to get something for at least six months and see how it works. We’ve been covering the various political, administrative and governmental issues this needs to overcome and will continue to follow this until the test goes live some time in 2024.

• After a pause resulting from the elections and the change of administration, the district’s three town-centre strategies got back under way in the autumn. These cover Hungerford, Thatcham and Newbury and are designed to identify and provide evidence for the need for projects which will benefit the town and then seek to raise money to provide them. The steering groups are all chaired by local, rather than WBC, representatives.

• Another local project that we’ve been following is Newbury’s neighbourhood development plan. These are complicated, time-consuming and important projects that periodically disappear from public view for some months while background work goes on and then emerge back into the public gaze when engagement with residents is required. As with all NDPs in the district, this is being conducted against a backdrop of intense uncertainty as a result of the fitful progress on WBC’s plan and the continuing rumbles of possible change from Whitehall.

• The community transport company Readibus, which is particularly active in the Thatcham and Newbury areas, was for some years engaged in a spat with the previous administration at WBC which really came down to the Council’s insistence on a non-reciprocal condition which has been with some justification described as a “gagging clause”. The irony is that insisting on this created for WBC exactly the kind of bad publicity that gagging clauses are designed to prevent. We’ve followed this story closely and have been contacted by a number of Readibus’ clients during this period, all of whom were upset by the service cuts that resulted from WBC’s partial withdrawal of funding. The relationship now seems to be on the mend and we’ll hope to share good news on this in 2024.

• Other matters that we’ve covered include planning applications and the disputes that sometimes attend these; Newbury Town Council’s attempts to get a new café built in Victoria Park; the conclusion of the saga of the planning problems at the Bell at Boxford resulting from the nutrient neutrality regulations; Enborne’s quest to build a solar farm and the problems this has faced; and the long-awaited return of the Newbury Show. We also provide a link to the most recent town and parish council minutes and, for the first few weeks after they’re published, provide a summary of these.

• Have your say

Community notices

• Have your say on current consulations by West Berkshire Council. Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• The Corn Exchange café bar on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and 12.30pm hosts Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join its friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group and its Newbury Traffic Live Updates chat group (on facebook messenger).

• Printer ink cartridges can be recycled at the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk. – 01635 018500

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need. – 01635 43933

• Newbury Market welcomes small business interested in having a pitch in the Market Place get in contact with them at towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk or call 07399 122964 to find out more.

• Newbury Town Council Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall.

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafés on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Café in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2pm to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment.

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Until Sun 21 Jan: No Sudden Moves exhibition inspired by Newbury wharf, West Berkshire Museum.

• Until 24 Dec Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar (different venues each day).

• Fri 22 Dec Christmas Party Night with Sion Whiley, The Craven Arms.

• Sun 31 Dec New Years Eve Fireworks, The Spotted Dog Pub.

• Wed 10 Jan Adventure at the Extreme – Talk with Jordan Wylie MBE, The Presidents Room at the Bowlers Arms, Wash Common, Newbury.

• Sat 13 Jan Volunteer Recruitment Event, The Corn Exchange, Newbury.

• Wed 17 Jan Digital WWII Collection Day, West Berkshire Library, Newbury.

• Sun 25 Feb Newbury Repair Café, Newbury Methodist Church Hall.

• Regular events

• A wide range of activities for over 55 year olds is offered by The Corn Exchange in its Ageing Creatively programme.

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Ukulele group workshops for all levels with the UTeam in Wash Common. Call 07963 647087 to enquire.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many art-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 23 October and you can read the minutes here. Note that many matters are delegated to committees. Items covered included: Rod Thomason, RIP; Berkshire Youth; Loose ends and Newbury CC; reports from the Mayor, the Leader and the CEO; committee reports;  working group reports; and financial coal matters.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 22 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the co-option of a new councillor; the Recreation Ground; financial matters; committee reports; the defibrillator; and repairs and maintenance.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 15 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; the co-option of a new councillor; correspondence; financial matters; speeding; planning matters; repairs and maintenance; the Christmas newsletter; and a possible new bus route.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 November and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 7 November 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.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 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.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

Our usual round-up of  local news includes a Christmas event, an interesting change, a concert, Willows Edge and donations – plus a look at what “football’s coming home” really means, the latest Hamstead Hornet and a local councillor trying to catch all the free buses on Saturday.  See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Newbury events include: Christmas Market, Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar & Christmas Quiz. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Are you over 65 and spending Christmas alone? Christians Together is holding a Community Christmas Day Event at St Georges Church Hall (Andover Road, Newbury), from 10am to 3.30pm with transport if required. There will be entertainment, Christmas dinner and a goodie bag to take home. If you would like to join in, contact marinaoabraham@gmail.com or call 07828 244119.

• Quick reminder about free bus travel this Saturday 16 and 23 December. If you start your journey in West Berkshire, the free travel even extends to our neighbouring areas such as Reading, Basingstoke and Swindon. Your return journey is also free. To learn more click here.

• This Saturday 16 December the Newbury Choral Society will be holding its Christmas Concert,at 7.30pm at St Nicholas Church, Newbury. Get yourself in the seasonal spirit with popular and much loved Christmas music. Click here to get tickets.

• If you are concerned about the future of Willows Edge Care Home in Newbury, please fill out this council survey by 11 January 2024. See background information here and below for more council surveys that might affect you.

• This year’s West Berkshire Toy/Gift Appeal in memory of Louise Purton includes an Amazon wishlist and local drop-off points across Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford. Please see their website here for all the details or follow Swift’s facebook page.

• Santa’s Grotto at the Community Furniture Project/Resource Centre is giving out the gifts donated above to children in need from Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm until 23 December.

• Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar upcoming windows will be revealed at St John’s Church, Clifton Road, Globe Garden at Newbury Lock, Sunflower Days near K&A Canal. See calendar here of all the venues and dates during December.

• The Newbury Happening Now FB page reports that there’s an “interesting” timetable change on the trains between Paddington and Newbury. “There are now trains that operate between Paddington and Didcot and Newbury. The train splits at Reading. One part continues to Didcot with the remainder continuing on to Newbury. Make sure you are in the right bit of the train…”

• Local charity Home-Start needs help collecting Christmas donations and presents for families going through a tough time. Many local businesses have signed up as collection points to accept donations, including Dunelm, Tesco and Vodafone in Newbury. Please contact office@home-startwb.org.uk or call 01635 760 310.

• For the low-down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page. 

• Football’s coming home

There’s a letter in our local paper which refers to this phrase and asks what it means. It’s true it’s a cliché and has been over-used, including by me in the heading to this section. It relates, of course, to the song Three Lions by Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and Ian Brodie of The Lightning Seeds to celebrate what was was hoped to be England’s victory in Euro ’96. The phrase is the chorus so it’s often known by this name rather than its real title. In West Berkshire, it’s been heavily used in respect of the football ground at Faraday Road, to which football has now returned following five years of pointless closure.

The letter writer proposes that the phrase is ambiguous and could refer to “multiple footballs” coming home. It can’t, however, as the word “football’s” is not a plural but, with the apostrophe, a contraction of “football is”. The apostrophe can also denote possession: but, as the apostrophe is before the s, only one football is involved. In any case, one would need a noun after it to show who the possessor is – “Football’s owner” for example. “Coming” could be a gerund (“the coming home of football”) but that means pretty much the same as “football is coming home”. Were there no apostrophe (which might be how it’s sometimes written, though not in this letter), the writer would be correct: but in that case there’d be no confusion either as it could only refer to multiple footballs, as he points out.

Moving on, he suggests that the work done currently results in a fairly low-grade facility. He’s right and I doubt the council would disagree. However, the party’s manifesto pledge said that, if elected, it would “Return football to Faraday Road”, this to be accomplished by “(1) Immediately returning the grass to bookable football space and (2) Agreeing outline plans with the Newbury Community Football Group for a new pitch with an enhanced stadium and facilities.” The first of this has undeniably happened and the second is happening. The writer does concede that “change has been delivered” but feels there should have been more.

If the facilities are currently a little basic, that’s because the clubhouse was burned down and the stand was sold or gifted to Hungerford Town FC while the perimeter fence appeared to have been stolen. It makes no sense to replace any of these until the longer-term future of the site is agreed, including whether an artificial pitch should be installed, what else will be built there and the massive question of how the drainage and flooding issues will be resolved.

The letter concludes with the advice that “the Lib Dems had better get their act together pretty quickly”. I agree that the time may come when the lack of such plans will smack of inaction but I don’t think that time’s been reached yet. I would certainly hope for something definite to be announced by the time the administration celebrates its first 365 days in charge in May 2024.

• Hamstead’s Hornet

Last week saw the publication of the 108th edition of the Hamstead Hornet, which chronicles local life in and around Hamstead Marshall. This issue includes Watery Lane, crime reports, Good Hope Farm, carols at Chapel Corner, the Gardening Society, Bob Williams, planning  applications and what’s on.

