Our usual round-up of local news includes freedom, swifts, a monition, football and art – plus Boots stays put, no news at Chestnut Walk or Lancaster Park, celebrations at the weekend, several surprises in Kintbury, tendering for the lights and fifteen questions for the candidates. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include funfair, D-Day Weekend & Colour Run.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Boots not for walking

Over the last year or so there’s been a lot of speculation as to whether Boots would remain in Hungerford.

Aside from a number of the chain’s well-publicised closures across the country, there were three specific factors: the imminent expiry of the lease later this year; the sale of the freehold to a new owner in 2023; and the subsequent granting of planning permission for a change of use for the first floor which is currently used by the pharmacy for storage and staff toilets. There were fears that without this the store would not be viable.

Due perhaps to a number of staff changes and reorganisations, or perhaps from a general disinclination to communicate, news from Boots HQ has, despite frequent chasing, been very scarce. Fortunately, we now have some better news. Hungerford’s Mayor Helen Simpson recently contacted the new owners who confirmed that it is their intention to renew the lease and that matters now rest with Boots. Even more recently, I received a statement from Boots’ press team that said “We would like to assure our customers and patients that Boots Hungerford is not closing.” I’ve asked for any further updates which will, hopefully, culminate in the news that the lease has been signed.

This will be welcome not only for the store’s customers and for the Hungerford Surgery but also for other pharmacies in the area. One I’ve spoken to was already getting a number of people saying that they’d be using them in future as rumour had it that the Hungerford pharmacy was closing. One always welcomes new customers but no pharmacy wants to get overwhelmed.

This is undeniably good news. It’s a shame I and Hungerford Town Council had to ask the question about fifty times of several different people at Boots before getting the answer.

• Chestnut Walk

I mentioned this subject most recently last week (see below) and I have nothing to add to this, either in terms of retracting or revising anything I said or to announce any further news. I understand that a meeting regarding this wretched joint venture took place this week but I’m not sure if this was a meeting of all parties to make a decision or merely a meeting about the meeting.

I’ve been assured that the portfolio holder (also one of the ward members), Denise Gaines, will make an announcement as soon as there is something to announce. Hopefully this will be at or before the meeting of Hungerford Town Council on Monday 1 July (which all are invited to attend). This is an agenda item and so will be discussed in any event. Penny Post Hungerford will as usual be published the following day and will cover whatever has come to light: if anything. After eight years, I’m not holding my breath.

• Lancaster Park

Again referring to a matter mentioned last week (see “Adoption issues”), I was hoping at the very least to bring the encouraging news that both Bewley and the residents/HTC are continuing to discuss the various issues I outlined but I can’t even assure you of this: so I’m really not sure where matters stand.

This has all got to get resolved. There appear to be real grievances and delay or inaction is only going to make them worse. Residents of Lancaster Park can at least be assured that there are people in the town who’re batting for their side. Watch this space.

• D-Day

D-Day was probably the biggest singe military operation the world has ever seen. What’s almost more remarkable than its size is the fact that the news of it didn’t leak out beforehand, all the preparations being conducted under a cloak of secrecy unmatched even by the press departments of Boots or the WBC/Sovereign joint venture.

Fortunately, no such secrecy attends the celebrations of the event taking place in Hungerford this weekend. Click here for the full details of all the many events and activities taking place on Friday 28, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June.  These include a commemorative convoy, 1940s-themed entertainment, a military-themed showground event, historical talks, aircraft fly-overs, parades, exhibitions, music, food and drink.

The post has recently been updated to include information about travel, including a map showing three free car parks which are available in addition to the public ones in the town.

• Surprises all round

Many residents of Kintbury would recently have been surprised to see that work was being carried out on a piece of land at the entrance to the village, near the car park on station road. This included cutting back trees and removing hedgerow and other bushes and then laying a hard surface. Kintbury Parish Council (KPC) was equally surprised as no application had been lodged: so too, when it got to hear about it, was Network Rail, which owns the land. The birds in the trees and hedgerows during what is legally designated as the nesting season were doubtless taken aback as well. The land in question is also adjacent to an SSSI which potentially makes the matter of interest to the Environment Agency and Natural England.

Subsequent enquiries by KPC revealed that although the person responsible said they had lodged an application, West Berkshire Council (WBC) had no record of it. It seems that he has now done so. Not wishing to wait for these formalities, however, the work was started. The assertion was that the clearance was for parking his car: KPC refutes this, saying that “the cleared site is far larger, it extends into the marsh and right up to the stream behind the station platform.” KPC also rebuts the suggestion that he didn’t fell any trees and has the photos to prove it.

All of these and other points were made to him in an understandably tetchy letter from KPC on 17 June. As well as summarising the issues, this highlighted some basic confusions he’d expressed about official bodies: he had, for instance, referred several times to having contacted “Newbury Council”, even though no organisation with that exact name exists.  The email concluded by saying that “KPC is seeking urgent resolution through the enforcement department at West Berkshire Council and has informed the wildlife officer at Thames Valley Police as well as Natural England.”

Although not normally noted for its pace, on this occasion WBC’s enforcement team sprang into action almost immediately and contacted the applicant to highlight several facts. The email also recommended that he enter into dialogue with the Town Planner and noted that this officer is “instructing his property and legal team regarding the matter.” The reactions of the other bodies KPC has contacted are awaited.

Network Rail (NR) has confirmed that it has not given any consent for the applicant to develop the land; also that it leaves it as it is for operational reasons in case any work needs to be done on that part of the track. It’s to be assumed that NR will insist that the land be restored to its original condition PDQ after this piece of unexpected guerrilla gardening. One imagines that it has the will, the statutory authority and the finances to insist that this happen.

There seem to be two morals from this. If you’re wanting to develop some land, check that you have the necessary permissions both from the landowner (if not you) and also the planning authority; whose name you should also get right. If you’re a town or parish council or any other organisation which is legitimately concerned about any unauthorised development, contact your district councillors, any other statutory bodies and the planning authority’s enforcement officers. The more evidence you can gather and the more facts you can establish, the greater the chances are they will be able to act. All of these things KPC did and action has as a result happened.

• Fifteen questions

If you haven’t decided who to vote for yet, here’s a quick reminder of the fifteen questions we asked local candidates about their background and topics including climate change, pandemic preparedness, the water companies and disinformation, the changes they’d most like to see to the political system and the most difficult question they’ve been asked as a politician, before rounding off with the all-important matters of their Desert Island Discs’ choices of music, book, film and luxury item.

Click on the appropriate link below for candidates’ answers in your constituency:

• Newbury
• Reading West & Mid Berkshire
• East Wiltshire
• Didcot & Wantage

• Christmas lights

Hungerford Town Council is now inviting tenders for installation of its spectacular Christmas lights. Please visit this page of Hungerford TC’s website for more information.

The closing date is 10am Monday 15 July 2024.

• Other news

• Last chance to make your nominations for Hungerford Town Council Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. You can complete this online link or pop into the office for a paper form. Deadline for nominations is Friday 28 June.

• It’s a busy weekend coming up with the 1940s Swing Big Band dance in the Town Hall this Friday 28 June that kicks off Hungerford’s 80th D-Day Commemoration weekend plus John O’Gaunt School’s popular Colour Run at 10.30am on Saturday 29 June, in aid of their exciting climbing wall project and A Night at the Musicals at 7.30pm at The Croft Hall.

• If you missed the Swift Talk & Walk last Sunday, here is information on how to help our precious swifts which have declined by 40% in the last 10 years. This species is incredible. When the young leave the nest, they don’t touch ground again for three to four years until they are ready to breed and find somewhere to nest. They make their own way to Africa, without their parents. They feed, sleep and mate on the wing. They reach heights of 10,000 feet and are the fastest birds in level flight in the world reaching speeds of up to 69mph. Hungerford is lucky to still have a good number of swifts but not as many as there used to be. It’s not too late to install a swift box as the juveniles are looking for nesting places for next year. Volunteers from Swift Town Hungerford and HEAT (Hungerford Environmental Action Team) can help.

• Hungerford Youth and Community Group is asking you to nominate them for a £5,000 award from The Benefact Group. There will be five special draws throughout 2024 of £5,000 to ten winners per draw. See the categories and dates for each draw below and please sign up to receive notifications about any that are of interest to you.  Details here.

• Hungerford has launched its first Women’s Walking Football Club and invites all women who fancy giving the game a try to join them on the Hungerford Youth Centre hard courts (by Hungerford Leisure Centre) on Thursday evenings from 7pm to 8pm. Wear trainers and suitable clothing. No restrictions on age, fitness or ability. Further info from Martin.brailli@btinternet.com.

• Hungerford Hub & Library would like to remind everyone of their U3A Art Group  on Thursdays from 10.30am to 12.30pm.  Bring your own art materials and meet a friendly group of budding artists.

• Click here for the Summer 2024 newsletter form the Hungerford Youth and Community Centre.

• You can also help to support the Hungerford Hub & Library by joining West Berkshire Lottery. Join for just £1 per week and have the chance of winning £25,000. 60% of your ticket cost goes towards supporting the Hub. Sign up here.

• Hungerford Antiques & Collectors’ Fair has some very rare table space available at their next market  due to holiday commitments from regular stallholders. Give Gerry a call on 07747 106539 to secure your spot for Sunday 14 July.

• Local walker Geordie Taylor (owner of Smudge and Comet) invites all to join him on an hour’s walk somewhere within a six-mile radius of Hungerford. If you’d like to tag along, with or without dogs, install the What3Words app on your phone, meet on the day at the location identified by the three words and remember that every walk begins at 11am sharp. The next walks are: Friday 28 June (w3w musical.studio.unicorns: 4.6km, 79m elevation) and Wednesday 3 July (nutty.monopoly.carbon: 5.4km, 70m elevation).

• Latest news from Greenham Trust includes how to apply for free trees and hedging plants to be planted in November. Plus the application deadlines for the autumn Escalator and Mini-Escalator which gives a local group the opportunity to raise £30,000 and the Greenham Trust Charity Awards on Thursday 7 November.

• Quick reminder to Tesco shoppers that West Berkshire Foodbank is in desperate need of more donations (of food or cash) and there is still a Foodbank donation crate in-store but it has been moved away from the exit and is closer to the first couple of tills. This has unfortunately resulted in a huge drop in donations so please try to remember to pop something in the crate before you leave the shop.

• Hungerford Bookshop are very excited about their summer Crime & Thriller author talk series coming up in July. See the full schedule here.

•The annual opportunity to visit one of Hungerford’s best kept secrets is coming up soon. The gardens at 87 & 88 The High Street will be open 6/7 & 20/21 July – in aid of the Tuesday Burchett Club Bus and Noreen’s Kids that supports orphans in Roumania. See here for details.

• The popular CBBC TV programme, Newsround, recently came to Oaklands School in Hungerford to film a report about the benefits of therapy animals visiting children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in schools.  Catch up here or on the BBC iPlayer. Click here for more details.

• Not long now before Hungerford Carnival on Sunday 14 July. There is no entry fee, no theme and no pressure! Just turn up at John O’Gaunt School at 4pm for a 5pm start. There will be prizes for best float and walking group and the Carnival King, Queen, Prince and Princess will be crowned on the Day! If you would like to join the committee and offer your services, please email hungerfordcarnival00@gmail.com.

• Hungerford Town Band welcome new percussion players to bring the band up to strength. This is a great chance to play with a progressive local band who appreciate the difference that a good percussion section can make to the ensemble. Help is always available with transport of kit or personnel if needed.

• Town & Manor of Hungerford are keen to share some wonderful examples of the flora for which they are custodians. This week they are spotlighting the Water Forget-Me-Not Flower, (more commonly known as ‘Scorpion-grass’ because its curled clusters of sky-blue flowers resembled a scorpion’s tail) and Meadowsweet, the food plant for the larvae of several moth species. Check out their videos of these gems here.

• The Royal British Legion Hungerford Club’s June’s monthly draw will be for a £75 Tesco Gift Card. Tickets cost £1 from the members bar and the draw will take place on Armed Forces Day, Saturday 29 June.

• If you’ve got a back problem or any aches and pains, why not take advantage of Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Healthcare‘s new client offer – £49 for initial assessment and first treatment. And to celebrate Rebecca and Andy’s fourth anniversar running the business, they are also offering 20% off all massages for new and existing clients. Book on 01488 683666 or info@hungerford-chiropractichealth.co.uk.

• Hungerford Food Community are offering Party Box Hire to encourage sustainability at a cost of £10. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com to book yours for this Summer’s children’s parties.

• Quick reminder that Hungerford Rugby Club is offering free rugby training sessions for girls in Years 3 to 9 on Sunday mornings 11am to 12.30pm and Thursday evenings 6.30pm to 8pm. These sessions will run until Sunday 28 July. Click here for more details.

• West Berkshire Council is still assisting the local community through the Household Support Fund until autumn 2024. This could help if you’re struggling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items. They also offer food vouchers to families during the school holidays. Don’t suffer in silence, find out more by following this link.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes education costs, cows, markets, gift cards and rugby – plus the latest (inconclusive) instalment of the Chestnut Walk saga, Hungerford’s newsletter, D-Day approaches and hopeful news for Shalbourne’s Plough. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include food & artisan market and antique & collectors’ fair.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Chestnut Walk

Regular readers will be aware that the problematic redevelopment of the former care home in Hungerford (and the larger project at Phoenix Court in Newbury) has been rumbling on for some time. A joint venture established between Sovereign and WBC in 2018 to return these two sites to housing use has built precisely nothing and there have been no public statements, despite regular requests, as to when this might change.

Earlier this week, I asked a senior officer at WBC if they could confirm (i) what the current situation is, (ii) if the rumours that Sovereign has completely lost interest in the project are true and, (iii) if they aren’t true, when work will finally start. Two days later I received this statement:

“We recognise the local community is interested in our plans to develop the site and appreciate the patience shown whilst we progress our plans for the site. There are no further details we can share at this time, but we hope to be able to provide an update in the coming weeks.” As I was quick to point out, this tells us precisely nothing and seems a pretty poor return for six years work. I’ve also asked some further questions to which I await a response.

On 4 May I sent a similar set of questions to Sovereign and have yet to receive a response.

Something has gone seriously wrong with this arrangement which now seems so broken that closing down and starting again with a new partner is probably the only option. If so, it’s certainly to be hoped that the goal will still be to turn all these into social housing, which the area badly needs and which the private sector is generally unwilling to provide.

The worst option (aside from leaving matters as they are) would be to sell the sites to the highest bidder, which will result in only 30% of the homes being affordable or social-rent. To do this would be for WBC to miss a wonderful opportunity to address a long-standing local problem but also reduce all the work and expense of the last six years to a colossal waste of time.

As soon as I have any further news I’ll let you know.

• Hungerford’s newsletter

This week saw the publication of the June 2024 Penny Post Hungerford which, as ever, provides the best round-up of life in the town. Click here to read it if you didn’t get it.

Matters covered included a report on the recent work of the town council (including some important updates about a few troublesome issues), news and offers from the local retailers, the latest monthly diary from John O’Gaunt’s Head Teacher Richard Hawthorne, the D-Day celebrations at the end of June, eco news, travel tips, events, jobs, property and grants available to those aged between 16 and 25. Big thanks to Martyn Bright for his lovely photo of the black swan on the River Kennet in Eddington.

• Hungerford’s D-day Weekend approaches

Click here for the full details of all the many events and activity taking place in Hungerford on Friday 28, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June.  These include 1940s-themed entertainment, a military-themed showground event, historical talks, aircraft fly-overs, parades, exhibitions, music, food and drink.

• Shalbourne’s Plough

The following statement concerning The Plough by local resident Charles Scott was read out at the meeting of Shalbourne Parish Council on 23 May:

“As reported as the meeting of the Parish Assembly Chris Fisher and I have been looking into how the future of The Plough might best be secured as a thriving village pub now that it has been put up for sale by Red Oak. Securing ACV status should be helpful in discouraging developer interest and hopefully making Red Oak more realistic on price.

“So far we have focused on achieving ownership of the pub – the exact operating model will then follow.  We believe there is an excellent prospect of putting together a small group of local financial backers to buy the pub and fund its refurbishment.

“This is currently on the back burner as a local family has emerged as a potential bidder and we want to give this option a clear run as we believe this would provide the best prospect of a successful village outcome.  Negotiations have been initiated.  If Red Oak is a genuine seller prepared to accept a reasonable offer, we believe that one way or another the future of The Plough can be secured to the benefit of the village.

“Identification of such bidders and discussion of bids, at what is still an early stage of the sale process, should be discouraged to avoid muddying the waters between any prospective buyer and Red Oak

“Thanks are due to all those who have expressed an interest in helping with funding. As always, all ideas are welcome.”

• Other news

• There is still time for 16 to 25 year olds in Hungerford to apply for a grant for help with their further education or apprenticeships expenses. Previous successful applications have included funds for laptops, musical instruments, sketchbooks, plumbing and carpentry tools, sports equipment and hairdressing kits.  See here for how to apply by 14 June to the Hungerford & Camburn Educational Trust.

• This month’s news from Hungerford’s lovely independent businesses includes Father’s Day and card sale at Inklings gift shop, 20% off all massages to celebrate Rebecca and Andy’s 4th anniversary at Hung Chiro, a busy pre-election time at Hungerford Coin & Stamp Centre, crime book events hosted by Hungerford bookshop and Berkshire Trout and West Berkshire Injury Clinic at the Food & Artisan Market this Sunday 9 June.

