Thatcham Area Weekly News – 2023 Archive

To see the current Thatcham Area Weekly News section, please click here.

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

Click here for the 2022 archive

Click here for the 2024 archive

Thursday 21 December 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: carols, hospitals, crackers, memories and a run – plus naming, and identifying the infrastructure for, Thatcham’s possible new town, the man on the bus and 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 Thatcham area events include: Mayor’s Coffee Morning, Crafts & Carols and Santa Dash. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• If you fancy some festive carols to get you into the spirit on Christmas Eve, Thatcham United Reformed Church will be hosting Carols by Candlelight on Sunday 6pm. Thatcham’s St Mary’s will also be doing Carols around the Christmas Tree from 10:45pm, ahead of Midnight Mass starting at 11.15pm.

• Looking ahead to the new year, a date has been announced for the very first Thatcham 10k Run 2024. The date is Sunday 7 April and registration has now opened. The run is a multi-terrain race around the Thatcham Lakes, Kennet and Avon Canal and South Thatcham. This year’s charities are Sport in Mind and PALS (West Berkshire). To learn more click here.

• 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.

• 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…

• This year’s West Berkshire Toy/Gift Appeal in memory of Louise Purton includes an Amazon wishlist and local drop-off points across Thatcham, Newbury 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 23rd December.

• St Mary & St Barnabas Church in Thatcham looks forward to welcoming you to their Christmas Eve Services including the popular Crib Service.

• 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.

• London Road Cemetery has a memory tree in place for the whole of this month, ready for anyone to leave a message or dedication to their loved ones. There are tags and pens are provided (but please do not remove these from the Cemetery). The Chapel will be open on selected dates this December if you would like to visit for quiet reflection.

• 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.

• One of the hoped-for results from the local election was a change to the aspect of the local plan which concerned NE Thatcham. As a result of three interventions over which WBC had no control, this has not been possible to accomplish. Matters are now back to where they were when the draft plan was submitted in March 2023. The results of the proposed development (up to 2,500 homes) would be game-changing for Thatcham and the neighbouring villages of Cold Ash, Bucklebury and Midgham. We’ve covered this story in detail and will continue to do so: the battleground has now shifted from the various councils in West Berkshire to the examination by the Inspector at which all interested parties will be keen to make their case.

• One of the challenges faced by Thatcham is a shortage of infrastructure with schools, surgeries, the library, and the leisure centre all being too small for the current population and/or badly in need of a bit of TLC. One piece of infrastructure which is wholly lacking is a railway bridge by the station resulting in long queues at the level crossing. Local MP Laura Farris has launched a survey to gauge support for the construction of a bridge. However, this largely depends on planning approval being granted for the site at Colthrop south of the railway. If this happens, the developers have said they’ll be able to fund this. Unfortunately, the scheme is not in the draft local plan that WBC is now being forced to adopt and which doesn’t appear to feel that up to 2,500 homes in the town would have an impact on the level-crossing usage. It remains to be seen if, in the absence of any developer contributions, Laura Farris can help procure some funding for this before the election.

• 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; Thatcham’s often abominable postal service; the plans to make changes to the Library; the Thatcham Festival; and the relationship between Bucklebury Parish Council and one of its local estates. 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.

• A new town

During the recent debate at WBC about the withdrawal of the local plan, the point was made by Thatcham Councillor Owen Jeffery that the proposed development of NE Thatcham would amount to a town the size of Hungerford being wedged between Thatcham and Bucklebury. This would, of course, only be the case if the original 2,500 allocation were built. That’s now been reduced to “at least 1,500” but it must always be assume that when a site or, in the case, an adjacent group of sites are not fully developed that one is merely waiting for part two. 2,500 homes times an average occupancy rate of 2.4 people gives us 6,000, almost exactly Hungerford’s population.

A place of that size deserves its own name: what might that be? Contracting NE Thatcham would give us Nethcham, which might work. In the same way, so too might Swucklebury. Others may prefer Bucklebury Blight. In due course, there may be a naming completion run in conjunction with a local school.

However, there is no local school there and under the current proposals this won’t be fixed until the project is very far advanced and many people have moved in. This question of infrastructure is at the nub of the problem. The comparison with Hungerford having been made, it’s worth having a look at what this town of 6,000 people has to offer its residents.

Hungerford has a secondary school, a primary school, a SEN school, a nursery school, a surgery, a pharmacy, a fire, police and ambulance base, a physio clinic, several dentists, a vets surgery, football, cricket and rugby clubs all with clubhouses, a tennis club, a bowls club, a social club, an environmental group, food, arts, history and theatre groups, several churches, several meeting venues for hire, a hotel, a dozen or more restaurants, cafés and pubs, several bus services, several playgrounds, a common, a library, two supermarkets, two petrol stations, two A roads, two leisure centres, two swimming pools and a railway station (complete with a bridge over the railway line, much to Thatcham’s envy). And I haven’t even mentioned all the shops. What will Nethcham/Swucklebury be able to offer by comparison?

Indeed, looking back at that list it’s probably true that Hungerford’s infrastructure in many ways exceeds that of the whole of Thatcham, a town which has over four times as many people. All agree that Thatcham has been ill-served by successive waves of development. What is promised by the current proposals is not likely to improve matters.

• 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.

• Have your say

Have your say on current consultations being run by West Berkshire Council:

Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople – Call for Sites Deadline 22 December 2023.
Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy Deadline 31 December 2023.
Budget proposals 2024-25 Deadline 11 January 2024.
Francis Baily Primary School – School Streets Scheme Feedback Survey Deadline 3 March 2024.

Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

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.

• Thatcham Community Larder in the Frank Hutchins Hall offers affordable food items (starting at £3.50 per week), refreshments, friendly chat and activities. Join their facebook group for more details. For more information contact 07500 764501 or victoria.roseblade1@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. They are currently looking for drivers so please get in contact as this service is massively needed.

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities that range from litter picking, to helping in our shop, orchard work or being a Trailside Ambassador. Email hazelfell@bbowt.org.uk to discuss a specific role.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

• West Berks Warriors are an all-girls rugby team for 10 to 14 year olds currently looking for new players. All abilities are welcome and they train on Sunday mornings at Henwick sports ground. For more information, please contact Sam on thatchamrfcgirls@outlook.com.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Thu 21 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mark’s Church, Cold Ash.

• Sun 24 Dec Christmas Eve Services at St Mary’s & St Barnabas, Thatcham.

• Sun 21 Jan Kennet Leisure Centre Open Day, Thatcham.

• Wed 24 Jan Family Hub Coffee Afternoon, Central Family Hub, Park Lane, Thatcham.

• Sun 24 Mar Newbury & Thatcham Repair Café, Frank Hutchings Community Hall, Thatcham.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Thatcham Rugby Club runs Mixed Walking Touch Rugby sessions for all ages and abilities on the top pitch (near the astro pitch) at Henwick Worthy Sports Ground, Thatcham on Wednesdays, starting at 7pm.

• Barfield Handbell Ringers always welcomes new members and would be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to try handbell ringing. No previous experience required, just contact Dianne on dianne@barfield.org.uk 01635 867421.

• Thatcham W.I. meets at 7.30pm on the second Thursday of the month at Thatcham Memorial Hall with small groups for Book, Film, Craft, Walking, Coffee and Gardening. For more information please email thatchamwi@berkshirewi.co.uk or call Pauline on 01635 866904.

•ASD Family Help for families of autistic children and adults hold free Teen Club sessions twice a month and a social club for adults once a month, at the Moorside Community Centre. See the facebook page here.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• Sing Louder Choir is looking for new voices for their adult community choir from 7.15pm to 8.15pm on Thursdays at Frank Hutchins Hall. Please contact singlouderchoir@gmail.com or their Facebook page.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church holds regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

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 Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 25 September and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 22 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: ward members’ reports; planning matters; financial matters; highways; the playground; open spaces; the Village Hall; medications collection; and the Christmas tree.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 14 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. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 November and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

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

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 7 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: flooding issues; matters arising; possible traffic implications resulting from the temporary closure of the listing bridge at Aldermaston Wharf; D-day; the Village Hall; the sale of land in Brimpton Common between Brimpton Lane and Blacknest Lane; the Washing Estate; planning matters; financial matters; and reports from the ward member and the Chair.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

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

• The most recent meeting of Stanford Dingley Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 26 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.

• Thatcham area council contacts

Parishes: Thatcham Town Council, Hermitage Parish Council, Cold Ash Parish Council, Midgham Parish Council, Bucklebury Parish Council, Brimpton Parish Council, Stanford Dingley Parish Council, Frilsham Parish Council and Woolhampton Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 14 December 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: coffee, toys, a road closure, a crib service and a memory tree – plus a look at how the (possibly) withdrawn local plan might affect the NE Thatcham area, a councillor rides the buses and a drop-in budget consultation. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: Mayor’s Coffee Morning, Crafts & Carols and Santa Dash. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• This Friday 15 December it’s the Mayor’s Christmas Coffee morning at Thatcham Town Council‘s Chamber on Brownsfield Road between 10am and 12noon. There will be home-made cakes, mince pies and a selection of warm beverages on offer. Come on down and meet The Mayor! Open to all.

• 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.

• 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 23rd December.

• There will be a road closure on Ashmore Green Road (from the junction with Bowling Green Road to the junction with Stoney Lane) on Wednesday 20 December from 8am to 5pm. The closure is to enable Volker Highways to carry out permanent carriageway repairs on behalf of West Berkshire Council. Click here to learn more.

• Next Thursday 21 December Cold Ash Brass will be performing their Christmas concert, at St Mark’s Church, in Cold Ash at 7:30pm. There will be mulled wine and mince pies available, as well as a raffle.

• St Mary & St Barnabas Church in Thatcham looks forward to welcoming you to their Christmas Eve Services including the popular Crib Service.

• Thatcham’s homes

Uncertainty currently surrounds the immediate future of West Berkshire Council’s local plan which the administration has said that it intends to withdraw. The matter will be discussed at a special meeting on 19 December. In the 14 December This week with Brian column, I take a look at the background to this and what the results might be.

The main beef between the two parties concerned the 2,500 (later reduced to at least 1,500) homes to the NE of Thatcham. Planning portfolio holder Tony Vickers says that the plan is flawed because of the weak evidence behind North East Thatcham as a strategic housing site. The WBC Conservative leader Ross Mackinnon disagrees, claiming that the plan isn’t flawed at all and that the Lib Dems worked on it for four years in opposition. The Conservatives submitted the plan to the Inspectorate just before the election. This started a process which considerably narrowed the options for the new administration, whose manifesto included a promise to do what it could to reverse this decision.

Whether the plan is withdrawn and revised or passed as it is will have a considerable impact on the future on the NE Thatcham area. Some, including the author of the agenda paper for the 19 December meeting, feel that a withdrawal will immediately trigger an application from the NE Thatcham consortium which may, in the absence of a plan, be likely to succeed on appeal. Quite what happens if this occurs and the local plan is later submitted but without this as a strategic site, I can’t imagine. There are also two alternative sites, in Henwick and Colthrop, which would presumably be more in line with what the new administration wants to accomplish. These are currently not allocated sites. An application on the Henwick site was withdrawn in August. It had received objections (as such plans always do), but the developers also felt that there was too much uncertainty.

This uncertainty seems set to continue. Even if the plan is submitted as it stands (one possible outcome), Thatcham, Cold Ash, Midgham and Bucklebury will not immediately discover if the proposed scheme (with four developers) is deliverable, as Sandleford (with only two) has so far proved not to be. There are rarely any simple large-scale planning issues. This one seems considerably more complex than most.

• Consultations at the Kennet

West Berkshire Council is holding a series of in-person consultations prior to setting its 2024-25 budget. The next next of these drop in-session will be on Wednesday 20 December from 5.30pm to 7pm at the Kennet Leisure Centre. The drop-in session is an opportunity to find out more about the consultations and ask any questions you may have.

Councillor Lee Dillon, Leader of West Berkshire Council and Councillor Iain Cottingham, Executive Member for Finance, will be at the Leisure Centre to answer questions and talk through the consultations with you. You can find the consultations online.

• 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 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

Have your say on current consultations being run by West Berkshire Council:

Four Houses Corner Traveller site near Ufton Nervet Deadline 15 December 2023.
Proposal to extend and vary the current Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Newbury Deadline 18 December 2023.
Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople – Call for Sites Deadline 23 December 2023.
Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy Deadline 31 December 2023.
Budget proposals 2024-25 Deadline 11 January 2024.
Francis Baily Primary School – School Streets Scheme Feedback Survey Deadline 3 March 2024.

Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

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.

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 15 Dec The Mayors Christmas Coffee Morning, Thatcham Town Council’s Office Chamber.

• Sat 16 Dec Christmas Crafts and Carols, Thatcham Library.

• Sun 17 Dec Yattendon Santa Dash, Yattendon Lane.

• Thu 21 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mark’s Church, Cold Ash.

• Sun 24 Dec Christmas Eve Services at St Mary’s & St Barnabas, Thatcham

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church holds regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Chair’s report; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; the Cemetery and the Chapel; highways; speeding; a proposed path; parish communications; financial matters; and repairs and maintenance.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 8 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; Yattendon Estate; planning matters; ward member’s report; repairs and maintenance; the playground; the Club Room; parking issues; deer fencing; the Clerk’s report; footpaths; and financial matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 10 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. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 7 December 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: music, crafts, a fair, refills, memories and refugees – plus a reminder that proposed WBC cuts could lead to a reduction in community transport services run by Readibus and others. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: Mayor’s Carol Concert, Christmas Craft Fair and lots of festive fun,. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• This weekend there are two local festive musical events to enjoy. On Saturday, Cold Ash Brass Band will be performing their Christmas Concert at St Marys Church, Thatcham, with mulled wine and mince pies. While on Sunday, also at St Mary’s Church, will be the Mayors Civic Carol Service. The service will feature a selection of carols, hymns and readings. Musical performances will be provided by St Mary’s Church Choir and the Barfield Handbell Ringers.

• Also this weekend there will be a Handmade Christmas Craft Fair, supporting the Royal British Legion Women’s Section Benevolent fund, over at Thatcham Rugby Club. Entry is free and there will be a tombola, refreshments and stalls selling handmade items such as clothing, toys, ornaments and more. That’s on Saturday 9 December, from 11am to 3pm.

• Congratulations to S. Lerpiniere, G. Deegwal and G. Saravanan, the talented winners of this year’s Mayor’s Christmas Card Competition. You can see the winning pictures on the Town Council’s Facebook Page.

• It was good to meet everyone at the Christmas Fair at Thatcham Memorial Hall last Saturday. Good luck to the Kennet students raising money for their volunteering trip to Borneo next summer.

• December news from Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable mobile household and personal product refill shop. They provide a great way to reduce your use of plastic.

• London Road Cemetery has a Memory Tree in place for the whole of this month, ready for anyone to leave a message or dedication to their loved ones. There are tags and pens are provided (but please do not remove these from the Cemetery). The Chapel will be open on selected dates this December if you would like to visit for quiet reflection.

• West Berkshire Action for Refugees had a visit from the BBC recently to cover the story of the Regency Hotel in Thatcham being closed to refugees a week before Christmas and the impact this is having on the whole community that has supported them for the past two years – an unexpected length of time caused by the Home Office’s slow processing times of permissions to stay in the UK (called ‘leave to remain’).

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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

Have your say on current consultations being run by West Berkshire Council:

Review of polling districts, polling places and polling stations 2023 Deadline 12 December 2023.
Draft Corporate Complaints Policy Deadline 13 December 2023.
Four Houses Corner Traveller site near Ufton Nervet Deadline 15 December 2023.
Proposal to extend and vary the current Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Newbury Deadline 18 December 2023.
Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople – Call for Sites Deadline 23 December 2023.
Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy Deadline 31 December 2023.
Budget proposals 2024-25 Deadline 11 January 2024.
Francis Baily Primary School – School Streets Scheme Feedback Survey Deadline 3 March 2024.

Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

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.

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 9 Dec Thatcham Youth Roller Disco, Kennet Leisure Centre.

• Sat 9 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mary’s Church, Thatcham.

• Sat 9 Dec Christmas Craft, Fair Thatcham Rugby Club Henwick Worthy Sports Fields.

• Sun 10 Dec The Mayors Christmas Carol Service, St Mary’s Church, Thatcham.

• Sun 10 Dec Kintbury Christmas Market, Kintbury Jubilee Hall.

• Fri 15 Dec The Mayors Christmas Coffee Morning, Thatcham Town Council’s Office Chamber.

• Sat 16 Dec Christmas Crafts and Carols, Thatcham Library.

• Sun 17 Dec Yattendon Santa Dash, Yattendon Lane.

• Thu 21 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mark’s Church, Cold Ash.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church holds regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 9 October and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 21 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. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 30 November 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: Christmas lights, activities, a fiddler, community champions and refugees – plus an appeal from the Foodbank and another award for Readibus. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: Mayor’s Carol Concert and lots of festive fun,. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• This Friday is the big Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch-on event at the Broadway, with charity stalls, local food and drink stands, face painting and sweet treats, late night shopping, live music on stage and more. The lights will be switched on at 7pm by the Mayor and the charity partners. See here for details.

• Following that there will be even more festive activities on Saturday 2 December with the Christmas Market on the Broadway from 10am to 4pm and the Fundraising Christmas Market at Thatcham Memorial Hall between 10:30am and 3:30pm for even more stalls and games. Then on Sunday 3 December, you might spot an army of Santas running down the street for the Santa Fun Run – there’s still time to sign up or make a donation.

• The Kennet and Avon Theatrical Society (KATS) are looking for teens to join in their upcoming show Fiddler on the Roof. If you know any young actors who might be interested, they are holding auditions this Monday 4 December at Bucklebury Memorial Hall (Oak Room) between 6:15pm and 7.15pm.

• Did you know the Living Rainforest has a range of Christmas activities starting from this Saturday 2 December. This includes a children’s Christmas Trail and activity pack, Christmas afternoon tea, games and much more. Click here to find out more.

• To illustrate the backgrounds of the refugees they support, West Berkshire Action for Refugees are making short videos for the refugees to tell their stories. This video is about Fatemah, a teacher from Syria, whose whole family had to flee the violent government there. She is delighted to now be living in the community after 18 months at the Regency Hotel. She is very keen to give back to the local community after all the warmth and support she has received.

• 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.

• 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.

• Christmas generosity requested for local families

At this time of year, there are plenty of stories of seasonal festivities. Unfortunately, there are also plenty about the problems that the winter season can bring. One of the organisations that finds itself particularly busy at this time of year is West Berkshire Foodbank. On 30 November we caught up the Foodbank’s Fran Chamings about its needs in the run up to Christmas.

“We had a successful Harvest Festival appeal so our supply of tinned food is good,” explains Fran. “But it’s cash donations that we need now to support families who can’t afford their electricity bills for heat and cooking, and food pouches for families placed in hotel accomodation with no access to kitchen facilities.

“We also have families with children with allergies who need foodbank support now because the price of ‘free from’ food (non-dairy, non-gluten etc) has sky-rocketed. We are even called by schools and charities to provide headlice lotion because it’s no longer on prescription and many parents can’t afford it. And these are working parents. One couple’s mortgage hike meant they couldn’t afford to order a birth certificate for their baby to qualify for child allowance.

“So now, more than ever before we need cash to support our clients. The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon. If Penny Post readers can help at all, we would be so grateful for donations via our website westberks.foodbank.org.uk.”

Foodbank is also grateful for donations of electrical items such as slow cookers, air fryers, heated blankets or room heaters which can be dropped off at the Community Furniture Project on Bone Lane, in Newbury (which itself has needed a grant from the Berkshire Community Foundation to cover a whopping 169% increase in electricity bills).

• Have your say

Have your say on current consultations being run by West Berkshire Council:

Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

Community notices

• Thatcham Community Larder in the Frank Hutchins Hall offers affordable food items (starting at £3.50 per week), refreshments, friendly chat and activities. Follow them on facebook for latest opening times more details. For more information contact 07500 764501 or victoria.roseblade1@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. Please see here for more details and how to help.

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership‘s advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities for anyone with a little time to spare.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Christmas Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Fundraiser Christmas & Bric-a-brac Market, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sun 3 Dec Santa Fun Run, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 9 Dec Thatcham Youth Roller Disco, Kennet Leisure Centre.

• Sat 9 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mary’s Church, Thatcham.

• Sun 10 Dec The Mayors Christmas Carol Service, St Mary’s Church, Thatcham.

• Fri 15 Dec The Mayors Christmas Coffee Morning, Thatcham Town Council’s Office Chamber.

• Fri 16 Dec Christmas Crafts and Carols, Thatcham Library.

• Thur 21 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mark’s Church, Cold Ash.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Just Play football for anyone 16 to 75 years of any gender or ability. Instead of committing to join a club you can just play a friendly game on a weekly basis 6pm to 7pm Tuesdays at Henwick Worth Sports Ground. The surface is MUGA Astroturf so please only wear trainers/astros when playing. Book here.

• Thatcham W.I. meets at 7.30pm on the second Thursday of the month at Thatcham Memorial Hall with small groups for Book, Film, Craft, Walking, Coffee and Gardening. For more information please email thatchamwi@berkshirewi.co.uk or call Pauline on 01635 866904.

• ADS Family Help for families of autistic children and adults hold free carer support session, as well as a social club for adults once a month, at the Moorside Community Centre. To fin out when these events are happening, visit their Facebook page.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• Sing Louder Choir is looking for new voices for their children’s choir meets 6pm to 7pm and the community choir from 7.15pm to 8.15pm on Thursdays at Frank Hutchins Hall. Please contact singlouderchoir@gmail.com or their Facebook page.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 September and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 23 November 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: bus travel, a fun run, a garden, card designs and switching on the lights – plus a remainder about a survey that might help pave the way for a bridge at Thatcham station. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: Focus on Thatcham, carer’s rights and cost-of-living events, and Children in Need fundraiser. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• 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.

• Next Friday 1 December is the big Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch-on event. The Broadway will be filled with charity stalls, local food and drink stands, face painting and sweet treats, late night shopping, live music on stage. The lights will be switched on at 7pm by the Mayor and the charity partners. See here for details.

• Thatcham Town Council is pleased to report that the Jubilee Garden Community monthly drop-in respite group for local carers has been relaunched and is now open to all. The first event will take place on Thursday 30 November but in the council chambers rather than the garden itself as the weather is expected to be chilly.

• The Thatcham Santa Fun Run is back for 2023, on Sunday 3 December. Starting from the Thatcham Broadway, the 5km circuit provides runners with the opportunity raise money 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.

• Calling local artists…please enter The Mayor of Thatcham’s Christmas Card competition so please send your entries in by 30 November. Any age can enter and there are two categories: hand drawn and digital/photograph design.

• It appears that the churn in Thatcham’s pharmacies is continuing. A notice in Boots has announced that this will close early next year.

• Crossing the bridge

A reminder on the survey being run by local MP Laura Farris: click here to have your say as to whether there should be a railway bridge to replace the level crossing by Thatcham station.

“I know that this situation has become intolerable for many residents of Thatcham,” she said when this survey was launched in late October. “Network Rail agrees that it is one of the busiest barrier crossings out of the 500 they have in the South East and that it has some of the longest waiting times overall.

“The next step will be developing a business plan with the relevant stakeholders and submitting this to the Department for Transport together with – what I hope they will agree- is a viable funding proposal. To support our business case, I would be very grateful if you could complete this short survey if you are a Thatcham resident and/or use the level crossing. Residents views are crucial to getting this right.”

• Have your say

Have your say on current consultations being run by West Berkshire Council:

Review of polling districts, polling places and polling stations 2023 Deadline 12 December 2023.
Draft Corporate Complaints Policy Deadline 13 December 2023.
Four Houses Corner Traveller site near Ufton Nervet Deadline 15 December 2023.
Proposal to extend and vary the current Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Newbury Deadline 18 December 2023.
Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople – Call for Sites Deadline 23 December 2023.
Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy Deadline 31 December 2023.
Francis Baily Primary School – School Streets Scheme Feedback Survey Deadline 3 March 2024.

Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

Community notices

• The VIAN environmental group is helping ‘Keep Thatcham Beautiful‘ by continuing to litter pick across the area. The group has been set up by the locally based asylum seekers and is led by Bahman, a primary school teacher from Iran who was forced to flee his country because of the Iranian regime, leaving behind his wife and children.

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership‘s advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities for anyone with a little time to spare.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• On until end Nov Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library.

• Sat 25 Nov Local Author Showcase, Newbury Library.

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

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Christmas Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Fundraiser Christmas Market, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sun 3 Dec Santa Fun Run, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 9 Dec Thatcham Youth Roller Disco, Kennet Leisure Centre.

• Sat 9 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mary’s Church, Thatcham.

• Sun 10 Dec The Mayors Christmas Carol Service, St Mary’s Church, Thatcham.

• Fri 15 Dec The Mayors Christmas Coffee Morning, Thatcham Town Council’s Office Chamber.

• Thur 21 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mark’s Church, Cold Ash.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 16 November 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: the cost of living, carer’s rights, Santa, a garden, a possible bridge and volunteers – plus news about some hedge-planting help required and a farewell to Vian’s volunteers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

This week’s news

• This Friday 17 November the Cost of Living Fair will be at the Old Blue Coat School from 10am to noon. The fair has been organised by the local DWP, Citizens Advice West Berkshire and local MP Lara Farris, and brings together organisations and charities that support those struggling with rising prices. If you would like to attend, click here to book a slot.

• Next week is the Carers Rights Day Event at Thatcham Rugby Club with a range of organisations giving advice and information, as well as guest presentations. There will be representatives from Age UK, West Berkshire Council Social Care, Eight Bells and more. The event is on Thursday 23 November from 1pm to 3pm – no booking required. Click here to learn more and see the presentation schedule.

• Click here to take part in a survey being run by Laura Farris MP as to whether there should be a railway bridge to replace the level crossing by Thatcham station.

• Hedge planting help requested

Thatcham Town Council has very kindly been donated some hedging from the Greenham Trust Planting Project which they would like to add to areas around Thatcham. This new hedging will provide security, biodiversity and offers shelter and food to small animals.

They will be taking delivery of the saplings some time in November and are requesting help from volunteers to plant them. No experience necessary other than able to dig a small hole. Equipment and refreshments provided.

If you would like to get involved, please register your interest with enquiries@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk and someone will be in contact once a date is confirmed.

• A sad farewell

This week saw the final session of VIAN Environment Society’s activities in Thatcham. This voluntary group of asylum seekers posted on their facebook page that it was very sad and painful for all of the members but due to the closure of the hotel where they have been staying, VIAN has been forced to stop its voluntary activities. They are very grateful to the local people who came to thank VIAN for its work in the community.

During the last 13 months, VIAN has worked hard to repay the kindness and goodness of the local people by helping Thatcham Council in the implementation of events and also with litter picking around the town and working on canal maintenance with the Canal & Rivers Trust.

They say that they hope to resume their activities in other parts of the UK in the near future and new branches of VIAN are now about to open in Reading and Maidenhead.

The leader of the group is Bahman from Iran who was forced to leave his country, his wife and children, and flee because of the Iranian regime. Bahman is a primary school teacher with 24 years experience who loves the environment, school children and teaching. VIAN is the name of Bahman’s daughter and is a Kurdish word that means “love”.

• Have your say

Have your say on current consultations being run by West Berkshire Council:

Draft Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) 2023-2033 Deadline 23 November 2023.
Review of polling districts, polling places and polling stations 2023 Deadline 12 December 2023.
Draft Corporate Complaints Policy Deadline 13 December 2023.
Four Houses Corner Traveller site near Ufton Nervet Deadline 15 December 2023.
Proposal to extend and vary the current Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Newbury Deadline 18 December 2023.
Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople – Call for Sites Deadline 23 December 2023.
Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy Deadline 31 December 2023.
Francis Baily Primary School – School Streets Scheme Feedback Survey Deadline 3 March 2024.

Parish and town councils also run consultations from time to time: see the appropriate website/s below under Council contacts.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

Community notices

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership‘s advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities for anyone with a little time to spare.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• On until end Nov Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library.

• Fri 17 Nov Cost of Living Fair, Old Blue Coat School, Thatcham.

• Fri 17 Nov Children in Need Fundraiser, Castle Inn, Cold Ash.

• Thur 23 Nov Careers Rights Day Event, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Sat 25 Nov Local Author Showcase, Newbury Library.

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

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Christmas Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Fundraiser Christmas Market, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sun 3 Dec Santa Fun Run, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 9 Dec Thatcham Youth Roller Disco, Kennet Leisure Centre.

• Sat 9 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mary’s Church, Thatcham.

• Fri 15 Dec The Mayors Christmas Coffee Morning, Thatcham Town Council’s Office Chamber.

• Thur 21 Dec Cold Ash Brass Christmas Concert, St Mark’s Church, Cold Ash.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• ADS Family Help for families of autistic children and adults hold free Teen Club sessions twice a month and a social club for adults once a month, at the Moorside Community Centre. Read more information about the club here.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 31 July and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 3 October and you can download 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 Stanford Dingley Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 8 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.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 9 November 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: remembrance, cards, suitcases, paper and warriors – plus a cost-of-living event and a look at the imminent closure of the Regency Park Hotel for refugees. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: fireworks and fundraising coffee morning. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Thatcham’s Remembrance Parade this Sunday 12 November will start at 10.30am from the Kingsland Centre car park, looping around Thatcham Broadway and up the High Street to the War Memorial, where the service will be held at 11am. After the main wreath laying, members of the public will be invited to lay their own tributes. Between 10.30am and 12noon the A4 will be closed between the Catholic Church and Park Lane and Brownsfield Road. All local residents will have received a hand-delivered letter at their home address with details of how the road closures affect them. Thatcham Town Council asks that no vehicles are parked in the War Memorial car park (Brownsfield Rd) after 8am on Sunday 12 November. Any vehicles remaining after this time, the police will contact the registered owner and if necessary, have the vehicle removed. Visit the Town Council’s facebook page for further details.

• West Berkshire Action for Refugees are urgently appealing for donations of wheeled suitcases, following the recent news that the asylum seekers, currently staying at the Thatcham Regency Park Hotel, are to be moved out by Tuesday 12 December. At present, many of the asylum seekers do not know exactly when or where they will be moved to and the suitcases are for those potentially leaving the hotel at short notice. Suitcases can be dropped off at Thatcham Town Council’s offices on Brownfield Road or at Thatcham Refillable (click here for the list of when and where they will be).

• Do you or your child play an instrument and like to play with a group? The Thatcham United Reformed Church are looking for new band members. They play every third Sunday, with a practice at 10am before the service at 10.30am to 11.30am (although there is no commitment to do every service), with additional practice optional. Get in contact if you would like to learn more at minister@thatcham-urc.org.uk.
• Eco Friends West Berkshire are looking for donations of old Christmas paper, brown delivery paper, twine, string, reusable gift bags, paper, maps, paper tape, amazon (or other) parcel boxes, or material that could be used to wrap parcels or make into ribbons. They plan to use the materials as part of a plastic free gift wrapping service at the Hampstead Norreys Candlelit Market on Saturday 18 November, to help promote a ‘plastic free Thatcham and Newbury’ initiative. Click here to find out where to drop of donation and learn more.

• Friends of Whiteland’s Park are looking for prize donations for their Christmas Fayre raffle, on Thursday 7 December. The money raised from the fair will be going towards improving the school library. If you have an items such as a bottle of wine, or you run a business which could provide a service as a prize, etc, then get in touch at fow@whitelandsparkprimary.co.uk.

• Local MP Laura Farris is holding a Cost of Living Fair on Friday 17 November from 10am to noon at Old Bluecoat School in Thatcham. There will be a wide variety of public bodies, businesses and charities to give help and give advice on direct support and grants available to help you this winter. Book your place here.

• Cost of living

There are a number of ways of measuring inflation, the differences between them being known only to economists. Most agree, however, that the rate of inflation, having been between 0% and about 2.5% from 2013 to late 2021, then shot up, reaching a peak of over 11% a year later. Although it’s since declined, prices are still rising more than twice as fast as they were a decade ago.

Winter, of course, provides its own particular problems in the shape of heating bills. These get particularly high if one lives in a poorly insulated home, a description which probably applies to the majority of Britain’s housing stock. The cost-of-living crisis may no longer claim front-page status but it has not gone away.

Laura Farris MP is hosting a Cost of Living Fair in partnership with the local Department for Work and Pensions and Citizens Advice West Berkshire. This will be held at Thatcham’s Old Bluecoat School on Friday 17 November between 10am and noon.

There will be a wide variety of public bodies, businesses and charities to give information on the support available, including advice on grants and direct support, debt management and help with housing and utility costs. If you would like to attend, please sign up here.

• Move along, please

The government has recently announced that a number of temporary refugee centres are to close. One of these is the Regency Park Hotel in Thatcham which will cease to accept asylum seekers on 12 December. A government statement said that “suitable alternative accommodation” would be found for them. Where and when are, as Karen Reeve of West Berkshire Action for Refugees pointed out, rather more difficult questions to answer and ones that she’s being asked every day by the anxious residents.

On 9 November, MP Laura Farris published an article on her website. One of the reasons this can now happen, she points out, is that there has been “a rapid increase in the Home Office’s processing times.” If so, then this must have dramatically have improved since I covered this very matter on 12 October. The delays were just one part of the problem: there was also the mixed messaging, the late or non-arrival of letters and the staggering amount of errors in the documentation. Has all that been resolved? I understand that in Thatcham there are 40 people who have been waiting for a decision since before June 2022 and 60 more who have been waiting for not quite as long. That doesn’t seem to be a “rapid increase” in processing.

Farris also adds that “the Home Office has been able to access better-value accommodation so that commercial hotels can be phased out.” Certainly the £8m a day price tag is pretty steep. The Regency Park Hotel was first used in January 2022, nearly two years ago. That’s a long time to wait for better-value accommodation to turn up. If the Home Office decided to open up a property-letting arm I don’t think I’ll be using it.

She also, rightly, says, or at least implies, that West Berkshire has a housing policy into which these people, when eventually released from this holding pen, must take their place. I’ve not heard any suggestion that there’s been any queue-jumping.

Her concluding paragraph I find rather confusing. “Local authorities must have the capacity to provide housing, education and other support services for refugees,” she writes. “Surely no one would suggest we reduce the numbers we accommodate lawfully under humanitarian schemes to accommodate those arriving via people smugglers by boat.” I’m not at all clear what point is being made here.

I asked the above-mentioned Karen Reeve, who has been at the sharp end of all these problems since the refugees started arriving, if she had any comment.

“I’m angry with Laura Farris’ continued politicising and attempts to reframe this matter,” she told me. “She calls hotels ‘temporary measures’. If she thinks being stuck in a hotel for 19-plus months is “temporary” she’s on another planet.” Se added, in reference the last paragraph of Laura Farris’ statement, that “most of the asylum seekers arrived by plane, not boat.”

“The issue is entirely of her government’s making,” she continued. “Had it processed cases as it should they wouldn’t have had this issue at all and wouldn’t be costing us, the tax payer £8m a day. These are real people we are talking about, left in limbo, perpetual anxiety and powerless at the hands of an inept goverment and incompetent immigration service and now we add insult to injury by uprooting them again.”

Karen Reeve also takes issue with Laura Farris’s statement that “of the 175 beds available, only around 100 are currently occupied.” This is, she retorts, “overclaiming the numbers. There have only ever been around 100 placed at the Regency Park. It was supposed to have gone up to 175 but never did: another waste of money by the Home Office in purchasing single beds, mattresses and bedding.” She adds that she wonders who got the contract for that. Others might be asking the same thing. It’s a drop in the ocean compared to the PPOE procurement fiasco, of course, but it all adds up. Meanwhile, these beds and bedding might be needed as it’s quite possible that the “better-value” accommodation, wherever that proves to be, doesn’t come with things like that.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

Community notices

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership‘s advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities for anyone with a little time to spare.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• On until end Nov Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library.

• Sat 11 Nov Thatcham Youth Roller Disco, Kennet Leisure Centre.

• Sun 12 Nov Remembrance Sunday Parade, Thatcham.

• Fri 17 Nov Cost of Living Fair, Old Blue Coat School, Thatcham.

• Thurs 23 Nov Careers Rights Day Event, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Christmas Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 9 Dec Thatcham Youth Roller Disco, Kennet Leisure Centre.