The HH’s editor, Penny Stokes, also wrote Georgian Newbury, which provides some fascinating insights into our county town’s tumultuous eighteenth-century history. More information on the book can be found here.

• The man on the bus

If on Saturday 16 December you’re on a bus in West Berkshire and you see a man anxiously scanning a timetable or crossing something off on a list, that could well be Newbury Town Councillor Steve Masters. He has set himself the task of trying to ride every bus out of Newbury on that day. His busathon starts with a departure on the 3X to Hungerford at 6.50 and ends just after midnight with him rolling into the bus station on the Jet Black service from Thatcham. We’ll be hoping to join him for a short part of the Number 4 route between East Garston and Lambourn in the late morning.

“I am doing this is to highlight the free bus days here in West Berkshire,” he told us, “and also to draw attention to  the gaps in the current timetable. These could, if addressed, reduce social isolation, improve economic mobility and reduce the dependency on cars across the district.” You can follow his progress here.

• Have your say

Community notices

• Have your say on current consulations by West Berkshire Council. Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• The Corn Exchange café bar on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and 12.30pm hosts Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join its friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group and its Newbury Traffic Live Updates chat group (on facebook messenger).

• Printer ink cartridges can be recycled at the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk. – 01635 018500

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need. – 01635 43933

• Newbury Market welcomes small business interested in having a pitch in the Market Place get in contact with them at towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk or call 07399 122964 to find out more.

• Newbury Town Council Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall.

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafés on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Café in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2pm to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment.

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Until Sun 21 Jan: No Sudden Moves exhibition inspired by Newbury wharf, West Berkshire Museum.

• Until 24 Dec Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar (different venues each day).

• Sat 16 Dec Newbury Christmas Market, Newbury

• Sat 16 Dec Newbury Choral Society Christmas Concert, St Nicholas Church, Newbury.

• Mon 18 Dec Christmas Quiz, The Spotted Dog Pub.

• Fri 22 Dec Christmas Party Night with Sion Whiley, The Craven Arms.

• Sun 31 Dec New Years Eve Fireworks, The Spotted Dog Pub.

• Sat 13 Jan Volunteer Recruitment Event, The Corn Exchange, Newbury.

• Regular events

• A wide range of activities for over 55 year olds is offered by The Corn Exchange in its Ageing Creatively programme.

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Ukulele group workshops for all levels with the UTeam in Wash Common. Call 07963 647087 to enquire.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Living Well Singing Café runs on Wednesdays from 2.15pm to 3pm at the Waterside Centre. All ages welcome. Contact singingcafe@berkshiremaestros.org.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many art-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 23 October and you can read the minutes here. Note that many matters are delegated to committees. Items covered included: Rod Thomason, RIP; Berkshire Youth; Loose ends and Newbury CC; reports from the Mayor, the Leader and the CEO; committee reports;  working group reports; and financial coal matters.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 22 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the co-option of a new councillor; the Recreation Ground; financial matters; committee reports; the defibrillator; and repairs and maintenance.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 15 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; the co-option of a new councillor; correspondence; financial matters; speeding; planning matters; repairs and maintenance; the Christmas newsletter; and a possible new bus route.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: land south of School Road; planning matters; financial matters; rights of way; speeding; the parish assembly (2 May 2024); and reports from the Clerk and from councillors.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 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.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 18 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

Our usual round-up of  local news includes: lights, wildflowers, trees, football in the park and discounted lunches –  plus a look at a letter about football returning to Faraday Road and a reminder that proposed WBC budget cuts may impact on community transport services. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Newbury events include: Festival of Light, Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Newbury’s Festival of Light is this Sunday 10 December, with a procession of lanterns parading down Northbrook street to the Market Square at 4pm. There will also be live music and an overall festival atmosphere throughout the town. Click here for more information.

• Newbury Town Council latest newsletter for December celebrates the completion of the Victoria Park Bandstand, bulb planting and the upcoming wildflower meadow seeding.

• Can you help seed a new wildflower meadow at Greenham House Gardens (opposite the ‘Burger King roundabout’) this Sunday 10 December between 10am and 1pm? Newbury Town Council’s Green Spaces Working Group, in partnership with Newbury in Bloom, is seeking volunteers for this project, following other successful community planting and pruning days in the town earlier in the year. Click here to learn more.

• St John & St Nicholas Primary School Choir performed a lovely rendition of Rudolph the Reindeer for the Wednesday 6 December’s living advent calendar window at Newbury Library with a lovely window decorated by visitors to EducafeUK’s Community Cafe, with many Christmas messages in different languages.  See more details here.

• Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar upcoming windows will be revealed at West Berkshire Museum, The Kennet Centre, City Arts and Parkway. See calendar here of all the venues and dates during December.

• Newbury Town Council’s Green Spaces Working Group, together with HSS Sewa (Hindu Swayamesvak Sangh), successfully planted 20 fruit trees and 10 deciduous trees last weekend at Hutton Close with the Mayor of Newbury, Councillor Nigel Foot lending a helping hand. Sewa Day undertakes projects in collaboration with local authorities like Councils and other charities and earlier this year, the group raised funds for this event by holding a charity coffee morning at the Town Hall. More tree planting is planned for the New Year. See more details here.

• There is still time to nominate local residents or volunteers who have gone above and beyond to help the community for West Berkshire’s Community Champion Awards. Fill in the online nomination form by Monday 11 December.

• A reminder that the SustainHUBle Market at Wash Common will be happening a week earlier than usual this month, on Thursday 14 December. Stock up on your pre-Christmas refills from jams and chutneys, pies and baked goods, as well as skincare, cards and gift. Click here to find out more.

• As reported previously, football has returned to Victoria Park which was commemorated last week with a game visited by the Deputy Mayor and some Town Councillors. The football pitch has had significant investment and improvements made over time and is now taking bookings for both casual and block bookings up to the end of April 2024, as well as youth training sessions. To learn more click here.

• Quick reminder about free bus travel on Saturdays 16 and 23 December. The free travel even extends to our neighbouring areas such as Reading, Basingstoke, and Swindon. If you start your journey in West Berkshire, your return journey is also free. To learn more click here.

• Christians Together in the Newbury Area (CTNA) invites anyone aged 65 or over to a free Community Christmas event at St George’s Church Hall in Andover Road, Newbury RG14 6NU from 10am to 3.30pm on Christmas Day. For more information, please email marinaoabraham@gmail.com or call 07828 244 119.

• The Base is currently holding a Photography Competition, on the theme of ‘My Wild Life’ inspired by nature. Budding photographers of all ages and expertise can enter, and finalists will be chosen by a panel of expert judges and the winning entries will be chosen by the general public in an online vote. The deadline to enter is Sunday 7 January 2024. Click here to find out how to enter.

• Quick reminder that local seniors can now get a £2 discount on delicious two-course lunches at The Fair Close Centre or via Meals on Wheels thanks to a new initiative between The Fair Close Centre and West Berkshire Council. See here for more details and how to apply.

• Newbury & Thatcham Repair Café  aims to run monthly alternating between Newbury and Thatcham from February 2024 and needs a pool of clever volunteers who can help. If this sounds like something you could help with, register your interest via this form.

• Local charity Home-Start need help collecting Christmas donations and presents for families going through a tough time. Many local local businesses have signed up as collection points to accept donations, including Dunelm, Tesco and Vodafone in Newbury. If you would like to get involved and organise a collection within your organisation, please get in touch at office@home-startwb.org.uk or call 01635 760 310.

• Quick reminder about the silent peace vigils calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East in Newbury on Thursday evenings starting at 7.30pm. All welcome. See details in NWN here.

• For the low down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page.

• Football again

There’s a letter in this week’s NWN (“Football has not come home to Faraday Road”) which contains a number of observations that I find, at best, confusing.

The writer regards the congratulations given to WBC for having returned football to Faraday Road as “nauseating”, though it’s not clear why. The party’s election manifesto said that it would “immediately return the grass to bookable football space.” One could quibble with the “immediately”: but it has happened. The second part of the pledge spoke of “agreeing outline plans with the Newbury Community Football Group for a new pitch with an enhanced stadium and facilities.” Rather more slowly than was hoped, this is happening. the NGFG has re-defined itself as a CIC representing the wider interests of the football community and is now committed to working with WBC rather than, as previously, protesting against it.

The writer adds that “at least” the Tories proposed Monks Lane which “would be up to National League pyramid standards.” Indeed: but level of the pyramid? There is doubt on this point and the writer offers no step number for what he believes Monks Lane could achieve. I concede, and always have done, that the then portfolio holder Howard Woollaston did at least try to address this problem although, as matters showed, not in a way that made it clear whether the facility was a replacement or not.