• The Town & Manor of Hungerford reassures residents that they are aware that two cows on the Common are struggling, Yellow 9 and Blue 34. They have now been separated from the herd and it is our hope that with appropriate treatment they will soon be well enough to return to their chums.

• Are your kitchen cupboards are full of stuff that you never use? In celebration of Great Big Green Week 8 to 16 June, Hungerford Food Community is launching a kitchen appliance/cooking equipment swap table at their monthly markets. Take your surplus pans, ladles, garlic press, bread machines etc to its next Food & Artisan Market on Sunday 9 June, to swap or donate, and help yourself to something else that you really need. Please also take foil/aluminium for recycling, plants, produce or seeds to share and a reusable cup to get 50p off hot drinks. And of course enjoy the local stalls, street food, live music and cooking demonstration at 11.30am.

• The Royal British Legion Hungerford Club’s June’s monthly draw will be for a £75 Tesco Gift Card. Tickets cost £1 from the members bar and the draw will take place on Armed Forces Day, Saturday 29 June.

• St Lawrence’s Church is open for everyone in Hungerford to enjoy and on Sunday 16 June at 10 am, Bishop Olivia is ‘officially’ opening the lovely new refurbished community area of the building. You can read about some of the Church building changes here including their new meeting spaces and facilities for anyone to use.

• Hungerford Town Council reports that Hungerford in Bloom 2024 has already had lots of entries and Friday 21 June deadline for entries, is fast approaching. Visit their website to download a copy of the form “Events Hungerford Town Council” or phone  01488 686195 for a paper copy.

• A reminder for book lovers who enjoy crime fiction, that Hungerford Bookshop will be chatting to crime writer Mick Herron, whose acclaimed adaptation of his Slow Horses and Slough House books on TV have brought him even more into the spotlight. He will be appearing on Wednesday 19 June at Hungerford Town Hall, and will be accompanied by comedian, turned bestselling author, Mark Billingham. Book your tickets here.

• We are all being encouraged to move from petrol fuelled cars to electric vehicles, but many of us are nervous about the transition. On Wednesday 26 June at the Hungerford Hub, you can finally educate yourself about EVs, getting your answers direct from EV owners, at an event organised by HEAT. For full details click here.

• Quick reminder that Hungerford Rugby Club is offering free rugby training sessions for girls in Years 3 to 9 on Sunday mornings 11am to 12.30pm and Thursday evenings 6.30pm to 8pm. These sessions will run until Sunday 28 July. Click here for more details.

• If you’ve got a back problem or any aches and pains, why not take advantage of Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Healthcare‘s new client offer – £49 for initial assessment and first treatment. And to celebrate Rebecca and Andy’s fourth anniversar running the business, they are also offering 20% off all massages for new and existing clients. Book on 01488 683666 or info@hungerford-chiropractichealth.co.uk.

• West Berkshire Council’s new WhatsApp channel shares important announcements, service updates and other useful information such as advice during extreme weather. To find out how to follow their channel click here.

• West Berkshire Council is still assisting the local community through the Household Support Fund until autumn 2024. This could help if you’re struggling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items. They also offer food vouchers to families during the school holidays. Don’t suffer in silence, reach out for assistance if they need it.You can find out more by following this link.

• Hungerford Town Council is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. You can complete this online link or pop into the office for a paper form. Deadline for nominations is Friday 28 June.

• Tickets are now on sale for the Big Band dance on Friday 28 June that kicks off Hungerford’s 80th D-Day Commemoration weekend. See here for how to grab your tickets and also the full list of events during the weekend.

• Quick reminder that the entry deadling for this year’s Hungerford in Bloom Competition is Monday 21 June and Judging day is Saturday 6 July. See here for categories and how to enter.

• And the deadline for talented U16s to enter Hungerford’s Got Talent show on Saturday 6 July at John O’Gaunt School is Monday 10 June.  This is an inclusive event, to benefit children and young people and help with increasing confidence and learning new skills. For more details and how to enter see here.

• To find out how to help Hungerford’s precious swifts book a free ticket to the annual Swift Talk & Walk with Ailsa Claybourn starting at 4pm on Sunday 23 June at Hungerford Hub & Librar. We have lost over 60% of this incredible species since 2000 due to their nesting holes being blocked by building renovation, drop in insect food and climate change which is increasing the number of storms that occur during the migration season. For more information, follow Swift Town Hungerford on facebook here and email HEAT for advice whether your house is suitable for swift boxes on heat_hungerford@yahoo.com

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes crime, saxifrage, rugby, volunteers and a garden party – plus no news looks like bad news at Chestnut Walk, Hungerford’s D-day plans, the former Co-op store and Froxfield’s annual summary. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include live music, quiz night and wrestling.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Chestnut Walk

No news continues to be bad news for this project. The complete silence from both Sovereign and WBC on the subject of the plans to develop the former care home suggest to me that Sovereign has decided it’s lost interest and that WBC is undecided about what it might do next with its crumbling asset. I very much hope I’m wrong and would welcome being told otherwise but it’s hard to draw any other conclusions.

This joint venture between WBC and Sovereign clearly hasn’t worked, neither here nor at Phoenix Court in Newbury. Another collaboration may need to be formed as WBC doesn’t possess the in-house skills to build these properties itself. I imagine that the Council is currently considering which company might be able to help it do this. One would also need to be found to manage the properties thereafter but I don’t see that this has to be the same one that built it. It was once thought that Sovereign could do both but it now seems more interested in acquisitions and mergers.

If the project is looking for some boxes to tick, here are a few: building on a brownfield site; replacing a derelict building; providing affordable housing; building to sustainable standards; getting value from a WBC-owned asset; utilising an existing planning consent. Six ticks there and possibly others I’ve missed. All in all, it doesn’t get any better than this which makes it all the more inexcusable that nothing has happened.

• D-day approaches

Click here for the full details of all the many events and activity taking place in Hungerford on Friday 28, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June.  These include 1940s-themed entertainment, a military-themed showground event, historical talks, aircraft fly-overs, parades, exhibitions, music, food and drink.

• Morrisons approaches

As mentioned last week, legal problems with the sale and the lease having been sorted out, Morrisons Daily should be setting up shop in the former Co-op store in the High Street in the next few weeks. The plans for the floors above the shop and the Queen Anne building next door remain unclear.

A spokesperson for the Co-op recently provided Penny Post with the following valedictory statement

• Froxfield’s meeting

Froxfield held its annual parish meeting on 13 May and you can click here to read the full text of the presentation by the Chair, Vanya Body, who summarised the key activities and work carried out by the Council during 2023/24.

The areas covered included the Reconnecting Froxfield report, village signage, speed limits, the recent traffic survey, the swings on the Village Green, a look back at the coronation, policing issues, the Water Meadow Nature Reserve, local maintenance and potholes.

• Other news

• A reminder for book lovers who enjoy crime fiction, that Hungerford Bookshop will be chatting to crime writer Mick Herron, whose acclaimed adaptation of his Slow Horses/Slough House books on TV have brought him even more into the spotlight. He will be appearing on Wednesday 19 June at Hungerford Town Hall, and will be accompanied by comedian, turned bestselling author, Mark Billingham. Book your tickets here.

• The Town & Manor of Hungerford is excited to announce that Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga Granulata), is flourishing across Hungerford Common. This beautiful flower has been in decline due to the reduction of hay meadows and unimproved grasslands, so it is wonderful to see it flourishing.Look particularly for big patches on the avenue towards The Downgate and near the Threeways Road junction. It was ‘International Day for Biological Diversity 2024’ on May 22 and Town & Manor are excited to contribute massively to the intention of this project. Click here for a list of the biodiversity that the common offers, which is why it has been designated a ‘Special Area of Conservation’ (SAC) a ranking higher than a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

• If you fancy a fun way to exercise, sign up for the new Jazz Dance classes at Hungerford Hub starting 7pm this Tuesday 4 June. It’s a fun energetic dance style danced to upbeat pop music. The class is suitable for all abilities. Just wear comfy clothes and trainers and have some fun…think Fame or West Side Story! See how to sign up here.

• We are all being encouraged to move from petrol fuelled cars to electric vehicles, but many of us are nervous about the transition. On Wednesday 26 June at the Hungerford Hub, you can finally educate yourself about EVs, getting your answers direct from EV owners, at an event organised by HEAT. For full details click here.

• Starting this Sunday 2 June, Hungerford Rugby Club are offering free rugby training sessions for girls in Years 3 to 9 on Sunday mornings 11am to 12.30pm and Thursday evenings 6.30pm to 8pm. These session will run until Sunday 28 July. Click here for more details.

• Business volunteers are requested to participate in a ‘Guess My Job’ event at Kintbury Primary School on Monday 17 June. This is a fun event for students to learn about job roles they may not be aware of and to break down stereotypes. Business Ambassadors are asked a number of questions, to which they can only answer Yes or No, so the students can ‘guess their job’ in a given time. If you can help, please contact Employment Business Partnership on events@ebp.org.uk 

• If you’ve got a back problem or any aches and pains, why not take advantage of Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Healthcare‘s new client offer – £49 for initial assessment and first treatment. They also offer 20% off your first massage. Book on 01488 683666 or info@hungerford-chiropractichealth.co.uk.

• As the weather warms up we get into the swarming season for honey bees. If you see a swarm of honeybees please do not try to move them on by squirting them with a hose or throwing things at them.They may sound scary when there is such a large amount of them but, they are quite placid. They gorge themselves on honey before leaving the hive and are just resting while looking for a new home. Please don’t kill them, just call your local swarm collector who will remove them. See more details here.

• On Friday 14 June, there will be a charity garden party at West Woodhay House in aid of the West Woodhay Community Fund, The West Berkshire Community Hospital League of Friends and the Charlie Waller Trust. Tickets cost £25 (children under 18 are free) and are available here. Tours of the garden are also available on the day and on Friday 21 June, costing £20, contact sharon@woodhay.com for full information.

• West Berkshire Council’s new WhatsApp channel shares important announcements, service updates and other useful information such as advice during extreme weather. To find out how to follow their channel click here.

• West Berkshire Council is still assisting the local community through the Household Support Fund until autumn 2024. This could help if you’re struggling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items. They also offer food vouchers to families during the school holidays. Don’t suffer in silence, reach out for assistance if they need it.You can find out more by following this link.

• Hungerford Town Council is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. You can complete this online link or pop into the office for a paper form. Deadline for nominations is Friday 28 June.

• Tickets are now on sale for the Big Band dance on Friday 28 June that kicks off Hungerford’s 80th D-Day Commemoration weekend. See here for how to grab your tickets and also the full list of events during the weekend.

• Do you know any 16 to 25 year olds in Hungerford who need help with their further education or apprenticeships expenses? Encourage them to apply for a grant from the Hungerford & Camburn Educational Trust by 14 June. Previous successful applications have included funds for laptops, musical instruments, sketchbooks, plumbing and carpentry tools, sports equipment and hairdressing kits.  See here for how to apply.

• Chilton Foliat Primary School’s Friends team are busy behind the scenes planning their summer fete to be held on Saturday 15 June and have some brilliant sponsorship opportunities to share. If your business would like to help with sponsorship or you know someone who would, please get in touch with them by emailing friendsofchiltonfoliat@gmail.com

• Quick reminder that the entry deadling for this year’s Hungerford in Bloom Competition is Monday 21 June and Judging day is Saturday 6 July. See here for categories and how to enter.

• And the deadline for talented U16s to enter Hungerford’s Got Talent show on Saturday 6 July at John O’Gaunt School is Monday 10 June.  This is an inclusive event, to benefit children and young people and help with increasing confidence and learning new skills. For more details and how to enter see here.

• Hungerford’s precious swifts are back and they need our help. We have lost over 60% of this incredible species since 2000 due to their nesting holes being blocked by building renovation, drop in insect food and climate change which is increasing the number of storms that occur during the migration season. So please, If you would like to help swifts, follow Swift Town Hungerford on facebook here and email HEAT for advice whether your house is suitable for swift boxes on heat_hungerford@yahoo.com

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes bikes, bees, beginners, Beejacks, blooms and business – plus the latest on the former Co-op store in the High Street. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include repair cafe and beer festival.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Hungerford’s high-street supermarket

Last month the Co-op in Hungerford High Street closed. The plan as we understood it was that the building (including the inaccessible flat on the first floor) and the Queen Anne building next to it would be sold to a property company. This would then lease the retail part to Morrisons and make other arrangements for the rest of the assets.

All this has taken rather longer than expected so Penny Post contacted both the Co-op and Morrisons to try to establish what was happening. We wondered whether or not there had been any unwelcome surprises discovered in the condition of either of the buildings.

On 23 May, a spokesperson for the Co-op confirmed that this delay had been caused “by legal issues with the buying company (now resolved) and not related to the building.”

The day before, Morrisons had confirmed that “the legal exchange had taken longer than we anticipated.” The spokesperson went on to say that it was intended that the former Co-op site would re-open as a Morrisons Daily “in the coming weeks” (in other words, hopefully by the middle of June).

Whether all of the space used by the Co-op will be available to Morrisons remains to be seen. Above, I described the flat on the first floor as “inaccessible” for the very good reason that there’s no longer a staircase, this having been removed some time ago to create the space formerly used by the Co-op’s tills. If this is going to be reachable by anyone other than owls and pigeons, the staircase will need to be replaced: and this would seem like a good time to do it.

Although we haven’t managed to talk to the new owners, it seems safe to assume that if this area doesn’t form part of the new Morrisons then the intention will be to replace the stairs. This would turn the flat back into an occupiable space and, perhaps as importantly, one that can then be better maintained. I don’t like to think of what condition it must have slid into over the last couple of decades.

Much the same could be said of the Queen Anne building next door. This was recently refurbished but the work was mainly on the outside: the interior may be rather less attractive. Certainly it hasn’t been tenanted for a considerable time. We don’t know what plans the new owners have but we’ll be trying to find out and will let you know when we do.

• Other news

• Hungerford’s next Repair Cafe in The Croft Hall is this Saturday 25 May from 10am to 12.30pm so look out anything you have that needs fixing as their volunteer repairers are amazing. You can also take down any aluminium or foil for recycling.

• Jim The Bike Guy is holding a Family Bike Day at his workshop in Sanden Close this Saturday 25 May between 9am and 12pm. No need to book – just take your bikes along for a pre-summer health check.

• Congratulations to John O’Gaunt School for their biggest Work Experience Festival yet. Year 10 students took part in an immersive experience that included a Dragon’s Den style task and ‘Guess my Job’ reverse interviews before applying for jobs and attending mock interviews – all with business leaders and employers that had volunteered their time.

• Business volunteers are requested to participate in a ‘Guess My Job’ event at Kintbury Primary School on Monday 17 June. This is a fun event for students to learn about job roles they may not be aware of and to break down stereotypes.  Business Ambassadors are asked a number of questions, to which they can only answer Yes or No, so the students can ‘guess their job’ in a given time.  If you can help, please contact Jo Faulkner at Employment Business Partnership on joannef@ebp.org.uk.

• If you’ve got a back problem or any aches and pains, why not take advantage of Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Healthcare‘s new client offer – £49 for initial assessment and first treatment. They also offer 20% off your first massage. Book on 01488 683666 or info@hungerford-chiropractichealth.co.uk.

• As the weather warms up we get into the swarming season for honey bees. If you see a swarm of honeybees please do not try to move them on by squirting them with a hose or throwing things at them.They may sound scary when there is such a large amount of them but, they are quite placid. They gorge themselves on honey before leaving the hive and are just resting while looking for a new home. Please don’t kill them, just call your local swarm collector who will remove them. See more details here.

• It was World Bee Day this week and the Town & Manor of Hungerford reassures residents that, across the estate, they do not use anything that could harm wonderful buzzy bees, such as pesticides or chemicals.

• There’s lots happening at Hungerford Library over half-term, starting this weekend (Fri 24 & Sat 25 May) with Elmer Day. Elmer the Elephant is 35 years old, so celebrate with some crafting fun. On Tuesday 28 May, there is a special Gruffalo storytime & activities, from 10.30am to12noon. For a full list of the whole week’s activities to entertain your youngsters email hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk , call 01488 682660 or click here.

• There are a few places available on the Beginners Yoga class at Audley Inglewood starting on Wednesday 29 May at 4.15pm. The six week course costs £63 and can be booked by anyone in the local community (you don’t have to be a member of the Audley Club) by contacting kate.duncan@audleyvillages.co.uk. The instructor will take you through a combination of soft flowing movements, yoga poses, directed breathing and relaxation exercises. This combination works on the body and mind, improving strength and flexibility, building a heightened sense of positivity, and rejuvenating your whole being.

• On Friday 14 June, there will be a charity garden party at West Woodhay House in aid of the West Woodhay Community Fund, The West Berkshire Community Hospital League of Friends and the Charlie Waller Trust. Tickets cost £25 (children under 18 are free) and are available here. Tours of the garden are also available on the day and on Friday 21 June, costing £20, contact sharon@woodhay.com for full information.

• West Berkshire Council is still assisting the local community through the Household Support Fund until autumn 2024. This could help if you’re struggling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items. They also offer food vouchers to families during the school holidays. Don’t suffer in silence, reach out for assistance if they need it.You can find out more by following this link.