• Fri 15 Dec The Mayors Christmas Coffee Morning, Thatcham Town Council’s Office Chamber.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 10 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; a councillor co-option; the Clerk’s report; dog bins; repairs and maintenance; planning matters; financial matters; NDP update; St Mark’s School crossing point; the Tennis Club; and the Christmas tree.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 3 October and you can download the minutes here. Items covered included: potholes; Washing solar farm; D-Day events; the sale of land in Brimpton Common between Brimpton Lane and Blacknest Lane; the Almshouses Trust Charity Committee; the Berkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy Webinar; planning matters; financial matters; and reports from the Clerk and the Chair.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 2 October and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: policing; affordable homes; financial matters; planning matters; the Village Hall; Neighbourhood Watch; rights of way; and a 5G mast.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 17 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. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 14 August and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 2 November 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: donations, GP access, transport, artisans and pumpkins – plus a reminder about a survey regarding a possible bridge over the railway line to replace the level crossing and a flood and sewage alert. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: fireworks and fundraising coffee morning. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Does your wardrobe need de-cluttering? The Friends of Whitelands Park Primary School in Thatcham is requesting donations of clothing, shoes and accessories. Please bag them up and drop into the Whitelands Park Primary School reception by Wedneday 8 November. Click here for more information.

• If you are registered to Thatcham Medical practice, Burdwood or Falkland Surgeries there is an opportunity to have your say on how you access services at your GP Practice and the new ways of working that has been happening in the practices. Healthwatch West Berks invites you to a GP Access Focus Group 10 – 11:30am on Tuesday 7 Novembe rat Thatcham Rugby Club, Henwick Worthy Sportsground.

• Is there a hidden gem waiting to be discovered in your home? Experts will value your treasure and share the story behind the find at a special Dawson’s Hidden Treasures fundraising event on Saturday 4 November, 11am to 4pm at Renegade Brewery in Yattendon. Book your ticket on Educafe’s crowdfunding page here. All proceeds go to Educafe, a Community Interest Company bringing together diverse communities in West Berkshire. Find out more here.

• Are you worried about the transportation needs of older family members in Thatcham or Newbury ? Pop along to the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire Open Day at Broadway House on Thursday 9 November between 10am and 4pm to find out what services are available.

• As mentioned previously, work is set to start on a refurbishment project at Thatcham Library next week and the plan is to re-open to the public on Monday 6 November. The return dates on any books due back that week will be automatically extended. For more information click here.

• Do you work with a local charity or non-profit? Thatcham Town Council are now accepting applications for charity and fundraising stallholders at the Warming Up For Christmas Lights Switch On on Friday 1 December. Click here and fill out the online form to express your interest and they will be in touch.

• Local artisan or vendor are also invited to book a stall at the Christmas Market at Thatcham Broadway on Saturday 2 December. Contact enquiries@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk for a booking form.

• 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.

• Have your say on the crossing

We mentioned last week about Laura Farris MP’s survey about a possible bridge over the railway line at Thatcham to replace the wretched level crossing. A recent e-newsletter from here refers to this:

“I know that this situation has become intolerable for many residents of Thatcham and is something I have raised repeatedly in the House and with the Transport Secretary Mark Harper. When I spoke to Network Rail earlier in October, they agreed that of the approximately 500 barrier crossings they operate in the South East it has some of the longest waiting times overall.

The next step will be developing a business plan with the relevant stakeholders including Network Rail and West Berkshire Council and submitting this to the Department for Transport together with – what I hope they will agree – is a viable funding proposal. To support our business case, I would be very grateful if you could complete this short survey if you are a Thatcham resident and/or use the level crossing. Residents’ views will form a crucial part of establishing local need for a bridge. You can complete the survey here.”

• Water, water

There have been a number of reports of flooding and floating sewage in and around Thatcham. Local residents will need no reminding of what damage this can cause. 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 around the Community Hospital. On local resident (writing about Newbury) commented online that the problem isn’t helped by all the house building.

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.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

Community notices

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership‘s advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities for anyone with a little time to spare.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• On until end Nov Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library.

• Fri 3 Nov Thatcham Fireworks Display, Kennet School.

• Sat 4 Nov Thatcham WI Coffee Morning, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sat 11 Nov Thatcham Youth Roller Disco, Kennet Leisure Centre.

• Sun 12 Nov Remembrance Sunday Parade, Thatcham

• Fri 17 Nov Cost of Living Fair, Old Blue Coat School, Thatcham.

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Christmas Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 9 Dec Thatcham Youth Roller Disco, Kennet Leisure Centre.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 2 October and you can read the minutes here. items covered included: policing; affordable homes; financial matters; planning matters; the Village Hall; Neighbourhood Watch; rights of way; and a 5G mast.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 12 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 and minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 26 October 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: a closure, a hidden gem, retro gaming, a winning apprentice and the postal service – plus a look at the latest work on Thatcham’s flood defences and a survey from our MP about a possible bridge over the railway line to replace the level crossing. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: fireworks and fundraising coffee morning. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Quick reminder to put your clocks back this Saturday and enjoy an extra hour in bed…

• Thatcham High Street will be closed on Monday 30 October from 9.30am to 3.30pm, between the junction of Church Lane and The Broadway. The closure extent will reduce as work progresses. This closure is to carry out drainage investigation on behalf of West Berkshire Council. Click here for more information.

• Home-Start West Berkshire is extremely grateful for the support of local businesses, community groups, volunteers and donors who helped them reach their fundraising target every day during their Greenham Trust escalator programme. This means that with the Trust’s contributions and gift aid, they raised over £35,000 to continue supporting local families in need. You can still support them here.

• Congratulations to Warren Page, Apprentice Manager at Thatcham-based Xtrac Ltd, who was ‘Highly Commended’ at the recent South East Regional Apprenticeship Awards 2023. Warren was nominated by long-term apprenticeship partners Newbury College and University Centre Newbury. Xtrac is the global leading supplier of high performance transmissions for top level professional motorsport and high performance vehicles and together with Newbury College, Warren works hard to address the nation’s skills shortages in the sector, regularly promoting apprenticeships at both local and national levels. Read more here.

• Thatcham WI always welcomes new members to their monthly meetings and book, film, walking, craft and coffee group and their gardening group that maintains the courtyard gardens at West Berkshire Hospital. They also enjoy day trips and theatre outings. All welcome at their fundraising Coffee Morning on Saturday 4 November at Thatcham Memorial Hall. As well as coffee and cakes, there will be stalls for children’s toys, jewellery, Christmas decorations, hand made crafts, scarfs, bags, sweets and more. For more details click here.

• Local artisan or vendor are also invited to book a stall at the Christmas Market at Thatcham Broadway on Saturday 2 December. Contact enquiries@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk for a booking form.

• See here for an article on Newbury Today about a recent retro gaming exhibition in Thatcham.

• Whisper it quietly, but it seems that there might have been some improvements of the postal delivery service in the town: that’s to say, letters seem to be turning up more often than about once a week. Is this your experience?

• Thatcham’s defences

West Berkshire Council has reported that construction work is “progressing well” at three flood alleviation schemes in Thatcham (at Bowling Green Road, Heath Lane and East Thatcham). Once completed, this £3.5million project will help protect another 107 properties from the impact of surface water flooding in Thatcham.

WBC held a public consultation and exhibition earlier this year on protecting properties around the Memorial Fields in Thatcham from flooding. A statement from the Council says that “We are now in the process of submitting a planning application for a 0.85-hectare flood detention basin and a 120m long swale. Subject to the necessary approvals being granted, construction work is programmed for 2024.”

at West Berkshire Council, “This is very positive news for the town of Thatcham,” Denise Gaines, Executive Member for Highways, Housing and Sustainable Travel said. “This clearly demonstrates the Liberal Democrats continuing support and investment in measures to help prevent the devastating impact of flooding and combat the challenges caused by climate change and an increase in extreme weather events.” The key word here is “continuing”: the project was started under the previous administration is is being maintained under this one. So, hats off all round, I’d say.

• Thatcham’s crossing

Local MP Laura Farris has recently made several pronouncements in favour or a bridge rather than a level crossing in Thatcham. No that the subject is not as off-limits as it seemed to have been before May – the then administration did not seem minded to investigate a plan to build one as part of a new development at Colthrop as they wanted to concentrate exclusively on the NE Thatcham scheme – there’s no less danger that she could be accused of cutting across the planning policy of a local council. I agree with her that this is worth looking into and I think she’s right to judge support for the scheme, just as David Johnson has more than once done with regard to re-opening the station at Wantage Road in Grove. A cynic might say that this is part of a pre-election campaign. However, this is just what an MP should be doing, I think.

We’re thus very happy to publicise her recent survey: click here to take part. My one criticism of it from what I’ve seen from a quick glance is that I can’t see by when you need to have done it (so, do it asap, I guess). It doesn’t look as if it’ll take more than five minutes to complete: considerably less time, in other words, than many people spend queuing at the level crossing…

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

Community notices

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership‘s advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities for anyone with a little time to spare.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• On until end Nov Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library.

• Fri 3 Nov Thatcham Fireworks Display, Kennet School.

• Sat 4 Nov Thatcham WI Coffee Morning, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Christmas Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 12 September and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: an NDP update (see also separate section above, A delay at the final hurdle); financial matters; matters arising; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; dog bins; the Tennis Club; and questions from Councillors.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 19 October 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: library work, donations, lights, post and market stands – plus some welcome news from two of Thatcham’s pharmacies. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: fireworks and fundraising coffee morning. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• As we mentionned last week, work is set to start on a refurbishment project at Thatcham Library at the end of this month. The £45,000 project, fully funded by West Berkshire Council, will see the installation of an accessible toilet, and the canopy above the current doorway removed to create a more modern and visible entrance. These building improvements will make the library, and the many events they run there, easier for all to access and enjoy. The library will be closed for one week from 30 October to 4 November while the majority of the work is completed and will reopen to the public on Monday 6 November. The return dates on any books due back that week will be automatically extended. For more information click here.

• Thatcham Tornados invite football kit donations to help protect the environment and also try and help parents save money as well. If you have any ‘preloved’ items such as black base-layers, shin pads, goal keeper cloves and football boots/astros you don’t need any more, the club would be able to make great use of them. Donations can be dropped at their Teamwear stall at the Infants Schools Football Festival, or contact Josie via preloved@thatchamtornadoes.com.

• Quick reminder that Home-Start West Berkshire needs to raise £6,600 before Friday 20 October in order to earn £25,000 in matched ‘Escalator’ funding from Greenham Trust to recruit a Family Coordinator to support 60 local families a year who are struggling. The charity have been holding fundraisers all week and to finish it off, Claire Carless, chair of their Trustees, will do a tandem sky-dive this Friday. See their facebook page for details or call 01635 760310. If you would like to support Home-Start West Berkshire please donate here during the Escalator period 16 to 20 October otherwise it won’t be Escalator match-funded.

• Local artisan or vendor are also invited to book a stall at the Christmas Market at Thatcham Broadway on Saturday 2 December. Contact enquiries@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk for a booking form.

• See here for an article on Newbury Today about a recent retro gaming exhibition in Thatcham.

• A prescription for change

There have been well-publicised problems with the two Lloyds pharmacies in Thatcham this year, including staff shortages and the inevitable knock-on effect this had on opening hours, service standards and stock levels. Lloyds eventually decided that it had had enough and have pulled out. Fortunately, one of its two outlets has been sold and the other is in the process of being so, both to independent owners.

The Crown Mead Pharmacy (now known as Halo) has since 18 September been owned by Philip Obomighe, who used to work at the pharmacy some years ago and has recently been plying his trade elsewhere. I rang the store on 19 October and the call was answered promptly by a friendly and helpful person – always a good sign. Philip told me that he was pleased by the way things had gone in the first month. This favourable impression was re-inforced by another chat with a local resident who has long been pressing for improvements to the local pharmacy service and who has transferred his custom to that pharmacy.

It appears that progress with the transfer of the Burdwood centre pharmacy to its new owners has been progressing less rapidly. I understand that the shelves are now completely bare and the operation has been scaled back to a pharmacy-only service. It seems odd that a company that wants to sell in these circumstances doesn’t wish to do so quickly. For the new owners, the longer this interregnum continues for, the more work there’ll be in re-building the shop’s reputation. Hopefully, this will all be completed before too long. Once this happens, two of the town’s three pharmacies will be independently and locally run.

• Latest local newsletters

• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

Community notices

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership‘s advice about scams. There is no shame if you get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities for anyone with a little time to spare.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• On until end Nov Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library.

• Fri 3 Nov Thatcham Fireworks Display, Kennet School.

• Sat 4 Nov Thatcham WI Coffee Morning, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sat 2 Dec Christmas Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 12 October 2023

Our usual round-up of local news includes: the last days of the Festival, a pride brunch, a switch-on and an open evening – plus rebuilding work starts at Newbury Library (with, hopefully, more to follow), a look at the recent local debate about refugees and estate stewardship in Bucklebury. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Thatcham area events include: Thatcham Festival, Pride Brunch and the Thatcham Comedy Club and more. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

This week’s news

• Thatcham Festival still has plenty to offer before it closes this Sunday 15 October including an Apple Day and Star Gazing at the Nature Discovery Centre, Leisure & Craft Fair, Tales for Halloween and the Cold Ash Brass Band Festival Finale Concert . Click here to see the full roster of events. Pick up a festival brochure in town or click here to browse it online.

• As part of the festival, Thatcham Council have teamed up with Newbury Pride for their first ever Pride Brunch, which will take place at the ‘Gardeners Retreat’ at Thatcham Garden Centre on Sunday 15 October at 11am. Newcomers are very welcome and will be introduced to the friendly group. The event is free and no booking required, you only need to pay for what you order from the menu.

• Quick reminder that Home-Start West Berkshire needs to raise £6,600 between 16 and 20 October in order to earn £25,000 in matched ‘Escalator’ funding from Greenham Trust to recruit a Family Coordinator to support 60 local families a year who are struggling. The charity is holding a coffee morning on Monday 16 October, a Quiz Night on Tuesday 17 October, a Thrift Day on Wednesday 18 October, a schools fundraising programme and for the grand finale Claire Carless, chair of their Trustees, will overcome her fears and do a tandem sky-dive on Friday 20 October. See their facebook page for details or call 01635 760310. If you would like to support Home-Start West Berkshire please donate here during the Escalator period 16 to 20 October otherwise it won’t be Escalator match-funded.

• Quick reminder about Newbury College and University Centre Newbury (UCN)’s Open Event on Wednesday 18 October to get all the information you need to make an informed decision about your future career and discover how they are working with local businesses to develop the skills needed for the workplace.

• Thatcham’s Library

WBC has announced that work is set to start on a refurbishment project at Thatcham Library at the end of October as part of a £45,000 project. This will see the installation of an accessible toilet, and the canopy above the current doorway removed to create a more modern and visible entrance. The library will be closed from 30 October- to 4 November while the majority of the work is completed and will reopen to the public on Monday 6 November. The return dates on any books due back that week will be automatically extended.

Many would have hoped that the project would be more far-reaching and result in some extra space: like so much of Thatcham’s infrastructure, the size of the library is not adequate given the town’s population. This may yet happen but first a decision needs to be taken about the future of the adjacent Walnut Close Care Home, which has now closed. It’s still possible that the whole site will be redeveloped to include an enlarged library building so it makes sense not to more on the currently building than is necessary. The works that are about to start do little more than (hopefully) solve an anti-social behaviour problem and also make the library’s toilets compliant with current accessibility legislation.

Local residents hoping for a quick decision on the future of the whole site would be advised not to hold their breath. The district does not have a good track record at re-developing former care homes named after trees. Chestnut Walk Care Home in Hungerford was closed in 2016 and, although it was always fairly clear what was going to happen there (social-rent homes), in late 2023 nothing has so far been built.

• Refugees

This issue, already complex and divisive enough, has recently acquires a faintly party-political aspect in the district. In this separate post, I take a look at some of claims that have been made and also compare the official guidance and what is actually happening on the ground. It would appear that flip-flipping in and poor communication from SW1 is the real issue. I also suggest that the local parties here in West Berkshire have far more in common than they have differences on this issue. This seems like one of those situations where a united front can produce a lot of benefits.

• Bucklebury’s stewardship

The relationship between large estate and local communities can be tricky. Landowners can sometimes be seen as anachronistic, remote and disengaged while residents can all too easily be cast as littering trespassers with out-of-control dogs. There is now a higher level of environmental awareness than previously and differing ideas might exist about how land should be managed and when trees should be felled. Rights of way can, if closed or obstructed, become local flashpoints, as can matters of unauthorised access. This can be further complicated if there are time-honoured commoners’ rights involved whereby some residents are able to carry out certain activities such grazing sheep (if they have any) or collecting firewood which can sometimes lead to confusions and disputes.Perhaps all this is because the relationship has a long, complex and ambivalent history, partly antagonistic and partly mutually supportive. It could also be because of poor communication.

I have no idea if any such problems exist in Bucklebury: I just offer these as some very general observations. However, I know there is an estate and that there are residents who have commoners’ rights. I also know that the local estate decided that it needed to explain some of its recent work because a representative attended the meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council on 9 October.

More information on what was discussed can be found on this page on Bucklebury Parish Council’s website. It appears that The Bucklebury Estate is working with Natural England (the government advisory body for nature conservation) to set up a ‘Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship’ scheme on Bucklebury Common. “This is,” the statement explains, “a complex process but, if successful, it will provide much-needed funding to help look after the common and restore some of the lost habitats and species.

“Following consultation with local people, some of the proposals have changed from the original vision. We are being more ambitious with our plans for heathland restoration – this is the rarest habitat at Bucklebury which is home to the rarest wildlife, so we want to restore even more of it. Our plans to restore wood pasture include looking after the veteran trees and creating more species-rich clearings in the densest areas of woodland, as well as introducing a small number of cattle to parts of the common.”

A number of local landowners are seeking, for want of a better phrase, to re-invent themselves as environmental custodians. Many would claim with justification that that’s what they’ve always been doing but it was just that no one noticed or was much interested. grants are available and government policy is actively supporting this. This section on the Wildlife and Countryside Link website refers to the government’s pledge “to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 – the ‘30 x 30’ target. This important commitment has the potential to turn the tide on nature’s decline.” The House of Lords published a report on this matter in July 2023: here it described it as ‘an extraordinary challenge”, although it’s not clear if “extraordinary” was being used as in “remarkable”, “unprecedented” or “unlikely”. The last meaning is supported by the recent annual meeting of the North Wessex Downs AONB which was told that this target needs a good deal of work if it’s to be met. The Bucklebury Estate would appear to be doing its bit, however. The publicity and engagement this generates will also surely to be the benefit of the whole community in Bucklebury: another good thing.

• Latest local newsletters

• St Mary’s and St Barnabas’s Church, Thatcham
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Cold Ash Community Bulletin

Community notices

• Thatcham Community Larder in the Frank Hutchins Hall offers affordable food items (starting at £3.50 per week) that also reduces food waste. There are refreshments and friendly conversation, recipe sharing, craft activities, seated exercise and signposting for any further help needed. Follow them on facebook for latest opening times more details. For more information contact 07500 764501 or victoria.roseblade1@westberks.gov.uk.

• Quick reminder from Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership’s advice about scams and how to protect yourself and what to do if you get caught. There is no shame if you do get caught out by scammers and you must seek help and warn others.

• Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham has volunteering opportunities for anyone with a little time to spare.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• On until Sat 15 Oct Thatcham Festival, various events around Thatcham.
• On until end Nov Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library.

• Fri 13 Oct Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Bowling Club, Bath Road.

• Sat 15 Oct Newbury Pride Brunch, Thatcham Garden Centre.

• Tue 17 Oct Home-start West Berkshire Fundraising Quiz Night, Thatcham Bowling Club.

• Fri 3 Nov Thatcham Fireworks Display, Kennet School.

• Sat 4 Nov Woman’s Institute Coffee Morning Fundraiser, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 17 July and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 5 October 2023

This week we cover rebels, a fest-off, lights, skills and newsletters – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for the return of the town-centre strategy meetings, a hold-up in Cold Ash and a local charity appeal.

This week’s news

• Upcoming events in the Thatcham area include: Thatcham Festival, Charity Barn Dance, Comedy Club and Charity Ball. See events section below.

• Kicking off Thatcham Festival this Saturday 7 October will be the Big Thatcham Fest-Off High Street party from 4.30pm to 9pm with live music (including up and coming teen band Beyond the Sons), street food, gifts and stalls and much more. Thatcham High Street will be closed from 2pm until 11pm and buses and through traffic looking to join the A4 towards Newbury or to cross the A4 into Park Lane will be able to do so via the junction with The Broadway instead. Access will be maintained for residents, businesses and emergency services. See road closure map here.

• Thatcham Festival continues until next Sunday 15 October. Other activities on during the week include a James Bond evening, Birds of Berkshire Walk & Talk, Saturn and Jupiter Observation evening, an art exhibition, a concert, a blue plaque unveiling and so much more. Click here to see the full roster of festive events. Pick up a festival brochure in town or click here to browse it online.

• A new monthly support group for those facing or who have started retirement Retirement Rebels this Monday 9 October. Meet like-minded people, ask questions and find your own answers, gaining clarity and focus along with your peers who may be feeling just like you. See all details here.

• Thatcham Library will be holding a pop up exhibition ‘Focus on Thatcham’, which will feature evidence of the town’s prehistoric roots, as well as fragments from Roman Thatcham. The exhibit opens this Friday 6 October and will run until Sunday 26 November. Click here for details.

• The Thatcham Thrives Dance Gala returns this year with a spectacular showcase of regional dance talent. With performances in a diverse range of styles, from ballet to bharatanatyam, modern to musical theatre, audiences are guaranteed a wonderful evening of entertainment from more than 16 local dance groups. That’s on Sunday 8 October at the Kennet School Auditorium. Click here to book a ticket.

• The next CAP Life Skills course in Thatcham starts on Tuesday 10 October 11am-1pm at The Well, Green Lane, Thatcham, RG19 3RG. CAP Life Skills is a friendly group that will give you the confidence and decision-making skills needed to live on a low income. You’ll learn practical money saving techniques, such as cooking on a budget and making money go further.Register with samanthachapman@caplifeskills.org

• Looking to take the next step after school and not sure where to start? Maybe you want to further your education and improve your career prospects? Go along to Newbury College and University Centre Newbury (UCN)’s Open Event on Wednesday 18 October to get all the information you need to make an informed decision about your future career and discover how they are working with local businesses to develop the skills needed for the workplace

• For the latest news from Thatcham Community Larder at the Frank Hutchins Hall, visit their facebook page for what they have to offer.

• The Trussell Trust’s Step Up September Challenge is in aid of preventing the need for Foodbanks. Please click here if you would like to sponsor Penny doing the challenge.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a muntjac and ends with lots of books. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Thatcham’s town-centre strategy

As described in this separate post, in 2022 West Berkshire Council commissioned the first part of a town-centre strategy (AKA place-making strategy) for Thatcham. These provide the opportunity for town and district councils and other local organisations such as the Town and Manor and local businesses to come together and, under a formalised structure, develop plans for how the towns can be improved. Conducting the exercise in this way also provides clear evidence of community involvement which not only ensures that the proposals are not just whimsical aspirations but also makes grant funding more likely to be secured.

The first phase was completed in March 2023 but there was then a pause while the election took place and, resulting from this, the new administration got its feet under the table. That now having happened, a preliminary online meeting took place on 27 September, chaired by Owen Jeffery in his capacity as Thatcham Town Councillor.

Martin Colston, the portfolio holder responsible for the initiative, has told Penny Post that “we are now planning a follow-up in-person evening event in Thatcham to allow business owners to attend. The purpose will be to prioritise the top two or three of the nine projects in the Thatcham Town Centre Strategy (p42 if you’re looking at the thumbnails or pp82-3 if you’re following the numbers at the top of each page) WBC will then progress one or more of the selected projects such that we are in a position to bid for grants to deliver them.”

Home-Start help

The cost of living crisis has had a real impact on local families and Home-Start West Berkshire needs to raise £6,600 between 16 and 20 October in order to earn £25,000 in matched ‘Escalator’ funding from Greenham Trust to recruit a Family Coordinator to train and supervise 20 volunteers to assist 60 low-income families a year who are struggling.

The charity is planning a range of activities including a coffee morning on Monday 16 October with delicious home made cakes, bric a brac and a tombola, a quiz night at Thatcham Bowling Club on Tuesday 17 October, schools fundraising programme and for the grand finale Claire Carless, chair of Trustees, will overcome her fears and do a tandem sky-dive on Friday 20 October. See their facebook page for details. Please call 01635 760310. If you would like to support Home-Start West Berkshire and get your donation match-funded –please donate here during the Escalator period 16 to 20 October.

A delay at the final hurdle

Producing a neighbourhood development plan takes years of work and when the time comes to hand over the final document for external examination one might feel that the hard work was done. Not in Cold Ash’s case. The section below is taken from the minutes of the Parish Council meeting on 12 September:

“IM gave a detailed update regarding the submission of Regulation 16 to WBC. There were still concerns over selecting an examiner which was holding up progress. Once an examiner is chosen the Parish Council has the right to approve the appointment. HC later confirmed this was being chased within WBC. BC suggested emailing Councillor Tony Vickers directly to explain why progress was taking so long. The Parish Council agreed to send IM’s drafted response to WBC. PM agreed to set up a forum to share information with other Parish Councils undertaking an NDP.”

The last point is probably a good idea to help manage expectations. The other might be to remind people, once the NDP finally gets “made” as the phrase goes, is that you can take a bit of time off but, before you know it, it’s time to start working on the refresh…

Community notices

• Newbury Building Society is donating employee volunteering time to worthwhile causes in and around the local area. If your organisation needs volunteers, or you know a group that does, please apply here.

• There is always a volunteering opportunity available at the Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham for those with extra time willing to help out the reserve. See here for opportunities and more information.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 6 Oct – end NovFocus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library

• Fri 6 Oct Thatcham Thrives Dance Gala, the Kennet School Auditorium, Thatcham.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Sat 7 Oct The Big Thatcham Fest-off, Thatcham High Street.

• Sat 13 Oct Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Bowling Club, Bath Road.

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 5 September and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; a review of traffic and noise issues at the Medicine Festival; the D-Day anniversary in 2024; speeding; planning matters; financial matters; and a report from the ward member.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 21 September 2023

This week we cover coffee, dance, stallholders, food caddies and retirement – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for the latest on the Thatcham Festival and an appeal from the award-winning Educafé.

We’re taking a bit of time off so this post will next be updated on Thursday 5 October.

This week’s news

• Upcoming events in the Thatcham area include: Charity Barn Dance, Sustainability Fair, Comedy Club, Charity Ball and the Thatcham Festival. See events section below.

• The Thatcham United Reform Church have two upcoming Macmillan Coffee Morning fundraisers. The first this weekend on Sunday 24 September from 11:30am and then one next week on Tuesday 26 September from 10am. Click here for details.

• This weekend there will be a soil conditioner give-away event at the Padworth Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF), on Padworth Lane. To collect your free soil conditioner, come along on Saturday 23 or Sunday 24 September between 10am and 4pm, with ID that proves you are a resident of West Berkshire, as well as your own bags/boxes to put the conditioner into. For more information click here.

• Did you know that you can collect one free roll of compostable food caddy liners from any West Berkshire Library or from the West Berkshire Council Office reception in Newbury? They’ll be available until Saturday 30 September.

• West Berks Indoor Bowls Club at Pyle Hill, Newbury welcomes everyone of all ages to have a go during their free taster weekend Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October.

• If you are facing or have started retirement and would appreciate a little support, there is a new Retirement Rebels group were you can meet like-minded people, ask questions and find your own answers, gaining clarity and focus along with your peers who may be feeling just like you. The group will meet on the second Monday of the month in the Thatcham area. See all details here.

• For the latest news from Thatcham Community Larder at the Frank Hutchins Hall, visit their facebook page for what they have to offer.

• The Trussell Trust’s Step Up September Challenge is in aid of preventing the need for Foodbanks. Please click here if you would like to sponsor Penny doing the challenge.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a harvest and ends with Jane Austen. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Thatcham Festival

Thatcham Town Council’s annual Thatcham Festival is just around the corner, starting Friday 6 October and continuing until Sunday 15 October.

Comedy, theatre, dance, history, author talks, walks, nature, exhibitions and music: whatever your interest, Thatcham Festival has it covered. Thatcham has a unique heritage, amazing countryside, and a strong community arts scene, which will all be showcased by an extensive and diverse range of activities at locations throughout the town. There will be an events every single day, kicking off with the grand opening event at Thatcham Broadway with live music and stalls and more.

Pick up a festival brochure in town or click here to browse it online.

Educafé needs your help

Educafé, recently nominated for a BBC Berkshire Award, asks for help amid local authority cuts

A popular community café in the heart of Newbury which has “saved people’s lives” is at risk of closing unless it receives vital funds.

Educafe started as a weekly community café in 2021 following lockdown, offering a free weekly café and safe space where people could meet, enjoy free refreshments, make friends and support each other. Since then it has exploded into a progressive social movement offering free health and wellbeing activities, English language courses, community navigation, a hub for other local organisations and a growing network of over 300 new and expectant mums who receive free ante and post-natal health and wellbeing support.

You can read more on the appeal and the background to the challenges in this separate post.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 6 Oct – end Nov Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, Thatcham Library

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Rugby Club

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Sun 24 Sept Macmillan Coffee Morning, Thatcham United Reform Church.

• Tues 26 Sept Macmillan Coffee Morning, Thatcham United Reform Church.

• Fri 6 Oct Thatcham Thrives Dance Gala, the Kennet School Auditorium, Thatcham.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Sat 7 Oct The Big Thatcham Fest-off, Thatcham High Street.

• Sat 13 Oct Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Bowling Club, Bath Road.

• Fri 1 Dec Warming Up for Christmas Light Switch On, Thatcham Broadway.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 26 June and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 22 August and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the NDP (see separate section above); reports from the Clerk and the ward members; planning matters; financial matters; dog bins; and the tree report.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 1 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 Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 20 July 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. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Stanford Dingley Parish Council for which minutes are available was 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.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 14 September 2023

This week we cover an exhibition, dancing, refills, bowls, an open day and a gala – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a chance to ask questions of Thames Water and the EA and news on the progress of Cold Ash’s NDP.

This week’s news

• Upcoming events in the Thatcham area include: Charity Barn Dance and Sustainability Fair. See events section below.

• Did you know Thatcham can trace its origins to prehistoric times? Evidence of this, as well as living and working in Roman Thatcham, will form part of a small pop-up exhibition at Thatcham Library with artefacts from the ‘Focus on Thatcham‘ display that recently closed at West Berkshire Museum. The exhibition will be at the library from Friday 6 October until the end of November. Click here for details.

• If you enjoy barn dancing and raising money for charity while having a good time, The Mayor of Thatcham’s Charity Barn Dance is coming up soon on Friday 22 September in aid of his chosen charities, Sport in Mind and PALS (West Berkshire). The Aldbrickham Band caller will guide everyone through the dance steps. There will also be a raffle on the evening with some fantastic prizes. Tickets are £17 each, click here to book.

• Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable are celebrating the 5th birthday of their business by offering a Discount on home & body care products for their customers.

• West Berks Indoor Bowls Club at Pyle Hill, Newbury welcomes everyone of all ages to have a go during their free taster weekend Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October.

• Local therapist Rob Donnelly is launching a new monthly support group called Retirement Rebels for anyone facing retirement or who has started retirement and is perhaps feeling a little lost. Here you can network with like-minded people, ask questions and find your own answers, gaining clarity and focus along with your peers who may be feeling just like you. The group will meet on the second Monday of the month in the Thatcham area. See all details here.

• The Castle Inn at Cold Ash are looking for stall holders to feature at their Winter Wonderland event in aid of the Dogs’ Trust on Sunday 10 December. They are looking for small local businesses making Christmas gifts, a photographer and a face painter. If you are interested then please get in touch at landlord@thecastlecoldash.co.uk.

• Our family, like many, has very sadly lost friends to suicide, including young adults in Newbury. Here in West Berkshire we have a Suicide Prevention Action Groupthat provides training and awareness materials. Do have a read Chairman Garry Poulson’s article here for Suicide Prevention Week 10 to 16 September and you can also sign up for their next Suicide Prevention First-Aid Course on Thursday 19 October.

• For the latest news from Thatcham Community Larder at the Frank Hutchins Hall, visit their facebook page for what they have to offer.

• The Trussell Trust’s Step Up September Challenge is in aid of preventing the need for Foodbanks. Please click here if you would like to sponsor Penny doing the challenge.

• Thatcham Town Council is pleased to announce that tickets for this October’s Thatcham Festival can now be booked online here.

• Do you know anyone who wants to improve their English? Educafe is offering free Community English language courses for eligible learners starting w/c 11 September including no exam ESOL, English for work/business communication and driving theory. Learners need to live in West Berkshire and to be UK Citizens, hold Settled Status and be entitled to UK Public Funds. They will need to see Biometric Visa and proof of address.  Asylum seekers need to have been resident in the UK for six months before applying for a course.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with an itch and ends with nothing being easy. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Scrutinising the water

Do you have concerns about the activities of Thames Water and the Environment Agency? If so, you can submit questions to a special public West Berkshire Council Oversight and Scrutiny Committee meeting being held at 6.30pm on Wednesday 11 October. At this event, the members of the committee will be reviewing the recent performance of TW and the EA in the district and will be questioning representatives of both organisations who will be attending the meeting.

If you have any questions you’d like ask or concerns you’d like to raise, please email these to Executivecycle@westberks.gov.uk by 18 September. The meeting will be streamed live on the Council’s YouTube channel for residents wanting to follow the meeting as it happens or at their convenience later. Click here for more details.

Cold Ash’s plan

Cold Ash has recently produced a neighbourhood development plan which is now at the Reg 16 (examination) stage. The following discussion is taken from the meeting of Cold Ash PC on 22 August.

“Councillor McArdle gave an update on the NDP explaining that Regulation 16 was progressing but no feedback had been received from West Berkshire Council, as yet. Councillor McArdle has chased Laila Bassett regarding selection of an examiner, but has received no reply. Councillor Codling advised that she understood the engagement of a company to supply examiners wasn’t going well and only a single examiner has tendered for the work.

“Councillor McArdle expressed the view that he was not surprised at this as West Berkshire Council is taking a novel approach that has no benefit for the examiners nor, as far as he can see, the council. He agreed to contact West Berkshire Council to clarify the position.

“Councillor McArdle and Councillor Codling clarified the position regarding Class C2 planning applications, confirming that they do not provide any special rights over planning rules.

“Councillor Codling advised that whilst District Councillor Tony Vickers is unable to attend a Parish Council meeting, he would happily attend a Cross- West Berkshire NDP meeting. Councillor Murray agreed to contact attendees to identify a suitable date for the meeting.

“Councillor McArdle suggested that the invite should be open to all Parish Councils, as it may help others who may not have started but may be considering developing a plan. This was agreed.”

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Thurs 21 Sept Vintage Adventure Celebration, Thatcham Methodist Church.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Fri 6 Oct Thatcham Thrives Dance Gala, the Kennet School Auditorium, Thatcham.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Ageing Creatively‘s weekly Chair Exercise classes for over 55s at Thatcham Methodist Church every Wednesday from 22 February to 29 March, and cost £2 per session. Hot drinks will be available afterward. Click here for further details.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 14 August and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Chair’s report; speeding; a tree for Graham Park; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; EV charge points; recycling; a possible neighbourhood development plan; dog bins; repairs and maintenance; cemetery records; the Playpark; and financial matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 1 August and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; D-Day’s eightieth anniversary; speeding; planning matters; renewable energy projects; reports from the Chair, the Clerk and the ward member; and the Village Hall.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 15 June 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. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Friday 8 September 2023

This week we cover stalls, ducks, squares, nature discovery, donations and cats – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for our assessment on how well the new WBC administration has done in its first hundred days and the latest on local asylum seekers’ battles with Home Office bureaucracy.

Apologies that this is a day late. As many of you will know, we were recently beset by IT problems severe enough to make us wonder if we’d ever get this out at all. Apologies on behalf of the gremlin or gremlins responsible.