He goes on to say that both schemes could be needed. He may be right. Nothing has been decided on this. As I mentioned last week, the planning permission for Monks Lane hasn’t been withdrawn and there’s still a budget line for it.

He then suggests that the Lib Dems are just “playing politics” with the issue. What does this ghastly phrase even mean?

His next observation is how foolish the Council is for not installing a 4G pitch. This may happen but is a much bigger decision. Aside from the cost, there’s the possibility that a flood attenuation measure may need to be put under the pitch. There are also wider questions of there stand, the clubhouse and a possible commercial development such as a conference centre. Any artificial pitch would need to form a part of that. Would the writer prefer that it be installed now and then, perhaps, need to be torn up?

He then swerves on to the completely unrelated issue of the café in Victoria Park. This is on a different site, is (possibly) being paused or amended for a different reason and is being managed by a different council (Newbury rather than WBC). I’m not sure what this is doing in this letter at all.

The Lib Dem administration may not be perfect (which one could be?) but it has so far done, or is doing, what it said it would on this tangled and divisive matter. As I’ve mentioned before, this has only reverted to the situation back to where it was in June 2018, less the aspects of the Faraday Road ground which have been burned, sold or stolen during the disastrous interregnum. In the context of this strange and unedifying saga, that has to be regarded as progress of a kind. It’s also keeping an election pledge, so far.

• Community transport consultation

Today I got a call from some one who, having read something I’d written, wanted to tell me how excellent they found the Readibus service. I agreed that this was something I’d heard several times before and was able to point out that the community transport charity has recently won another award.

I also explained to her that although its long-running dispute with WBC, resulting from the Council’s peculiar insistence on what amounts to a gagging clause, is in the process of being healed, it now faces a new problem. As many will be aware, WBC is like many councils short of money has has recently launched several consultations concerning possible cuts or extra charges (or “restructuring” as it euphemistically describes the latter).

One of these specifically looks at the possibility of reducing its contributions to community transport services. I explained to the caller that this might reduce the possibility of Readibus’ funding returning to its pre-dispute and levels and could even diminish the amount of funding it currently receives. This would lead inevitably to a reduction in the service that she and many others value so highly.

I suggested to my caller that the best thing she could do was to respond to the consultation by the closing date on 11 January 2024 and encourage others to do so too. When she said she wasn’t online, I looked up WBC’s switchboard number to give her so she could request a paper copy. I dialled it – 01635 55 11 11 –while she waited on the other line just to check that was the one to use.

For anyone who’s worried about the time they might to spend doing this, I can offer the reassuring news that the call was answered promptly by a very helpful woman who suggested I pass on the address to which the form should be sent. It should even now be winging its way towards its destination with such speed as Royal Mail can currently master.

Councils are obliged to provide hard copies of documents for those who aren’t online. Royal Mail is also obliged to deliver them, although (as reported here in the past) this doesn’t always happen as swiftly as it might, so do allow plenty of time. Libraries (which were saved for a similar funding axe about eight years ago) provide internet access and there may well be friends or neighbours who can help off-liners complete response or can print if off for them to fill in by hand and post back to WBC. O

bviously, anyone not on-line won’t be reading this article: so, if you know of anyone who might want to have their say on this or any other consultation but is not part of the digital universe, please pass this information on to them.

• Have your say

Community notices

• Have your say on current consulations by West Berkshire Council. Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• The Corn Exchange café bar on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and 12.30pm hosts Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join its friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group and its Newbury Traffic Live Updates chat group (on facebook messenger).

• Printer ink cartridges can be recycled at the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk. – 01635 018500

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need. – 01635 43933

• Newbury Market welcomes small business interested in having a pitch in the Market Place get in contact with them at towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk or call 07399 122964 to find out more.

• Newbury Town Council Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall.

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafés on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Café in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2pm to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment.

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Until Sun 21 Jan: No Sudden Moves exhibition inspired by Newbury wharf, West Berkshire Museum.

• Until 24 Dec Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar (different venues each day).

• Sun 10 Dec Festival of Light, Newbury Town Centre.

• Sun 10 Dec Community Meadow Seeding, Greenham House Gardens (near ‘Burger King’ roundabout).

• Tue 12 Dec Memorial Service for US Servicemen, Greenham Control Town Memorial.

• Thu 14 Dec Mayor’s Festive Afternoon Tea, Newbury Baptist Church.

• Thu 14 Dec SustainHUBle Market, Wash Common.

• Sat 16 Dec Newbury Choral Society Christmas Concert, St Nicholas Church, Newbury.

• Mon 18 Dec Christmas Quiz, The Spotted Dog Pub.

• Sun 31 Dec New Years Eve Fireworks, The Spotted Dog Pub.

• Sat 13 Jan Volunteer Recruitment Event, The Corn Exchange, Newbury.

• Regular events

• A wide range of activities for over 55 year olds is offered by The Corn Exchange in its Ageing Creatively programme.

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Ukulele group workshops for all levels with the UTeam in Wash Common. Call 07963 647087 to enquire.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Living Well Singing Café runs on Wednesdays from 2.15pm to 3pm at the Waterside Centre. All ages welcome. Contact singingcafe@berkshiremaestros.org.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many art-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 23 October and you can read the minutes here. Note that many matters are delegated to committees. Items covered included: Rod Thomason, RIP; Berkshire Youth; Loose ends and Newbury CC; reports from the Mayor, the Leader and the CEO; committee reports;  working group reports; and financial coal matters.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 22 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the co-option of a new councillor; the Recreation Ground; financial matters; committee reports; the defibrillator; and repairs and maintenance.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 15 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; the co-option of a new councillor; correspondence; financial matters; speeding; planning matters; repairs and maintenance; the Christmas newsletter; and a possible new bus route.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 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.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 10 October and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 18 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

Our usual round-up of  local news includes: Monopoly, markets, champions, photography and donations – plus an appeal from the Foodbank, an award for Readibus and a look at the what, how and when at the Eagle Quarter (aka the Kennet Centre). See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Newbury events include: festive markets, jazz afternoon and tea with the Mayor. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Festive markets this weekend include Boxford Christmas Market in Boxford Village Hall on Saturday 2 December with lovely stalls, mulled wine and a visit from you-know-who and Shaw House Christmas Fair on Sunday 3 December.

• Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar launches this Friday 1 December at 6pm at the lovely Willow & Blooms florist on Bartholomew Street. See calendar here of all the venues to admire during December.

• Have you got a Newbury Monopoly board yet? If not a quick reminder that we are offering PP readers a chance to win a free Newbury Monopoly game here. Deadline to enter is Monday 4 December.

• Do you know any local residents or volunteers who have gone above and beyond to help the community? Quick reminder that there is still time to nominate them for West Berkshire’s Community Champion Awards. Fill in the online nomination form by 11 December.

• Quick reminder about free bus travel on Saturdays 16 and 23 December. The free travel even extends to our neighbouring areas such as Reading, Basingstoke, and Swindon. If you start your journey in West Berkshire, your return journey is also free. To learn more click here.

• Christians Together in the Newbury Area (CTNA) invites anyone aged 65 or over to a free Community Christmas event at St George’s Church Hall in Andover Road, Newbury RG14 6NU from 10am to 3.30pm on Christmas Day. For more information, please email marinaoabraham@gmail.com or call 07828 244 119.

• Can you help seed a new wildflower meadow at Greenham House Gardens (opposite the ‘Burger King roundabout’) on Sunday 10 December between 10am and 1pm? Newbury Town Council’s Green Spaces Working Group, in partnership with Newbury in Bloom, is seeking volunteers for this project, following other successful community planting and pruning days in the town earlier in the year. Click here to learn more.

• The Base is currently holding a Photography Competition, on the theme of ‘My Wild Life’ inspired by nature. Budding photographers of all ages and expertise can enter, and finalists will be chosen by a panel of expert judges and the winning entries will be chosen by the general public in an online vote. The deadline to enter is Sunday 7 January 2024. Click here to find out how to enter.

• Quick reminder that local seniors can now get a £2 discount on delicious two-course lunches at The Fair Close Centre or via Meals on Wheels thanks to a new initiative between The Fair Close Centre and West Berkshire Council. See here for more details and how to apply.

• Newbury & Thatcham Repair Café  aims to run monthly alternating between Newbury and Thatcham from February 2024 and needs a pool of clever volunteers who can help. If this sounds like something you could help with, register your interest via this form.

• Local charity Home-Start need help collecting Christmas donations and presents for families going through a tough time. Many local local businesses have signed up as collection points to accept donations, including Dunelm, Tesco and Vodafone in Newbury. If you would like to get involved and organise a collection within your organisation, please get in touch at office@home-startwb.org.uk or call 01635 760 310.

• Quick reminder about the silent peace vigils calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East in Newbury on Thursday evenings starting at 7.30pm. All welcome. See details in NWN here.

• For the low down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page.