• Hungerford Primary School is excited to report that the books they sent to the Beejacks  Tombo Foundation in Sierra Leone have reached their destination and have received a huge thanks from kids, staff and trustees alike.

• Hungerford Town Council is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. You can complete this online link or pop into the office for a paper form. Deadline for nominations is Friday 28 June.

• Tickets are now on sale for the Big Band dance on Friday 28 June that kicks off Hungerford’s 80th D-Day Commemoration weekend. See here for how to grab your tickets and also the full list of events during the weekend.

• Do you know any 16 to 25 year olds in Hungerford who need help with their further education or apprenticeships expenses? Encourage them to apply for a grant from the Hungerford & Camburn Educational Trust by 14 June. Previous successful applications have included funds for laptops, musical instruments, sketchbooks, plumbing and carpentry tools, sports equipment and hairdressing kits.  See here for how to apply.

• Chilton Foliat Primary School’s Friends team are busy behind the scenes planning their summer fete to be held on Saturday 15 June and have some brilliant sponsorship opportunities to share. If your business would like to help with sponsorship or you know someone who would, please get in touch with them by emailing friendsofchiltonfoliat@gmail.com

• Quick reminder that the entry deadling for this year’s Hungerford in Bloom Competition is Monday 21 June and Judging day is Saturday 6 July. See here for categories and how to enter.

• And the deadline for talented U16s to enter Hungerford’s Got Talent show on Saturday 6 July at John O’Gaunt School is Monday 10 June.  This is an inclusive event, to benefit children and young people and help with increasing confidence and learning new skills. For more details and how to enter see here.

• Have you visited any local artists’ Open Studios yet? See the venues map here of artists’ open studios, including in Hungerford, Kintbury Holt, Newbury, Stockcross, Woolton Hill, Thatcham, Bucklebury, Bradfield and Brimpton, Lambourn, East Ilsley and Wilton.

• Hungerford’s precious swifts are back and they need our help. We have lost over 60% of this incredible species since 2000 due to their nesting holes being blocked by building renovation, drop in insect food and climate change which is increasing the number of storms that occur during the migration season. So please, If you would like to help swifts, follow Swift Town Hungerford on facebook here and email HEAT for advice whether your house is suitable for swift boxes on heat_hungerford@yahoo.com

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes D-day, a wayfarer, grants, repairs and cats – plus a look at Hungerford’s bollards (current and hoped-for), the mystery of the empty supermarket, a charity garden party in West Woodhay and good news for the Town and Manor’s wetlands project. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include plant sale and author talk.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Hungerford’s bollards

Many in the town will recall that on 31 December 2023 the Coin and Stamp Centre in Hungerford suffered a spectacular, destructive and costly ram-raid attack. The Centre has recently put in a planning application – the details of which you can see here – to erect eleven bollards on the pavement to deter repeat incidents.

The matter was discussed at Hungerford Town Council’s Planning Committee on 13 May, the agenda for which you can see here. The committee was broadly sympathetic to the aims of the application but needed more information about the various matters, including appearance. There were also some concerns about the impact on pram and wheelchair users. The recommendation was for refusal but the committee would probably be happy to have another look at it if the requested information could be provided.

As with all applications, it’s West Berkshire Council that makes the decision. In this case, the situation is complicated by the fact that that the bollards would be placed on the pavement, which WBC owns. The response from the Highways Department asked some questions not only about the responsibility for maintenance and indemnity in the event of any claims but also what would happen to them if they were no longer required.

Similar bollards exist at many other locations in the town, including outside The Three Swans. Some of these may have been put up to protect against the same danger, possibly by the nearby owners, possibly by WBC or its predecessor. In each case, there would doubtless be conditions dealing with the matters mentioned above. Before making a decision on this application, I’m sure WBC’s planners will want to understand what precedents have been set by the previous permissions.

The discussion also referred to the proposal to place a bollard at a notorious accident spot lower down the High Street at the junction of Park Street next to The Plume, the corner of which acts as something of a magnet for lorries making the 90º turn. The suggestion was made in 2023 by HTC that WBC install this itself. WBC was not prepared to go along with this, one of the reasons being that it would create a WBC-owned asset which would incur repair costs when damaged. Much the same could be said about a motor cyclist’s crash helmet. This concern about likely damage to the bollard seems rather to prove the point that there is a problem at this site.

There is nothing to stop the owners of The Plume from putting in an application for a bollard, as the Coin and Stamp Centre has done. This would probably be met with a similar list of concerns from the Highways Department. The Plume (and HTC)  might argue, though, that unlike at the Coin and Stamp Centre, the issue at the Park Street junction is at least as much one of public protection as preserving property and that WBC should therefore take the responsibility for addressing it. Everyone appears to feel that something needs to be done at that roundabout: the trouble is that no one seems to be able to agree what this should be.

• Where’s the supermarket gone?

Confusion surrounds the immediate future of the former Co-op in Hungerford’s High Street.

This closed in late April and the intention was the building (including the inaccessible flat above it and the elegant Queen Anne building next door) would be sold, with Morrisons taking over the lease of the retail part. What the new owners would do with the rest of the site remained to be seen. Normally these re-fits happen in double-quick time so when there was no sign of any action after a few days, people started asking questions.

I’ve contacted both the Co-op (receiving an acknowledgement and a promise of more news when available) and Morrisons (no response as yet) to try to find out what’s happening. It would appear that what seemed to be a simple three-way deal has broken down. There are several rumours but I’m not yet certain whether the sale by the Co-op has gone through and if Morrisons is still planning to move in. More on this hopefully next week.

Although Tesco is just across the road, there’s also a need for a small pop-in food shop of exactly the kind and size of the one that’s been there for so long. As matters stand, the High Street is a bit like a mouth with a missing tooth. If left too long, there’s also the question of whether the Queen Anne building (which was renovated a year or so ago after pressure from various individuals and organisations) will be allowed to slide back into its previous underwhelming condition. Finally, there’s the matter of the flat above the store which has been inaccessible to all but owls, pigeons and people with long ladders since the stairway was many years ago removed to create more room by where the tills were. What condition that floor is in can only be imagined.

These are buildings that the town would not want to see empty and uncared-for. Before you reach for your phones, there’s very little that West Berkshire or Hungerford Town Councils can do – unless there’s any clear danger to public health or safety – as neither of them owns the buildings. Who does own them at present is thus the first thing to establish, followed by what the plans are to bring them back into use. Watch this space…

• West Woodhay’s garden party

On Friday 14 June, there’ll be a charity garden party at West Woodhay House. The proceeds will go to the West Woodhay Community Fund, The West Berkshire Community Hospital League of Friends and the Charlie Waller Trust. Tickets cost £25 (children under 18 are free) and are available by clicking here.

A tour of the garden (starting at 5.30pm and lasting for about an hour) are also available which will take in the walled garden and the arboretum. So too is a tour of the farm (starting at 5pm and lasting for about an hour and a half). This will explain “the journey that the estate has been on since 2008 when a zero till strategy was undertaken to improve the quality of the soils.  In 2020 the entire estate was put in a CSS to increase biodiversity, and to be able to move towards regenerative farming practices.” This tour will also be repeated on Friday 21 June.

Tickets for both these tours cost £20. For more information, contact sharon@woodhay.com.

• Wetlands update

The Town and Manor of Hungerford has announced that, after three years of planning, the application for the Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve has been submitted to WBC. Please click on this link to see the details of the application and to make your comments.

The plan is to restore this ancient water meadow at the north of the town so greatly increasing its biodiversity and opening it to the public as a wetland reserve. The project, on land known as Undy’s Meadow, will fully reconnect the River Kennet to its historic floodplain, helping create new wetland habitats and mitigating flood risk further down the valley. Wetlands are, a statement from the Town and Manor points out, increasingly being recognised as incredibly important, not only for the variety of wildlife habitats they provide but also for their role in flood mitigation and climate change.

“The wetland reserve proposed for Hungerford is a large site, at approximately 40 acres,” the statement continues. “It has the potential to create a mosaic of habitats including wet woodland, reed beds, scrapes and lakes as well as damp grasslands. The proposed development will also include a new access from Charnham Park Road and an Education and Information Centre.”

Julie Lloyd, the Constable of the Town and Manor, described this as “one of the largest and most significant environmental developments in the Kennet Valley for many years. It will be open to the public during daylight hours and with no access charge. This will benefit not just the people of Hungerford but also the many thousands of residents in the Kennet Valley and far beyond.”

• Other news

• Tickets are now on sale for the Big Band dance on Friday 28 June that kicks off Hungerford’s 80th D-Day Commemoration weekend. See here for how to grab your tickets and also the full list of events during the weekend.

• Phoebe Smith, adventurer, multi award-winning travel writer, chart-topping WanderWoman podcast host, presenter  and photographer, will be discussing her new book Wayfarer on Wednesday 22 May at 7pm at The Croft. Skilfully weaving together her own story with those of countless travellers past and present, Phoebe describes the transformative power of walking Britain’s ancient pilgrim paths. Tickets can be sourced here.

• Hungerford Town & Manor want to learn more the designs that are carved within the pillars and stonework at the front of the Town Hall. They are absolutely stunning, but there is very little information about them. If you have any knowledge of their history or know the name of the person who worked with designs such as these, please reach out and let them know via their facebook page.

• Do you know any 16 to 25 year olds in further education or apprenticeships who would benefit from financial aid for resources they need? Encourage them to apply for a grant from the Hungerford & Camburn Educational Trust by 14 June. Previous successful applications have included funds for laptops, musical instruments, sketchbooks, plumbing and carpentry tools, sports equipment and hairdressing kits.  See here for how to apply.

• Hungerford’s next Repair Cafe in The Croft Hall is on Saturday 25 May so look out anything you have that needs fixing as their volunteer repairers are amazing. You can also take down any aluminium or foil for recycling.

• Chilton Foliat Primary School’s Friends team are busy behind the scenes planning their summer fete to be held on Saturday 15 June and have some brilliant sponsorship opportunities to share. If your business would like to help with sponsorship or you know someone who would, please get in touch with them by emailing friendsofchiltonfoliat@gmail.com

• Your West Berkshire is a new magazine bringing you news and events from West Berkshire Council. It’s a good opportunity to find out more about some of things they are doing for the community. They will be sharing news, events and stories about their work and the services which they provide. You can read it online here.

• Zara Rosewarne and partner are wondering if the people of Hungerford might be interested in having a local record shop. Vinyl has been gaining popularity, but do Hungerford residents want somewhere to buy it locally? Have your say by filling in this survey.

• A reminder for those of you with felines in the family, that from Monday 10 June, your cat must be microchipped. This new law cites that if you do not microchip and register your cat on a database by the time they are twenty weeks old, you can be fined up to £500. See full details here.

• There are a few places available on the Beginners Yoga class at Audley Inglewood starting on Wednesday 29 May at 4.15pm. The six week course costs £63 and can be booked by anyone in the local community (you don’t have to be a member of the Audley Club). The instructor will take you through a combination of soft flowing movements, yoga poses, directed breathing and relaxation exercises. This combination works on the body and mind, improving strength and flexibility, building a heightened sense of positivity, and rejuvenating your whole being.

• Quick reminder that the entry deadling for this year’s Hungerford in Bloom Competition is Monday 21 June and Judging day is Saturday 6 July. See here for categories and how to enter.

• And the deadline for talented U16s to enter Hungerford’s Got Talent show on Saturday 6 July at John O’Gaunt School is Monday 10 June.  This is an inclusive event, to benefit children and young people and help with increasing confidence and learning new skills. For more details and how to enter see here.

• Have you visited any local artists’ Open Studios yet? See the venues map here of artists’ open studios, including in Hungerford, Kintbury Holt, Newbury, Stockcross, Woolton Hill, Thatcham, Bucklebury, Bradfield and Brimpton, Lambourn, East Ilsley and Wilton.

• Hungerford’s precious swifts are back and they need our help. We have lost over 60% of this incredible species since 2000 due to their nesting holes being blocked by building renovation, drop in insect food and climate change which is increasing the number of storms that occur during the migration season. So please, if you would like to help swifts, follow Swift Town Hungerford on facebook here and email HEAT for advice whether your house is suitable for swift boxes on heat_hungerford@yahoo.com

• Hungerford Bowls Club is holding a Big Bowls Open Day on Saturday 25 May from noon and is looking for new recruits to get involved for friendly games or competition events. Contact for more information on 01672 871585 or email hungerfordbowls@gmail.com.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes markets, blooms, yoga, talent and art – plus a link to the latest Penny Post Hungerford, the Town Hall’s refurbishment and a look at the plans for some proposed new homes in Station Road. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include plant/cake sale, food, artisan & antiques markets.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Penny Post Hungerford

The May Penny Post Hungerford was published earlier this week and as ever provides the best and most comprehensive round-up of life in the town. Click here to read it if you didn’t receive it.

If you have anything you’d like to contribute to the June 2024 edition, please email penny@pennypost.org.uk by the end of this month.

• Hungerford’s homes

On 11 April, we reported that Archel, the new owners of the site at Station Road in Hungerford, had recently submitted a planning application which was expected to be validated “within the next few weeks”. This has now happened and you can see the details here. This is for the  “erection of 44 residential dwellings, alongside associated access works (including formation of new access from Station Road), parking, landscaping, open space, drainage and other associated works.”

Proposals to develop the site to the south of the railway station in Hungerford have been in the air for many years. In 2023, proposals (put forward by the then owners Churchill Retirement) met with opposition from Hungerford Town Council and, more importantly, West Berkshire Council’s planners. Churchill then sold the site to Archel who came up with plans that many felt were more in line with what the town needed. A presentation was made to HTC’s Planning Committee on 11 March (the minutes for which you can read here) by whom both the proposals and the courtesy in offering HTC early sight of the project seemed to have been well received.

Now that the matter has been validated, it will be discussed at the next available meeting of the HTC planning committee which will then express its opinions. The matter will be decided in due course by WBC’s planners. If the matter is called in (which happens if a ward member or an officer requests this or if there are more than ten objections and the officers are minded to approve it) then it will come before the Western Area Planning Committee for a decision.

If you want to make any comments, for or against the scheme, use the above link to WBC’s planning portal.

The scheme certainly seems to me to be a vast improvement on the previous one, which was for a high-end retirement complex. The trick, as ever, will to ensure that all the desirable aspects such as the housing tenure and the sustainable features and enshrined in the approval (if it is approved) and, as importantly, are then enforced. Although not responsible for this, Hungerford Town Council will be keeping a close eye on how things go.

The developers would be wise to continue to regard HTC as a constructive friend during the process. HTC has form in raising development issues which it felt to be contrary to the interests of the town. With Bewley Homes at Lancaster Park and Sovereign Housing with Chestnut Walk, HTC (working with the ward members) opposed aspects of the emerging schemes and in both cases emerged victorious.

It must be admitted that (still) nothing has been built at Chestnut Walk but this is hardly HTC’s fault. indeed, it raises the matter with WBC and Sovereign at every opportunity, as does Penny Post.

• Town Hall refurbishment

The Hungerford Town Hall is, to the best of my knowledge, the only one in the country that’s privately owned. The Town and Manor, which owns it, enjoys a similarly unique status, the only survival of the organisations that once existed in every town to regulate fairs and markets and to safeguard rights and liberties of the towns they represented. These had often been granted or sold by local medieval landlords when in a particularly generous or impecunious mood. One of the roles of such bodies was to ensure that any cases of seller’s remorse did not result in their being lost again.

In every other town in the land, these time-honoured responsibilities and functions became subsumed into the new municipal structure that grew up in Victorian times. Due to various historical accidents, the Town and Manor of Hungerford uniquely survived, its main role now being as a local landowning charity. As mentioned, one of the things that it owns is the Town Hall.

One important aspect of this is that the building is maintained at no cost to the taxpayer. The Town and Manor has decided that it needs to embark on some improvements to help maintain and upgrade the building and this it will need to fund itself.

One such planning application for “internal and external alterations for the purposes of improvement and upgrades to the Town Hall” has been lodged and has recently been validated by West Berkshire Council. You can click here to see the details of this and to make any comments.

• Other news

• Hungerford is known as a market town and never more so than on the second Sunday of the month. This Sunday 12 May pop into the Antique & Collectors’ Fair in the Town Hall 9am to 3.30pm: plus the Hungerford Food & Artisan Market at the Croft Field 10am to 1pm. At 11.30am there will be two live cooking demonstrations – crispy fried Peipa Tofu and humous with a twist – while you are entertained by live music from Scampy. Please bring your own reusable cup to secure 50p off all hot drinks, any used foil and IT tech for recycling and any plants, seeds or produce to share.

• There are a few places available on the Beginners Yoga class at Audley Inglewood starting on Wednesday 29 May at 4.15pm. The six week course costs £63 and can be booked by anyone in the local community (you don’t have to be a member of the Audley Club). The instructor will take you through a combination of soft flowing movements, yoga poses, directed breathing and relaxation exercises. This combination works on the body and mind, improving strength and flexibility, building a heightened sense of positivity, and rejuvenating your whole being.

• The Town & Manor of Hungerford is keen to remind residents that if you are looking for a fantastic venue, everyone is welcome to hire the Town Hall Complex. It has many rooms that you can hire or the whole building. Whether it be a party, wedding, a business event or an evening class, get in touch for a tour, by calling 01488 686555 or email clerk@townandmanor.co.uk. Alternatively, head to their webpage where you’ll find an online form you can fill in here.