This week’s news

• Upcoming events in the Thatcham area include: Cats Protection Sunday Funday, ‘The Modern Time Musical Hall’ See events section below.

• Congratulations to Thatcham Rotary for the success of their Duck Race last Sunday. A total of 5,000 ducks were competing in the race and over £3,000 was raised for the local Time to Talk charity that provides counselling for young people between 11 and 25 years.

• Time to Talk is delighted to announce it has been voted to feature as one of the three charity squares on the forthcoming Monopoly: Newbury Edition being released in November this year. This edition will feature over thirty Newbury landmarks and favourites replacing the likes of Mayfair and Park Lane from the classic London Monopoly original game.

• Last chance to complete West Berkshire Council’s Bus Survey by Sunday 10 September. Buses sustain town centres, allow young people and the elderly to access education and work, and help reduce carbon emissions from car travel.

• Just over a week left to see West Berkshire Museum‘s Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, on display until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Our family, like many, has very sadly lost friends to suicide, including young adults in Newbury. Here in West Berkshire we have a Suicide Prevention Action Group that provides training and awareness materials. Do have a read Chairman Garry Poulson’s article here for Suicide Prevention Week 10 to 16 September and you can also sign up for their next Suicide Prevention First-Aid Course on Thursday 19 October.

• Nature Discovery Centre is a good sunset spot in this warm weather. Anyone with mobility issues can also borrow, for free, an outdoor mobility scooter (known as a Tramper) from the BBOWT wildlife trust that runs the Centre.

• For the latest news from Thatcham Community Larder at the Frank Hutchins Hall, visit their facebook page for what they have to offer.

• The Trussell Trust’s Step Up September Challenge is in aid of preventing the need for Foodbanks. Please click here if you would like to sponsor Penny doing the challenge.

• Quick reminder about the Ukraine Donation Day at Chieveley Village Hall (RG20 8TE) on Tuesday 12 September between 9am and 2pm. Please see Help Ukraine Group Support (HUGS)’s website here for up-to-date list of items needed. Strong, lidded cardboard boxes are also required and there’s plenty of parking. If you want to arrange another day to donate, please contact hungerfordukraineaid@gmail.com or 07999 693399.

• Thatcham Town Council is pleased to announce that tickets for this October’s Thatcham Festival can now be booked online here.

• Do you have plans for crime prevention projects in your community? Applications for the latest round of Thames Valley Police’s Community Fund are now open, with £200,000 of grant funding available for community group projects to help prevent crime across Thames Valley. Application deadline is 12pm on Monday 11 September.

• The Mayor of Thatcham will be holding a Charity Barn Dance on Friday 22 September to raise money for his chosen charities, Sport in Mind and PALS (West Berkshire). There will be live music from The Aldbrickham Band and their caller will guide everyone through the dance steps. There will also be a raffle on the evening with some fantastic prizes. Tickets are £17 each, click here to book.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a view and ends with light. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Asylum news

We mentioned last week about the confused, almost Kafka-esque, situation in which some of the asylum seekers (many of whom are or have been based in Thtacham) now find themselves in as a result of the Home Office bureaucracy not working quite as it should. The problem is triggered whe the “leave to remain” status is granted: what follows is for many a nightmare of contradictory or missing letters, sometimes sent in the wrong order, and documents filled with errors. One of the charities working with these people has said that the confused situation with regard to leave to remain and the document errors that I mentioned last week shows no sign of abating. Local charities, WBC’s housing team and the refugees themselves continue to wrestle with all the uncertainties that this has produced.

I also saw a clip of a video this week made by a man who spends his time going round various hotels and other places where asylum seekers are living (including in Thatcham) and challenging, winding up and generally being pushy and unpleasant to the inmates and the security staff. Whatever floats your boat: but it seems like a sad way to spend your time to me. And, no, of course I’m not going to provide the link.

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.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 10 Sept Cats Protection Open Day, Cats Protection Adoption Centre, Curridge.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 21 Sept Vintage Adventure Celebration, Thatcham Medthodist Church.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 17 July and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: HGVs; a bull in the field; a report from the ward member; the Clerk’s report; financial matters; the village magazine; planning matters; and the Village Hall.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 11 July 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. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 17 May and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 31 August 2023

This week we cover rangers, ducks, an exhibition, music hall and school uniforms – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a school streets initiative, a look at some confusing advice for asylum seekers, how Bucklebury manages its SIDs and the possible demise of the nutrient neutrality regulations which affect planning decisions in some parts of this area.

This week’s news

• Quick reminder about West Berkshire Museum‘s Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, on display until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Do you have old blunt tools that need a new lease of life? This Friday 1 September, there will be a visit from Neil the Blade Sharpening Man, outside Hampstead Norreys Community Shop and Café. Your knives and tools will almost look like new.

• The Nature Discovery Centre offers Young and Teen Rangers sessions on Saturday 2 September full of fun games and activities to teach young people all about the fantastic natural world. Click here to book a session, here for ages 8 to 11 years and here for ages 11 to 17.

• The Trussell Trust’s Step Up September Challenge is an inspiration to walk 30 minutes each day of the month to raise funds to help build a future where nobody needs to use a food bank. If you would like to join our Penny Post Team, please search for ‘Penny’ when it asks you to find a team (thanks to Leo Sumner for setting this up). Or if you prefer to sponsor Penny, please do so here.

• This weekend sees the return of the The Great Thatcham Duck Race, at The Rowbarge, on Sunday 3 September. Tickets are available on the day or from the Rotary Club’s online shop. The race is supporting the charity Time 2 Talk West Berkshire who provide counselling services for 11 to 24 year olds.

• Help Ukraine Group Support (HUGS) are hosting their sixth Donation Day at Chieveley Village Hall (RG20 8TE) on Tuesday 12 September between 9am and 2pm. Please see their website here for up-to-date list of items needed. Strong, lidded cardboard boxes are also required and there’s plenty of parking. HUGS work with several partners to send aid to the areas of Ukraine affected by the continuing war. If you’d like to volunteer to help on Donation days or you want to arrange another day to donate, please contact us on hungerfordukraineaid@gmail.com or 07999 693399. Thanks to all the local organisations and individuals who have generously donated so far. There will be one more collection day in November but HUGS will be happy to collect from you in the meantime.

• Do you know anyone who wants to improve their English? Educafe is offering free Community English language courses for eligible learners from September including no exam ESOL, English for work/business communication and driving theory. Learners need to live in West Berkshire and to be UK Citizens, hold Settled Status and be entitled to UK Public Funds. They will need to see Biometric Visa and proof of address.  Asylum seekers need to have been resident in the UK for six months before applying for a course.

• KATS Theatrical Society based in Thatcham welcomes all to their production of Modern Time Music Hall Variety Show at Bucklebury Memorial Hall from 14 to 16 September. Book your tickets here.

• There is still time to complete West Berkshire Council’s Bus Survey by 10 September. Buses sustain town centres, allow young people and the elderly to access education and work, and help reduce carbon emissions from car travel. Paper copies of the survey can be requested at 01635 519394 or transport@westberks.gov.uk.

• The free school uniform TUXchange shop in Newbury posts its opening times each week on Facebook. You don’t have to swap – you can take items for free or make a small donation.

• Anyone with experience of local Mental Health Services is invited to a workshop hosted by Volunteer Centre West Berkshire at Thatcham Catholic Hall on Tuesday 12 September. Places are free but need to be pre-booked here.

• West Berkshire Action for Refugees continue to see new arrivals with only the clothes they’re stood up in. So they are very grateful for donations of:

womens jeans, shirts/tops, trainers & shoes sizes 4,5,6,7.
mens small/med T-shirts, joggers, jeans, lightly worn trainers. white/sports socks, hoodies.
toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and deodorant).
large suitcases, mobile handsets (unlocked only please).

Please drop off to Thatcham Town Council, Brownsfield Rd, RG18 3HF during normal office hours or message them on facebook to arrange a pick up.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

School streets in Thatcham

West Berkshire Council has announced that the School Street Scheme at Francis Baily School in Thatcham “is on track to commence at the start of the upcoming school term in September. This project is part of a collection of four central government funded projects secured by West Berkshire Council for delivery in 2023-24.”

These schemes involve the temporary closure of roads adjacent to the primary school during drop-off and pick-up times. The aim is to enhance safety and promote sustainable modes of transportation, such as walking, cycling, and push scooters, as important measures of the school commute experience.

WBC’s statement on the matter also has a conciliatory message, seemingly designed to dispel the accusation that councils make new traffic regulations as confusing as possible in order to raise fines from motorists. “We understand that errors are bound to occur,” the statement concedes. ” Drivers who are unfamiliar with the area or may have overlooked the signage might inadvertently receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). Under our responsibilities related to Part 6 powers, we want to help educate drivers so we have also commissioned an online educational tool focusing on School Streets. Drivers who receive a PCN can choose to participate in this course, resulting in a reduction of the fine for a first-time offence. However, the sensible approach is to proactively familiarise oneself with the School Street Schemes to avoid penalties altogether.”

More information can be found here.

28 days or seven?

Last week, we wrote an article about the problems being faced by asylum seekers, mainly in The Regency Park Hotel in Thatcham. An article in Newbury Today also confirms that the Leave to Remain process does not appear to be operating flawlessly. One of the immediately confusing things about this scheme is its name. The “leave” here means “permission” rather than the more commonly understood “depart”. “Depart to remain” clearly makes no sense. Some asylum seekers and local charities including West Berkshire Action for Refugees feel that other aspects of the system appear equally contradictory.

At least half the applicants have had errors with their documents supplied by the Home Office, something which can cast people into a bureaucratic limbo at the best of times. Another problem is that the Home Office appears to have changed the eviction period from the hotel from 28 days to seven.

A guidance document issued by the Home Office “for external use” might be expected to provide some clarity. Sadly, it doesn’t. It confirms that the government will stop asylum support at the end of a “prescribed period” following the announcement of a decision on their claim. The document goes on to say that “where someone is given notice that their asylum claim granted, their appeal has been allowed or their asylum claim has been refused but they have been given leave to enter or remain, the prescribed period is 28 days.”

It then adds that “individuals will receive a ‘notice to quit’ support letter…at least seven days before the individual’s accommodation and support payments are due to end.” It’s not clear if the “before the individual’s accommodation…” is the same as the end of the “prescribed period”. If it were, it would surely have been less confusing to have said “at the end of the prescribed period.” Might the seven days may perhaps be in addition to the 28?

There’s another confusion, which becomes serious if we’re only dealing in days rather than weeks: it’s unclear if the ‘notice to quit’ will be issued or received (both words are used) within seven days. If the former, and if it’s sent by second-class post and if the postal delivery problems that have afflicted Thatcham in the past apply to those made to the Regency Park, this will reduce the time still further. It’s also possible – and this squares with the paperwork confusion we referred to last week – that the asylum seekers may have received the second letter, perhaps late, but that they never got the first one at all.

In a later paragraph, there’s also reference to a 28-day ‘move-on’ period. I assume that this is the same as the “prescribed period” but, once again, it’s impossible to be certain.

I’ve asked the Home Office (whose press-office staff are, as I reported last week, unfailingly prompt in and answering the phone and polite in dealing with enquiries) if they can explain exactly what the situation is. (I refrained from suggesting that “Leave to Remain” might better be called “Permission to Remain.” There are enough confusions already without introducing a name changer.)

The reply left me even more confused: “The statement you quoted refers to policy that applies when asylum seekers are moved between contingency accommodation (that’s when they await the outcome of their claims). Meanwhile, the seven-day window you referred to is the minimum notice period for asylum seekers who were granted refugee status and have to leave asylum accommodation as a result of their positive decision.” I’ve written back pointing out that this is not what the phrase says and there’s no mention of contingency accommodation in the document. I await their further comments.

I spoke to Karen Reeve from West Berkshire Action for Refugees on 31 August and she confirmed that something appeared to be going wrong in SW1. She did, however, want to offer praise to WBC’s Housing Team whose staff had risen superbly to this unexpected challenge and have been providing signposting and guidance; and also to many local residents in Thatcham who’ve made temporary accommodation available. More such homes are still needed. If you can help, please contact WBAfR.

The Home Office has had at least eighteen months to reflect on how the arrangements would work and get its messaging straight so this makes the current confusion all the more depressing. As for the errors, I’ve only heard of a couple of examples of details being got wrong on things like passports and driving licences amongst my family, friends or acquaintances, still less this happening about every other time.

The only consolation for the asylum seekers is that, even with all this muddle, they are still better off than they would have been in the places from which they’ve fled. It’s also a salutary “welcome to the real Britain.” Anyone who’s had to grapple with our national bureaucracy will know that it can be painfully frustrating to navigate. The asylum seekers are getting an early and fairly brutal experience of this.

Bucklebury’s SIDs

Many parishes are now investing in the equipment and training needed to operate speed indicator devices (SIDs) which gather data about traffic and also have a beneficial effect on reducing speeds. The following is taken from the minutes of Bucklebury Parish Council’s meeting on 14 August 2023 and gives a good and succinct summary of what’s involved and what they can accomplish.

“Councillor Southgate reported that 50,000 datapoints had now been gathered using SID from a number of locations across the parish. These have been shared with WBC and Thames Valley Police. On average the use of SID results in a 5mph reduction in speed. Purchase of a reporting module, so that the data is in line with what WBC use, costing £90 was approved. Councillor. Southgate has asked a parishioner to organise and manage use of SID
across the parish.

“Bucklebury PC has signed up to the Thames Valley Police Community Speedwatch scheme. This requires a commercial speed gun, which is then operated by two or three trained parishioners at any one time. The speed gun records a number of data points about each speeding vehicle which are then sent to the Police who will issue a letter to the registered keeper of each speeding vehicle (or a visit if letters have previously been sent). In principle, BPC agreed to the purchase of a speed gun, expected to cost in the region of £200.”

Nutrient neutrality

In the last eighteen months we’ve heard a lot about these Natural England regulations which were introduced in several parts of the country including Lambourn catchment area (which includes a good chunk of West Berkshire) last year. The intention was to reduce the amount of phosphates and nitrates which entered our waterways; and the number-one target was held to be new housing developments of any size. Trying to implement these new regulations caused local planning departments considerable headaches and certainly caused delay to decision-making. Now, just when officers seem to have got their heads round the issue, the government has said that it wants to do away with the whole thing. This will, Whitehall’s rationale runs, remove another EU-imposed shackle on national growth and help ensure that we get our house-building targets back on track.

In this separate post, we take a look at what the nutrient neutrality policies are (and are not), why they are in several ways misguided and what positive effects they have so far had. We also consider the political time and the legal implications of the announcement and wonder if the environment has, as campaigner and musician Feargal Sharkey suggested, “been left to fend for itself.”

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 3 Sept Great Thatcham Duck Race, the Rowbarge, Woolhampton.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 21 Sept Vintage Adventure Celebration, Thatcham Medthodist Church.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 24 August 2023

This week we cover closures, inflatable fun, NDP consultations, crime prevention and a rail award – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for news of Bucklebury’s Beerfest and the problems facing local refugees for whom one uncertainty has recently been replaced by two others.

This week’s news

• Next Wednesday 30 August there will be a road closure on Waller Drive, Thatcham, between 8:00am and 5:00pm, from the junction of Turnpike Road to Harrington Close. Three-way lights will also be situated at the junction of Turnpike Road. The closure is to carry out drainage investigation work, due to flooding. Updates can be found here.

• Thatcham Town Council and RMD Adventure Learning are holding their annual Street Football Tournament at Henwick Worthy Sports Ground next Wednesday 30 August, from 12pm to 4pm. This fun and free competition is for 11 to 16 year olds and includes a 5-a-side tournament, penalty shootout competition and kick up competition. To register, contact vince@rmdadventurelearning.co.uk.

• This weekend don’t miss Family Inflatable Fun Day all this bank holiday weekend at the Moors Playing Field, Thatcham. Four days of bouncy castles, inflatable assault courses, slides and more. Click here for details.

• There is still time to have your say on the Cold Ash Neighbourhood Development Plan. Please see all details here. The consultation closes on 1 September.

• Likewise, consultation on the Hermitage Neighbourhood Development Plan also closes on 1 September.

• Congratulations to the Bedwyn Train Passenger Group (which has been campaigning for improved rail services from Bedwyn, Hungerford, Kintbury and Newbury since 2006) which recently picked up two gongs at Railfuture’s annual awards. More information on this and the BTPG’s latest news on services, please click here.

• There’s still time to apply to achieve a degree locally at University Centre Newbury which runs its own clearing process in-house, by the people who actually deliver and support your programmes. This gives you direct access to the information, advice and guidance you need to make an informed choice about your studies – whether you’ve just finished sixth form and have changed your mind about the university, your recent A Level results have surprised you or if you’re a professional looking to advance in your career.

• KATS Theatrical Society based in Thatcham welcomes all to their production of Modern Time Music Hall Variety Show at Bucklebury Memorial Hall from 14 to 16 September. Book your tickets here.

• Newbury Show on 16 and 17 September is offering a special price of £300 (normally £500) on a 3m x 3m stall for local artists, artisans and craftspeople based within 15 miles of the showground. For how to apply please click here.

• The free school uniform TUXchange shop in Newbury posts its opening times each week on Facebook. You don’t have to swap – you can take items for free or make a small donation.

drop food at collection points (eg supermarkets) or at the Foodbank warehouse at 80 Greenham Business Park RG19 6HW which is open weekday mornings until 1pm.
do an online shop to be delivered directly to Foodbank at the address above. The contact number is 07836 500610.
or make a cash donation here.

• West Berkshire Action for Refugees continue to see new arrivals with only the clothes they’re stood up in. So they are very grateful for donations of:

womens jeans, shirts/tops, trainers & shoes sizes 4,5,6,7.
light jackets for summer wear.
mens small/med T-shirts, joggers, jeans, lightly worn trainers. white/sports socks, hoodies.
toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and deodorant).
large suitcases, mobile handsets (unlocked only please).

Please drop off to Thatcham Town Council, Brownsfield Rd, RG18 3HF during normal office hours or message them on facebook to arrange a pick up.

• The Great Thatcham Duck Race has been confirmed to return for 2023 at The Rowbarge, on Sunday 3 September. Tickets are available on the day or from the Rotary Club’s online shop. The race is supporting the charity Time 2 Talk West Berkshire who provide counselling services for 11 to 24 year olds.

• Quick reminder about West Berkshire Museum‘s Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, on display until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• West Berkshire Council is asking local residents to complete its West Berkshire Bus Survey 2023. If you’d like to share your views and suggestions for improvements, complete the survey by 10 September 2023. For more information about the survey and how it will be used, please click here.

• Quick reminder about the free mortgage clinics on select days throughout the summer at Thatcham Town Council. Click here for more information including dates.

• Our Summer Holiday Guide includes lots to do with your kids this summer including West Berks Summer HAF (Holiday Activities & Food) Programme at various locations with free spaces for children and young people eligible for free school meals.

• Thatcham Youth also has lots of fun activities planned this summer for their Vision and The Zone Youth Clubs, from games to crafts to sports, even Zorb football and a beach party. All taking place at the Moorside Community Centre in Thatcham. Click the links for details. Contact info@thatchamyouth.org.uk to find out more.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Homeless again

West Berkshire, along with other districts in the country, has for many years hosted refugees from trouble-hit areas all over the world. However, the matter really came to public attention in with the arrival of people fleeing from violence in Syria in 2017, from Afghanistan in 2021 and then a number of other countries including Iran, Sudan and El Salvador. Many have been housed in hotels, including in Thatcham, while they await a decision from the Home Office as to whether they can stay in the country (known as Leave to Remain). This process is not a quick one, typically taking up to 18 months.

Several of the refugees have been volunteering for local organisations. Some have even set up their own group, Vian, to do litter picking and other environmental improvement jobs in and around Thatcham and last year were honoured for their work by Thatcham Town Council.

Recently, the Home Office has started to approve the applications for Leave to Remain. While this is welcome, this has replaced one state of uncertainty with another. On 23 August we received a statement from West Berkshire Action for Refugees (WBAR) which explains these new challenges, which includes the need for temporary accommodation and some severe problems with the official documents. We also contacted the Home Office for its comment on this second issue. You can read more in this separate post.

Bucklebury’s beerfest

A reminder that the Bucklebury Beerfest will be held on Saturday 26 August 2023 from 1pm to 7pm at the Bucklebury Village Recreation Ground. The organisers describe it as “a fun day out for all the family, with a great selection of regional beers and ciders, as well as fabulous local food cooked on the BBQ and for the first time Graham’s Hog Roast will be there.” Entry is free.

This year there will be beer from five breweries – Bond Brews, Indigenous, Amwell Springs, Loddon, Rebellion and Renegade Breweries – and cider from Tutts Clump and Green Shed. Visitors can enjoy “a wide variety of trade stalls, a traditional tea tent, and plenty of children’s games and entertainment, all accompanied by fantastic live music from local musicians and bands.” The venue offers plenty of free on-site parking. For directions, enter the postcode RG7 6PR into your navigation system.

Like last year, the trustees have decided to contribute at least 50% of the Beerfest profits to local charities. This year they are supporting MacMillan Cancer Support plus some other local charities.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 26 Aug Bucklebury Beer Fest, Bucklebury.

• Wed 30 Aug Annual Street Football Tournament, Henwick Worthy Football Grounds.

• Sun 3 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 21 Sept Vintage Adventure Celebration, Thatcham Medthodist Church.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 11 July and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matteras arising; reports from the ward members; the Clerk’s report; speeding; planning matters; financial matters; the NDP; and committee reports.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 10 July and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: traffic concerns; councillor co-options; a proposed tree-planting; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; repairs and maintenance; speeding; dog bins; and financial matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 17 August 2023

This week we cover bats, play in the park, football, refugees and uniforms – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for news of Bucklebury’s imminent Beerfest and another look at a housing proposal that’s waiting for the local plan to get finalised.

This week’s news

• The Nature Discovery Centre has a Bat Walk and Talk this Friday 18 August led by bat expert David Endacott. LLearn how to use bat detectors and walk around the lake to see what local species you can find. If you are lucky, you may even be able to get up close and personal to them. Click here to book a place. Click here to see a list of other activities this month, and check out their website to book ahead.

• Next Thursday 24 Aug is the next free Play in the Park session, which will be taking place at Kennet Heath, Thatcham. There will be games, sports and play equipment, including bats, balls and a big parachute and more. Sessions are free and open to all. Click here for details.

• Inspired by the Lionnesses? Thatcham Town Harrier Football Club is hosting free weekly adult female-only football sessions at the FA Just Play Centre in Thatcham for 16 to 65 years at any skill level – whether trying for the first time or a more seasoned player. Thanks to support from Berks & Bucks FA’s Boost Funding, the cost of all venue hire fees has been covered until the end of September 2023. This means that all bookings will be free during this time. Click here to book your place.

• On Bank Holiday Saturday 26 August you are invited to Bucklebury Beerfest at Bucklebury Village Recreation Ground. See separate section below.

• The free school uniform TUXchange shop in Newbury posts its opening times each week on Facebook. You don’t have to swap – you can take items for free or make a small donation.

• West Berkshire Foodbank is struggling to cope with current demand and their food stocks are low. During the summer holidays, the demand for food parcels for children at home is high. You can use the Foodbank App to find out what they most urgently need and there are three ways to donate:
– drop food at collection points (eg supermarkets) or at the Foodbank warehouse at 80 Greenham Business Park RG19 6HW. which is open weekday mornings until 1pm.
– do an online shop to be delivered directly to Foodbank at the address above. The contact number is 07836 500610.
– or make a cash donation here.

• West Berkshire Action for Refugees continue to see new arrivals with only the clothes they’re stood up in. So they are very grateful for donations of:

– womens jeans, shirts/tops, trainers & shoes sizes 4,5,6,7. Light jackets for summer wear

– mens small/med T-shirts, joggers, jeans, lightly worn trainers. white/sports socks, hoodies.

– toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste & deodorant)

– large suitcases, mobile handsets (unlocked only please)

Please drop off to Thatcham Town Council, Brownsfield Rd, RG18 3HF during normal office hours or message them on facebook to arrange a pick up.

• Quick reminder about West Berkshire Museum‘s Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, on display until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Quick reminder about the free mortgage clinics on select days throughout the summer at Thatcham Town Council. Click here for more information including dates.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with morning sunshine and ends with truth. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Waiting for the plan

There’s an article on p23 of this week’s NWN which refers to the withdrawal of plans by the developers Croudace for a 200-home site in Henwick Park. This made me wonder if anything new had happened since I covered this on 4 August. On talking again to the developer, it seems not.

In summary, the scheme was, along with the Colthrop Village Partnership’s plans to the south of the town, in opposition to the then administration’s preferred scheme to concentrate development on four adjacent sites in NE Thatcham. Following the change of administration in May, the new council is attempting to get this part of the draft local plan amended, a suggestion that the planning inspector may or may not fall in with. Croudace has decided to wait to see what the outcome of this will be.

“We still believe in the scheme” a spokesperson told me on 4 August “and we look forward to working collaboratively with the new administration” to work out how it can be brought to fruition. He agreed that there were objections to the scheme and that these would be looked at, but also stressed that a number of features (including the care home, the country park and the orchard) had received plenty of positive comment. He added that the company would welcome engaging with WBC on the local plan review – something that they and Colthrop Village may feel didn’t happen as much as they would have liked last time round – and also with local residents and their parish councils: Cold Ash, Thatcham and Bucklebury all opposed the original proposals.

It will be interesting to see if any re-boot of the relationship between Croudace and WBC produces plans that are likely to lead to wider approval. Certainly WBC’s new stated policy seems to depend on working with developers that operate at this kind of scale. Without projects like this, the risk increases of the housing land supply falling below five years. When that happens, companies proposing more unwelcome developments stand a much better chance of overturning any refusal on appeal, a situation that no planning authority welcomes.

It is in order to avoid these kind of problems, and remove what it feels is an unacceptable aspect of the Conservative-led draft, that WBC is seeking to get the local plan amended. Meanwhile, Croudace waits. I hope they have some sandwiches, a thermos of coffee and a good book as a final decision by the Planning Inspector as to whether the document can be re-visited will probably not be heard for some months.

Bucklebury’s beerfest

Like last year, the trustees have decided to contribute at least 50% of the Beerfest profits to local charities. This year we are supporting MacMillan Cancer Support plus some other local charities.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Thurs 24 Aug Free Play in the Park, Kennet Heath, Thatcham.

• Sat 26 Aug Bucklebury Beer Fest, Bucklebury.

• Sun 3 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 21 Sept Vintage Adventure Celebration, Thatcham Medthodist Church.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 10 August 2023

This week we cover female footie, a roller disco, a barn dance, substandard housing, and a duck race – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for news of Bucklebury’s imminent Beerfest.

This week’s news

• Thatcham Town Harrier Football Club is hosting free weekly adult female-only football sessions at the FA Just Play Centre in Thatcham for 16 to 65 years at any skill level – whether trying for the first time or a more seasoned player. Thanks to support from Berks & Bucks FA’s Boost Funding, the cost of all venue hire fees has been covered until the end of September 2023. This means that all bookings will be free during this time. Click here to book your place.

• Thatcham Youth is holding a Roller Disco at the Moorside Community Centre for under 18s this Saturday 12 August. The event will offer four sessions for different age groups. Click here for more details.

• On Bank Holiday Saturday 26 August you are invited to Bucklebury Beerfest at Bucklebury Village Recreation Ground. See separate section below.

• West Berkshire Council has increased the number of appointments at its Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across the district in order to provide more flexibility and capacity during the most popular time slots for residents. Additionally, the Newtown Road HWRC has extended its operating hours on Thursdays to close at 8pm until September. Click here for more information.

• The free school uniform TUXchange shop in Newbury posts its opening times each week on Facebook. You don’t have to swap – you can take items for free or make a small donation.

• The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley is urging residents to complete its ongoing local crime survey. The survey is an opportunity for Berkshire residents to share their experiences and have a say in how local policing services are shaped. Have your say here.

• This week, Housing Secretary Michael Gove is urging social housing tenants to complain about substandard housing. Residents are being encouraged to make their voices heard by complaining to their landlord in the first instance and then escalating to the Housing Ombudsman if they are unhappy with the landlord’s final response. For more information click here.

• There’s lots going on at the Nature Discovery Centre over the summer holidays. There’s talks on bats, grasshoppers, worms, pond life, and much more – as well as the usual nature trails and resources. Click here to see a list of dates and times for special activities this month, and check out their website to book ahead.

• West Berkshire Action for Refugees continue to see new arrivals with only the clothes they’re stood up in. So they are very grateful for donations of:

– womens jeans, shirts/tops, trainers & shoes sizes 4,5,6,7. Light jackets for summer wear

– mens small/med T-shirts, joggers, jeans, lightly worn trainers. white/sports socks, hoodies.

– toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste & deodorant)

– large suitcases, mobile handsets (unlocked only please)

Please drop off to Thatcham Town Council, Brownsfield Rd, RG18 3HF during normal office hours or message them on facebook to arrange a pick up.

• Quick reminder about West Berkshire Museum‘s Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, on display until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Quick reminder about the free mortgage clinics on select days throughout the summer at Thatcham Town Council. Click here for more information including dates.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with an acrobat and ends with Robert Frost. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Bucklebury’s beer

The Bucklebury Beerfest will be held on Saturday 26 August 2023 from 1pm to 7pm at the Bucklebury Village Recreation Ground. The organisers describe it as “a fun day out for all the family, with a great selection of regional beers and ciders, as well as fabulous local food cooked on the BBQ and for the first time Graham’s Hog Roast will be there.” Entry is free.

Like last year, the trustees have decided to contribute at least 50% of the Beerfest profits to local charities. This year we are supporting MacMillan Cancer Support plus some other local charities.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 12 Aug Charity Car Wash, Athletics Track, Crookham Common.

• Thurs 17 Aug Free Play in the Park, Pound Lane, Thatcham.

• Thurs 17 Aug Family Fun Day, Thatcham Youth, Thatcham.

• Fri 18 Aug Roller Disco, Moorside Community Centre, Thatcham.

• Thurs 24 Aug Free Play in the Park, Kennet Heath, Thatcham.

• Sun 3 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 4 July and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Medicine Festival (17 to 20 August); planning matters; D-Day’s eightieth anniversary; a possible memorial; speeding; reports from the Chair, the Clerk and the ward member; and the Village Hall.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 3 August 2023

This week we cover a play area, a fun day, an exhibition, a flood consultation, kids and ducks – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a withdrawn application in Henwick (which may well return) and an offer for local artisans.

This week’s news

• Last chance to have your say on Thatcham Memorial Fields Flood Alleviation Scheme by Sunday 6 August (not long now). The aim of the new scheme is to protect the remaining Thatcham properties which do not currently benefit from existing schemes in the area. To take part in the public consultation process and for more information please click here. There will also be drop-in information sessions at the Public Exhibition, Memorial Hall, Thatcham on Friday 4 August, 11am ro 5pm and Saturday 5 August, 9am to 5pm.

• Thatcham Youth is holding a Family Fun Day on Thursday 17 August including crafts, light refreshments, bouncy castles and sports games. There is a morning session and evening session and tickets must be booked online to secure a place. Click here to book your child a place, more details can be found here.

• Have you visited the new play park at Thatcham Memorial Field? The Queen Elizabeth play area is situated right by the Memorial Hall. There’s lots of fun equipment for little ones to try out as well as huge field to let them run around in.

• Elysium Thornford Park will be a holding a fundraising Charity Car Wash on Saturday 12 August, over by the Crookham Common Athletics Track. Make a donation and have a clean car! The money raised will go towards the West Berkshire Therapy Centre and Cats Protection UK. See here for more information.

• Free school uniform TUXchange shop is opening this Saturday 5 August in Newbury’s Kennet Centre. Opening days and times will be updated each week on their Facebook page. Please bring in your donations as soon as possible and make your requests and if they have the items, they will put them to one side but you will be required to collect from the store.

• West Berkshire Foodbank is struggling to cope with current demand and their food stocks are low. With the summer holidays now here, the demand for food parcels for children at home is on the rise. There are three ways to donate:
– drop food at collection points (eg supermarkets) or at the Foodbank warehouse at 80 Greenham Business Park RG19 6HW. which is open weekday mornings until 1pm.
– do an online shop to be delivered directly to Foodbank at the address above. The contact number is 07836 500610.
– or make a cash donation here.

• West Berkshire Council has created a new welcome webpage for anyone new to West Berkshire so can know where and how to access the council’s services.

• Are you a local community or voluntary sports or physical activity club that would like to meet with other groups across West Berkshire. Then register here for the Sports Forum, run by the West Berkshire Volunteer Centre.

• Quick reminder about West Berkshire Museum‘s Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, on display until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Would you like to entertain the residents at Thatcham Court Care Home at their summer carnival and fete on the Saturday 2 September? If you juggle, do magic or ride a unicycle, sing or dance or are able to help in any way please contact Peter Tilling at peter.tilling@bupa.com.

• Quick reminder about the free mortgage clinics on select days throughout the summer at Thatcham Town Council. Click here for more information including dates.

• Click here for the 2022-23 annual report from the excellent Citizens Advice West Berkshire which has recently been published.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with lilies and ends with courage. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

A pause at Henwick Park

As reported on p234 of this week’s NWN, Croudace homes has decided to withdraw its plans for 200 homes and a care home to the north of Thatcham.

The scheme was, along with the Colthrop Village Partnership’s plans to the south of the town, in opposition to the then administration’s preferred scheme to concentrate development on four adjacent sites in NE Thatcham. This proved to be a important issue in the local election campaign which resulted in a new administration. In many ways, both these schemes fit well into the new administration’s desire to see more pepper-potting of smaller developments around the district and re-using brownfield sites. The withdrawal therefore could be seen as a surprise.

The NWN article lists a number of objections from WBC, including regarding drainage, highways and trees. None of these seem insuperable but are clearly problems for the application as it stands. It seems that the reasons for the withdrawal were more to do with wanting to have a fresh start. This doesn’t seem like the end of the road.

A spokesperson for Croudace told me on 3 August that the developer still believed in the scheme and “looked forward to working collaboratively with the new administration” to work out how it can be brought to fruition. He agreed that there were objections to the scheme and that these would be looked at, but also stressed that a number of features (including the care home, the country park and the orchard) had received plenty of positive comment.

Much will depend on what happened with the draft local plan which is currently in a state of limbo. WBC wants to look at the parts of it that relate to NE Thatcham and the Planning Inspectorate has asked the Council a number of questions about what is seeking to change before deciding if it will be allowed to have it back. The Croudace spokesperson added that the company would welcome engaging with WBC on the local plan review – something that they and Colthrop Village may feel didn’t happen as much as they would have liked last time round – and also with local residents and their parish councils: Cold Ash, Thatcham and Bucklebury all opposed the original proposals.

An offer from the Show

After a three-year pause – two due to Covid and the third to a change of management – the Newbury Show is back on 16 and 17 September. The organisers have recently announced a special offer for any local artists, artisans and craftspeople who want to take a stall. A 3m x 3m stand will cost only £300 for anyone within 15 miles of the Showground, rather than the usual £500. The Show is expected to attract 50,000 people over the weekend, so one way of looking at this is having about one third of the population of West Berkshire coming to see your wares.

For more information on this offer, and the Show generally, click here.

Community notices

• Thatcham Community Larder is open from 1.30pm to 5.30pm on Wednesdays in the Frank Hutchins Hall. They offer affordable food items (starting at £3.50 per week) that also reduces food waste. There are refreshments and friendly conversation, recipe sharing, craft activities, seated exercise and signposting for any further help needed. Follow them on facebook for more details. For more information contact 07500 764501 or victoria.roseblade1@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies & Girls Football Club offer three weeks free as a taster, so if you would like to try it out, email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc@gmail.com or visit their website.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Thurs 10 Aug Free Play in the Park, Cold Ash.

• Sat 12 Aug Charity Car Wash, Athletics Track, Crookham Common.

• Thurs 17 Aug Free Play in the Park, Pound Lane, Thatcham.

• Thurs 17 Aug Family Fun Day, Thatcham Youth, Thatcham.

• Thurs 24 Aug Free Play in the Park, Kennet Heath, Thatcham.