• Another award for Readibus

The community transport company ReadiBus has been named as runner-up (that is, equal-second across the whole UK) in the Making a Difference category at the National CT Awards which took place at the NEC in Birmingham on Thursday 23 November 2023.

According to the award organisers, the Making a Difference CT Award ‘recognises an organisation that has gone above and beyond to create new ways to make sure its passengers feel included and supported’ in the aftermath of the pandemic and that ‘has put in place new, innovative, and effective ways to keep passengers’ spirits up and keep them connected to their communities’, following the loneliness and isolation of the lockdowns during the pandemic.

ReadiBus was also recognised at the 2021 CT Awards as being one of three best community transport companies in the UK during the pandemic.

You can read more and see several comments from users of the service by clicking here.

• D-day approaches at Eagle Quarter

Eagle Quarter is, as many will know, the new name for the Kennet Centre: or, rather, this is what it will be called when the old shopping centre is pulled down and something other larger and different is put up in its place.

What the new thing will be, by whom it will be decided and when this might happen are three questions that people have been asking for some time. The two main actors in the drama (aside from West Berkshire Council and Newbury Town Council) are the developers, Lochailort, and the Newbury Society. Both are, very effectively, doing what they should be doing and pushing to get their preferred version built. Some compromises have been made but there are still some important differences between them. The war of words may soon be over as it’s expected that the matter will be decided by West Berkshire Council early in the new year. Whether there will be a Christmas truce between the two sides remains to be seen.

In this separate post, we take a look at the what, the how and the when of this issue. Many points remain to be resolved but what’s certain is that it will be the biggest change to Newbury’s town centre since Parkway.

• Have your say

Community notices

• Have your say on current consulations by West Berkshire Council. Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• The Corn Exchange café bar on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and 12.30pm hosts Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join its friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group and its Newbury Traffic Live Updates chat group (on facebook messenger).

• Printer ink cartridges can be recycled at the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk. – 01635 018500

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need. – 01635 43933

• Newbury Market welcomes small business interested in having a pitch in the Market Place get in contact with them at towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk or call 07399 122964 to find out more.

• Newbury Town Council Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall.

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafés on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Café in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2pm to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment.

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Until Sun 21 Jan: No Sudden Moves exhibition inspired by Newbury wharf, West Berkshire Museum.

• Sat 2 Dec Boxford Christmas Market, Boxford Village Hall.

• Sun 3 Dec Christingle Service, St Nicholas Church, Newbury

• Sun 3 Dec Pete Allen Jazz Band, The Bacon Arms, Newbury.

• Sun 10 Dec Festival of Light, Newbury Town Centre.

• Sun 10 Dec Community Meadow Seeding, Greenham House Gardens (near ‘Burger King’ roundabout).

• Thur 14 Dec Mayor’s Festive Afternoon Tea, Newbury Baptist Church.

• Sat 16 Dec Newbury Choral Society Christmas Concert, St Nicholas Church, Newbury.

• Sat 13 Jan Volunteer Recruitment Event, The Corn Exchange, Newbury.

• Regular events

• A wide range of activities for over 55 year olds is offered by The Corn Exchange in its Ageing Creatively programme.

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Ukulele group workshops for all levels with the UTeam in Wash Common. Call 07963 647087 to enquire.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Living Well Singing Café runs on Wednesdays from 2.15pm to 3pm at the Waterside Centre. All ages welcome. Contact singingcafe@berkshiremaestros.org.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many art-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 23 October and you can read the minutes here. Note that many matters are delegated to committees. Items covered included: Rod Thomason, RIP; Berkshire Youth; Loose ends and Newbury CC; reports from the Mayor, the Leader and the CEO; committee reports;  working group reports; and financial coal matters.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 22 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the co-option of a new councillor; the Recreation Ground; financial matters; committee reports; the defibrillator; and repairs and maintenance.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 15 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; the co-option of a new councillor; correspondence; financial matters; speeding; planning matters; repairs and maintenance; the Christmas newsletter; and a possible new bus route.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 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.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 10 October and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 18 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

Our usual round-up of  local news includes: football in the park, lunches, donations, wildflowers and peace vigils – plus a look at the pros and cons on the proposed closure of Willows Edge care home and some reflections on a simpler vision for the LRIE. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Newbury events include: Remembrance Parade, Monopoly launch and fireworks success. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Newbury Town Council has announced that football is returning to Victoria Park, with a Youth Team game taking place on Sunday 3 December at 10:30am between AFC Newbury Under 10s and CSA 07 Under 10s. The football pitch has had significant investment and improvements and is now ready for public use. The Council is now taking bookings for both casual and block bookings up to the end of April 2024, as well as youth training sessions. Click here to learn more or email towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk to make an enquiry.

• Local seniors can now get a £2 discount on delicious two-course lunches at The Fair Close Centre or via Meals on Wheels thanks to a new initiative between The Fair Close Centre and West Berkshire Council. See here for more details and how to apply.

• Do you like mending broken items? Maybe you’re good at repairing textiles and clothes? Or you’re handy with electrics? Well if so, the Newbury & Thatcham Repair Café would love to hear from you. The Café aims to be monthly alternating between Newbury and Thatcham from February 2024 and needs a pool of clever volunteers who can help. If this sounds like something you could help with, register your interest via this form.

• West Berkshire Council is pleased to announce that there will once again be free bus travel this festive season on Saturday 16 and Saturday 23 December. On these days, you can travel all day, any time, completely free (do check the timetables) within West Berkshire. The free travel even extends beyond West Berkshire to our neighbouring areas such as Reading, Basingstoke, and Swindon. If you start your journey in West Berkshire, your return journey is also free. To learn more click here.

• Local charity Home-Start need help collecting Christmas donations and presents for families going through a tough time. Many local local businesses have signed up as collection points to accept donations, including Dunelm, Tesco and Vodafone in Newbury. If you would like to get involved and organise a collection within your organisation, please get in touch at office@home-startwb.org.uk or call 01635 760 310.

• Quick reminder about the silent peace vigils calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East in Newbury on Thursday evenings starting at 7.30pm. All welcome. See details in NWN here.

• Newbury Town Council’s Green Spaces Working Group, in partnership with Newbury in Bloom, is seeking volunteers to help seed a new wildflower meadow at Greenham House Gardens (opposite the ‘Burger King roundabout’) on Sunday 10 December between 10am and 1pm. This project is following other successful community planting and pruning days in the town earlier in the year. Click here to learn more.

• Have you got a Newbury Monopoly board yet? If not a quick reminder that we are offering PP readers a chance to win a free Newbury Monopoly game here. Deadline to enter is Monday 4 December.

• For the low down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page.

• Willows Edge

As has been mentioned elsewhere, West Berkshire Council is, along with every other council, going through a bit of financial belt-tightening. In WBC’s case, this is to plug a gap of about £14m between income and expenditure. Inflation, the increased demand for services (particularly social care) and a continued reluctance by Whitehall to fund councils adequately are all responsible. Many other authorities have a far bigger deficit to manage.

One of the proposals – and it must be stressed that until a consultation (which will run from 27 November to early January) is completed and the results evaluated, nothing is decided – is to close Willows Edge Care Home in Newbury. This might save up to £240,000pa. The suggestion has, as was to be expected, produced a backlash. A FB page, “Save Willows Edge Care Home“, has been set up, as has an online petition. Both these pages provide some compelling arguments as to why this would be a bad decision.

“Willows Edge is not just a facility,” the summary on the petition explains, but “a thriving, compassionate community that houses someone’s mother, father, wife, husband, son, daughter, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Many of the residents are living with dementia, facing the challenges of a diagnosis that can be inherently frightening. The decision to transition from their family homes to Willows Edge was a significant and emotional step towards providing them with a safe haven and a nurturing environment.

“However, they now find themselves in the face of a decision that threatens to uproot the cherished residents once again. Moving them from the familiar embrace of Willows Edge would undeniably have a profoundly negative impact on their well-being, exacerbating the challenges they already confront.”

Good points well made. However, if the same level of care can be provided whilst saving the sharp end of a quarter of million then that’s something WBC would be mad not to look at. The issue came up with another home, Notrees in Kintbuty, during the last administration so there’s nothing political about it.

So, why is it that the home is currently more expensive than the private sector and what are the proposals currently being considered? To answer this, I spoke to WBC’s Social-care portfolio holder, Alan Macro.

“The proposal is for consultation with options,” he said. “Option A will be to close the home and move residents to beds in other care homes, including Birchwood; option B will be that we retain the home while we seek a provider to take over Willows Edge and run it as their own business, retaining existing residents. As a result of the consultation, it may be that neither option is taken forward.

“The [estimated] saving [of £240,000] is per year and is based on the variation from the budget for the home. However, savings would be similar if the beds were bought elsewhere.”