• Hungerford Town Council invites entries of all sizes to its 2024 Hungerford in Bloom Competition.  Prizes and certificates will be awarded to 1st,  2nd and 3rd places in each category and the Margaret Wilson Cup will be awarded for the overall most Eco-Friendly Garden. This year there is a new category of ‘Newcomer’ for gardeners who have not previously entered any Hungerford in Bloom Competitions. To enter, download a copy of the entry form from their website,  email admin@hungerford-tc.gov.uk, phone 01488 686195 or collect a paper copy from Hungerford Library.Deadlines for entries is Monday 21 June and Judging day is Saturday, 6 July.

• Hungerford Town Council is delighted to announce that the first Hungerford’s Got Talent show will be held on Saturday 6 July  from 11am onwards at John O’Gaunt School. Performers up to the age of 16 years are invited to enter the competition by completing an application form, either online here, or by paper copy available throughout the town. The entry deadline is Monday 10 June. This is an inclusive event, to benefit children and young people and help with increasing confidence and learning new skills. For more details, and the event posters designed by talented pupils from Hungerford Primary School – see here.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Bowls Club will be participating in The Big Bowls Weekend on Saturday 25 May and everyone is encouraged to rock up and give it a go. Call Elaine Stephens on 01672 871585 for further info.

• If you know someone who finds it difficult to visit the library, through age, disability or other special circumstances, they may be able to come to you. Contact West Berks Libraries’  ‘At Home’ service by phoning 01635 519827 or email library@westberks.gov.uk

• Quick reminder to drive carefully on the Common and leave no litter now that cows are in residence. Please see the Town & Manor facebook page for reports of a lame cow that possibly has broken glass in her hoof.

• Have you visited any local artists’ Open Studios yet? See the venues map here of artists’ open studios, including in Hungerford, Kintbury Holt, Newbury, Stockcross, Woolton Hill, Thatcham, Bucklebury, Bradfield and Brimpton, Lambourn, East Ilsley and Wilton.

• Quick reminder about the Kintbury Charity Plant & Cake Sale this Saturday 11 May 10am to 2pm. All details are on the poster.

• Step back in time for a nostalgic journey at Audley Inglewood‘s Classic Cars Show on Tuesday 14 May from 1pm. Witness the elegance and charm of vintage automobiles as they take center stage in a display of timeless beauty. Delicious food and refreshing beverages available before and after the show at Blandy’s Bistro. To book please call 01488 687 010 or email InglewoodReception@audleyvillages.co.uk

• Hungerford’s precious swifts are on their way back and they will need somewhere to nest and plenty of insects to eat. We have lost over 60% of this incredible species since 2000 due to their nesting holes being blocked by building renovation, drop in insect food and climate change which is increasing the number of storms that occur during the migration season. So please, if you would like to help swifts, follow Swift Town Hungerford on facebook here and email HEAT for advice whether your house is suitable for swift boxes on heat_hungerford@yahoo.com

• Phoebe Smith, adventurer, multi award-winning travel writer, chart-topping WanderWoman podcast host, presenter  & photographer, will be discussing her new book Wayfarer on Wednesday 22 May at 7pm at The Croft. Skilfully weaving together her own story with those of countless travellers past and present, Phoebe describes the transformative power of walking Britain’s ancient pilgrim paths. Tickets can be sourced here.

• Hungerford Bowls Club is holding a Big Bowls Open Day on Saturday 25 May from noon and is looking for new recruits to get involved for friendly games or competition events. Contact for more information on 01672 871585 or email hungerfordbowls@gmail.com.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes litter, cows, a BBQ, rivers, plants and cars – plus a look at a local example of how finishing touches can take such a long time. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include live music and May Day celebrations.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Finishing touches

When a housing development is completed and the residents moved in there still remains some work to do. This can prove contentious.

Aside from the inevitable snagging and teething problems with properties that need to be sorted there are also the common parts. These are areas like open spaces, playgrounds and paths as well as the roads (which are a separate and more technical issue). Like the stairwells and external walls in a block of flats, these belong to everyone and no one. Normally a management company exists to look after these. Tensions can sometimes arise as to what work is done and how this charged.

First, however, it’s necessary for two things happen. The first is that all the work on matters such as landscaping needs to be done according the planning permission and signed off (discharged) by the planning authority. The second is that a maintenance schedule needs to be agreed detailing what needs to be looked after.

The next step is normally that the developer will transfer these responsibilities, and the resulting income, to a property management company. (which may or may not have any local representation). These agreements can in turn be sold on to other firms so that it’s quite easy for the organisation responsible to lose any local connection. Such companies can also go bust. Many problems would be solved were the local council to be given first refusal on any external common parts, if for no other reasons than that it’s contactable and not going to go anywhere. That’s not, however, the way the system works (though it tends to with the roads which are generally adopted by the highways authority, providing they’re built to the right standard). Even if it did, these two tasks would have to be accomplished first.

One might think that after having acquired the land, got the permission and built the houses – each of which stages can take several years – finishing these aspects of the job off would be simple. Even if the developer lacks the in-house landscaping skills, there are plenty of reputable firms who can as part of the deal supply a future maintenance plan. As for the overall maintenance schedule, that’s something the surely no one will know better than the developers. They will, after all, have built all the physical items.

The sooner they get this done, the sooner that can wind up operations in that town and move on. The residents want this to be sorted quickly. The planning authority likewise wants to tick off another box and have all the conditions of the site discharged. Everyone’s interests would seem to be aligned towards getting this done as quickly and neatly as possible.

And yet it so often isn’t. Heels are dragged; misunderstandings flare up between residents the developers and the councils and old grievances are re-ignited ; trees are planted at the wrong time, or in the wrong place, or not at all; confusions and uncertainties arise over matters such as streetlights or flood mitigation measures which can be too late to put right to everyone’s satisfaction; and there’s the mounting concern that the residents will be left to foot the bill for work not done properly prior to handover or as a result of a poorly drafted management agreement. My experience of any building work is that the last five percent – which involves the clearing up and the finishing touches – often takes about twenty percent of the time. It seems that this applies on a macro level as well.

I’m not saying that all of these problems have surfaced with the last knockings at Lancaster Park in Hungerford but enough of them have to give residents some grounds for concern. Fortunately, they have two things in their favour: a well run WhatsApp’ group to which almost all the residents belong; and an efficient and tenacious town council which is used to locking horns with any organisation that fails to make good on its promises for the town. I understand that there will be some further discussions about unfinished work on the common parts there and we’ll provide an update when available. It’s unfortunate that these two groups need to press for this work to happen (and, in the first case, need to be set up at all) but clearly it’s necessary that they do.

• Other news

• Huge congratulations to 12 year old John O’Gaunt student Millie Blackwell whose 30-day litter pick challenge in aid of Great Ormond St. Hospital has now been completed (watch Penny’s short video interview with Millie here). She has exceeded her target but donations are still appreciated here should you want to contribute.

• Town & Manor of Hungerford is pleased to have the wonderful cows back on the common, so please drivers to be aware. These are young cows who haven’t seen moving bits of metal on wheels before so please do not expect them to move immediately or understand that vehicles can be dangerous to them.  Please take notice of the signs and ensure that no livestock is harmed, or cars damaged, this year. Please also do not leave any litter on the common – this can be very dangerous to the cows. Please see the Town & Manor facebook page for reports of a lame cow that possibly has broken glass in her hoof.

• Audley Inglewood invites local residents to an unforgettable afternoon at its terrace-opening barbecue with live music on Thursday 9 May. Experience the ultimate summer kickoff as they unveil their lovely terrace with delicious lunch and the sensational Kitty Mazinsky. To book please call 01488 687 010 or email InglewoodReception@audleyvillages.co.uk.

• The popular annual Open Studios season starts this Saturday 4 May with their flagship exhibition INSIGHT 2024 featuring over one local hundred artists at The Base, Greenham until Monday 27 May 2024. This is where traditionally the public begin their open studios experience before enjoying the opportunity of visiting artists at work in their own studios across West Berkshire and North Hampshire. See the venues map of artists’ open studios, including in Hungerford, Kintbury Holt, Newbury, Stockcross, Woolton Hill, Thatcham, Bucklebury, Bradfield and Brimpton, Lambourn, East Ilsley and Wilton.

• Our rivers are in trouble and ARK is asking for your help by joining the The Rivers Trust #BigRiverWatch this Bank Holiday weekend between Friday 3 and Monday 6 May. By reporting what you see in your local river, you’ll be contributing to the citizen science survey and help paint a big picture of the health of our rivers in the UK and Ireland. The more that we know about them, the better we can restore our vital waterways and demand action for rivers. Search for ‘Big River Watch’ in your app store or click here, to download and get started.

• Quick reminder of request for plant or cake donations for the Kintbury Charity Plant & Cake Sale on Saturday 11 May 10am-2pm? Please drop off plants and outdoor items to Kate from 1st May and edibles to Jane preferably a day or two before the Sale, whose contact details are on the poster.  All proceeds go to local charitable groups.

• Step back in time for a nostalgic journey at Audley Inglewood‘s Classic Cars Show on Tuesday 14 May from 1pm. Witness the elegance and charm of vintage automobiles as they take center stage in a display of timeless beauty. Delicious food and refreshing beverages available before and after the show at Blandy’s Bistro. To book please call 01488 687 010 or email InglewoodReception@audleyvillages.co.uk

• Hungerford’s precious swifts are on their way back  and they will need somewhere to nest and plenty of insects to eat. We have lost over 60% of this incredible species since 2000 due to their nesting holes being blocked by building renovation, drop in insect food and climate change which is increasing the number of storms that occur during the migration season. So please, if you would like to help swifts, follow Swift Town Hungerford on facebook here and email HEAT for advice whether your house is suitable for swift boxes on heat_hungerford@yahoo.com

• Phoebe Smith, adventurer, multi award-winning travel writer, chart-topping WanderWoman podcast host, presenter  & photographer, will be discussing her new book Wayfarer on Wednesday 22 May at 7pm at The Croft. Skilfully weaving together her own story with those of countless travellers past and present, Phoebe describes the transformative power of walking Britain’s ancient pilgrim paths. Tickets can be sourced here.

• Hungerford Town Juniors football Club is currently looking for sponsorship for its Junior Competition. Click online here for all the details.

• Hungerford Bowls Club is holding a Big Bowls Open Day on Saturday 25 May from noon and is looking for new recruits to get involved for friendly games or competition events. Contact for more information on 01672 871585 or email hungerfordbowls@gmail.com.

• Hungerford Food Community invites local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to contribute.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes litter, cows, wellbeing, football and swifts – plus a look at two reactions to the recent decision by WBC to approve a drinks licence at Hungerford Park. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include open garden and plant sale.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Hungerford’s licensing

The Licensing Sub-Committee of West Berkshire District Council met on 16 April 2024 and “resolved to approve Application 23636 in respect of premises known as Hungerford Park Estate, Hungerford Park, West Berkshire, RG17 0UU subject to a number of conditions.” These conditions ran to nearly 3,000 words.

The Mayor Hungerford, Helen Simpson issued the following statement after the decision:

“Members of Hungerford Town Council (HTC) planning committee are extremely disappointed that West Berkshire Council licensing department has decided to grant a licence to Hungerford Park Estate following a recent hearing.

“HTC’s planning committee felt that due consideration had not been given to public safety in the licence application, one of the four objectives of Licensing law. There are many more walkers and cyclists on the narrow winding Inkpen Road than when WBC Highways department decided that the southern access posed significant risks to public safety due to poor visibility, exacerbated over the last ten years due to the success in encouraging even more walkers and cyclists to the area. [Refer 13/02003/PACOU – refused).

“HTC also felt the sensitivity of an AONB landscape was not adequately considered. Light pollution, noise and vehicle traffic will dramatically impact the beautiful countryside and environment. HTC is saddened that Hungerford Park Estates immediate neighbours will now suffer this intrusion seven days a week.

“Should Hungerford Park Estate require a change of use application to enable full use of the licence, HTC, (as a statutory consultee) will of course consider this carefully.”

The Town and Manor of Hungerford had also opposed the application and the Constable, Julie Lloyd, had the following to say:

“We are all very disappointed that the WBC Licensing Committee have decided to grant this licence and put economic activity above environmental concerns. However, we will carefully monitor the situation created by the grant of this licence, to continue to try and protect the wonderful natural resource that is Hungerford Portdown Common, the cattle that graze it and the people that use it.”

• Other news

• Congratulations to 12 year old John O’Gaunt student Millie Blackwell who is picking litter every day this month in Hungerford and surrounding villages in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. Her last day of this amazing commitment will be Tuesday 30 April so please help her reach her fund-raising target here.

• Take advantage of the free health checks at Hungerford Library this Friday 26 April from 12am to 5pm, for adults aged 30 to 74, who haven’t had a health check within the last five years or been diagnosed with certain health conditions. Contact the Library for more details on 01488 682660 or hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk. Walk-ins are welcome but booking recommended to avoid waiting.

• Town & Manor of Hungerford  is excited to announce that over the coming weeks and months the wonderful cows arrive back on to the common, so advise drivers to be aware. These are young cows who haven’t seen moving bits of metal on wheels before so please do not expect them to move immediately or understand that vehicles can be dangerous to them.  Please take notice of the signs and ensure that no livestock is harmed, or cars damaged, this year.

• A quick reminder that every Wednesday from 1pm to 1.30pm you can enjoy a Wellbeing Session at Hungerford Library for free. Call Kate on 07706 357801 or email her on kate.wiggins@getberkshireactive.org to book and treat yourself as spring arrives.

• Hungerford Town Walking Football Club recently played their first away friendly tournament in Salisbury. They hold training sessions most Mondays from 7-8pm at John o’Gaunt School on the artificial pitch and are always on the lookout for new walking footballers who want to get fit or enjoy playing football whilst they still can. Training is open to all adults with official matches for the over 50s. Help spread the word.

• Hungerford’s precious swifts are on their way back  and they will need somewhere to nest and plenty of insects to eat. We have lost over 60% of this incredible species since 2000 due to their nesting holes being blocked by building renovation, drop in insect food and climate change which is increasing the number of storms that occur during the migration season. So please, if you would like to help swifts, follow Swift Town Hungerford on facebook here and email HEAT for advice whether your house is suitable for swift boxes on heat_hungerford@yahoo.com

• Business volunteers are urgently requested to support Year 10 students at John O’Gaunt School by running Health & Safety in the Workplace and Interview Techniques sessions, on Wednesday 1 May and to answer ‘Guess My Job’ questions on Thursday 2 May. For more details please see here or contact Shany Middleton at Education Business Partnership on Shanym@ebp.org.uk

• Phoebe Smith, adventurer, multi award-winning travel writer, chart-topping WanderWoman podcast host, presenter  & photographer, will be discussing her new book Wayfarer on Wednesday 22 May at 7pm at The Croft. Skilfully weaving together her own story with those of countless travellers past and present, Phoebe describes the transformative power of walking Britain’s ancient pilgrim paths. Tickets can be sourced here.

• Inkpen carpet bowls club have kindly offered to share their carpet bowls with the Hungerford Hub & Library for an evening and will teach you how to play. Tickets are £5 in the library or £6 online here. There will be a bar available on the night and players are welcome to invite friends and supporters along.

• Hungerford Town Juniors football Club is currently looking for sponsorship for its Junior Competition. Click online here for all the details.

• Richard Garvie has created an online meeting at 7pm on Friday 26 April for concerned residents to discuss the issue of sewage in West Berkshire, and to discuss what action could and should be taken to protect public health and put pressure on Thames Water, West Berkshire Council and the Government.

• Fancy a bargain on fabric and yarn? Marion Scott-Baker, awarded Singer Sewing hero for 2023 for her work in bringing stitching to local communities, is running a Wool and Fabric Bargain Sale in Newbury’s Kennet Centre on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 April 10am to 4pm. The big fabric shows offer good prices but they are expensive to get to and park, so Marion likes to bring the show discounts to our local community by inviting the traders to Newbury. The net proceeds of the sale will go to West Berkshire Mencap. See here for more details.

• There’s only a few weeks to go before the Kintbury five-mile Run on Sunday 12 May. Don’t forget to get your entries in to get fit for spring and raise money for Kintbury St. Mary’s Primary School. Entry forms online here.

• The next Police and Crime Commissioner election is 2 May. PCCs are elected by the public to ensure the policing needs of communities are met. PCCs set police budgets, priorities and appoint the Chief Constable. Registering to vote takes just five minutes at gov.uk/register-to-vote. To decide who to vote for, see our local Thames Valley candidates’ manifestos here.

• Hungerford Bowls Club is holding a Big Bowls Open Day on Saturday 25 May from noon and is looking for new recruits to get involved for friendly games or competition events. Contact for more information on 01672 871585 or email hungerfordbowls@gmail.com.

• Action for the River Kennet is looking for volunteers who can make a long-term commitment to about two hours a month every month to be a riverfly monitor at sites in Hungerford and Shalbourne and just to the east of Marlborough. Full training and kit is provided. To find out more visit online here and contact anna@riverkennet.org to express your interest.

• Latest news from Hungerford shops and independent businesses includes discount stamp prices from Hungerford Coin & Stamp Centre, seasonal veg from Cobbs, bookkeeping support from John Shatford and the benefits of chiropractic for athletes from Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Health Centre.