• Sun 3 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• A local ladies football team in Thatcham is looking for new players. The age range is 16 to 50 and it’s a friendly team focused on the fun of enjoying the game. If you’re interested in joining, call Mel on 07954 171586.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 June 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. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 16 March 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. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 27 July 2023

This week we cover a flood consultation, ducks, an exhibition, a play, kids and mortgage clinics – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for the latest on our MP’s attempts to get a bridge for Thatcham, consultations for Cold Ash and Hermitage, HGV problems in Midgham and a recent hedgehog petition.

This week’s news

• Have your say on Thatcham Memorial Fields Flood Alleviation Scheme by Sunday 6 August. The aim of the new scheme is to protect the remaining Thatcham properties which do not currently benefit from exisitng schemes in the area. To take part in the public consultation process and for more information please click here. You can also request a paper copy of the survey by emailing: FloodAlleviation@westberks.gov.uk. There will also be drop-in information sessions at the Public Exhibition, Memorial Hall, Thatcham on Friday 4 August, 11am ro 5pm and Saturday 5 August, 9am to 5pm.

• Did you know Thatcham’s Community Larder meets every Wednesday from 1.30pm to 5.30pm in the Frank Hutchings Community Hall and offers a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables and cupboard staples? They can also provide books, sanitary products, school uniforms, seated exercise classes, help and support as well as friendly conversation and a free cup of tea and cake. An annual membership is £10 which goes towards the charity SOFEA. For more information get in touch at 07500 764501 or email victoria.roseblade1@westberks.gov.uk. Click here for more information.

• The West Berkshire Family Hub are holding free Play in the Park sessions at various locations around the local area almost every Thursday throughout August. Their next session will be on Thursday 3 August at Thatcham’s Moors Park. Sessions start at 10am, no booking required. Click here to see the dates and locations.

• Well done to Cheam School Pre-Prep who, over the course of the school year, have raised a fantastic £5,280 through bake sales, concerts, and challenge events for local charity Swings & Smiles.

• Quick reminder about West Berkshire Museum‘s Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, on display until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Quick reminder about the free mortgage clinics on select days throughout the summer at Thatcham Town Council. Click here for more information including dates.

• For ladies concerned about the cost of HRT, a new Prescription Pre-payment Certificate (PPC) is now available, where you can make a much lower one-off payment. Visit gov.uk for details. One lady paid just £19.40 for the year (yes a year), and that covers her for every HRT prescription she now gets – a saving to her of around £76. This scheme only came out in April this year, so please spread the word.

• Read Easy West Berkshire harnesses the initiative, energy, skills and experience of volunteers, and equips them to provide confidential one-to-one reading coaching for adults who want to improve their reading. Please see more details here if you could volunteer or need help.

• Click here for the 2022-23 annual report from the excellent Citizens Advice West Berkshire which has recently been published.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

The other side of the tracks

As anyone who needs to go south from Thatcham will testify, the level crossing at the station has proved to be a reliable way of adding a substantial chunk of time to any journey. There have been frequent calls for a bridge – I think one was offered by Uncle Sam when US troops were based at Greenham – but for one reason or another (mainly cost), nothing has happened. Even the THA20 proposals for 2,500 homes (later scaled down to 1,500) didn’t provide enough reason to do this, it being felt by WBC that this wouldn’t increase traffic at the level crossing.

This seemed mysterious to me, as it did to many residents. I suppose this might make sense, providing all the new residents in NE Thatcham signed binding agreements never for any reason to travel south of the railway line. Enforcement might, however, be a problem with this approach.

One of the promises made by the new WBC administration was to review the THA20 aspect of the local plan. If this can happen (it had already been submitted by the Planning Inspector at almost the last minute by the previous administration so a ten-point turn is now needed to get it back) this might bring into play the proposal by the Colthrop Village Partnership. This had one time proposed, and may yet still, a bridge.

In the meantime, Newbury MP Laura Farris has got involved and recently raised in parliament her campaign for a bridge to be built to help prevent motorists “suffering delays of up to an hour”. She spoke on the matter in the Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment on 20 July.

“It seems as good a time as any for me to raise my next infrastructure campaign,” she told MPs.”This is for a bridge over the level crossing, or at least some part of the adjacent railway line, in Thatcham. That may sound like a small issue, but what is in fact a significant signalling problem causes residents of that town extensive delays at peak times every single day. Many of my constituents say that they wait between 45 minutes and an hour per journey when travelling to and from work. I dread to think how many hours are lost to them each day.

“I have already met the Transport Secretary to discuss the problem, and I am grateful for his support so far, although I have not asked him for any money yet, and I will visit the site and meet the signalling team. However, I think that there are sensible, practical solutions to the infrastructure blockage problem. I know that the magic of this debate means that the bridge will be built very soon.”

Thatcham residents will be hoping that some of the magic can rub off.

Consulting on the plans

A statement recently issued by West Berkshire Council explains that Cold Ash Parish Council and Hermitage Parish Council have both been working on neighbourhood plans which have recently been submitted to WBC. After submission, responsibility for taking the plans forward lies with the local planning authority.

“Neighbourhood plans are formal planning documents prepared by Town and Parish Councils in consultation with their local community. They allow local people to shape the future of the areas in which they live, and they include policies for development and the use of land.

The neighbourhood plan for Cold Ash, also known as the Cold Ash Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP), will guide development in the parish of Cold Ash to 2039.
The neighbourhood plan for Hermitage, also known as the Hermitage NDP, will guide development in the parish of Hermitage to 2039.

“We are carrying out consultations on both the Cold Ash NDP and the Hermitage NDP from until 4.30pm on Friday 1 September 2023. These consultations are also known as ‘Regulation 16 Consultations’. We would like to invite your comments on the submitted plans and their supporting documents.”

For more information, including details of how you can take part, please click here.

Midgham’s HGVs

The following is taken from the minutes of the Public Session of the 17 July 2023 meeting of Midgham Parish Council.

“Midgham residents who own and live on the land adjacent to The Nurseries attended the meeting to raise concerns about retrospective planning approval which has been granted by WBC. The residents are concerned about the over-industrialisation of the land. Approximately seven HGVs have been observed at the site, leaving early (0500) and then returning at night and at the weekend. The Nurseries has right of way access for the road belonging to the neighbours; however, they have concerns that the road is small for HGVs turning onto, and off, the A4.

“The Chairman remarked that planning had been granted by WBC so options may be limited. The PC shares the concerns of the residents about industrialisation of the area. The residents also own the land where three phase power approval has been granted – they have concerns that this will also be over developed.

“Action: Clerk to raise with DC Read to ask for advice about HGVs in particular in relation to the conditions of the planning approval, and notify of our concerns. Residents were advised to keep a diary of events at the site.”

Hedgehogs and swifts

Last week’s Full Council meeting at West Berkshire Council considered a petition to create “hedgehog highways”. These are gaps in fences on housing developments through which these important and much-loved mammals, which are unable to climb or fly, can use to travel in order to feed and to mate. In that respect, they’re not that different from us, then.

The petition did not succeed. However, I don’t think that this reflects as badly on WBC as this bald statement might imply. Indeed, the fact that this particular protection for this animals cannot now be provided by the Council, at least not through the planning system, may be good newest it dispels any illusions that regulations and laws can on their own create what we need, the more so if there’s any doubt as to whether they can be enforced. Britain’s swifts had a similar date with destiny in the Commons last week which met with a similar response. For the same reason, this may not be bad news for them, either.

You can read more on this in this separate post.

Community notices

• This is the season where you might see a swarm of bees in your garden. Newbury Beekeepers Association can help collect them but please first check their website here for help with identification so you know it is honey bees you’ve got rather than wasps or tree bumble bees…

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Mon 31 July Free Mortgage Clinic, Thatcham Council Offices, Brownsfield Road.

• Thurs 3 Aug Free Play in the Park, Moors Park, Thatcham.

• Thurs 10 Aug Free Play in the Park, Cold Ash.

• Thurs 17 Aug Free Play in the Park, Pound Lane, Thatcham.

• Thurs 24 Aug Free Play in the Park, Kennet Heath, Thatcham.

• Sun 3 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Sat 7 Oct Swings & Smiles Charity Ball, the Hennessy Suite, Newbury Racecourse.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 15 May and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these. There was also a meeting on 14 May which was mainly concerned with the election of the new Mayor, the minutes for which you can read here.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 16 June and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 6 June 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 Stanford Dingley Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 6 March 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.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 20 July 2023

This week we cover an eco-school, an exhibition, VIAN’s award, youth activities and volunteers – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for the latest on the town-centre strategy and the beginning of the end of the road for Cold Ash’s NDP.

This week’s news

• Great news from Thatcham’s Parsons Down Eco School about the amazing eco and sustainable projects that the children have been doing this term. See here for details from their Eco Co-ordinator Miss Hargood.

• Quick reminder about West Berkshire Museum‘s Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, on display until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• The next carers drop-in group event is on Thursday 27 July, from 10am until 1pm. Enjoy the tranquillity of the Jubilee Sensory Gardens, relax with cup of tea and a chat or even giving potting and gardening a go. All are welcome and no pre-booking required. See here for more details and for any queries please call 01635 863592.

• Congratulations to the VIAN Environmental Society (set up by asylum seekers based at the Regency Hotel) who were presented Certificates of Appreciation by the Mayor of Thatcham in recognition of their invaluable help marshalling and clearing up at the Thatcham Fun Day.

• Do you have Eritrean hertitage or know an Eritrean family in or around Thatcham? West Berkshire Action for Refugees have a family who would love to have contact with others from their country. Please contact Karen at teamleader@westberksrefugees.org.

• Are you concerned about your mortgage options or need some advice? Well there will be free mortgage clinics on select days throughout the summer at Thatcham Town Council. Click here for more information including dates.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with ants and ends with remembering. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Town-centre strategies

As mentioned most recently a couple of weeks ago, last year WBC started two projects, one for Thatcham and one for Hungerford, to create “visual plans for the town centres with a range of suggested improvements and uses which will enhance their vitality and economic success in the future.” These are variously known as place-making strategies and town-centre strategies. Whether by accident or design, these reached the end of their first stage just before the official start of the local election campaign at which point all such initiatives needed to pause.

That now being out of the way, work is set to re-start on these. On 18 July I caught up with Martin Colston, the portfolio holder responsible for these projects (and also the more advanced one in Newbury) to ask him what the next steps were.

He explained that he’d be attending a briefing about it later in the week and that further details would be announced thereafter: but he was able to say that the Chair of the Hungerford working group would be someone nominated by the Town Council. Discussions regarding Thatcham were slightly less well advanced but there was no reason he could see why the same would not apply there.

This is important, for the Chair has a good deal of influence over what gets discussed. The aim of these groups is to develop plans and projects, informed by the results of the initial consultations, which will benefit the towns. As Martin Colston pointed out, all of this is hypothetical until money is raised. This might come from WBC, from the government or from other sources. In all cases, the fact that there’s a solid evidence base will make applications more likely to succeed. As regards who holds the reins once any such projects have been funded, he suggested that this would depend where the money had come from. If from WBC, the Council would probably wish to control how it was spent; if from elsewhere, other arrangements might apply. He was unable to confirm how large the working parties would be nor how the representatives would be chosen.

The projects that result could be substantial. As mentioned before, the whole thing will be the work of years rather than months. In Newbury, whose town-centre strategy was started earlier, funding has already been secured for a specific project at the Wharf. The groups in Thatchem and Hungerford, when formed, will doubtless be watching with interest how its Newbury counterpart goes about its work.

The local emphasis being placed on the decision-making will be welcomed by the two town councils. They know their areas better than does WBC and are thus better placed to create local engagement, which is vital. Martin Colston was for four years until May 2019 the Leader of Newbury Town Council so probably feels this more keenly than do many other people. NTC was not involved in the process to the same extent during the first phase of Newbury’s town-centre work , which started under the last administration. Putting this right seems a useful first step in the right direction.

Reg 16 in Cold Ash

At its meeting on 13 June, Cold Ash PC resolved to move its neighbourhood development plan onto the Regulation 16 stage, a public consultation prior to the formal submission for examination and, unlimitedly, a referendum. This is the point at which the end of the project seems finally to come into view although, as Marlborough discovered with its NDP last year, unexpected hitches can happen.

The following is taken verbatim from the minutes of the above-mentioned meeting.

“Cllr McArdle requested sign-off of the NDP documentation and approval to progress to Regulation 16. He advised that the core documentation is the submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan, The Consultation Statement and the Basic Conditions Statement. He confirmed that all three documents have been reviewed and agreed by the NDP Steering Group and our consultant.

“He highlighted that the changes between the Regulation 14 and Regulation 16 versions of the Neighbourhood Plan are reflected in the Consultation Statement, which capture all the comments and action taken. He advised that most comments have been taken on board, but on some points conflicting feedback was received. He highlighted that there were several comments on subjects that are outside of the scope of an NDP (eg, traffic issues and settlement boundaries). These have been noted.

“He highlighted that the only contentious point is around the Green Gap between the village settlement boundaries and the Thatcham and Newbury settlement boundaries. WBC proposed much smaller spaces than us. The case for sticking with our proposed Green Gap is that it meets both our and WBCs stated aims, whereas the WBC ones do not. Cllr McArdle proposed to submit the NDP for Regulation 16 this was seconded by Cllr Wilding and all Councilors were in agreement.”

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Mon 31 July Free Mortgage Clinic, Thatcham Council Offices, Brownsfield Road.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Sun 24 Sept Sustainability Fayre, The Living Rainforest, Hampton Norreys.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 16 June and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: possible councillor co-options; appointments and responsibilities; Berkshire Youth; repairs and maintenance; planning matters; a report from the ward member; the playpark; defibrillators; speeding; and financial matters.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 June and you can read the minutes here. items covered included: a request to the ward members; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; the NDP (see also separate section above); rights of way; the Recreation Ground; and reports from other bodies.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 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. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 13 July 2023

This week we cover remembrance, proms, a carnival, an exhibition and football – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a new start for an old community transport company.

This week’s news

• This Sunday 16 July there will be a United Service of Remembrance at London Road Cemetery, starting at 3pm. Cold Ash Brass Band will be there along with members of Thatcham’s Clergy and Town Councillors. All are welcome, and if you would like to have your loved one’s name read out during the service, please email enquiries@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk.

• On Saturday 15 July, Cold Ash Brass presents The Last Night of the Proms, at 7pm at St Marks Primary School, Cold Ash. You can bring your own picnic and enjoy an evening of stirring music. Click here for details.

• Thatcham Refillable’s July newsletter includes latest news on how you can reduce your use of single use plastic – which is timely as we are in Plastic Free July. They also work closely with the West Berkshire Sustainable Community and would like to hear from any resident, business or organisation that would like to take the pledge and raise awareness of the single use plastic issue and to make a difference.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a quiet garden and ends with Benjamin Franklin. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

Ready the buses

I’ve been writing about the debacle of Readibus’s relationship with West Berkshire Council for several years. I’ve never understood what the point of principle was, as WBC’s Green Party Leader David Marsh said at the most recent meeting of WBC’s Executive, that caused the previous administration to “die in the ditch for.”

A “gagging clause” was proposed by WBC in the discussions with Readibus. In a press release in April 2021 and in public statements made by prominent councillors, it was claimed that the Council only required notification of any publicity. The written clause to which the Council was requiring ReadiBus Trustees to consent, however, stated very clearly that Readibus “shall not make any press announcement except with prior written consent of the Council.”

The two statements are in stark contradiction. Having seen the contract I can only agree with Readibus’ interpretation. I remain baffled as to why the alternative view continued to be believed for so long by the previous administration. Indeed, it still is. At the Executive meeting, Councillor Boeck said that “my understanding is” that the “clause safeguards both parties.” It doesn’t. There is no reciprocal condition.

In our 9 December 2021 Newbury & area Weekly News column, we pointed out that such gagging clauses were contrary to best practice:

“Third Sector has recently reported on a campaign dating back seven years to do away with these “gagging clauses.” It quotes the Chief Executive of Children England as saying that that “these contracts aim to shut us up and belittle the work we do”, adding that criticism (if merited) should be welcomed: in any case, few charities would go public on a grievance unless they’d first discussed resolving it in private. Chloe Hardy, director of policy and communications at the Sheila McKechnie Foundation adds that “if you want charities to deliver services you have to accept that you are commissioning independent organisations.” The Director of the think tank Rogare, Ian MacQuillin, agrees: “on a point of principle, charities ought to reject donations that compromise how they could discuss or frame the cause they serve.” The article’s author suggests that “the idea of donors using their gifts to buy reputational capital and silence potential criticism from charities seems deeply retrograde.” A high-profile example of this recently occurred when the Science Museum signed a gagging clause with Shell in return for funding. This was slightly different in that it specified certain things that the Museum couldn’t do or say but the net result is the same: as well as providing a service, the recipient is in effect acting an adjunct of the donor’s PR department.”

The irony is that, by insisting on this clause, the previous administration managed to inflict upon itself exactly the kind of repetitional damage which the gag had been designed to prevent. Readibus had worked harmoniously with WBC for decades. This statement in February 2023 is worth a look to see how matters had since declined.

We now move on. The new administration has said that it will remove these gagging clauses from these and other contracts. A statement from Readibus on 11 July said that “we commend the moves by West Berkshire Council to rectify the wrongs of recent years in its treatment of ReadiBus and the elderly and disabled West Berkshire residents for whom this service has been so valued for nearly 40 years. The decision by the Council to remove the requirement for ReadiBus to sign a ‘gagging clause’ in order to receive future approved grant funding from the council is a welcome first step.”

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 16 July United Service of Remembrance, London Road Cemetery.

• Mon 17 July Free Mortgage Clinic, Thatcham Council Offices, Brownsfield Road.

• Mon 31 July Free Mortgage Clinic, Thatcham Council Offices, Brownsfield Road.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Fri 22 Sept Charity Barn Dance, Thatcham Town Council, location TBD.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 23 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. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 6 July 2023

This week we cover youth, refills, mortgages, proms and comedy – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for an update on the town-centre strategy, a veteran campaigner in town, a flood-defence consultation and solar deals.

This week’s news

• Thatcham Youth has lots of fun activities planned this summer for their Vision and The Zone Youth Clubs, from games to crafts to sports, even Zorb football and a beach party! All taking place at the Moorside Community Centre in Thatcham. Click the links to see the full list of activities, as well as when they are happening. Get in contact with them at info@thatchamyouth.org.uk to find out more.

• Are you concerned about your mortgage options or need some advice? Well Thatcham Town Council are holding free mortgage clinics on select days througho9ut the summer. The next one will be on Monday 17 July. Go along to the council offices between 9.30am and 12.30pm for a free consultation (no obligations). Click here for more information, as well as other upcoming dates.

• Reading Buses have announced that they are extending their £2 single fares until Tuesday 31 October. So whether you’re going to Newbury, Bracknell, Reading, or even as far as Slough or London – anywhere else on their network, you’ll pay no more than £2 for a single journey. Click here for further details.

• There are still a few seats left for the next Thatcham Comedy Club on Thursday 13 July at Thatcham Rugby Club. This will feature Fiona Allen (Smack The Pony, Coronation Street, et alia), along with Ken Rich and Graeme Coulam. Tickets are available online or on the door, but the first two rows are already fully-booked, so you may wish to book ahead to avoid disappointment. Click here for more information.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a woodpecker and ends with Marilyn Monroe. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

The town-centre strategy

Last year, WBC started two projects, one for Thatcham and one for Hungerford, to create “visual plans for the town centres with a range of suggested improvements and uses which will enhance their vitality and economic success in the future.” These are variously known as place-making strategies and town-centre strategies. Whether by accident or design, these reached the end of their first stage just before the official start of the local election campaign at which point all such initiatives needed to pause. People could as a result be excused for thinking that the things are finished: a lot of talk, a lot of bullet points in a report and that’s it.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In many ways, the bulk of the work is yet to be done. The first step is for WBC to set up working groups or similar and I understand that discussions are taking place to agree how these will be constituted and, crucially, how the power will be divided between West Berkshire and the Town Councils, both of which have well-deserved reputations for looking after their town’s interests and are, obviously, highly knowledgable about the strengths and weaknesses of the areas they represent. Once that’s agreed, more information will provided. There will thereafter be further need for public engagement of various kinds.

Whitehall’s method of funding local councils involves, as I’ve mentioned before, a series of what might be termed beauty contests in which posts of funds are bidder for, each one ring-fenced for specific kinds of projects. Having evidence-based work to support bids, which these local strategies will provide, will help increase their chances of success. As anyone who has ever worked on such things will know, the process of gathering information, making decisions, consulting on the results and then applying for funds is neither quick nor simple. The lifecycle of such groups is thus to be measured in years rather than months.

A veteran campaigner visits Thatcham

The Veterans’ Minister, Johnny Mercer MP recently visited a gathering of military charity workers and veterans at Thatcham Rugby Club to brief them on recent efforts by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) to make the UK “the best place in the world to be a veteran.” He was accompanied by Newbury MP Laura Farris.

Mercer is an ex-Army officer who has made it his mission as a politician to improve the lot of veterans. He admitted that he has had a few run ins with the Conservative leadership resulting in resignations but is, for the moment at least, back in his minatorial role

He pointed out that there are 2.2 million veterans in the UK and some have problems with mental health, homelessness and the transition after their service into civilian life. He mentioned Op Courage whereby the NHS working with military charities can provide a veteran with mental health issues therapy and rehab, in some cases via a same day referral. On homelessness – very much in the news with Prince William’s involvement – the OVA is working closely with local authorities to ensure veterans are not disadvantaged in getting social housing. On veterans’ employment after leaving the Armed Forces ,the OVA is working with employers promoting the skill sets, integrity and self-starting capabilities of veterans with the eventual aim, as is the case in the USA, of having companies and organisations stating how many veterans they employ.

Johnny readily answered a whole range of veterans’ questions in a direct, forthright manner. As one person who was at the event told Penny Post, “most left the session with a view they had a champion for veterans who was doing his best for them.”

Holding back the water

West Berkshire Council has been working in partnership with several agencies, local stakeholders and businesses, to ensure that Thatcham is better protected from possible future flooding following the devastating floods in 2007.

“Over the years,” this statement says, “we have been working towards a strategic flood risk management solution for the town, and a number of flood storage schemes have been identified that would protect the area from future surface water flood events. To date, large flood alleviation schemes have been built at Cold Ash Hill, Tull Way, Floral Way and South East Thatcham, protecting 913 properties from the impact of surface water flooding. A further 107 properties will be protected from the impact of surface water flooding at Bowling Green Road, Heath Lane and East Thatcham with flood attenuation ponds due to be completed later this year.”

WBC has recently launched a consultation into the proposed Memorial Fields Scheme, the aim of which is to protect the remaining Thatcham properties which do not currently benefit from the other schemes in the area. You can click here to have your say, which you need to have done by midnight on Sunday 6 August 2023.

Solar deals

Did you know that more than a quarter of all carbon emissions comes from households? This means our homes play a crucial role in achieving carbon neutrality target. Switching to Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy is an excellent way to reduce carbon emissions and decrease electricity bills.

West Berkshire Council is partnering with Solar Together Berkshire to offer a group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage. The scheme enables West Berkshire householders and small businesses to install Solar PV systems and batteries at a competitive price with a trustworthy, pre-vetted installer. Any tenant, homeowner, small business or common hold association in Berkshire can register for the scheme. For more details, and how to register, please see here.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Thurs 13 July Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Sun 16 July United Service of Remembrance, London Road Cemerty.

• Mon 17 July Free Mortgage Clinic, Thatcham Council Offices, Brownsfield Road.

• Mon 31 July Free Mortgage Clinic, Thatcham Council Offices, Brownsfield Road.

• Thurs 14 Sept KATS Modern Time Musical Hall Performance, Bucklebury Memorial Hall.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 6 June and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: matters arising; speeding; a proposed memorial; the defibrillator at the school; planning matters; financial matters; reports from the ward member and the Clerk; the Village Hall; and the AWE.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 23 May and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: Definitive Map Modification Order applications; the NDP (which is now nearing completion); the Clerk; Lawrence’s Lane; the cricket pitch; planning matters; and the Cold Ash Fundraising Group.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 29 June 2023

This week we cover music, volunteering, proms, comedy and football – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for possible problems looming with local bus services and the rather more certain matter of further problems on the trains.

This week’s news

• Thatcham Family Fun Day was a huge success last Saturday. Thatcham Town Council will be posting photos on their facebook page shortly. In the meantime they would like to thank the VIAN Environmental Group of refugees whose help with marshalling, litter-picking, setting up and clearing up was invaluable on the day.

• The refugees have been living in the Regency Hotel for many months now (in some cases over a year) and West Berkshire Action for Refugees are working hard to support them and their community engagement. WBAR has a vacancy for a Donations Co-ordinator Volunteer to distribute donations that have been dropped off at Thatcham Town Council for the refugees. If you have a regular slot free every week, can drive, are organised and patient, able to lift and carry things and keen to help refugees they would love to hear from you.

• The InCantata Choir is holding a free concert on Sunday 2 July at 2.30pm at St Nicolas Churchyard in Newbury with refreshments and cakes provided by and in aid of WBAR.

• Thatcham Tornados Football Club is holding free girls football summer school sessions this Saturday 1 and next Saturday 8 July for girls in school years 1 to 3. No prior football experience is required. For more information or to book a place, please contact Karen via summerschool@thatchamtornadoes.com.

• Thatcham Youth is holding free Summer Activities for children and teens. Activates include a sports morning, roller skating, family fun day, a magic show, a craft morning and a reptile handling event. Click here to see the full list of events and dates. Some activities require advance booking due to limited spaces, so follow their Facebook Page, to be notified when they get released.

• Ever wanted to give hand bell ringing a try? Well the Barfield Handbell Ringers are offering free taster sessions at St Mary’s Church, Thatcham on Monday 3 July, 7pm. No previous musical experience necessary. For more information or find out more about their activities, please contact the secretary Dianne Rogers at dianne@barfield.org.uk.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• Brimpton Primary School is having their Summer Fete this weekend on Saturday 1 July. The theme is ‘Best of British’ and there will be a BBQ, Disco, Stalls, Raffle, Tombola, lots of games to play and even a Silent Auction on the day for the bigger prizes, highest bidder wins. Come along between 11am and 2pm to enjoy the fun.

• This weekend Hamstead Norreys are holding an Open Garden event. Enjoy six lovely gardens, as well as afternoon tea at St Mary’s Church between 2pm and 5.30pm. Children can collect a treasure map from the church. The entry fee is £7 and all the money raised will go towards the St Mary’s Church Building Fund. Click here for more infomation.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a lily and ends with a book or two. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

On the buses

You may have heard about a proposed strike by 10 out of 36 bus drivers at Newbury & District. The drivers, who were previously employed by Reading Buses and subsequently transferred to the Newbury & District operation when the company was acquired, will take action on 6, 7, 10, 14, 19, 20 and 21 July.

We contacted Robert Williams, CEO of Reading Buses, who predicted that the impact will be “inconsequential” and that the company would be able to operate all services as normal. The action does not affect Reading Buses’ Jet Black 1 service that runs to Newbury, nor any school or corporate contract services: however, it may affect public services that are used by pupils going to and from school.

The problem stems from the fact that when the drivers moved between the companies their contracts were never fully harmonised with the others, particularly as regards sick pay. It is this that Newbury Buses is trying to resolve. Robert Williams said that “we continue to discuss ways forward with the employees in a positive manner to try and address their concerns.” A statement from the Unite union says that these drivers have not received a pay rise for four years and that this will only change “if they accept inferior contracts that will significantly reduce their sick pay.”

If there are any side effects from the industrial action, the company will alert customers through social media channels. This may not include putting notices on bus stops as any staff shortages will only be known on the day. As regards how little disruption there is, much will depend on whether any of the other drivers decide to take action in support of their colleagues.

On the trains

Strikes also dominate the latest update from the Bedwyn Train Passengers Group (BTPG), which you can read here. ASLEF has announced an overtime ban from Monday 3 to Saturday 8 July which might cause short-notice alterations or cancellations. The RMT union has also announced strike action that will affect rail services on Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 July.

Other items include a cracked crossing at Theale this week (now hopefully sorted), short-formation trains and bus services from Bedwyn to Marlborough.

The BTPG has been campaigning for improved rail services from Bedwyn, Hungerford, Kintbury and Newbury since 2006. If you use these stations, we recommend subscribing to BTPG newsletters by emailing info@bedwyntrains.org.uk.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 1 July Summer Fete, St Finian’s School.

• Sat 1 July Summer Fete, Brimpton School.

• Sun 2 July Hampstead Norreys Open Garden, St Mary’s Church.

• Mon 3 July Barfield Handbell Ringers Free Taster, St Mary’s Church.

• Thurs 13 July Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 27 March and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these. There was also a meeting on 14 May which was mainly concerned with the election of the new Mayor, the minutes for which you can read here.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 17 May and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: election of the Chair and Deputy; repairs and maintenance; financial matters; and councillor co-option (on 28 June).
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 15 May and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the election of the Chair and Deputy; the Community Bus; planning matters; financial matters; the new ward member; the Chair’s report; the Clerk’s report; potholes; green bins; Bucklebury Meadows and Hockett Field; the cemetery and the chapel; the playpatk; defibrillators; speeding; and the Common.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 May and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the election of a Chair and Deputy; formal business; press and media policy; financial matters; correspondence; repairs and maintenance; the NE Thatcham Development Group; a report from the ward member; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; and bulls in the fields.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 22 June 2023

his week we cover fun, vehicles, butterflies, bells, bees, volunteers and football – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for some thoughts about the timing of recent interventions concerning the hoped-for railway bridge in Thatcham and about what the proposed pausing of the local plan might mean for the north east of the town (and the wider district).

This week’s news

• This Sunday 25 June is Thatcham Family Fun Day at Henwick Worthy Sports Ground from 11am to 4pm. There’ll be stalls, games, a petting farm, Punch and Judy shows, a dog show, a classic car show, a raffle, funfair rides, live music and dance shows, street theatre, music from Kennet Radio and so much more. See more details here.

• A great weekend for classic car lovers it seems, as also on Sunday there will also be a Classic Vehicle Day over at Yattendon village (on the field opposite the church and at Yattendon Garage). There will be vintage vehicles including cars, motorbikes, scooters, commercial and tractors, military trucks and even a genuine WW2 Sherman tank. Money raised will go toward the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. Click here for more information.

• Thatcham Volunteers Bureau provides transport to doctors, dentists, hospitals, shops or to visit friends and relatives for those who struggle with public transport. The Bureau currently has vacancies for volunteer drivers and a volunteer office assistant to help out on Thursday mornings. Please see here for more details and how to apply.

• Would you like to learn more about butterflies? This Friday 23 June there will be a ‘Birds with a Brew’ event held at the Nature Discovery Centre, from 10am to 12:30pm. Hosted by the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust, it will be a celebration of UK butterflies, both large and small, well-known and less familiar. There’ll be top tips on identification, and about how we can help them. For details and to book tickets, click here.

• There is a new monthly drop-in group for carers in Thatcham’s Jubilee Sensory Gardens on Brownsfield Road. The gardener will give a tour of her work and let you try your hand at some gardening yourself, if you find it relaxing. The next session will be on Thursday 29 June, from 10am to 1pm. Refreshments and chat will be on offer in the tranquil garden space as a slice of respite for carers. For details click here.

• Thatcham Tornados Football Club is holding free girls football summer school sessions on Saturdays 1 and 8 July for girls in school years 1 to 3. No prior football experience is required. For more information or to book a place, please contact Karen via summerschool@thatchamtornadoes.com.

• The Old Bluecoat School is a 700 year old Grade 1 listed building but the timber front doors are very old and need to be replaced. There are plans to get new doors with high-quality hardwood doors to improve the users’ comfort, security, cut energy costs and enhance Thatcham’s historic environment. If you can spare any money for this local piece of history, please donate via their TheGoodExchange page.

• West Berkshire Council invites suggestions on how to improve the lives of people with autism living in this area. If you are a person on the autistic spectrum or know someone who is and would like to share your experiences of the challenges faced by people with autism with local services, including education, health, employment, social care and local community resources, please complete the Council’s online Autism Survey 2023. The deadline to have your say is midnight on Wednesday 19 July.

• Whilst West Berkshire continues to be a very safe place to live, West Berks Council wants to understand if feeling unsafe is a bigger problem in certain public spaces, and is likely to affect some groups more than others. There are already some great support and community groups in the district, and the council wants to find out if there are any ways in which people in West Berkshire could feel even more connected to their community. Fill out their street safe survey here.

• Have you or anyone you know been forced to leave their home due to migration and live in West Berkshire? Be part of the conversation with Community United and about how the journey of being uprooted has moulded you to be part of the new community. Contact Pragna or Alice on hello@communityunited.uk

• Thatcham Youth are looking for feedback on the provision that it provides to the town. If you have a couple of minutes to complete their quick surveys it would be greatly appreciated Parents and Carers survey and Young People’s survey. For more news see their facebook page here.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a tit and ends with Marilyn Monroe. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

Pulling the plan

Ross Mackinnon, the leader of the WBC Conservative opposition, penned a letter to the Newbury Weekly News this week with the heading “Lib Dem view on local plan will cost us dearly.” (That’s the letter’s only mention of the correct name, or abbreviation, of the party: elsewhere they are the “Liberals”, a completely different political outfit.) He starts with gracious congratulations to the Lib Dem’s at last month’s election before moving into his main theme: the new administration’s desire to pause the examination of the local plan in order to reassess the housing allocation for NE Thatcham (THA20) to which so many are opposed.

He makes a number of correct points about the importance of the plan, the need for policies and more housing and the cross-party nature of aspects of the work. He then moves on to the volte-face by the Lib Dem’s Tony Vickers (which he describes as a “cynical reverse ferret”) and quotes the link for this column from 24 November. This is the section he’s referring to:

“The Liberal Democrats are broadly content with the district-wide policies in the Local Plan that we’ll be asked to vote on next Thursday,” [Tony Vickers told Penny Post]. “We certainly won’t be voting against the motion to publish it for the Regulation 19 consultation. However, we are surprised at how late Members of the Planning Advisory Group were asked to comment on the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) which forms an important part of what will be sent to the Planning Inspectorate for examination in public later this year (according to the administration’s ambitious timetable). We found numerous instances of apparently rushed final drafting in just a quick reading of the SA.” He went on to say that “We reserve the right to comment quite radically on the proposed North East Thatcham site allocation in our response to the Reg 19 draft.”

As it happened – and this is Ross Mackinnon’s point – the Lib Dems did vote against that motion. I suspect that rather than being a change of heart it was a piece of political tactics, the party sensing the need to put clear water between their position and the Conservatives’ on the matter. My understanding is that there was cross-party support for the policies; the nitty-gritty of the work. Where the Lib Dems did have a problem – certainly their representatives on Thatcham Town Council did and I’m pretty sure all the WBC members did as well – was with the concentration of housing around NE Thatcham. It’s unfortunate that these two parts of the plan – the policies and the site allocations – can’t be done as separate processes and in that order.

Ross Mackinnon says that “withdrawing the plan and starting again from scratch would set us back years.” That is not, however, what the council wants to do. It’s just THA20 that’s the problem. Whether the Planning Inspector will feel that this particular thread can be removed from the jumper without the whole thing unravelling remains to be seen. The Lib Dem’s stance might have been clearer if they’d abstained on the motion to proceed with the plan, as Carolyne Culver of the Green Party did: she didn’t care for THA20 either but also didn’t want to oppose something that as a member of the Planning Advisory Group she’d spent years working on.

Ross Mackinnon also paints two other images. The first is of a development free-for-all as a result of planning by appeal. I think that’s unlikely any time soon as WBC’s current plan still has some life left in it and the district has a adequate housing supply (which will reduce the chances of a successful appeal). He also suggests that our villages may have to take up the THA20 sites but “without the infrastructure to support them.” Thatcham already has an infrastructure deficit: many villages, however, have an infrastructure surplus, with schools, halls, shops, bus services, roads and the like (though, I admit, perhaps not surgeries) with fewer users than they would like or can comfortably support. In any case, there’s a strong case to be made for new development being spread around the district rather than put in one place.

He concludes by saying that the Lib Dems “are in a mess.” It’s certainly not an ideal situation. The plan was submitted at the last possible moment by the previous administration. Politically, it would been remarkable if it had admitted that the impending election might result in a new riling group, partly on the basis of opposition to THA20, and as a result deciding to hold fire. There was no over-riding need to do it in April. However, politics doesn’t work like that, sadly. I’m sure the Lib Dems would have done the same were the situation have been reversed. If there are costs and delays as a result of this re-think then no one will benefit.