WBC currently has three care homes. Alan Macro suggested that  the main reasons why they are expensive to run are (a) that it is difficult to find staff, meaning that a high level of expensive agency staff are used. Progress has been made on recruitment, however agency costs are still a problem; and (b) that staff costs are higher than the private sector because of better employment conditions (such annual holidays and pension contributions.) It would also seem likely that, with only three homes, there are few economies of scale in the management of this at WBC.

“Willows Edge needs investment of around half a million pounds of refurbishment,” he added. “It is an old home with small bedrooms and none have ensuite bathrooms, leading to a lack of dignity for residents and making infection control difficult. Birchwood has just been refurbished and all rooms are ensuite. All but two rooms at Notrees are ensuite.

“One of the options is for the home to be taken over by a third party provider. In that case, the property would still be used as a care home with its current residents and staff. If that is not possible, and it were to close, then the building would be transferred to the property department for consideration for a different use by the council or to be sold. Any capital or revenue effect would depend on what use it was put to.”

I also spoke to Joanne Stewart who was Alan Macro’s predecessor in this role under the previous administration and who ran a similar consultation about the proposed closure of another WBC care home, Notrees in Kintbuty. (It’s worth noting that, following the consultation and representations from the home’s manager, she reversed her previous intention to shut it.) None the less, there were regular discussions about whether WBC should run its own care homes or if it should follow the lead of most other councils and rely entirely on the private sector.

“The previous administration was always reviewing and considering WBC’s place in the care home market,” she told me. “Caring for our residents is always top priority and to be able to do that in a cost-effective way with quality service provision is a very difficult challenge. Of course when the consideration was regarding the future of Notrees, our then opposition party was vehemently against the closure. A slightly different scenario I’ll agree, but still it will be interesting to see how those same voices, now in administration, will determine what’s best for this council and, most importantly, for our residents.”

From Monday 27 November, you’ll be able to take part in the consultation on this matter and, indeed, all the others which will be launched that day touching on the council’s finances. More information can be found here.

• A simple vision

Last Sunday morning found me walking through the London Road Industrial Estate. I’d left my car at my Majestic Wine and was walking down to Faraday Road where the football ground was finally being re-opened. I’ve chronicled the numerous contortions in which West Berkshire Council found itself as a result of its disastrous decision to close the ground in June 2018 and don’t want to add to those. The new administration said it would return football to Faraday Road, and it has. There were flags, young footballers, councillors, campaigners, wooly hats and a burger stand – all the kind of things you’d expect from a re-opening. You can read WBC’s report on the event here.

There were a number of things that were not present, however. These included the clubhouse (demolished after an arson attack), stands (sold or gifted to Hungerford Town FC) and the perimeter fence (vanished without trace sometime in 2021, whereabouts currently unknown). These features will all be needed if the ground is to return to semi-professional use.

There’s also the question of what the playing surface should be, whether something else needs to be built there as well (a conference centre is being considered) and whether an attenuation pond might be built under the pitch. The latter may have to be considered as I can be fairly certain that any planning proposals in the area, however minor, will be met with a legal challenge unless they include proper measures to mitigate the flooding effects on down-stream properties.

And then there’s the decision to be taken about what’s to be done with the proposed replacement, or non-replacement, or partial replacement, or enhanced replacement at Monks Lane. Plenty of decisions still to be taken.

While walking through the LRIE I was struck not only by how many of the buildings were tenanted but also how many of them, even on a Sunday morning, had people at work. Car showrooms, small electrical companies, car-valeting firms and boxing gyms are hardly the white-heat-of-technology, cutting-edge, life-sciences type of places that the latest iteration of the LRIE vision envisaged but they’re clearly needed. Where would all these businesses go? Yes, the area looks a bit chewed and some of the buildings are a bit run down but it all seems to function. Enough money and effort has been spent on trying to tame the area. With such a hitch-potch of leases, land ownership and flooding problems, is there not a case for leaving things pretty much as they are?

There probably needs to be an overarching masterplan for the area to guide development. One ambition, for example, should perhaps be that preference will be given to companies which employ more than a certain number of people per square metre (by which test places like car showrooms and self-storage units come off pretty badly). I don’t know if this can, for this area, be made a planning policy which therefore has to be followed. The last fifteen or so years have seen repeated attempts by WBC to model the area into variously one image and then another. All have failed. Perhaps there needs to be an acceptance that it is what it is and we are where we are and that something more light-touch can be introduced to provide some general aspirations and let the market do the rest.

As for the drainage problems, by some estimates there is need for a multi-million pound infrastructure investment. If, as now seems likely, WBC is disinvesting from its £60m-worth of property investments, this will in time produce cash at least some of which must be spent on infrastructure. Solving the drainage problems here and so ensuring that development can happen without constant legal interruption would be good legacy for any administration to have.

• Have your say

Community notices

• Have your say on current consulations by West Berkshire Council. Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• The Corn Exchange café bar on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and 12.30pm hosts Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join its friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group and its Newbury Traffic Live Updates chat group (on facebook messenger).

• Printer ink cartridges can be recycled at the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk.

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need.

• Newbury Market welcomes small business interested in having a pitch in the Market Place get in contact with them at towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk or call 07399 122964 to find out more.

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need.

• Newbury Town Council Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall.

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafés on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Café in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2pm to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment.

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Until Sun 21 Jan: No Sudden Moves exhibition inspired by Newbury wharf, West Berkshire Museum.

• Sat 25 Nov Local Author Showcase, Newbury Library.

• Sun 26 Nov Santa Fun Run, Newbury Market Place.

• Thur 1 Dec Mayor’s Festive Afternoon Tea, Newbury Baptist Church.

• Sat 2 Dec Boxford Christmas Market, Boxford Village Hall.

• Sun 3 Dec Pete Allen Jazz Band, The Bacon Arms, Newbury.

• Sun 10 Dec Community Meadow Seeding, Greenham House Gardens (near ‘Burger King’ roundabout).

• Sat 16 Dec Newbury Choral Society Christmas Concert, St Nicholas Church, Newbury.

• Sat 13 Jan Volunteer Recruitment Event, The Corn Exchange, Newbury.

• Regular events

• Friendly gardening club in the centre of Newbury. See here for how to get involved.

• A wide range of activities for over 55 year olds is offered by The Corn Exchange in its Ageing Creatively programme.

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Ukulele group workshops for all levels with the UTeam in Wash Common. Call 07963 647087 to enquire.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Living Well Singing Café runs on Wednesdays from 2.15pm to 3pm at the Waterside Centre. All ages welcome. Contact singingcafe@berkshiremaestros.org.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many art-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 23 October and you can read the minutes here. Note that many matters are delegated to committees. Items covered included: Rod Thomason, RIP; Berkshire Youth; Loose ends and Newbury CC; reports from the Mayor, the Leader and the CEO; committee reports;  working group reports; and financial coal matters.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 15 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; the co-option of a new councillor; correspondence; financial matters; speeding; planning matters; repairs and maintenance; the Christmas newsletter; and a possible new bus route.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 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.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 10 October and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 18 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

Our usual round-up of  local news includes: local authors, a streamed event, wildflowers, lights and vigils – plus a look at the plans for Pound Street and a quick check on Newbury’s emissions. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Newbury events include: Remembrance Parade, Monopoly launch and fireworks success. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• If you missed Newbury’s Remembrance Parade last Sunday, you can still watch Kennet Radio’s live-streamed video of the event here.

• This weekend is the Christmas Light Switch-On Festival, all around Newbury Town Centre. The Festival will be running throughout Saturday 18 November from 10am, with free workshops and activities, meet and greet sessions with Disney Princesses, as well as Santa Claus in his Grotto, a Living Nativity, live music and of course with the big light switch on itself at 6pm. If you still haven’t had enough Christmas excitement, then on Sunday 19 November is the St Bart’s Christmas Fair.

• Residents concerned about what is happening in the Middle East are holding silent peace vigils calling for a ceasefire in Newbury on Thursday evenings starting at 7.30pm. All welcome. See details in NWN here. Attendees are encouraged to write messages of peace on a board, which the organisers hope to present to West Berkshire Council later this month. They have also written to Newbury MP Laura Farris to ask her to call for a ceasefire in the region.

• Newbury Library will be holding a Local Authors Showcase on Saturday 25 November, with writers from across the district showcasing their recently published books, including titles for both children and adults, fiction and non-fiction. (You may even spot one of your friendly neighbourhood Penny Post contributors there!). You can drop in any time between 11am and 3pm to find a Christmas gift for book-lovers.

• Newbury Rotary is pleased to be hosting another Newbury Santa Fun Run on Sunday 26 November in aid of local charities. Starting from the marketplace, there are 1km and 5km circuits and runners can get sponsorship for local charities while running, jogging or walking with friends and family (while dressing up as Santa, of course!). Full details about the run and how to register can be found here.