• Our swifts will be returning late April or early May so please contact HEAT Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team if you would like help installing a swift box before they arrive. For more information about Swift Town Hungerford please see here.

• Hungerford Food Community invites local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to contribute.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes business volunteers, health checks, car parks, elections and bowls – plus a licensing application up for consideration, some proposed bollards and an update on the EV charge points. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include antiques and nature recovery.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Hungerford’s drinks

WBC’s Licensing Sub-committee recently looked at an application by Hungerford Park for “a range of licensable activity taking place on Hungerford Park, all contained within the one premises licence.” You can read the agenda for the meeting here, which also includes links to all the letters of representation that were received, including from Hungerford Town Council and the Hungerford Town and Manor.

Such decisions must be arrived at within five working days, which means sometime before Tuesday 23 April. The WBC website will then be updated to reflect this. Given the fact that both the applicant and one of the objectors ensured that they had specialist advice for this hearing, it seems likely that whichever way the decision goes there may be an appeal.

• Bollards

As most Hungerford residents will be aware, New Year’s Eve witnessed a severe ram-raid attack the Coin and Stamp Centre in Hungerford High Street. This resulted in the almost complete destruction of the front of the shop, significant damage to the neighbouring house and the theft of the shop’s safe and a number of valuable items. Fortunately, the Centre had recently taken a lease on the next-door premises and was thus able to continue trading.

The shop’s owner, Nigel Montgomery, has reasonably enough decided that he wants to take steps to prevent this happening again and so has submitted a planning application for bollards to be positioned on the pavement. This has yet to be validated by WBC and the details will be available on WBC’s website when this has happened (which normally takes a week or so). Anyone will then be able to comment. We’ll supply the link to this when available.

“I’m hoping for a “yes”, and as soon as possible,” he told Penny Post on 18 April. “We see this as a necessary step to protect our business and to ensure that we can continue to keep trading in the High Street.” He pointed out that other such protective devices existed elsewhere in Hungerford.

There’s an event at the Corn Exchange, Hungerford Town Hall on Tuesday 23 April from noon to 3pm, where you’ll have the opportunity to delve deeper into the project, learn how to support local nature initiatives, and share your valuable insights. Register your interest on EventBrite as spaces are limited. There will also be an online session on Tuesday, 30 April via Zoom for those who cannot attend in person. If you can’t make it on the day, complete the survey online.  Share your thoughts, ideas, and priorities until Tuesday 7 May.

For details of how the strategy will work and why it is important that local residents get involved, listen to Penny’s interview here (from 00:40),with Rosie Street, Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy Manager.

• EV charge points

Mortimer Life has reported that “25 roadside electric vehicle chargers will be installed in Burghfield Common from next week as part of West Berkshire Council’s roll out of grant-funded street-light powered chargers. The locations won’t, initially at least, be reserved for electric vehicles.  There’s information of how it all works here.

The news will also be of interest to residents of Hungerford, where eight chargers have been installed at various locations on the High Street. These, like the ones planned at Burghfield, did not include the bays being designated only for EVs. As a result, I understand that usage has been low.

At at a time when the majority of people still have fossil-fuel cars, designating bays just for EVs is going to be divisive. There’ll be the problem of enforcement and could result in angry neighbourly exchanges involving notes glued to windscreens. It’s impossible for WBC or anyone else to be sure that the EV bays are in every case outside a house with an EV car. The result may therefore be an expensive and under-used service that risks making the whole EV issue into even more of a polarised one than it is already.

Homeowners who have EVs but who need to rely on on-street parking have other options, even if no EV charge points are provided. A cable can be run from the house to car. Having these loose on the ground or strung up from first-floor windows dangling over tree branches are not great ideas but one can get weighted mats such as are used at events. These can get nicked, of course, and may in any case trigger insurance liability. That’s a risk each person will need to assess for themselves. Better still are the Kerbo-type systems which create a secure channel across the pavement, although these require approval from (and perhaps installation by) the council.

Given the problems of getting on-street parking EV points provided and used, councils should perhaps be concentrating on charge points in public car parks or ones used by schools and leisure centres. Here, allocating EV-only bays would be easier and the benefits would be more widely felt. Even that is fraught with problems. Hungerford Town Council has been trying for four years to get some installed in at least one of the WBC car parks in the town. Attempts to get one in Station Road were scuppered by the inability of getting a wayleave agreement with the landowner and attention is now turning to the car park near the Library. Other communities may be experiencing similar problems.

Homeowners who have EVs but who need to rely on on-street parking have other options, even if no EV charge points are provided. A cable can be run from the house to car. Having these loose on the ground or strung up from first-floor windows dangling over tree branches are not great ideas: however, one can get weighted mats for the cables such as are used at events. These can get nicked, of course, and may in any case trigger insurance liability. That’s a risk each person will need to assess for themselves. Better still are the Kerbo-type systems which create a secure channel across the pavement, although these require approval from (and perhaps installation by) the council, probably for a fee.

Given the problems of getting on-street parking EV points provided and used, councils should perhaps be concentrating on charge points in public car parks or ones used by schools and leisure centres. Here, allocating EV-only bays would be easier and the benefits would be more widely felt. However, several communities (again including Hungerford) have reported long delays in getting these installed

I put these issues to Stuart Gourley, WBC’s portfolio holder for the Environment, on 18 April. He said the WBC was aware of the nuances and challenges involved in getting EVs for those in towns who rely on on-street parking and said that were looking at a “blended approach” to the use of the bays, perhaps with different regulations applying at different times of the day or the week. The Kerbo approach was, he added, currently being trialled. I suggested that for WBC to install these for free would produce the desired the result for those who needed it but at a fraction of the cost of an EV charge point that might only rarely get used through being in the wrong place. He didn’t commit himself to this but said that it was “a discussion to be had.”

As regards chargers in public car parks, he confirmed that WBC had recently signed an agreement with a supplier and that this should be producing results soon. He also confirmed that the charge points in Hungerford, which he recognised had been an issue for some time, was pretty much at the top of the list. One issue that remains to be resolved here is the DNO (distribution network operators’) agreement for getting them hooked up to the grid.

Another complicating issue is that of government funding. Whitehall is fond of giving councils money, or inviting them to bid for it, in a way which reflects its own particular policy preferences although these may not be what the authorities most need at the time. Money for EV chargers may be available, therefore, but only for providing on-street parking and perhaps only on particular kind of roads. If the money is to be used, it needs to be spent on that and nothing else. This can create the impression that the council has no clear list of policies or priorities. In fact, it’s often a case of use it or lose it.

• Other news

• Business volunteers are urgently requested to support Year 10 students at John O’Gaunt School by running Health & Safety in the Workplace and Interview Techniques sessions, on Wednesday 1 May and to answer ‘Guess My Job’ questions on Thursday 2 May. For more details please see here or contact Shany Middleton at Education Business Partnership on Shanym@ebp.org.uk

• West Berks Family Hub (Hungerford) is offering a five week course on Growing Resilient Parents, every Friday from 26 April from 9.30am to 11.30am at Hungerford Nursery School at The Croft. For more information or to book call Marie Beasley on 01488 682628 or email mbeasley@hungerfordnurserry.w-berks.sch.uk.

• An extra date has been added to the free health checks at Hungerford Library on Friday 26 April from 12am to 5pm, for adults aged 30 to 74, who haven’t had a health check within the last five years or been diagnosed with certain health conditions. Contact the Library for more details, by phone 01488 682660 or email hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk. Walk-ins are welcome but booking recommended to avoid waiting.

• West Berkshire Council says there are currently issues affecting the pay-on-foot payment option at five of their car parks, including Station Rd Hungerford, which means payments can only be taken by phone. To check the status of the car parks and find alternative parking options go online here.

• Expect to see a lot of classic cars on the road this Sunday 21 April as it’s the annual Drive It Day to raise awareness of motoring history. To see some beautiful vehicles close up, as well as steam engine history, pop along to the Drive It Day at Crofton Beam Engines where the main car park will be dedicated to cars who are taking part in Drive-It-Day. There will be Drive-It Day plaques for sale on the day, if you haven’t already got yours. Some Crofton volunteers will display their classic cars including a fabulous Stanley Steam Car. There will be offering light refreshments available.  Since 2021 Drive It Day has raised over £100,000 for the NSPCC’s Childline to help support vulnerable children and young people.

• Quick reminder about the Hungerford crime meeting on Thursday 25 April. This will be an opportunity for you to raise any concerns you have about crime in and around Hungerford with Laura Farris MP and Thames Valley Police, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at the Herongate Club. If you would like to attend, register here or contact laura.farris.mp@parliament.uk or 01635 551070.

• Inkpen carpet bowls club have kindly offered to share their carpet bowls with the Hungerford Hub & Library for an evening and will teach you how to play. Tickets are £5 in the library or £6 online here. There will be a bar available on the night and players are welcome to invite friends and supporters along.

• Hungerford Town Juniors football Club is currently looking for sponsorship for its Junior Competition. Click online here for all the details.

• Richard Garvie has created an online meeting to discuss the issue of sewage in West Berkshire, and to discuss what action could and should be taken by the Council to protect public health and put pressure on Thames Water, West Berkshire Council and the Government.

• Fancy a bargain on fabric and yarn? Marion Scott-Baker, awarded Singer Sewing hero for 2023 for her work in bringing stitching to local communities, is running a Wool and Fabric Bargain Sale in Newbury’s Kennet Centre on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 April 10am to 4pm. The big fabric shows offer good prices but they are expensive to get to and park, so Marion likes to bring the show discounts to our local community by inviting the traders to Newbury. The net proceeds of the sale will go to West Berkshire Mencap. See here for more details.

• There’s only a few weeks to go before the Kintbury five-mile Run. Don’t forget to get your entries in to get fit for spring and raise money for Kintbury St. Mary’s Primary School. Entry forms online here.

• The next Police and Crime Commissioner election is 2 May. PCCs are elected by the public to ensure the policing needs of communities are met. PCCs set police budgets, priorities and appoint the Chief Constable. Registering to vote takes just five minutes at gov.uk/register-to-vote. To decide who to vote for, see our local Thames Valley candidates’ manifestos here.

• Quick reminder about dual author event Fizz and Fiction with Georgina Moore & former St Barts pupil Becky Hunter at the Hungerford Bookshop on Wednesday 24 April. ‘Bring Your Book Group’ discount tickets are available so if three people come from your book group, simply enter the promo code BOOKGROUP when you check-out on Eventbrite and get 50% off your ticket for this event.

• Hungerford Bowls Club is holding a Big Bowls Open Day on Saturday 25 May from noon and is looking for new recruits to get involved for friendly games or competition events. Contact for more information on 01672 871585 or email hungerfordbowls@gmail.com.

• Action for the River Kennet is looking for volunteers who can make a long-term commitment to about two hours a month every month to be a riverfly monitor at sites in Hungerford and Shalbourne and just to the east of Marlborough. Full training and kit is provided. To find out more visit online here and contact anna@riverkennet.org to express your interest.

• Latest news from Hungerford shops and independent businesses includes discount stamp prices from Hungerford Coin & Stamp Centre, seasonal veg from Cobbs, bookkeeping support from John Shatford and the benefits of chiropractic for athletes from Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Health Centre.

• Our swifts will be returning late April or early May so please contact HEAT Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team if you would like help installing a swift box before they arrive. For more information about Swift Town Hungerford please see here.

• Hungerford Food Community invites local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to contribute.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes a run, a talk, letter, bowls and fizz – plus the latest on the Station Road application in Hungerford , the return of the food markets and the PCC elections. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include bingo and dolls.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Hungerford’s Food Market

The return of the open-air for markets in Hungerford are a sure sign that spring is back. The first one of 2024 is ths Sunday 14 April from 10am to 1pm in the Croft Field.

Visitors will find more than 30 local stalls offering bread, honey, pies, cheese, eggs, meat, oil, cakes, produce, preserves, sustainable gifts and lots more. It is a great opportunity to meet local producers and shop sustainably. Free entry.

Bring a reusable cup to get 50p off hot drinks, aluminium and foil for recycling and any unneeded IT tech for data wiping and recycling. With live music from Scampy buskers, street food, and a seed/plant/produce share table, a live cooking demonstration at 11.30am about how to use wild greens and also health and wellness advice throughout the morning there is something for everyone. Entry is free and dogs are welcome on leads.

The annual Constable’s Parade is also on Sunday 14 April so en route to the market you can enjoy some traditional Hungerford pageantry as the parade leaves the Town Hall at 11am led by Hungerford Town Band and heads down to St Lawrence’s Church for the Constable’s Service for the community of Hungerford.

There is plenty of parking within five minutes walk of The Croft. If you are a blue badge holder please contact 07768 981658 to reserve a parking space on site.

Hungerford Food Community is looking for a few more people to join their meet and great team and market set-up crew. If you’d like to get involved please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com.

• Station Road

On 14 March, we reported that SP Broadway (SPB), on behalf of Archel Homes, was engaging in local consultations about the Station Road site which has been awaiting development for some time. This was briefly touted as a site  for a high-end retirement complex, a scheme which found no favour with the Town Council, local residents or, most importantly, WBC. The site has since changed hands and Archel (which my Mac’s spellchecker insists I should spell “Rachel”) now plans a development of about 45 new homes (including 13 affordable ones). You can see the details of the project as its currently envisaged by clicking here, though note that the consultation which is referred to has now closed.

We mentioned in March that one of the steps SPB took was to engage with a nearby pub about its lease and with Hungerford Town Council about the scheme in general. This simple but rarely employed approach doesn’t eliminate opposition from these quarters bit makes it less likely. It also reduces the risk of misunderstanding (which can be the root cause of some objections).

SPB told Penny Post on 11 April that the planning application had just been submitted and is expected to be validated within the next two weeks or so. It seems that the proposals are virtually identical to that on the the above-mentioned website and the spokesperson added that “we’re very grateful for all the comments we’ve received from members of the public and stakeholders during the consultation period.”

Once the application’s on the WBC site, we’ll publish the link in this column. It will then go before the next available meeting of HTC’s planning committee for its comments.

• Other news

• There’s only five weeks to go before the Kintbury five-mile Run. Don’t forget to get your entries in to get fit for Spring and raise money for Kintbury St. Mary’s Primary School. Entry forms online here.

• Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Healthcare, based at The Croft Hall, invites you to a free talk on Health and Wellness covering a wide range of topics from posture to nurtrition next Wednesday 17 April at 7pm in The Croft Hall. See more details here.

• Millie and her Mum are doing a 30-day litter pick largely in Hungerford, but also in Lambourn, Chilton Foliat, Marlborough and Kintbury.  They are hoping to raise money for Great Ormond Street Children’s hospital, which has recently saved the life of a friend’s son. If you would like to sponsor her, please donate here to support research into children’s health, support for families and provide life saving medical equipment.

• Latest news, book recommendations and upcoming author events from Hungerford Bookshop.

• Hungerford Bowls Club are holding a Big Bowls Open Day on Saturday 25 May from 12 noon and is looking for new recruits to get involved for friendly games or competition events. Contact for more information on 01672 871585 or email hungerfordbowls@gmail.com.

• ARK – Action for the River Kennet is looking for volunteers, who can make a long-term commitment to about 2 hours a month every month to be a riverfly monitor at sites in Hungerford and Shalbourne and just to the east of Marlborough,. Full training and kit provided. To find out more visit online here and contact anna@riverkennet.org to express your interest.

• Laura Farris MP is keen to promote the Hungerford Crime Meeting she is holding on Thursday 25 April. This will be an opportunity for you to raise any concerns you have about crime in and around Hungerford, and will be held from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at the Herongate Club. If you would like to attend, register here or contact her office via email at laura.farris.mp@parliament.uk or by calling 01635 551070.

• Latest news from Hungerford shops and independent businesses includes discount stamp prices from Hungerford Coin & Stamp Centre, seasonal veg from Cobbs, bookkeeping support from John Shatford and the benefits of chiropractic for athletes from Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Health Centre.

• Tickets are on sale for the dual author event Fizz and Fiction at the Hungerford Bookshop on Wednesday 24 April.

• Our swifts will be returning late April/early May so please contact HEAT Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team if you would like help installing a swift box before they arrive. For more information about Swift Town Hungerford please see here.

• Hungerford Food Community invites local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to contribute.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes a clean-up, a river monitor, drinks, hares and parking charges – plus an apology for a broken link, flood grants, a familiar item at the Town Council meeting, Hungerford’s newsletter and Hocktide. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include CommuniTEA and Tutti Day.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Other news

• The Town and Manor is keen to remind all residents to join in the Annual Common Clear Up this Sunday 7 April. Meet at The Downgate Car Park at 10am to help make the common safe for when the cows arrive back in mid-April.

• ARK – Action for the River Kennet is looking for volunteers, who can make a long-term commitment to about 2 hours a month every month to be a riverfly monitor at sites in Hungerford and Shalbourne and just to the east of Marlborough,. Full training and kit provided. To find out more visit online here and contact anna@riverkennet.org to express your interest.

• From Monday 1 April parking permits in Hungerford increased (and no, it’s not an April Fool joke) after the recent West Berks parking fee consultation. If you live in Hungerford, your parking permit will go up from £30 to £40 and if you have a blue badge, you will no longer get a free permit and will have to pay £20.  Regardless of where you live, next year you will have to pay an extra 50% for any additional cars. So if you live in Hungerford additional vehicles will be £60.