A well-timed crossing

You may have read elsewhere an article concerning an intervention by local MP Laura Farris on the urgent need for a bridge tp replace the level crossing by Thatcham station. You can see that we covered this last week” scroll down to “Building bridges” to see the article.

The timing or her comments is interesting. Laura Farris, who was brought up in Bucklebury, got involved in the controversy that was already brewing about the THA20 plans for 2,500 homes to the north east of Thatcham which would have had a severe effect on her childhood home. This was followed by what seemed to be a retraction, someone at HQ having perhaps pointed out that WBC was in charge of planning matters and were doing a local plan of which this was to be the cornerstone in terms of site allocations. Her comments on the subject were thereafter far more muted. Now, with the plan in the process (perhaps) of being revised as regards this important detail and no conflict therefore arising, the matter has been brought up again.

Laura Farris is completely correct. The town does need a railway bridge and should have had one years ago. WBC’s previous administration did not agree, feeling that these new homes would not place any extra demands on the level crossing. Many of those who voted as they did on 4 May might have felt otherwise.

The matter also is notable for being perhaps the only time when the Conservative mP, the Lib Dem Thatcham Town Council and Network Rail are all in agreement about something. Like an unlikely planetary alightment, this may not happen again. Let’s see if the tides that it calls into play produce some positive results.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day and Thatcham Classic Car Show, Henwick Worthy Sports Ground.

• Thurs 29 June Carers Drop-In Group, Jubilee Sensory Gardens, Brownfield Road.

• Sat 1 July Summer Fete, St Finian’s School.

• Sun 2 July Hampstead Norreys Open Garden, St Mary’s Church.

• Mon 3 July Barfield Handbell Ringers Free Taster, St Mary’s Church.

• Thurs 13 July Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 16 May and you can download the minutes here. Items covered included: the election of a Chair and Deputy; formal business; ; and financial matters.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 15 June 2023

This week we cover handbells, girls’ football, carers, community gardening, volunteers and refills – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a look at where the the proposal to wind back the local plan with regard to THA20 has got to, Thatcham Town Council, Network Rail and Laura Farris in agreement about the level crossing, switching and saving energy suppliers and a new logo at the Kennet Leisure Centre from 1 July.

This week’s news

• The Old Bluecoat School is a 700 year old Grade 1 listed building but the timber front doors are very old and need to be replaced. There are plans to get new doors with high-quality hardwood doors in keeping with the age of this building, improve the users’ comfort, security, cut energy costs and enhance Thatcham’s historic environment. To make this possible they need to raise £10,000. They are currently over half way to their funding goal, but still have a way to go. If you can space any money for this local piece of history, you can donate via their TheGoodExchange page.

• Mikron Theatre are back this summer at the Rowbarge, in Woolhampton with their outdoor shows ‘Twitchers’ on Tuesday 25 July, and ‘A Force to be Reckoned With‘ on Wednesday 26 July, both starting at 7pm. There is no charge but a ‘pay what you feel’ collection at the end of the performance. There is no tickets required but please remember your own chairs.

• Ashmore Green Road in Cold Ash will be closed on Monday 19 June, between 9.30am and 3.30pm. The closure is from its junctions with Henwick Close to Bowling Green Road. The closure is to enable Volker Highways to carry out permanent carriageway repairs on behalf of West Berkshire Council. Details can be found here.

• Are you involved with a community gardening group? BBC 1’s The One Show in partnership with the RHS are recognising new growers who have transformed a green space in their area in their Growing Together Award 2023 for Community Gardening. They are particularly keen to hear about projects that involve a diverse range of people who are traditionally under-represented in gardening and have really benefited from starting to garden or having a new outdoor space to use. The winners will receive National Garden Gift Vouchers, a plaque and certificate. Apply here by Tuesday 11 July.

• West Berkshire Libraries have announced their Summer Reading Challenge 2023, which will challenge primary age children to read up to six library books between 1 July and 15 September and to collect free incentives from their local library for their achievements as they read – with medals and certificates for everyone who completes the task. For more information, click here.

• Eight Bells is also seeking new volunteers to help support individuals throughout West Berkshire who are facing mental health challenges. If you have a skill or craft to share or simply help out with the running of the centre, they would be grateful for your support. If you would be interested, get in touch at coordinator@eightbellsnewbury.co.uk.

• June news from Thatcham Refillable which refills all your household and personal cleaning products to help reduce household and business use of plastics.. You can order from their website or pop along to their stall at the Thatcham Friday market from 8am to 2pm.

• St Finian’s School, Cold Ash, are holding their Summer Fete on Saturday 1 July and they are looking for stall holders. If you are a small or local business and would like to run a stall, they ask for a £10 donation. If you would like to book a stall place, get in contact at stfiniansptfa@gmail.com.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with Mansfield Park and ends with destiny. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

Unpicking the plan

One of the main planks of the Lib Dem’s successful campaign in West Berkshire in May was to review the allocation for at least 1,500 homes to the north east of Thatcham (THA20). The draft local plan was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate just before the election. I shall say no more about the timing of this except that it could perhaps be described by the new administration as unhelpful, as it now needs to get it back. An analogy might be sending a university dissertation off to be assessed but then having a brainwave and realising that you need to re-write part of it. Can you get it returned to do this? This is what WBC is trying to establish.

To continue the analogy, the examiners’ concern is that, by making the desired alterations, the whole thing might need re-writing which could take months or, as we’re dealing here with a local plan, years. They may decide that this is too big a risk and will prolong the process to an unacceptable extent. The Vice Chancellor (the Secretary of State in this case) might also get involved, as happened with South Oxfordshire in fairly similar circumstances in 2019, and insist that what has been handed in will be what will be marked, never mind that an election has just been fought and won partly on the platform of changing it. all in all, it remains uncertain what will happen and how long this will take to resolve itself.

Two things have happened recently. The first is that the Planning Inspectorate has sent WBC 49 questions, which you can read here, “to provide clarity and potentially narrow down the focus of the examination.” These need to be responded to by 23 June. The second is that the Inspectorate has indicated that it is in the circumstances prepared to allow a one-or two-month pause to allow the new administration to assess all its options. The examination was due to start in September, so I presume that this means this will not now happen until October or November.

A member of the new Executive told me on 15 June that the administration remains committed to having a local plan but equally committed to changing the site allocation, as mentioned in its manifesto. Advice is being taken from a range of sources, internal and external. Residents of Thatcham, Bucklebury, Cold ash and Midgham in particular will be watching developments with interest as what is eventually decided could have a permanent effect on their communities.

Building bridges

One of the concerns with the THA20 plan for developing north east Thatcham is that many feel the town already has an infrastructure deficit which the new houses would only worsen. One particular area of worry is the level crossing at Thatcham which can at busy times lead to lengthy tailbacks. WBC’s previous position was that constructing between 1,500 and 2,500 homes in the town would not make this problem any worse (a view the Town Council didn’t share). This doesn’t make much sense to me, unless all the new residents signed binding undertakings never to venture south of the railway line for any reason whatsoever.

However, the document recently provided to WBC by the planning inspectorate, which contains a number of questions to help set the scene for the examination of the local plan, suggests otherwise. This refers in the preamble to q46 to Network Rail’s belief that the development would indeed increase usage of the level crossing. Surely Network Rail should know?

Local MP Laura Farris also feels this is a problem. “The Thatcham level crossing causes unacceptable delays to far too many residents,” she told the Commons on 15 June. “I know that many of you have called for a bridge and that these plans have never quite got off the ground for one reason or another. It’s time to change that. My question to the Leader of the House today and I will be following this up with the Transport Secretary on how we can get this bridge built.”

One answer might me to have a word with the Colthrop Village Partnership which has previously said that it could provide just such a bridge if it had permission to develop the site south of the railway line. Hopefully something will finally happen on this. So, that makes another item on the new administration’s to-do list…

A new splash

West Berkshire Council has appointed Everyone Active as the new leisure management operator to manage the leisure facilities across the district. From 1 July 2023, Everyone Active (EA) will begin a 10-year contract run Northcroft Leisure Centre and Lido, Hungerford Leisure Centre, Kennet Leisure Centre, Cotswold Sports Centre, Willink Leisure Centre, Lambourn Sports Centre and the Downland Sports Centre.

“The new contract will have a strong focus on community outreach,” a statement from WBC says, “providing a variety of creative and physical activities in local venues such as community halls, churches, centres and outdoor locations to increase accessibility.

“We are delighted to officially begin our partnership with West Berkshire Council and are looking forward to many successful years ahead,” Steve Salwa, Area Contract Manager at Everyone Active said. “The sports and leisure centres within this contract are so important for the health and wellbeing of the local communities and we look forward to supporting the council’s vision for leisure across West Berkshire. We would like to reassure existing customers that all memberships, classes, lessons and club bookings will carry over and continue as normal during the transition.” I understand (and hope) that this will also include that any direct debits are seamlessly transferred across from Parkwood Leisure to EA.

“The contract is the start of a very exciting period for leisure in West Berkshire,” Janine Lewis, West Berkshire’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure, Sport and Countryside added. “Increasing participation in active leisure for all, especially those currently less active, is a key focus of our new leisure strategy. We are delighted to be working with EA. Our centres are about so much more than leisure activities. They are community hubs where people can socialise while keeping active and well.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our current provider, Parkwood Leisure, for their hard work over the last 19 years and their excellent contribution to improving health and wellbeing across the district.”

All the staff will be transferring over so there will still be the same friendly and familiar faces at Hungerford (which I use) and elsewhere. One thing that the new management might want to look at is the website. Certainly as regards pool sessions in Hungerford, the online information doesn’t always accord with reality and it seems the staff don’t have as much control over the content as they should. This may also be an issue elsewhere. If you have any suggestions of your own then let your local centre know.

Switching and saving

Over the last 18 months, many households have grappled with high energy costs and financially struggled due to the increasing energy price cap and no decent fixed deals. Through West Berkshire Council’s partnership with the Big Community Switch scheme, residents can now save money by getting a better energy deal as a group, and switching to a trusted energy supplier. This will not only save money but also support a greener future and the move to 100% renewable energy tariffs.

You can register to switch here by 21 June. Personal offers will then be sent out from 4 July where you have time to decide if you want to go ahead and switch or not. Your decision to accept or decline the new offer needs to be made by 31 July. For more information, please click here.

As many of us know, switching energy suppliers can be a daunting task. However, the Big Community Switch does all the hard work for you and provides guidance throughout the entire process. Moreover, there is no obligation to switch to the winning supplier once you receive your personal offer.

“I’ve always believed in the principle of Save Money and the Environment (SMATE),” Councillor Adrian Abbs, WBC’s Executive Member for Climate Action, Recycling and Biodiversity said. “Now, during this cost of living crisis, having a chance to do just that with the Big Community Switch makes perfect sense.”

The more people who participate in the scheme, the better the deal that will be reached – so do spread the word and tell your family, friends and neighbours.

Community notices

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

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Classic Car Show, Henwick Worthy Sports Ground.

• Thurs 29 June Carers Drop-In Group, Jubilee Sensory Gardens, Brownfield Road.

• Sat 1 July Summer Fete, St Finian’s School.

• Sun 2 July Hampstead Norreys Open Garden, St Mary’s Church.

• Mon 3 July Barfield Handbell Ringers Free Taster, St Mary’s Church.

• Thurs 13 July Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 9 May and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the election of the Chair and Deputy; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; financial matters; the NDP (see separate section above); byways; committee reports; and councillors’ questions.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 17 March and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 8 June 2023

This week we cover a sensory garden, a market, a raffle, volunteers, netball and Thatcham Youth – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a the VIAN volunteer group and a warning not to expect rapid results from the town-centre strategy.

This week’s news

• Calling all carers: Come on down to the Jubilee Sensory Gardens for a new monthly drop-in group for a chat and a tea or coffee break in the garden. The gardener will also give a tour of her work and let you try your hand at some gardening yourself, if you find it relaxing. The next session will be on Thursday 29 June, from 10am to 1pm. The aim is to create a layback event to enjoy the tranquil garden space and a slice of respite for carers. For details click here.

• This weekend is the Mum2Mum market, over at the Thatcham Catholic Hall, On Saturday from 2pm to 4pm. Come along to pick up nearly-new items of all things baby, children and maternity, sold by other parents. Click here for updates.

• The Eight Bells local mental health charity is holding its Spring Raffle fundraiser and tickets are on sale now. To take part for the chance to win a prize, visit their JustGiving page and donate. Include your name and in the message box, how many tickets you would like (tickets are £1 each) and you will be entered into the raffle and sent your number. The prize draw will take place on Monday 12th June.

• On Sunday 11 June, there will be a Charity Mixed Netball Tournament at the Kennet Leisure Centre. Tickets cost £5 per player and all proceeds are being split between Prostate Cancer UK & Alzheimer’s Society. There will also be a raffle and cake sale. If you would like to register your team or as an individual email rachjseymour11@gmail.com. Click here for more details.

• Are you over 65? If so, West Berkshire Council are interested in how you travel around the district by walking or taking the bus and any challenges or issues affecting your ability to travel, and the things you find most helpful when walking or using buses. Please complete this Active Travel survey by midnight on Friday 16 June.

• West Berkshire Council also wants to hear from people aged 16 and over who either currently live in West Berks or have done so in the last three years, and have experienced any form of domestic abuse. They’d like to know whether you received the support you needed, and what improvements you think could be made. The Domestic Abuse Needs Assessment Survey closes at midnight on Monday 12 June 2023.

• Eight Bells for Mental Health raised an amazing £3,500 during the recent Mental Health Awareness Week. On facebook, they thank members, staff, trustees and donors. “With your help, we will continue offering friendship, support, and a listening ear at our drop-in sessions in Newbury, held every Monday, Thursday, and Friday. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of those who need it most”.

• Local children’s author Larry Hayes is on a mission to get local primary school kids loving writing and loving books. To celebrate the publication of his new book How to be a Kid Boss, he’s taking his hugely popular Creative Writing Workshop for kids on tour to primary schools in West Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Reading and Wiltshire. Any primary school can book Larry for one of 50 free workshops suitable for Years 3 to 6. The workshop is for 30 to 60 children at a time. For more details contact laurencechayes@gmail.com

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with spaniels and ends with friendship. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

For the love of volunteering

There’s an article on p23 of this week’s NWN about the volunteer group VIAN (the Kurdish word for “love” and also the name of the one of the founder’s children) set up by asylum seekers living at the Regency Park Hotel in Thatcham. In March 2023, the group received an Environmental Champions Award from Thatcham Town Council: you can details of the awards here.

Asylum seekers are not allowed to work which means that time must weigh heavy on their hands. There’s only so much time you can spend at an English-language course or on an exercise bike. Hats off to all of them forgetting up such a group and to Thatcham Town Council for giving it its support. You can click here to read an article we wrote in December 2022 shortly after the group was set up.

Life in first gear

I mentioned last week that although there are town-centre strategies in place for Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford (the first being more advanced than the other two) this does not mean that any of the ideas that have been put forward so far will reach fruition quickly, or at all. The process will be long and will require much discussion and consultation with a range of interested parties. The fact that in West Berkshire, and many other districts, there is now a new council administration doesn’t make a great deal of difference. All the election produced was a new driver, not a new car. The municipal engine rarely gets out of first gear and no destination is ever reached quickly. I’m reminded of a remark made by a Spanish ambassador in the Americas during the reign of the notoriously cautious Philip II in the 16th century: “if death came from Madrid,” the diplomat sardonically observed, “we would all live to a very old age.”

To the natural distaste of councils to step on the gas must be added a level of micro-management practised by the government. Rather than fund councils properly, Whitehall’s favoured method of distributing money is to have a bewildering series of grants for specific projects which are ring-fenced and time-limited. This might mean, to pick a hypothetical example, that councils can apply to a fund to have more public recycling bins for plastic and cans installed in town centres. If successful, they will need to have done this by a certain date. They cannot, however, spend it on bins for recycling paper or for general waste: for these there may (or may not) be another round of funding which the council’s officers may (or may not) hear about it time and which they may (or may not) be successful at applying for. Some councils are better than others at working this system and these may not always be the ones that have the most need of the money.

I don’t know how much time in Whitehall is spent administering these grants not how much time is spent by council officers in applying for them but I’d bet that the money saved by abolishing this system would be more than any sums that councils might spend foolishly. Yes, they can make mistakes; but so can the government. Virtually every time a large IT project or a defence contract is awarded one can almost hear the sound of high-denomination banknotes being torn up. The system also sends out the message that the government doesn’t trust local councils. If so, that’s almost to say that they don’t trust the people who elected them.

It may therefore be that any projects which emerge from these town-centre strategies are driven less by what the town needs than by what funding happens to be available at the time. The best that we can all do is engage with the process (a steering group is currently in the process of being set up) so that a case can be made for what’s needed, then hope that the funding can be secured without too many restrictions. But don’t expect anything to happen quickly: first gear, remember…

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 10 June Mum2Mum Market, Catholic Hall, Thatcham.

• Wed 14 June: Watermill on Tour: Mansfield Park, Acland Memorial Hall, Cold Ash – Tickets from Cold Ash Post Office (cash only)

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Classic Car Show, Henwick Worthy Sports Ground.

• Thurs 29 June Carers Drop-In Group, Jubilee Sensory Gardens, Brownfield Road.

• Sat 1 July Summer Fete, St Finian’s School.

• Sun 2 July Hampstead Norreys Open Garden, St Mary’s Church.

• Thurs 13 July Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 17 April and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Friends of Bucklebury Meadows proposal; potholes; the community bus; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; speeding; highways; trees; the cemetery and the chapel; repairs and maintenance; defibrillators; the conservation area appraisal; financial matters; fly-tipping; and a question to Thames Water about local sewerage capacity.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 1 June 2023

This week we cover refills, netball, jumble, writing and bees – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a look at progress on Cold Ash’s NDP and Mansfield Park on tour.

This week’s news

• Thatcham Youth are looking for feedback on the provision that they provide the town. If you have a couple of minutes to complete their quick surveys it would be greatly appreciated Parents and Carers survey and Young People’s survey. For more news see their facebook page here.

• This Saturday 3 June sees Newbury Cats Protection Jumble Sale at Thatcham Catholic Hall on Bath Road. Admission is £1 and there will be clothes, shoes, books, toys, CDs and DVDs, and much more. If you would like to donate an item for them to sell, their Curridge branch is open daily from 11am-3pm, with out of hours donation boxes outside the reception. They will also accept donations on Saturday before the sale, between 9am-10.30am. Click here for more details.

• Eight Bells for Mental Health raised an amazing £3500 during the recent Mental Health Awareness Week. On facebook, they thank members, staff, trustees and donors.“With your help, we will continue offering friendship, support, and a listening ear at our drop-in sessions in Newbury, held every Monday, Thursday, and Friday. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of those who need it most”. This Sunday 4 June they are holding a sponsored walk around Thatcham Lakes. It’s a great chance to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air, and support the Eight Bells community all at once. If you want to show some love, you can individually sponsor any of their members taking part or via their Justgiving page. All are welcome, so if you feel like stretching your legs or charging up your scooter, come along and help the raise some funds.

• Turnpike Road will be closed from Monday 5 to Saturday 10 June, between the hours of 7pm to 5am, from its junctions with Fir Tree Lane to A4 Benham Hill roundabout. The closure is to enable Volker Highways to carry out highway improvements on behalf of West Berkshire Council. All enquiries please contact West Berkshire Council on 01635 519080.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with alpacas and ends with moving forwards. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

Cold Ash’s NDP

The following is taken from the minutes of Cold Ash’s Parish Council meeting on 9 May 2023, which you can read in full here.

“Councillor McArdle updated the Parish Councillors regarding recent activity on the Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). Responses to Regulation 14 have now been received and showed strong support from the Parish and other statutory consultees. Responses have been received from 15 statutory consultees and 50 surveys completed. This represents a very good level of engagement. All Regulation 14 comments have been included in a table that will be included in the Consultation Statement. Each comment has either been accepted, rejected or noted, to show how all comments received had been dealt with.

Councillor McArdle took the council through the headline comments. Cllr McArdle advised that we are in a good position to complete the Regulation 15 documentation in the next four to six weeks, which would enable us to consider commencing Regulation 16 by the end of June 2023. Once submitted, it is West Berkshire Council’s responsibility to run the formal consultation, examination and referendum. The Parish Council would get involved in the selection of an examiner and ensuring momentum is maintained. All results from Regulation 14 would be communicated to the public.”

Mansfield Park on the road

As part of its remit, the excellent Watermill Theatre in Newbury produces a summer show which goes on tour round the area before coming back to HQ for a short run. This year, the touring performance is a dramatisation of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. The Watermill’s website describes this as “an inventive and intelligent outdoor production (which) reveals a fresh perspective on Jane Austen’s classic romance.”

There are 15 touring venues in all. Seven of these are in the area covered by Penny Post and these are listed below. For more information on the production and details of other venues, please click here. All except East Garston’s are for one performance only.

7 and 8 June: East Garston Village Hall – Book online
9 June: Shrivenham Memorial Hall – Book online
14 June: Cold Ash Acland Memorial Hall – Tickets available from Cold Ash Post Office (cash only)
16 June: Kintbury The Old Vicarage – Book online
19 June: Bradfield Village Hall – Book online
23 June: Aldbourne The Old Manor – On sale soon: visit the Watermill website for further details.
24 June: Brimpton Village Hall – Book online

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 3 June Cats Protection Jumble Sale, Catholic Hall, Bath Road, Thatcham.

• Wed 14 June: Watermill on Tour: Mansfield Park, Acland Memorial Hall, Cold Ash – Tickets from Cold Ash Post Office (cash only)

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Classic Car Show, Henwick Worthy Sports Ground.

• Sat 1 July Summer Fete, St Finian’s School.

• Sun 2 July Hampstead Norreys Open Garden, St Mary’s Church.

• Thurs 13 July Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 25 May 2023

This week we cover a new play area, bowls, netball, a fête, scams and stall-holders – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a look at local rural verges, standing room only and opposition to the fishing chalets.

This week’s news

• Last Friday 19 May the brand new Platinum Jubilee play area at Thatcham Memorial Playing Fields, was officially opened and named in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth. The play area equipment is suitable for children with special needs. Children at the Whitland Primary School, got the honour of being the very first to enjoy the new play ground.

• Great news that Thatcham Parish Hall will re-open on Monday 12 June following an extensive electrical re-wiring project. There will be an Open Day to showcase all the activities that take place there. Please see their official Facebook Page for more details.

• This Saturday 27 May the Thatcham Bowls Club are holding an open day. Everyone is welcome to come along and have a free bowls taster session from 10am to 5:30pm, at the Bowling Club on the Memorial Playing Fields.

• Frilsham and Yattendon Village Fete will be on Bank Holiday Monday 29 May with stalls, a raffle, a BBQ and local ale, a dog show, live music, games and competitions, a bouncy castle, May Pole and Morris dancing at Yattendon Village from 1pm to 4.30pm. Please pop along for some fun and to help raise money for good local causes.•Good evening Friends of Thatcham Parish Hall.

• Thatcham Town Council is appealing for more stall-holders for their new Saturday market. Please do get in touch on 01635 863592 or email enquiries@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk to book your pitch. Its only £10.50 for a 3m x 3m pitch.

• Citizens Advice West Berkshire and the Public Protection Partnership are promoting Scam Awareness Week but in truth we need to be scam aware every week. These people are so clever and there is no shame in being caught out. Penny once fell for a facebook messenger scam and would have lost money if her internet banking app wasn’t down. See advice here on how to protect yourself and what to do if you get caught.

• Are you over 65? If so, West Berkshire Council are interested in how you travel around the district by walking or takng the bus and any challenges or issues affecting your ability to travel, and the things you find most helpful when walking or using buses. Please complete this Active Travel survey by midnight on Friday 16 June.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with rhododendrons and ends with temptation. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

All aboard…but don’t expect a seat

The latest news from Bedwyn Train Passenger Group is not great but they are persistent in their lobbying GWR and local MPs. They are, for example, demanding late-night staffing at Newbury station to manage the changes of train now required for Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn passengers.

New timetable changes came in on Monday 22 May. The 0803 no longer calls at Bedwyn: instead you can catch it at Newbury by getting the 0749 shuttle from Bedwyn. On the upside there is a new 0823 service from Bedwyn, direct to Paddington.

But what is affecting most commuters is the 0729 Bedwyn departure has been downgraded from two five-car units to just one. This leads to standing room only from Hungerford and often all the way to Paddington. BTPG reports that GWR has done this to free up an IET (Intercity Express Train) to use elsewhere. The group has protested to GWR that “our line has been looted of enough IETs already.”

Please report to BTPG all occurrences of not being able to get a seat on the 0729. They will then petition GWR with this. Please contact them on info@bedwyntrains.org.uk and we also strongly recommend signing up to their newsletters.

The new team and its shadows

Click here for details of who’s on the Executive and the Shadow Executive at the new-look West Berkshire Council following the 4 May elections.

Hambridge’s Trojan chalets

Thatcham Town Council has lodged an objection to the proposals to build “9 holiday chalets and clubhouse with access from Hambridge Road, parking areas, new pedestrian links and ancillary works” off Hambridge Road. TTC gave five reasons for its objections.

The first, “the nature of the application”, pointed out that several documents were missing and also suggested that, despite the stated aim, “they have the appearance of luxury apartments for permanent occupation.” The document also suggested that its claim to be of benefit to the rural economy was “contrived” and expresses doubts as to whether the fish in the lake would present a suitable attraction for the short-term and temporary market that the development will ostensibly appeal to. All in all, TTC seemed to smell a Trojan horse at work.

The objection goes on to say that the application would offend “policy DM2 in the draft Local Plan on Separation of Settlements around Newbury and Thatcham, and the Green Gaps between Thatcham and Newbury.” (The letter goes on to list these: although this has nothing to do with this application, it’s worth noting that the draft plan makes no provision for such a separation between thatcher and Bucklebury, which many – though not the supporters of the THA20 proposals – would regard as particularly valuable. This may now change under the new administration). The letter rounded off with concerns about the impact on the national cycle route NC4 and the nearby common land.

Newbury Town Council’s objection was more succinct but no less critical: Visual impact, light pollution, flood risk due to tree removal, impacts on ecology, including protected species, dark sky area, water quality and the neighbouring SSSI watercourses downstream, design and access, impact on the green gap between Newbury and Thatcham.”

Both these town councils are only consultees in the planning process and the final decision will be taken in due course by West Berkshire Council or, if the matter goes to an appeal, by the Planning Inspectorate.

On the verge

Now is the time of the year when the 1,700km of rural road verges in West Berkshire are bursting into life, with clouds of cow parsley, oxeye daisies and yellow rattle. Traditionally, our roadside verges were given regular number-one haircuts but now things are changing.

The main reason is that it’s become clear just how important these habitats are. By their nature, verges tend to connect to other verges and to hedges and woods, so providing vital wildlife corridors; much as the roads they follow are vital corridors for us and our vehicles. The West Berkshire Wild Verges project is a collaboration Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and West Berkshire Council to support the use of verges to “make a space for nature.” There are certainly plenty of rural verges to work with in West Berkshire. If all of them were joined end to end they would stretch from Newbury to Madrid. If they were stacked side by side they’d cover over 700 football pitches.

Another reason is cost. Some verges are maintained by councils, which are perennially short of cash. Many private landlords may also see no cutting, or less of it, to be a good way of saving money.

However, there’s also the matter of road safety. If vegetation is obscuring road signs or visibility at junctions then it’s the landowner’s responsibility to deal with it and the council has the power to enforce them to do so.

We contacted WBC on 23 May to ask what its policy was. “Rural grass cutting tends to take place between end of Aug and March to avoid this kind of issue,” a spokesperson told us, “and we concentrate on urban routes during the summer. We have reduced verge cutting in urban areas which is allowing dandelions, cuckoo flower and buttercups to flourish. We are totally cognisant of the value of verges for wildlife.”

You can also click here to listen (from 7′ 20″) to the recent Sheepdrove Eco Show on 4LEGS Radio to see how Sheepdrove Organic Farm manages the verges by the side of the tracks and paths on its land.

Community notices

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham Library and Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 27 May Have a go at Bowls, Thatcham Bowling Club, Thatcham.

• Mon 29 May Yattendon & Frilsham Village Fete, Yattendon Village.

• Wed 14 June: Watermill on Tour: Mansfield Park, Acland Memorial Hall, Cold Ash – Tickets from Cold Ash Post Office (cash only)

• Sun 2 July Hampstead Norreys Open Garden, St Mary’s Church.

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Classic Car Show, Henwick Worthy Sports Ground.

• Thurs 13 July Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 27 March and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 11 April 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. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 4 April 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 Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 27 March and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 18 May 2023

This week we cover a new town council, football, stall-holders, raffle prizes, a dismissed appeal and bees – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

Scroll down below “This weeks news” for a look at an application for 200 homes in Henwick, possible chalets on Hambridge Lake, Mansfield Park comes to Brimpton and Cold Ash and a secret garden (also in Cold Ash).

This week’s news

• Meet the new Thatcham Town Council in this photo back row L to R: Ben Schiffer-Harte, Owen Jeffery, Jeff Brooks, Justin Pemberton, Tom McCann, Iain Cottingham, Lee Dillon, Jeremy Cottam, Simon Pike. Front row L to R: Stephanie Steevenson, Val Watts, Christine Rice, Deputy Mayor Suzanne Adamantos, Mayor Mark Lillycrop, Mike Cole, Petra Pemberton, Jay Lunn, John Boyd.

• Join Thatcham Town Council this Friday 19 May in their beautiful sensory garden on Brownsfield Road for an afternoon of fun to celebrate Dementia Action Week. Guests can look forward to afternoon tea, chair dancing, ukulele music and lively tunes. It promises to be a delightful event filled with laughter and wonderful music from 11am to 3pm. It’s a great opportunity to come together as a community and show support for those living with dementia.

• The Planning Inspector has dismissed the appeal for the development at Lawrences Lane in Thatcham. “In November 2021,” a statement from WBC reads, “the Council refused planning permission for seven gypsy/traveller pitches, each with a static caravan, day room, and touring caravan, as well as associated works. The applicant appealed the decision and a public inquiry was held across December 2022 and April 2023. The decision by the Planning Inspectorate supports the Council’s approach to resisting harmful developments coming forward that are contrary to its policies.”

• On the topic of ladies football, Thatcham & Newbury Town Ladies and Girls FC, have just announced their new Wildcats Centre is now up and running for girls who want to start their football journey. The Wildcats programme specifically aims to encourage girls aged 5-11 to get involved in football, promoting skill development, health, confidence and friendship. Sessions are every Wednesday at Lower Way playing fields in Thatcham, from 6pm to 7pm. Email thatcham.newbury.girls.fc.fdo@gmail.com to get involved.

• Eight Bells for Mental Health charity invites local residents to join them in making a difference for Mental Health Awareness Week from 15 to 21 May. See here for how to engage with them during the week as they do outreach. The theme of the week is anxiety which is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem. If you or a loved one is facing these issues, check out the national Mental Health Awareness Week information.

• Whitelands Park Primary School PTA requests raffle prize donations from local businesses for their summer fair in July. If you can donate a prize such as a product, cash or a voucher, the PTA would be extremely grateful and the money raise will go towards the school. If you can help, please send a message or email to fow@whitelandsparkprimary.co.uk.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with blue tits and ends with bravery. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Henwick’s homes

An application has recently been validated for a proposed development in Henwick Park, to the north of Thatcham. The reference number is 23/00798/OUTMAJ and full details can be seen here on WBC’s website. The summary of the application is as follows:

“Outline application (with all matters reserved except for site access to the highway) for up to 80 bed care home (Class C2), up to 200 residential dwellings (Class C3) comprising market, 45% (up to 90 no.) affordable and 10% (up to 20 no.) self/custom-build homes (Class C3) and public open space including a country park, allotments, community orchard, trim trail and equipped play areas, together with access from Bowling Green Road and Cold Ash Hill, landscaping, sustainable drainage systems and associated works and infrastructure.”

Neither Thatcham Town Council (TTC) nor the Lib Dem group which now has control of WBC has ever denied the need for new housing, particularly of the affordable and social-rent kind. The main point of difference between them and the previous administration concerned the policy of concentrating 2,500 (later reduced to 1,500) homes in north east Thatcham. It is this proposal, known as THA20, that TTC and the then Lib Dem opposition group strenuously opposed. One of the points they made was that there were several possible sites which WBC had not, in their view, investigated as potential options. One of these was this very site at Henwick Park, a second application for which has now been lodged.

The new administration has said that it wants to pause the current scrutiny of the local plan by HM Planning Inspectorate (HMPI) so that the section pertaining to THA20 can be redrafted. This may have knock-on effect for the rest of the massive document. Whether HMPI feels that these can be incorporated as a modification or if the whole thing needs to be re-done – or whether the government decides to step in and mandate that the thing be passed as it stands, as happened in South Oxfordshire in 2019 – remains to be seen. However, this latest application is a timely reminder to both WBC and HMPI that options other than THA20 do exist.

TTC will be considering the application at its Planning Committee meeting on 23 May, the agenda for which you can see here. One of the agenda items is a document objecting to the plans, which you can see here. This lists a number of grounds on which the application falls foul of the draft local plan (to which the planning department, the planning committee and, if it gets to an appeal, HMPI must give some weight). Remove THA20 from the equation, however, and many of TTC’s objections disappear.

If THA20 is to be killed off as it stands, then this will be the first of many such applications which will be proposing homes to replace those previously proposed for north east Thatcham. Each will be considered on its planning merits and interpreted according to both the current plan and, increasingly, the draft one: though what exactly the draft plan will be is still uncertain. This can’t make planning decisions any easier.

Hambridge’s chalets

Another recent planning application is 23/00989/FULMAJ: “Construction of 9 holiday chalets and clubhouse with access from Hambridge Road, parking areas, new pedestrian links and ancillary works at Hambridge Lake Hambridge Road Newbury.” This is a trimmed-down version of an application which was refused in 2020 and refused again on appeal the following year. One of the concerns was that the chalets would be a Trojan horse for more continuous occupation rather than just chalets for recreational purposes.

The developers have decided to have another try. There may be an element of urgency in this for them. It’s debatable whether these proposals would offend the policy in the current local plan that seeks to maintain some distinction between Newbury and Thatcham (and other places). It would, however, be very likely to fall foul of the new policy in the draft plan. As I understand matters, the closer to ratification the new local plan gets, the more consideration must be given to it in making decisions. The sooner this application is decided, therefore, the more likely it is to pass. If, as the new WBC administration intends, the local plan is paused and requires significant work, it may not be getting closer but further away. Alice Through the Looking Glass springs to mind…

Cold Ash’s secret garden

In the middle of Cold Ash is a seven acre Wildlife Allotment Garden (WAG) that finally got its day in the sun on Bank Holiday Monday 8 May when many visitors enjoyed their Open Day, inspired by the Coronation’s Big Help Out.

The derelict area that hadn’t been open to the public for decades has been transformed by a committed group of volunteers who have created a meadow with sculptures, picnic tables and a small bridge over the watercourse that runs through the centre of the site. Over 100 trees, supplied by the Woodland Trust, have been planted by the community. The site also reflects Cold Ash’s rural history with grazng areas for livestock, wildflower meadows and recently a Quiet Garden area has been established, framed by three Japanese Cherry Blossom trees.

Read the full story here shared with us by Cold Ash Parish Council.

Mansfield Park on the road

“When young Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy cousins,” the summary continues, “she quickly grows from a timid child into a clever, witty young woman with a fine moral compass. At Mansfield Park, Fanny meets the frivolous Crawfords. They introduce her to a world of reckless flirtation, unrequited love, and decadence. As their antics escalate, Fanny is led further astray until her uncle’s departure to visit his plantation in Antigua. Forced to confront the source of her family’s wealth and its true cost, Fanny must ask some difficult questions. Where does she belong? Will she ever find love? And what does it take to be the heroine of your own life?

“In collaboration with Two Gents Productions, the Watermill’s Mansfield Park fuses European regency with a Trans-Atlantic chorus for a fresh take on Jane Austen’s classic and an honest look at our colonial past.”