• Newbury Town Council’s Green Spaces Working Group, in partnership with Newbury in Bloom, is seeking volunteers to help seed a new wildflower meadow at Greenham House Gardens (opposite the ‘Burger King roundabout’) on Sunday 10 December between 10am and 1pm. This project is following other successful community planting and pruning days in the town earlier in the year. Click here to learn more.

• Have you got a Newbury Monopoly board yet? If not a quick reminder that we are offering PP readers a chance to win a free Newbury Monopoly game here.

• For the low down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page.

Pound Street’s plans

Newbury currently awaits a decision on the revised plans for Eagle Quarter, the proposed re-development of the Kennet Centre. This is, without doubt, The Big One as far as the town is concerned, not only because of its scale but also it’s smack-bang-centre location. Much has been written about this and much more will be: but, until the matter is decided (probably at either the Western Area or the District Planning Committee), matters have reached a definite pause.

Meanwhile, only about half a mile to the south, another plan to renovate a flyblown brown-field site has emerged. This relates to a site in even poorer condition than the Kennet Centre, the former Jewsons in Pound Street. Called at this time simply “Pound Street, Newbury”, the developers Archel Homes, are proposing approximately a hundred new homes. The current plan is that six will be houses with gardens and the rest flats with “landscaped courtyard areas” at the rear and parking for 83 cars. It also makes a number of promises about biodiversity net gain, renewable energy usage and EV charge points.

On 15 November, I spoke to David McFarlane, Director of SP Broadway, which is handling the PR for the project to ask him if it was possible to be more specific about the number of affordable and social-rent homes, the energy-efficiency rating of the dwellings and the number of EV charge points. He said that these details would be confirmed in due course but that these details would be compliant with the policies in WBC’s local plan.

Archel has produced a website for the project which includes a plan for the proposal “which has been worked up following discussions with planning officers at West Berkshire Council.” You can visit the site here. There is also a consultation which closes on 20 November for any local residents who wish to provide feedback.

“We’ll be wanting to make this development as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible,” David McFarlane told me. “We feel that this is a good location and that our proposals blend in well with the existing street scene. We look forward to receiving and reviewing comments from the consultation then to moving towards lodging a planning application, hopefully before the end of the year.” 

Newbury’s emissions

As mentioned in this column two weeks ago, Newbury Town Council has claimed that it has reduced its carbon footprint by 44% since 2019 and issued a press release about this.

All such documents have a point of view that reflects well on the persona or organisation issuing them and this one is no exception. One could say the same about – to pick an example at random – a statement from a local MP claiming that they have been responsible, by implication solely so, for advancing a sewage-work project.

Before they’re published by someone else, however, they need to be subjected to some critical analysis. To reproduce them more or less verbatim without apparently checking the facts, questioning the assumptions or suggesting alternative points of view, is to turn this statement, flaws and all, into a version of the truth. The article can then get cited and referred to by others. It doesn’t need this to happen more than a couple of times before it’s forgotten that this was based on one point of view that certainly wasn’t objective and may not even have been true.

I have no reason to doubt NTC’s claims with regard to its carbon target but didn’t have the time or the knowledge to look into this technical matter in detail. However, I did speak to some others and came up with a few points that might be worth thinking about when looking at such claims. You can see this in last week’s column below. To this I add the thought that there’s a risk that, possibly through inadvertence, some reductions are being claimed twice, once by NTC and also by WBC. I’m not saying this is happening but that it might. It’s certainly happened before.

The job of journalism is not always to provide answers but certainly to ask questions. If something has been republished with no questions asked at all then an active dis-service has been done. This is certainly what has happened in the way that these two stories have recently been reported elsewhere.

• Have your say

Community notices

• Have your say on current consulations by West Berkshire Council. Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• The Corn Exchange café bar on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and 12.30pm hosts Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join its friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group and its Newbury Traffic Live Updates chat group (on facebook messenger).

• Printer ink cartridges can be recycled at the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk.

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need.

• Newbury Market welcomes small business interested in having a pitch in the Market Place get in contact with them at towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk or call 07399 122964 to find out more.

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need.

• Newbury Town Council Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall.

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafés on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Café in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2pm to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment.

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Until Sun 21 Jan: No Sudden Moves exhibition inspired by Newbury wharf, West Berkshire Museum.

• Sat 18 Nov Christmas Light Switch-On Festival, Newbury Town Centre.

• Sat 18 Nov Christmas Gift Market, Newbury Corn Exchange.

• Sun 19 Nov St Barts Christmas Fair, St Bartholomew’s School.

• Tue 21 Nov Last 2023 HUGS Collection for Ukraine, Hungerford

• Sat 25 Nov Local Author Showcase, Newbury Library.

• Sat 25 Nov Scouts Fundraiser Bingo, 1 Thatcham Scout Hut.

• Sun 26 Nov Santa Fun Run, Newbury Market Place.

• Thur 1 Dec Mayor’s Festive Afternoon Tea, Newbury Baptist Church.

• Sat 2 Dec Boxford Christmas Market, 2-6pm Boxford Village Hall.

• Sun 10 Dec Community Meadow Seeding, Greenham House Gardens (near ‘Burger King’ roundabout).

• Sat 16 Dec Newbury Choral Society Christmas Concert, St Nicholas Church, Newbury.

• Regular events

• Friendly gardening club in the centre of Newbury. See here for how to get involved.

• A wide range of activities for over 55 year olds is offered by The Corn Exchange in its Ageing Creatively programme.

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Ukulele group workshops for all levels with the UTeam in Wash Common. Call 07963 647087 to enquire.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Living Well Singing Café runs on Wednesdays from 2.15pm to 3pm at the Waterside Centre. All ages welcome. Contact singingcafe@berkshiremaestros.org.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many art-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 12 June and you can read the minutes here. Note that many matters are delegated to committees.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; financial matters; Sandleford; Diamond Field; social-media communication; community engagement; a reptile project; reports from the Clerk, the Chair, the councillors and the ward member; dog bins; and repairs and maintenance.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 10 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; matters arising; financial matters; the burial ground; the Clerk’s report; and Councillors’ reports.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 20 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 18 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 25 September and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

Our usual round-up of  local news includes: fireworks, bulbs, fundraising, parking and treasure – plus a look at rising café costs in Victoria Park, Newbury Town Council’s climate progress and a flood and sewage alert. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Newbury events include: history day, Halloween fun and fabulous fireworks. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Can you help plant 3,000 spring bulbs at the Nightingales opposite the Willows School this Saturday 4 November between 10am and 1pm? Please meet outside the Greenham Community Centre. More details can be found here.

• Following on the success of last year’s Festive Afternoon Tea Party Event, the Mayor of Newbury, is once again inviting the town’s oldest residents to a similar event on Thursday 1 December at Newbury Baptist Church Hall. Places are limited so booking is essential, on a first come first served basis. Please note that guests should be 75 or over. If you or someone you know would like to book a place call 07498 546611 or email mayor@newbury.gov.uk. For more details click here.

• West Berks MENCAP thank all its supporters who helped raise £15,955 last week which has been topped up to £63,200 by Greenham Trust’s Escalator Fund to provide a great new respite facility for learning disabled children.

• West Berks MENCAP also invites you to its fundraising Newbury Stitch Fair on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 November at the Kennet Centre and St Nicholas Church.  Take a look at their website for details of the workshops on offer and how to book a place.

• Quick reminder to have your say about West Berkshire’s Parking Strategy 2024-2034 (which is updated every 10 years). Complete the survey here before Sunday 12 November.

• For the low down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page.

• For those wondering what to do with their pumpkins after Halloween, here are some creative suggestions. Just please don’t leave them on the ground in your garden or in woodland, as they are dangerous to hedgehogs and attract rats – see more in this request by the Woodland Trust.

• The café’s costs

A number of public infrastructure problems have recently run into financial problems and cost overspends. The main culprits are the Covid aftermath, Putin’s war, the Truss-Kwarteng experiment and climate change which have, respectively, knackered supply chains, increased fuel costs, increased interest rates and demanded more sustainable features (which though beneficial have higher up-front costs). Derlays in the planning process have also been cited. All in all, it’s not a great time to get anything built.

Two of these in the district have been cafés. One, in Burghfield, was cancelled earlier this year and despite repeated questions to the Parish Council I’ve been unable to establish what costs have none the less been incurred. The other is in Newbury’s Victoria Park.

Newbury Town Council (NTC) has been rather more forthcoming. A statement issued on 30 October said that “due to spiralling construction costs, NTC is reconsidering its options for the new Community Café in Victoria Park. As a first preference, the Council is exploring additional external funding sources to see if the gap can be bridged without placing an additional burden on reserves or on the precept. Failing this, the Council is also considering the alternative option of upgrading and improving the existing buildings. This would include, as a minimum:  public toilets, sheltered seating and a better catering outlet.”