• A quick reminder that there’s lots of free drop-in activities at Hungerford Library over the Easter holidays – children’s craft on Tuesday mornings & Friday afternoons, Rhymetime on Wednesdays for pre-school children & their grown-ups, and Lego Club on the first Saturday each month. For any further information phone 01488 682660 or email hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk . Children under 8 years old must be accompanied.

• Get into shape for the spring with Hungerford Hares Running Club‘s eight week Beginners Course which starts on Tuesday 9 April at the Rugby Club, Hungerford at 7.20pm.

• Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Healthcare, based at The Croft Hall, invites you to a free talk on Health and Wellness covering a wide range of topics from posture to nurtrition on Wednesday 17 April at 7pm in The Croft Hall. See more details here.

• Hungerford Methodist Church reminds everyone that Sunday CommuniTEA will be back serving free hot drinks and food on Sunday 7 April,  from 12pm to 3.30pm.

• Earlybird tickets (offering some great savings) are now on sale for the Newbury Show on 21 and 22 September and there are also sponsorship opportunities still available. See more here.

• Canine Partners is looking for volunteers in West Berkshire to be puppy parents (full-time) or Foster Parents (holiday cover) to itspuppies-in-training who will go on to become life-changing assistance dogs for physically disabled people. If you or anyone you know would be interested in joining this wonderful community of volunteers, please get in touch here.

• Laura Farris MP is keen to promote the Hungerford Crime Meeting she is holding on Thursday 25 April. This will be an opportunity for you to raise any concerns you have about crime in and around Hungerford, and will be held from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at the Herongate Club. If you would like to attend, register here or contact her office via email at laura.farris.mp@parliament.uk or by calling 01635 551070.

• Harry Poernig from Hungerford is doing the Tough Mudder challenge in aid of MIND on Saturday 6 April. Please support him here.

• Quick reminder that Hungerford Tesco is holding an Easter Colouring Competition for children. Pop into the store to pick up the colouring sheets and return by Friday 12 April.

• Latest news from Hungerford shops and independent businesses includes Easter treats from Inklings, discount stamp prices from Hungerford Coin & Stamp Centre, seasonal veg from Cobbs, bookkeeping support from John Shatford and the benefits of chiropractic for athletes from Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Health Centre.

• Tickets are on sale for the dual author event Fizz and Fiction at the Hungerford Bookshop on Wednesday 24 April.

• Our swifts will be returning late April/early May so please contact HEAT Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team if you would like help installing a swift box before they arrive. For more information about Swift Town Hungerford please see here.

• Hungerford Town Council is planning a weekend event to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. The three-day event will start on Friday 28 June with a Big Band Dance, Saturday 29 June will feature a Vehicle Convoy and Armed Forces Day parade and unveiling of the D-Day 80 Anniversary commemorative stone on Hungerford Common. The weekend will culminate on Sunday 30 June with a military-themed showground event at the Triangle field.

• Hungerford Food Community is also inviting local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to contribute.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes memories wanted, tickets, hares, eggs, fizz, fiction and swifts – plus the very last call for comments on Hungerford’s neighbourhood plan. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include Easter disco and Easter egg hunt.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Other news

• The Town and Manor needs your help. It has been busy uploading information about the Hocktide celebrations to its website but there are lots of gaps. They would be very grateful for any photos, anecdotes or memorabilia of Tutti Day and Hocktide that you would be willing to share particularly between about 1980 and 2009. You can see what’s been uploaded so far at townandmanor.co.uk/hocktide. If you can help, please contact Tara on clerk@townandmanor.co.uk or 01488 686555.

• There are a few tickets still available for the historic Hocktide Luncheon on Tutti Day Tuesday 9 April. Grab your tickets from the Town and Manor website or from Crown Needlework, 115 High Street, Hungerford (01488) 684011 and come and celebrate one of Hungerford’s greatest traditions. See the full Hocktide schedule here.

• Earlybird tickets (offering some great savings) are now on sale for the Newbury Show on 21 and 22 September and there are also sponsorship opportunities still available. See more here.

• Get into shape for the spring with Hungerford Hares Running Club‘s eight week Beginners Course which starts on Tuesday 9 April at the Rugby Club, Hungerford at 7.20pm.

• Cobbs at Hungerford is holding a special screening of the documentary “Six Inches Of Soil” on Saturday 20 April. It is an inspiring film about British farmers who are standing up to the industrial food system. Tickets are £5 and all proceeds will be donated to HEAT (Hungerford Environmental Action Team – HEAT).  After the screening, there will be a Q&A with a local panel of experts. You can pre-order a delicious food menu online, and refreshments will be available on the night. To book click here.

• Hungerford Town Football Club was proud to have Elis Watts on its team last weekend. Elis was the hat trick hero with his first senior match ball in the 6-1 away win at Harrow Borough .

• Hop along to St Lawrence’s Church, Hungerford at 10am on Easter Monday 1 April for a fun filled Easter Egg Hunt.

• Canine Partners is looking for volunteers in West Berkshire to be puppy parents (full-time) or Foster Parents (holiday cover) to its  puppies-in-training who will go on to become life-changing assistance dogs for physically disabled people. If you or anyone you know would be interested in joining this wonderful community of volunteers, please get in touch here.

• Laura Farris MP is keen to promote the Hungerford Crime Meeting she is holding on Thursday 25 April. This will be an opportunity for you to raise any concerns you have about crime in and around Hungerford, and will be held from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at the Herongate Club. If you would like to attend, register here or contact her office via email at laura.farris.mp@parliament.uk or by calling 01635 551070.

• Harry Poernig from Hungerford is doing the Tough Mudder challenge in aid of MIND on Saturday 6 April. Please support him here.

• Quick reminder that Hungerford Tesco is holding an Easter Colouring Competition for children. Pop into the store to pick up the colouring sheets and return by Friday 12 April.

• Latest news from Hungerford shops and independent businesses includes Easter treats from Inklings, discount stamp prices from Hungerford Coin & Stamp Centre, seasonal veg from Cobbs, bookkeeping support from John Shatford and the benefits of chiropractic for athletes from Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Health Centre.

• Tickets are on sale for the dual author event Fizz and Fiction at the Hungerford Bookshop on Wednesday 24 April.

• Our swifts will be returning late April/early May so please contact HEAT Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team if you would like help installing a swift box before they arrive. For more information about Swift Town Hungerford please see here.

• Hungerford Town Council is planning a weekend event to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. The three-day event will start on Friday 28 June with a Big Band Dance, Saturday 29 June will feature a Vehicle Convoy and Armed Forces Day parade and unveiling of the D-Day 80 Anniversary commemorative stone on Hungerford Common. The weekend will culminate on Sunday 30 June with a military-themed showground event at the Triangle field.

• Hungerford Food Community is also inviting local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to contribute.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Hungerford Jazz Forum welcomes new musicians on the last Friday of the month at the British Legion. They now showcase local bands and performers by offering a 30 minute set around 9pm. Please see more details on their facebook page here.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Migration update: our website migration to a dedicated server in the UK is scheduled for 11am on Monday 25 March so the website and emails might be down for a couple of hours. Hopefully after that all the problems we’ve recently had will be solved. It will double our hosting costs but should be money well spent if the website doesn’t crash any more. Huge thanks to those who’ve donated recently to help us keep the show on the road. If you are considering making a donation, please see here for the options.

Our usual round-up of local news includes colouring, swifts, D-Day, Hocktide and the Foodbank – plus a look back at Suzanne Taylor’s leaving do, another successful Town Meeting and a conversation with Sovereign Housing. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include bingo and communal lunch.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Other news

• Mike Gilbert reports on another sucessful Hungerford Repair Cafe in The Croft Hall last Saturday and tells the story of 59 year old Michele who can now sit up properly.

• Harry Poernig from Hungerford is doing the Tough Mudder challenge in aid of MIND on Saturday 6 April. Please support him here.

• What does Hungerford mean to you? Share your thoughts with Hungerford Poetry Festival  by email to poemforhungerford@gmail.com or on a postcard available in the Library and Hungerford Bookshop, or by commenting on facebook here. Your contribution will be incorporated into a poem to be written by local author Nicola Chester and will be painted as a mural in the library.

• Hungerford Tesco is holding an Easter Colouring Competition for children. There are three age groups, 3  to 5 years, 6 to 8 years and 9 to 11 years with each winning entry being displayed and a prize for each. Pop into the store to pick up the colouring sheets and return by Friday 12 April.

• Healthwatch West Berkshire is seeking your input on your health priorities. As they construct their new 2024/2025 workplan, your participation is important when determining which projects to include. Take a few moments to complete this survey here by Saturday 23 March.

• Latest news from Hungerford shops and independent businesses includes Easter treats from Inklings, discount stamp prices from Hungerford Coin & Stamp Centre, seasonal veg from Cobbs, bookkeeping support from John Shatford and the benefits of chiropractic for athletes from Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Health Centre.

• Tickets are on sale for the dual author event Fizz and Fiction at the Hungerford Bookshop on 24 April.

• Quick reminder about preparing for the return of our swifts. Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team (HEAT) is keen to hear from anyone who had swifts nesting on their building last year: or if you would like have a swift box installed this spring, please contact HEAT. Swifts will be returning late April/early May and we want to make sure there are enough nesting sites for them.

• It’s that time of year and Town & Manor of Hungerford are excited that tickets are now on sale for the historic Hocktide Luncheon which is taking place on Tuesday 9 April. Grab your tickets from the Town and Manor website or from Crown Needlework, 115 High Street, Hungerford (01488) 684011 and come and celebrate one of Hungerford’s greatest traditions.

• Hungerford Town Council is planning a weekend event to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. The three-day event will start on Friday 28 June with a Big Band Dance, Saturday 29 June will feature a Vehicle Convoy and Armed Forces Day parade and unveiling of the D-Day 80 Anniversary commemorative stone on Hungerford Common. The weekend will culminate on Sunday 30 June with a military-themed showground event at the Triangle field.

• Time to get into shape for the spring? Hungerford Hares Running Club‘s new Beginners Course starts on Tuesday 9 April at the Rugby Club, Hungerford at 7.20pm. The programme is led by England Athletics-qualified run leaders who will take you from minimal running ability to running for 30 minutes over the course of eight weeks.

• Hungerford Food Community invite you to learn/share veggie recipes and enjoy a fun cooking morning and communal lunch. Book your free place at their Spring Cook-In & Community Lunch on Saturday 23 March in the Croft Hall here. Donations welcome on the day to cover costs.

• Hungerford Food Community is also inviting local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to contribute.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Hungerford Jazz Forum welcomes new musicians on the last Friday of the month at the British Legion. They now showcase local bands and performers by offering a 30 minute set around 9pm. Please see more details on their facebook page here.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon and West Berkshire Foodbank is very grateful for financial donations via their website westberks.foodbank.org.uk and 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.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Gremlin update: we have started the process of migrating our whole website, emails and hosting to a new UK-based company – so, fingers crossed this goes smoothly next week but please bear with us if there any hiccups. Thanks again to those who have already helped cover our extra costs, including Joan from Newbury who says “I’ve learned so much from following your weekly bulletins over the years and I have at last arranged for a small monthly donation. Thank you so much for all you do.” This kind of feedback means the world to us. If you are considering making us a donation, please see here for the options.

Our usual round-up of local news includes retail news, funny money, poems, repairs and swifts – plus keeping the wheels on the bus, a look at at a proposed new housing scheme near the station, reminders about the Town Meeting and the NDP consultation and the latest diary update from a local head teacher. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include repair cafe and village market.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Other news

• Latest news from Hungerford shops and independent businesses includes Easter treats from Inklings, discount stamp prices from Hungerford Coin & Stamp Centre, seasonal veg from Cobbs, bookkeeping support from John Shatford and the benefits of chiropractic for athletes from Hungerford Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Health Centre.

• Would you like to do something funny for money this Friday 15 March in aid of Comic Relief? Garston Gallopers are doing it with bells on at Herongate Club and invite everyone to have a go at morris dancing with them from 7pm for some fun in aid of this good cause or to donate via their justgiving page here. The bar upstairs at Herongate will be open.

• A heads up for everyone that the next Hungerford Repair Café will be this Saturday 16 March, from 10am to 12.30pm in the Croft Hall. Take along your broken electrical goods, toys and furniture, and remember tools can be sharpened and clothing mended. Repairs and refreshments are free but donations from grateful members of the public help cover costs. For more information, including dates for 2024, click here.

• For anyone interested in local history, especially in the Newbury area, Hungerford Bookshop are hosting a chat with Ruth D’Alessandro on Thursday 21 March about her book Calling Sergeant Crockford. Ruth writes the true story about her Mother, a woman police sergeant at the top of her game, stationed in Newbury in the 1960s. Book here.

• Quick reminder about preparing for the return of our swifts. Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team (HEAT) is keen to hear from anyone who had swifts nesting on their building last year  – or if you would like have a swift box installed this spring, please contact HEAT. Swifts will be returning late April/early May and we want to make sure there are enough nesting sites for them.

• To celebrate World Book Day, Laura Farris MP launched a short story competition in conjunction with Hungerford Bookshop. Congratulations to the winners Gracie Williams and Tulullah Martin – their winning stories can be read here.

• It’s that time of year and Town & Manor of Hungerford are excited that tickets are now on sale for the historic Hocktide Luncheon which is taking place on Tuesday 9 April. Grab your tickets from the Town and Manor website or from Crown Needlework, 115 High Street, Hungerford (01488) 684011 and come and celebrate one of Hungerford’s greatest traditions.

• Hungerford Town Council is planning a weekend event to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. The three-day event will start on Friday 28 June with a Big Band Dance, Saturday 29 June will feature a Vehicle Convoy and Armed Forces Day parade and unveiling of the D-Day 80 Anniversary commemorative stone on Hungerford Common. The weekend will culminate on Sunday 30 June with a military-themed showground event at the Triangle field.

• Time to get into shape for the spring? Hungerford Hares Running Club‘s new Beginners Course starts on Tuesday 9 April at the Rugby Club, Hungerford at 7.20pm. The programme is led by England Athletics-qualified run leaders who will take you from minimal running ability to running for 30 minutes over the course of eight weeks.

• Hungerford Food Community invite you to learn/share veggie recipes and enjoy a fun cooking morning and communal lunch. Book your free place at their Spring Cook-In & Community Lunch on Saturday 23 March in the Croft Hall here. Donations welcome on the day to cover costs.

• Hungerford Food Community is also inviting local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to contribute.

• Dog walkers on Freeman’s Marsh are reminded that the ground nesting birds season started on 1 March. Please read the signs placed at all the entrances to the Marsh, and should you wish to let your dog off the lead, please only do so where permitted, and please ensure your dog is under control at all times. And this is not only to protect the birds. Last year there were a number of episodes where dogs chased cattle, causing them to stampede and become not only exhausted but also highly dangerous for anyone – including dogs and people – which get in their way. The cows will be back on the Common soon so be sure to treat them with the respect they deserve.

• Inkpen Village Market returns with their first market of 2024 on Sunday 17 March at Inkpen Village Hall. With all your favourite stalls and some new ones too including Audley Club at Inglewood with their lovely manager Kate Duncan explaining about their membership deals and lovely gym, pool and spa facility. See details here.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Hungerford Jazz Forum welcomes new musicians on the last Friday of the month at the British Legion. They now showcase local bands and performers by offering a 30 minute set around 9pm. Please see more details on their facebook page here.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon and West Berkshire Foodbank is very grateful for financial donations via their website westberks.foodbank.org.uk and 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.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Gremlin alert: some people have recently had problems loading our web pages. We believe we’re close to solving this but you may find, if you return to this page later, that it’s unavailable. Please accept our apologies and try again in a bit. The solution involves upgrading our website server which we have put off as it costs more money. But the time has come when we have no choice. So, as we’ve said before, any small monthly donation you can make towards this cost would be very much appreciated. See here for ways to donate. And thanks again to those who have already done so.

Our usual round-up of local news includes hares, repairs, antiques, dogs and 1940s recipes – plus a look at our latest Hungerford newsletter, discussions at Lancaster Park, the Hungerford Town Meeting, the NDP consultation and Shalbourne’s winery. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include a quiz and an antiques fair.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Other news

• Time to get into shape for the spring? Hungerford Hares Running Club are very pleased to announce that a new Beginners Course starts on Tuesday 9 April at the Rugby Club, Hungerford at 7.20pm. The programme is led by England Athletics-qualified run leaders who will take you from minimal running ability to running for 30 minutes over the course of eight weeks.

• Quick reminder that Hungerford Town and Manor are launching a new monthly Antiques and Collectors Fairs in Hungerford Town Hall, starting this Sunday 10 March from 9am – 3.30pm.  Sellers from 6.30am and Trade from 8am.   Free entry.   For further information please contact Gerry White on 07747 106539 or gerrywhite60@gmail.com.

• The Friend’s of St Lawrence’s Church Hungerford are pleased to announce the opportunity to meet a controversial visitor to the town. Rev Jonathan Aitken will be talking about his life on Friday 15 March, in the Croft Hall from 7.30pm to 9.15pm and will be bringing an ex-prisoner colleague with him. Tickets are available here and profits from the evening will be donated to the fund for the Church refurbishments.