7 and 8 June: East Garston Village Hall – Book online
9 June: Shrivenham Memorial Hall – Book online
14 June: Cold Ash Acland Memorial Hall – Tickets available from Cold Ash Post Office (cash only)
16 June: Kintbury The Old Vicarage – Book online
19 June: Bradfield Village Hall – Book online
23 June: Aldbourne The Old Manor – On sale soon: visit the Watermill website for further details.
24 June: Brimpton Village Hall – Book online

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Thurs 25 May SustainHUBable Market, St Francis Parish Hall, Warren Road, Thatcham.

• Sat 27 May Have a go at Bowls, Thatcham Bowling Club, Thatcham.

• Mon 29 May Yattendon & Frilsham Village Fete, Yattendon Village.

• Sun 2 July Hampstead Norreys Open Garden, St Mary’s Church.

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Sun 25 June Thatcham Classic Car Show, Henwick Worthy Sports Ground.

• Thurs 13 July Thatcham Comedy Club, Thatcham Rugby Club.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 27 March and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 11 April and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: public participation; report from the ward members; the Clerk’s report; planning matters; financial matters; an update on the neighbourhood development plan; and questions from the councillors.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 11 May 2023

This week we cover a new market, cake, a raffle, a fete and the WI. We also take a look at how the composition of the Town Council has changed as a result of the election – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Thatcham Town Council’s new weekly Saturday Market starts this Saturday 13 May and will continue until the end of September. The focus is on local small business and start-ups. If you run a small business and would like a stall, please register your interest with the Council at enquires@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk and they will be in touch. More details can be found here.

• This Saturday 13 May there will be a Coffee and Cake Fundraiser at St Mary’s Church, Thatcham in aid of Time to Talk, who offer youth counselling for 11-25 year olds in West Berkshire. The event will be from 10am to 4pm, so just drop in. Click here for details.

• Thatcham’s Mayor Making ceremony will take place this Sunday 14 May 2.30pm to 4.3opm at the Frank Hutchins Hall, along with the long awaited unveiling of the Legacy Tapestry. The art work is a homage to the late Queen Elizabeth II, depicting 45 scenes from the Queen’s life and significant world events which happened during her reign. The piece was created in collaboration with various local artists and craftspeople. After the grand reveal the tapestry will remain in the Frank Hutchins Hall, which is being re-named the Jubilee Room.

• Eight Bells for Mental Health charity invites local residents to join them in making a difference for Mental Health Awareness Week from 15 to 21 May. Pop in to their Open Day on Monday 15 May at Newbury Friends Meeting House or see here for more details on how to engage with them during the week as they do outreach in Thatcham and Newbury.

• Are you over 65? If so, West Berkshire Council would like to understand your walking behaviour and experience of using buses within West Berkshire. They are interested in finding out how people aged 65 and over move around the district and any challenges or issues affecting your ability to travel, and the things you find most helpful when walking or using buses. If you’d like to take part, please complete this survey by midnight on Friday 16 June.

• Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire 2023 runs until May 29 with local artists opening their studios and exhibitions free of charge. They make entering any art space a comfortable experience, to encourage and promote accessibility to art and artists. See their website for details. Work by all participating artists is also exhibited at the wonderful INSIGHT exhibition at The Base, Greenham until 29 May 2023.

• We’ve lost nearly 97% of flower rich meadows since the 1970s and with them is gone vital food needed by pollinators like bees and butterflies. A healthy lawn with some long grass and wildflowers benefits wildlife, tackles pollution and can even lock away carbon below ground – and best of all, to reap these benefits all you have to do is not mow your lawn in May (or ideally for longer). For more information on No Mow May, click here.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a buzzard and ends with respect. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

The orange wave

It’s moot point as to whether town councils should be political (personally, I’d prefer it if they weren’t) but that’s entirely a matter for them. The larger the place, the more likely this is to happen. The only two political town councils in West Berkshire are Newbury and Thatcham (further afield, Wantage’s is and Marlborough’s isn’t). The powers of a town or parish council are fairly limited but, depending on their size, they may command a significant budget and have a number of projects on the go (such as the café in Victoria Park in Newbury) which will be locally significant.

They also act as advocates for the interests of their town and, in this regard, the TCs of Newbury and Thatcham (which for the last four years have been dominated by the Lib Dems) have often found themselves in opposition to the parent authority. The fact the some people are members of both bodies doubtless adds a bit of spice to the debates.

In the case of Newbury, the main battle lines were over the closure of the Faraday Road football ground; and also, to a lesser extent, over pedestrianisation in the town centre (which the TC supported and which, save for a brief Covid-recover period, WBC did not). In Thatcham, the main point of conflict has been an issue even large that the football pitch muddle: THA20, the proposed construction of 2,500 homes (later reduced to 1,500) to the north east of the town. Both the closure of Faraday Road and THA20 were consistently opposed by these two councils.

If the popularity otherwise of a point of view can be measured by an election, the result in both towns can be seen as a comprehensive thumbs-down for these two policies. In Newbury TC, which previously had one Conservative and two Greens ranged against 20 Lib Dems, the Tories lost their only seat. In Thatcham all three Conservatives were defeated in the 18-seat council (the only non-Lib Dem member was an Independent who had previously been a Lib Dem but needed to resign her part membership when she was appointed to a politically sensitive job a few years ago). As a result, the Lib Dems now hold every seat.

The point having been made, the job of a town councillor is perhaps made more difficult if it only appears to represent on party’s views. As the two town councils are now from the same party as the WBC administration, one also wonders if this will make it harder for the towns to stand up to their parent authority if the interests of town and district don’t align. Of the 84 politically elected seats in the district (the two town councils and WBC) eleven are Conservative, four green and one Labour. All the rest are Lib Dems. Time will tell if the mathematics will enable the necessary level of scrutiny and challenge.

You can see the full results for Newbury Town Council by clicking here; and for Thatcham Town Council by clicking here.

Reflecting on the election

The local elections are over and the results confirmed, indeed exceeded, the worst fears of the Conservatives. In West Berkshire, which we covered particularly closely, the Lib Dems took control of the council with a large majority. Both the leader and the Deputy Leader, as well as two other members of the Executive lost their seats. As for the other parties, the Green’s performance was surprisingly disappointing, being reduced from three members to two. Labour won its first ever place on the Council, Clive Taylor taking the second berth in Tilehurst Birch Copse by just one vote.

This leaves the overall results as 29 Lib Dems, 11 Conservatives, two Greens and one Labour. The administration therefore has more than twice as many seats as do the other parties combined. It remains to be seen if this will enable adequate scrutiny to take place. Here are a few thoughts on what happened and why…

Reflecting on the coronation

On 10 May, Penny visited Educafé in Newbury, as she usually dies, on this occasion with Newbury College student Max Taucher who’s been doing some work experience with us this week. They started chatting to people about the recent coronation and they soon realised that the many and varied comment merited a separate article – so here it is…

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 13 May Coffee and Cake Fundraiser, St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s Church.

• Sun 14 May Mayor Making and Jubilee Tableau Unveiling, Frank Hutchins Hall.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 27 May Have a go at Bowls, Thatcham Bowling Club, Thatcham.

• Mon 29 May Yattendon & Frilsham Village Fete, Yattendon Village.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 30 January and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 4 April and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: potholes; verge damage; a litter pick on 23 April; inconsiderate tanker parking; the coronation; speeding; planning matters; financial matters; reports from the Chair, the Clerk and the ward member; and the Village Hall.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 March 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 the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 11 January and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 4 May 2023

This week we cover raffles, bees, tea, an exhibition and nature volunteering. We also look out for some swifts and take a look at what happens next with the local elections – plus our usual round-up of other local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• If you’re still looking for a way to spend the coronation weekend, join the Thatcham United Reformed Church for an indulgent Afternoon Tea on Sunday 7 May from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. For £7.50, you’ll be treated to a scrumptious selection of tea, scones, and cakes at British School Hall, on Church Lane. Pre-book your tickets by emailing thatcham.urc@ntlworld.com or calling 07880 558 067. For more details click here – and for more coronation events, see event section below.

• New and prospective members are very welcome at the next friendly Thatcham WI meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday 11 May at Thatcham Memorial Hall. For more information on this large and active group, please see here.

• Quick reminder that Thatcham Town Council’s new weekly Saturday Market, starts on Saturday 13 May and will continue until the end of September. The focus is on local small business and start-ups. If you run a small business and would like a stall, please register your interest with the Council at enquires@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk and they will be in touch. More details can be found here.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a butterfly and ends with reading. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Swift watch

Swifts are the last migrant birds to arrive in the UK and these amazing birds need our help as their traditional nesting places in building nooks and crannies are disappearing as is their food source of insects. Swifts are black boomerangs, scything and flickering through the air, often in squadrons of ‘screaming parties’. These small birds spend the first three or four years of their life totally on the wing, only landing when they are ready to breed, and they are the fastest birds in level flight. Here is a guide to distinguish them from swallows and house martins.

Swifts mate for life and meet their mates at the same nest every year. If you can identify where swifts are nesting or even see them flying low please log them on the RSPB’s Swift Mapper or let us know so that new swift boxes might be able to be installed close to where the birds might see them (see RSPB advice on how to attract swifts to new boxes).

Out for the count

The polls for the local elections close at 10pm on 4 May and, in West Berkshire at least, the count begins the following morning at 9am. The first stage, which could take several hours, is verifying all the ballot boxes. Totalling up the votes will probably start at about lunchtime with the results expected from late afternoon. It’s the Returning Officer’s hope that all the results will be declared on Friday. If not, due to the bank holiday, the process will be resumed on Tuesday. The process in West Berkshire takes place at Newbury Racecourse but is not open to the public.

You can click here to read an interview we did last month with WBC’s Returning Officer (and CEO), Nigel Lynn.

You can click here to see details of the whole voting procedure. Once the results of the district election have been decalred, the composition of the new council will be updated on this page. The full results will be summarised on WBC’s website as soon as possible after the declarations. I’ll be visiting the count during the afternoon and will have a report on this and the overall figures in next week’s Penny Post.

As well as the elections for the 43 WBC members, there are also four town and parish elections taking place. The first two, for Newbury and Thatcham, are no surprise as these are traditionally political and have contested elections (where there are more candidates than there are are seats). Two parishes, East Ilsley and Stanford Dingley, are also having contested elections because more candidates were nominated than there are seats available. In the other parishes, the elections are uncontested as the number of candidates was equal to or less than the number of seats available. These candidates will be described as having been elected unopposed.

(This is different from the way by which council may later be topped up by co-opting new members. All councillors –whether elected opposed, elected unopposed or co-opted – have exactly the same status. The only difference is if the council has General Powers of Competence which give it greater discretion in how it may act. There are two pre-conditions for this: the council must have a fully qualified Clerk; and it must have at least two-thirds of its members elected (opposed or unopposed), rather than co-opted. If either of these conditions ceases to apply, the council loses its GPC status until these are remedied.)

It’s also worth noting that no parish or town council meetings can happen until after 15 May. This is because the official swap-over day (when the old council is replaced by the new) is on 9 May. Even if the new members are already known, they aren’t formally councillors until after this date. In the case of contested elections, the composition of the council clearly will not be known until the results have been declared. In either case, there then needs to follow a notice period of at least five clear days before the new council can meet.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 7 May King’s Coronation Tea Party, Thatcham Cricket Club Playing Field.

• Sun 7 to Mon 8 May Coronation Exhibition 2023, Blue Coat School.

• Mon 7 May Thatcham Then and Now Historical Talk, Blue Coat School.

• Sun 14 May Mayor Making and Jubilee Tableau Unveiling, Frank Hutchins Hall.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 27 April 2023

This week we cover a new market, football, French food, volunteering and dementia action. We also say another farewell to a long-standing ward member, draw your attention to the candidates standing for the town council and invite you to tune in to the next election special on Kennet Radio – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Thatcham Town Council want to hear about your plans to celebrate the King’s Coronation. Whatever it is you are organising, tell them the details by sending an email to events.manager@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk.

• This Saturday 29 April Thatcham welcomes back an authentic French Market for a day of culinary delights in The Broadway from 9am to 4pm. Visitors can expect to find a range of delicious and authentic French products, including fresh bread, pastries, cheeses, charcuterie, crêpes, galettes, and other traditional French dishes. The market promises to bring a taste of France to the heart of the town.

• Thatcham Town Council are launching a new weekly Saturday Market, starting from 13 May and continuing ever weekend until end of September. The aim of this new market is to focus on local small business and start-ups. If you run a small business and would like a stall, please register your interest with the Council at enquires@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk and they will be in touch. More details can be found here.

• The Thatcham Town Harriers Football Club are looking for new players to join their brand new girls U6 division (current school year 1). They meet on the Henwick Playing Fields on Saturday mornings for training. If your child would be interested contact Josh at 07538483437. For more details about the club, visit their website.

• The lastest West Berks Council Environment News includes boiler upgrade scheme, reducing waste at Coronation events, reusable nappies, flood risk management schemes, funding for nature projects for schools and young people, using the bus and sharing car journeys. See details here.

• The Thatcham Historical Society is excited to announce their free Coronation Exhibition 2023 at the Old Bluecoat School from Sunday 7 to Monday 8 May, 10am to 4pm. A local history exhibition incluing timelines of the late Queen’s reign and King Charles III, as well as various pieces of memorabilia. On Monday 8 May at 7:30pm, local historian Dr. Nick Young will give a talk on Thatcham Then and Now, looking back at various scenes around the town and comparing it with the present day. Discover the history of the buildings, people, and locations that make Thatcham unique. Cost is only £3 payable on the door, and all proceeds go to the Old Bluecoat School Charity to help with ongoing restoration efforts. Click here for further details.

• Quick reminder that Old Bluecoat School building needs to raise £5,000 towards the cost of replacing its draughty old oak doors. For more information, please see here.

• And the library is also holding a prize draw to win a coronation teddy bear. Open to all West Berkshire library members, all you have to do is pop into the library with your membership card to enter. A winner will be picked in each library on Saturday 6 May.

• The Mayor of Thatcham is inviting all local residents to a King’s Coronation Tea Party complete with a jazz band, local dancers and even royal themed cake. That’ll be taking place at the Thatcham Town Cricket Club Playing Field, from 2:30pm on Sunday 7 May. Click here to keep up to date.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a lamb and ends with Robert Frost. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Thatcham’s candidates

As well as seeing elections for West Berkshire Council, Thursday 4 May will also give residents of Thatcham the chance to vote for their Town Councillors. All 18 seats are up for grabs. Currently, the Town Council has 14 Lib Dems, three Conservatives and one Independent.

You can see a full list of the nominated candidates by clicking here.

The town is for electoral purposes divided in to four wards: Central (which will return five councillors); Crookham (three); North East (five); and West (five).

Covering the contest

West Berkshire (and many other districts) goes to the polls in the local elections on 4 May 2023. We’ve produced a number of articles relevant to this which we hope will be of interest and use in helping you make up your mind who to vote for on the big day and you can see links to them all here. These include the need for voter ID, a list of all the candidates (with some of them answering some questions), a ward-specific questionnaire, the views of the leaders, election radio specials, a chat with the Returning Officer, some background reading and an excursion into a parallel democratic universe.

Kennet Radio’s Local Election Special

I’ve been joining Jeremy Sharp on Kennet Radio’s series of election specials which discusses various themes with invited representatives of each of the main political parties contesting seats in the elections in West Berkshire.

The first Local Election Special was on Friday 7 April and the theme was the environment, transport and the countryside. The guests were David Marsh (Green Party); Adrian Abbs (Liberal Democrats); Suzie Ferguson (tbc) ((Labour); and Steve Ardagh-Walter (Conservatives). You can listen to the programme by clicking here.
The second one on Friday 14 April covered planning, development and housing. The guests were Caroline Culver (Green Party), Alan Law (Conservative Party), Clive Taylor (Labour Party) and Tony Vickers (Liberal Democrats). You can listen to that here.
The third one on Friday 21 April covered governance, structure and finance. The guests were Jeff Brooks (Liberal Democrats), Charlie Coral (Labour), Lynne Doherty (Conservatives) and David Marsh (Green Party). You can listen to that here.
The fourth and final one will be on Friday 28 April from 4pm to 5pm and will cover health & wellbeing, social care, leisure and culture. You can tune in on 106.7FM if you’re in the coverage area: for other options, please visit the website. The programme will also be available as a listen again from about ten minutes after the show has finished.

36 years on the job

As mentioned last week, one person who will for the first time this century be needing to tick a name other than his own on the ballot paper is Graham Pask.

He has been West Berkshire Council’s ward member for Bucklebury for a remarkable 36 years: that’s not quite true, as WBC is only 25 years old: before that, it was Newbury District Council and he was on that too, and much involved in the change-over. He’s held a wide number of jobs, most recently – in my view and that of many others – as an excellent Chair of of the Eastern Area Planning Committee, which looks at some of the more complex development issues in the right-hand part of the district. He won’t be standing again in May.

We’re delighted that he agreed to be added to our roll-call of local people who have agreed to submit to the ultimate scrutiny of a Penny Post interview. His past jobs, his thoughts on the challenges facing the district, his regrets and – most importantly – his desert-island choices of music, book and luxury item are all revealed here. Congratulations for your 36 years in the municipal saddle, Graham: we wish you a long and happy retirement.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 29 Apr Authentic French Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sun 7 May King’s Coronation Tea Party, Thatcham Cricket Club Playing Field.

• Sun 7 to Mon 8 May Coronation Exhibition 2023, Blue Coat School.

• Mon 7 May Thatcham Then and Now Historical Talk, Blue Coat School.

• Sun 14 May Mayor Making and Jubilee Tableau Unveiling, Frank Hutchins Hall.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 27 March and you can read the minutes here. items covered included: some comments about chairmanship; bus shelters; a report from ward member Graham Pask; financial matters; and planning matters.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: public participation; report from the ward members; the Clerk’s report; the tennis court; planning matters; financial matters; the NDP; the Acland Hall; and the annual parish meeting.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Clerk’s report; grants; planning matters; the Meadows and Hockett Field; the Playpark; speeding; grit bins; the conservation area appraisal; repairs and maintenance work; financial matters; and reports from outside bodies.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 20 April 2023

This week we cover tea, then and now, a focus, football and bikes. We also look at two different views of how housing numbers for Thatcham (and indeed the district) should be decided, get a sneak preview of the Jubilee Tableau, say farewell to a long-standing ward member and invite you to tune in to the next election special on Kennet Radio – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Quick reminder that Old Bluecoat School building needs to raise £5,000 towards the cost of replacing its draughty old oak doors. For more information, please see here.

• Don’t forget that the Government’s Emergency Alert trial will be carried out this weekend. The test alert will take place at 3pm on Sunday 23 April, will be received on mobile phones, along with sound and vibration for up to 10 seconds. You will receive a message on the home screen which will say” This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby”. If you live with an abusive partner and have a secret or secondary phone, here is advice on how to switch off the alerts so they don’t reveal the existence of your phone.

• This weekend Thatcham Library invites families in on Saturday 22 April to celebrate the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III. There will be music, crafts and games to enjoy, with a royal treasure hunt and prizes for all. Drop in, anytime between 10am and 12pm to enjoy the fun.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a lamb and ends with Einstein. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

36 years on the job

Graham Pask has been West Berkshire Council’s ward member for Bucklebury for a remarkable 36 years: that’s not quite true, as WBC is only 25 years old: before that, it was Newbury District Council and he was on that too, and much involved in the change-over. He’s held a wide number of jobs, most recently – in my view and that of many others – as an excellent Chair of of the Eastern Area Planning Committee, which looks at some of the more complex development issues in the right-hand part of the district. He won’t be standing again in May.

“Countryside versus Thatcham” part two

Last week on Kennet Radio, Jeremy Sharp and I interviewed four candidates, one from each party (Carolyne Culver of the Greens, Alan Law of the Conservatives, Clive Taylor of Labour and Tony Vickers of the Lib Dems) on the subject of housing, planning and development. You can listen again to the occasionally robust exchange of views in the programme by clicking here. Councillors Law and Vickers are also conducting a debate in the letters pages of the Newbury Weekly News.

Last week, Alan Law (under the heading of “countryside versus Thatcham,” which made it seem like a judgement in a court case) justified his party’s plans for the large development to the north east of the town and criticised the Lib Dem’s approach to this and housebuilding policies generally. I made a number of comments about this in a section in the Thatcham Area Weekly News section on 13 April. Many of his points appeared to assume wide agreement that more homes in any particular area would be unwelcome. I said in my article that this depended on what kind of homes they were. Most people agree that we need more smaller homes, whether social-rent, shared-ownership or for sale. Many communities might welcome such developments.

This week, it was Tony Vickers’ turn to reply, claiming that Alan Law has “misrepresented” his party’s policy on planning and housing. I suggested in the above-mentioned piece last week what the Lib Dem’s position on these and his letter appears to confirm this. What I said was:

“As I understand matters, the plan is to place about 700 of them in sites in or just outside Thatcham which have already been proposed but which have not so far found favour with WBC; about 550 in brownfield sites in the Newbury and Thtacham settlement areas; and about 200 in other parts of the district, including in villages. If you exclude Newbury and Thatcham and the parishes affected by the DEPZ, that’s perhaps 40 parishes. 200 homes would be an average of five in each parish: and some parishes have more than one village in them. This doesn’t seem overwhelming, as Alan Law implies.”

Tony Vickers’ letter goes on to make a number of points including about the need for the AONB to be a working landscape, the importance of achieving more sustainability in house construction and a promise to “learn as much as possible about the plans of the many large estates and social housing providers,” this presumably in an attempt to see if land trusts or rural exception sites can be established which will provide housing without incurring the massive land costs that normally apply when there’s a sniff of a planning application in the air. He also refers to the party’s Viable Villages proposal which would aim to ensure that these not only had the right housing mix but also enough residents to support the infrastructure that already exists there or nearby. All of these seem like ideas that are worth discussing.

Whether they can be, in a constructive and cross-party way – particularly right now during an election – is another matter. New ideas are certainly needed: as, perhaps, is a new way of agreeing and implementing them.

The jubilee tableau

Work is progressing Thatcham’s Legacy Project (now officially named the The Thatcham Jubilee Tableau) which was launched in June last year. This community scheme consists of forty five 40cm x 40cm panels depicting scenes from the late Queen’s 70-year reign.

The scenes have been developed by over 50 local based crafters in a wide range of techniques that include marquetry, felting, watercolour, acrylic, oils, embroidery, cross-stitch, crochet, photography and more. Fifteen of the scenes are devoted to events in the Queens’ life including a state dinner with the Kennedys; a trip to China and the Great Wall, the Investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales in 1969 and so on.

Fifteen of the scenes are of events that occurred and influenced the United Kingdom, including Hilary reaching the top of Everest, the sixties, including the Beatles and the World Cup win, the 2012 Olympics and including the Pandemic and the NHS. The final fifteen scenes are of events that took place across the world such as the Polio vaccines (introducing mass vaccination), the Berlin wall (being built and dismantled), the launch of the Worldwide Web and including the Ukraine war. All but two of the panels have been completed.

It will be hung in the larger room at the Frank Hutchings Hall which is to be re-named the Jubilee Room. Several companies have come forward to support the project and we are seeking more organisations who wish to be associated with this ambitious work. There will be a pre-view of the tableau on the evening of 12 May and the formal unveiling will take place at the Mayor Making meeting and ceremony on 14 May.

Covering the contest

Kennet Radio’s Local Election Special

Brian has been asked by Jeremy Sharp from Kennet Radio to join him for a series of election specials which will be broadcast on Kennet Radio. In each programme they will be covering a different theme and to discuss this Kennet Radio has invited representatives of each of the main political parties contesting seats in the elections in West Berkshire..

The next one will be on Friday 21 April from 4pm to 5pm and will cover governance, structure and finance.

You can tune in on 106.7FM if you’re in the coverage area: for other options, please visit the website. The programme will also be available as a listen again from about ten minutes after the show has finished.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 22 Apr Coronation Celebration, Thatcham Library.

• Wed 26 Apr Fundraiser Quiz Night, Newbury Rugby Club, Monks Lane.

• Sat 29 Apr Authentic French Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sun 7 May King’s Coronation Tea Party, Thatcham Cricket Club Playing Field.

• Sun 7 to Mon 8 May Coronation Exhibition 2023, Blue Coat School.

• Mon 7 May Thatcham Then and Now Historical Talk, Blue Coat School.

• Sun 14 May Mayor Making and Jubilee Tableau Unveiling, Frank Hutchins Hall.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 23 January and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 19 January 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. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 13 April 2023

This week we cover a concert, a better service, oak doors, tea and an exhibition. We also look at two different views of how Thatcham’s housing numbers should be decided and invite you to tune in to the next election special on Kennet Radio – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• This Saturday 15 April Thatcham Rotary Club will be hosting a charity concert with the world renowned Cor Meibion Morlais Male Voice Choir. Tickets are £21 each, and all proceeds will go towards the Newbury Soup Kitchen as well as other local charities. The event will be taking place at Brockhurst School in Hermitage, from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Click here for more details and to book online.

• Thatcham Library invites families in on Saturday 22 April to celebrate the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III. There will be music, crafts and games to enjoy, with a royal treasure hunt and prizes for all. Drop in, anytime between 10am and 12pm to enjoy the fun.

• Crookham Hill, Thatcham will be closed on Monday 17 April between 9.30am and 3.30pm. The closure is from its junctions with Chamberhouse Mill Lane and Burys Bank Road for highway improvements. Resident access will be maintained throughout. All enquiries please contact Highways Improvements at West Berkshire Council on 01635 519080 or see one.network for more details.

• This week’s NWN reports, on p28, that that the Old Bluecoat School building needs to raise £5,000 towards the cost of replacing its oak doors. For more information, please click here.

• The same paper reports, on p26, that Thatcham’s Royal Mail service should now have improved following a review of procedures at the local sorting office. This will be a satisfaction to local WBC ward member Owen Jeffery who has been helping residents address this problem for some time.

• Quick reminder that Thatcham Community Larder is open from 1.30pm to 5.30pm on Wednesdays in the Frank Hutchins Hall. They offer affordable food items (starting at £3.50 per week) that reduce food waste and much more besides. There are refreshments and friendly conversation, recipe sharing, craft activities, seated exercise and signposting for any further help needed. Follow them on facebook for more details.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

“Countryside versus Thatcham”

This is the rather combative headline – whether created by the author or the editor I couldn’t say – to a letter which kicks off the correspondence section in this week’s NWN. It is part two of the promised tour d’horizon of the local political landscape by Councillor Alan Law.

He kicks off by saying that there are “only two main topics of significant difference on which the election will be fought”, these being housing and the local plan, and the tax-and-spend plans. I agree that these are important but my own examination here of the claims made by the three main parties suggests several other matters of contention including CIL payments, the LRIE, the progress towards carbon neutrality and transport. Some of these will test more highly in some wards than others but he’s certainly right that the two issues he picks out affect pretty much everyone. It’s also worth pointing out that the election is really about choosing councillors to represent you. Those who are re-standing will be judged according to how well they have served their residents rather than on their party allegiances.

He then said that the Greens and Labour have “little of significance” to say on these matters. Certainly as regards the Greens, I don’t think this is fair (see above link) but suspect that the main aim here was to clear the table for the real purpose of the letter, an attack on the views of the local Liberal Democrats on the local plan and, in particular, the allocation of at least 1,500 homes in north east Thatcham. Fair enough: it’s election time, after all.

Alan Law asks a number of rhetorical questions, mainly on the theme of where the 1,500 homes will go if not in north east Thatcham. I think I might be able to help him here. As I understand matters, the plan is to place about 700 of them in sites in or just outside Thatcham which have already been proposed but which have not so far found favour with WBC; about 550 in brownfield sites in the Newbury and Thtacham settlement areas; and about 200 in other parts of the district, including in villages. If you exclude Newbury and Thatcham and the parishes affected by the DEPZ, that’s perhaps 40 parishes. 200 homes would be an average of five in each parish: and some parishes have more than one village in them. This doesn’t seem overwhelming, as he implies.

There will be problems with this. One is ensuring that as many as possible of the 200-odd “other” homes are affordable or social rent. This could be addressed through the rural exceptions sites provision in the NPPF (see here for a plain-language summary of this). Alan Law, however, seems more concerned with sowing seeds of doubt: vote Lib Dem and your village could be the next to be over-run with bulldozers.

Through this part of the letter also runs the assumption that all extra housing in villages is bound to be unwelcome and just plain wrong (it’s OK to put 1,500 homes in the countryside north east of Thatcham, however). He closes by saying that “it will be interesting to see if rural voters…will accept more developments in their backyards.” If the village in question has suitable land, if there was local infrastructure such as shops and schools that were under-used and if many of these homes could provide low-cost housing for local people who badly needed it, than I suspect that the answer might in many cases be “yes.”

Kennet Radio’s Local Election Special

I’ve been asked by Jeremy Sharp from Kennet Radio to join him for a series of election specials which will be broadcast on Kennet Radio. In each programme we shall be covering a different theme and to discuss this Kennet Radio has invited representatives of each of the main political parties contesting seats in the elections in West Berkshire..

The first Local Election Special was on Friday 7 April from 4pm to 5pm and the theme was the environment, transport and the countryside. The guests were David Marsh (Green Party); Adrian Abbs (Liberal Democrats); Suzie Ferguson (tbc) ((Labour); and Steve Ardagh-Walter (Conservatives). You can listen to the programme by clicking here.

The next one will be on Friday 14 April and will cover planning, development and housing. The guests will be Caroline Culver (Green Party), Alan Law (Conservative Party), Clive Taylor (Labour Party) and Tony Vickers (Liberal Democrat Party).

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 15 Apr Cor Meibon Morlais Choir Rotary Charity Concert, Hermitage.

• Wed 26 Apr Fundraiser Quiz Night, Newbury Rugby Club, Monks Lane.

• Sat 29 Apr Authentic French Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sun 7 May King’s Coronation Tea Party, Thatcham Cricket Club Playing Field.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Stanford Dingley Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 6 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; sewer flooding; The Club Room; the Village Field; thew Village Design Statement; reports from other bodies; the Clerk’s report; financial matters; the annual assembly (Tuesday 25 April); and repairs and maintenance.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 6 April 2023

This week we cover crafts, tea, larders, volunteering and newsletters. We also report on an injunction issue in Hermitage, reflect on a ceremony in The Broadway and invite you to tune in to an election special on Kennet Radio – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Pop along to Thatcham Broadway this Good Friday 7 April for Easter crafts and free samples of tasty food from around the world organised by the churches of Thatcham. See here for more details.

• The Mayor of Thatcham is inviting all local residents to a King’s Coronation Tea Party. Bring your picnic rug and sandwiches and the celebration will be complete with a jazz band, local dancers and even royal themed cake. That’ll be taking place at the Thatcham Town Cricket Club Playing Field, from 2:30pm on Sunday 7 May. Click here to keep up to date.

• Congratulations to Jenny and Tom Kirby at Thatcham Refillable for winning the NWN’s Best Green Business Award. As well as running a mobile shop for the past past years that helps people cut down on their single use plastic consumption, Jenny also helps run the West Berkshire Sustainable Community Scheme which is working towards acheiving plastic-free status for Thatcham and Newbury.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with flooding and ends with Charles Bukowski. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Kennet Radio’s Local Election Special

The first Local Election Special is on Friday 7 April from 4pm to 5pm and the theme will be the environment, transport and the countryside. The guests will be David Marsh (Green Party); Adrian Abbs (Liberal Democrats); Suzie Ferguson (tbc) ((Labour); and Steve Ardagh-Walter (Conservatives). You can tune in on 106.7FM if you’re in the coverage area: for other options, please visit the website. The programme will also be available as a listen again from about ten minutes after the show has finished.

A reflective moment in Thatcham

Away from the bustle of commercial and municipal life and with the election briefly put on hold, a low-key ceremony took place in The Broadway in Thatcham on 3 April. This was to unveil the new location of the Victoria Cross Commemorative Stones that remember three local recipients of the Victoria Cross.

“We acknowledge our heroes,” the Mayor of Thatcham, Councillor Jeff Brooks, said. “We acknowledge people who fought for this country, and died. People can now come here and reflect, and perhaps to do a little research on these gentlemen, two of whom gave their life in battle and one who happily lived to an old age.”

You can read the full article here.

Hermitage’s injunction

A statement from WBC says that planning officers are continuing efforts to address an unauthorised development in Hermitage. An injunction was served by West Berkshire Council on 4 April following activity on the site to prepare the land for unauthorised residential purposes. The injunction prohibits further activity taking place at the site in breach of planning controls. Anyone who breaches the injunction faces further court action.

“Residents concerned by activity at the site can contact the Council’s planning service by email at planningenforcement@westberks.gov.uk or by phoning 01635 519371.

Speaking on behalf of West Berkshire Council, Service Director for Strategy and Governance Sarah Clarke said: “Activity such as this can have a significant impact on local residents and we are aware of concerns in relation to this unauthorised development. We are in contact with the parish council and local residents to keep them updated on the situation. At West Berkshire Council we pride ourselves on being a plan-led authority to ensure development and growth are managed and properly planned for. This helps to ensure our green areas are protected and that development only happens where it is most appropriate. Unauthorised activities go against this and which is why we applied at an early stage for this injunction to prohibit further work.”

I wonder what residents of Aldermaston think of this statement. We’ve covered on several occasions the saga of Easy Concrete’s planning application relating to the site in Paices Hill (see the archive section of Burghfield Area Weekly News). It appears that the breaches there were far more serious and yet were met with an official reaction bordering on fatalistic insouciance, in marked contrast to robust and rapid response in Hermitage. Doubtless there are big differences between the cases which explain these variations. If anyone knows, please let me know and I’ll be happy to cover this in the future.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 9 Apr Thatcham Comedy Club, The White Hart.

• Wed 26 Apr Fundraiser Quiz Night, Newbury Rugby Club, Monks Lane.

• Sat 29 Apr Authentic French Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Sun 7 May King’s Coronation Tea Party, Thatcham Cricket Club Playing Field.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: open forum; flooding at Able Bridge; litter picking; the coronation; speeding; planning matters; financial matters; a report from the ward member; the Clerk’s report; and the Village Hall.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 February 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 the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 30 March 2023

This week we cover pooches , crafts, a closure, football and volunteering. We also take a look at Thatcham’s precept rise expressed in a different way, the Town Council’s funding for the library (also in a different way) and the recent community awards – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• The Rowbarge at Woolhamption is holding a Pooch Party this Saturday 1 April. Your furry friends can enjoy an agility course, ball pit, a bacon flavour bubble machine, a free toy and snack and fun photography area, while you can enjoy lunch, drinks and socialising with fellow dog lovers. To attend you must pre-book your place at pooch.party@outlook.com, £11 per dog (no cost for humans!).

• Last Thursday 29 March , the Mayor Jeff Brooks opened the Annual Town Meeting to a full house in the Council Chamber. This year’s meeting theme was ‘youth’, with presentations from Thatcham Scouts and 16th Platoon Thatcham Army Cadets and verbal reports on behalf of Thatcham Youth and RMD Adventure Learning providing the audience with an overview of some of the valuable youth work going on in the town. You can watch a recording of the meeting on the council’s YouTube channel and find a copy of the Annual Report on their website If you have any feedback on what, or who, you’d like to see at next year’s Annual Town Meeting, the Town Council welcomes your input, please email enquiries@thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk

• At the meeting the Mayor also presented Community Awards to 10 recipients who were present including Karen Reeves from West Berkshire Action for Refugees who received the Community Contributor Award 2023 for her support of the asylum seekers based at the Regency Hotel. Bahman, one of the asylum seekers who created the VIAN Environmental Society was jointly awarded the Environment Champion Award with Thatcham Litter Pickers and Jenny Kirby from Thatcham Refillable. See also the separate section below.

• Penny was pleased to interview Karen, Bahman and Aman on 4LEGS Radio last Friday (listen to the show here). The message from the asylum seekers who have been litter picking and helping at Thatcham events is: “We arrived here unannounced and uncertain of our welcome, but our neighbours here have shown us nothing but kindness, support and understanding. We are so grateful for the shelter that your government and your society have given us; our appreciation of that support prompted us to try and become active members of your society, and that is how VIAN, our environmental group, was formed. Thank you for this award. It means so much to us to know that our efforts to give something back to this community have been recognised and appreciated. We fully intend to keep going for as long as we are guests in your area.”