I understand that it’s the second option that’s now being actively considered. The project was to have cost £500,000 but cost increases could push this north of £800,000. This is probably more than a prudent council could borrow, particularly at the higher PWLB rates now prevailing.

“Whilst we have prepared for some time to build a new café in the park,” Councillor Gary Norman, Leader of the Council added, “rising costs caused by excessive planning delays have led us to consider other options which might bring the same benefits. Victoria Park is ‘The Jewel in the Crown’ for NTC, and the improvements that we have made in recent years have increased its popularity, and usage by our communities. We desire to provide even better facilities. If the planned new-build café is not affordable, then we will work with the resources at our disposal to provide these facilities in another way. At all times we will consider what is best value and benefit to the communities we serve.”

Councillor Roger Hunneman, Chairman of the Council’s Victoria Park Subcommittee agreed. “We’ve all put a lot of time and effort into working towards a new Community café in Victoria Park,” he said. “It has gone on long enough at this stage. We want to do what is best for the users of the Park. The kiosk needs urgent repairs and attention and if we cannot afford a new café, we will upgrade the existing building to provide the best service we can. The building is intended to have solar PV and other green features consistent with affordability. Sooner, rather than later!”

If, as seems likely, the café lacks some of the features or aspects that were previously planned, it’s hoped that these can be retro-fitted later if and when more money is available.

There’s another possible source of help, though this is currently only a speck on the horizon. WBC is planning to divest itself of its property portfolio which would see money available for a ranger of infrastructure and transformative projects in the district. Might this not be one possible project that could tick these boxes? It is, after all, in the centre of the main park in West Berkshire’s largest town: and, to make matters even simpler, WBC owns the land. One for the “pending” tray, perhaps.

• Carbon progress

Newbury Town Council (NTC) announced on 2 November that it has reduced its carbon footprint by 44% since it declared a climate emergency in 2019 and adds that “it is well ahead of its target to be carbon-neutral by 2030.”

“I am delighted with our progress,” Councillor David Harman, Chair of the Climate Emergency Working Group, told a meeting of the Council on 23 October. “These results have been independently verified by Carbon Footprint Ltd. The complete report can be found on our website. We will continue to drive down our carbon footprint by installing further solar panels on the Town Hall roof. We will also achieve carbon credits through our agreement with Newbury Cricket Club, following our grant aid for their solar panels. Those panels are proving to be of tremendous benefit to the Club and to Loose Ends who run a drop-in centre, from the Cricket Club, serving food to the homeless and vulnerable.

“We have further plans in our fight against the Climate Emergency, including a meeting with Greenfest to explore collaboration and carrying out a plastics audit for the Council.”

NTC is also happy to support other local groups in their Climate Emergency campaigns.

These sentiments were echoed by David Marsh, Chair of the Council’s Grants Subcommittee. “NTC is committed to its Climate Emergency Campaign.” he said.  As well as the great work of our Working Group, we actively support local organisations through our Climate Emergency Grant Fund, which this year totals £10,000. We urge anyone with an eligible project or campaign to contact us.”

I had a look at the above-mentioned report by Carbon Footprint and decided that my best action would be to pass it on to some people I know who are more expert than I am to see if they come to the same conclusions. More on this, I hope, next week. Two immediate points emerged, which probably apply equally to pretty much every such report. The first is that any such project involves some easy wins at the start, so being about 40% of the way through the job about 40% of the way through the time doesn’t necessarily mean you’re on course. The other is that it would be helpful if a distinction were drawn (as it doesn’t seem to be here) between those improvements that were the results of the council’s own efforts and those, like the gradual greening of the National Grid, which are the work of others elsewhere. These points aside (with other ones perhaps to follow), this seems like solid steps taken in the right direction.

• Water, water

There have been a number of reports of flooding and floating sewage in Newbury. Paula Sanderson, a local Flood Warden who has long campaigned for improvements both in the water infrastructure and West Berkshire’s water strategies, has contacted us to remind people to take pictures, establish exact locations and report the problems to West Berkshire Council and Thames Water.

A particularly bad spot seems to be the south side of the train station. On local resident commented online that “it’s the lowest point in Newbury, about the same level as the canal, and has been flooding there since the turn of the last century.  All the thousands of house build in South Newbury do not help.”

Indeed. The accusation is often made that extra housing increases the problem, not only by generating extra sewage but also because of the loss of permeable surfaces. This is only part of the puzzle, however. The creaking infrastructure, the effects of climate change and in many cases the lack of a holistic drainage plan for the area all play their part. It’s a multi-pronged problem that needs a multi-pronged approach. Without this, it’s only going to get worse.

Community notices

• Have your say on current consulations by West Berkshire Council. Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• The Corn Exchange café bar on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and 12.30pm hosts Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join its friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group and its Newbury Traffic Live Updates chat group (on facebook messenger).

• Printer ink cartridges can be recycled at the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk.

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need.

• Newbury Market welcomes small business interested in having a pitch in the Market Place get in contact with them at towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk or call 07399 122964 to find out more.

• Donations of second-hand bikes are always welcome at the Community Furniture Project in Newbury where they refurbish the bikes and sell them at affordable prices to people in need.

• Newbury Town Council Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall.

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafés on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Café in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2pm to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment.

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Until Sun 21 Jan: No Sudden Moves exhibition inspired by Newbury wharf, West Berkshire Museum.

• Fri 3 Nov Strictly‘s Anton de Beke in conversation about new book, Corn Exchange Newbury.

• Sat 4 Nov Dawson’s Hidden Treasures Day in aid of Educafe, Renegade Brewery, Yattendon.

• Sat 4 Nov 50th Newbury Lions Fabulous Fireworks Fantasia, Newbury Racecourse.

• Sat 4 Nov Newbury Choral Society Autumn Concert, St John’s Church, Newbury.

• Sat 4 Nov Community Spring Bulb Planting, Greenham Community Centre.

• Fri 10 Nov Newbury Stitch Fair & Workshops, Kennet Centre, Newbury.

• Sat 11 Nov Newbury Stitch Fair & Workshops, Kennet Centre, Newbury.

• Sat 11 Nov Board Games Meet-up, Newbury Library

• Sun 12 Nov Remembrance Parade, Newbury Town Centre.

• Wed 15 Nov The Archaeology of the Eastern Parishes Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Sat 18 Nov Christmas Light Switch-On Festival, Newbury Town Centre.

• Sun 19 Nov St Barts Christmas Fair, St Bartholomew’s School.

• Sat 25 Nov Local Author Showcase, Newbury Library.

• Thurs 1 Dec Mayor’s Festive Afternoon Tea, Newbury Baptist Church.

• Sat 16 Dec Newbury Choral Society Christmas Concert, St Nicholas Church, Newbury.

• Regular events

• Friendly gardening club in the centre of Newbury. See here for how to get involved.

• A wide range of activities for over 55 year olds is offered by The Corn Exchange in its Ageing Creatively programme.

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Ukulele group workshops for all levels with the UTeam in Wash Common. Call 07963 647087 to enquire.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Living Well Singing Café runs on Wednesdays from 2.15pm to 3pm at the Waterside Centre. All ages welcome. Contact singingcafe@berkshiremaestros.org.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many art-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 12 June and you can read the minutes here. Note that many matters are delegated to committees.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; financial matters; Sandleford; Diamond Field; social-media communication; community engagement; a reptile project; reports from the Clerk, the Chair, the councillors and the ward member; dog bins; and repairs and maintenance.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 10 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; matters arising; financial matters; the burial ground; the Clerk’s report; and Councillors’ reports.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 20 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 18 September 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.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 3 August 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.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 19 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.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

Thursday 26 October 2023

Thursday 19 October 2023

Thursday 12 October 2023

Thursday 5 October 2023

Thursday 21 September 2023

Thursday 14 September 2023

The return of the Show

A after a three-year hiatus – two because of Covid and their because a change of management did not leave enough time to organise it – the Newbury Show is back on 16 and 17 September. For more information, see this separate post. The latest news includes a link to the show map, news of Farmer Will and Pippin in Pig and kids’ activities.

Friday 8 September 2023

American blues/rock singer-songwriter Sari Schorr is in the UK recording an album and while in Newbury this week bumped into Newbury Town Councillor Steve Master at his houseboat on the Kennet & Avon Canal. They got chatting and Steve suggested she make a surprise visit to the pop-up Speen Community Cafe  at The Starting Gate pub in Speen. Sari duly did so and was very impressed. She “was reminded that the power of community can be the answer to many of the challenges we face. We never need to feel alone.” Watch this brief video of Sari chatting with organiser Kerry Bird

The cafe runs every Wednesday from 2-5pm and can’t promise celebrities every week (although Chris Tarrant has popped in before) but they do guarantee a warm welcome, friendly chat, free drinks and snacks and a craft activity. They are a great team and always welcome new volunteers. For more information please contact Kerry on 07460 486162.