• A heads up for everyone that the next Hungerford Repair Café will be on Saturday 16 March, from 10am to 12.30pm in the Croft Hall. Take along your broken electrical goods, toys and furniture, and remember tools can be sharpened and clothing mended. Repairs and refreshments are free but donations from grateful members of the public help cover costs. For more information, including dates for 2024, click here.

• Hungerford Food Community invite you to learn/share veggie recipes and enjoy a fun cooking morning and communal lunch. Book your free place at their Spring Cook-In & Community Lunch on Saturday 23 March in the Croft Hall here. Donations welcome on the day to cover costs.

• Hungerford Food Community is also inviting local residents to contribute family WWII recipes and any stories of cooking during the war for their 80th D-Day Commemoration Cook-In on Sunday 30 June. Please email hungerfordfoodcommunity@gmail.com

• Hungerford’s Churches last Lent Lunches, consisting of soup, bread & cheese take place on Friday 15 March 12.30pm – Hungerford URC and on Friday 22 March 12.30pm, Methodist Church.

• A quick reminder that nominations for the BBC Radio Berkshire Make a Difference Awards close on Sunday 10 March. They are particularly keen to get more nominations in the Green, Bravery and Animal categories, so if you know a person or group who deserves some recognition click here to nominate.

• Dog walkers on Freeman’s Marsh are reminded that the ground nesting birds season started on 1 March. Please read the signs placed at all the entrances to the Marsh, and should you wish to let your dog off the lead, please only do so where permitted, and please ensure your dog is under control at all times. And this is not only to protect the birds. Last year there were a number of episodes where dogs chased cattle, causing them to stampede and become not only exhausted but also highly dangerous for anyone – including dogs and people – which get in their way. The cows will be back on the Common soon so be sure to treat them with the respect they deserve.

• Inkpen Village Market returns with their first market of 2024 on Sunday 17 March at Inkpen Village Hall. With all your favourite stalls and some new ones too including Audley Club at Inglewood with their lovely manager Kate Duncan explaining about their membership deals and lovely gym, pool and spa facility. See details here.

• Artist Bethany Perry has recently moved to Hungerford and is reaching out to enquire about interest in art classes and creative gatherings. If you, a friend, or family member could benefit from exploring their creativity through art contact her here.

• Quick reminder about West Berkshire Council and Veolia’s free soil conditioner (compost) giveaway. On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March, between 10am and 4pm, you can swing by the Padworth Waste Management Facility and grab some locally produced soil conditioner. No appointment is needed, just bring along an ID card and your own bags or boxes to carry the conditioner. Click here for details.

• It is only 10 weeks to go before Kintbury’s 5 mile run. The picturesque route takes you along quiet roads and through some stunning countryside not normally accessible to the public and hopefully after all the recent downpours everything will be lush and green. Enter here ,

• Kintbury  St Mary’s School PTA is inviting everyone to enjoy their Annual World Book Day Scarecrow Trail this week until Sunday 10 March. Get your trail map from the school office or Kintbury Corner Stores and whatsmore, if you guess the correct anagram from the purple tickets you could win a chocolate treat.

• A quick reminder that Bee Jacks Tomb Foundation charity quiz night at Hungerford British Legion on Friday 15 March at 7:30pm start. Tickets are £20 per person including food. To book call 07795 154808 or email btf1968@hotmail.com 

• Don’t forget to check out the new Wellbeing Sessions run by Get Berkshire Active, every Wednesday at Hungerford Library from 1pm to 1.30pm. To book a place please email kate.wiggins@getberkshireactive.org or ring 07706 357801.

• Would you like to help inspire the future workforce? Education Business Partnership helps prepare our local young people for the world of work, and to do this EBP relies on the support of local businesses and professionals. If you would like to volunteer your expertise please see here for more details.

• Made plans yet for Mothering Sunday? Why not book Mothering Sunday lunch at Cobbs on Sunday 10 March? or at Blandy’s in Audley Inglewood, Kintbury?

• Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team (HEAT) is keen to hear from anyone who usually has swifts nesting on their home in the summer months. If you live in Hungerford High Street and would like have a swift box, installed  contact HEAT. Swifts will be returning late April/early May and we want to make sure there are enough nesting sites for them.

• Hungerford Nursery is  offering a new Cooking And Nutrition (CAN) course for parents/carers with children aged one to four years.  It costs just £2.50 per week and booking is essential on 01488 682628, whatsapp 07771 70191 or mbeasley@hungerfordnursery.w-berks.sch.uk. See more details here.

• Hungerford Jazz Forum welcomes new musicians on the last Friday of the month at the British Legion. They now showcase local bands and performers by offering a 30 minute set around 9pm. Please see more details on their facebook page here.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Opus2 Chamber Choir invites singers familiar with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle to perform the piece with professional soloists on Saturday 23 March at St Mary’s Kintbury. See more details here.

• The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon and West Berkshire Foodbank is very grateful for financial donations via their website westberks.foodbank.org.uk and 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.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes smartening-up, wellbeing, music, mothering and cooking – plus Hungerford’s forthcoming town meeting, an important consultation of the town’s neighbourhood plan which needs your comments and progress at Lancaster Park. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include an author event and a Haydn quartet.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

Chloe Willman, Head of Customer Services at Bewley Homes, added that the developers “welcomed the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Hungerford and Councillor Coulthurst, who gave us their insight and feedback. Our meeting covered a number of key points regarding the overall delivery of the landscaping and its completion for this year. We discussed how we will be undertaking weekly monitoring of the site to ensure we meet our agreed programme of delivery. This will be communicated to residents.

“We also reviewed key landscaping documents and explained how we will ensure the management company provides a seamless transition in the future to the resident management company.”

We’ll check back in a month or so and see how things are going.

• Other news

• Smarten Up Hungerford  continues to execute some good work cleaning up the environment. Most recently, alongside one of the Town and Manor’s Trustees, they helped clear all the rubbish from behind the fence on the lay-by opposite Dobbies. Five sacks were filled in total – well done everyone.

• The Honesty Group are looking to book some comedians in the local area to do bi-weekly shows at their pubs on Thursdays. If you know of anyone who is in the Berkshire/Hampshire area who would be up for doing this at the Crown & Garter and The Hartley Arms please send an email to marketing@honestygroup.co.uk

• The Honesty Group will also be hosting a screening of @6inchesofsoil at Honesty Group Cookery School  on Thursday 14 March,  at 6.30pm, in an effort to bring community together and provoke thought about soil regeneration and sustainable management. This is a free event with food and drinks provided. You can book your tickets here.  

• London Haydn Quartet are coming to Hungerford Primary School the Friday 1 March followed by a concert for all at Hungerford Arts Centre at The Croft Hall. Described by BBC Music Magazine as “players of faultless intonation, unanimity and blend’. Providing music for all. Tickets here free for under 18’s.

• Bee Jacks Tomb Foundation  are hosting another charity quiz night at Hungerford British legion on Friday the 15 March at 7:30pm start. Tickets are £20 per person including food. To book  call  07795 154808 or email btf1968@hotmail.com 

• A quick reminder that if you have a car, some spare time and would like to make a difference in your local community that Volunteer Driver Service Berkshire are looking for your help. You receive 45p per mile starting from your door and schedules will be organised around your availability and preferences. Please email info@volunteerdriverservice.org.uk to find out more.

• Please don’t forget that Kintbury Pre School is looking for donations to fundraise  of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing in good condition, plus paired shoes. The Bags2school collection   will occur on Monday 4 March, so please drop down  bags  to the school on any week day between 9am and 3pm.

• A quick reminder to  bookworms and book clubs that you are invited to an evening with Veronica Henry on Tuesday 5 March from 6pm to 8pm at White Coco in Hungerford High Street.

• Hungerford’s Churches are offering a series of Lent Lunches, consisting  of soup, bread & cheese. Friday 1 March 12.30pm, Our Lady of Lourdes; Friday 15 March 12.30pm – Hungerford URC; Friday 22 March 12.30pm, Methodist Church.

• Don’t forget to check out the new Wellbeing Sessions run by Get Berkshire Active, every Wednesday at Hungerford Library from 1pm to 1.30pm. To book a place please email kate.wiggins@getberkshireactive.org or ring 07706 357801.

• Quick reminder that BBC Radio Berkshire is asking the people of Hungerford to nominate anyone who they think has really made a difference in the community this year. There’s more detail on all the categories here  and if you’ve got any questions you email faye.harland@bbc.co.uk

• Get involved with the upcoming poetry festival in Hungerford, take the opportunity to join award-winning local writer, Nicola Chester, for a Walking-Writing Poetry Workshop with some fun, accessible and enjoyable writing exercises open to all  (14 years and over) on Saturday 2 March.  To book tickets contact Hungerford Library 01488 682660; hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Would you like to help inspire the future workforce? Education Business Partnership helps prepare our local young people for the world of work, and to do this EBP relies on the support of local businesses and professionals. If you would like to volunteer your expertise please see here for more details.

• Made plans yet for Mothering Sunday? Why not book Mothering Sunday lunch at Cobbs on Sunday 10 March? or at Blandy’s in Audley Ingleowwd, Kintbury?

• Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team (HEAT) is keen to hear from anyone who usually has swifts nesting on their home in the summer months. If you live in Hungerford High Street and would like have a swift box, installed  contact HEAT.

• Hungerford Nursery is  offering a new Cooking And Nutrition (CAN) course for parents/carers with children aged one to four years.  It costs just £2.50 per week and booking is essential on 01488 682628, whatsapp 07771 70191 or mbeasley@hungerfordnursery.w-berks.sch.uk. See more details here.

• Hungerford Jazz Forum welcomes new musicians on the last Friday of the month at the British Legion. They now showcase local bands and performers by offering a 30 minute set around 9pm. Please see more details on their facebook page here.

• Wintery words and vibrant verse – the latest recommendations from the Hungerford Bookshop.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Opus2 Chamber Choir invites singers familiar with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle to perform the piece with professional soloists on Saturday 23 March at St Mary’s Kintbury. See more details here.

• The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon and West Berkshire Foodbank is very grateful for financial donations via their website westberks.foodbank.org.uk and 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.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of local news includes fundraising, bookworms, lunches, wellbeing and swifts – plus Hungerford’s forthcoming town meeting, an important milestone reached with the neighbourhood plan and the future of WH Smith in the High Street. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include swing, jazz and hydrogen.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Other news

• Perhaps unsurprisingly, after the downpours that have effected so many lives in the UK this winter, Hungerford is looking for volunteer flood wardens to help raise awareness of any flood risks in their community. Learn more here.

• Kintbury preschool is looking for donations to fundraise via the Bag2School project . Bags of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing in good condition, plus paired shoes will be given to the company for cash which will be used to support the school and its activities. They have a Bags2school collection on Monday 4 March, so please drop down as many bags as you like to the school on any week day between 9am and 3pm.

•  KOTB Angling Club   are  in need of second hand tackle luggage nets for a growing number of youngsters if you would like to donate anything please visit www.kotb.org.uk

• Calling all bookworms and book clubs. As part of their White Coco Book Club, you are invited to an evening with Veronica Henry on Tuesday 5 March from 6pm to 8pm at White Coco in Hungerford High Street. Enjoy a glass of fizz and an exclusive reading & book signing of Ronnie’s brand new novel, The Secret Beach. Numbers are limited, so  RSVP at info@whitecoco.co.uk to confirm your attendance.

• The Christian festival of Lent has begun and as a result Hungerford Churches are offering a series of Lent Lunches, consisting  of soup, bread & cheese. Here are venues and dates: Friday 1 March 12.30pm, Our Lady of Lourdes; Friday 15 March 12.30pm – Hungerford URC; Friday 22 March 12.30pm, Methodist Church.

• Don’t forget to check out the new Wellbeing Sessions run by Get Berkshire Active, every Wednesday at Hungerford Library from 1pm to 1.30pm. To book a place please email kate.wiggins@getberkshireactive.org or ring 07706 357801.

• Quick reminder that BBC Radio Berkshire is asking the people of Hungerford to nominate anyone who they think has really made a difference in the community this year. There’s more detail on all the categories here  and if you’ve got any questions you email faye.harland@bbc.co.uk

• Get involved with the upcoming poetry festival in Hungerford, take the opportunity to join award-winning local writer, Nicola Chester, for a Walking-Writing Poetry Workshop with some fun, accessible and enjoyable writing exercises open to all  (14 years and over) on Saturday 2 March.  To book tickets contact Hungerford Library 01488 682660; hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Would you like to help inspire the future workforce? Education Business Partnership helps prepare our local young people for the world of work, and to do this EBP relies on the support of local businesses and professionals. If you would like to volunteer your expertise please see here for more details.

• Made plans yet for Mothering Sunday? Why not book Mothering Sunday lunch at Cobbs on Sunday 10 March? or at Blandy’s in Audley Ingleowwd, Kintbury?

• Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team (HEAT) is keen to hear from anyone who usually has swifts nesting on their home in the summer months. If you live in Hungerford High Street and would like have a swift box, installed  contact HEAT.

• Hungerford Nursery is  offering a new Cooking And Nutrition (CAN) course for parents/carers with children aged one to four years.  It costs just £2.50 per week and booking is essential on 01488 682628, whatsapp 07771 70191 or mbeasley@hungerfordnursery.w-berks.sch.uk. See more details here.

• Lasso the Moon dance party is back in Bedwyn village hall 7.30pm to midnight Saturday 24 February for Part II with three talented, local DJs. Book your £10 tickets here. You can also follow the organisers, Little Red Poncho Events on facebook.

• Hungerford Jazz Forum welcomes new musicians on the last Friday of the month at the British Legion. They now showcase local bands and performers by offering a 30 minute set around 9pm. Please see more details on their facebook page here.

• Wintery words and vibrant verse – the latest recommendations from the Hungerford Bookshop.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Opus2 Chamber Choir invites singers familiar with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle to perform the piece with professional soloists on Saturday 23 March at St Mary’s Kintbury. You will rehearse for the day, are fed lunch and perform that piece in a concert in the evening.  Rehearsals start at 10am with a light lunch provided at 1pm. See more details here.

• The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon and West Berkshire Foodbank is very grateful for financial donations via their website westberks.foodbank.org.uk and 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.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of  local news includes creative writing, lent, bridge, kids, friends, wardens and jazz – plus a new monthly market in Hungerford, an important milestone with Hungerford’s NDP and the latest on the changes at the Co-op (but not much change at Chestnut Walk). See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include pie & quiz, Oliver! and Jack and the Beanstalk.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Other news

• Looking for ways to entertain the kids? Why not  join KOTB Angling Club  on the bankside for a day’s fishing? They are  in need of second hand tackle luggage nets for a growing number of youngsters if you would like to donate anything please visit www.kotb.org.uk All youngsters welcome.

•  Shalbourne Stores & Post Office is hosting a Bridge afternoon in the village hall. Any ability welcome but please book a table of four. With prizes, afternoon tea and a raffle donations ro go to Prospect Hospice  and Shalbourne Community.

• The Christian festival of Lent has begun and as a result Hungerford Churches are offering a series of Lent Lunches. Each church will host a lunch of soup, bread & cheese; everyone is welcome to attend any, or all, as they are able.  Cash donations are invited for Noreen’s Kids, supporting disabled children and their families in Romania. Unfortunately, St Lawrence’s Church, Hungerford are unable to host a lunch this year due to the ongoing building work, but here are the other venues and dates: Friday 1 March 12.30pm, Our Lady of Lourdes; Friday 15 March 12.30pm – Hungerford URC; Friday 22 March 12.30pm, Methodist Church

• West Berkshire Libraries is delighted to announce new Wellbeing Sessions run by Get Berkshire Active, which are starting at Hungerford Library on Wednesday 21 February. These chair-based exercises will take place every week, 1 to 1.30pm. Sessions are free but you do need to book in advance. For more information about these sessions or to book a place please email kate.wiggins@getberkshireactive.org or ring 07706 357801.

• Quick reminder that Faye Harland from BBC Radio Berkshire is asking the people of Hungerford to nominate anyone who they think has really made a difference in the community this year, There’s more detail on all the categories here  and if you’ve got any questions you email faye.harland@bbc.co.uk

• Local author Millie Stone is running a six week Creative Writing Course in Hungerford on Thursday mornings starting on 22 February. Writers of any genre or level of experience are welcome. See here for details and how to book your place.

• Get involved with the upcoming poetry festival in Hungerford, take the opportunity to join award-winning local writer, Nicola Chester, for a Walking-Writing Poetry Workshop with some fun, accessible and enjoyable writing exercises open to all  (14 years and over) on Saturday 2 March.  To book tickets contact Hungerford Library 01488 682660; hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Would you like to help inspire the future workforce? Education Business Partnership helps prepare our local young people for the world of work, and to do this EBP relies on the support of local businesses and professionals. If you would like to volunteer your expertise please see here for more details.

• Made plans yet for Mothering Sunday? Why not book Mothering Sunday lunch at Cobbs on Sunday 10 March? or at Blandy’s in Audley Ingleowwd, Kintbury?

• Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team (HEAT) is keen to hear from anyone who usually has swifts nesting on their home in the summer months. If you live in Hungerford High Street and would like have a swift box, installed  contact HEAT.

• Hungerford Nursery is  offering a new Cooking And Nutrition (CAN) course for parents/carers with children aged one to four years.  It costs just £2.50 per week and booking is essential on 01488 682628, whatsapp 07771 70191 or mbeasley@hungerfordnursery.w-berks.sch.uk. See more details here.