• Crookham Hill will be closed at the level crossing from 23pm on Monday 3 April to 4am on Tuesday 4 April 2023. The closure will be between its junctions with Station Road and Chamberhouse Mill Lane. This closure is to enable Network Rail to carry out maintenance works on the level crossing. A plan of the closure and diversion route can be found here. Please note that blue light access will not be maintained. All enquiries please contact Sunbelt Rentals on 0370 0500792.

• Thatcham Library is hosting a free Easter Crafts event on Thursday 6 April, from 2:30pm to 3:30pm, for children 5 years and over. All materials are provided and no advance booking is needed. For more information email thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Local residents are reminded that the UK Government now has an Emergency Alert system to warn people when lives are in danger and a test will take place UK-wide on Sunday 23 April which will see us all receive a welcome message on our mobile phones. You do not need to do anything when you receive the message – this is just a test. The service is more effective if it has been tested before use. See more details here.

• West Berkshire Community Hospital League of Friends are holding a Quiz Night on Wednesday 26 April at Newbury Rugby Club Monks Lane. All money raised will go towards supporting our local hospital. To take part is £15 per head, but includes dinner. Quiz teams are a maximum of 6 players and there will also be a raffle and bar. Get your team together and contact flynn23898175@outlook.com with your team name to take part.

• Thatcham Town Council is holding a garden party in aid of Dementia Action Week on Friday 19 May. The event will include afternoon tea, chair dancing, ukulele music and plants at the Jubilee Sensory Garden, Brownsfield Road from 11am to 3pm. For more information get in touch with Victoria from victoria.rowland@ageukberkshire.org.uk.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• We have added more information about support available to get you through the cost of living crisis, including tips on how to reduce your home energy bills. And please watch out for any scams that ask you to click to apply for energy rebates – they all happen automatically.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a pheasant and ends with doing what’s right. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Thatcham’s community awards

Every year the Town Council seeks nominations from members of the public for individuals, groups, organisations and businesses who have demonstrated outstanding service to the community, made a significant contribution to public life in Thatcham and have shown real dedication in helping local residents. A panel of Councillors met on 5 March to consider all of the nominations and the winners were:

Community Contributor Award to ABC to Read, in recognition of its support to the children of Thatcham with their literacy.
Community Contributor Award to Jeff Tolley, in recognition of his dedicated service as Assistant Parade Marshall for Remembrance Sunday for over 20 years.
Community Contributor Award to Karen Reeve, in recognition of her services supporting refugees settling in Thatcham.
Lifetime Community Award to Esther Lewis, in recognition of her contribution to Thatcham’s Girlguiding community and Thatcham United Reformed Church.
Lifetime Community Award to Joyce Lovelock, in recognition of her contribution to Thatcham town and community.
Lifetime Community Award to Robert Tayton, in recognition of his dedicated service to Thatcham town and community.
Inspiring Young Person Award to Bethany Kew, in recognition of her contribution to Thatcham’s Girlguiding community.
Inspiring Young Person Award to Kat Wright, in recognition of her contribution to Thatcham’s community through her work with St John Ambulance Cadets.
Environmental Champion Award to Jenny Kirby, n recognition of her dedication to improving Thatcham’s environmental status.
Environmental Champion Award to Thatcham Litter Pickers, n recognition of their dedication to improving Thatcham’s environmental status.
Environmental Champion Award to Vian Group, in recognition of its dedication to improving Thatcham’s environmental status.

Congratulations from us to all the winners and also all those were nominated.

The precept and the library

In the most This Week with Brian I looked at a press release recently received from the West Berkshire Conservative Party. I’d like to pick out one aspect of this which is particularly relevant to Thatcham.

The press release also says that “Liberal Democrat controlled Thatcham Town Councils put its Council Tax up by 9.75% respectively, compared to our 4.99%.” This is a very odd remark. For one thing, town and parish councils do not set council tax but instead request a precept from the parent authority. Thatcham did raise its precept, though by 8.75%, not the 9.75% as stated. However, the £95.60 per band D property which is the town’s precept only accounts for about 4.4% of the total band D council tax bill of £2,174. By raising the precept by 8.75%, Thatcham Town Council therefore increased the overall council tax bill by less than half of one percent.

In past years, a major outgoing for the Town Council was its support for the West Berkshire Library Service. As many residents will recall, in the mid 2010s every library bar newbuty’s was faced with the threat of closure, sparking widespread opposition. The situation was eventually stabilised but depended in part on the parishes being asked to make a voluntary contribution of £1 per person per year towards the service, about £24,000 in Thatcham’s case. TTC has recently decided that it would stop this payment on the grounds that it is a statutory obligation that WBC has and that it needs to provide the funding. Instead, it has agreed to make a contribution of £14,000 over the next three years to the Friends of Thatcham Library in order to support its work of organising and promoting events in the building.

Some people, including the Conservative members of TTC, pressed the Council to continue with these payments. Were it to have done so, the roughly £20,000 (the difference between what TTC paid the Library Service and what it will pay to the Friends) would have to have been found from the somewhere. Councils are obliged to pass a balanced budget: so, in the absence of any external benefactors, the precept would have to have risen by more than 8.75%. This would would probably have resulted in even more displeasure in the press release, despite the fact that the extra money was going straight back to WBC and had been raised at the administration’s request.

It’s also worth pointing out in passing that the 4.99% which WBC’s council tax was raised by and which the press release proudly cites as being lower than Thatcham’s, is in fact that maximum that it can increase its rate by (most councils have done the same this year). Few would argue that councils are in a tight corner but it’s pointless to pretend that 4.99% was somehow an act of restraint, just as it’s meaningless to compare directly this rise with an 8.75% precept increase. Parish and town councils are not limited in how much precept they can request.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Thatcham Community Larder is open from 1.30pm to 5.30pm on Wednesdays in the Frank Hutchins Hall. They offer affordable food items (starting at £3.50 per week) that reduce food waste and much more besides. There are refreshments and friendly conversation, recipe sharing, craft activities, seated exercise and signposting for any further help needed. Follow them on facebook for more details.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 1 Apr Barfield Handbell Ringers Afternoon Spring Concert, St Marys Church, Thatcham.

• Sat 1 Apr Sing Louder Choir Evening Spring Concert, St Marys Church, Thatcham.

• Thur 6 Apr Easter Crafts, Thatcham Library.

• Sun 9 Apr Thatcham Comedy Club, The White Hart.

• Wed 26 Apr Fundraiser Quiz Night, Newbury Rugby Club, Monks Lane.

• Sat 29 Apr Authentic French Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 14 February and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a report from the ward member; planning matters; the Clerk’s report; financial matters; a quirt garden, the annual parish meeting (20 April); the neighbourhood development plan; and reports from committees and outside bodies.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 February and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the co-option of a new councillor; the Clerk’s report; the Common clearing (Saturday 25 March); planning matters; Bucklebury meadows and Hockett Field; the playwark and BMX track; vanishing tell-tales at the cemetery (see separate section above on this tantalising item); speeding; grit bins; financial matters; and reports from external bodies.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 7 February and you can read the minutes here. items covered included: Thames Water’s tankers; events at the Casing Estate; parish communications; the coronation; speeding; planning matters; financial matters; a report from ward member Dominic Boeck; the Chair’s report; and the Village Hall.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stanford Dingley Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 24 January 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.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 23 March 2023

This week we cover litter, spring, stamps, parties, refills and crafts. We also take a look at a recent biodiversity day at Parsons Down School – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• The lovely ladies of Thatcham Women’s Institute have moved venue to the Memorial Hall and invite everyone to their coffee catch-up on Saturday 25 March with a variety of stallholders as well as the normal delicious produce made by WI ladies.

• The Thatcham Litter Pickers are back for their first picking meet up of the year this Sunday 26 March, meeting at the Moorside Centre on Kennet Heath from 10am to 11am. They will provide all the equipment you need, so just turn up and help keep our town clean. All ages are welcome, keep an eye of their website for any updates, as well as dates and locations for upcoming picking days.

• All are welcome to come to the Cold Ash Gardening Club Spring Show, on this weekend. There will be a plant sale and seed swap, as well as cake and other refreshments available. That’s taking place at the Acland Hall, from 2pm to 4:30pm on Saturday 25 March.

• Also this weekend, the Stamp and Postcard Fair will be held at the Kennet School. There will be 20 dealers offering stamps and post cards, and you can also bring your own stamp collection if you would like to have it valued. That’s on Saturday 25 March from 10am to 4pm, admission and parking is free and refreshments will be available. Click here for more information.

• If you would like to find out about full or part time further education, professional or leisure courses, pop along to the Newbury College and University Centre Newbury’s Open Evening on Wednesday 29 March from 4pm to 7pm. From T Levels to apprenticeships, the college is working with local businesses to develop the skills needed for the workplace. Register your time-slot here.

• Proposals for the improvement of Thatcham and Hungerford town centres will have been considered at the WBC’s Executive meeting on Thursday 23 March where they are expected to be improved. As mentionned last week (see below), work will then start to raise the funds to bring the schemes to fruition. But realistically it is likely that any further progress will have to wait until the after the council elections on Thursday 4 May.

• Local man Callum Harling, is running the Reading Half Marathon to raise money for the Berkshire-based mental health charity Eight Bells. If you would like to support Callum and Eight Bells, please consider making a donation to his JustGiving page here, and help him reach his funding goal.

• If you’re planning on any street parties in celebration of the King’s Coronation in May, remember road closure applications need to be submitted to West Berkshire Council by Friday 31 March. Click here for details.

• Thatcham Refillable reduces plastic waste by offering a valuable refill service for many cleaning and household products. They’d appreciate support for their eco business. Check out their Facebook page for updates on where they’ll be popping-up next.

• Thatcham Library is hosting a free Easter Crafts event on Thursday 6 April, from 2:30p, to 3:30pm, for children 5 years and over. All materials are provided and no advance booking is needed. For more information email thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a gate leading to fields and ends, neatly, with WC Fields. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Biodiversity at Parsons Down

Many of us have been watching David Attenborough’s Wild Isles and at this time of biodiversity loss it’s cheering to hear reports of the younger generations being taught to protect the wildlife around us. Parsons Down Partnership of Schools was thrilled to collaborate with The Nature Discovery Centre on Tuesday 14 March for a fun-filled and inspiring Biodiversity Day at the school as part of their Eco-Schools programme that they have been following for the last five years.

Children came into school in non-school uniform, wearing something animal-themed. Donations were also collected for the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT). The day started off with an assembly by the NDC focussing on different types of animals and the habitats they live in. They then led workshops throughout the day for Years 1-6 in the Partnership garden. Each group were assigned a different animal to build a habitat for. The children came up with lots of creative ideas based on the four things that animals need to survive – water, food, shelter and air.

Meanwhile, class teachers provided lots of different biodiversity activities in classes and outside, including making seed bombs for pollinators and feeders for birds. Eco-Schools Coordinator, Miss Hargood, said “We hope that this will be the start of many more collaborations between Parsons Down Partnership and the Nature Discovery Centre.”

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 25 Mar Thatcham WI Public Coffee Morning, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sat 25 Mar Stamp and Postcard Fair, Kennet School.

• Sat 25 Mar Gardening Club Spring Show, Acland Hall, Cold Ash.

• Sat 1 Apr Sing Louder Choir Spring Concert, St Marys Church, Thatcham.

• Sat 1 Apr Barfield Handbell Ringers Spring Concert, St Marys Church, Thatcham.

• Thur 6 Apr Easter Crafts, Thatcham Library.

• Sun 9 Apr Thatcham Comedy Club, The White Hart.

• Wed 26 Apr Fundraiser Quiz Night, Newbury Rugby Club, Monks Lane.

• Sat 29 Apr Authentic French Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 28 November and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 16 March 2023

This week we cover tools, crafts, photos, refilling, football and a quiz. We also take a look at Thatcham Town Council’s response to one aspect of the of the Local transport plan consultation and bring you the latest news and possible next steps on the town-centre strategy – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Got any old tools you no longer need? The Mencap Greenfinger project will be collecting them this weekend at the Thatcham Sustainable Living Market, Saturday 18 March or at any Rivar gravel depot.

• Quick reminder that you have until next Wednesday 22 March to have your say on West Berkshire’s draft Local Transport Plan that focuses on creating places for people, providing sustainable access for all, decarbonising transport and supporting sustainable growth. If you have any questions or require a different version of the survey, please email Transport Policy Team on ltp@westberks.gov.uk.

• Thatcham Refillable is a family-run, mobile household refill company, whose aim is to reduce plastic waste by offering a refill service for a wide range of cleaning and household products. However in a recent blog post they explain that hard times are leading them to consider scaling back their operation. If you would like to support an eco-friendly local business, check out their Facebook page for updates on where they’ll be popping-up next.

• Thatcham Town Council are holding a garden party in aid of Dementia Action Week on Friday 19 May. The event will include afternoon tea, chair dancing, ukulele music and plants at the Jubilee Sensory Garden, Brownsfield Road from 11am to 3pm. For more information get in touch with Victoria from victoria.rowland@ageukberkshire.org.uk.

• BBC Radio Berkshire is looking for your photographs of the county to be wrapped around one of their vehicles. See their facebook page for details.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Making the place in Thatcham

As mentioned several times previously, Thatcham (and Hungerford) have been the subject of an exercise variously known as a place-making and a town-centre strategy. These have now been completed and will be presented to WBC’s Executive on 23 March for formal adoption. You can see the header page for that item in the Executive’s agenda here. The final draft of the strategy document for Thatcham can be seen here.

I understand that, once the plans have been approved, the next stage will be the setting up of a working group in order to look at the details of what’s needed and apply for grant funding. Given that the pre-election “purdah” prior starts at 8am on 24 March and that any discussion of our announcements about this would be regarded as falling foul of the regulations (in that they might confer a political advantage) it’s likely that any work on this in the next sex weeks will be behind the scenes.

I spoke to a couple of Thatcham Town Councillors about this on 16 March, the day after the documents had been published. They told me that they hadn’t had a chance to consider and discuss the document and so couldn’t provide a comment at this stage. However, based on the presentation made to the Town Council a couple of weeks ago and a quick glance at the published document, it seems to contain some useful ideas.

A transport vision

As mentioned elsewhere and previously, WBC is inviting residents and businesses across West Berkshire to take part in its draft Local Transport Plan survey by providing your views on our draft priorities and objectives to improve transport facilities and travel options. As a Local Authority, it has a statutory duty to publish a Local Transport Plan (LTP), which contains a strategy and an intervention plan. You can find out more information here. The consultation closes on 22 March.

The matter will be considered at the next meeting of WBC’s Executive on 23 March (click here and see item 6). As the consultation will only end the day before, there won’t be time for all the responses (some of which will be quite detailed) to be considered for the following the day. WBC, however, clearly wants to release some kind of statement about this before the pre-election purdah period starts on 24 March. It therefore needs to be considered at the Executive; and for this to happen there has to be something to discuss. The papers therefore include initial consultation responses. How useful these will be as they’re incomplete is uncertain. certainly any statement will have to be heavily qualified to reflect this.

One organisation which had not responded by the time this document was prepared but which has since agreed its comments is Thatcham Town Council. On of the questions in the consultation was “Please tell us what could be explained more clearly and how.” TTC answered this one as follows:

“The phrase ‘vision-led’ is meaningless management-speak. For the strategy to be ‘vision-led’, it needs to contain elements that are visionary, and therefore also distinctive. There is nothing in this draft strategy that distinguishes it from what a consultancy might write for any Highways Authority in UK and many of the ‘objectives’ are little more than statutory requirements.

“Focussing on certain priorities implicitly means that some other aspects are given lower priority. These four priorities are so broad that it is unclear what aspects fall outside them, and therefore what is not a priority. If every objective is designated a high priority, then none of them is actually a high priority.”

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 25 Mar Thatcham WI Public Coffee Morning, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sat 25 Mar Stamp and Postcard Fair, Kennet School.

• Sat 1 Apr Sing Louder Choir Spring Concert, St Marys Church, Thatcham.

• Sat 1 Apr Barfield Handbell Ringers Spring Concert, St Marys Church, Thatcham.

• Apr 6 Apr Easter Crafts, Thatcham Library.

• Sun 9 Apr Thatcham Comedy Club, The White Hart.

• Wed 26 Apr Fundraiser Quiz Night, Newbury Rugby Club, Monks Lane.

• Sat 29 Apr Authentic French Market, Thatcham Broadway.

• Fri 19 May Dementia Action Week Garden Party, Thatcham Town Council Sensory Garden.

• Sat 25 June Thatcham Family Fun Day

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 9 March 2023

This week we cover community awards, the WI, a fun day, photos and vintage adventure. We also take a look at the cause of the A4/Pipers Way roadworks and get distracted by a spookily obscure entry in Bucklebury Parish Council’s latest minutes – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Last chance to get in your nominations for the Thatcham Community Awards 2023. The three categories are: the Community Contributor Award, the Environmental Champion Award and the Inspiring Young Person award. All nominations will be considered so please do if you would like to nominate someone, download the form and return to Thatcham Council by Friday 10 March.

• Free compostable food waste caddy liners are currently available until Saturday 11 March from all West Berkshire Council Libraries, including Thatcham Library. Collect one free roll per household, by showing proof of West Berkshire address to confirm you live within the district. This offer is while stocks last, please make sure to check opening times before visiting.

• Please note there is a overnight road closure at Crookham Hill, from 9pm on Saturday 11 March to 9am on Sunday 12 March between its junctions with Station Road and Chamberhouse Mill Lane. This closure is to enable Network Rail to carry out maintenance works on the level crossing. More information can be found here.

• On Wednesday 15 March, West Berkshire Museum is hosting a talk on Thatcham in Photos by Nick Young. A range of historic photographs will be shown highlighting some of the buildings, people and events in Thatcham. Nick Young has written a number of history books, given talks and media interviews on the history of Thatcham. Tickets for this in-person talk are £5 per person and they must be booked in advance here.

• A heads up that West Berks Foodbank has a new phone number. If you need help please call 0808 208 2138 (phoneline open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm except bank holidays).

• Thames Valley Police news for drivers: free webinairs for older drivers on 11, 13 and 14 March to address concerns including eyesight and impairment. Also BMWs and Mercedes are apparently being targetted for theft in West Berkshire so keep them locked and keep your keys out of view away from your front door to avoid keyless car theft or “relay theft” is when a device is used to fool the car into thinking the keys are close by. This unlocks the car and starts the engine.

• Churches in Thatcham invite the young at heart to the next monthly Vintage Adventure on Thursday 16 March at Thatcham Methodist Church for fun activities, making friends and informal worship. Please book your place with Karen on pastoraldevelopmentworker@outlook.com or 07444 851606.

• West Berkshire residents are invited to take part in the draft Local Transport Plan survey about priorities and objectives to improve transport facilities and travel options. As a Local Authority, West Berks has a statutory duty to publish a Local Transport Plan (LTP), which contains a strategy and an intervention plan. Have your say on the LTP survey page here by midnight on Wednesday 22 March. If you have any questions or require a different version of the survey, please email Transport Policy Team on: ltp@westberks.gov.uk.

• If you would like a stall at this year’s Thatcham Family Fun Day on Saturday 25 June, click here for the application form.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with snow and ends with courage. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Thatcham’s roadworks

On 7 March, WBC Councillor Owen Jeffrey contacted WBC’s Highways team with a question that had been dominating his inbox for the previous 24 hours:

At junction of A4 with Pipers Way there are traffic lights allowing only single file traffic. Delays form the East are very long. Do you know how long this will last? Perhaps more important – what are they for? A great hole has been put through the hedge and it appears almost as if a building project is being started on the very land that has been included in the Reg 19 submission if the Local Plan.”

A prompt response from WBC confirmed that “this is the preparatory works associated with the East Thatcham Flood Alleviation scheme. The current phase involves the construction of three flood attenuation ponds at Bowling Green Road, Heath Lane and East Thatcham. Initial works for these three areas has already been completed on BGR and Heath Lane with vegetation clearance and the construction of entrances into each site. Similar works have now started on the construction of the entrance to the East Thatcham site off the A4.”

There was no comment as to how long these might last for, though a glance at One.Network’s map suggests this could continue until the end of the month.

Vanishing tell-tales at Bucklebury’s cemetery

I was intrigued by item 12 in the minutes for the 13 February meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council. Under the heading “Cemetery and Chapel”, the notes record that “a number of tell-tales had been placed on the wall around the Cemetery to monitor movement. Cllr. Teal reported that on a recent inspection, all but one of the tell-tales had gone.” I’m probably displaying my ignorance here, but what are tell-tales, in this context? And recording movement of what (this was on the cemetery walls, remember)? Now “all but one” has gone – is this good news or bad? And what happens now? In due course I’ll contact BPC and ask what this all means, but for the now I shall let my mind speculate on the sinister images this conjures up.

It’s certainly the case that PC minutes are often written in a kind of code which means much to the members of the group and perhaps to some residents but nothing at all to anyone else. A year or so go, one set of minutes laconically reported that “the oak tree by the pub is being troublesome again.” Another one referred to “an escaped manhole.” I can’t now recall what the prosaic explanations were for these observations but my imagination had great fun with them in the meantime. My favourite of all was a reference to “the travelling snowmen:” this really clicked my brain into overdrive. It turned out to be a typo for “the travelling showmen”, referring to a circus troupe which stored equipment in the parish – unusual, certainly, but nothing to match the parallel universe into which I’d been so delightfully catapulted. Keep ’em coming…

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Sat 25 Mar Thatcham WI Public Coffee Morning, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sat 25 Mar Stamp and Postcard Fair, Kennet Scool.

• Sat 1 Apr Sing Louder Choir Spring Concert, St Marys Church, Thatcham.

• Sun 9 Apr Thatcham Comedy Club, The White Hart.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 2 March 2023

This week we cover a quiz, litter, a larder, FE courses and a fun day. We also bring you the covering letter of Town Council’s response to the Regulation 19 consultation of the local plan which clearly sets out its position – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• There are a few tickets still available for this Friday’s Mayor’s Charity Quiz Night, at the Frank Hutchins Community Hall.if you would like to take part in a fun quiz while raising money for nominated charities, Daisy’s Dream and Thatcham Tornadoes. Supper and nibbles are included in the ticket price and there will also be a raffle.

• Please note there will be a road closure at Bowling Green Road by the Henwick Lane junction, from 6 to 10 March, between 9:30am and 3:30pm to enable BT to carry out repairs on their network. Click here for more details. There will also be an overnight closure at Crookham Hill, from 9pm on Saturday 11 March to 9am on Sunday 12 March between its junctions with Station Road and Chamberhouse Mill Lane. This closure is to enable Network Rail to carry out maintenance works on the level crossing. More information can be found here.

• If you would like a stall at this year’s Thatcham Family Fun Day on Saturday 25 June, click here for the application form.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with frost and ends with Hamlet. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Thatcham’s objection

The Regulation 19 consultation into the 10,000pp (if one includes all the appendices) local plan for West Berkshire closes at 4.30pm on 3 March and a number of parishes are putting the final touches to their responses. Many are considerable documents in their own right. Bucklebury’s tuns to 175pp and has a good deal to say about the likely impact of traffic. The proposals would, the response contends, create significant extra vehicle movements but without and mitigating toad improvements.

Thatcham’s response is 80pp, plus whatever all the appendices and references would amount to. It kicks off with a covering letter which gives a brief and clear summary of the Town Council’s position which has consistently held. With TTC’s permission, I’m reproducing it in full here.

“Thatcham Town Council respectfully submits its representations on West Berkshire Council’s Regulation 19 Consultation on its draft Local Plan.

“The Town Council welcomes the decision of West Berkshire Council to reconsider its proposal in the Emerging Draft Local Plan for a strategic site of 2,500 homes to the north east of Thatcham. However, the Regulation 19 draft Local Plan does not properly consider the impacts of a development of its revised proposal for 1,500 homes, nor adequate provision for the infrastructure that Thatcham so desperately needs – even before any additional homes are built.

“The current Local Plan states that:”Thatcham’s services and facilities will be improved allowing the town to fulfil its role within the District Settlement Hierarchy and the Hierarchy of Centres, serving the local population, not only within Thatcham, but also the surrounding rural areas.” This improvement has not happened during the current plan period, and the policies in the draft Local Plan and the Infrastructure Delivery Plan will not deliver this in the next plan period. The draft Local Plan is therefore unsound, as it relates to Thatcham and its surroundings.

“Thatcham Town Council acknowledges that Thatcham should make its proportionate contribution to the housing needs of West Berkshire, once the deficit of infrastructure (particularly social infrastructure) in the town has been addressed.

“These representations identify numerous reasons why the draft Local Plan as it relates to Thatcham is not legally compliant or is unsound. The Town Council believes that it is not ready for independent examination (as per Section 20 (7) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). We therefore urge West Berkshire Council to delay the submission of the draft Local Plan to the Secretary of State, so that these matters can be addressed. This would also enable it to take into account the review of the National Planning Policy Framework, on which the Government is currently consulting.

“Should West Berkshire Council proceed with submission of the draft Local Plan in its current form, the Town Council envisages that the changes necessary to make it sound would be more extensive than could be addressed through ‘main modifications’, and it would therefore be rejected. The Town Council understands the need for West Berkshire to have a Local Plan. Delaying the submission in order to address the issues in these representations is therefore likely to lead to an earlier date of final adoption.

“The Town Council welcomes the statement in paragraph 6.63 of the draft Local Plan “Further detailed work will be required to develop a coherent masterplan or development framework to take the development [at North East Thatcham] forward, which will be produced in collaboration with the community and other stakeholders.”

“As the principal representative of the community of Thatcham, the Town Council looks forward to playing a leading role in this collaboration. If this collaboration had started earlier (between the Regulation 18 consultation on the Emerging Draft Local Plan and this consultation) as is called for in Paragraph 25 of NPPF, then many of these representations might not have been necessary.”

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Donations for West Berkshire Food Bank are gratefully received at Thatcham’s Co-ops, Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. Donation bins are usually near the till.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 3 Mar Mayor’s Charity Quiz, Bradley-Moore Square, Thatcham.

• Fri 10 Mar 80s & 90s Disco, Thatcham Park Primary.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Sat 25 Mar Woman’s Institute Coffee Morning, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sat 25 Mar Stamp and Postcard Fair, Kennet Scool.

• Sat 1 Apr Sing Louder Choir Spring Concert, St Marys Church, Thatcham.

• Sun 9 Apr Thatcham Comedy Club, The White Hart.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 23 January and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: crime and crime prevention; a report from ward member Graham Pask; the local plan consultation; financial matters; planning matters; the Village Hall; and a discussion about a proposed donation to the Say No to NE Thatcham campaign group which resulted in a fairly long debate, a councillor resignation and two separate motions, the second being passed and resulting in a grant of £1,000 to the group.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 19 January and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; financial matters; the burial ground; highways; repairs and maintenance; and a new Parish Council logo.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 10 January 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. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 9 January 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 the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 9 November and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stanford Dingley Parish Council for which minutes are available was 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.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 23 February 2023

This week we cover funk disco, bus routes, a charity quiz, a fun day and a road closure. We also take a look at the problems faced by volunteers and refugees alike in providing suitable meals at the Regency Park Hotel and take a peak at the Town Council’s draft response to the Regulation 19 consultation of the local plan – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Stuck for ideas this weekend? On Saturday Thatcham Bowling Club are holding a Soul, Funk and Disco Night, and on Sunday Thatcham Football Club are holding a Musical Musical Bingo, night with singing along highly encouraged.

• The Mayor of Thatcham is inviting locals to his Fun Charity Quiz on Friday 3 March in aid of Daisy’s Dream and Thatcham Tornadoes. Book as a team of 6 or as an individual and a team will be found for you. Ticket price includes a meal of either Fish & Chips or plain or battered Sausage & Chips, plus some nibbles and you’re welcome to bring your own drinks. Tickets can be purchased via their Facebook page here.

• Just a reminder, there will be no trains through Thatcham, between Reading and Westbury, from now until Thursday 2 March, due to extensive planned engineering works at various locations. See more details on bus replacement services at gwr.com/travel-information

• Faye Harland works for BBC Radio Berkshire and is doing a story about cuts to bus routes. She wants to talk to people who use the bus as their main form of transport, either through choice or necessity – particularly those who’ve been impacted by cuts to routes in recent years. If this is you, then please email her on faye.harland@bbc.co.uk

• Please note there will be a road closure on Henwick Lane, Thatcham until Wednesday 1 March for Thames Water to carry out repairs to a defective reinstatement of the road surface. Click here for more updates.

• Quick reminder to make your nominations for the Thatcham Community Awards 2023 by Friday 10 March in any of the three categories: Community Contributor Award, Environmental Champion Award and the Inspiring Young Person award. All nominations will be considered so please do visit the council’s webpage to download the form and return.

• Would you like to share your skills? There is an opportunity to train the next generation at Newbury College and get all the support and benefits you need for a secure future. Click here to find out more.

• West Berkshire Council has published the draft of its Council Strategy 2023-27 and wants feedback from members of the community (this is different from the much more important Regulation 19 consultation on the local plan which closes on 3 March). The document sets out what the Council intends to prioritise and improve, as well as how it will deliver core services over the next four years. Click here to read the draft council strategy and click here to give your feedback via the survey. The deadline to have your say on our draft proposals by Sunday 26 February. You can read my thoughts about the Council Strategy in this separate post.

• If you would like a stall at this year’s Thatcham Family Fun Day on Saturday 25 June, click here for the application form.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with snowdrops and ends with smiles. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Food for thought

Penny has recently started volunteering with West Berkshire Action for Refugees to support the asylum seekers living in a Thatcham hotel and has seen for herself the plastic trays of food that are delivered to the hotel to be microwaved individually three times a day for each resident.

“If they were living in the hotel for just a few months it would be tolerable but the reality is that many of them have been here for over a year,” explains Karen Reeve from WBAR. “We appreciate that it’s a challenge to provide meals that suit the wide range of nationalities but we’ve got young lads who are going hungry because the portion sizes simply aren’t big enough. After everything they have been through, their mental health is also being affected.

“Thatcham Medical Practice has been very helpful, offering health support but we would really like West Berkshire Council to put pressure on the Home Office about their concerns for the welfare of over 150 people now living in their community. We have tried contacting the Home Office ourselves but they don’t seem to listen to charities.”

Asylum seekers are not allowed to work and have an allowance of just £9.10 per week so they are dependent on the Home Office and community donations for their food.

While WBAR and Care4Calais continue to advocate on behalf of the asylum seekers with the authorities, they are very grateful for any donations of packaged snacks like biscuits or cereal bars to supplement the meal provision. Condiments like chilli sauce, soy sauce and spices would also be very welcome to allow the residents to flavour their meals as desired.

“Meals are essential to our wellbeing, not just for nutrition and health but being able to eat food that we like and are used to is something that most of us take for granted,” explains Karen.

Another frustrating aspect of the catering at the hotel is the provision of single-use plastic knives, forks and spoons. Many of the asylum seekers are equally concerned about the environment as the wider community so are grateful for donations of re-usable metal cutlery. They have even created the VIAN Environment Society that provides a litter-picking service for Thatcham with support of Thatcham Town Council. You can follow VIAN (which means love in Kurdish and is named after the group leader’s daughter) on facebook here. The group leader is a primary school teacher called Bahman who was forced to leave his country, his wife, daughter, and son, and flee because of the Iranian regime.

If you able to make any donations, please take them to Thatcham Town Council Office which is open 8.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm on Fridays at Brownsfield Road, Thatcham RG18 3HF. For further details please contact volunteer@westberksrefugees.org

67 pages and counting

The Regulation 19 consultation into WBC’s local plan continues and you have until 3 March to make your views known. Not for the first time, I direct you to this separate post which has some background information on this gargantuan document and some suggestions as to where you might find navigation or translation help should you need it.

Most parish and town councils have or will be producing their own comments. Few are more affected by the plan than Thatcham, the particular issue being the policy SP17 which deals with the 1,500+ housing allocation to the north east of the town. The Town Council has produced its draft response which can be seen here. This currently runs to 67 pages but there is still more information to be added and several appendices ,so a final page count north of 100 pages is to be expected. When one considers that if you were to print every page of the WBC plan including all supporting documents you’d need 10,000 sheets of A4, (plus a decent provision for paper jams if your printer is anything like mine) ,100+ pages is quite restrained. Mind you, that’s just from one parish. Others will follow.

A quick glance reveals that it is written, as the matter demands, in sober and un-emotive Inspector-speak, the Inspector here being the civil servant who will have the job of evaluating the plan and all the comments which the Regulation 19 consultation has produced. In places, such as in the charts on pp11-18, the response finds itself in agreement with the policies proposed. If, as I’ve suggested before, the policies could be agreed first and the site allocations afterwards and consequent on that, the exercise might be more more manageable and less divisive. None the less, we are where we are and I’m not making the rules.

Thatcham TC’s response will be discussed at an extraordinary meeting of TTC on Tuesday 28 February from 7pm. More details can be found here and members of the public are welcome to attend.

As mentioned above, there’s still time for you to make your comments. If you are a resident of Thatcham and need any help or advice, the Chair or Vice Chair of TTC’s Planning and Highways Committee would be worth contacting. If you live elsewhere, see the post referred to in the first paragraph on this section.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

• You can drop off donations to West Berkshire Food Bank at both of Thatcham’s local Cooperative stores, as well as the Waitrose and the Sainsbury’s Local. You can bring items anytime with in the store’s opening hours and the drop-off points are typically found near the tills. If you wish to find out more about the food bank please click this link to its website.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 25 Feb Soul, Funk and Disco Night, Thatcham Bowling Club.

• Sun 26 Feb Musical Bingo, Thatcham Football Club.

• Fri 3 Mar Mayor’s Charity Quiz, Bradley-Moore Square, Thatcham.

• Fri 10 Mar 80s & 90s Disco, Thatcham Park Primary.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Sat 25 Mar Woman’s Institute Coffee Morning, Thatcham Memorial Hall.

• Sun 9 Apr Thatcham Comedy Club, The White Hart.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Just Play football for anyone aged 16 to 75 years of any gender or ability who enjoys playing football (or wants to give it a go for the first time). Instead of committing to join a club you can just play a friendly game on a weekly basis 6pm to 7pm Tuesdays at Henwick Worth Sports Ground. The surface is MUGA Astroturf so please only wear trainers/astros when playing. Book here.

• Thatcham W.I. meets at 7.30pm on the second Thursday of each month at Thatcham Memorial Hall with small groups for Book, Film, Craft, Walking, Coffee and Gardening. For more information please email thatchamwi@berkshirewi.co.uk or call Pauline on 01635 866904.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 10 January and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; financial matters; the Wildlife Allotment Garden; the 2023-24 precept (£50,000); the tennis courts; CIL funds; the local plan Regulation 19 consultation; Lawrence’s Lane appeal; and the neighbourhood development plan.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 9 January and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a report on the public meeting on 5 January; the Clerk’s report; the annual parish assemble (Friday 19 May); planning matters; opposition to NE Thatcham plans; financial matters; the 2023-24 precept (to be increased from £27,000 to £45,000 for one year only in order to cover the costs of the opposition to the Local Plan); the Meadows and Hockett Field; the Cemetery and Chapel; repairs and maintenance; speeding; grit bins; and Round Table comments.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 6 December 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.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 16 February 2023

This week we cover trains, councillors, yoga, a quiz and local charities. We also take a look at the latest statement from ReadiBus about its dealings with West Berkshire Council over the last five years and report on a possible improvement in Thatcham’s awful postal service – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• This weekend the Thatcham United Reform Church are holding a Fairtrade Fortnight Tea & Coffee morning. Everyone is welcome to come along on Saturday 18 February, between 10am and 12pm.

• Just a reminder, there will be no trains through Thatcham, between Reading and Westbury, from this Saturday 18 February to Thursday 2 March inclusive due to extensive planned engineering works at various locations. Buses will be replacing trains from stations including Kintbury, Hungerford, Newbury and Thatcham conveying customers to either Theale or (after 8pm each day) into Reading for onward rail connections. See more details at gwr.com/travel-information

• Are you passionate about your community? Do you want to help make a long-lasting change? Do you have innovative ideas for the council? If that sounds like you, then why not stand for election as a Councillor? Local elections are coming up in May and Thatcham Town Council need people from all backgrounds who reflect their community to put themselves forward for election. An integral part of a councillor’s role is engaging with local people, groups, and businesses to determine their needs, making decisions on the services and projects the council should take forward, and getting involved to ensure services meet the community’s needs. If this sounds like something you would be interested in click here for more information about the role of a Councillor and how to run for election.