Newbury is lucky to also have the Educafe Community Cafe which re-started this week at Newbury Library after a summer break. Educafe brings a wide-cross section of the community together including a busy parent and baby/toddler group where older ‘grand-parent’ volunteers can give parents a break, an English conversation chatty corner, knit and natter table, and a free cafe (donations very welcome) with dominoes game often on the go. Absolutely everyone is welcome every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm.

The first hundred days

The new Lib Dem administration was sworn in or whatever the ceremony involved at WBC on 25 May, so they’ve had just over a hundred days with their hands on the levers. This seemed like a good moment to reflect on what has and has not been accomplished.

Ross Mackinnon, leader of WBC’s Conservatives had the same idea and sent round a press statement on 13 August which provided his party’s take on how things were going. Green leader David Marsh added some thoughts of his own. So did I. Read more in this separate post.  

Almost here…

The Newbury Show is back on 16 and 17 September, so not long to wait now. The organisers encourage you to check out the Newbury Showground Facebook page for the chance to win some big prizes on the lead up to the Show with the Treat Tuesday and Win-it Wednesday competitions.

For more information, see this separate post.

Thursday 31 August 2023

Thursday 24 August 2023

Thursday 17 August 2023

Thursday 10 August 2023

Thursday 3 August 2023

This week we cover a municipal newsletter, a donation, rough sleepers, the market, food banks and coding – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down to below “This week’s news” for the Town Council’s position on Eagle Quarter, the Newbury Show, more water problems at the LRIE, a new application for Watermill Bridge and the latest on the Lido.

This week’s news

• For the low down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page.

• The latest edition of the Hamstead Hornet, which covers life in the village of Hamstead Marshall, can be seen here.

• Hamstead Marshall Parish Council intends to start a community speedwatch programme: if you’re interested in helping, please contact Anne Budd on 01488 657022 or anne.budd_pc@btinternet.com.

More water problems

A letter in this week’s Newbury Weekly News from John Gotelee highlights a recurring problem with the London Road Industrial Estate: flooding.

No quarter given

Community notices

• Everyone very welcome to pop in to the Corn Exchange café bar any Thursday morning between 10.30am and 12.30pm for Coffee Companions to meet new people and have a chat.

• Loose Ends drop-in centre at Newbury Cricket Ground welcome volunteers to join their friendly team. They offer hot meals and a safe and friendly environment for vulnerable people. More details and how to apply can be found here.

• Roadworks seem to be ongoing across the town…For up to date news and discussion it’s worth joining the Newbury.Happening now facebook group.

• Not sure what to do with your old printer ink cartridges? Well, you can donate them to the Waterside Youth Centre, which will help them raise money to fund local youth activities. You can find the donation box next to the blue reception desk.

• Walkers, horse-riders, off road cyclists please be mindful of your impact on ground-nesting birds this spring and summer. Of course dogs love to romp but skylarks and nightjars are endangered species and if an adult is disturbed they will not return to their nest, leaving their chicks to die. Please see more details here about national requirements for dog walkers between 1 March and 31 July.

• Did you know you can raise concerns with Newbury Town Council at a Saturday Surgery between 10 am and noon any week at the steps of the Town Hall?

• Newbury’s two friendly community cafes on Wednesdays: Educafe Community Cafe in Newbury Library 11am to 2pm and Speen Community Cafe at The Starting Gate Pub 2pm to 5pm.

• Fair Close Centre on Newtown Road in Newbury provides a vital social hub and meals on wheels for over 65s, many of whom live on their own. Please support them here. Goodness knows we might all need their services in years to come.

• The Community Larder at the Waterside Centre is open every Tuesday afternoon, 2 to 4pm to provide members with surplus food, discounts for local businesses, access to other services and support, as well as a friendly community environment. 

•  Newbury Library offers free IT support sessions including filling out online forms, how to Zoom, downloading e-magazines or sorting out pictures. Bookable 30- or 60-minute sessions. To find out more or book a slot, email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.

• Please click here for Hamstead Marshall.net, which provides an excellent round-up of what’s going on in and around the village. This also publishes the quarterly Hamstead Hornet.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• ‘Explore Newbury’ Walking Tours on Tuesdays from 25 July to 29 Aug & Sun 17 Sept

• Mon 7 Aug Chalkfest 2023, Newbury Market Place.

• Sat 12 & Sun 13 Aug CODE Outdoor Show, Newbury Corn Exchange.

• Sat 15 Aug Festival of the Moon, various events across Newbury until Sun 3 Sept.

• Wed 23 Aug Family Activity Day, Shaw House, Newbury.

• Sat 26 Aug Give Weaving a Go, West Berkshire Museum, Newbury.

• Sun 27 Aug Art on the Park, Victoria Park, Newbury.

• Sat 2 Sept Give Spinning a Go, West Berkshire Museum, Newbury.

• Sat 16 Sept Give Braiding a Go, West Berkshire Museum, Newbury.

• Sat 16 & Sun 17 Sept Newbury Show, Newbury Showground.

• Sun 17 Sept Community Cricket Day, Falkland Cricket Club, Newbury.

• Sat 14 Oct School Roman Day, West Berkshire Museum, Newbury.

• Regular events

• Friendly gardening club in the centre of Newbury. See here for how to get involved.

• The Corn Exchange in Newbury offers a wide range of activities for over 55 year olds in their Ageing Creatively programme.  Coffee Companions on Thursday mornings for anyone who fancies a chat and World Crafts on Friday mornings (except 4th Friday of the month) is a chance to explore arts and crafts of cultures from around the world (anyone new to the UK is invited to share their own country’s crafts as well).

• Shaw House Community Garden drop-in gardening sessions Wednesday morning 9.30am to 12.30pm.. If you would like to join a session, please call Amy Bosley, 07553 810133 or email her.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC Wildcats programme for girls aged 5 to 11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. 6 to 7pm every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Waterside Centre’s Youth Café every Tuesday evening, during term time, between 4:30pm and 6pm for Years 7 to 13. For more details click here or contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk.

• Newbury Park Run at Greenham Common at 9am every Saturday morning. Folks of all ages welcome to run/walk/jog the 5km. They also have volunteering opportunities. See details here.

• Newbury Women Football Club always welcomes new players. For more details click here or contact newburywomenfc@gmail.com.

• ACE Space on St Nicholas Road hosts live acoustic performances. Join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter.

• Newbury Community Larder every Tuesday 2pm to 4pm at the Waterside Centre (down the canal from Costa Coffee on Northbrook Street). For more details please contact waterside@berkshireyouth.co.uk or call 01635 018500.

• Speen Community Café at The Starting Gate in Speen on Wednesdays between 2pm to 5pm. Drop in for a chat or a cuppa, knitting and craft activities. You don’t have to live in Speen to join in. Follow them on facebook here.

• Educafe’s Community Cafe at Newbury Library every Wednesday between 11am and 2pm. If you would like to pop along for a friendly chat or to volunteer in the cafe please see their website for more details.

• Berkshire Youth‘s Waterside Centre in Newbury hosts various clubs and activities for local children and can provide volunteering opportunities for adults too.

• The Base, Greenham organise many artistic-focused events for people of all ages to let their creative sides go wild.

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 Newbury Town Council for which minutes are available took place on 12 June and you can read the minutes here.Note that many matters are delegated to committees.
To see the dates of future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 19 July and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; trees from Greenham Trust; net zero; financial matters; reports from the ward members; speeding; planning matters; repairs and maintenance; and a possible battle re-enactment.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Chieveley Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 11 July and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: public participation; planning matters; financial matters; speeding; warm hubs; repairs and maintenance; and reports from the Clerk and the councillors.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here to download the meeting schedule. To see the agendas and minutes please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Speen Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 24 May and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Enborne Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 22 May 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.

• The most recent meeting of Boxford Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 15 May 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.

• The most recent meeting of Greenham Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 10 May 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.

• The most recent meeting of Hamstead Marshall Parish Council for which minutes are available took place on 21 July 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. To see minutes, please click here.

• Newbury area council contacts

Parishes: Newbury Town Council, Greenham Parish Council, Chieveley Parish Council, Enborne Parish Council, Boxford Parish Council, Speen Parish Council,  Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council, and Hamstead Marshall 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; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area; Marlborough area.

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

This week we cover green flags, tennis, roadworks, a market, refugees and chalk – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down to below “This week’s news” for the latest on the forthcoming appeal into the Eagle Quarter application, the countdown to the Newbury Show, a chat with one of the stalwarts of the Boxford Masques and a look at a recent hedgehog petition.

This week’s news

• For the low down on the local live music scene follow Sound Newbury’s facebook page.

• The latest edition of the Hamstead Hornet, which covers life in the village of Hamstead Marshall, can be seen here.

• Hamstead Marshall Parish Council intends to start a community speedwatch programme: if you’re interested in helping, please contact Anne Budd on 01488 657022 or anne.budd_pc@btinternet.com.