• Lasso the Moon dance party is back in Bedwyn village hall 7.30pm to midnight Saturday 24 February for Part II with three talented, local DJs. Book your £10 tickets here. You can also follow the organisers, Little Red Poncho Events on facebook.

• Hungerford Jazz Forum welcomes new musicians on the last Friday of the month at the British Legion. They now showcase local bands and performers by offering a 30 minute set around 9pm. Please see more details on their facebook page here.

• Wintery words and vibrant verse – the latest recommendations from the Hungerford Bookshop.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Quick reminder that the deadline is Saturday 17 February for submitting poems to an exhibition of poetry by local residents as part of the Hungerford Poetry Festival from 2 to 16 March at Hungerford Library. Poems can be on any subject, perhaps celebrating Hungerford and community, the library, our local countryside. Please send your poems by email to hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk, by post to the library at Church Street, Hungerford RG17 OJG, or drop them off at any West Berkshire library.

• Opus2 Chamber Choir invites singers familiar with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle to perform the piece with professional soloists on Saturday 23 March at St Mary’s Kintbury. You will rehearse for the day, are fed lunch and perform that piece in a concert in the evening.  Rehearsals start at 10am with a light lunch provided at 1pm. See more details here.

• The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon and West Berkshire Foodbank is very grateful for financial donations via their website westberks.foodbank.org.uk and 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.

• Click here for the latest newsletter form the Hungerford Bookshop.

Our usual round-up of  local news includes: wellbeing, swifts, poetry, freedom and rugby – plus a look at the recent Penny Post Hungerford newsletter, a suggestion for how to solve the log-jam at Chestnut Walk, a poetry festival and the latest news from the Town Centre Strategy Steering Group. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include: live music, Oliver! and Jack and the Beanstalk.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

Both the Mayor and James Cole stressed that the TCSSG was entirely reactive with regard to the matters it was considering, these having already been identified in the extensive consultation that took place during the first stage of the TCS project in 2022-23. The six which had received the most support (see list in the 2 January 2024 update) are the ones currently being considered.

The TCSSG would not be making decisions, only recommendations: although it has decided to drop the bottom four for the present, concentrate on the top two and press WBC for some answers in respect of these. There are no done deals involved in the process and the issues surrounding all of the ideas will be looked at carefully by the TCSSG.

Any recommendations which were made would be sent to HTC and other represented bodies like the Chamber of Commerce and the Town and Manor for consideration and these will be given publicity for people to comment before any decision is taken.

Even then, the problem of finance will need to be overcome. The chance of a bid being successful are greatly increased if it can be demonstrated that (a) the basic idea has popular support; and (b) serious work has since gone into looking at the details. Point (a) is what the original consultation has identified; point (b) is what the TCSSG is considering.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that the TCSs for Hungerford, Thatcham and Newbury were WBC initiatives. Hungerford had to fight quite hard to ensure that it had a strong and effective voice in the future discussions. This included the TCSSG Chair being from the town and not, as was originally proposed, from WBC. This model has now been adopted for the two other TCSs.

All the projects should be regarded as long-term. In addition, any which ends up being adopted by WBC will then be funded by WBC and subject to WBC’s own consultation process. Any such projects will, however, come from the same pot of ideas already produced by the consultation.

The minutes of TCSSG meetings can be seen here. As mentioned above, any recommendations will be given wide publicity before anything is set in stone. If you would like to communicate with the TCSSG, please email Cllr.james.cole@hungerford-tc.gov.uk.

• Hungerford’s poetry

Hungerford Library will be holding an exhibition of poetry by local residents as part of the Hungerford Poetry Festival which will take place from 2 to 16 March.

If you enjoy writing poetry, you are invited you to contribute to the festival by writing your own poem, which may be displayed in the exhibition. Poems can be on any subject, perhaps celebrating Hungerford and the community, the library, our local countryside or any theme of your choice. Please send your poems by email to hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk, by post to the library at Church Street, Hungerford RG17 0JG, or drop them off at any West Berkshire library before Saturday 17 February.

Alongside the exhibition, there will also be a walking-writing poetry workshop with award winning local author Nicola Chester, poetry performances from Joelle Taylor and Josie Alford on Saturday 2 March, and a night of poetry and comedy with Clare Ferguson-Walker on Saturday 16 March. There’s also an opportunity for you get involved by performing your own poetry at the open-mic night in The Hub on Thursday 7 March.

• Hungerford’s newsletter

As happens at the start of every month, Penny Post Hungerford is published, providing the best guide to what’s going on in the town. You can click here to read it if you didn’t get it.

• Other news

• West Berkshire Libraries are delighted to tell you about new Wellbeing Sessions run by Get Berkshire Active, which are starting at Hungerford Library on Wednesday 21 February. These chair-based exercises will take place every week, 1-1.30pm. Sessions are free but you do need to book in advance. For more information about these sessions or to book a place please email kate.wiggins@getberkshireactive.org or ring 07706 357801.

• Faye Harland from BBC Radio Berkshire is asking the people of Hungerford to nominate anyone who they think has really made a difference this year, by their actions in the town. The BBC’s Make a Difference Awards are in September but you’ve only got until 11pm on Sunday 10 March to make a nomination. There’s more detail on all the categories here  and if you’ve got any questions you can or email faye.harland@bbc.co.uk.

• Local author Millie Stone is running a six week Creative Writing Course in Hungerford on Thursday mornings starting on 22 February. Writers of any genre or level of experience are welcome. See here for details and how to book your place.

• With the upcoming poetry festival in Hungerford, take the opportunity to join award-winning local writer, Nicola Chester, for a Walking-Writing Poetry Workshop with some fun, accessible and enjoyable writing exercises open to all  (14 years and over) on Saturday 2 March. Nicola Chester is a Guardian Country Diarist, a columnist for Countryfile Magazine and the RSPB, and wrote Nature Notes for the Newbury Weekly News for 20 years. She is also an award-winning author of On Gallows Down, has contributed to several anthologies, and is School Librarian and Writer in Residence at John O’Gaunt School. In her spare time she writes poetry. To book tickets contact Hungerford Library 01488 682660; hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Made plans yet for Mothering Sunday? Why not book Mothering Sunday lunch at Cobbs on Sunday 10 March?

• Hungerford’s Environmental Action Team ( HEAT) is keen to hear from anyone who usually has swifts nesting on their home in the summer months. If you live in Hungerford High Street and would like have a swift box, installed  contact HEAT.

• The Community of Hungerford Theatre Company is pleased to be bringing back the first Hungerford Town Show since 2020 with a production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! This year’s production, directed by Hoffi Robinson runs from Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 February in John O’Gaunt School Hall. Tickets are available from Crown Needlework opposite the Town Hall or from hungerfordtheatre.com.

• Hungerford Rugby Club is pleased to be hosting a two day Girls Rugby Camp over half term on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 February. The cost is £40 for a full day 9.30am to 4pm. See here for the itinerary and sign up form. If you need any help with cost please contact Rob Cox on robcox999@gmail.com.

• Hungerford Nursery is pleased to be offering a new Cooking And Nutrition (CAN) course for parents/carers with children aged 1 to 4 years.  The six week course starts 9.30am Wednesday 21 February and covers how to cook & shop on a budget, look at food portions, cook an easy recipe to take home, keeping your family safe in the kitchen and healthy lifestyles. It costs just £2.50 per week and booking is essential with Marie Beasley on 01488 682628, whatsapp 07771 70191 or mbeasley@hungerfordnursery.w-berks.sch.uk. See more details here.

• After a fantastic night of dancing last October, Lasso the Moon dance party is back in Bedwyn village hall 7.30pm to midnight Saturday 24 February for Part II with three talented, local DJs – DJ Soundy getting the party started with funky, electronic tunes, DJ Jay with breakbeats to get you strutting your stuff on the dance floor and DJ Silver returning with euphoric dance tunes old and new to lift your spirits and make you smile.  Lasso is an inclusive event for those who want to dance all night without a long drive home…Book your £10 tickets here. You can also follow the organisers, Little Red Poncho Events on facebook.

• Hungerford Jazz Forum welcomes new musicians on the last Friday of the month at the British Legion. They now showcase local bands and performers by offering a 30 minute set around 9pm. Please see more details on their facebook page here.

• Wintery words and vibrant verse – the latest recommendations from the Hungerford Bookshop.

• Don’t forget that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Quick reminder that the deadline is Saturday 17 February for submitting poems to an exhibition of poetry by local residents as part of the Hungerford Poetry Festival from 2 to 16 March at Hungerford Library. Poems can be on any subject, perhaps celebrating Hungerford and community, the library, our local countryside. Please send your poems by email to hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk, by post to the library at Church Street, Hungerford RG17 OJG, or drop them off at any West Berkshire library.

• Opus2 Chamber Choir invites singers familiar with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle to perform the piece with professional soloists on Saturday 23 March at St Mary’s Kintbury. You will rehearse for the day, are fed lunch and perform that piece in a concert in the evening.  Rehearsals start at 10am with a light lunch provided at 1pm. See more details here.

• The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon and West Berkshire Foodbank is very grateful for financial donations via their website westberks.foodbank.org.uk and 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.

Our usual round-up of  local news includes: a show, scouts, trustees, sustainability and freedom – plus (yet another) article about Chestnut Walk, the latest on the future of the Boots pharmacy, a fundraiser at the Rugby Club and Froxfield stuck in the queue. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Hungerford events include: a rugby camp, Oliver! and a book talk.  See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Chestnut Walk

Yes, I’m writing about this again. For the few readers of this column who’re unaware of what I’m on about, this concerns the unpardonable and unfathomable delay (now getting on for seven years) in redeveloping the former care home in Hungerford into eight badly needed social-rent homes. The joint venture between Sovereign and WBC has so far been unable to come up with any start date which remains fixed and each change only moves it further away. The latest announcement is that work is unlikely to start before early 2025.

On 1 February I spoke to Sovereign’s press department to ask the simple question “why is this taking so long?” There must be a reason for this: the trouble is that no one seems to know what it is. Nor, at present, do I  – but as soon as I’ve heard back from them you’ll be the first to know.

• Boots the Chemist

Following the granting of planning permission for the conversion of the first floor of the building Boots occupies in Hungerford High Street and the fact that the lease expires later this year, concerns have been expressed as to whether the pharmacy will remain. Without the first floor (used for toilets and storage) the store as currently configured is probably not viable, while the long-term intentions of the landlords are unclear. There is no other pharmacy in the town and the Surgery does not have the space to create one. As with the Post Office (which nearly closed about six years ago, a threat that prompt action by Hungerford Town Council to set up an outreach service prevented), there’s no law that says that a town the size of Hungerford has to have a pharmacy.

A spokesperson for Boots told Penny Post on 31 January that discussions with the landlord were progressing but was unable to comment on how these were going, what deadline had been set for their conclusion or whether any other properties in the town were being considered as a plan B. I was reassured that Boots wished to remain in the town and was advised that there should be more to report in a couple of months. I suggested that this would leave about six months before the lease falls in, scarcely long enough for any new property, or pharmacy provider, to be found.

Hungerford TC was able to set up an outreach Post Office but an outreach pharmacy is a rather different matter. It’s important to stress that, not being the landlord, HTC has no direct influence in the matter. All it can do is press Boots HQ for a speedy resolution and, if the worst comes to the worst, help publicise information about what other local pharmacy services are available. We’re not at that stage yet: but the clock ticks on…

• A rugby fundraiser

Hungerford Rugby Club is asking for the community’s support for the Matt Ratana Foundation. As you may be aware, police Sergeant Matt Ratana was shot and killed on duty by a handcuffed prisoner just three months before he had been due to retire.  (See this BBC programme on the tragedy).

HRFC is hosting a Quiz Night at the club on Friday 9 February with a great raffle.  All proceeds from the quiz and raffle will go to the Matt Ratana Foundation. Tickets are £5 and can be booked here.

HRFC is also supporting the foundation’s fundraising walk from Reading to Bristol along the canal on Sunday 18 February. A number of HRFC club members will be walking with the Matt Ratana charity walkers for the last mile of their first leg of the walk (Reading to Hungerford), preparing a hot meal/snack station and hosting the walkers overnight at the club.  The charity walkers’ full journey takes them from Thames Valley Police (Reading) to Ding Crusaders (Bristol) via Hungerford RFC, Bradford on Avon RFC and Keynsham RFC in support of the Matt Ratana Foundation.

The walk will be followed by the BBC and everyone is invited to please join the welcome party for the walkers who are expected to arrive around 6pm on Sunday 18 February. HRFC would like to demonstrate the community spirit of Hungerford and make the walkers feel as welcome as possible.

For more details please contact Steve Mills President Hungerford RFC on stevemills36@hotmail.com or 07584 392946.

• Froxfield stuck in the queue

The most recent (20 January) edition of Froxfield News reports that “although the official go-ahead has been given for the 40mph speed limit to be introduced to the eastern end of the village, the paperwork on the change is stalled with Wiltshire Council’s legal team. The Council must publicly advertise the proposed change and fulfil some necessary legal steps but there is a big backlog of instructions according to the Wiltshire roads engineers.

“We hope the notice will be issued shortly — and anyone can comment on the proposed changes during the 28-day period of public consultation. Froxfield Parish Council trusts no serious objections will be received and the speed limit change from 50mph to 40mph could then be implemented swiftly.

• Other news

• West Berkshire Libraries are offering Craft & Chat mornings at Hungerford Library, every Friday from 10am-12pm. Drop in and bring your knitting, sewing, colouring or any other craft with you to join our friendly group for a chat. Refreshments available, donations welcome. For more information phone 01488 682660 or hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk

• Hungerford Rugby Club is pleased to be hosting a two day Girls Rugby Camp over halfterm on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 February. The cost is £40 for a full day 9.30am to 4pm. See here for the itinerary and sign up form. If you need any help with cost please contact Rob Cox on robcox999@gmail.com.

• Volunteers with 1st Hungerford Scouts come from all backgrounds and skill sets.  The Scout group needs at least four new volunteers to join the team that enables their 6 to 8 year olds to explore, have fun and go on adventures. No previous experience is necessary and free training is provided. If you would like to find out more please contact becky.eytle@berkshirescouts.org.uk

• And for cosy books to enjoy this winter, here are five reading recommendations from the bookshop.

• Quick reminder that Hungerford Town Council invites nominations for the Award of Freedom of the Town 2024. The deadline is 5pm on Friday 28 June and the form is available online or hard copies can be picked up from the Council office in the library building. The Awards will be announced in September 2024.

• Quick reminder that the deadline is Saturday 17 February for submitting poems to an exhibition of poetry by local residents as part of the Hungerford Poetry Festival from 2 to 16 March at Hungerford Library. Poems can be on any subject, perhaps celebrating Hungerford and community, the library, our local countryside. Please send your poems by email to hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk, by post to the library at Church Street, Hungerford RG17 OJG, or drop them off at any West Berkshire library.

• Opus2 Chamber Choir invites singers familiar with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle to perform the piece with professional soloists on Saturday 23 March at St Mary’s Kintbury. You will rehearse for the day, are fed lunch and perform that piece in a concert in the evening.  Rehearsals start at 10am with a light lunch provided at 1pm. See more details here.

• The cost of living crisis isn’t going away any time soon and West Berkshire Foodbank is very grateful for financial donations via their website westberks.foodbank.org.uk and 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.

• Hungerford Rugby Club and Thatcham Rugby Club are collaborating to promote girls rugby. They are looking for girls of all ages to join their teams.  Please get in touch with the club if you think your daughter might be interested and join one of the training sessions.

• Quick reminder that community groups that bring entertainment, knowledge or skills to the community of Hungerford can apply for grants from the Hungerford Summer Festival committee which is winding up. Please see here for how to apply by 31 January.

• Can you help Hungerford Nursery School? Its Shoal of Friends fundraising charity is in desperate need of new trustees from March 2024 but the commitment isn’t too onerous. Please see here for details.

• Quick reminder about coping with winter weather – advice about flooding and how to stay safe in icy conditions and how to thaw frozen condensate pipe from your boiler.

• Codie Tracey requests help from Hungerford residents to participate in her uni research project about the impact of green spaces on community interaction and mental well-being in the rural area of Hungerford. To participate, please complete this short survey here (the park in the survey refers to the one near the football club).

• Hungerford Rugby Club and Thatcham Rugby Club are collaborating to promote girls rugby. They are looking for girls of all ages to join their teams.  Please get in touch with the club if you think your daughter might be interested and join one of the training sessions.

• Quick reminder that community groups that bring entertainment, knowledge or skills to the community of Hungerford can apply for grants from the Hungerford Summer Festival committee which is winding up. Please see here for how to apply by 31 January.

• Can you help Hungerford Nursery School? Its Shoal of Friends fundraising charity is in desperate need of new trustees from March 2024 but the commitment isn’t too onerous. Please see here for details.

• Quick reminder about coping with winter weather – advice about flooding and how to stay safe in icy conditions and how to thaw frozen condensate pipe from your boiler.

• Codie Tracey requests help from Hungerford residents to participate in her uni research project about the impact of green spaces on community interaction and mental well-being in the rural area of Hungerford. To participate, please complete this short survey here (the park in the survey refers to the one near the football club).