• Do you have any spare yoga mats you no longer need? West Berkshire Action for Refugees would be grateful for them. If you can spare any, please drop them off at the Thatcham Town Council Offices, or contact them through their Facebook page and they can arrange a pick-up.

• Please note there will be a road closure on Henwick Lane, Thatcham, from Tuesday 28 February to Wednesday 1 March for Thames Water to carry out repairs to a defective reinstatement of the road surface. The closure will be between its junction with Bowling Green Road and its junction with Gordon Road. Click here for more updates.

• If you would like a stall at this year’s Thatcham Family Fun Day on Saturday 25 June, click here for the application form.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a visitor and ends with an index of character. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Thatcham’s mail

I’m not quite sure what is going wrong with Thatcham’s postal service, but local WBC Councillor Owen Jeffery has clearly had enough. In a letter sent on 13 February to the NWN and Penny Post, he writes as follows:

“The sad saga of rare and irregular mail delivery continues across Thatcham. The unanimous condemnation of the dire delivery situation that was agreed at Thatcham Town Council has had no visible effect on the postal delivery service we receive.

“May I suggest by this letter that any member of the public dismayed by the postal delivery service in Thatcham should write with their own experience to: Mr Scott Billington, Royal Mail Wokingham Delivery Office, 16 Broad Street, Wokingham RG40 1AA. I believe that Thatcham Delivery Office falls under his jurisdiction.”

I understand that the letter from Thatcham Town Council was also sent to the Parliamentary Select Committee that recently quizzed the CEO of Royal Mail.

Whether because of these complaints or not, matters seem to be improving. Councillor Jeffrey was able to tell me on 16 February that he received a letter that morning and no fewer then four the day before. “Coincidence?” he asks, “Or does publicity sometimes work?” Possibly the former: but the latter can pay handsome dividends as well. Writing stroppy letters where necessary to organisations like Royal Mail is exactly what town and parish councils and district councillors should be doing (not all the time, of course).

A five-year bus journey

Last week, I referred to a statement from the community transport company ReadiBus which we published. In this, the charity’s trustees described themselves as being “shocked and baffled” by West Berkshire Council’s response to complaint about Council misinformation.

This turned out to be merely the prelude, the hors d’oeuvre or the preliminary sketch for what was to follow. On 14 February we received a longer statement with the headline “The ReadiBus service in West Berkshire: some key issues from the last five years – a summary.” You can read this in full here. It is not a happy tale. Words and phrases like “lack of consultation”, “misrepresentation”. “misinformation”, “discrimination”, “a flawed complaints procedure” and “the Ombudsman’s finding of fault” all appear amongst the sub-headings. This is without doubt a relationship which has got badly soured but one which the charity has not completely given up on.

If WBC wishes to issue a statement of its own on this subject, we’ll be happy to print it in full.

This seems to be another matter that, like Faraday Road football and the LRIE, is badly in need of a re-boot. It’s probably unlikely that anything much will happen before 4 May (the pre-election purdah starts on 22 March and any announcements after that time which might confer political advantage are banned). After the election, though, and whoever wins, there needs to be blank sheet of paper would into the municipal typewriter, a deep breath taken and a new start embarked upon. As with the LRIE and Faraday Road, the various solutions have been tried over these last five years haven’t worked; indeed have got completely stuck in the mud. Nor have the opponents gone away. If we don’t want more of the same, something has to change. I don’t want to be writing about these stories in the same vein as we approach the 2027 election…

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Fri 17 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Fri 17 Feb Dick Whittington Pantomime, Kennet School.

• Sat 18 Feb Fairtrade Tea & Coffee Morning, Thatcham United Reform Church.

• Sat 18 Feb Kennet Radio’s G&T Charity Live Show, the Mercure West Grange Hotel.

• Sat 18 Feb Dick Whittington Pantomime, Kennet School.

• Fri 24 Feb Quiz Night, Tadley Rugby Club.

• Fri 3 Mar Mayor’s Charity Quiz, Bradley-Moore Square, Thatcham.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was 15 December 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. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 9 February 2023

This week we cover a quiz, community awards, a fun day, warm spaces and a sunset. We also bring you a statement from Readibus and take a look at what lies behind seeming surprising council motion – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Have you got questions about your recycling and rubbish collections or want some tips on waste reduction? A waste officer will be at Thatcham Library on Monday 13 February, between 10 am and 11:30am. If you have a question but can’t make it, please feel free to contact them through the Recycle West Berkshire Facebook page, and they will be happy to help.

• The Mayor of Thatcham is inviting locals to his Fun Charity Quiz, on Friday 3 March in aid of Daisy’s Dream and Thatcham Tornadoes. Book as a team of 6 or as an individual and a team will be found for you. Ticket price includes a meal of either Fish & Chips or plain or battered Sausage & Chips, plus some nibbles and you’re welcome to bring your own drinks. Tickets can be purchased via their Facebook page here.

• Half term is quickly approaching, so if you’re looking for ideas to entertain your little ones, take a look at our February Half Term Guide for a list of local activities including the Kennet Amateur Theatrical Society (KATS) will be performing the pantomime Dick Whittington. There will be four performances between the 16 to 18 February, at the Kennet School. Click here to learn more about KATS and click here to book tickets for their upcoming show. There will also be Lego fun events at Tuesday 14 and Friday 17 at Thatcham Library. It’s free to join in and materials are provided. The library also run regular Lego Club on the first Saturday of every month.

• All are very welcome to turn up and have a go at a fun French singing workshop, run by Watership Cantabile Newbury Choir group. Enjoy an afternoon of singing French songs, followed by refreshments on Saturday 11 February taking place at St Mary’s Church, Thatcham. Details here.

• West Berkshire Council‘s Economic Development Team is sponsoring a business start-up course with the other Berkshire authorities to help residents who are looking to start their own business. The course is run by the Berkshire Growth Hub and is in a hybrid format of online and offline sessions. This would be a great chance for anyone looking to start a business full time or turn a hobby into an income stream. Further information and steps to sign up can be found here: berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk/start-up-programme. The closing date for registration is the 14 February with the course starting on the 28 February.

• Just a reminder, there will be no trains through Thatcham, between Reading and Westbury, from 18 February to 2 March inclusive due to extensive planned engineering works at various locations. Buses will be replacing trains from stations including Kintbury, Hungerford, Newbury and Thatcham conveying customers to either Theale or (after 8pm each day) into Reading for onward rail connections. See more details at gwr.com/travel-information

• If you would like a stall at this year’s Thatcham Family Fun Day on Saturday 25 June, take advantage of the early bird deal by, clicking here for the application form.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a sunset and ends with reading. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

A statement from ReadiBus

For the last few years, we have been covering the story of the dispute between the community transport charity ReadiBus and West Berkshire Council. Aside from a hearing before the Ombudsman following a botched consultation by the Council, the main bone of contention is a clause in the proposed new service-level agreement which, for some reason, WBC has insisted upon. ReadiBus has refused to sign this on the grounds that it is effectively a gagging clause and gives WBC a veto over any statements that Readibus might make. Quite what aspect of its reputation WBC was seeking to protect in this way, given that the two organisations had been working together harmoniously for 35 years, is unclear: the irony is that, by insisting on it, WBC has created exactly the kind of bad publicity for itself that the clause was designed to prevent.

The real losers in this are the many people – particularly in the Thatcham and Newbury areas and in the eastern parts of the district such as Calcot, Purley, Theale and Tilehurst – with mobility problems and who have long relied on ReadiBus to help them get around. Soon after Penny Post first covered this, we were contacted by about ten users, all of whom were dismayed by the likely service cuts and confused as to how this could have come about. Given the fact that the district’s population is an ageing one, demand for such a service can only be on the increase. WBC has asserted that other community transport providers exist: whilst true, none offer the same service as does ReadiBus; the various different services complement one another and each has its place in meeting different needs.

On 9 February 2023, ReadiBus issued a statement on various aspects of this protracted impasse which you can read here.

Requesting a pause

The agenda papers for an extraordinary meeting of WBC’s Full Council on 2 March 2023 includes a “Proposal for consideration by Council as detailed in the requisition signed by Members dated 1 February 2023.” This can be seen here.

This was put up by the opposition Lib Dem group and offers a number of reasons why the current Regulation 19 consultation into the local plan is defective. Most of these directly relate to the specific proposals for THA20, the plans for 1,500 (or perhaps more) homes between Thatcham and Bucklebury. The proponents urge that the Council should “(1) abandon the consultation on the Local Plan which commenced on the 20th of January 2023, so that all relevant issues can be rectified and/or clarified and thereby avoid the risk of the Local Plan Review submission being dismissed as unsound by the Inspector on the basis of a defective Regulation 19 Consultation: and (2) undertake a new Regulation 19 Consultation in the future once these omissions and errors have been rectified.”

Neither ambition seems likely to be realised unless there’s a serious outbreak of absenteeism or disloyalty at the 2 March meeting (which seems unlikely as it’s the budget-setting one so everyone will be in three-line whip mode). Passing the proposals would also mean that the Regulation 19 consultation would need to be paused less than 24 hours before it was due to finish, an epic nonsense by any standards. The Lib Dems obviously don’t think they are going to win this one: what, therefore, is the point of doing it?

The answer may lie in the fact that its target market is not local residents or anyone at WBC but the Council’s forthcoming Executive Director of Place, Clare Lawrence, who takes cup her new role in March. One of her first major duties will be to sign off the final version of the local plan as being in a fit state to go to the Planning Inspectorate. This will happen probably in early April, after the Regulation 19 responses (of which there are likely to be quite a few) have been considered.

This warning shot will, the Lib Dems hope, highlight to her the fact that some feel the plan as it stands is flawed. If she shares any of these misgivings then she cannot issue the certificate under section 20 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act confirming that the plan is, as it were, fully oven-ready. The Lib Dems would like to have aspects of the plan changed and have said that if they were elected on 4 May they would look at ways to accomplish this. The ruling Conservative group wants to have the plan passed as it stands. The further on in the process the plan has progressed, the harder it will be for reverse gear to be applied; so, the Lib Dems would prefer that the plan had not been submitted before the election. The Conservatives therefore have their foot on the accelerator while the Lib Dems are trying to put theirs on the brake.

Normally, the decision to send the local plan to the Inspector is debated at Full Council. However, due to the numerous delays the plan has experienced, this needs to take place during the pre-election purdah period (from 22 March) during which councils may not make announcements which could be seen as likely to confer political advocate. Fearing that such a discussion would fall foul of this rule, the administration decided on 1 December that this decision would be delegated to the senior officer. There therefore won’t be an opportunity to have a debate between the elected members. In the absence of that, the Lib Dems appear to feel that this requisition is the best way of getting their message across. What weight Clare Lawrence gives to these concerns remains to be seen.

A final point: none of the above should be seen as a reason for people or organisations not to make their comments as part of the Regulation 19 process. You can click here to see a separate post on the subject which includes the link to the consultation and some advice as to a few places from where you might like to get help or advice should you need it.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 11 Feb Watership Cantabile Singing Workshop, St Mary, Thatcham.

• Mon 13 Feb Recycling and Waste Reduction Q&A, Thatcham Library.

• Tues 14 Feb Hattie Hedgehog Trail, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Tues 14 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Thurs 16 to Sat 18 Feb Dick Whittington Pantomime, Kennet School.

• Fri 17 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Sun 18 Feb Kennet Radio’s G&T Charity Live Show, the Mercure West Grange Hotel.

• Fri 3 Mar Mayor’s Charity Quiz, Bradley-Moore Square, Thatcham.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Regular events

• Thatcham Refillable stall every Friday at Thatcham Market You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• The large and active Thatcham W.I. meets at 7.30pm on the second Thursday of each month at The Memorial Hall, Thatcham with small group meetings including Book, Film, Craft, Walking, Coffee and Gardening. For more information please email thatchamwi@berkshirewi.co.uk or call Pauline on 01635 866904.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 12 December 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 the minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 2 February 2023

This week we cover community awards, a market, a choir, re-filling and a fun day. We also take a look at Thatcham Town Council’s response to WBC’s strategy consultation and suggest that TTC has a much more important document in its in-tray at present – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Over halfterm the Kennet Amateur Theatrical Society (KATS) will be performing the pantomime Dick Whittington. There will be four performances between the 16 to 18 February, at the Kennet School. Click here to learn more about KATS and click here to book tickets for their upcoming show.

• This weekend the Mum2Mum Market is taking place at Thatcham Catholic Hall on Saturday 4 February, from 2pm to 4pm. Come along to pick up both new and pre-loved baby, children and maternity items.

• Did you know that you can refill your containers of household cleaning and personal care products every Friday at the Thatcham Refillable stall at Thatcham Market? You can bring your empty bottles or adopt one. Their product range is plant-based and reduces single use plastic waste. Win win.

• Steam train fans please note that The Bath & Gloucester Steam Express hauled by steam locomotive, LMS Jubilee Class 45699 Galatea will be puffing through Thatcham this Saturday 4 February. See more details here and also on realtimetrains.co.uk.

• Less good news about trains – there will be no trains through Thatcham, between Reading and Westbury, from 18 February to 2 March inclusive due to extensive planned engineering works at various locations. Buses will be replacing trains from stations including Kintbury, Hungerford, Newbury and Thatcham conveying customers to either Theale or (after 8pm each day) into Reading for onward rail connections. See more details at gwr.com/travel-information

• Ageing Creatively will soon be holding weekly Chair Exercise classes at Thatcham Methodist Church, aimed at over 55s. It’s a fun way to keep fit, improve posture and socialise. The sessions will be every Wednesday from 22 February to 29 March, and cost £2 per session. Hot drinks will be available afterward. Click here for further details.

• The Sing Louder Choir are looking for new voices. Sessions take place on Thursdays, with the 7 to 14 year olds session at 6pm to 7pm, and adults class taking place from 7:15 to 8:15pm. No audition is required and it takes place at the Frank Hutchens Hall, with each class costing £3.65. To find our more, contact singlouderchoir@gmail.com.

• Hermitage Village Hall is hosting a Table Top Sale this Sunday 5 February between 2.30pm and 4pm so do pop along to grab a bargain. See more details here.

• NYAS – The National Youth Advocacy Service are looking for volunteers in West Berkshire to befriend a child in care as an Independent Visitor. IVs are trained and vetted and are often the only adult who is not paid to be with the child. The aim is for the child and IV to become long-term friends and meet up once a month (expenses reimbursed). Children in care often lead chaotic lives and having a consistent and stable friend can mean so much. It is a hugely rewarding process, and we know many people out there want to make a difference in society. See here for more information or contact Michelle.Playle@nyas.net

• If you would like a stall at this year’s Thatcham Family Fun Day on Saturday 25 June, take advantage of the early bird deal by, clicking here for the application form.

• Lego fun events are taking place over February half-term on Tuesday 14 and Friday 17 at Thatcham Library. It’s free to join in and materials are provided. The library also run regular Lego Club on the first Saturday of every month.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a hill and ends with pork chops. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Strategy stuff

Newbury Today reports here on a recent Thatcham Town Council meeting which criticised West Berkshire Council’s latest strategy plan which is out for consultation until 26 February. TTC has agreed with the 44 objectives – indeed, it’s almost possible to disagree with them – but has said that more detail was needed. The letter of response said “the objectives were impossible to measure, meaning any scale of improvement can be deemed a success.” TTC Leader, and WBC Lib Dem Leader Lee Dillon, also criticised the timing, just a few months before an election at which anything might happen.

It’s very hard to disagree with this summary: indeed, I came to the same kind of conclusion when I was first aware of it on 18 January. You can see the article I wrote on the subject by clicking here. As the document was so light on detail, I took the liberty of suggesting a few places where WBC’s current activities appeared to be in breach of the various standards to which the document.

In any event, I doubt TTC will want to waste too much time on commenting on the document that is, as I suggested last week, “mainly a summary of worthy aspirations, statutory responsibilities and statements of the obvious.” Much more serious is the Regulation 19 consultation on the local plan with which, in an unfortunate piece of timing, this strategy consultation largely overlaps with (the Regulation 19 closes on 3 March). I suspect that TTC’s comments on this will be long, detailed and technical. The most important aspect of this is the proposed site allocations for 1,500 homes to the north east of the town concerning with TTC has, to put it mildly, a few reservations. All residents are urged to make they views known. This separate post suggests some places from where you can get advice should you wish.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 4 Feb Mum2Mum Market, Thatcham Catholic Hall.

• Sun 5 Feb Ukulele Strummers & Singalong Choir Concert, Thatcham United Reform Church.

• Sat 11 Feb Watership Cantabile Singing Workshop, St Mary, Thatcham.

• Tues 14 Feb Hattie Hedgehog Trail, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Tues 14 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Thurs 16 to Sat 18 Feb Dick Whittington Pantomime, Kennet School.

• Fri 17 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Regular events

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• Sing Louder Choir children’s choir meets 6pm to 7pm and the community choir from 7.15pm to 8.15pm on Thursdays at Frank Hutchins Hall. Please see the organiser’s Facebook page for further updates.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

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

• The most recent meeting of Brimpton Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 1 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.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 26 January 2023

This week we cover refills at the market, chair exercises, family fun, singing, befriending, volunteering, warm spaces and winter hedges. We also draw you attention to four stories from last week’s column that remain relevant – plus there’s our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Ageing Creatively will be holding weekly Chair Exercise classes, aimed at over 55s. It’s a fun way to keep fit, improve posture and socialise. The sessions will be every Wednesday from 22 February to 29 March, and cost £2 per session. There will also be hot drinks available afterward. The classes will take place at Thatcham Methodist Church. Click here for further details.

• If you would like a stall at this year’s Thatcham Family Fun Day on Saturday 25 June, take advantage of the early bird dealy by, clicking here for the application form.

• If you are interested in working for West Berkshire Council, you can attend their virtual careers event on Monday 30 January at midday. Find out about working in Adult and Children’s Social Care sectors, Environment, Transport and Countryside, and Customer Services.

• If you don’t have the accepted form of photo ID to be eligible to vote at the elections on 4 May, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25 April. See more information here.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with winter hedges and ends with unhappy families. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

A look back to last week

There were four stories last week (scroll down to see them) which remain just as relevant now. These cover:

The community transport company Readibus;
A Q&A session regarding commitments made by West Berkshire Council;
The progress on work on the flood defence scheme; and
An update on the local plan, the housing provision for which is likely to effect Thatcham, Bucklebury, Midgham and Cold Ash.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sat 4 Feb Mum2Mum Market, Thatcham Catholic Hall.

• Sun 5 Feb Ukulele Strummers & Singalong Choir Concert, Thatcham United Reform Church.

• Tues 14 Feb Hattie Hedgehog Trail, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Tues 14 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Fri 17 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Regular events

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Thatcham Town Council for which minutes are available was on 26 September and you can read the minutes here. Note that the Council delegates much of its work to committees. Click here for more on these.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Town Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 13 December and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a presentation from Cold Ash Tennis Club; a report from the ward members; a report from the Clerk; planning matters; financial matters; the 2023-24 budget; the Poor’s Allotment and recreation Ground charity; dog bins; the proposed development in north east Thatcham; the neighbourhood development plan; and reports from meetings with other bodies.
To see the dates, agendas and minutes for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 12 December and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Recreation Ground; benches; planning matters; the NE Thatcham (THA20) working group; the 2023-24 budget; a report from ward member Graham Pask; Bucklebury meadows and Hockett Field; the cemetery and chapel; the playwark; the BMX track; speeding, grit bins; financial matters; speeding; planning enforcement training; and the Bucklebury Community Bus.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Midgham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 21 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: sharing a septic tank; surface water; a report from ward member Graham Pask; financial matters; planning matters; dogs; and continued support from the WB Library Service.
To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Hermitage Parish Council for which minutes are available was 20 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. See also this page for up-to-date information about Hermitage’s neighbourhood development plan.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 19 January 2023

This week we cover family fun, a nest, community awards and warm spaces. We also bring you WBC’s latest statement on Thatcham’s flood defences, look at some questions and answers about the town at the recent WBC Executive meeting, reflect on the problems faced by the community transport provider Readibus which has led to a petition being presented to West Berkshire Council, look back at a successful volunteer fair and offer some advice about WBC’s local plan consultation (which is finally about to get under way) – plus our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• It’s been announced that this year’s Family Fun Day in Thatcham will take place on Saturday 25 June. They are now accepting applications for event stallholders, currently with an early bird discount deal. If you would be interested in running a stall, click here for the application form.

• The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust have announced that they are on the Government’s New Hospital Programme. This means they will receive funding to either redevelop or rebuild the Royal Berks Hospital in Reading. They have called their programme Building Berkshire Together and are very keen for staff, patients and local residents to have their say on the future of the hospital in this survey.

• If you see flooded roads, pavements or walkways, do report them on the council’s new interactive map to Report a Problem with Highway Drainage. You can also keep an eye on this sewage discharge map which Thames Water now has to publicise so the public is aware of the sewage pollution problems in their area.

• If you run a village hall or community building and need help with funding, sign up for CCB’s useful webinar on Wednesday 25 January on Fundraising for Village Halls & Community Buildings, including information on the new Platinum Jubilee Village Halls fund, managed by ACRE. CCB gives a lot of support to village halls across Berkshire and this event is part of Village Halls Week.

• ‘The Nest’ is a new parent-toddler group especially for families with adopted and foster children coming soon to Thatcham. The free group will meet monthly at the St Mary and St Barnabas churches. Check out more on this story in the Newbury Today.

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

• A public consultation on Royal Berkshire Fire Authority’s (RBFA) draft Corporate Plan and Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) for the next four years is now underway. Please have your say on the plans by completing a short online survey.

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a red sky in the morning and ends with friendship. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

All aboard the Readibus

At the meeting of West Berkshire Council’s Executive in January, a petition was presented by Councillor Lee Dillon on behalf of over 1,200 people concerning the community transport company Readibus.

The petition includes the following summary of what Readibus does and what is proposed happen next. “The service helps those with restricted mobility get around independently, and has been an important lifeline to many during the recent lockdowns. Liberal Democrat controlled Newbury and Thatcham Town Councils have committed funding that will see the service be able to operate at a reduced capacity until the end of the year, but this is only a short term solution. The West Berkshire Lib Dems call on the Conservative administration of West Berkshire Council to review their decision on funding ReadiBus; making sure that this important service remains available for those who need it, when they need it, for the long term. Please support our calls by signing our petition today.”

The involvement of the opposition Lib Dems should not be taken to mean that the issue is inherently political (though it has become politicised). Readibus has for several decades and to the great benefit of many of people been funded by both blue and orange WBC administrations.

I’ve written about this numerous times, as a search for “Readibus” in this post and its archives will show. In brief summary, a few years ago, funding from WBC for this service (which has been operating successfully since the 1990s) was dramatically cut. Discussions since appear to have stalled. The main issue is Readibus’ refusal to sign a gagging clause (WBC doesn’t like this term but that’s what it is) that would prevent the transport company from issuing any statement without WBC’s prior approval. Such clauses are regarded with understandable distaste by the voluntary sector. The irony is that WBC has by insisting on this point damaged its own reputation, the very thing that this clause was deigned to prevent.

On top of this, WBC was found partly at fault by the ombudsman for not having consulted on the initial round of funding cuts. The reason suggested by the then officer was that there was no point as most of the clients had learning difficulties – in fact they have mobility difficulties – which makes one wonder if the council had mixed Readibus up with another organisation. I have at various occasions been assured by spokespeople from WBC that (a) the clause was only intended to provide the council with advance notification of any statement and (b) that replacement community services were available in any case. A glance at the actual wording of the proposed contract and at a list of the valuable through different types of service provided by other transport groups shows that neither of these assertions holds water.

The petition has now closed but the campaign continues. I spoke to Councillor Lee Dillon on 18 January and asked him whether, if his party won the election on 4 May, he would issue the contract to Readibus but without the gagging clause. He said that he would. He also pointed out that Thatcham and Newbury Town Councils had similar service level agreements with suppliers and that none of these contained such a clause.

Thatcham’s commitments

The meeting of West berkshire Council’s Executive on 12 January included (item H on pp8-9) a question from Thatcham Town Councillor Simon Pike about any support or funding provided for the Newbury Leisure Park on Lower Way (the bowling alley). The portfolio holder Howard Woollaston said that stuatory Covid grants were paid (which is beside the point as this was a national scheme): as regards other funding, “given financial constraints and extensive other commitments in the Leisure Strategy the Newbury Leisure Park is not something that we could contemplate becoming involved in.”

Mr Pike then asked, it the council could not support such a private business, “why did the Local Plan in 2012 give a commitment effectively that it would be expanded, when it is outside the ability of the Council to achieve that?” Exactly the same question could (and indeed earlier in the Q&A session was asked, also by Simon Pike) about the Kingsland Centre.

This seems to me to a very good question. Howard Woollaston clearly thought so too, “good” in this case meaning “difficult to answer.” “I wasn’t a Councillor in 2012, ” he replied, “and so would like to come back with a written response.” He’s normally good about getting back with answers so I’m sure we can reply upon him to provide that.

It certainly seems odd that any organisation can base any part of its policy, strategy, aspirations or what-you-will on performing some transformative act on something which it doesn’t own and is therefore outside its control. It could say it wants to enhance it (as it did) but this can’t happen without both parties’ consent. Businesses can also fail and cease trading: indeed, in the case of the Leisure Park, this is exactly what happened. As for the Kingsland centre, the answer to item A said that “in 2010, the owners of the Kingsland Centre had stated that they would redevelop the facility, however since then the economic situation has changed and this project has not progressed.” It seems, however, that there may now be re-furbishment proposals and that there might be more on this as a result of the Thatcham Town-centre strategy (which will completed by the end of February). No matter what is promised, however, it can only be provided if the owners agree.

Flooding update

West Berkshire Council has recently provided an update on the work on the town’s flood defences.

“Following the devastating floods in 2007 in and around Thatcham where approximately 1,200 homes were flooded, West Berkshire Council has been working in partnership with a number of agencies, local stakeholders, and businesses, to ensure that Thatcham is better protected from possible future flooding. To date, construction work has been completed at Cold Ash Hill, Tull Way, Floral Way and South East Thatcham, protecting 913 properties from the impact of surface water flooding via our Flood Alleviation Scheme.

“The next phase of the scheme will involve the construction of three flood attenuation ponds at Bowling Green Road, Heath Lane and East Thatcham. Initial works for these three areas are set to start later this month (January 2023) and will involve vegetation clearance and the construction of entrances into each site. The main construction project is scheduled to start in late March 2023. Once completed, this will protect another 107 properties from the impact of surface water flooding.”

For more information, please click here.

The local plan for West Berkshire

After two delays, West Berkshire Council is “pleased to confirm that the statutory Regulation 19 Consultation will start on Friday 20 January and last for six weeks.” Please click on this post on WBC’s site for more information and for a link to the consultation.

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

The final draft was submitted to WBC’s Full Council on 1 December 2022 and was approved to go to public consultation. This stage, which is known as Regulation 19, was due to have run from 6 January to 17 February 2023: as mentioned above, it will now run from 20 January to 3 March 2023. This is an opportunity for everyone in the district, individuals and organisations, to have their say.

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

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 22 Jan Bird Watching for Beginners, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Sat 4 Feb Mum2Mum Market, Thatcham Catholic Hall.

• Tues 14 Feb Hattie Hedgehog Trail, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Tues 14 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Fri 17 Feb Lego Fun, Thatcham Library.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Regular events

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 12 January 2023

This week we cover an outstanding school, community awards, a local gong, warm spaces and football. We also bring you up to date with the latest progress on the town’s place-making strategy and WBC’s local plan consultation – plus our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• Congratulations to Kennet School for retaining its outstanding Ofsted status after a recent inspection. See more on newburytoday.co.uk.

• Thatcham Town Council wishes to celebrate and award those fantastic organisations and individuals who do outstanding things in the community. Please make your nominations by Friday 10 March for the Thatcham Community Awards 2023 in any of the three categories: Community Contributor Award – this could be any individual, group or organisation doing their bit to make Thatcham’s community just that little bit more amazing. Environmental Champion Award – this could be anyone or even a business who has acknowledged the current environmental crisis and are proactively trying to change the situation. And the Inspiring Young Person award – what movers and shakers under the age of 25 do we know in the community? All nominations will be considered so please do visit the council’s webpage to download the form and return .

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

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

• Many congratulations to Buckleberry local, Erica Tipton, who has been named in the King’s New Year Honours List. She made the list due to her exemplary services to charity in the local area, earning her a British Empire Medal. Her community work include 20 years serving as a parish councillor, 10 years as treasurer for The Victory Room, as well as chairwoman of The West Berkshire Patient Panel, Bucklebury Recreation Ground and Macmillan Cancer Support, Newbury. Read here for more details on Erica’s excellent work.

• The Mum2Mum Market is returning to Thatcham on Saturday 4 February at Thatcham Catholic Hall. Come along to pick up pre-loved baby and children’s equipment, clothing, toys, books, prams, cots and much more. Alternatively, if you would like to sell some items yourself, you can hire a stall or rail. Click here to visit their website and found out more.

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

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

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with a horse in a coat and ends with Oscar Wilde. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

Making the place

The formal consultations on the town’s place-making strategy have closed. Over the next six weeks or so the results will be studied and there will continue to be engagement with stakeholders, including Thatcham Town Council. The exercise is on course to be concluded at the end of February 2023 and the results will be published shortly thereafter.

For more information on the process so far, please see this separate post.

North East Thatcham

As most people will be aware, proposals to develop much of the open space between Thatcham and Bucklebury is the most controversial aspect of WBC’s local plan, the final (Regulation 19) consultation on which has now been delayed twice but should finally start on 20 January. A meeting on this matter took place in Bucklebury on 2 December 2022, a report on which you can read here. On 5 January 2023, another was held, this time in response to request by local Liberal Democrats that they address residents on the subject. The event was held on Zoom and was chaired by Thatcham and West Berkshire Councillor Jeff Brooks. About 75 people took part.

I wasn’t there myself but, from talking to some of those who were, it appears that this covered much the same ground as did the 2 December meeting; and, indeed, many meetings and discussions since the NE Thatcham plan was mooted two years ago. WBC’s view (or that the ruling Conservative group) is that this large development represents the best solution for the local area and the district as a whole. Others disagree, for reasons that range from concerns about the erosion of the gap between the settlements through to very technical details of planning policy and procedure. Many of these have been covered in Penny Post several times, as a search for “NE Thatcham” or “2,500” homes (the original proposed number, since reduced to perhaps 1,500) will reveal. We shall continue to write about this.

Once the local plan’s Regulation 19 consultation gets under way, there will then be a six-week window for people to make their comments. As we explain in this post, the document is neither a light nor a quick read – but it is very important. Most people may feel unequal to the task of wading through this without missing or misunderstanding anything (planning-speak requires some translation). The post suggests that your ward member (district councillor) and/or your town or parish council will be able to help identify aspects that might be of concern to you or your community. Indeed, Thatcham and Bucklebury at least are already providing information based on their considerable experience of following the proposals over the last two and a bit years. Contact them to find out how you can receive these updates if you do not already do so.

The local plan for West Berkshire

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

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

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

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 22 Jan Bird Watching for Beginners, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Sat 4 Feb Mum2Mum Market, Thatcham Catholic Hall.

• Tues 14 Feb Hattie Hedgehog Trail, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Regular events

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Bucklebury Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 14 November and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: Morton’s Lane; streetlights; planning matters; the North East Thatcham Working Group (click here for Penny Post’s report of the meeting on 2 December following the publication of the latest draft of the WBC local plan); Traffic Regulation Orders; tree cutting; repairs and maintenance works; the playwark; defibrillators; speeding; highways; recycling; financial matters; and attempts to date the Coronation Oak.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here. To see the minutes, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Cold Ash Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 8 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. Information about the progress of Cold Ash’s neighbourhood development plan can be found here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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

Thursday 5 January 2023

This week we cover cutlery, football, walking rugby, warm spaces and food banks. We also give a round of applause to the departing Editor, and the new Editor, of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin, offer some advice about WBC’s local plan consultation and remind you about the looming deadline for any comments on Thatcham’s place-making strategy – plus our usual round-up of local news, local events and activities and news from your local councils.

This week’s news

• There is still time to have your say on the future development of Thatcham town centre. West Berkshire Council are keen to hear from those that live in, work in or visit Thatcham for input on developing place-making strategies for the town centre, with the aim of enhancing their vitality and economic prosperity whilst retaining each town’s unique economic, environmental and historical character. Click here to take the survey which will close on Monday 9 January.

• Thatcham Town Harriers Football Club is looking to increase female football opportunities in West Berkshire, and is looking to create more female-only Just Play sessions throughout 2023. If you would like to register your interest, and stay updated with all new information, please complete their Google Form here.

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

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

• The home office’s catering provision for the locally-based asylum seekers has been using plastic cutlery and as they have been in the hotel for nearly a year now, the refugees are increasingly concerned about the impact on the environment. So West Berkshire Action for Refugees are asking for donations of reusable cutlery as well as winter clothing and toiletries for men and women and toiletries. Donations can be dropped off at the Thatcham Council Offices. For more about VIAN, the new environmental group set up by the asylum seekers please see below.

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

• See here for information about warm spaces in Thatcham and other areas.

• The latest Bulletin by St Mary’s and St Barnabas’ churches is available to read here.

• For recent news from Hermitage see the latest Hermitage Parish Council newsletter here.

• Click here to see the latest edition of the Cold Ash Community Bulletin which starts with mummers and ends with rattling the stars. Congrats to Robert Pattison for editing the title for the last decade and to Nicola Straffon for having taken it on. As we know better than most, producing a newsletter every week doesn’t just happen automatically. Anyone who lives in or has any interest in Cold Ash is recommended to subscribe: contact bulletin@cacp.org.uk to do this or if you have anything you’d like to contribute.

• For the latest newsletter from Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates, local groups and events across the Thatcham area, please visit their website here.

The local plan

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

Have your say

This section covers a quite separate consultation from the one mentioned above.

If you live in, work in or visit Thatcham or Hungerford, West Berkshire Council wants to hear from you. They are looking for public input in developing place-making strategies for Thatcham and Hungerford town centres with the aim of enhancing their vitality and economic prosperity whilst retaining each town’s unique economic, environmental and historical character. Click here to take the survey and have your voice heard. The submissions for the survey will close on Monday 9 January.

Community notices

• West Berkshire Museum currently has a Focus on Thatcham Exhibition, open from now until 17 September 2023. Museum opening times are 10am to 3pm from Wednesday to Sunday.

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

Local events and activities

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

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 22 Jan Bird Watching for Beginners, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Tues 14 Feb Hattie Hedgehog Trail, Nature Discovery Centre.

• Wed 15 Mar Thatcham in Photos Talk, West Berkshire Museum.

• Regular events

• Sport in Mind runs free badminton activities at Kennet Leisure Centre, Thatcham on Wednesdays from 6pm.

• Community Gardening sessions at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre every Friday 2pm-4pm. Learn how to garden, create wildlife habitat or relax in a calming green space.

• RMD Adventure Learning‘s youth club at The Moor Pavilion, Lower Way, is for over 13s on Fridays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

• United Reformed Church coffee mornings every Tuesday from 10 till midday.

• Bucklebury Memorial Hall indoor bowls group meets twice a week on Mondays 10.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays 2pm to 4pm. More information here. Also you can check the venue diary here.

• Thatcham Library clubs and events information is on the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or contact Thatcham Library at thatchamlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Sustainable Living Markets in Thatcham and Newbury – see their Facebook page for dates.

• Thatcham Baptist Church event and group information is on their What’s On web page.

• Glendale Church hold regular events for all ages. Further information can be found on their events guide page.

• Thatcham Youth Club activity details are on their Facebook page and website.

News from your local council

• The most recent meeting of Frilsham Parish Council for which minutes are available was on 28 September and you can read the minutes here.
To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas and minutes, please click here.

• Thatcham area council contacts

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

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